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Photo credit: JUSTIN ENRIQUEZ/Long Beach Current Associate professor of Spanish Jeannette Acevedo Rivera lead a chant with faculty while marching toward Brotman Hall. The California Faculty Association held a march and rally with students about immigration safety and free speech on April 4.
Markest Al Antonio Gray, the individual responsible for the University Library bomb threat that occurred during winter break, has been charged with a felony.
Library bomb threat suspect identified, charged
BY LINSEY TOWLES & JAYLYN PRESLICKA Managing Editor & Solutions Editor
ken to Gray, but he was not named as responsible at the time.
According to UPD, Gray has no formal affiliations with the university.
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BusinEss
University police are asking for assistance in finding Markest Al Antonio Gray, a 47-year-old resident of Santa Ana, who is suspected of making a bomb threat to the University Library on Jan. 8.
The bomb threat was made during winter break, which caused the university to issue an alert and conduct evacuations on upper campus.
Multiple K9 units searched buildings in coordination with the Long Beach Police Department. The threat was deemed not credible.
After a thorough investigation, Gray was identified as the individual responsible for the threat, according to a statement released on the University Police Department’s Instagram.
Gray has been charged with California Penal Code 148.1(c)-F, known as malicious informing of a false bomb, which is considered a felony. A warrant for his arrest was filed on April 14.
The threat is under classification (c), which states, “Any person who maliciously informs any other person that a bomb or other explosive has been or will be placed or secreted in any public or private place, knowing that the information is false, is guilty of falsely reporting a bomb threat to anyone.”
The charge is punishable by county jail time, but does not exceed one year. The case status is currently unavailable.
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During the initial investigation, UPD Chief of Police John Brockie noted that the UPD had spo-
land acknowlEdgmEnt
UPD is urging anyone with information regarding Gray to contact them at 562-985-4101, or local law enforcement. Individuals should not attempt to approach or apprehend Gray.
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 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.
Monday, April 21 , 2025
lEttEr Policy: All letters and emails 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.
Graphic credit: LINSEY TOWLES/Long Beach Current
CFA, allies rally in light of recent student visa revocations
BY LINSEY TOWLES Managing Editor
Cowbells and bull horns rang across campus Thursday morning as the California Faculty Association and its allies protested a wide range of topics, including solidarity with the international students whose visas had been revoked across the CSU.
April 17 marks National Day of Action in Higher Education, prompting the CFA to organize and speak out against federal and local attacks on higher education.
For many in attendance, the recent news of international student visas be-
ing revoked, including six students at CSULB, was at the forefront.
“Hearing about students getting their visas revoked, that’s unconscionable,” Neil Hultgren, Academic Senate Chair and professor in the English department, said. “It makes it impossible for them to learn and succeed. Faculty needs to signal that’s not okay.”
Hultgren was in attendance during the Academic Senate meeting, where Long Beach State President Jane Close Conoley confirmed six student visas had been terminated.
Hultgren described hearing the news as “awful” and “concerning.”
Currently, 70 students across the CSU have had their visas terminated, according to CSU officials.
Melissa Hidalgo, CFA member and lecturer in Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, said that the matter of student visas is a key issue for the union.
“We’re here to protest the cuts to our campus and the larger national threat to public education in the form of terrorizing international students,” Hidalgo said. “The energy is somber. But it’s building. As overworked as we are, as tired as we are, this is exactly the moment we have to rally.”
With Friendship Walk closed, protestors convened in the upper quad at 11 a.m. and marched across the edge of campus near the Liberal Arts buildings.
The crowd rallied at Brotman Hall, where two CFA tents were set up and stocked with water, snacks and informa-
tional pamphlets.
For Nancy Martin, a CFA member since 2007 and a faculty member in the Sociology Department, the demonstration was an act of solidarity with the larger CSULB community.
“The attacks on universities by the Trump administration, attempting to silence free speech, threaten and intimidate by revoking student visas— I find all of that deeply disturbing,” Martin said.
Many of the protestors emphasized the need for faculty to stand with the student body, equating work conditions with student learning conditions.
“Your faculty are here for you. We’re in solidarity when you all are resisting and agitating, we are here for you,” Hidalgo said.
Photo credit: JUSTIN ENRIQUEZ/Long Beach Current
Faculty chanted in support of issues ranging from Palestine, immigration safety and free speech from the upper quad area to Brotman Hall at the April 17 rally.
Long Beach to host beach volleyball, coastal rowing, more at 2028 Olympic Games
BY LINSEY TOWLES
Managing Editor
Long Beach will be the home to eleven sports during the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, according to Los Angeles 28.
The International Olympic Committee Executive Board approved the Olympic venue plan last week, including venues across eight cities.
A comprehensive list of all the 2028 Olympic venues can be found here
“The 2028 Olympic venue plan in-
vites communities from across the region to celebrate the Games coming to their backyard with the most exciting sports staged at some of the world’s top-tier existing stadiums and arenas, famous beaches and purpose-built temporary structures,” Reynold Hoover, LA28 chief executive officer, said in a press release.
According to LA28, Long Beach will showcase beach volleyball at Alamitos Beach. The Olympics’ newest discipline, coastal rowing and open water swimming will also be held on the waterfront.
While athletes compete in and near the water, the Long Beach Convention Center will also be the site of competition, with sport climbing in the Conven-
tion Center Lot.
For the first time, target shooting will be within walking distance of other Olympic events, taking place inside the Convention Center.
The updated plans add four more sports to Long Beach, bringing the total number of Olympic sports the city will host to 11.
Long Beach ranks second in the number of events a city will host, below the City of Los Angeles.
In earlier plans, Long Beach was also set to host the triathlon, but the event was moved to Venice Beach to be closer to the marathon and cycling event starting points, according to LA28.
Preparation for the Olympic Games has been underway since Los Angeles was named the host city, making it the third city in history to host the Games three times. The last time the Games were held in the city was in 1984.
“As we come together to prepare, we will help small businesses, create local jobs and implement lasting environmental and transportation improvements that will leave a legacy in our city for generations to come,” Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a press release.
The official venue list for the Paralympic Games will be released once approved by the International Paralympic Committee Governing Board.
Photo courtesy of LA28
Beach volleyball is set to come to Long Beach for the 2028 Olympic Games, turning Alamitos Beach into a global destination.
Moving on from the GWAR for now
BY ANNETTE QUIJADA
News Assistant
After announcing the discontinuance of the Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement placement exam, English literature major Brandi Modica called for a refund of the test she took in 2023 when transferring to Long Beach State.
“I was redirected about five times and had a very unprofessional exchange with someone from the GWAR team over email. It was a lot of ‘we don’t know’ and ‘speak to so and so,’” Modica said.
Dr. Kerry L. Johnson, Undergraduate Studies associate vice president, told the Current via email that Academic Affairs is currently unable to provide refunds to students who took the GPE while it was a requirement. Students who registered for the May GPE are eligible for a refund of the $25 fee.
In a CSULB student-wide email, Johnson noted the following information:
• Students who have already taken a Writing Intensive course don’t have to worry about the discontinuation of the exam.
• Students currently enrolled in a GWAR portfolio course or ENGL 301A should complete their course and earn a grade.
• Students who have already taken the GPE and were placed in a GWAR Portfolio course or ENGL 301A for summer 2025 no longer need to take those courses. Instead, students are now able to register for a Writing Intensive course.
In her email exchange, Modica asked the GWAR program how to contactthe office of Undergraduate Studies, to which the person behind the GWAR program emailed a reply with, “You can look it up on the website. Best of luck.”
Modica is currently waiting to hear back from Undergraduate Studies.
“When the GPE was taken, even a few weeks ago, it was a valid and necessary requirement for GWAR placement,” PeiFang Hung, CSULB interim vice provost of academic programs, said via email.
“The GPE exam fee covered the cost of administering and scoring the test, and those services were fully delivered under the policies in place at the time.”
The discontinuation of the GPE is said not to have a significant negative impact on students.
Hung said the GPE served primarily as a placement tool rather than a standalone requirement for fulfilling the GWAR. The exam’s absence will mostly shift how students are directed into appropriate coursework. Hung said students will continue to be monitored to ensure they are supported during the transition.
Shakthi Sivasankar, a first-year computer engineering major, said she didn’t mind the test because she is pretty strong with her writing. She did not agree with the policy on refunds.
“Not [giving] a refund [to students] is crazy, cause they won’t even use it,” Sivasankar said.
Roxanna Roque, a second-year Aerospace Engineering major, said she was relieved to take the exam off her to-do list.
“The [results] of the review worry me, cause I’ll have to end up doing the exam if it gets reinstated. But I guess it’ll be fair for those who paid for it,” Roque said.
In an email, Johnson said Academic Affairs is aiming to complete policy revisions as soon as possible, but Academic Senate review and approval will take time.
A few California State Universities stopped requiring their versions of the GWAR and instead have let students fulfill the requirement by taking the necessary courses. When the Current asked why CSULB has used the exam for so long, Johnson said the GPE has been used differently than at some other CSU campuses.
“Some campuses used an exam as a high-stakes exam to directly satisfy the GWAR requirement. CSULB’s GPE has functioned as a placement tool, which helps determine the appropriate pathway for students to fulfill the GWAR,” Johnson said. “So, rather than serving as a standalone requirement, the GPE helped guide students into the necessary
coursework based on their writing proficiency. This distinction is why CSULB continued using the exam.”
CSULB alum Antonio Rodriguez graduated in 2016 and remembers thinking the exam set a low bar at the university, but added that since the university is so international, it was reasonable.
“I think ending the GWAR is a bad idea and sets a bad precedent. We should be striving to set high, and higher standards because the demands of the future will be ever higher and higher,” Rodriguez said. “We are starting to see how the iPad generation is struggling with reading comprehension, actual computer skills and critical thinking. We need to re-evaluate these standards and set new and better ones every year.”
Hung said in an email to the Current, the Academic Senate revision process requires review and approval, and the current draft policy on the Academic Senate floor doesn’t include the exam.
“A range of options are being considered to best meet student needs and align with system-wide guidelines,” Hung said.
Graphic credit: EL NICKLIN/Long Beach Current
Students who registered for the upcoming May GWAR placement exam are eligible for refunds, but students who already took the GPE are not eligible.
ASI passes resolution urging CSULB to cut ties with war, border enforcement
BY ETHAN COHEN News Assistant
Calls for institutional accountability and solidarity with international students took center stage as students rallied behind a proposed Associated Students Inc. resolution urging Long Beach State to sever ties with corporations complicit in war and border enforcement.
Backed by the CSULB Divest coalition, students packed the ASI Senate meeting on Wednesday, April 16, to advocate for Student Resolution #2025-14, which aims to pressure the university to engage only with companies and corporations that will not harm vulnerable student communities.
The resolution passed by a vote of 13-2-0 and seeks to align the university’s financial and institutional relationships with its mission of serving the public good, particularly by distancing itself from companies involved in the military-industrial and border-industrial complexes.
An extended public comment session saw multiple students tie the legislation to broader concerns about federal policies. This included the recent revocation of visas for six Long Beach State students—an issue speakers described as emblematic of the growing risks international students face amid geopolitical unrest.
“Much of this started on Columbia University’s campus when one of their main negotiators, Mahmoud Khalil, was [arrested] for expressing his views on the Palestinian resistance, and that just seemed to domino effect,” CSULB alumni Amy Wesselman, 30, said. “So many international students [had their visas revoked] and it’s heart-wrenching that it reached Long Beach.”
ASI Executive Vice President Matt Melendrez, who chaired the meeting, said student leaders moved quickly in response to the visa revocations. They arranged meetings with campus resource groups like the Dream Success Center and with CSULB President Jane Close Conoley to better understand the situation.
Amy Wesselman, 30, sits holding a drawing and a Palestinian flag draped on her lap at the ASI Senate meeting on Wednesday, April 16. Wesselman spoke at public comment highlighting the targeting of international students and plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
“What we are doing is reflective on helping out the students in any way that we can possible,” Melendrez said. “That is perfectly aligned with our resolution, because it’s talking about separating our relations with corporations that contribute to the harms that our students are currently going through.”
While most student senators supported the resolution, ASI Senator of Business Quinn Bentley cast a “safe opposition” vote, expressing agreement with parts of the resolution but raising concerns about fully endorsing its implications.
“I’m a representative for all students, not just the ones I agree with [on] their positions on contentious issues,” Bentley said in a text message. “I’m in an MBA
program, and I have had classmates that work for Raytheon and [Northrop Grumman]. They like their career at those companies and joined the MBA program so they could move up in those companies.”
Bentley stressed he believes the university can “develop partnerships without taking away these opportunities” for students.
Other students, including 26-yearold geology graduate Vincent Ruiz, used public comment to highlight the growing challenges and environment international students face in scientific research and higher education.
“Many of my colleagues are actually international students, and they’re afraid that their education is heavily at
risk if they speak out, saying, ‘Hey, we need this funding to study cancer research, HIV research, physics research, geology, climate change research,’” Ruiz said. “They’re afraid that if they speak out, they will be taken away because a lot of them are on visas.”
Melendrez emphasized the need for student unity, calling on peers to stand together in defense of student rights and to stay actively engaged in efforts to create meaningful change on campus.
“I think the most important thing for us as students is solidarity and making sure that we’re all pushing in a united front to make sure that we’re keeping our most vulnerable students safe on campus,” Melendrez said.
Photo credit: ETHAN COHEN/Long Beach Current
Friendship Walk construction elicits mixed reactions from students
BY KC LAMPA
Contributor
The Future U renovation project began its first construction phase of the Friendship Walk on April 14 which is expected to be completed by Aug. 31.
ASI seeks to improve accessibility by constructing the Friendship Walk stairs through “new stairs and sloped walkways,” as their website states.
The trees that are being removed will also be repurposed and replaced with new California native trees.
The ASI website provides a map of alternate travel paths to assist students with campus navigation during the construction period. These paths are meant to be accessible for everyone.
Many students are unsatisfied with the construction and how it has changed the campus.
“It’s a little inconvenient,” second-year molecular cell biology major Alejandro Sosa said. “I normally used to walk through the stairs, [and] the grass was nice to be hanging out with friends, but that’s been a little different.”
Arabella Lazzeroni, a second-year dance major, also finds the construction frustrating.
“I think it’s pretty inconvenient because it’s already pretty crowded at upper campus, and it’s making the other pathways more crowded,” Lazzeroni said.
Tien Tran, a graduate student studying mathematics, said “I know [the escalators] break down a lot, but it does work better than, let’s say, if everybody went to wait for an elevator.”
Currently, the Future U project plans to replace the USU escalator “with stairs, at a gradual incline. There will also be two additional elevators constructed, leaving four total elevators next to the USU to serve students,” according to an article from the Current.
Other students such as Devon Lam, a third-year mechanical engineering major, have contrasting perspectives on the construction to the Friendship Walk stairs.
“I haven’t noticed the construction because all my classes are in the engineering building, so it’s not really in that area,” Lam said.
Third-year film major Nathan Basurto looks forward to the finished product.
“I’m sad to see the trees go, but if it makes getting up and down this campus easier for people who have a hard time
getting up and down this campus, I like people more than trees,” Basurto said. “If that is ultimately what it does, I guess I got no problem with that.”
The Associated Students Inc. web page for the project timeline explains each projected phase and period of the Future U project.
ASI Communications, Associate Director of Programs and Communications, Taylor Buhler-Scott, said the project timeline is on track, and construction on the stairs is still projected to finish on time.
The website explains that the Future U project aims to increase the amount and quality of resources available to students, faculty and staff.
This includes food options, lounge and study areas, technological advancements and ADA accessibility additions.
Photo credit: KC LAMPA/Long Beach Current
Students navigate around the Friendship Walk to travel from upper and lower campus.
ARTS & LIFE
‘Food
is freedom,’ Long Beach nonprofit fights food insecurity in community
BY BELLA GARCIA
Copy Assistant
Sitting at her office desk next to a mug that reads “World’s Best Leader,” Kristen Cox hurriedly sends a message to the Long Beach Community Table’s new grant writer, recently hired to help with funding opportunities following the entrance of the recent presidential administration.
The words, stretched across the ceramic, represents Cox’s position as founder and executive director of LBCT: a nonprofit, workers cooperative with programs that source and distribute organic produce and basic essentials to people in need.
“This is political, but we don’t think of it overtly as being political, but it really is because we’re trying to do what the government is supposed to be doing, which is taking care of people,” Cox said.
In 2016, Cox ran the largest grassroots Bernie Sanders presidential campaign in the country and was a national delegate.
The more time Cox spent inside the political system during this time, she said, the more she came to realize the government was not really helping the people that needed it.
“The system is set up to work against
[the poor] and it is intentional…” Cox said. “They’re very much trying to separate the very, very wealthy from everybody else. So we’re trying to be that stop gap in between that, and we started with people that are struggling the most.”
Wanting to focus her efforts in Long Beach, Cox founded the LBCT in 2018, when all of the nonprofit’s operations were run in her house and out of her minivan.
One stolen bus, two warehouses and seven years later, the mutual aid organization has developed and nurtured several of their programs, including their bus and pantry program, park program, homebound program and garden building team.
Every week, LBCT’s volunteers distribute more than 30,000 pounds of groceries, fresh produce, clothing, hygiene products and more, to 3,000-plus homeless and low-income individuals and families including veterans, students, seniors and those who are homebound across eight parks and six homeless encampments.
Some of the fresh produce is sourced directly through the LBCT’s garden building team, where the collective builds and cultivates urban gardens around Long Beach.
According to Cox, during their weekend food and hygiene distributions, each park sees between 100 and 150 individuals, each one of them often collecting food for households of six or more.
Additionally, beyond physical aid, the group also seeks to provide education and resources to enable self-sufficiency.
“As you lift up people that are struggling, most everybody else goes up too. So who can be upset about that, right?” Cox said. “It’s a big push to be treating people with compassion and dignity, because in some ways, that’s even more important than the food.”
Joe Flores, a 46-year-old volunteer for LBCT, is one of these individuals the nonprofit has poured their energy into and helped get him on his feet.
Flores said he was hired by the LBCT straight out of the system while he was first re-entering society.
Between working at the nonprofit for now four years while attending school, working two additional full-time jobs and caring for his family, Flores said his time with the LBCT has been a commitment he gets the most pleasure from.
“It’s given me a purpose. It’s given me a responsibility, a connection with people I probably wouldn’t associate or talk to,” Flores said. “This has given me the opportunity– every race, every generation– to give back to them.”
LBCT currently serves between 5,000 and 6,000 people a week, and as that number continues to increase, Cox said the need for volunteers and a larger warehouse to store the produce and products grows.
“The need for everything is really high, and we’re pretty sure that, within
a year or so, we’ll probably be close to [serving] 10,000 people as numbers are going to go up, because the funding is being kind of left and right right now,” Cox said.
Like Flores, Rose Lynn has been with the LBCT for four years as a volunteer.
Self-proclaimed as a former “Venice Beach bum hippie” and known as Mama Lynn at LBCT, Lynn said the nonprofit’s warehouse is holding more food than they have room for, and the work does not stop until it is taken care of each day.
“When we’re through, we leave. We don’t get through, we don’t leave. That’s part of the rules, everything has to be put away or it’ll go bad. Until then, I belong to them. We run a tight ship,” Lynn said.
As the walls of the current LBCT warehouse grow too full to fit any more pallets of produce and necessities, they are looking to stretch their walls so they can provide for more community members, on the request of efficient funding and volunteers.
“Come, [you] will enjoy the experience. There’s nothing like giving something away to somebody else– it makes you feel so damn good you don’t know what to do with yourself,” Lynn said. “You almost break your back and your hand trying to pat yourself on the back.”
Learn more about how to receive aid from the nonprofit, each program and ways to volunteer at their website, the Long Beach Community Table.
Photo credit: JUSTIN ENRIQUEZ/Long Beach Current
Kristen Cox, executive director and founder of the Long Beach Community Table, poses outside of their facility on April 12.
Meet the ‘car-ista’ that serves coffee from a trunk
BY SKYLAR STOCK
Video Assistant
This is not a food truck or a cafe pop-up -- this coffee shop is in the trunk of a yellow 2017 Fiat 500.
Cristian Ramirez hand crafted Bean Slayer Coffee, a fully functioning coffee bar in a car that makes caffeine mobile.
Open from Tuesday to Sunday, the 29-year-old Los Angeles native and passionate coffee-lover is dedicated to serving beach-goers in Long Beach.
“I pop the hatch, show up to the beach and I make coffee,” Ramirez said.
Since starting the business in December, Ramirez said he has watched his dream turn into a reality as he frequents car meetups like Cars and Coffee and serves people at Junipero Beach.
“What better place to do it, right next to the water, right next to the ocean,” Ramirez said. “What better place to have as an office?”
While in San Francisco studying to become a dental assistant around four years ago, Ramirez worked at coffee shops as a part-time gig. It is there, where he said he instantly fell in love with the caffeine craft.
Even after leaving the barista lifestyle to pursue dental full time, Ramirez could not stay away.
Trouble hit, Ramirez said, when the economy took a dive and he struggled to find a dental assistant job after moving to Long Beach.
He cites a desire to be paid a livable wage, but was disappointed in his search for one.
“I got a bunch of lowballs here and there, so I just decided, ‘You know what? I’m gonna stop working for people and just go with my dream,’” Ramirez said.
From there, Ramirez set out looking for an outlet for his barista goals. He posted his coffee creations on Instagram to get his fix, but still wanted to do more.
One rabbit hole down social media sparked an idea: traveling cafes.
As a coffee lover and car enthusiast, Ramirez was hooked and looked to his Fiat to tinker with.
“I measured everything, just watched a bunch of YouTube videos trying to find out how to do all the plumbing, and the water pump,” Ramirez said, “It’s fully functioning, it has a pitcher rinser, [and]
a 5 gallon water tank.”
Ramirez said he got his entrepreneurial spirit from his mom who was a fruit vendor when he was a kid.
While growing up, Ramirez would tag alongside her, selling strawberries, grapes and mangos to different businesses.
He attributes his identity as a Mexican-American to the success he has seen so far.
“I’ve always kind of incorporated that into my lifestyle,” Ramirez said, “It’s why I just did it all myself.”
The menu consists of almost everything from a typical coffee shop, from espresso to matcha lattes. Customers can even indulge in a specialty s’mores hot chocolate.
“I think it’s great because he can set up wherever the party’s at,” Daniel Orozco, a 33-year-old Long Beach resident, said. “Can’t do that with a permanent brick and mortar shop.”
Once a frequent customer, Orozco now considers himself a friend of Ramirez.
Looking around Junipero Beach, Ramirez located his frequent customers - recounting each of their orders. Among this crowd was Djonnalyn Elder, a 41-year-old Long Beach resident.
“It’s amazing, it’s like Starbucks on the go, at the beach,” Elder said.
As a current business owner, Elder said she understands the struggle of maintaining a self-starter. She enjoys supporting local businesses and the novelty of Bean Slayer Coffee.
“It’s a great business and I’m just really proud of people doing their own thing,” Elder said.
Just as Ramirez had pointed out, Elder’s favorite drink to order was hot chocolate. Now, her current dilemma is figuring out what drink to get from Bean Slayer Coffee in the summer.
Ramirez hopes that his business will grow with the heat.
“I used to have a five pound [coffee] bag, and it would last me like a week. Now it’s running out in a couple days, like three to four days. It’s definitely picking up,” Ramirez said.
Bean Slayer Coffee’s current location and information can be found on their Instagram and website.
Photo credit: SKYLAR STOCK/Long Beach Current Cristian Ramirez and his car coffee shop, Bean Slayer Coffee at Junipero Beach.
Photo credit: SKYLAR STOCK/Long Beach Current
An oat milk matcha latte, made by barista Cristian Ramirez. Included in his setup is multiple different options of milk to maximize options for customers.
Green Generation Showcase celebrates campus and localled sustainability solutions
BY NI BALINESS Contributor
In spite of the gray and cold weather, guests packed the Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden on April 17 in celebration of the local sustainability efforts to protect Mother Earth.
Kicking off its 14th year, hosted by the Office of Sustainability, this year’s Green Generation Showcase displayed an array of student, faculty and local community organizations’ projects and educational efforts towards environmental sustainability.
“[The event] hopes to engage our campus community but also the local community as well,” Climate Action intern and third-year environmental sci-
ence and policy major Yareli Lopez said. “It focuses on getting people involved with environmental organizations.”
Upon entry to the garden, a line of student projects displayed the multitudes of disciplines that contributed to creating a difference on the planet.
Among them was the works of thirdyear industrial design major Ka’ahele Lau-Robles, who focused on a 3D prototype that sought to recover abandoned marine fishing equipment from the open ocean.
“It’s the single largest ocean based source of plastic pollution but it’s not plastic straws or shopping bags or toothbrushes,” Lau-Robles said. “Most of the plastic in the ocean by mass is this abandoned fishing net.”
Photo credit: NI BALINESS/Long Beach Current One benefit of hydroponic planting, growing plants in nutrient-rich water instead of soil, is space efficiency. Additionally, the system can be used both indoors and outdoors.
Although product design is a focus for an industrial design major, taking up this project has allowed Lau-Robles to do research for social and environmental good while acknowledging the urgency in the situation.
Photo credit: NI BALINESS/Long Beach Current
A first-time attendee to the event, Ka’ahele Lau-Robles, described the damage the pollution of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch causes and how the 3D prototype, Nucleo, is going to “interrupt” the catching and killing cycle of marine life.
“Since then, I have really wanted to get more involved with on-campus sustainability efforts and this is kind of my first step in that,” Lau-Robles said.
Reaching the archway, guests were encouraged to write down an Earth Day wish or a love note to the planet on a strip of paper called the Tanzaku Activity.
Inside of the garden, local community organizations such as Southern California Edison and Long Beach Transit also introduced their own ways of helping the environment.
The table that represented Long Beach State’s Science Learning Center caught the attention of attendees as they displayed their own derma compost bin and hydroponic machine.
Instead of using soil, hydroponic planting systems utilize a nutrient-rich water solution instead. This method can expedite growth, use less water, reduce the need for pesticides and produce year-round crop production.
“The initiative was always [intended] to spread and educate individuals of informal science,” third-year marketing major Lizbeth Ruano said. “I think that
was our main initiative, just to get science more out there because people are really intimidated by it.”
Runao also explained how the SLC provides an interactive and fun way for K-12 students to learn more about science.
“It’s so fun seeing them rummage through the compost itself and getting to learn how they can help our environment,” Ruano said. “They are excited to learn how worms can genuinely produce this matter.”
However, it was not just worms and compost that made a big impression on attendees.
A line of student models strutted along the curves of the garden to show off designs that had been refashioned into newer styles.
Along with the fashion show, the sustainability project showcase awards were presented to students who were recognized for their sustainability and climate-justice projects.
Regardless of major or background, the awards sought to demonstrate the difference students can make through their engagement in climate activism.
“It’ll take all kinds of people, all types of discipline and skill sets to do clever things to solve problems,” Lau-Robles said.
Musicians should listen to fans too
BY JAZMYN DE JESUS Social Media Editor
Artists and fans historically share a symbiotic relationship within the music space. Fans listen to and support artists’ work, while artists create the art meant for them to consume and perform for fans.
This “fan-to-band” relationship has evolved over time, with parasocial relationships to celebrities becoming a bigger phenomenon thanks to social media.
This also contributes to why fans believe artists should be representing moral causes because of their status as cultural figures.
Journalist Kaitlyn Tiffany details how this new era of fan relationships formed in her book, “Everything I Need I Get From You: How Fangirls Created Social Media as We Know It.”
“Young people who were raised to understand network effects speak reflexively about the power that comes with a lot of followers [...] which [is] a privilege granted by interconnected groups of real people and should therefore be used judiciously,” Tiffany wrote in her book.
While it can be dangerous when the lines between warranted fan attention and overreach become blurred, there are times when listening—or not listening—to fans can significantly impact an artist’s career.
On April 16, Tate McRae was confirmed to be featured on country artist Morgan Wallen’s upcoming album, which has resulted in an uproar of pushback from fans.
News of the collaboration was speculated for days amongst fans online who criticized McRae’s decision, especially as a pop artist with a prominent queer fanbase, considering the racial and political controversies Wallen has been involved in.
Collaborations that do not align with an artist’s listenership can be detrimental to their career, but is also indicative of a disconnect between fans and celebrities who may not view their favorite artists’ colleagues in a forgiving light.
Fans and artists should both have self awareness in relation to their role within the creative process, with artists acknowledging their fanbase’s presence, and fans knowing when to set boundaries for artists in their minds.
Pickleball deserves popular sport spotlight
BY DULCE GALVEZ Contributor
Pickleball is a sport that combines elements of tennis, badminton and ping-pong, gaining recent popularity among various age groups. However, it is often overlooked by Generation Z.
Pickleball is known for its accessibility and ease of play, requiring minimal equipment whether it is indoors or outdoors, and is suitable for all ages and skill levels. The sport’s social aspect, as players often engage in friendly matches and community events, adds to its charm.
This generation grew up with smartphones, social media and video games, and has seen their leisure activities significantly shaped by these technologies. Traditional sports like pickleball may not offer the same instant gratification and immersive experience that digital devices provide.
Sports like basketball, soccer, football and E-sports gain extensive media coverage and endorsement from popular figures, making them more appealing to young people. On the other hand, pickleball lacks visibility and endorsement, which contributes to its lower popularity among Gen Z.
For me, pickleball is a mental health outlet that helps me destress, whether it is playing with my friend at the Student and Wellness Recreation Center or developing new strategies for games.
Unlike other sports, pickleball’s fastpaced activity provides a perfect balance allowing me to clear my mind and manage my anxiety.
Unlike other strenuous sports, pickleball is low-impact, making it accessible
to relieve my stress and improve my overall mental health.
Any sense of worry disappears when I am playing with my friend or juggling the small pickleball in my hand.
Despite the current trend, there is potential growth for pickleball to gain traction among Gen Z. This trend raises questions about what it means for the future of the sport and why it deserves more attention from today’s youth.
The low barrier to entry sport means that anyone can pick up a paddle and start playing regardless of their athletic background. The focus required during play also serves as a sense of routine and cultivates strategic thinking and social engagement between the two players.
At Long Beach State, the Pickleball Club offers opportunities to get involved in the sport with a $30 annual fee and supplies provided at the Kinesiology West Gym.
The club provides a supportive environment where students compete and connect with others who share an interest or are new to the sport.
Rachel Wallace, president of the pickleball club, formed the club as a transfer student from community college to find community on campus.
“I was bummed that we didn’t have a pickleball club and the first year, I thought this needs to be done,” Wallace said.
Parker Schall, a first-year graduate student and member of the club, praised its presence on campus.
“The thing about the club is that everyone there a relatively new themselves, so we’re all still learning together,” Schall said. “We’ll have random people kind of stumble in, never even heard of pickleball and start playing and absolutely love it.”
Graphic
Graphic credit: EL NICKLIN/Long Beach Current
LBSU spoils UCI’s senior night, takes No. 2 seed in Big West
BY TIMOTHY HESSEN
Copy Assistant
In a pivotal Big West showdown for playoff seeding, No. 6 Long Beach
State women’s water polo’s (15-10) pair of attackers senior Martina Cardona and junior Elisa Portillo combined for 14 points in a 15-12 victory over No. 7 University of California, Irvine in the regular season finale at the Anteater Aquatics Complex on Thursday.
“This is what we’ve been preparing for, to be ready to peak and be in that zone for [the Big West tournament],” LBSU head coach Shana Welch said. “We know it’s always going to be competitive against them, but we were ready.”
The fate of the No. 2 seed in the Big West Women’s Water Polo Championship bracket hung in the balance on Thursday as The Beach and Anteaters entered the contest with identical conference records.
In LBSU’s most recent matchup with UCI, Portillo had a season-high seven goals in a 14-13 overtime win and continued her dominance over the UCI in this matchup with three goals and four assists. Cardona matched her statline.
“Their [Cardona and Portillo] consistency is key, they showed up for their team and when we show up and complement each other, this is the result,” Welch said.
In front of a raucous UCI crowd with many families celebrating senior night, senior LBSU defender Jamie Oberman temporarily silenced the home crowd,
beating sophomore UCI goalkeeper Rachel Kirchner for a score on the night’s first possession.
The Beach finished the first quarter with a narrow 3-2 lead thanks to two of Cardona’s four assists coming in the period, setting up the potent Beach offensive attack early.
After a rare save by Kirchner, her pass up the pool was stolen by Cardona, whose ensuing attack whizzed right by Kirchner’s head to extend The Beach’s lead to 5-2.
With Portillo scoring two early goals, the Anteaters’ attempts to defend her with more physicality resulted in a penalty shot for freshman defender Rita Gurri Capel, who cashed in to add to The Beach’s lead after Portillo’s arm was yanked back on an attempted shot.
“It gives me a lot of confidence, but
it also gives the team confidence to see that we can win big games,” Portillo said.
The Beach took an 8-2 lead into halftime and continued to pour it on in the third as they entered the final period with a 12-5 lead.
The Anteaters caught fire in the fourth with a 7-3 run, but it was ultimately not enough to overcome the hole they dug themselves in early, as The Beach went on to secure the victory.
Following the victory, LBSU enters the conference championship tournament as the No. 2 seed, where they will await No. 7 seed California State University, Northridge in the quarterfinals before a potential rematch with the No. 3 seed UCI in the next round.
“We hope to match up with them in the Big West semis … we really like playing them,” Portillo said.
Photo courtesy of LBSU Athletics
Freshman defender Rita Gurri Capel fires a shot at the UCI goal on Thursday night at the Anteater Aquatics Complex. Despite a late push, LBSU held on to defeat UCI 15-12 and claim the No. 2 seed in the Big West Women’s Water Polo Championship.
LBSU women’s water polo aims to claim Big West title
BY TIMOTHY HESSEN
Copy Assistant
After coming up just short in the Big West Championship final a year ago, No. 6 Long Beach State women’s water polo (1410) looks to avenge its prior playoff losses at the Big West Tournament at UC Irvine, starting on Friday, April 25.
To claim the conference title, The Beach must climb the Big West Conference mountain, which boasts seven top25 ranked teams nationally and four of the top 11.
“We got great competition, which means we have to work harder, but we know it’s going to be a challenge to get that into the championship game,” LBSU head coach Shana Welch said.
In 2024, LBSU goalkeeper Chelsea Oliver made eight saves in the final against the University of Hawai’i, but The Beach lost 9-5 to the Rainbow Wahine.
During her senior year in 2025, she delivered her strongest season yet at LBSU.
After recovering from four surgeries in her water polo career, Oliver leads the Big West in save percentage at .482, and posted a career-high of 16 saves against UC Davis on April 5, tied for the thirdmost in a game in school history.
Oliver, who earned the starting job as a true freshman and never relinquished it, will compete in her final Big West Tournament starting Friday.
“There’s a lot of motivation because it’s my last chance to win this title,” Oliver said. “I’ve worked for for four years, and it’s my last chance to play with people that I call family and coaches that have backed me the whole way.”
With Oliver at the head of the defense, The Beach’s offensive attack is led by their powerful pair of attackers: senior Martina Cardona, who is fourth in the conference with 62 goals, and junior Elisa Portillo, who sits just behind Cardona at 60, and is fourth in assists in the conference with 40.
“They both have speed, they’re confident shooters, and they complement and play off each other despite being on two separate sides of the pool,” Welch said.
The top three contenders entering the conference playoffs remain the same from last year. Defending champion No. 3 Hawai’i is the undefeated top seed in the conference, while LBSU and No.7 UCI are the second and third seeds.
In four contests against UCI and Hawai’i this season, LBSU is 2-2, including tightly-contested thrillers such as an overtime victory over UCI by way of a game-winning goal from Portillo and a sudden-death overtime loss to Hawai’i.
“It’s exciting because you know how [Hawai’i and UCI] play, they know how you play,” Oliver said. “I know exactly the players that are going to come my way, so it becomes a thinking game rather than being about who’s the strongest or the fastest.”
Before any potential rematches with Hawai’i or UCI, The Beach will have to get past No. 22 Cal State Northridge in the quarterfinals on April 25.
credit: DEVIN MALAST/Long
Long Beach State’s women’s water polo went 15-10 in the regular season, to clinch the second seed spot in the 2025 Big West Championships. Over the course of the season, senior Jamie Oberman amassed 25 goals and 32 assists.
Photo credit: DEVIN MALAST/Long Beach Current Long Beach State women’s water polo freshman center Gaby Patenaude tallied up 17 goals and three assists in the 2025 season that saw LBSU earn the No.2 seed in the Big West.
Photo
Beach Current
Men’s volleyball wins regular season title in back-to-back sweeps
Dickinson’s career night lifts The Beach over Tritons
BY MADISON YANG
Copy Assistant
SAN DIEGO - No.1 Long Beach
State men’s volleyball (25-2) kicked off its last conference weekend with a sweep of the No. 10 University of California, San Diego Tritons (17-10) at the LionTree Arena in San Diego on Friday night.
Coming back from a set of games they split with Hawaii last weekend, The Beach were welcomed by a thundering sold-out crowd that was in effect early when wide swings and unsuccessful blocks contributed to an uneven start for LBSU, going down 3-0 to begin the first set.
However, redshirt senior opposite
LBSU senior opposite hitter Nato Dickinson posted a career high 16 kills in the
Friday night in San Diego.
hitter Nato Dickinson’s return to the court allowed The Beach to flip the tide.
After not seeing action in the last four games, Dickinson used his seamless connection with freshman setter Moni Nikolov to re-ignite the LBSU competitive spirit.
Dickinson put up seven of his 16 kills in the first set, and Nikolov tallied 15 of his 38 assists in the set as well.
“[I] felt really comfortable on the court, doing the same thing we do at practice every day,” Dickinson said.
Trailing 23-18, The Beach called a timeout and came back swinging with a quick kill from Dickinson, sparking a momentous shift that led to an 8-0 run to claim the first set.
“For San Diego, there was the full start of the match on the barrage of energy and emotion when it comes to the senior night,” LBSU head coach Alan
Knipe said. “We just needed to hang in there and settle down and chip away.”
The second set saw a better start from The Beach that was boosted by redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga’s formidable five-point service run, bringing the score from 3-2 to 8-2.
The service line proved to be an advantage for The Beach again when the beloved Bulgarian Prince, Nikolov, stepped up and delivered another ruthless service run to bring The Beach up from 14-7 to 20-7.
“I think the biggest focus for us is just the mental focus. We can’t let up even when we have that big separation, usually gotta put them into the ground and finish it up,” Dickinson said.
LBSU finished the second set cleanly and claimed its largest victory of the night at 25-10.
UCSD brought their focus back in
the third set, trading points early until a dunk by Nikolov gave LBSU a 7-5 edge.
Despite service errors on both sides, Nikolov’s synergy with both hitters, Dickinson and freshman opposite hitter Alex Kandev, kept UCSD under pressure.
While the scores stayed taut until the very end of the match, a kill from junior middle blocker Ben Braun, set up perfectly by Nikolov, clinched the 25-22 set victory and the sweep of the Tritons.
LBSU is set for a rematch against UCSD on Saturday, April 18, at the Walter Pyramid, closing out its regular season on home court.
“I think we should come in ready to compete, expect a response, don’t expect them to lay down out of the gate because we beat them here tonight,” Dickinson said. “We gotta expect to be in full swing tomorrow.”
Photo courtesy of LBSU Athletics
sweep of No. 10 UCSD at the LionTree Arena on
LBSU get second win over Tritons in last game of season
BY MADISON YANG
Copy Assistant
No. 1 Long Beach State men’s volleyball earned its 20th sweep of the season on Saturday night at the Walter Pyramid over the No. 10 UC San Diego Tritons, closing out the regular season and clinching the Big West regular season title.
“The nice thing is we kept our foot on the pedal most of the night, and that’s exactly what [the players’] goal was, and I’m proud that they could end it– end up Big West champs in front of their home crowd,” LBSU head volleyball coach Alan Knipe said.
On senior night, it was freshman setter Moni Nikolov who shined immediately, providing an early service run to the
sound of thunderous claps throughout the pyramid.
Nikolov’s deadly serves started The Beach on a three-point run, putting them in the lead at 5-1. The Bulgarian setter sensation added three more aces on the night to give him an astounding 85 on the season.
Redshirt senior opposite hitter Nato Dickinson came out swinging on senior night, hitting .316 while exploiting UCSD’s seams and notching three kills in the first set.
A block by Nikolov and senior middle blocker DiAeris McRaven led The Beach to the set point at 24-11, and a service error from UCSD wrapped up LBSU’s dominant first set win at 25-12.
After a 3-0 start from the Tritons in the second set, redshirt junior opposite hitter Skyler Varga took over, showcasing the depth of The Beach’s offensive arsenal.
With skilled shot placement– landing sharp angles and brushing blocker’s
fingers– Varga delivered back-to-back kills to give LBSU an 18-16 lead. LBSU’s captain racked up five kills in the second set and finished with 12 overall.
“When we’re at our best, our guys are mixing up their shots. Whether it’s hard shots or roll shots or tips– whatever it might be– the guys all hit with good range tonight,” Knipe said.
Leading 24-21 at set point, a triple block from junior middle blocker Ben Braun, freshman opposite hitter Alex Kandev and Dickinson clinched the second set by a score of 25-21.
The Beach carried their momentum into the third set, with an early kill from Kandev setting the tone and putting the team up 2-0.
The Beach’s defensive wall at the net was ever-present in the third set and kept the Tritons out of the lead permanently.
Dickinson and McRaven made their defensive presence known on senior night, tallying six and five blocks, respectively.
“We set some pretty high standards for ourselves to be a little bit more attention to detail in that part of the game,” Knipe said. “They did a great job blocking the vault.”
A kill from McRaven put The Beach up 24-15, but they would have to wait to celebrate as the Tritons went on a 3-0 run until Nikolov fittingly delivered the final blow, closing the match with his signature mid-air antics.
This time, he went with a smooth dunk at the net to seal the 25-18 win and cap off one of many dominant nights in a dominant season.
The Beach will head to Hawai’i next Thursday, April 24, to begin their highly anticipated run through the Big West Tournament.
As postseason play begins, Knipe said the focus remains the same: keep pushing and taking their victorious runs as far as they can go.
Photo credit: SAMUEL CHACKO/Long Beach Current
(From left to right) Redshirt junior outside hitter Dane Hillis, freshman setter Moni Nikolov and redshirt senior opposite hitter Nato Dickinson celebrate as LBSU claims the Big West regular season title.
