Long Beach Currrent; September 30, 2024

CURRENT LONG BEACH

LONG BEACH STATE’S NEWS SOURCE SINCE 1949

Vol. XCVI, Issue 6

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Monday, September 30, 2024

SOMETHING TO SING ABOUT

Long Beach Current 1250 Bellflower Blvd., LA4-203 Long Beach, CA, 90804

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Acsah Lemma Editor in Chief eic@lbcurrent.com

El Nicklin Multimedia Managing Editor multimedia@lbcurrent.com

Linsey Towles Managing Editor managing@lbcurrent.com

Sam Farfán Community Engagement Editor community@lbcurrent.com

Kristina Agresta Director of Business Operations business@gobeach.media

Editors News Editor Juan Calvillo news@lbcurrent.com Arts & Life Editor Julia Goldman arts@lbcurrent.com Opinions Editor Joannah Clemente opinions@lbcurrent.com Sports Editor Davis Ramage sports@lbcurrent.com Solutions Editor Jaylyn Preslicka solutions@lbcurrent.com Design Editor Mary Catipay design@lbcurrent.com Copy Editor Khoury Williams copy@lbcurrent.com Photo Editor Samuel Chacko photo@lbcurrent.com Social Media Editor Stephanie Morales socials@lbcurrent.com Video Editor Dante Estrada video@lbcurrent.com Podcast Editor Aidan Swanepoel podcast@lbcurrent.com Assistants News Assistants Ethan Cohen Annette Quijada Mayra Salazar Arts & Life Assistants Delfino Camacho Grace Lawson Diego Renteria Opinions Assistants Lizbeth Cortes-Gutierrez Romi Mathews Christine Nader Sports Assistants Matthew Coleman Alyssa De La Cruz Matthew Gomez Jack Haslett Design Assistants Soleil Cardenas Luis Castilla Copy Assistants Timothy Hessen Bella Garcia Madison Yang Photo Assistants Lauren Benson Justin Enriquez Devin Malast Mark Siquig Social Media Assistants Matthew Gregory Andrew Miller Video Assistants Eduardo Contreras Jr. Kimberly Perez Podcast Assistants Gianna Echeverria Alexandra Gryciuk Community Engagement Assistant Jazmyn De Jesus Business Advertising Manager Andrea Contreras advertising@gobeach.media Creative Director Jennix Bien creative@gobeach.media Web & Technology Director Leila Nuñez web@gobeach.media PR & Marketing Manager Nicollette Combre beach.pr@gobeach.media Distribution Manager Joseph Vargas distribution@gobeach.media

Advisers Design Adviser Gary Metzker Content Adviser Barbara Kinglsey-Wilson Advertising & Business Adviser Jennifer Newton

ON THE COVER

SAMUEL CHACKO / Long Beach Current Higher Ed’s lead vocalist Dr. Monica Lounsbery shows her emotions during the 75th Anniversary Concert as she dances, laughs and gets the crowd excited on Sept. 28.

NEWS Student Health Services flu clinic pop-ups

BY CHRISTOPHER CHAN Contributor

S

tudent Health Services continues its annual wellness initiative by providing free flu vaccinations to students and faculty on campus from Sept. 24 through Dec. 5.

Student Health Services has planned pop-up clinics geared towards providing an increase of vaccinations. Last year 700 vaccinations were distributed and campus health officials aim to increase the number to 1,500.

According to the Department of Health and Human Services Epidemiology Program, an estimate of 1,593 influenza cases have been reported in the Long Beach area for the 2023-24 flu season, which is down from 2,600 in the previous cycle.

Flu season runs from October to May, as reported by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, and while cases are lower than the 2022-23 flu season, there are still a number of months left for cases to accumulate. Students like Rachel Porter, a health science major volunteering at the pop-up clinic, believe that vaccines contribute to a better campus community.

“It’s always good to be vaccinated against diseases like this. It’s good for creating an overall healthy campus community,” Porter said. “I understand the stigma and skepticism behind it, but I would encourage people to educate themselves on what the flu vaccine really is.”

Heidi Girling, a Student Health Center health educator, said she would like to see this effort accomplished by offering free shots at various clinics across campus. Vaccination locations include: • Student Success Center • Campus bookstore • The Outpost “We’re trying to go to a bunch of different locations to meet students where they’re at with staff and faculty too. We want them vaccinated as well.

This is a public health approach,” Girling said.

Although Student Health Services has made efforts to reach the campus community, some such as kinesiology major Jacob Islas still hesitate despite the CDC reporting that the influenza vaccine has been 42% effective so far.

“Growing up, if I were to get the flu shot I would kind of get sick afterwards; that’s why I kind of stay away from it,” Islas said. ”But I could just be getting influenced and hear things because elders tell me.”

Girling said that claims about vaccines being ineffective and cause harm are false. She said vaccines are meant to fight diseases and reduce the severity of infections while causing only minor side effects.

“It cannot give you the flu,” Girling said. “Average time to recover from influenza is about five days. It can be longer for some people if they have asthma or diabetes. If someone gets the flu shot they will have very minor side effects.”

Upcoming flu clinics will be hosted on Sept.

30, Oct. 2, and Oct. 5 at various locations across campus.

Land Acknowledgment Here at the Long Beach Current we acknowledge that the school we report on is located on the sacred site of Puvungna, “the gathering place”. We are on the land of the Tongva/Gabrieleño and the Acjachemen/Juaneño Nations who have lived and continue to live here.

We also acknowledge the Gabrieleño/Tongva (pronounced: GABRIEL-EN-YO/TONG – VAH) and Acjachamen/Juaneño (pronounced: AH-HACH-AH-MEN/JUAN-EN-YO) as the traditional custodians of the Los Angeles region along with the Chumash (pronounced: CHOO-MOSH) to the north and west, and the Tataviam (pronounced: TAH-TAH-VEE-YUM) and Cahuilla (pronounced: KAH-WEE-YAH) Nations to the east.

We respect and value the many ways the Tongva/Acjachemen cultural heritage and beliefs continue to have significance to the living people and remind us about the sacred and spiritual relationship that has always existed here at what we now call California State University Long Beach.

Editorials: All opinions expressed in the columns, letters and

Letter Policy: All letters and emails

Monday, September 30, 2024

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cartoons in the issue are those of the writers or artists. The opinons of the Long Beach Current 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 Long Beach Current.

must bear the phone number of the writer and must be no more than 300 words. The Long Beach Current reserves the right to edit letters for publication in regard to space.

NEWS

Obituary: Marie Kelleher, CSULB professor and force of nature

BY JAMIE AUSTRIA Contributor

M

arie Kelleher, a devoted women’s and medieval history professor at Long Beach State for 21 years, died May 6 at 53-years-old.

A service to celebrate the life and work of Kelleher will be held by the College of Liberal Arts Department of History on Oct. 10 at the Anna W. Ngai Alumni Center.

Kelleher’s work as a historian centered around women, law and medieval history.

She was a published author of the award winning book The Measure of Woman: Law and Female Identity in the Crown of Aragon, a member and board member of the American Academy of Research Historians of Medieval Spain and recipient of multiple national grants and fellowships.

Before her death, Kelleher was in the process of finishing her second book, a historical story about medieval Barcelona and the impact famine had on its society and government.

Colleagues of Kelleher’s are collaborating to help get the book ready for publication in 2025.

Through her work in women’s history, Kelleher also helped to create a large network of fellow historians, colleagues and former students. She formed connections that she maintained for years with people she met and worked with.

This network is seen reflected in the outpour of individuals who reached out and contributed to an endowed reward created in her name after her passing through the American Academy of Research Historians of Medieval Spain. Neither the amount of funds nor its purpose has been finalized.

“She was very loyal. Loyal as a friend, as a daughter, sister,” Thomas Barton, professor at the University of San Diego and a long-time colleague, said. “She didn’t have a huge ego, she’s self deprecating, she’s humble, she’s willing to lay it all out there.”

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Photos courtesy of Dr. Caitlin Murdock A celebration of life service for women’s and medieval history professor Marie Kelleher is scheduled for Oct. 10 at the Anna W. Ngai Alumni Center.

Kelleher, a vegetarian who had a passion for food, pictured shopping for the latest fresh ingredients at a market in Barcelona by good friend and colleague Caitlin Murdock.

Monday, September 30, 2024

Barton described Kelleher as an individual always willing to help others, yet also able to ask for help herself. She never took herself too seriously and was able to lightly joke about herself.

Kelleher impacted many people throughout her life, managing to leave a mark on others in even the slightest of ways.

“I’m sure there’s a lot of people there that knew her as the woman with the crazy hair who biked around, did yoga and loved to hang out at coffee shops,” Barton said. “She’s like a force of nature.”

Something Kelleher shared with those close to her during her final days, was her hope to above all be remembered as a kind person.

“It said something about who she was. An accomplished scholar, a dedicated instructor, an outstanding colleague, but the thing that she wanted to be remembered for is something that transcends who we are as instructors,” David Shafer, Chair of CSULB’s Department of History, said. “And that was reflected in the comments, almost universally, that undergrad and graduate students alike wrote about her.”

One of the last things Kelleher had done before passing away was attend a graduate workshop she had been invited to speak at.

“She was ill enough that it became clear that [attending] wasn’t possible, but she did it by Zoom,” Caitlin Murdock, colleague and close friend of Kelleher, said. “She was really very ill, but she spent an entire day on Zoom doing this, not telling them that there was anything wrong, just that she couldn’t travel.”

Many of Kelleher’s friends shared similar memories of the late professor’s character. At her core, Marie Kelleher was a mentor, a friend and a passionate coffee lover. She loved food and was a vegetarian always looking for the fresh new thing, a bicycle enthusiast, an amateur photographer and a proud Portland Oregonian. She was someone who went out of her way to be there for others.

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NEWS

Meal plan aims to help commuting students

BY ANDREW AMAYA Contributor

F

or students or faculty members who want to access meals on their own timeline for a cheaper rate, a meal plan is available on campus known as the commuter meal plan.

For $402 an academic year, the commuter meal plan offers 40 meals from various campus food sites including the University Student Union, Beachside, Hillside and Parkside dining halls.

According to Manuel Gil, a manager at Hillside Dining, the commuter meal plan has been around for about 20 years.

Anyone on campus can dine at the campus facilities and three dining halls for a flat guest charge or pre-arranged meal plan membership, according to Shannon Couey, Associated Students Inc. communication manager.

Costs for meals vary across campus, but guest meals at the dining halls range from $10.70 to $14.90 depending on the time of day. With a commuter plan, each meal averages out at about $10 per meal.

“It was created to provide commuter students with more dining variety and options with access to the dining halls,” Couey said. “As of today, 282 students have enrolled.”

The menu items available at the dining halls are all crafted by Long Beach State’s executive chef, registered dietitian and the residential management team, according to the CSULB website.

For the 2024 fall semester, five menus cycle weekly with a variety of meals like Hawaiian breakfast, elote in a cup and roasted rosemary chicken.

“Menu planning is a year-round pro-

ANDREW AMAYA / Long Beach Current Hillside Dining Hall employees serve food to Long Beach State students as they mingle and talk on Sept. 23. Students who purchase the $402 Commuter Meal Plan have Hillside Dining Hall as a food option, along with all other residential dining halls. cess involving new recipe development, testing and evolving current dishes,” Couey said.

According to Couey, the plan has become increasingly popular. In the 20232024 academic year, the commuter meal plan saw 550 students join their roster and they predict the 2024-2025 year’s numbers to replicate that amount.

One of the current patrons of the commuter meal plan is first-year business management major Peyton Davenport, who commutes to campus.

Davenport said the plan is perfect for her since she has to drive 40 minutes to and from campus, multiple days out of the week.

“I just did a bunch of digging and stumbled upon the commuter meal plan and was like, ‘This is great,’” Davenport said. “It’s a great plan for anybody who has a super long commute and they don’t want to spend 12 or more dollars on food on campus.”

Davenport said she recommends the commuter meal plan to any student or

faculty member who deals with a long commute time.

She went on to say the plan can provide more than just nutrition, it can even help spark friendships. Davenport said one time she went to a dining hall to get a meal, she ended up making a friend.

“I walked in on the second day and sat across from her,” Davenport said. “I opened my book in front of her, read a few pages, looked up, introduced myself and spent the whole time talking.”

”

It’s a great plan for anybody who has a super long commute and they don’t want to spend 12 or more dollars on food on campus.

Peyton Davenport First-year student on the commuter meal plan

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Monday, September 30, 2024

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NEWS

Advocates break down undocumented student rights

BY LILLIAN NGUYEN Contributor

T

he Central American Resource Center advised meeting participants to know their schools’ protesting policies and major immigrant rights to avoid being wrongfully detained during law enforcement interactions.

Martha Gonzalez, a U.S. Department of Justice-accredited representative from CARECEN, said it is important to know how frequently college campuses collaborate with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

When protesting on campus, undocumented students can be at risk of being deported.

“For students who find themselves in situations where they protested and they’re getting in trouble with the campus, it’s very helpful to know to what extent that campus will have repercussions for them,” Gonzalez said.

For Long Beach State, students should be aware of the Time, Place and Manner Policy with CSULB Addendum, which contains all California State University campuses and CSULB-specific protesting policies.

CARECEN also taught immigrants to remember their constitutional rights when dealing with police or ICE. These include the right to remain silent, to not sign any documents without speaking to an attorney beforehand and to say no to ICE officers who do not have valid warrants to search one’s belongings and/or enter one’s home.

Red cards featuring the list of rights printed on them are available at all CSU Dream Success Centers, and it is recommended that all immigrants own at least one. The cards have constitutional rights shared by both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens.

“In stressful situations, especially when you’re dealing with ICE or police, it might be hard to remember what to do,” U.S. DOJ accredited representative of CARECEN Mercedes Solaberrieta said. “And so having one of these [red

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Courtesy of Central American Resource Center and Dream Success Center The Central American Resource Center and Dream Success Center worked in tandem to inform students of their constitutional rights. The meeting touched on knowing all of the campus’ repercussions for protests on campus grounds.

”

For students who find themselves in situations where they protested and they’re getting in trouble with the campus, it’s very helpful to know to what extent that campus will have repercussions for them, Martha Gonzalez CARECEN representative cards] is really beneficial.”

The California Values Act (SB 54) prevents state police from cooperating with ICE. However, not all state counties follow this law. Solaberrieta said Orange County collaborates more frequently

with ICE than other counties in California.

In addition, Solaberrieta and Gonzalez said all college students should be aware of the Opportunity for All Act, a potential state legislation that would

Monday, September 30, 2024

provide equal employment opportunities for undocumented college students.

CARECEN provides free immigration legal services to eight CSUs and Long Beach State provides them via the university’s Dream Success Center.

“We’re just helping [CARECEN] promote themselves because they do have attorneys that work with our students,” CSULB Dream Success Center coordinator Erick Peraza said. “So we’re able to help each other out.”

Unlike CARECEN, Solaberrieta said that private attorneys charge up to thousands of dollars for the same legal immigration services.

For the past 30 years, CARECEN has also provided educational programs that promote social and economic justice for all U.S. immigrants.

CSULB’s Dream Success Center promoted CARECEN’s event, Know Your Rights and Protesting, for CSULB students, faculty, staff and alumni to attend.

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ARTS & LIFE

Furries at The Beach form fuzzy fellowships on campus Friendships, a Discord group chat and a love for the furry fandom led to the creation of a new club.

BY JUNIOR CONTRERAS Video Assistant

F

ourth-year animation major Micheal Miranda made an observation in his art classes last year: he and his peers were “suspiciously good at drawing animals.”

“The fun thing about being a furry is that if you’re in an art major, it is very easy to tell who else is a furry because we all kind of draw the exact same,” Miranda said.

A furry is someone interested in anthropomorphic animals or animals with human characteristics. Many furries have “fursonas,” which are anthropomorphic animal representations of themselves.

These mediums often intersect with furry art.

Seeing a similar art style among his peers, Miranda created a group chat with some of his friends from his animation class on the social media platform Discord.

According to Miranda, the Discord channel began to grow rapidly through word-of-mouth.

Although his Discord channel started as a community of friends combined into one, many members began asking Miranda when their meetings were, which sparked Miranda’s interest in creating the club.

He started an administration board and formed Furries At The Beach with Co-President Sugi Suggihara over the summer.

Among the 90% of undergraduate students commuting or living off campus, Miranda said he introduced the furry fandom to campus from a desire to create a community. Their primary focus, he said, is to be a social club.

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Furries at the Beach has allowed Miranda to make new friends.

“I didn’t know Sugi until we started forming this club, and now we’re good friends… I was friends with Sarah, but we’re a lot closer now because of the club.”

Miranda, Sugihara, and pre-production major Sarah Donaldson hope to share their experience of making new friends from the club with everyone on campus.

“It’s given us opportunities to hang out and talk to people that we wouldn’t have had otherwise,” Miranda said. “I hope people can use the club as a way to make friends.”

The club plans to hold meetings where members can experiment with their creative ideas and create fursuits, with the club providing materials. Sugihara, a freelancer selling fursuits, will help with the creative workshops.

Sugihara said he specializes in creating the functionality of paws and fursuits, ensuring that each element can move realistically with the customer’s body.

For his work, Sugihara broke down the typical pricing.

“A head alone can run anywhere from $2,500 to $5,000 depending on intricacy,” Sugihara said. “I focus on paws, which I start at $350. Tails can be from $100 to $500; it really depends on what they want.”

Although Sugihara and some furries have their own fursuits, club members are not required to wear one.

“Most people don’t dress up,” Sugihara said. “About 20% of furries have a fursuit; they’re really expensive.”

Furries At The Beach plan to hold meetings every other week, the first of which was held on Sept. 26.

Photos by JULIA GOLDMAN/Long Beach Current Co-Presidents Sugi Sugihara (left) and Micheal Miranda pose alongside Treasurer Peter Moore for the first Furries at the Beach meeting on Sept. 26.

Third-year BFA pre-production major Sugi Sugihara draws sketches on the whiteboard in FA4-311. Sugihara wears the fursuit of Legoshi, a character from the anime “Beastars.”

Monday, September 30, 2024

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ARTS & LIFE

Boiler Room heats things up in Los Angeles

BY DIEGO RENTERIA Arts & Life Assistant

E

stablished in 2010 in the United Kingdom, Boiler Room is known for hosting concerts and events worldwide, emphasizing underground music and electronic dance music.

As the event’s popularity grows, house music has been added to the lineup due to its rising prominence within the EDM genre.

This took shape in familiar Boiler Room fashion, with a mix of established and upcoming artists performing house music, EDM and other adjacent genres.

On the Los Angeles leg of the tour on Sept. 20-22, notable talents like Floating Points and Hiroko Yamamura performed with local artists like Xica Soul and JehMahk.

Fortunately for Boiler Room, the large venue allowed the diverse lineup to display their skills simultaneously with three stages, each with its own style and environment.

The “Favela Worldwide” stage featured an alleyway aesthetic, offering a taste of house music from different parts of the world, displaying their own cultural “redux’s” to the genre.

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Photos by DIEGO RENTERIA / Long Beach Current Top: In an abandoned supermarket miles away, The Boiler Room’s live displays of music and club culture extend into a lively after party. The after party tries to mimic the same party scene that has become popular in Europe. Bottom: Concertgoers dance during Hiroko Yamamura’s set on Sept. 21. She was the warm-up for the first headliner, Floating Points.

Meanwhile, the “Goyo Club” stage at the Old Plaza gazebo provided a more purist experience, as local artists took a traditional approach to house music with their own L.A flair.

The main stage received most of the attention, as it was reserved for the headliners like Floating Points and Bonobo and offered a 360-degree viewing experience.

Monday, September 30, 2024

With its anticipated stop in Los Angeles, Boiler Room’s venues were packed with people from across Southern California.

Showgoer and Long Beach State alumni Baktaash Sorkhabi said he and his friends have followed Boiler Room for years.

“It’s awesome that they have a show relatively local,” Sorkhabi said.

Boiler Room’s inclusive lineup extends to the show-going experience for Sorkhabi, who said it differs from other event organizer shows.

“There is a sense of inclusivity that I feel with the Boiler Room,” Sorkhabi said. “It’s a feeling of ‘how many more people can come in’ instead of excluding them.”

Although the music festival was listed to end at midnight, Boiler Room Party extended the house and EDM experience exclusively for select showgoers who purchased the first 2,000 tickets.

The post-show party kicked off as the main festival ended and continued until 4 a.m.

Boiler Room continues its tour in San Francisco on Sept. 26 and Sept. 27.

The organizer has yet to announce its next return to LA, however, information on upcoming show listings can be found here.

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ARTS & LIFE

CSULB’s 75th Anniversary Concert draws celebration and activism

BY JULIA GOLDMAN Arts & Life Editor

H

appy Birthday wishes, ’70s and ’80s music and “Protect Puvungna” chants filled the West Lawn of the Walter Pyramid on Sept. 28 for Long Beach State’s 75th-anniversary kickoff concert celebration.

The event welcomed students, staff, faculty, alums and the greater Long Beach community to celebrate the university’s first day of classes 75 years ago to the date, from 3 - 8 p.m.

Decorated in black and gold, the commemoration included a tent for alum reunions, a tent for campus history, a beer garden and live music on a stage directly in front of the Walter Pyramid, featuring three bands connected to CSULB. Over 30 campus departments, including Long Beach State Athletics, the Shark Lab and the Bob Cole Conservatory of Music, represented themselves among attendees.

Beneath the history tent, examining the displayed school yearbooks, was 62-year-old alumni Donn Oswald.

Looking for himself between the pages,

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Oswald graduated from the Psychology department in 1987 and came to the celebration to revisit his memories.

“I know it started from humble beginnings and the university has grown and grown,” Oswald said. “I always think about it and about the students that come here, like myself, how leaders came out of this place. A lot of my classmates, my friends, were great people - just people from Long Beach.”

Chris Reese, associate vice president for university relations, and Noemi Guevara, director of alumni engagement, said planning the event “took a village.”

“I think I just wanted to create an event that brought out our students, alumni, faculty, staff and community in this beautiful space,” Guevara said. “We wanted to celebrate what this intuition is, the city of Long Beach, and for kids like me.”

As Guevara spoke of what the event meant to her, the sun’s glint revealed welling tears in her brown eyes.

A first-generation college student and an alumnus herself, Guevara studied human development at the Beach and graduated in 2008.

The Sept. 28 date commemorates more

than the university’s origins to the Friends of Puvungna President Rebecca Robles and activist member Michelle Castillo.

Five years ago and one day prior, Robles and Castillo said Long Beach State dumped 6,400 pounds of contaminated debris and dirt from the construction efforts at Parkside dorms onto the sacred Puvungna site.

During the event, Castillo gathered among a community of activists to draw attention to the protection of the 22-acre ceremonial Indigenous site for the Gabrielino-Tongva, Acjachemen nations and several other Southern California tribal groups.

Once encompassing 500 acres, upon which the university, southeast Long Beach and Seal Beach now sits, Robles said the land is thousands of years old and holds significance as a burial ground, creation site and a religious, spiritual center.

As a member of the Acjachemen nation, Robles said she and her family have been working to preserve Puvungna since the ’90s.

“This is important history; it is California history. It is not mentioned in the 75 annual celebration of history,” Robles said.

“That was the purpose of our presence to-

Monday, September 30, 2024

day. It wasn’t really a protest - it was a ca ing to attention.”

A 2021 settlement agreement requir permanent protection of the sacred site a the university’s decision on a conservati easement over the site; however, Puvung currently has no official steward.

Robles said their community feels t land has been mistreated, and they want t university to move forward with the la trust to heal and restore the land.

“We want it to be a place of healing place of gathering, a place that we can co tinue to celebrate our history, culture, sp ituality and provide all of those things f our youth and the public,” Robles said. “W want to be able to share that. The time now.”

Chants and chalk displays coincid alongside the event as attendees socialize visited department stands and watched t concert.

At 6 p.m., event organizers, includi Reese and CSULB President Jane Clo Conoley, addressed the crowd on the ma stage in a speech about the university’s le acy and future.

“75 is a milestone; it shows we have t same power as any university,” Conol

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ARTS & LIFE

Left to right: Lead singer of Higher Ed, Monica Lounsbery, holds a close embrace on the main stage at the 75th Anniversary Concert on Sept. 28. Three of the five members of the band, including Lounsbery as the Dean of the College of Health and Human Services herself, are faculty members on campus; Lounsbery dances with the crowd during the 75th Anniversary Concert; An audience sits on lawn chairs on the West Lawn to witness the live music of Mariachi Los Tiburones de CSULB, Higher Ed and Knyght Ryder; The Knight Ryder’s were the last musical performance to play on Sept. 28 at 6 p.m. Students, faculty and alumni jived to the music in the front as the sun slowly set; Chants of “Protect Puvungna” and “75-year anniversary of occupation” could be heard as activists marched alongside the sidewalk of the West Lawn. Chalk writing displayed phrases like “You are on Indigenous land” and “Five years since CSULB dumped toxic arsenic-contaminated soil on sacred Puvungna.”

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said. “Sometimes at a birthday you kind of look back, but I want us to look forward. I appreciate what we’re doing now, but also keep making plans for our next 25, 50 and 75 years.”

The speech concluded with a celebratory cake and the audience singing “Happy Birthday” to the university.

As the sun descended, the band Knyght Rider closed out the night with covers of hit songs, including “Jesse’s Girl” and “Take on Me.” The anniversary concert kicks off the first of many celebrations. According to Guevara, university officials are working alongside campus partners to curate more events over eight months.

Future announcements for the 75th celebration season can be found here.

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Photos by SAMUEL CHACKO Long Beach Current

Monday, September 30, 2024

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ARTS & LIFE New library kiosk offers fast fiction for busy students

BY DELFINO CAMACHO Arts & Life Assistant

L

iterature-loving students busy with schedules can now get a reading respite from a short story dispenser on the first floor of the University Library.

Made by French publishing house Short Édition, the library acquired the mechanical kiosk this July.

“I saw it on LinkedIn; another University had one in their library, I think it was in Michigan, and that gave me the idea to do one here,” Library Dean Elizabeth Dill said.

“That was the first one I saw, and I thought, what a great way to do outreach for our library and our university community,” she said.

After learning about the kiosk, Dill contacted Long Beach State’s library HR and Finance Administrator, Noah Kelly.

From there, Kelly contacted Short Édition and CSULB, which vetted the purchase as part of its standard campus procurement process.

Long Beach State is one of the first university libraries to partner with the company.

“They’re primarily in the public and school library area, but they’re breaking into and branching out into academic libraries,” Kelly said.

Located to the left of the main entrance, the kiosk resembles a Star Warslike droid with an orange color scheme and translucent panels.

The machines are easy to operate and feature three buttons that dispense one-minute, three-minute and five-minute stories.

A one-minute short story being printed out of the Short Édition Kiosk now available at the University Li-

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DELFINO CAMACHO / Long Beach Current Drawing and Paintings majors Tiffany Swenke and Anthony Rico show off the short stories they got from the Short Édition short story dispenser Kiosk found in the Long Beach State on Sept. 24. While the kiosk is visible to the students right to the left is the libraries Pillars of Participation where students are encouraged to graffiti or share a message. brary. Library employee Noah Kelly said the French company allows libraries to customize the machines’ look for an extra cost. Photo Credit: Delfino Camacho The stories are written by real people who submitted their works to Short Édition’s two community publishing platforms: their quarterly review, Short Circuit and their past published works dubbed The Current.

Shorter stories are read like poems, while longer options have a more traditional structure. One-minute stories produce a roughly 9-inch scroll, while five-minute stories can resemble receipts that extend over three feet.

With monthly fees, Short Édition also provides the recyclable-thermal paper stories are printed on, removing the need for ink cartridges and keeping the process eco-friendly.

The kiosk has access to an online admin portal, allowing Kelly and Dill to monitor usage.

Since its July launch, the kiosk has printed 1,141 stories.

Besides monitoring statistics, the online portal allows control over what

stories are offered, with optional additions such as unique stories, different languages and comics.

“With the dashboard…we can change the stories so that we can make a seasonal collection, we can make a poetry collection, we can make a student collection,” Kelly said.

Kelly said the five-minute story option may be phased out to offer more options to their more popular one—and three-minute stories.

Kelly said the library will host a spooky story contest in October. Participating students will be asked if they would like their stories included in the kiosk.

Kelly said the library will host a spooky story contest in October. Participating students will be asked if they would like their stories included in the kiosk.

Library Dean Elizabeth Dill poses with one hand on a Short Édition Kiosk button and the other grasping short stories printed on the first floor of the University Library. Other projects include a specialty desk built for student-parents

Monday, September 30, 2024

and soon-to-come book vending machines that will feature Book-tok selections. Photo Credit: Delfino Camacho Dill said the kiosk is part of her continued mission to increase student engagement. She wants students who do not frequent the library to feel welcome.

“There’s data that says that students who come to the library do better in their classes, persist and retained at a higher level than those that don’t,” Dill said. “If we can help in the mission of educating students, then that’s a great thing.”

The kiosk was enough to lure Tiffany Swenke and Anthony Rico, students in Fine Arts Drawing and Paintings. Swenke told Rico they had to check it out.

“As an artist, I love to read stories just to expand my mind,” Swenke said.

Rico, who recently lost his two grandfathers, shared that his one-minute story unexpectedly spoke to him. Titled Flipside and written by Hannah Rousselot, it deals with sorrow.

“Come grab a story, come do it,” Rico said. “It’s fun, it’s like a fortune cookie, it might be something you need.”

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OPINION

Ethnic studies at CSULB is a crucial step toward embracing diversity

BY ISABELA ZUNIGA Contributor

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ssembly Bill 1460, enacted in August 2020, marks a significant milestone in California’s commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within higher education.

The legislation mandates that all California State University campuses offer ethnic studies courses as a graduation requirement for the 2024-2025 academic year.

Long Beach State’s General Education Area F allows students to engage with topics such as racism, gender and culture.

However, concerns remain about the depth of these courses and the continued relevance of ethnic studies departments and their educational purposes.

Rigoberto Rodriguez, department chair for Chicano and Latino Studies, highlighted how the ethnic studies curriculum provides a new point of view.

“Our curricula provide students with an education that goes beyond a Eurocentric view of the world,” Rodriguez said. “Our engaged scholarship also actively contributes to a more inclusive and just society for all.”

Rodriguez also shared plans for the department, as ethnic studies extends beyond only a course.

“We are building a master’s degree in comparative race and ethnic studies. We have more faculty that now teach pretty much all first-year students, so that’s a clear example of how we have influenced the shape of the Long Beach State curriculum but also the whole CSU system,” Rodriguez said.

The value of ethnic studies is evident given that Long Beach State already requires the course and how it is acknowledged as a resource for learning from different cultural backgrounds.

California high schools have also embraced ethnic studies as a key component of their curriculum. According to the California Department of Education, courses like ethnic studies create a more positive connection for students toward their education.

The College of Professional and Con-

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ISABELA ZUNIGA/Long Beach Current The Department of Chicano and Latino Studies desk, located at MHB 201, showcasing faculty for the fall. The staff, along with Native, Asian and African American departments have played a leading role in ensuring an ethnic studies course is required to graduate. tinuing Education advances high school students to earn college credit at Long Beach State for ethnic studies courses.

JD Archibald, who has run the program since 2017, discussed his role and the evolution of ethnic studies in today’s academic climate.

“Being able to work on this program, their registration and orientation side to make sure we get as many students as possible to take these classes is important [to me],” Archibald said.

When asked about trends in enrollment, Archibald noted an increase over time.

“I don’t think there’s been a huge shift in enrollments,” Archibald said.

“There would’ve been one before and after 2016, given what happened politically.”

Early implementation of the program equips students with critical thinking skills and firsthand experience in diverse cultural environments.

Isabella Torres Ortega, a third-year anthropology and religious studies double major, gave her thoughts on the ethnic studies department.

“I think it added a lot in terms of American Indian races as my teacher was of that background, and she talked about that topic a lot,” Torres Ortega said.

Professors with personal experience in the culture they teach are a useful aca-

Monday, September 30, 2024

demic resource for students.

“I do think it’s valuable if everyone took this class because it offers people a chance to learn about other cultures and other races in a setting that’s non-judgmental,” Torres Ortega said.

Ethnic studies departments remain relevant, though the new course requirement may present some challenges moving forward.

However, faculty continues to be committed to educating students on cultural histories and cultivating a positive learning environment that students can carry with them throughout their academic journey.

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OPINION

Are ASI student fees truly serving all at CSU Long Beach?

DEVIN MALAST / Long Beach Current Each Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., ASI comes together to discuss Long Beach State’s finances. Student government leaders met with students seeking travel funding to various academic conventions and symposiums.

BY JOANNAH CLEMENTE Contributor

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s tuition and living costs rise, many students are questioning whether Associated Student Inc. truly serves their needs or benefits a select few.

The 2024-2025 consolidated operating budget, totaling $29.5 million, is funded by 80% mandatory student fees and 20% commercial revenue.

Despite the significance of this budget, concerns regarding ASI’s transparency, its dependency on student fees and whether it truly represents the broader student population persist.

Transparency: More symbolic than substantial While ASI claims to prioritize transparency, its efforts fall short. Budget reports may be made public and meetings are open, but the complexity of these documents and the lack of a proactive approach mean most students are excluded from meaningful participation.

Only a small, engaged group controls the narrative, leaving the majority uninformed.

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“We are communicating to students and student leaders through emails, newsletters and across the campus about the budget process,” ASI Vice President of Finance, Andre Achacon, said.

However, these communication efforts do not translate into active participation, raising doubts about whether ASI’s transparency is more symbolic than substantive.

Without simplified summaries or accessible forums for discussion, most students continue to be disconnected from the process that affects them directly.

Fee dependency: shifting the financial burden ASI’s reliance on mandatory student fees to fund its $29.5 million budget places an increasing financial burden on students already struggling with rising tuition and living costs.

This fee dependency reflects a lack of creativity and a failure to explore alternative funding models that would ease pressure on students.

Partnerships with local businesses or alumni-driven initiatives could provide a solution, but ASI continues to rely heavily on student contributions.

“Big-budget programs like the

Smorgasport and Rec Fest are where students directly experience their funds being used essentially,” Achacon said.

These events cater primarily to those already involved in ASI activities, further marginalizing students who may not benefit from such programming.

If ASI were truly committed to reducing the financial burden on students, it would explore alternative income sources that benefit the entire student body, not just a privileged few.

Investments: risks without full accountability ASI’s investment strategy, encompassing private equities, stock market and real estate, is designed to secure long-term financial stability while remaining in full compliance with CSU reserve policies.

“We always make sure that we are in a healthy financial position so that the organization can last in perpetuity to serve students 30 years from now,” Miles Nevin, associate vice president and executive director of Student Auxiliary Enterprises, said.

This financial strategy involves collaboration with the Beach Investment Group, a student-run organization

Monday, September 30, 2024

within the College of Business Administration.

“It is not our money, it is ASI’s money that we are just making the investment decisions for,” Peter Ammermann, director of the Beach Investment Group, said.

It underscores a significant gap in student oversight, which can erode trust and engagement in ASI’s financial decisions.

Ammermann stresses that ASI mitigates risks through a heavier allocation to bonds and said, “In general, bonds tend to be less volatile. Just having the heavier allocation of fixed income to binds is one of the things that reduces the risk of this portfolio.”

Additionally, Ammerman highlights the effort to align investments with student values.

“We try to make sure that the investments we make are consistent with what the students would be at least comfortable having invested in their name,” he said.

The lack of regular reporting to the student body raises questions about the true level of ASI’s accountability and transparency.

To read the complete story, visit the Long Beach Current website here.

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SPORTS

LBSU women’s soccer blanked

by CSUN

MARK SIQUIG / Long Beach Current LBSU senior forward Summer Laskey talked to the referee after not getting the foul call. She finished the game with two shots on goals but the Beach was shut out 1-0 by CSUN at George Allen Field on Sept. 26.

BY TROY LIPPMAN Contributor

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ong Beach State’s women’s soccer was held scoreless 1-0 by the CSUN Matadors at George Allen Field on Sept.

CSUN’s upset win was its first in Long Beach since 2012.

Matador junior midfielder Yoshi Rubalcava scored the first and only goal of the night in the sixth minute as she drove from her left midfield position and fired a shot past redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Aurora Schuck.

The Beach came back down the field aggressively with two shots on goal from

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junior forward Liz Worden and senior forward Kassandra Ceja that Matador redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Riley Liebsack turned away.

CSUN goalkeeper Riley Liebsack recorded five saves in the victory over LBSU. Her efforts were enough to save every shot on target to beat LBSU at George Allen Field. Photo credit: Mark Siquig.

The Beach could not convert in the first half but were consistently on the Matador end of the field, and fired six shots on goal in the half.

From kickoff, the Matadors had an answer for everything The Beach threw at them, and that trend continued throughout the game.

LBSU came out aggressively in

the second half, but the steady Matador defense proved to be too much.

The Beach fired seven more shots on goal to give them 13 of the night but were not able to find the back of the net.

The second half was a tale of close misses for The Beach, as they came close to scoring the equalizer that they needed to get back into the game on multiple occasions.

Most notably, LBSU redshirt junior midfielder Makayla Demelo fired a shot at Liebsack in the 53rd minute that was turned away, but sophomore LBSU midfielder Jordan Candelaria found herself on the end of the rebound and placed it just wide. Those two opportunities symbolized the kind of offensive night it was

Monday, September 30, 2024

for The Beach.

LBSU redshirt junior midfielder Makayla Demelo shoots the ball past the CSUN defenders. The Beach had 13 shots but did not score once at home on Thursday, as they lost 1-0. Photo by: Mark Siquig.

Liebsack’s shot-stopping ability was on display, as she totaled five saves on a night where The Beach were desperate to get a goal.

“We had the mentality and set up right, but CSUN came out and wanted it a little more than us in the first 15 and unfortunately we got punished for that,” Demelo said.

The Beach fell to 4-5-1 as they prepare to play UC San Diego on the road on Sept. 29 at 6 p.m.

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SPORTS

Courtesy of LBSU Athletics Junior Jasmine Leovao is continuing her success from last year as she has posted three top 11 finishes to start the 2024-2025 season. She attributes her success to the work that she puts in over the offseason.

Jasmine Leovao comes out swinging for 2024-2025 season

BY LARISSA SAMANO Contributor

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unior Long Beach State women’s golfer Jasmine Leovao has started the 2024-2025 season just as she finished the last, by dominating the competition.

Leovao posted a round of 66 and placed second overall among 85 golfers to kickstart the fall 2024 season at the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational, hosted by the University of New Mexico. Leovao’s performance greatly contributed to The Beach taking first place overall out of 15 teams.

She backed up her performance in New Mexico by tying for 11th overall at the Leadership and Golf Invitational, hosted by the University of Washington.

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Following that, Leovao jumped up six spots and crept her way into the top 10 in the final round at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic in Colorado hosted by Colorado State by posting a 70.

“I’ve been doing all the right things [over the summer], and was finally able to perform and put it together in the tournament,” Leovao said.

The Oceanside local is in her third year and has accomplished plenty as an underclassman, including: 2023 Big West Freshman of the Year 2023-24 First Team Big West LBSU low round record holder; 64(-8).

Leovao was so focused on her personal game that she hadn’t realized she was making history in the record books for LBSU athletics.

Although she said her driver is the best part of her game, Leovao said that

there is still a lot of work to do. She is focused on improving her game with every opportunity and building on the foundation she has set for herself.

“The most important hole is the one right in front of you,” Leovao said.

She emphasized the idea of keeping her swing thoughts simple and committing to create consistency for herself and being able to convert at crucial points.

Leovao’s “what’s next” mentality allows her to focus on what she can control for the remainder of the course.

Long Beach State junior Jasmine Leovao finished in a tie for ninth place at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic in Colorado.

She climbed six spots on the leaderboard with a final day -1 to do so. Photo credit: LBSU Athletics LBSU women’s golf head coach Alyssa Waite said that Leovao being a multi-

Monday, September 30, 2024

sport athlete in high school sparked her interest in recruiting her.

“It isn’t just all about how to hit a golf ball,” Waite said.

Waite emphasized that playing other sports can greatly affect a player’s journey in becoming the best athletic version of themselves. From the start, Waite noticed the strength and flexibility that Leovao gained from competing in various sports.

“As much as I believe in [my players] as a coach, getting them to believe in themselves allows them to be more successful,” Waite said.

Regarding gameplay, some of the best advice Waite can give her athletes is to focus on commitment. It is something Leovao and the rest of her teammates work on every day and has been instilled in their mindset.

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