Spring 2020 Issue 4

SF State’s student-run publication since 1927

Bay Area residents feel the bern again for Sanders

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Illustration by Siobhan Eagen

SF State tutoring centers become one under Campus Academic Resource Program

G

ina Matteo first received on-campus tutoring from a student placed in her history GWAR class as part of the Campus Academic Resource Program, which assigned tutors to specific classes for individualized assistance, along with other types of help.

After acquainting herself with CARP, Matteo began contemplating the possibility of becoming a tutor.

“I was really nervous that I wouldn’t be able to tutor,” Matteo said, “because

you can get straight As and not be a great tutor.”

Eventually, she became a CARP fellow for a History GWAR class taught by Sherry Katz, the same professor that taught her. Like her predecessor, Matteo attended class and assisted students.

In December, the Division of Undergraduate Education and Academic Planning closed CARP and the Learning Accessibility Center to make way for the new Tutoring and Academic Support Center. Matteo said her bosses assured her

that she, like many other student employees, would have a spot available to them in the new space.

Today, Matteo is a project leader for TASC, which is located in Library 220 and opened on Feb. 10. Matteo recently helped a fellow tutor, Dani Poortinga, become the GWAR fellow for Katz, the class where Matteo got her start.

Coincidentally, Poortinga also initially got involved in tutoring after positive interactions with a GWAR fellow while taking Katz’s class.

The closures of CARP and LAC originated in a campus-wide operational review of all tutoring services. That review included three external reviewers, tutoring center employees from other CSUs, coming to SF State to assess the tutoring facilities.

The reviewers took issue with the fact that CARP and LAC were located within, “A single hallway connecting a handful of rooms. By design, the space is not

the journalism school scam willingly. I changed my major about seven times in junior college before deciding on journalism. There is no doubt in my mind that this career field is for me. I love the work and I love what I am learning in school.

Most students I have spoken to agree that the information learned in journalism school is invaluable. Still, the structure does not set lower-income and working students, like myself, up for success.

I do not own a time machine and my

reporting is often impacted by it. There are not enough hours in the day to support myself, attend class and report. Since I do not have time to report fully, sometimes I do not because I can not. Sometimes I choose soft stories, avoid enterprising ideas or choose “easy” sources who I am confident will respond to my request because my grade relies on the story not falling through.

I feel cheated. I do not have enough time or confidence to make the mistakes I need

to make in an educational setting before I apply to jobs.

On a good day, a lecture about time-management is annoying. On a bad day, it feels like getting kicked in the teeth.

I am expected to produce clips I am

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Student journalists can not time travel

BY SIOBHAN EAGEN STAFF REPORTER

Bay Area Musical / Page 8

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proud of while balancing mandatory attendance of classes, 12-or-moreunit semesters and working necessary CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

CITY

ARTS

ournalism school is a scam and I bought into it. I hope for better, though.

I moved out of state and away from home at 20-years-old. I am self-supporting. In the six years since then, I have faced stints of homelessness, job insecurity, a suffocating mountain of credit debt, parental death, a new disability and more all in the name of eventually being able to continue my college education.

Do not get me wrong, I bought into

Jackie Fielder / Page 5

Parking/ Page 3

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Journalism school is a scam CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

hours to support myself. The reality is more dismal. Students like myself rush to complete assignments just for the grade. I fear I will graduate with a body of work I feel lukewarm about, at best.

It is not the fault of professors, it is the fault of the academic structure and its one-size-fits-all approach.

A furnished single-occupancy room at UPN costs a monthly installment of $1681 and San Francisco minimum wage is a little over $15. Before taxes, it would take approximately 27 hours a week in a minimum wage job to independently pay rent alone.

Along with balancing a full schedule of classes and work, student journalists must also find the time to travel to sources on their own dime, interview them, investigate and more all before they even sit down to write.

Reporters are never on their own time, but everyone else’s. It is very difficult to arrange classes and work so that I might have more than one day in the week free from class to report. Many sources are unavailable on weekends or after business hours. It is especially difficult to schedule once a student is working on upper division courses since many courses often only have one or two sections to choose from. Now, add a job to the equation.

This is not to say professors do not try their best. They often go beyond. Skylar Gaven is a journalism major and junior at Humboldt University. She is currently writing for their weekly student publication, The Lumberjack.

“I have had some experiences where I kinda had to interview somebody like, you know, really quick,” Gaven said. “And then I had class right after, you know, so stuff like that, it can be a little bit difficult.

But other than that, I mean, I’m mostly taking journalism classes so they’ll understand.”

Gaven says she does not struggle too much splitting the load of school and work.

“My boss doesn’t want me to be as stressed, so I kind of work at least maybe like 10 hours a week during the school

week. And then summertime it’s full time,’ said Gaven.

It is worth noting, though, Humboldt county living expenses create a less extreme environment than San Francisco students face. One bedroom apartments and homes on Zillow are listed as low as $700 near Humboldt university. At the time of publication, the cheapest one bedroom apartment near SF State is listed at $1950 a month on Zillow.

“My roommates and I were very lucky to stumble on a house,” Gaven said. “I have three other roommates and my share, we each pay $450.”

Efrain Baldez writes for The Advocate at Contra Costa College. He is also a student who works an average of 30, but sometimes 40 hours a week. He said it can be difficult to make conflicting schedules work.

“When I wasn’t working it was definitely much easier to, you know, make an appointment and work around people’s schedules to get those interviews done,” Baldez said. “Like right now, since I haven’t been working a lot the last couple of weeks, it’s definitely been easier to schedule and just pop into people’s offices and make the interviews.”

Semesters where he had heavier class loads were especially difficult. He said the balance of interviewing sources, attending class and working was “definitely an issue.”

“You know, a lot of people work in the middle of the day … ” Baldez said. “ …

That’s when all the stuff you have to cover actually happens. So there’s a lot of conflicting time issues, you know, that’s what makes it the most difficult.”

Professionals often tell students “reporters arrive first and leave last,” while this might work to inspire some students, it is not a sufficient response to the overworked and overextended student population who support themselves. Mandatory attendance and graded attendance almost feel punitive to me sometimes.

Working reporters are just that, working reporters. They get paid to do their job. It is their role. I split my time and play many roles: student, worker, reporter. Student

journalists are paying thousands of dollars in tuition, housing and books all so they can produce clips that they throw together with some prayers for the deadline and grade.

Baldez said,“more than half the time I was definitely just turning in stuff just because of the deadline, you know.”

Some writing intensive classes expect students to continually produce articles throughout the semester. Instead of a 3 hour class once a week, it would benefit students to have a 1.5 hour class, with the other 1.5 hours acting as “lab hours” for the time they inevitably spend reporting in the field. Where students of other majors spend their time learning, student journalists are out in the world “doing.”

Professors are often doing their best to meet students’ needs though—both Gaven and Baldez say they feel positive about learning journalism. Gaven says she is thankful for the mentorship and guidance from her professors.

“I mean the professors are so cool,” she said. “They really do, you can tell that they really care for their students.They give you resources and opportunities to check out internships and stuff. And they give you feedback - really good - honest feedback about stories. It’s been a great, great time.”

Baldez says journalism school is 100% necessary.

“I don’t think you need a bachelor’s degree to be a journalist,” Baldez said. “I just think you need to know the ethical standards and how to be a good reporter … So I think school, I think the school is necessary, like not necessarily a bachelor’s degree but you know, just learning to ethical standards and learning how to interview and just, you know, all the basic stuff.”

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 1,000 journalists lose their job every month and the projected job outlook for “Reporters, Correspondents, and Broadcast News Analysts” lists -10% decline and projected loss of 5,100 jobs up to year 2028. The coal industry, by contrast, has 3% growth. If students do not have time to make clips they are proud of then how

can journalism colleges say, earnestly, that they are giving students a fighting chance.

Baldez thinks investing in bettering journalism schools might not be a priority for colleges.

“I think a couple of points that could be made is that I don’t think journalism schools are set up to be successful,” he said. “Because they’re meant to, you know, keep the administration of that school in check and stuff … it’s not beneficial … to keep funding somebody that keeps, you know, hurting like a vice president of the school’s pocket.… at the end of the day, something has to be done institutionally or like, like throughout the country … for a journalism school to succeed. And then number two, like, I mean, there’s already been a massive attack on professional journalism and stuff that definitely hinders the attractiveness for universities to invest in their journalism schools.”

If the goal of the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications is to build a strong future for the journalism work force, they are failing by neglecting to address the adapting needs and reality of students.

Student wellness must be part of ACEJMC’s journalistic standards.

Almost every major newspaper in the U.S. requires a Journalism degree. With more layoffs than the coal industry – is that equitable? How can we build diverse newsrooms while closing the doors on low-income and working students?

Student journalists deserve better and should demand better. The system must work for all of its students. If journalism schools fail to adapt, low income and working students will be shut out of the press permanently and journalism will dig its own grave. Journalism should not be a pay-to-play sport that favors the wealthy.

Give student journalists the time they need to fully report so that the future has a robust, experienced and fearless press – or get digging.

Ethnic studies builds bridges not walls PAMELA ESTRADA STAFF REPORTER

T

he dust has settled, the strike is over and the demands have been compromised and for what will be 51 years—SF State has been the host of one of the first College of Ethnic Studies. As we ponder and possibly take it for granted, California is deciding whether ethnic studies will be a requirement for the Fall 2020-2021 school year.

This may simply pass our minds because we are constantly being told the history of this campus and for others it may mean just a little more but bear with me. Before it becomes a fleeting thought ready to banish just remember that the purpose of ethnic studies was and continues to be inclusion, access and representation of people of color within a narrative that for so long was very one sided.

As the decade takes a turn, it is now our time to care that the decision to make ethnic studies a requirement comes to pass

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in the state of California. It is our turn to stand against systematic discrimination by ensuring,as a whole, we are educated and aware of those around us.

“Awareness leads to seeking more knowledge about the histories that we haven’t been told, the histories that haven’t been shared,” said Race and Resistance profe AA Valdivia. “The acknowledgement that we are all human and we are all deserving of having our voices heard. The underrepresented people have not been heard thus why we have something called ethnic studies.”

Representation is very important, something the Black Student Union, Third World Liberation Front, and all those involved in establishing SF State’s College of Ethnic Studies understood. It allows us to know and understand our roots and culture.

“It will be a small step towards understanding the diversity of people we have

here in the state of California. It’s a small step but it shouldn’t be the final step,” said Valdivia.

The brilliance within the establishment of the College of Ethnic Studies lies in the requirement that each department must require their students to take a course in the other departments. We live in a world where we interact with many cultures — understanding where we all come from will allow for bridges to be built between us rather than walls.

“Not just students of color but also white students benefit tremendously, academically and socially from learning about different communities and shared struggles. It’s an important role in building an inclusive multicultural democracy,” said Jamal Dajani, a Race and Resistance professor at SF State. “Especially if this is our aspiration in the United States as a diverse community to learn about other communities and avoid the othering that we have been witnessing

specially recently under the current administration and rise of white supremacy.”

It is evident that education of ethnic studies is important and students on campus make it clear that they think so too but now it’s time California knew it too.

“What is really valuable about ethnic studies is that it looks at a broad spectrum of what is going on around the globe any given time and how that is influencing history and the modern era and I think that, that mind frame is really valuable and until we can make it so that all our courses are taught from that perspective I think that having ethnic studies courses be a requirement is a really valuable step,” said Maya Hacke-Sedillo a senior at SF State. “One narrative of history, economics, politics, art and literature is not enough. We don’t live in a vacuum where everyone is the same and it’s time to honor that as well as study it and celebrate it.”

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GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, FEB. 18, 2020

San Francisco campuses will increase parking tax MATTHEW MACGUGAN STAFF REPORTER

Associated Students have spoken in

opposition to a 25% parking tax to be implemented on California university campuses later this year.

Parking at SF State has long been a gripe of the roughly 6,900 students that drive to school daily.

The cost of a daily parking permit is currently $8, or $640 for a Monday through Friday permit- the highest semester rate of any CSU campus.

AS took a stand against the tax, noting in a resolution letter directed towards the city and county that 17.7% of students already face housing insecurity and 48.6% experience food insecurity, according to an SF State study conducted in 2019.

“50 percent of the students at SF State receive the Pell Grant. They are struggling to even afford to get an education, so this is nothing but an added hardship.

What if a student has to cut down their meals from maybe two meals a day to just one meal? There’s a lot of sacrifices

that students are already making,” said Alondra García, vice president of external affairs for Associated Students.

After the tax is put into place, the cost of a daily permit could rise to $10, or $800 per semester for a 5-day-pass if the university passes the entirety of the cost onto students.

AS also published a post to their Instagram account featuring messages in opposition to the tax, seemingly coming from members of the community.

“In June of 2019, the California Supreme Court ruled that drivers who park in state university parking lots owe parking tax just like anyone else who pays to park in San Francisco, and that the state universities must collect the parking tax,” said Molly Cohen, acting policy director for the Office of the Treasurer and Tax Collector, representing the City and County of San Francisco. Cohen also shared that money collected from the tax will be deposited into the General Fund of the city.

SF State, UC Hastings School of Law, and UCSF had all seen success in early rulings against the tax increase. However, in June 2019, the state Supreme court ruled against the universities.

The tax will generate $4 million total from the three campuses, just 0.0003% of the city’s $12.3 billion budget, as reported in 2019-2020.

Voted in to place in fall 2017, the Gator Pass allows students unlimited rides on Muni, as well as a 50% discount on BART from Daly City Station. This fee is included in every student’s tuition, whether the pass is used or not. SF State pays nearly $3.7 million to SFMTA each semester to fund the pass.

“Some [students] are working two to three jobs; we can’t really trust public transportation if you’re a student that works two to three jobs around the city,” García said.

The SF State Office of the President addressed the office of Mayor London

Breed on Dec. 4. The letter written by Chief of Staff Noriko Lim-Tepper and Jason Porth, V.P. of university enterprises, details a plan to mitigate the 25% tax on students contingent on the continuation and expansion of the TDM/Gator Pass program. The university also encourages the city to participate in growing public transportation initiatives, stating the need to pay for food, housing and school supplies as a need that eclipses transportation costs. SF State invited the city to meet with student leaders to discuss and hear first-hand experiences.

San Francisco State is working under guidance from the CSU system to respond to the court rulings. Proceedings will be announced to the student body in the coming weeks.

Valentine’s Day Art Night

BY EMILY CURIEL PHOTOGRAPHER

H

ealth Promotion and Wellness has a monthly art night that takes place in the Towers Conference Center. It provides snacks, mocktails and art supplies.

Health Promotion and Wellnessis emphasizing healthy relationships, since it is Teen Dating Violence Awareness month.

“We’re in collaboration with men’s health, violence prevention and the sexual health educator,” said Elizabeth Gandara, who is the alcohol and tobacco and other drug educator at Health Promotion and Wellness.

This month, art night gave students the opportunity to participate in an activity that allows them to show how they love and respect their relationships.

This event was the final of the series of events that Health Promotion and Wellness was hosting on campus for the week.

TOP: (Left to right) Johan Madrid and Elsie Wong laugh at a table during Valentine’s Day Art Night at The Towers Conference Room in SF State (Emily Curiel / Golden Gate) BOTTOM: Jena Rebele paints a sail boat image she found on the internet during Valentine’s Day Art Night at The Towers Conference Room in SF State (Emily Curiel / Golden Gate)

Paper hearts sit on a table as students paint on their canvases during Valentine’s Day Art Night at The Towers Conference Room in SF State. (Emily Curiel / Golden Gate)

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4•CAMPUS GOLDEN GATE XPRESS

EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Karamel Nunez-Martinez knunezmartinez@mail.sfsu. edu

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR Andrew R. Leal aleal@mail.sfsu.edu

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Alondra Gallardo agallardo2@mail.sfsu.edu

ART DIRECTORS Briana Battle bbattle@mail.sfsu.edu Alexis L. Joseph ajoseph3@mail.sfsu.edu

CITY NEWS EDITOR Catherine Stites cstites@mail.sfsu.edu

CAMPUS NEWS EDITOR Juan Carlos Lara jlara9@mail.sfsu.edu SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Kameron Hall khall6@mail.sfsu.edu

SPORTS EDITOR Grady Duggan gduggan@mail.sfsu.edu

OPINION EDITOR Kerasa Tsokas ktsokas@mail.sfsu.edu ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR Felicia Hyde fhyde@mail.sfsu.edu PHOTO EDITOR Shandana Qazi sqazi@mail.sfsu.edu

XPRESS ADVISERS PRINT ADVISER

Laura Moorhead lauralm@sfsu.edu

PHOTO ADVISER

Kim Komenich komenich@sfsu.edu

TUESDAY, FEB. 18, 2020 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Tutoring centers come together CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 conducive to having a centralized, easy-tofind reception desk - a significant barrier in welcoming students into the space,” according to the external review report provided by Kimberley Altura, the associate dean for undergraduate admissions.

“There’s always been a perception that two tutoring centers was confusing for students and faculty,” said Karen Wiederholt, the previous Interim director of the LAC. Wiederholt, like Matteo, is a transplant from the defunct tutoring programs. She now serves as co-director of the upper division writing unit where she oversees approximately 45 tutors specializing in reading, writing and study skills, many of whom came with her from LAC. The rest of the roughly 80 tutors currently employed by TASC specialize in math, science and business, according to Michelle Montoya, the new executive director for TASC. The center is open from Monday to Thursday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., almost combining the hours of LAC, which was open from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m., and CARP, which was open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

TASC is also open on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“TASC offers both weekly appointments and drop-in sessions, depending on need and scheduling. Tutoring is available in most subjects. TASC also offers support via a variety of workshops, and even online tutoring in certain circumstances,” according to the DUEAP website.

Montoya recently relocated from Reno, Nevada, where she worked as a tutoring coordinator at Truckee Meadows Community College.

Katya Hawks assists a student at the tutoring & academic support center located on the second floor in room 220 of the J. Paul Leonard Library on the San Francisco State University Campus. (James Wyatt/ Golden Gate Xpress)

The new director expressed excitement over being able to “grow and be a part of something monumental.”

“I was at an institution that was not well funded or well supported with people…

So to be here and have seven people at the table is the greatest gift,” Montoya said, referring to TASC’s professional staff.

Montoya also estimated that SF State has about three times as many students, and the campus is about ten times larger.

Due to the fact that the tutoring center is very new, it is difficult to know what to expect, or how much it will resemble the

centers it replaced. For example, CARPs writing program alone operated approximately 900 tutoring sessions per semester, according to Matteo. However, there are no current quota goals for TASC, according to Montoya.

“We want to use this semester as a benchmark and grow from there,” Montoya said.

Above all, Montoya lists increased visibility as one of her priorities.

“We want to promote our services, let them know we’re here and the work we do,” Montoya said.

A Note from the Editor After further research, we have found that the Wuhuan Virus, also known as the coronavirus, was not caused by a bat delicacy as previously mentioned. The article that was published last week received its information from Forbes. We apologize for any misinformation and miscommunication.

Last week, an article was published about the VITA program, a free tax preparation service. The headline of the article misrepresents the sponsoring organization of the program, Beta Alpha Psi, as a fraternity.

The original article mentioned students volunteered two weeks before the IRS started accepting tax returns on Jan. 27 but in reality the training was for one week from Jan. 6 to Jan. 10.

The article also falsely mentioned that site coordinators receive credit units for working at the VITA program but truly, site coordinators get a stipend for their services.

@ggxnews @ggxnews

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CITY•5 Former Sf state lecturer Jackie Fielder runs for State senate GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, FEB. 18, 2020

BY CATHERINE STITES CITY EDITOR

Jackie Fielder is many things, but a normal 25-year-old is not one of them. She is running for the 11th Senate district against Scott Weiner, an incumbent almost twice her age. She isn’t taking money from PACs, she’s lectured at SF State and has also been one of many who have felt the housing crunch and had to couch surf.

What’s pushed you to start your political career now?

“I’ve been organizing since I saw my relatives facing down the barrel of guns at Standing Rock.

And that really, really pushed me to think seriously about what my commitment[s] to you know, basically fighting racial injustice and economic injustice look like.”

“I feel like life is really too short not to go for it. Whether that’s taking on gigantic corporations or just speaking the truth that I see in the world about you know, different injustices and inequalities.

What are your views on housing?

One of Fielder’s goals is to have “development without displacement.” She wants to have buildings built for need and not for profit.

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Jackie Fielder poses inside the Mc Garden Coffee & Bakery ( Photo by Catherine Sites / Golden Gate Xpress)

“Market rate development in any given vicinity definitely lowers the rent for units around that are also market rate but they increase rents by 17% for low income units in the same vicinity” “For thousands of people who once lived in San Francisco it already hit them. And now they live across the bay and commute two hours to work. Everyone knows that that’s a problem. We just disagree on how we got here and how we move forward.”

make all of our lives better. And they could implement universal rent control. They could choose to fund our schools and make them the best in the country. And they’re not because there are special interests who want to maximize on making sure that these goods are actually vehicles for profit maximization. And if we don’t have anyone looking out for working class people and just looking out for corporations we’re never going to be able to get out of this crazy system that that asks much of people and give so little back”

How have you been approaching your campaign so What is a public bank and why are you advocating for far? it?

“It’s getting up early a lot of times going to sleep late. But I love it. I love talking to people and being in different parts of the city it’s really, it’s really a lot of people have different opinions about how voters think and what certain communities think. But nothing beats actually talking to people and getting to know what they’re actually what’s on their mind.”

“I don’t have to tell people how bad it is. They know that. It’s really crazy right now. And we need someone who’s gonna stand up for more than five people. There are policies that people in office could implement right now, that would

“The only public banking existence is the Bank of North Dakota, they partner with credit unions and small banks. That’s why they have the highest per capita rate of credit unions per person anywhere in the country. And their job is basically to just expand the lending capacity of the region. We want the same for a San Francisco Public Bank.”

“It would be kind of like an infrastructure bank that piles on capital to credit unions and other small banks that have existing loans. We would of course, make sure that they fall in line with our priorities, whether that’s affordable housing,

renewable energy, small businesses, or whatever else, but we want to make sure that we’re not financing anything destructive.”

The goals of the public bank are “To work in partnership with credit unions and smaller banks, not to compete with them. The idea is to be able to and this is with any load, to provide a lower interest rate than the Wall Street banks” What is something you want to highlight about your campaign versus the incumbent?

“I’m not accepting contributions from the real estate lobby, from the charter school association, walmart, fossil fuel corporations.

And I say this not because they want to donate to me, but my opponent has recently benefited from a PAC that is largely funded

by Chevron, and Walmart, and the southern California Edison.

Who is funding your campaign?

“Our campaign is totally grassroots funded, or average contribution.

It’s $100. And we’ve been able to surpass our expectations for this campaign. But my opponent has $1.7 million dollars already raised and much of that more before I put papers or even he papers for re-election.”

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Love is war at the The Great Pillow Fight

BY JACQUELYN MORENO STAFF REPORTER

M

ost couples on Valentine’s Day make candle lit dinner reservations and buy chocolate for each other, but San Francisco has an alternative date night.

The Great San Francisco Pillow fight is an alternative option for couples to have a night of hitting each other with pillows for fun. Not just couples, but people of all ages participated in the event at Justin Herman Plaza. The Great Pillow Fight has been going on for over a decade and people come from all over the Bay Area to join.

SF State student Mary Leehumke was at the The Great Pillow Flight with her partner Piotr Sikorski. The couple wanted to try something different for their Valentine’s Day. “My first five hits were like, I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. And then maybe slowly became gotcha, gotcha, gotcha,” Leehumke said.

Leehumke describes herself as a shy girl, so hitting people in the face with pillows isn’t necessarily something she would normally do.

Noah Reson-Brown has been a pillow fighter for over a decade and says there is no official coordinator anymore. Reson-

Brown was dressed like a knight and ready for battle.

Even though there is no order in this event, the pillow fight anarchy never fails to miss a year.

The chaos in the room continuously throw feathers in the air.

“So at this point, no, there is no organizer. Everybody knows Valentine’s day you come out here and you do the most romantic thing in the world,” Reson-Brown said.

When approaching another pillow fighter, it could be intimidating to just hit someone especially if they’re ten years old.

Other pillow fighters take the opportunity to promote their own views and influence people to vote.

Palmer Lamb is not only a pillow fighter veteran but takes the opportunity to roller skate around the plaza and wear his sequence outfit. Lamb’s blue sequence “2020 Vote” jumpsuit matches his top hat as he roller skates around the plaza.

“It kind of came from my 2020 costume for the new year and then I’m all about getting up the vote and like everyone should vote,” Lamb said.

His embroidered pillow had the word

“Love” in pink and said that he asks people if they need some love in their life instead of just going for the hit. Lamb gives some perspective and answers the question of why a pillow fight on Valentine’s Day. “I think it’s kind of from the cacophony side, you know, it’s part of the cacophony society,” Lamb said. “Which is a society

of pranksters that goes back a long way.

And they’ve come up with different events like you know, the center key, which kind of ran its course, Santa con,” Nonetheless, people continue to keep the tradition alive and take one day out of the year to have an old fashion pillow fight.

Mary Leehumke and Noah Reson-Brown at the pillow fight. photo by David Sjostedt / Golden Gate Xpress

Bernie Sanders appeals to Bay Area residents in campaign rally

BY CATHERINE STITES CITY NEWS EDITOR

D

emocractic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders came to Richmond Monday for a Bernie Get Out the Vote Rally. Prior to Sanders speaking, local activists energized the crowd shown via a Sanders’ campaign live stream.

Ivan Aguilar, a Bernie 2020 field organizer, helped open the rally by asking people, “Are you ready to win big in California? The only way we can win is by mobilizing people around the country.” “Power to the People” rang out over the speakers as Sanders stepped on stage to address the crowd. Sanders told the crowd how his campaign

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Decmocratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders draws a crowd for his 2020 campaign rally at Great Meadow Park at Fort Mason on Sun. March 24, 2019 (Photo by Andrew R. Leal / Golden Gate Xpress)

is about two fundamental things: “We are going to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in the history of this country” and “It is about transforming our government and our economy.” Massive levels of wealth and income inequality are two things Sanders brings up that he says people are sick and tired of. “Today we say to the entire 1% that we’re going to create a government that represents working people, not just wealthy campaign contributors.” Appealing to the working class, Sanders talked about the fight for a $15 minimum wage, an easier way

for workers to join unions and equal pay for equal work. Sanders emphasized how his campaign is multigenerational, multiracial and grassroots.

Sanders has raised 70% for his official campaign through small-dollar donors, who are individuals who have contributed less than $200 to a candidate. “Our campaign together has raised more campaign contributions from more Americans, averaging 18 dollars and 50 cents.“He does not have the right to buy the presidency,” Sanders said of candidate Mike Bloomberg, who had 0% of his campaign contributions from

small-dollar donors. “Our country believes in young people,” Sanders said.

Around a third of Sanders’ supporters are under the age of 30. According to a Pew Research Center survey of registered voters, 73% of Democratic and Democratic-leaning voters said they will definitely vote for the party’s nominee. Sanders is the top second choice according to data taken by the Pew Research Center from Democrat and Democractic-leaning registered voters.

Sixty four delegates have been declared so far in the United States presidential primary election. Sanders is only one

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SPORTS•7

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG | TUESDAY, FEB. 18, 2020

Gators split series with Sonoma State

BY GRADY DUGGAN STAFF REPORTER

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posted a .316 batting average and a team high six doubles. She hasn’t been alone in this high-octane offense.

Through 13 total games, it hasn’t been the offense that has handicapped the Gators. The team is hitting for a combined .300 average. Sophomore Brylynn Vallejos has been leading the charge thus far, batting an impressive .419 with 15 runs, 10 walks, and 17 stolen bases. Vallejos has been selected to the “watch list” for the 2020 Schutt Sports NFCA Division II National Player and Pitcher of the Year award.

San Francisco struggled to get things going the first two games against Sonoma State, as the pitching did keep them in both games. They entered the series averaging 6.89 runs per game but could only manufacture three runs through two games on Friday. That changed on Saturday.

San Francisco got out to an immedi- Katie Rohrer went 2-for-3 in game one at Sonoma State. Courtesy of San Francisco State Softball my defense,” Minteer said. “I relied on my ate lead on Saturday afternoon and never one on Saturday.

“Saturday’s wins set the standard for us spin to hit my pitches; Sonoma is a good looked back. Vallejos, sophomore Katelyn Sturm and Rohrer all sparked the offense as a team, we have incredible talent and we hitting team, so I made sure to keep them Saturday. All three had hits that scored run- have to use our full potential.” Rohrer said. on their toes by using my variety of pitchThe Gators saw strong performances es.” ners which resulted to play a big factor in a It’s a performance she will look to build nail biting 9-8 extra-inning victory in game from their pitchers on Saturday. Senior Emily Mitchell pitched the first game and off. Trusting her teammates and staying Natalie Minteer picked up both of SF State’s wins on Saturday. Courtesy of San Francisco threw six innings, keeping Sonoma State within the game will be key factors in leadState Softball off the board until the fifth. She left the ing the Gators to more commanding victogame 7-3, but Sonoma would eventually ries down the stretch. claw their way back into the game until “Moving forward I just have to keep reSan Francisco State shut the door when minding myself to trust my team and consophomore Nina Revior scored on an error trol what I can control within the game. If in the ninth inning.

I’m hitting my spots, and trusting my deIt wasn’t until the final game of the se- fense, our team is going to accomplish a ries when San Francisco saw their stron- lot.” Minteer said. gest pitching performance of the season.

The San Francisco State softball team Sophomore Natalie Minteer, who picked will look to build off Saturday’s success up wins in both games, was dominant. The with six home games this coming week. lefthander only gave up one run on four They play two games on Tuesday, Feb. 17, hits and threw a complete game shutout in against San Francisco Academy of Art bewhat was one of the best games of her ca- fore hosting a big CCAA conference series reer as a Gator. She trusted her abilities as against second place Cal State San Berwell as her teammates to propel them to a nardino. The Gators are currently tied for 2-1 victory over Sonoma State. third place with five teams at 4-4.

“I made sure to hit my spots and trust

he San Francisco State softball team traveled to Sonoma State this past weekend as they embarked on the beginning half of their California Collegiate Athletic Association schedule. The Gators didn’t get off to the start they had hoped for this weekend, but quickly bounced back. SF State dropped the first two games on Friday, Feb 14, before they recovered and won both games of the double header on Saturday. While the two teams split the series 2-2, all four games were closely tested the whole time - all but one game was decided by one run. Senior infielder Katie Rohrer accredited their two bounce back wins to a different mindset on Saturday.

“We weren’t playing to our potential on Friday,” Rohrer told Xpress. “No adjustments were made at the plate and our pitchers carried us. On Saturday, we came in with a difference mind set. We went home Friday night and reflected on the many factors of our mistakes and came into the next day with a refuse to die attitude.”

Rohrer has been one of the top offensive performers so far this season. Through the 12 games she has played in, the senior has

NBA honors Kobe Bryant with MVP award rename

BY ALONSO FRIAS STAFF REPORTER

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he NBA hosted its annual All-Star weekend from Feb.14-16 in Chicago with its typical social conglomerate, consumerism, and celebrity filled events. Everyone from rappers, to social media influencers participated in the celebrity all star game, while the USA vs World Rising Stars game took place later Friday night.

USA won the rookie game by 20 points, 151-131 where all eyes were on young stars Zion Williamson, Luka Doncic, and Trae Young. These Rising Star games provide insight in showcasing the best young talent in the league with a glimpse at what the future holds for the NBA. Bam Adebayo won the skills challenge, Buddy Hield took home the three-point-contest trophy, and Derrick Jones Jr won a controversial dunk contest. The dunk contest took much media backlash as many believed that Bay Area native, Aaron Gordon, was robbed of the award. Gordon, who was taking part in his second dunk contest, stated that he won’t be participating in another dunk contest as he feels he “should have two trophies.” Gordon also received second place in a 2016 highly disputed decision.

While most sports fans are focusing on the best players facing off, no-

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body really noticed the large amount of consumerism going on during All-Star weekend. Brands such as Nike, New Balance, and Jordan release exclusive sneakers during these couple days as well as clothing drops. One example is the limited drop of the Off White x Jordan 5 collab that hit the market at $225 retail and sold out in a matter of minutes.

The shoe is currently being resold on the shoe market for over $1000.

The cheapest price for a ticket to the All-Star game on Sunday night was around $600, though the game was up to par. The two teams were drafted by the team captains, Lebron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Team Giannis and Team Lebron were focused on dunking, laughing and having a good time instead of showing too much competitiveness. TNT announcers called players “emotionally charged” as they freestyled plays and put on a show. Bryant was an 18-time NBA All-Star and always came to play and made sure fans enjoyed what they came to see.

What was part of much of the celebration was the remembrance of the late Bryant. The All Star Game debuted a new format in honor of Bryant. Sam Echeveria, who is a Journalism major at SF State, doesn’t mind the new format and states that, “I know a lot of people talk about how they don’t like it, but I thought a little change would make it a bit more interesting.” The NBA showed

a tribute video before the game, where photos of Bryant’s life were the main focus. Team Lebron players came out to the court wearing number 2 jerseys, in honor of Kobe’s daughter Gigi, who was also killed in the helicopter crash that killed nine people in Calabasas, CA. last month.Team Giannis players wore number 24 to honor Kobe. Chance the Rapper performed at half time where the background showcased Kobe and a song was performed as a tribute. Players wore Kobe shoes while some even customized Kobe and Gigi faces and jerseys on their sneakers.

The All-Star game came down to a free throw, with Anthony Davis sinking his second one giving Team Lebron the win 157-155. Echeveria watched throughout the whole game and believed “The Kobe tribute was great and it helped that there were a lot of new All-Stars to pick it up on the defensive end. I just didn’t like that it ended on a free throw.” Though the score does not show a high defensive game, the fourth quarter was filled with intense defense as both teams were looking to win by taking charges, challenging calls, and fighting for jump balls in order to earn $400,000 for charity. Uriah Benning, from the Solano Community College basketball team saw it and believed, “I think the All-Star game was really crazy, especially the middle and the last two minutes were quite interesting. I liked how it was intense at the end.”

Kawhi Leaonard, who scored 30 points, won the newly named “Kobe Bryant MVP All-Star Award”.

Leonard in his speech stated, “The format made it competitive, and we all wanted to win.” In regards to winning the first Kobe MVP Award, Leonard stated, “I want to thank Kobe for everything he did for me, all the long talks and workouts...this one’s for him.”

2/17/20 9:25 PM

8•A&E

TUESDAY, FEB. 18 2020 | GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

#HellaFunny Hosts F*ck Valentine’s Day Night

BY JAZZMENE LIZARDO STAFF REPORTER

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he chit chat in the 21 and up venue became faint whispers and lights began to fade as the first comedian of the night walked onto stage to begin the show.

Hashtag Hella Funny, a San Francisco comedy group, hosted a “F*ck Valentine’s Day” show Friday and Saturday night on Valentine’s Day weekend at the Neck of the Woods, located in the Richmond District. The free weekend long comedy show was open to couples and single people to enjoy a night of comedians bashing Valen-

tine’s Day. Filling the crowd with laughter the presenter Dirty Mike, a Detroit native, was the moderator of the show calling out each comedian and even presenting his own stand-up throughout the night. Several members of the group were able to take some time to recite their jokes on the holiday of love.

After attending the Friday night show with her close friends, Samantha Wong, an SF State student chose to continue the laughter Saturday night.

“My friends and I decided to go for

round two here, because Friday night was so funny to us,” said Wong. “And we’re all single on this Valentine’s Day weekend, so why not do something that fits with the anti-Valentine’s Day theme.”

Bay Area Native and comedian Allison Hooker was the opening act of the night, kicking it off for other comedians in line.

Hooker, who is freshly single, spoke about her relationship that lasted for four years, and how she is coping with it now through her act. She made jokes about her ex-boyfriend and code named him Young Muscles referring to how he was younger than her, including that they broke up due to him wanting to pursue his music dreams in Los Angeles.

Women in the audience could relate to her stand up such as Southern Californian native Marissa Turry, who was attending the show with her friends for their Galentine’s Day weekend. Turry and a few friends decided to drive from SoCal up to San Francisco for the weekend. “I think for me, I related to the first performer because I have experienced dating a younger guy, but instead it was me who wanted to pursue my dreams instead,” said Turry.

After Allison Hooker, two other opening acts went on stage to continue sharing about their ex-lovers, by hounding on relationships that have failed them in the past, or their sex lives that have become non-existent. Many of the audience, who came in groups of friends would burst into laughter at many of the single people jokes that were said, specifically about “one-

night stands,” and horrible first dates.

“Almost everything that was joked about tonight also related to me because I have been single for a while now,” said Turry. “And I understand the whole bad first date jokes because I am still experiencing that”.

Right before the main act appeared, a surprise performer and comedian Terry Dorsey, who has been featured on channels such as Comedy Central and BET Comicview, made the whole venue roar in uncontrollable laughter. He talked about his time spent overseas and how his new relationship with a Vietnamese woman has been going.

Audience member Jade Tagle, said she laughed the most to Dorsey’s jokes since she is an Asian woman in a relationship and could understand where his jokes were coming from. “Me being Asian and also in a biracial relationship, Terry was probably the funniest comedian to me tonight, because he hit so many points to my love life,” said Terry.

As for the final and main act, Comedy Central’s Paco Romane, was the last to hit the stage and talk about his new relationship with his girlfriend Greta. He closed down the house leaving people laughing until their core started to hurt.

Couples and singles left down the stairs with smiles on their faces while leaving the venue to celebrate the rest of the love weekend.

Comedian Allison Hooker takes the stage first to recite her comedic act. (Photo by Jazzmene Lizardo / Golden Gate Xpress )

Bay Area Musicals casts Alum for ‘The Full Monty’ SF State Alum, Desiree Juanes, makes her musical debut with local musical production company, Bay Area Musicals, playing the character “Pam Lukowski”

BY WHITNEY PAPALII STAFF REPORTER

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pplause and cheers filled the Victoria Theatre as the musical cast of “The Full Monty” took their first final curtain bow of the year at Saturday night’s production. One of the cast members included Desiree Juanes who made her musical debut with the theater company playing the character “Pam Lukowski.”

“We’ve been rehearsing for months,” Juanes said. “Last night’s audience was so great. They were so responsive and interactive and that’s something that we really look forward to when we put on these productions.”

Marie O’Donnell, actor and SF resident, has seen the musical several times and said she frequently attends local theater shows.

“I like the music and there’s a lot of show stoppers,” said O’Donnell. “It’s fun and it uplifts you. Also, people leave the theater feeling good.”

Based on the movie, “The Full Monty,” the 10-time Tony-nominated musical was the first production by Bay Area Musicals (BAM) of this year. Filled with comedy and song, “The Full Monty” offers a wide range of catchy music written and produced by Tony-award winner, David Yazbeck.

Bay Area Musicals was founded in 2014 and has promoted local performance theater for many communities in the city. The production is directed and choreographed by Leslie Waggoner and musically directed by Jon Gallo.

Juanez’s mother, Kelly Juanes, is a singer and would usually make tapes of famous singers like Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston for her daughter to sing along to. At around 7 years-old, Juanes

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performed for the first time at a Although “The Full Monty” is consid- cast of “The Full Monty” has been very sup“I’ll never forget everyone clapping for ered a comedic musical, the show did also portive on and off stage, which has been her me,” Juanes said. “I just remember loving touch on deeper topics such as suicide favorite part of the whole production. After the attention and seeing how happy they and body positivity. working 8 hours a day at a biotech company, were.”

“By the end of the show, you’ve tak- Juanes said she immediately feels uplifted As she got older, Juanes’s love for per- en this journey with all these wonderful when showing up for rehearsals. forming only grew and continued to per- characters and you’re just rooting for “Everyone’s looking out for each other form at school talent shows. However, it them,” Ianiro said. “You don’t care about and everyone’s always there to lift each othwasn’t until middle school, Juanes realized their looks, age, or anything, it’s the con- er up,” Juanes said. “That’s just been my fajust how much she wanted to continue fidence they have going into it. I love the vorite part about this whole experience and “It’s like an addiction,” Juanes said. “If message of the show.”

I feel very whole around people when I do a I could imagine having an addiction to The SF State alum has noted that the show with them.” something it would just be filling a room with joy and allowing an audience to walk away feeling inspired.”

Before transferring schools, Juanes discovered in her last year at Modesto Junior College that if she wanted to pursue a career in live theater she would have to choose between SF and New York.

Due to being familiar with the city, Juanes decided to move to San Francisco in 2015 to pursue her bachelors in drama with a theatre performance emphasis at SF State. The actor then graduated in 2017 and has been performing live ever since.

The actor has also noted that learning method acting has been a big takeaway at SF State, which has helped her exercise the act of getting into character.

“Don’t just read the lines, read inbetween the lines,” Juanes said. “ You could come up with so many different scenarios that you have developed on your own that may have no relation to what’s been written. My job as an actor is to go ‘How can I dig deeper?’”

Michelle Ianiro, who plays Jeanette and Molly in the musical, also made her debut with BAM productions and said she met Juanes through the show and the two of Desiree Juanes as “Pam Lukowski” and James Schott as “Jerry Lukowski” in Bay Area Musicals’ them have gotten close during the producproduction of THE FULL MONTY, directed and choreographed by Leslie Waggoner. Playing thru tion process.

March 15, 2020 at San Francisco’s Victoria Theatre. Photo: Ben Krantz Studio.

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