Week of Monday, November 15

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The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton

Monday, November 15, 2021

Volume 110 Issue 13

University backtracks on locking unvaccinated students’ portals JESSICA BENDA Asst. Editor

The university is not locking the student portals of unvaccinated students, backtracking from a previous announcement. “The university is not locking portals and only setting up registration holds to encourage completion of their verification,” said Chi-Chung Keung, Cal State Fullerton director of news media services. “The Student Affairs staff are working with every student to prevent any delays in their education goals.” The deadline to have both doses of the vaccine — or one if given the Johnson & Johnson vaccine — was Sept. 30. “If they do not upload a verification of their first dose of the vaccine or provide a valid religious or medical exemption by September 20th, 2021, their access to the CSUF portal will be disabled,” according to a timeline provided by the CSU chancellor’s office,

regarding students with an in-person class. “Non-compliant students after September 30, 2021, will receive a text that they have been disabled from all campus access including their email.” Students with all online classes were also subject to the Sept. 30 deadline and facing closed portals. Unvaccinated students received these warning texts, said students at a Sept. 20 protest, but the university backtracked and did not lock portals. Keung said it is moving forward with registration holds for unvaccinated students without an exemption for the spring semester. With exemptions or a vaccine being the only way into the CSU next semester, there may be a dip in enrollment for the upcoming semester. Keung did not speak on this, but said “the university will admit non-vaccinated students but they will need to provide an exemption or a vaccine card.” Vaccination numbers are posted on the Titans Return: COVID-19 Recovery website, but student rates have not

been updated since mid-October. As of Oct. 19, 87.8% of students had submitted vaccination records while 7% had approved exemptions, leaving 5.2% unaccounted for. Employees were 92.15% vaccinated with an additional 4.4% having approved exemptions, as of Nov. 4. The university has fallen behind in updating its weekly campus case counts, which are refreshed on Tuesdays. The last entry was Nov. 2, which contributed to a cumulative 128 reported on-campus cases and a cumulative 156 reported off campus since campus reentry on Aug. 2. Spring semester will see a heftier amount of in-person classes, said Provost Carolyn Thomas. The number will jump from 60% of in-person courses this semester to around 80%. The remainder is planned to be online or hybrid. This is a far closer parallel to the class schedules pre-pandemic, which consisted of about 90% in-person courses.

Inching closer to a pre-pandemic reality, it’s undetermined if face coverings will continue. The mandate of face coverings in indoor spaces was last extended through the end of November, but could be subject to another extension. The

vaccination requirement, which the CSU announced back in July, will remain in place for the spring semester. “The safety and well-being of all students, faculty, staff and campus guests are our utmost priority,” Keung said.

Students stand outside a COVID-19 testing site behind Titan Shops in August. (Eliza Green / Daily Titan)

Athletes capitalize on name, image and likeness policy

The NCAA ruled that all collegiate athletes are eligible to recieve monetary compensation from their NIL. KASSANDRA VASQUEZ Editor

DAVID GOODKIND Asst. Editor

ADRIANA LOPEZ JOSHUA VILLAFRANCO JAMES JOSLYN

The Fullerton Fox Theater stage is set up for fundraising dinners. (Spencer Otte / Daily Titan)

Staff Writers

Fullerton Fox Theater plans to open by 2025 The historic venue was saved from demolition in 2005, making slow progress toward opening. SPENCER OTTE Asst. Editor

After years of work, the nonprofit that manages the historic Fullerton Fox Theater plans to break ground on the next phase of construction by the end of the year. The Fullerton Historic Theater is currently finalizing plans for Phase II of the restoration of the Fox Fullerton, which will mostly focus on getting the theater ready for occupancy, said Brian Newell, the board president of the Fullerton Historic Theater

NEWS

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History

In the ‘50s Walter Byers, the NCAA’s first executive director, created the term “student-athletes” to help with legal issues that the NCAA was facing — including one where Billie Dennison, the widow of former Fort Lewis A&M player, sued for workmen’s compensation after her husband, Ray Dennison died from a head injury he sustained while playing football. Legal issues swayed Byers and the NCAA to start using the term “student-athletes” to get away from any

responsibilities that schools may face when it comes to collegiate athletes seeking compensation. Although some may argue that NCAA athletes are paid through the scholarships they receive to attend the schools they play for; those scholarships do not always completely cover the expenses at their schools. Some athletes do not receive any scholarships and have to find a way to cover the expenses themselves. Donald De La Haye, a YouTube content creator and former NCAA athlete for the University of Central Florida showcased the extent of the NCAA’s strict rules in 2017 when collegiate athletes could not profit from their name, image and likeness. SEE PROFIT 8

Foundation. This will include adding working restrooms, upgrading the power to the theater and adding elevators to make the building ADA compliant, Newell said. “Phase II is to try to get occupancy. Right now, when we do events, we have to get an event permit. And then we have to hire firefighters to be in every corner, we have to put up porta-potties, all that stuff,” Newell said. “We spend thousands of dollars just to do a small fundraiser.” Since the foundation saved the Fox Theater from demolition in 2005, the group has made slow but steady progress, focusing mostly on reinforcing the building structurally. SEE CONSTRUCTION

CSUF staff reclaim terms to bring pride to community SEE PAGE 2

National Collegiate Athletic Association athletes across the nation have been fighting for years for their rights as participants in college sports. That fight became easier on July 1, 2021

when the NCAA passed an interim law that allows collegiate athletes to benefit monetarily from their name, image and likeness, otherwise known as NIL.

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Lily Wahinekapu follows a free throw against Southern Utah in Fullerton’s home-opener Nov. 9 at Titan Gym. (Kassandra Vasquez / Daily Titan)

LIFESTYLE

‘Red (Taylor’s Version)’ expresses her vunerability SEE PAGE 4

OPINION

Skipping meals inhibits mental and physical growth

SEE PAGE 6 FOLLOW US: @THEDAILYTITAN


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Week of Monday, November 15 by Daily Titan - Issuu