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Monday, September 22, 2025
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University Library receives over $11,000 grant to protect archives, prepare for disasters
BY ANNA KUCHISON News Assistant
Long Beach State’s Special Collections and University Archives received an $11,743 grant from the California State Library to safeguard the University’s collections and prepare for natural disasters that could damage its archives.
The University Library was awarded the grant on Aug. 25 and later announced on Instagram the following day.
The grant is provided through the Groundwork Grants program, administered by the California State Library in partnership with Myriad Consulting and Training.
The grant program is also part of the California State Library’s “Ready or Not: Cultural Heritage Disaster Preparedness” project, which is funded by the state.
The project aims to protect artifacts stored in archives from potential hazards including flooding, fires, earthquakes and climate change.
University Archivist Heather Steele Gajewski oversees CSULB’s special collections and archives.
“Since our founding in 1949, the library and the university archives has acquired many rare artifacts which include campus history like old yearbooks, photographs, memos and campus records,” Gajewski said.
The library has over 600 art and photographic prints they have either purchased or received as donations, Gajewski said.
“[We have] a lot of different cultural heritage artifacts and objects and collections that represent our local community, as well as kind of the broader Los Angeles and Long Beach community,” Gajewski said. “Things like natural disasters, including climate change and wildfires, earthquakes, floods and even just leaks in the building can all jeopardize these collections.”
Land acknowLedgment
Gajewski said the grant will allow them to purchase spill kits to prevent damage to artifacts in the event of a flood.
“We also have three classes that are for training the staff here. To talk about disaster preparedness and mitigation. This is going to apply directly to us, creating a disaster preparedness plan,” Gajewski said.
Kyra Folk-Farber, associate dean of the library, said the grant benefits the CSULB community as a whole.
“The archives are incredibly useful to both students and faculty and community members for their research,” Folk-Farber said. “Part of that is having this publicly available collection at their disposal.”
Folk-Farber shared some of the resources the archives offer to the campus community.
“Our archives are open to the public,” she said. “We have a very cool reading room in there that is open to everyone, even if you aren’t a student or faculty here. Anyone can come in and ask to see something, and we love to help with research. Whether it’s personal or academic research.”
She said the library has a wide range of interesting archives, including records of various political movements that have occurred in Long Beach.
“We also are working on cataloging an oral history too. Overall, there are just lots of community-related materials that I would really encourage our community to look into,” she said.
Some of the notable artifacts and collections maintained by the university include:
• Every issue of the Long Beach State yearbook, “The Prospector”
• The Joan Hotchkiss Collection of Bixby Family Papers
• The Long Beach and Local History Collection
• A collection of Gentleman’s Magazine
• An extensive collection of artwork
• The Fine Art and Photography Collection
Additional collections can be found on the University Library website.
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 opinions 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.
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Fourth year linguistic translation studies major, Yliana Teresa Canales is one of the many Grupo Folklorico Mexica performers on stage during Latine Welcome Sept. 17. Monday, September 22, 2025
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REHANSA KULATILLEKE/Long Beach Current
Right: Yliana Teresa Canales, Fourth-year linguistics translation studies major and member of Grupo Folklorico Mexica, performs a solo Mexican folk dance during Latine Welcome at Speaker’s Platform on Wednesday, Sept. 17. Latine Welcome was not only a celebration of history and culture, but it also offered students a space for open and honest discussions about the challenges facing Hispanic and Latino communities today. Top: Fourth year linguistic translation studies major Yliana Teresa Canales (left) and third year speech language pathology and biology major Vincent Blancas (right) continue supporting the community through Mexican folk dance on Sept. 17.
Latine Welcome fosters belonging, support amid challenging times
BY EMANUEL GUADARRAMA Contributor
Long Beach State welcomed students with music, food, games and resources at Speaker’s Platform on Sept. 17 for its annual Latine Welcome event.
This year’s event, organized by Associated Students Inc. Beach Pride Events and the Latine Resource Center, kicked off Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month in grand style, featuring live mariachi music, dancers from Grupo Folklorico Mexica, interactive art activities, a photo booth and stands from several Hispanic/Latino student organizations.
Campus mascot Elbee also engaged with students through dance-off competi-
tions and a game of musical chairs.
Hosted by Alondra Enriquez, assistant director of the Latine Resource Center, alongside Beach Pride Events, the event celebrated Hispanic and Latino culture with an emphasis on supporting the community.
“Happiness and love for each other is very important for these times…we just want to be here for each other and remember that our culture is to be seen and we’re still here to celebrate all our students,” Enriquez said.
This year’s event was not only a celebration of history and culture, but also an event meant to show support for Hispanic and Latino students during a time when immigration enforcement policies and the presidential administration are deeply affecting their communities.
“We offer a lot of the knowledge and the resources to really deconstruct what is
happening to us collectively as a people and what the administration is doing,” Luis Luna said, a student representative for the Chicano/Latino Student Association.
Luna said the current presidential administration is targeting ethnic studies departments and other fields because they are there to offer students the resources and tools to combat the systems of oppression.
“I encourage people now more than ever to take an ethnic studies class, really with any department, to learn more about how these systems work to push and create conditions that we see in our day-to-day,” Luna said.
Anthony Saucedo is the executive coordinator of Student Affairs Leadership & Organization and a member and representative of the Latinx Faculty and Staff Association, a group that advocates for faculty, staff and students who identify as Latinx. Saucedo emphasized the importance
of finding a sense of belonging and having safe spaces to go on campus.
“It’s important to find people that look like you and talk like you and can relate, [we are in] scary times right now as we all know and now more than ever it’s important for us to find each other,” Saucedo said.
Biochemistry major Alejandro Duran overheard the mariachi music playing at the event and decided to check it out. Duran is a Mexican American who grew up with several Mexican traditions.
“I feel like events like this are kind of what we need to bring that sense of community back during a time when a lot of us aren’t feeling as comfortable as we once were,” Duran said. “It’s just to also bring back spirit–remind people that we’re still a community and we should still be proud to show it off despite what’s going on.” Editor-in-Chief Khoury Williams contributed to this story.
Back at The Beach, Andrew Jones’
BY DELFINO CAMACHO & ANNETTE QUIJADA Arts & Life Editor & News Editor
In simplest terms, Interim President Andrew Jones’s story is a classic case of “hometown boy makes good.”
“I was born and raised here, I grew up not far from the Long Beach City College campus,” Jones said. “I was fortunate to have amazing school opportunities, from elementary school, junior high, high school. I went to Lakewood High school, and then came here. So Long Beach is always home.”
It was at The Beach where Jones was first mentored by a professor that would set him on a life journey.
“One faculty member in particular took an interest, took the time, inspired me to not only be a good student, but inspired me to be a lawyer,” he said. “No one in my family had gone to law school. No one in my family had ever gone to college.”
After graduating from Long Beach State in 1982, Jones earned his law degree from UC Davis. He was quickly hired by a downtown Los Angeles law firm that offered him a permanent position after serving a summer internship with them.
He was there for 15 years.
“I went from summer associate to associate, passed the bar and put in my time, eventually became an equity partner in the firm, and enjoyed that, but I knew somehow inside that it wasn’t what I was looking for,” he said. Jones was lacking a sense of mission, a sense of purpose.
That is when the same professor who had inspired him to pursue law years ago came back into his life. He had been keeping an eye on his former student’s career and offered a recommendation: to serve on the Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Business at CSULB.
“Which led to me learning that the university had lawyers at the Chancellor’s Office, which led me to thinking, ‘Wow, that’s something I can be inspired by,’” Jones said.
Jones has worked within the California State University system for the last 25 years, describing the role as a “game changer.”
“It actually gave me the motivation to be able to practice law, but for a purpose, as opposed to just for profit,” he said.
Jones wore many hats during his era with the CSU, including serving as university counselor for numerous campuses. He had won the “legal lottery,” as he described it, and worked with CSULB as his primary location.
It was during this time, in 2010, that Jones first met Greg Saks, now vice chancellor of External Relations and Communications for the Chancellor’s Office.
Saks said Jones always had a “strong moral compass” professionally, but personally describes him as “warm and witty,” always ready with a dad joke.
He was also team leader for the Business and Finance
LUIS CASTILLA/Long Beach Current
Interim President Andrew Jones became CSULB's acting president in late August. He emphasiezed his dedication to the school and its students.
Beach, President full-circle story
unit within the general counsel’s office.
It was in this role, almost 20 years ago, that Carrie Hemphill Rieth was first hired by President Jones (Andy, as she calls him) for a position within the Business and Finance team. Rieth credits his leadership qualities and his dedication to his wife Elizabeth and his two daughters Catherine and Emma.
Now an assistant vice chancellor within the CSU, Rieth considers him a dear friend.
“I can still picture him taking calls from the sidelines of his daughter’s volleyball tournaments,” Rieth said. “He never missed a chance to support her, but was always present for his team.”
For a year, and at the former chancellor’s request, he served as the interim vice chancellor of Human Resources. He was deputy general counsel for almost five years before being appointed general counsel eight years ago.
After 25 years, Jones thought other people in the general counselor’s office needed space to shine and considered retiring.
Like so many times in his life, fate seemingly intervened.
Jones said it took him a nanosecond to say yes to the opportunity of taking on the role of Long Beach State interim president when the chancellor asked him.
Now, as president of the same university he once walked the paths of as a student, Jones said he does not really reminisce about the old days, because in a sense he never really left.
“Part of the problem I have in finding a sharp contrast on how the campus has changed, is that for the last 35 years, I’ve lived literally feet away from this campus,” he said. “If I walk out of my front door and cross the street I’m in CSULB.”
Jones said the transition from working as a CSU attorney to now interim president has been smooth.
“In the role of an attorney for the CSU, both as a campus attorney and then more recently as general counsel, you see everything,” Jones said. “You see everything that happens in a university system from budgetary issues, to things that go wrong, things that go right.”
Jones said CSU attorneys do not just handle lawsuits; they’re involved in many aspects of finances and budgets on campus including:
• Building issues
• Construction contracts
• Government interactions with the university
“I always say we deal with everything from streets and roads to faculty and students to buildings to get built, and things that fall down. So 25 years of doing that I think it’s been good preparation for all the various kinds of issues you could face in this role,” Jones said.
During this semester’s convocation, Jones addressed challenges the campus is facing including political attacks on higher education, the divisiveness over the war in Gaza and budget cuts.
Still in the first full month of his term, Jones said these are issues that are constantly under discussions with all 23 CSU presidents and with CSU Chancellor Mildred Garcia.
Beach Current
CSULB President Andrew Jones stands at attention during the national anthem before Long Beach State women’s volleyball faces Oregon State at Walter Pyramid on Sept. 12.
“I’m monitoring what’s going on across the country as well and with other universities and university systems around the country. And keeping in touch with what’s working and not working,” Jones said.
Jones shared some goals for his time at CSULB:
• Continue to foster relationships with groups in shared governance, like the Academic Senate
• Help navigate the many construction projects on campus
He said these are issues he is still learning about, but that he hopes he can help smooth them out.
Jones describes the CSULB campus as a gem, already doing many things well. He wants to maintain its momentum, its forward progress and the reputation the university is known for.
“One of my goals is to try to work with campus leadership to identify if there are roadblocks to impeding that progress and then doing whatever I can in my role to try to eliminate those roadblocks,” Jones said.
Saks says there’s two things you’ll find with “Andy.”
“One, he understands his role. He understands that he’s an interim so he is not reinventing the institution, especially considering how much he loves it,” Saks said. “Two, he is someone who deeply understands the culture of the institution.”
Sitting in the president’s office that overlooks the fountain plaza outside Brotman Hall, Jones smiles as he recalls first stepping foot on campus in 1978.
“When your boss looks at you and asks, ‘Would you consider the opportunity to come back to that place that gave you your start and serve as an interim president?’ there’s nothing to think about,” he said.
JORGE HERNANDEZ/Long Beach Current
CSULB President Andrew Jones speaks to guests, students and alumni as they celebrate the groundbreaking of the University Student Union on Sept. 19. The USU will continue construction until its expected reopening by fall 2028.
JORGE HERNANDEZ/Long
College and student officials celebrate the groundbreaking of the
of Student Auxiliary Enterprises Miles Nevin, Assistant Vice President and CEO for Student Auxiliary enterprise Sylvana Cicero,
ing Services Mark Zakhour, Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, CSULB Interim President Andrew Jones, Associated Students, Inc.
trustee Jaydee Phung and Vice President of Student Affairs Beth Lesen.
of
Long Beach State breaks ground on Future U project
BY NASAI RIVAS News Assistant
In 1972, the University Student Union opened on campus.
Now, 53 years later, Long Beach State has officially broken ground on the largest construction project of its kind in the California State University system, the Future U Project.
“Our University Student Union has been a central gathering place, a homebase for students to connect, relax and recharge, but let’s be honest, it’s been challenged by deferred maintenance and dated features that no longer reflect the energy and our diversity of the student body,” Vice President of Student Affairs Beth Lesen said in a speech during the groundbreaking
event on Sept. 19.
Around one hundred people attended the event on the Bookstore lawn, including Long Beach Mayor Rex Richardson, CSULB Interim President Andrew Jones, representatives from the offices of local California state assembly members and Los Angeles County supervisors, staff, faculty, ASI members, administrators and students.
“The student union is incredibly important. It’s the heartbeat of the campus; this is your city center, this is your Capitol building,” Richardson said in his speech.
Associated Students, Inc. President Sonny Ciampa told the Current that the Future U will help enhance the campus for future students.
It will provide them with new food options, he said, and spaces where they can relax, like the future Wellness Garden.
The university’s dedicated services will all be in one building instead of being spread out around campus, he added.
“I think students should have hope for the Future U,” Ciampa said. “Even if they can’t experience the USU right now, they still have pretty much all the dedicated services the USU had in the first place…I know it's not in a centralized location, but we really are giving them those services.”
Ciampa said students must understand the USU needs this renovation and work.
According to the university, the USU was facing critical infrastructure failures with some systems having passed their life expectancy decades ago.
Furthermore, delaying upgrades will cost CSULB’s already strained budget millions of dollars in maintenance.
“If we were to keep that building open
any longer, it just wouldn’t be able to serve our students, and it could be dangerous and pose fire risks,” Ciampa said.
Another problem the USU was facing was its limited space. According to the university, the first building was designed for only 10,000 students.
Now, with over 42,000 students enrolled this fall, the Future U will provide students with more lounge and study spaces.
Noah Ossa, a 20-year-old psychology major who attended the event for a class assignment, said the USU construction is unfortunate for him because the building will be closed during his time here.
“Thank you for updating our campus,” Ossa said. “I mean it’s hard for me to say thank you because I’m not getting the effects of it, but they are doing good for our campus.”
JORGE HERNANDEZ/Long Beach Current
University Student Union on Sept. 19. From left: CSULB Associate Vice President and Executive Director
Associate Vice President
Beach Build-
President Sonny Ciampa, URECBOT
CSU recognizes cinematic arts student with prestigious award
BY MONICA GARCIA Contributor
Though Karma Sarni once prayed to withdraw themselves from queerness as a child in Catholic school, the questions that led to difficult conversations with their monsignor led to Sarni’s advocacy, distinguished by the California State University Foundation.
“Throughout my time there, I would consistently pray and ask to be absolved of this moral error and obviously, [it] didn’t work,” Sarni said about their time from first to eighth grade at St. Lawrence Martyr School in Redondo Beach.
Sarni’s journey toward self-acceptance and community building was fueled by their curiosity.
The CSU Trustees’ award is given annually to applying students who represent academic achievement, community service, personal accomplishments and financial need.
At the time of applying for the CSU Trustees’ award in spring 2025, Sarni worked three jobs and served on the CSULB Queer Students’ Alliance board.
After a rigorous application process, two letters of recommendation and a finalist interview, Sarni was selected as a recipient of the award.
They were one of 23 students chosen across the CSU system.
“It was such a shot in the dark,” Sarni said. “I realized that somebody is acknowledging how hard I’ve been working, and it is paying off for me.”
In their first two years at Redondo Union High School, Sarni was placed in a confirmation program, where they made it a goal to understand the intersectionality of their queerness.
Despite nearly being pulled from the program for challenging traditional doctrine, Sarni was able to confirm.
Sarni felt a weight on their soul, but curating a relationship to their faith while criticizing gender expectations translated to their advocacy and filmmaking process.
CHARLOTTE LOCICERO/Long Beach Current
Fourth year cinematic arts major Karma Sarni has been recognized with the 2025–26 CSU Trustees’ Award for Outstanding Achievement. Sarni was awarded for their academic achievements and advocacy work in helping create inclusive policies for queer students.
“It was a horrifically traumatic experience, because you are very intentionally sort of hidden from any sort of thought about sexuality or gender,” Sarni said.
Before transferring to Long Beach State in fall 2024, Sarni served as an advocate at El Camino College, helping to implement policies that welcomed gender-nonconforming students on campus.
Sarni requested that El Camino change gendered terms in new documents and update the college’s constitution to gender-neutral terms.
The college allowed students to participate in club competitions without providing their full legal name, as per Sarni’s suggestion.
Sarni was previously enrolled in Cine-
matic Arts lecturer Quinn Winchell’s Surfside Productions course at CSULB, where they produced content for clientele.
“It kind of takes you back to when you were in school, and you start to see, like, ‘wow,’ the dedication that these students have toward their craft … and Karma is one of them,” Winchell said.
As a filmmaker, Sarni made a point of exploring beyond the gender binary. Their short film “From the Backseat” was originally written for actors who could fall within multiple gender identities.
“I’d really want to open the door to alternative ways of thinking about sexuality and gender … because that’s really the backbone of our community, whether people realize it or not,” Sarni said.
CSULB film history lecturer Rowena Santos Aquino said Sarni prompted further discussions with students and expressed an endless desire to learn about film.
“What stands out to me about Karma as a student is their consistent engagement … and by extension, the wonderful enthusiasm and energy that they bring to the class itself,” Aquino said.
Sarni’s self-acceptance journey has inspired a new artistic lens for them to look through.
“When people say there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, don’t expect to see it,” Sarni said. “There could be no sign at all. But life moves faster than you realize it’s moving, and I promise you, it is worth waiting out.”
ARTS & LIFE
BY LILA MUKASA Arts & Life Assistant
The campus art museum unveiled four new exhibits that tackle themes of climate crisis, ecogrief and endangered species.
The main gallery features “Solastalgia,” the mini gallery “Emergence of the Kelp Deer” and in the community gallery “Species in Danger.”
An interactive native plant exhibit is also on display, created in collaboration with the CSULB student organization Re: Wild.
The collections serve as a call to action in addressing the climate crisis, said Erin Stout, chief curator and interim co-director of the Carolyn Campagna Kleefeld Contemporary Art Museum.
“It’s never too late. It’s not too late, but it’s going to take all our collective effort to get us through and beyond the crisis we’re in currently,” Stout said.
The exhibits were unveiled on Sept. 11 and will remain open until Dec.11.
The exhibits use a wide variety of mediums, including repurposed waste materials, natural materials, C-print photographs on Sinatra board, sculpture and graphite drawings.
The museum will host a fall exhibit reception on Thursday, Sept. 18.
1) Solastalgia
Artists: Christine Atkinson, Saif Azzuz, Carolyn Castaño, Velia De Iuliis, Paige Emery, Merion Estes, Alicia Piller, Heather Renée Russ, and Jonathan Schwartz, Theresa Ambo, Todd Ambo, Dolores Stewart, Kelly Leah Stewart, Abigail Rodriguez, and Ramona Rodriguez.
The term solastalgia, coined by environmental philosopher Glenn Albrecht, is derived from the word nostalgia and refers to the pain or anguish experienced when a human or animal witnesses the loss of their home. In witnessing this destruction, one is no longer able to derive solace from what they once could.
The exhibit, created in collaboration with the Biology Department, is about the experience of eco-grief, which refers to “mourning, witnessing the devastation of our planet or local ecosystems while we’re still living on the planet,” Stout said.
The exhibit conveys a collective experience of processing eco-grief and the desire to make positive changes for the environment.
Mediums used in “Solastalgia” include wildfire debris, natural materials, repurposed waste materials and sculpture.
Campus museum displays climate crisis, eco-grief exhibits
The work of artist Velia De Iuliis will be featured in the Solastalgia exhibit. “There is a level of responsibility that we should all feel towards climate crisis because it is only us as a collective together that can change the trajectory of where we are going right now…” she said, per the exhibit.
the blue whale, Stout said.
“Plastics are clogging our oceans,” she said. “Ships are actually ramming into whales, and of course these are the ships that are carrying containers full of products that are cheap and disposable.”
3) Emergence of the Kelp Deer Artist: Christine Nguyen
“Emergence of the Kelp Deer” is a project by Christine Nguyen, who completed her bachelor’s of fine arts in photography at CSULB in 1999.
Featured artist Velia de Iuliis has a background in natural sciences and seeks to spread environmental awareness and spark curiosity through her art.
The fragmented flora depicted in the piece “Who Will be Left” are all endangered species. Cross sections represent the harm caused to these species by humans by actions including building roads through fragile ecosystems, resulting in habitat loss and harming biodiversity.
“Solastalgia” includes specimens of bird, mammal and plant species. Specimens on display belong to species that are either endangered or recovering from endangerment.
Species including the California Brown Pelican, which are recovering from endangerment, are included in the exhibition to signal that it’s never too late to heal our relationship with the earth, Stout said.
For applied statistics major Henry Peacock, the exhibit is beautiful yet melancholic.
“It’s preserving something that’s gone.
I feel like it’s trying to preserve beauty that’s being destroyed,” he said.
2) Species in Danger
Artist: Jennifer Celio
The exhibit "Species in Danger" features 13 graphite portraits by Jennifer Celio, all depicting federally-endangered species native to Southern California.
The endangered species portraits are paired with her depictions of harmful human elements she believes should be going extinct instead, such as environmental racism.
“The more you spend time with them, the more they reveal to us about both the habitat and the means, the ecological embeddedness of the species, and then also the things that are contributing to its decline,” Stout said.
In “Species in Danger: Blue Whale: Cheap and Disposable,” Celio depicts a blue whale floating in the sky above boats occupying the ocean.
In this piece, Celio conveys that our culture of cheap and disposable products should be going extinct instead of
The artwork depicts antlered creatures immersed in a galaxy of deep sea organisms.
The piece uses 50 individual C-print photographs printed on Sinatra board (PVC), with each print in the piece’s grid formation representing a small world of its own filled with organic life.
4) From Eco-Grief to Eco-Action: Rewild with Native Plants
Artist: Nature, as curated by the CSULB student organization RE:Wild
Last semester the RE:Wild student organization had a slight setback when their native-plant sustainability pilot project was halted due to the looming University Student Union construction.
The Long Beach State student group, with a mission to bring and increase organic land management, said they had big plans to continue to promote sustainability at CSULB.
This semester, RE:Wild collaborated with museum organizers to create the interactive “From Eco-Grief to Eco-Action” on display in the Glenn Court.
The educational, native plant display serves as a companion to “Solastalgia.”
Photos provided by JONATHAN C. WARD
“Who Will be Left” artist Velia De Iuliis depicts real, endangered flower species including White Bladderpod (Physaria pallida), which is endemic to Texas, Argyrolobium longifolium, which is endemic to South Africa and Northern Haiti magnolia (Magnolia emarginata), among others.
Peele-produced horror film ‘Him’ fumbles the ball
BY JOSHUA MIN Opinions Assistant
The latest venture in filmmaker Jordan Peele’s career brings us “Him.”
The supernatural psychological sports horror film lists Peele as one of the producers and features his name heavily in the trailers.
Unfortunately, “Him” does not bear Peele’s stamp on it, as he is simply a producer of the film, not the director or writer.
Without Peele’s personal touch, “Him” relies on strong performances and striking
visuals to mask a weak script, hollow in storytelling.
If “Him” was an NFL offense, it would pick up a few first downs for some cheers but ultimately fail to find the end zone and score a touchdown.
“Him” tackles heavy topics head-on, including media pressure on athletes, driving past mental and physical limits in order to achieve and sustain success in professional sports and even toxic fans.
The writers are not subtle with their commentary.
In football terms, they are not disguising the blitz. They’re showing you outright they’re going to hit you in the mouth.
One aspect of the writing that took me out was their misunderstanding of
how football players become professionals. For example, the story’s protagonist is the top college quarterback prospect who misses the scouting combine, an annual event where pro hopefuls test their speed, strength and agility.
The inability to compete in these tests in front of teams seemingly causes his stock to plummet, which should not be the case because the last six quarterbacks drafted No. 1 overall in the real-life NFL Draft have all opted not to participate in the drills.
Superstars will often show up and make their mark on the game, regardless of their environment, which is the case with Marlon Wayans. He plays Isaiah, a legendary quarterback on the brink of retirement.
Wayans deviates from comedy, a genre he has dominated, and stands out by excelling in this dramatic role. There are humorous elements about Isaiah’s character that are uniquely Wayans-like; however, Wayans delivers a more twisted and villainous performance than what audiences are used to seeing from him.
The main character, Cameron, is played by Tyriq Withers, who has only a few film and television appearances, including an episode of FX’s “Atlanta.”
After an accomplished collegiate career, Cameron is the top quarterback prospect with the sky-high expectations of equaling Isaiah’s career.
“Him” gets it right by casting an actor who looks like he can ball, something sports movies don’t always get right. Withers looks the part as an athlete and refined quarterback, thanks to his chiseled 6-foot5-inch frame and the professional coaching he received from passing guru Jordan Palmer, respectively.
Wayans and Withers form a terrific duo that enhances each other’s performance. I firmly believe it when Wayans said Withers’ presence pushed him to get in the right mindset for this role.
The visuals in “Him” consist of powerful and colorful imagery, which strengthens the theater viewing experience. One example illustrates the impact of specific recovery tactics on a player’s brain and body, enabling them to stay on the field.
Many aspects of this movie were done right, but the visuals and acting can only take a film so far.
The plot and writing is the foundation and should support the actors, but instead, it derails the entire film.
Photo courtesy of Universal Pictures
From left to right: director Justin Tipping, lead actor Tyriq Withers, producer Jordan Peele and supporting actor Marlon Wayans on the set of “Him.”
LAUREN BENSON/LONG BEACH CURRENT
teammates in the second half of Long Beach State’s game against UC Santa Barbara in an attempt to take the game on Feb. 22, 2025 at
Transfer portal era reshapes recruiting for LBSU athletics
BY BRUCE KUNTZ & TIMOTHY HESSEN Contributor & Sports Editor
Long Beach State men’s basketball was the smallest program Devin Askew had played for when he arrived on campus last fall.
The Sacramento native was the No. 1-ranked point guard in the national high school class of 2021 before skipping his senior year and reclassifying to 2020.
His collegiate journey included top programs at schools like the University of Kentucky, University of Texas and UC Berkeley before transferring to The Beach.
From the outside, it may have looked like the low point of a once-promising career. Yet, even after a 2024-25 season that ended with his LBSU squad on a 15-game losing streak, Askew announced his transfer to Villanova University this summer.
His 18.9 points and 4.6 assists per game were enough to send the sharpshooting guard back up the ladder to a threetime national champion school.
“We use [Askew] a lot in selling ourselves to recruits,”
said John Montgomery, an assistant coach for LBSU’s men’s basketball team. “It’s like, ‘Look what happened to him.’ He came here and now he’s getting millions at the high-major level, and you guys will have that same opportunity.”
The modern transfer portal rules have completely changed how mid-majors, such as LBSU, approach roster building, especially for prominent programs like men’s basketball and baseball.
A decade ago, getting a player to commit was the challenge; once that was accomplished, the player was typically bound to the program for their entire collegiate career.
Now, college athletes can enter the transfer portal at their discretion, making roster retention the new hurdle for smaller schools.
Beach men’s basketball head coach Chris Acker, who was an assistant coach for the 2022-23 San Diego State team that made it to the national championship game, was challenged by the new portal landscape following his first season at LBSU.
After an underwhelming 7-25 campaign last winter, the majority of Acker’s roster either graduated or transferred. His second season as head coach will feature 14 new faces out of the 15 players on the roster, with junior forward Derrick
Devin Askew passes the ball to his
Walter Pyramid.
ETHAN COHEN/LONG BEACH CURRENT
Former Dirtbags second baseman Armando Briseno slides into home against Northwestern University at Blair Field on Feb. 15. Briseno is one of several Dirtbags from the 2025 roster to leave via the transfer portal, and will play for conference rival Cal State Fullerton in 2026.
Michael Xzavierro as the only returning player.
“When I first began coaching, you weren’t having conversations about money,” Acker said. “Now, we’re basically negotiating deals with agents and players and family members to see how much we can pay them instead of figuring out if this is the best fit for them first.”
The vast number of players simultaneously cleaning out their lockers can leave behind a vacuum in team leadership.
Acker recognized this and said that he targets players who “have won championships” elsewhere to help sustain culture in the transfer portal era. Aiming their sights on transfers from Power Five schools, like Askew, is a good place to start.
“The biggest thing is [leadership] by committee,” Acker said. “You’ve got to explain to everybody that they all have a responsibility to lead, and if they don’t shy away from that, we’re going to have a really good team and a really good season.”
The Beach made an impact addition in the portal this year with the signing of sophomore forward Petar Majstorovic. Coming from Syracuse, it is likely Majstorovic will be in line to make a significant impact during his first year at LBSU.
The 6-foot-8 native of Sombor, Serbia, played 13.3 min-
utes per game as a true freshman last year for the Orange.
Majstorovic said the new-era transfer portal enables student-athletes to pursue the best opportunities for themselves. Consequently, that agency has ushered in a requirement for coaches to continually prove their program is the best place for a player to be.
“The [LBSU] coaching staff made me feel really comfortable in that I would get a good opportunity to work on everything I need to,” Majstorovic said.
Acker said that mid-majors like LBSU have to stay within their financial means when recruiting, emphasizing the importance of finding quality players who are not “garnishing a lot of funds,” such as junior college and high school talent. All of these moving parts blend together in an unpredictable landscape that must be managed carefully by coaches.
Men’s basketball is not the only program at LBSU that faced an exodus this summer. Another first-year head coach, Dirtbags skipper TJ Bruce, saw some of his top players from the spring transfer to other schools for different opportunities.
Notably, ace starting pitcher Kellan Montgomery moved on to Big West counterpart UC Santa Barbara and starting shortstop Armando Briseno crossed town to arch-rival Cal State Fullerton.
But good news for Dirtbags fans, Bruce has extensive recruiting experience with other programs. He was UCLA’s recruiting coordinator under legendary Bruins head coach John Savage, helping construct a roster that eventually won the 2013 College World Series. However, those were very different times compared to what Bruce is facing now.
“Back then, the commitment meant something to families and schools,” Bruce said. “When we went after a guy, 99% of the time we held onto them, unless they signed professionally.”
Both the men’s basketball and baseball programs at LBSU are hoping to return to the success they have historically enjoyed.
With new-look rosters for both teams in their upcoming seasons, this year will be an opportunity to prove progress is being made.
The transfer portal era of college athletics is a challenge for mid-majors, but the coaches in charge of these programs have a plan.
“I think mid-major recruiting is about finding the value,” Bruce said. “We have to do a really good job of our evaluation and selling the opportunities we can give them right now over the prestige of the school.”