REHANSA KULATILLEKE/Long Beach Current Freshman middle backer Sidney Hamaker defends The Beach against CSUF middle blockers Ketesia Hall and freshman Hannah Hass during the second set at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, Sept. 27. Long Beach State would go on to sweep the Fullerton Titans with a 3-0 victory.
GRACE LAWSON/Long Beach Current Angel Stadium was used for Long Beach State graduation ceremonies since 2021 following the Covid-19 pandemic and the eventual transition back to campus. The venue was previously used for the Spring 2025 commencement on May 20.
Spring 2026 commencement moves away from Angel Stadium
BY ISABELLA GARCIA & GRACE LAWsON Managing Editor & Community Engagement Editor
Long Beach State’s spring 2026 commencement will not be held at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, where it has been hosted since 2021.
Despite significant efforts on the Los Angeles Angels’ part to work with the MLB to accommodate the university’s commencement dates, the 2026 Commencement will not be at Angel Stadium due to
Land acknowLedgment
schedule challenges, according to Christopher Reese, the Associate Vice President of University Relations and Development at CSULB.
The official MLB website, confirming the Angels’ 2026 spring schedule, shows the team is in town for games from May 15 to 24, 2026, at Angel Stadium.
Spring 2026 commencement for Long Beach State is scheduled for May 17 to 22, 2026, directly conflicting with the team’s home game schedule.
The commencement dates for spring 2026 are available on the university's academic affairs website, but with no further information regarding the location of next year's commencement.
“We are reviewing venues and will have more information available on the commencement website in the coming weeks,” Reese said.
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.
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.
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Motor vehicle theft shows biggest surge in 2025 Clery Report
BY ETHAN BROWN News Assistant
Long Beach State released the 2025 edition of its Annual Security Report on Sept. 15, revealing five cases of rape, 12 burglaries and double the number of motor vehicle thefts in 2024, among other crimes.
There were zero instances of fondling and aggravated assault in 2024, both down from 2022 and 2023.
“Our crimes against people occurrences remain low,” University Police Chief John Brockie said.
Brockie described these crimes as “any with violence, stalking or robbery.”
The most reported crime was the number of motor vehicle thefts on campus, which increased to 35 in 2024—up from 16 in 2023 and 15 in 2022.
Brockie attributes this development to the increase in e-scooters and e-bikes on campus, which have been stolen more frequently and are now considered part of the motor vehicle theft category.
“Twenty-six of the 35 reported Motor Vehicle Thefts are 'other' in our records system, which means they are e-scooters, e-bikes or golf carts,” Brockie said.
Other crimes from 2024 include three instances of rape on campus, all taking place in residential halls. Another two occurred off campus.
Seven burglaries were reported at The Beach last year, including two in campus residence halls. An additional five were recorded off campus by the University Police Department.
No hate crimes were reported on or near campus in 2024, a positive trend from the two recorded in 2023, both on account of the victim’s sexual orientation.
ETHAN COHEN/Long Beach Current Long Beach State’s Annual Security Report compiles crimes committed on campus or in campus-affiliated locations for their students and faculty to view.
Off-campus occurrences are listed as “non-campus” in the Clery Report. The Clery Center Guide defines non-campus locations as “property of officially recognized student organizations or property owned by the institution that support educational purposes, is frequently used by students, and is not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution.”
Officially titled the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, the Clery report came in an email from Vice President of Administration and Finance Scott Apel’s office
Named in memory of 19-year-old Lehigh University freshman Jeanne Clery, who was raped and murdered while asleep in her dorm room in April 1986, the report is intended to notify the public of campus crime statistics and distribute safety and prevention information to the community.
According to Larisa Hamada, assistant vice president of Equity and Compliance at CSULB, the structure of the Annual Security Report has changed over the years.
Some alterations include aligning “with the updated or new federal Clery and Violence Against Women Act legal requirements, including hazing and requiring a longer sexual misconduct investigation and prevention policy,” Hamada said.
“The ASR corresponds with the federal and state requirements, and the Chancellor’s Office provides all 23 campuses with the ASR requirements,” Hamada said.
A few important resources that Brockie and the UPD recommend for students, staff and faculty to keep themselves safe include:
• Personal Preparedness for emergencies
• BeachALERT to stay informed of immediate threats to campus safety
After just two years of operating with Amazon’s Just Walk Out technology, the Beach Hut has reverted to its original cashier-run store.
The quick change raised questions about why the high-tech system failed to last and how students, faculty and staff feel about the change.
The Beach Hut is located next to the Academic Services building near the University Library, and is now run by student employees.
“We had a lot of students and staff who wanted it back. We had a lot of people who said the Amazon store was too complicated
to use and [they] wanted interactions with real people,” Beach Shops chief business officer Cyndi Farrington said.
The store now offers a wide variety of foods including donuts and pastries, and will even feature soups during the winter season.
Sami Cady, a third-year double major in dance and psychology student, noticed a significant difference in the store.
“When it was an Amazon store, it felt really dead, like I never really saw people in there, or it was just so quick that there’s never going to be anybody in there,” Cady said. “But now it feels more alive, since they put tables out here too, it feels like there are more people in this area instead of at the library.”
The Beach Hut opened in 2001, but was shut down in 2020 due to COVID-19.
In September 2023, Beach Shops reopened the Beach Hut with Amazon's Just Walk Out technology. This technology allowed customers to scan in with
digital payment, pick up items and walk out as cameras tracked purchases with no check-out register.
The post-pandemic store was experiencing staffing issues, prompting administrators to turn to Amazon’s technology.
The reliance on cameras led to restrictions on what the store could stock.
“It really limited the amount of items we could have; we had to leave space for the cameras to be able to pick them up,” Farrington said.
The absence of popular items like grab-and-go meals left the shelves less appealing to students.
Despite the numerous cameras, theft was also an issue.
“Our goal is to better serve students, faculty and staff on upper campus, while also providing a convenient late-night food option for students studying in the library,” director of Retail Services and Licensing Kristin Bonetati said.
By January 2025, Beach Shops had
already started planning the reconversion, with renovations over the summer.
Much of the furniture inside the new Beach Hut was repurposed from the Corner Market that was in the University Student Union, which is under construction until 2028 as part of the Future U project.
In a press release announcing Beach Hut’s reopening, Associated Students, Inc. communications manager Shannon Couey said that students, faculty and staff were calling for its return.
“Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Students, faculty and staff appreciate the wider variety of food choices, and they’ve noticed that checkout with our student cashiers is fast and efficient,” Farrington said.
The current hours for the Beach Hut are below:
Monday - Thursday: 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Friday: 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday: noon to 8 p.m.
JORGE HERNANDEZ/Long Beach Current
Students are making transactions to receive their items as the Beach Hut is open on Sept. 24. The hut offered students many varieties of goods including noodles, chips, drinks coffee and more.
$126 million student housing project on schedule
BY EMELY DE HARO Contributor
Construction on Long Beach State’s newest housing development, La Playa Hall, is on schedule and set to open for students in fall 2026, campus officials said.
The $126.4 million project, which broke ground in March 2024, is partially funded by a $53.3 million state grant through the Higher Education Student Housing Grant Program, as outlined in Senate Bill 183.
La Playa Residency Hall, formally known as Hillside North student housing, will be located in Hillside Village, north of Beach Drive and next to the Hillside Los Alamitos building.
When finished, the complex will provide 424 beds across three five-story buildings connected by exterior bridges.
404 beds will be reserved for students under the Long Beach Housing Promise, a program that ensures affordable housing.
Melissa Soto, manager of Capital Project Program Development in Design and Construction Services, said La Playa Hall will not affect housing costs, unlike the campus’s student union expansion that was financed through a student facility fee.
“Housing funds itself. All the rent is calculated on what they need to run the building, pay staff and pay the loan,” Soto said. “Because of the grant, we don’t have to take in as high of rental rates as we normally would.”
Soto said the project is a key step in addressing the university’s housing shortage.
“We’re going to turn over the building to housing and life in July so they have time to get their [residential assistants] in and trained, and all the furniture will be moved in by then,” Soto said.
Capital Projects Program manager
Lisa Salgado said she guides the project through design and construction after the feasibility stage.
The Capital Project Program is under CSULB Design and Construction Services. Their job is to hire and manage contractors to work on the university’s projects.
Salgado said La Playa and the Future U Project are major undertakings, noting that her focus is on projects valued at $50 million or more.
Salgado said the development for La Playa Hall has already cleared major milestones, including underground utility and foundation work. Crews are now working on upper levels.
“We’ve completed all of the site makeready, which means that you prepare the site for construction, bringing in infrastructure, utilities, preparing soil and reinforcement for foundations,” Salgado said. “We’re currently pouring parapet walls— little half walls that cover equipment on the roof—and starting rough installations, which is all the piping for plumbing, electrical and mechanical systems.”
Salgado said the goal is for construction to be complete by mid- to late July, giving the housing team a couple of weeks to prepare the building before school starts.
“That means custodians, RAs, making sure everything is clean and ready so students come into a nice, new, fresh building,” Salgado said.
Salgado said the biggest challenges have been navigating approvals from state and local entities.
“We have the same challenges as any other construction project in the city,” Salgado said. “Really, our only challenges are always getting approvals from different entities in time so we can continue making progress…that’s nothing out of the ordinary, and so far everything’s been going pretty well.”
The next significant milestone, pouring the last of the concrete, is scheduled for Oct. 3.
Construction is underway at the new campus housing facility, La Playa Hall. The building is located at Hillside Village, north of Beach Drive next to the Hillside Los Alamitos Hall.
”
Housing funds itself. All the rent is calculated on what they need to run the building, pay staff and pay the loan.
Melissa Soto Manager of Capital Project Program Development in Design and Construction Services
EMELY DE HARO/Long Beach Current
ARTS & LIFE
Need a ride? This one's on Long Beach Circuit
BY SKYLAR STOCK
Video Editor
Known for their comical golf cart appearance and friendly drivers, Long Beach Circuit’s main goal is to highlight the importance of public transportation through their micro-transit service.
In 2018, a partnership between the City of Long Beach and Circuit Inc. was formed to pilot a free way to get around. In 2022, the service officially launched, covering Downtown Long Beach and Belmont Shore.
“Depending on where you live, parking can ruin your life,” Mike Michael, a Long Beach Circuit driver, said.
An expansion in June 2025 connected
the two hubs while also adding six vehicles to their clean-air fleet.
Circuit utilized funds from a $410,000 South Coast Air Quality Management District grant and one-time funds through the city’s 2025 budget to upgrade. With the expansion, Circuit and city officials hoped to bridge the gap between the two hubs, extend service hours and upgrade the fleet.
Circuit is funded by LA Metro Prop A, a sales tax passed in 1980. The service receives up to $2 million annually from the funds.
While not meant to replace transit options like Long Beach Transit or the Metro, Circuit instead acts as a connector to these services.
Michael explained that it is also good for quick stops. He frequently picks up people getting groceries, visiting the Queen Mary, or even coming home from bars.
“We have a lot of people [who ride] that don’t have much income,” Michael said. ”So, having them be able to use this is great.”
The service aligns with Long Beach’s Climate Action Plan, which prioritizes sustainable transportation choices. Over 6,000 pounds of carbon dioxide were avoided through Circuit rides per month, according to the Circuit website.
“The more cars we get off the road, the better,” Willie Walker, the Long Beach public works mobility officer, said.
It also attracts locals and tourists alike.
Sahdiyah Simpson lives in St. Louis and came to celebrate her birthday in Long Beach. Familiar with the service in other areas, she was pleasantly surprised to find it here.
“We were sitting there and I saw one of the Circuit cars going by and I was like, ‘Is
that a Circuit?’” Simpson said. The iconic imagery of the tiny shuttles allowed her to take the shuttle to the beach and explore Long Beach for the first time.
According to Gisele Durham, Long Beach Public Works micromobility analyst, there was a 64% increase in users during the first three weeks of the expansion compared to the same time last year. In the first three months, they had a steady rate of 450 passengers a day.
Circuit operates Thursday and Friday from 4 to 10 p.m., Saturday from 12 to 10 p.m. and Sunday from 12 to 8 p.m.
The shuttle service is expected to remain active for the 2028 Olympics, which will be held in Los Angeles.
For more infomation on the service area and hours of operation, visit the LB Circuit landing page on the official Long Beach City website.
SKYLAR STOCK/Long Beach Current
One of the original Circuit Gem vehicles parks along Shoreline Marina near one of the pickup locations on Sept. 14. Every vehicle in the fleet is 100% electric.
Double duty: The struggles and strength of student parents
BY JASON GREEN Arts & Life Assistant
In the second floor of the library, Janet Carrillo ran through Room 200 to chase down her 2-year-old son as he wandered off.
Being a student while juggling a job can be hard enough. For students who are parents, pursuing academic endeavors can be even more challenging.
Dubbed the Children’s Collection, Room 200 in the University Library serves as a family-friendly group study area where student parents can bring their kids while they study, without worrying about disturbing others.
With 26% of the undergraduate student population having children, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, this dynamic is more common than some may think.
With September being Students with Dependents Month, the University Library, along with the Women’s and Gender Equity Center, collaborated on an open house event inside the Children’s Collection room on Wednesday, Sept. 17, to raise awareness about the kid-friendly study room and different parental resources.
Carrillo, a 34-year-old senior studying Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies, said efforts like these make her feel supported on campus.
Carrillo uses The Isabel Patterson
JASON GREEN/Long Beach Current
CSULB student parent Janet Carrillo attended the Sept. 17 Childrens Collection open house. Carrillo had her son, Zion Alvarez in November 2023.
Child Development Center, which provides childcare for CSULB students, after a professor referred her to it.
“So our mission is to support parents’ efforts to complete a college degree by ensuring that no parent [’s] child is denied access to affordable childcare,” AlecSandria Colchico, director of the center, said.
Thanks in part to the center, Carrillo can attend classes without worrying about her son.
“I do [education] for myself, but I also do it for him so he can have parents that graduate college, and he has a better opportunity,” Carrillo said.
When she first found out she was pregnant, Carrillo took a gap year. She gave birth to her son in November 2023.
He will soon be 2 years old.
When not at school or with her son, Carrillo works part-time.
“It’s been tough, but not impossible,” she said. “I think it gives me a lot of motivation [to pursue education,] being a parent.”
Carrillo was unaware of the Children’s Collection until the Sept. 17 event.
The room features toys, two computers loaded with children’s games, and a play pen for toddlers.
“We like to provide a place for parents on campus because there are a lot more parents than maybe some of us [think],” said Cathy Outten, a librarian for children’s and young adult literature at the University Library.
DianaJane Herrera is another student who has to navigate being a single parent of four while working and pursuing higher education.
She has four children spanning the ages of 2, 8, 12 and 17.
Herrera is a Student Parent Peer Mentor for the Women’s and Gender Equity Center.
The 39-year-old transferred to The Beach in spring 2024 and is now a senior studying Operations and Supply Chain Management.
Herrera attended El Camino College in 2018, taking breaks due to financial difficulties and limited support from her family at times. She credits resources, including CalWORKs’ welfare program, with helping her return to school.
“Yeah, so last year was really hard,” she said. “I had gone out of a relationship where my ex-fiancé got mentally sick and physically sick, and we were not on good terms with the landlord, so he didn’t let me
take over the lease. And I was homeless for a few months.”
Herrera was unhoused from February to Sept. 5 this year.
Programs and centers available at CSULB, including the Bob Murphy Access Center and Basic Needs, helped her obtain temporary housing, and she was given access to a designated area in the dorms after the contract ended.
Now, she rents a room that she can afford with her kids.
She also began using the Isabel Patterson Child Development Center’s childcare program for her 2-year-old daughter.
“And I think that’s important for me as a woman and as an individual to have my own time as much as I commit my time to my kids,” She said. “Like they know that sometimes mommy needs a break and mommy needs to enjoy her life too.”
For now, Herrera is focused on achieving her goals for herself and her children.
“I hope to work with logistics or supply chain. In any field, I’m actually very open about it, but eventually one day, I hope to work with a community, and hope to be able to develop, loan housing for people in my situation who are low-income families,” she said.
Sights versus sounds explored in CalRep’s thrilling fall 2025 debut
Don't adjust your dials! Long Beach State's professional theater company kicks of its season with an audio blast from the past.
BY DELFINO CAMACHO Arts & Life Editor
Closing one’s eyes during a play is usually a bad sign. Usually.
But for the cast and crew of “Radio Plays Live,” it might be a compliment.
Essentially a stage adaptation of two ’40s radio play scripts, California Repertory Company’s first fall 2025 show debuted on Sept. 18 as a meta take on audio theater.
“The conceit is that our actors are radio actors from the era of ’40s, ’50s. Radio actors who are performing at a microphone which is being then broadcast over radio waves,” Josh Nathan, faculty member and co-director of the show, said.
Co-directed by Nathan and Theatre Arts Department Chair Ezra LeBank, the play mixes visual and audio elements and plays with the “reality” of the show.
All of the actors in the ensemble cast portray radio actors who play other, sometimes multiple, characters.
Invented in the late ’20s, television would not reach popularization until the mid-'50s.
Prior to that, audio-only “radio plays” or shows, made up of voice actors performing narration, dialogue, music and sound effects were a popular form of entertainment for decades.
“Radio Plays is a re-examination of this much older content as a way of exploring how we consume content and how our preconceived ideas about art representation and abstraction have changed over the intervening 85 years,” Nathan said.
The 65-minute show adapts two real radio scripts, both written by accomplished American writer Lucille Fletcher: “The Hitchhiker” (1941) and “Sorry, Wrong Number” (1943).
Portraying characters within characters, Long Beach State student actors perform their lines as radio actors performing the script “Sorry, Wrong Number” during the first half of a Sept. 17 “Radio Plays Live” rehearsal. From left to right are Sarah Ellet-Cardinal, Tavia Williams and Amelia Priestley.
“I’m interested in building the story as closely as possible as it would have been heard on the radio waves when it was originally produced,” Nathan said. “I think that’s the best way to fully examine those distinctions that we were talking about.”
Both scripts are regarded as classics.
Renowned actor Orson Welles performed the supernatural thriller “The Hitchhiker,” in its debut performance. The script would later be adapted into a Twilight Zone episode.
“Sorry, Wrong Number,” a more grounded crime thriller, was adapted into a 1948 film starring Barbara Stanwyck and Burt Lancaster.
The CalRep production aims to recreate the audio portion of the play as authen-
tically as possible and present both stories in an anthology-like presentation.
The show is hosted by a “Man in Black” presenter in the style of Rod Serling and the Crypt Keeper.
“We want to take the audience into a 1940s recording studio,” co-director LeBank said. “We want to show [sound effects] performed live and live music, along with the actors performing. We want an authentic behind the scenes look, but when you listen to it, we want it to sound like a finished recording of a radio play.”
To complete the show’s audio palette, the stage production incorporates live music, via performance faculty member and musician Sarah Underwood and live foley, or sound effects creation, from student ac-
tor Cassie Reed.
Professional foley artist Jeff Gardner is a sound designer for the show and was brought in to help Reed create believable live sound effects on stage.
“He came in and made a set for me. Like a kit for all my noises and showed me how to do them,” Reed said. “I had some liberty on how I wanted to do stuff and I got notes from the directors on what to adjust.”
When a scene in “The Hitchhiker” calls for the sounds of tires skidding, it's Reed who mimics the squeal of rubber on the road using yellow kitchen gloves rubbed over a metal suitcase.
“It’s just interesting the way he thinks about sound and he’s always listening and having to come up with new sound effects,” Reed said. “You have to find the right stuff to make the sound.”
While the show features an ensemble cast, the central stories of “Radio Plays Live” each have a distinct lead character with theater major Amelia Priestley portraying the neurotic and bed-bound lead in “Sorry, Wrong Number” and fourth-year student Devin Stone taking the lead role in “The Hitchhiker.”
Five other radio players round out the cast, some taking on multiple roles per script.
An interesting aspect of the play is the portrayal of “acting” on stage, complete with background conversations and smoking breaks.
Shayla Perez made her Long Beach State stage debut as part of the ensemble.
While Perez has done some voice auditions in the past, she said audio work of this magnitude was new to her.
“It’s pretty exciting getting in front of a microphone on stage, because normally you’re projecting as loud as you can without hurting yourself, or you’ve got a tiny microphone taped to your forehead,” Perez said. “So this was definitely different, in a really nice way.”
Photo courtesy of Cynthia Price
Paul Croce, the vice president of the CSULB Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Club, demonstrates an armbar technique during a club training session on Sept. 24. Croce has a blue belt in Brazillian Jiu-Jitsu.
Small moves, big impact: Jiu-jitsu club teaches the art of leverage
BY ANGEL PASILLAS Contributor
Every Monday and Wednesday evening, the setting sun’s rays shine through Kinesiology Room 150.
Inside, the Long Beach State Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Club practices a martial art that focuses on grappling and ground fighting.
Brazilian jiu-jitsu began in Brazil after being introduced by Mitsuyo Maeda in the early 1900s, according to Jiu-Jitsu Brotherhood.
“The thing about jiu-jitsu is it’s really for someone who’s smaller rather than someone who is a lot bigger,” club Vice President Paul Croce said.
The martial art allows a smaller person to leverage submission locks and chokeholds effectively against a larger opponent.
Croce, a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, said the martial art makes him feel like a ninja.
“It’s really fun to just be able to manip-
ulate someone else’s body,” Croce said.
Though the club is primarily focused on Brazilian jiu-jitsu, members incorporate other martial arts into their practice sessions.
Isabel Garcia Lule, president of the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Club and a criminal justice major, said the club incorporates wrestling, judo and self-defense techniques.
Lule, who has been practicing martial arts since 2017, said she started with karate, later branching out to mixed martial arts, which includes Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai and wrestling.
She also holds a blue belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.
Although some members have more experience, the club serves as an introduction to jiu-jitsu, welcoming people who have never trained in a martial art.
Croce said he tries to be as beginner-friendly as possible, as some people in the club have little to no experience.
Landon Senico, finance major and club treasurer, said before he joined the club last semester, his only experience in grappling martial arts was wrestling in middle school.
Club meetings typically begin with a 30-minute warm-up and stretching session. From there, the president and vice president take over.
“[Then it’s] technical teaching, which is where Izzy (Lule) or Paul (Croce) typically will show us a move,” Senico said. “We’ll practice it, go over a little bit and then we’ll regroup.”
Croce said he wants the club to feel like a real Brazilian jiu-Jitsu gym.
For the last 30 minutes, the club either plays a game, holds open mats or unstructured practice time, known as freeroll.
Lucas Legaspi, 19, an undecided major and a recent club attendee, said he comes from a wrestling background and joined to stay active.
“[To] keep the grappling going, not give up totally, try something out,” Legaspi said.
Although both martial arts involve grappling, Legaspi explained some key differences between the sports.
“In jiu-jitsu, you could fight off your back and it could be totally OK, but in wrestling, you cannot go to your back at all
or you’ll lose,” Legaspi said.
For others, the club is a way to learn valuable skills.
“I just really wanted to learn self-defense,” psychology major Elsie Navarro, 20, said. “Some sort of grappling.”
While Navarro hasn’t been a victim of crime, she said she trains as a preventive measure.
“To get more experience [in] defending myself,” Navarro said. “Grapple someone in case someone tries to attack me as a woman.”
Similarly, Senico said jiu-jitsu has helped him form a strong mentality.
“If I can get my ass whipped every day, I can go to class and that really helps me in life,” Senico said.
One of Lule’s wishes for the club is for it to have a transformative impact on people’s lives.
“I want to bring the love of martial arts to other people and just bring that confidence to other people the way martial arts brought confidence to me,” Lule said.
ANGEL PASILLAS/Long Beach Current
Liquid Glass: How iOS 26 is making a clear path toward the future
BY EDDY CERMENO
Photo Assistant
Ever since I first owned an iPhone in 2019, the digital interface of Apple’s smartphone operating system has remained the same. However, because I joined the Apple ecosystem six years after the 2013 iOS 7 design overhaul, I didn’t get to experience that change.
The unveiling of the Liquid Glass software design at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9 intrigued me.
A major shift in the software design language in iOS would allow me to experience a change in its user interface that I was previously unable to with the Apple ecosystem.
Once iOS 26 with its Liquid Glass design update was available to download on Sept. 15, I installed it on my phone.
Using my phone felt different after the initial installation.
User interface elements, including buttons on the lock screen and the control center, feel immersive. When you touch them, they come alive by reacting with fluid bounces.
A refreshing change compared to the flat design of iOS 18, the new interface now has a sense of depth.
As notifications popped up and I interacted with on-screen elements, I saw the translucent glass design take effect.
Colors of my wallpaper and app icons would seep through the elements of Liquid Glass on the screen. Reflections of color and light from icons appearing on the screen became visible along the edges of system elements, including the control center and notification shade.
After installing iOS 26 and using it for more than a week, I have enjoyed the visuals of the update, making the interactions I have with my phone screen feel more intuitive and alive.
Along with the Liquid Glass design, new quality-of-life features were also implemented in iOS 26.
However, according to a Tom’s Guide article, some users who installed iOS 26 have reported complaints about battery drainage and performance issues while running the new software.
These issues are consistent with previous versions of iOS, which need a few days after installation for full optimization. If
REHANSA KULATILLEKE/Long Beach Current
iOS 26 features a new design called Liquid Glass, a visual effect that gives a sense of depth to screen elements on an iPhone, along with using active animations throughout the system.
you have an older iPhone, then the issues may be more noticeable.
I have encountered some of these issues after installing iOS 26 on my iPhone 14 Pro, but the new design interface has made it worthwhile.
iOS 26 allows more users to experience this design, which was intended to make
digital experiences as expressive and reactive as physical ones.
Apple has already begun blending the digital and physical worlds with the release of the Vision Pro in February 2024.
The Vision Pro is Apple’s spatial computer that directly projects its digital interface onto the physical area around you.
Digital interactions on the Vision Pro
work through hand movements and gestures to help bridge the user into a new reality. Liquid Glass also aims to connect users to their devices with its expressive design.
The design of iOS 26 allows users to get a glimpse of the future of digital interfaces, where systems and devices can feel more intuitive and connected to the user.
Spring 2019 marked the last time commencement was held on campus before being canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic and then relocated to Angel Stadium in 2021.
Top 5 commencement venues to replace Angel Stadium
BY JOSHUA MIN Opinions Assistant
Drama surrounding Long Beach State’s commencement ceremony is nothing new. The latest chapter in this saga reveals that Angel Stadium will not be the host venue, as the Los Angeles Angels’ 2026 Major League Baseball schedule shows the team playing home games during commencement week.
CSULB officials are currently reviewing venues and plan to announce the new location in January. They will have to consider factors such as distance, venue size, parking and more.
Here are five places they should look at.
On-campus
Here’s a bright idea: What about the place where everyone goes to school? Family members can experience the same sights and sounds as their favorite students.
The university has hosted commencement on campus before the deal with Angel Stadium. Despite a growing student body, it should still be able to accommodate a ceremony of this kind at Jack Rose Track.
Turning Jack Rose Track into a suitable location for commencement would be a stunning location. Seeing the Walter Pyramid in the background of pictures is a one-of-a-kind photo op that LBSU graduates can take pride in.
Parking and walking distance to the seats should be no problem, as many of the general parking spots, including the Pyramid Parking Structure, are located right beside the track.
Long Beach Arena
It may not be home to the greatest right-handed batter of our generation or any current team, for that matter, but the Long Beach Arena can host big-time events.
The arena was the first home venue for the Los Angeles Kings’ NHL team, where they played six contests before moving to
The Forum.
The building is located five miles away from campus and can accommodate up to 14,500 people, which should be ample for the graduates and their guests.
Dodger
Stadium
Does the other Los Angeles-based big league team want to step up to the plate?
The Dodgers play on the road from May 15 to 24, opening the door for commencement week to be held there.
The distance to Dodger Stadium is nearly double that of Angel Stadium. Still, many students already have a long commute to school, so this may be considerably closer for a good chunk of graduates and their families.
SoFi Stadium
Home to the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers, this football stadium will not be in use during the off-season. There are no concerts or other shows scheduled during commencement week, so this stateof-the-art venue, established in 2020, may be available.
Monday, September 29, 2025
Located 24 miles away from campus, SoFi Stadium is not an ideal spot; however, there should be plenty of space for guests and their cars for parking.
Having commencement here would take everyone away from the sweltering heat while basking in the NFL’s newest stadium.
Anaheim Convention Center
Having commencement in Orange County didn’t seem to garner many complaints, so the Anaheim Convention Center is another venue nearby.
The Los Angeles Convention Center is out of the picture because they are Crypto. com Arena’s neighbor, which may be hosting Lakers playoff games the week of commencement. Besides, Anaheim Convention Center boasts the largest convention center on the West Coast.
This place features theater-style exhibit halls and a 28,140-square-foot arena. Although it was not designed to host events of this magnitude, it may have enough space and parking to welcome LBSU graduates.
Photo courtesy of Barbara Kingsley-Wilson
ETHAN COHEN/Long Beach Current
Long Beach State women's volleyball celebrates its 3-0 match sweep of UC Irvine at the Bren Events Center in Irvine on Friday, Sept. 26.
Men’s golf wins backto-back tournaments
BY TIMOTHY HESSEN Sports Editor
Long Beach State men’s golf notches back-to-back tournament victories while No. 9
men’s water polo continues to stack ranked wins in this week’s edition of “Catching the Wave.”
Men’s golf looks primed for banner season
Emerging from both the Ram Masters Invitational and William H. Tucker Invitational as champions, head coach Rob Murray’s team has made LBSU history quickly this season.
After jumping up three spots in the William H. Tucker Invitational on the final day to secure the victory on Sept. 20, LBSU won consecutive tournaments for only the fifth time in program history.
Seniors Jack Cantlay and Jaden Huggins led the way for The Beach with matching 7-under par finishes, tying for the fourth-best individual score.
Men’s water polo topples top competition
For the second time this season, The Beach escaped by the skin of their teeth against a ranked opponent with
a late-game-winning goal, this time by way of a score with under 15 seconds left from junior utility Marc Frigola Navarro against No. 13 Loyola Marymount University on Monday, Sept. 21.
LBSU’s win over LMU marks the team’s third-ranked win of the year.
The Beach’s growing reputation as a squad that comes up huge in the biggest moments will continue to be tested, as they near a Big West Conference schedule that features four of the top20 ranked teams in the nation.
Women’s volleyball faces best in the Big West
After an impressive start to the conference schedule in taking down UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton over the weekend, LBSU will face its biggest test of the year when Big West powerhouses UC Santa Barbara (9-4) and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (10-3) come to visit the Walter Pyramid on Oct. 3 and Oct. 4.
Both rival teams have made a lasting impression in the world of women’s volleyball early this season, as they have both received votes in the AVCA Women’s Volleyball top 25 poll.
The Beach will get a chance to avenge their playoff despair from a season ago on Saturday, as they take on the Mustangs, who swept them in the 2024 Big West semifinals.
LBSU leaves UCI blue with 3-0 sweep
BY JUNIOR CONTRERAS Sports Assistant
Long Beach State women’s volleyball (8-4) bruised University of California Irvine (5-8) with a 3-0 sweep to begin conference play at the Brens Event Center on Friday, Sept. 26.
The UCI faithful flooded the arena with energy to begin the Black and Blue rivalry matchup as the Anteaters came out with an early 7-5 lead, after a kill from graduate student middle blocker Sydnee Rowe passed a frozen-footed LBSU sophomore setter Madi Maxwell.
LBSU did not let the noise affect them as they answered right back with a 6-0 run to take the lead at 11-7 in large part due to two kills and one block from senior middle blocker Nieko Thomas.
“Props to our servers, we did a great job today,” Thomas said. “My job seemed pretty easy today, they were getting them out of system, making it easier for me to read.”
The Anteaters could not find an open hole to land their attacks, after three straight errors by UCI capped off a 5-0 LBSU run to take a commanding 19-10 lead.
The middle blockers got it done for The Beach after back to back kills from senior middle blocker Rhiann Sheffie glided
LBSU into a 25-16 set one win.
After a disappointing first set from UCI, the home crowd ignited the arena back to life in the second as there were a total of 16 tie scores and eight lead changes in a heavily contested set.
The Big West Offensive Player of the Week Elise Agi and freshman middle blocker Sidney Hamaker hammered down a combined nine kills to help even the score at 25, before a kill and an ace from LBSU redshirt freshman opposite Logan King silenced the home crowd by crowning The Beach with a 27-25 set two win.
“I’m really proud of them for pulling that set out,” LBSU head coach Natalie Reagan said. “We made a lot of our own errors in that set, and it was really close, and UCI was putting some tough serves on us to play some pressure, but being able to pull that set out is just really great for us.”
The Beach had full control of the momentum and it showed as King came out firing with five kills contributing to a 8-2 early lead that LBSU never relinquished.
King's hot hand continued as she led the game with 12 total kills as the LBSU blockers held UCI’s Big West Freshman of the Week, Jessica Bates to zero kills in the final set, which The Beach took 25-15.
“This is so huge for us,” King said. “I think we’ve played a lot of hard teams and so to come into conference and start off with a sweep, that’s everything we can hope for.”
The Beach continue winning streak with dominant performance over rival Fullerton
BY BRIANNA APODACA Sports Assistant
Long Beach State women’s volleyball (9-4) continued its six-game win streak and brought out the brooms for a second consecutive match, sweeping cross-town rival Cal State Fullerton (6-8) in a Big West matchup at the Walter Pyramid on Saturday, Sept. 27.
“We’re really proud and happy walking away from this weekend, and it doesn’t have to do with the wins; I think how we played is the most important thing,” LBSU head coach Natalie Reagan said.
LBSU came into Saturday’s contest surging after sweeping UC Irvine in its last outing, but CSUF also came in fresh off a
KULATILLEKE/Long Beach Current Freshman middle blocker Sidney Hamaker goes in for a kill to help The Beach secure the win during the first set. LBSU sweeps Titans (3-0) at the Walter Pyramid on Sept. 27.
sweep in its Big West opener against UC San Diego.
The Beach carried the heat from Friday’s win into their first set against the Titans, as they dominated the period, not allowing CSUF to take the lead at any point.
Freshman middle blocker Sidney Hamaker delivered six of her team-high 11 kills in the opening set, while senior middle blocker Rhiann Sheffie was everywhere defensively for The Beach while also notching two kills in a 25-10 set victory.
The Titans’ frustrations fueled their start of set two, as they led for the first time in the game at 3-1.
Long Beach did not hesitate to fight back, however, as a block assist by sophomore setter Madi Maxwell followed by a kill from redshirt freshman Logan King put them back in front at 5-4.
The Titans kept The Beach on their toes, making the second set the most tightly contested of Saturday’s match, but ultimately fell 25-19.
After Hamaker led the way for LBSU in the opening set, it was King’s turn in the following period to light up the CSUF defense for six of her 10 kills on the night.
King, the freshman star who has been a revelation for Reagan’s squad this season, has averaged 13 kills a night throughout the team’s recent win streak.
“I’ve been sleeping a lot recently, it’s actually been helping but I think all of our team has those little things we prioritize and I think those things off the court make a big difference on the court,” King said.
Eager to bring the brooms out for the second consecutive sweep, The Beach wasted no time building a significant lead
during the final set.
In similar fashion to the opening set, the Titans had no answers for The Beach, who did not relinquish their lead once in the 25-11 match-sealing set win.
“I saw what I wanted to see,” Reagan said of her team’s performance to begin their Big West schedule. “The big thing we’ve been talking about is trust your block and [defense] and our serve has been really good and consistent and that was a really big part of what we saw this week.”
Long Beach will host UC Santa Barbara next Friday, Oct. 3 at the Walter Pyramid in hopes to keep their win streak going against a team that has received votes in the latest AVCA Women’s Volleyball top 25 poll.
REHANSA
SPORTS
Taylor, Schwab lead Long Beach State cross country at UC Riverside Invitational
BY XAVIER CONSTANTINO Sports Assistant
It was a chilly Saturday morning at the UC Riverside Agricultural Operations Course, as dozens of schools, including Big West rivals, battled for top finishes at the UCR Invitational.
Long Beach State cross country made waves as the men finished runner-up in the 8K race, and the women put up solid times in the 6K, placing 18th out of 27 teams.
LBSU junior Levi Taylor clocked 24:08.2 to finish 13th among 224 competitors, the eighth-fastest 8K time in program history.
All five of the men's team's top scorers set their own personal bests.
Junior Cameron Rhone followed Taylor, finishing 23rd with a 24:19.7. Senior
Cristian Martinez finished 50th with a 24:42.9, graduate student Kyle Reden finished 60th with 24:50.5 and senior Cameron Gill finished 63rd with 24:54.0 to round out the scoring.
“Today was the first real race in the calendar, I’d say,” Taylor said. “I don’t like to lose, but more specifically, to guys in our conference, like [Cal State Fullerton] and [UC Irvine].”
The Beach men tallied 170 points to secure second place overall, finishing behind San Francisco, who had four runners finish in the top 10, winning the meet with 33 points. Ahmed Farris, competing unattached, was the men’s champion, with a time of 23:28.5.
The women opened the morning with the 6K race, paced by LBSU graduate student Marikay Schwab, who finished 55th overall in 21:23.2. She was joined by junior Jadyn Palaschuk, who moved up 21 spots from the 4K mark to finish 84th with a
time of 21:39.4.
Junior Alyssa Tapanes timed in at 103rd with 21:49.8. Freshman Darcy Ray followed right behind with 21:51.3 to finish 109th. Junior Brooke Willoughby finished just under 22 minutes with a time of 21:57.9, earning 122nd place.
Assistant coach Devin Elizondo noted one of the team’s big goals they had set was to stay under the 22-minute mark.
The women’s squad gave Long Beach State 437 points for an 18th-place team finish. San Francisco earned the team win with all five scoring runners finishing in the top 22, including the individual winner, Jess Spilsbury, with a time of 20:19.0.
In preparation for the race, the cross country staff decided that Schwab would take charge at the front to lead the rest of the women to a good pace.
“I’m a runner who doesn’t like to get out necessarily,” Schwab said. “So getting out and pushing at the front was the
hardest part, but the best part was coming around and seeing the finish, and trying to get a [personal record].”
Unfortunately for Schwab, the 21:.23.2 finish was not enough for a personal record, but she is using the momentum from Saturday to build on the next competition.
“Just from looking at past results of other girls and being able to keep up with them and stay with them, and just really pushing to say to myself that I belong,” Schwab said.
Elizondo was following the teams at every corner of the track and was pleased to see both squads do well.
“All of them came through with flying colors, and so, I’m just really proud," Elizondo said. "We try to make racing a showcase of the work that we do.”
Long Beach State will head back to UC Riverside for the Highlander Invitational and then to Sunnyvale for the Santa Clara Invitational on Oct. 18.
XAVIER CONSTANTINO/Long Beach Current
Long Beach State junior Levi Taylor took the lead for the men's squad, setting the all-time eighth best 8,000 meter time in LBSU history on Saturday, Sept. 27 at the UC Riverside Invitational.
