Spring 2014 Issue 6

VOLUME LXXXXVIII ISSUE 6 FREE

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG MARCH 5, 2014

MINIMAL EXPOSURE: PIECING TOGETHER A BROKEN SCIENCE BUILDING PAGE 4 Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927

HEALTH

Officials remedy Covered California sign-ups THE ENROLLMENT RATE FOR LATINOS IN COVERED CALIFORNIA IS ON THE RISE AFTER LAGGING EARLY ON

BY JAYDA MCCLENDON jmcclend@mail.sfsu.edu

Covered California had a rough start with Latino enrollment in health insurance for reasons such as website translation errors, lack of awareness and fear of immigration enforcement, but membership numbers have increased since the program’s initial debut.

According to Leticia MárquezMagaña, the advisor for Chicanos in When one Health Edis creating ucation, the accessible solution may materials they lie in reachshould be ing out to the written in a way Latino colthat everyone can understand. lege student community.

Aimée Williams “When HEALTH one is creatEDUCATOR ing accessible materials they should be written in a way that everyone can understand,” said Aimée Williams, a health educator in SF State’s Student Health Services Building. Williams, who is a certified enrollment counselor, added that a lot of her clients are concerned over Covered California’s use of technical language. “I would say that the materials be written at a fourth or fifth grade level, including the ones in Spanish,” she said.

She has worked with clients who learned English as a second language and noticed that they are struggling to get a hold of someone to suit their personal needs.

“If they’re saying that STUDENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

Creative Arts resumes massive rebuild

BY JULIA MIDDLEMISS | jmiddle@mail.sfsu.edu

PHOTO BY TONY SANTOS / XPRESS

OLD BUILDING: A student walks by the current Broadcast wing of the Creative Arts building Monday, March 3.

The Creative Arts Replacement Building project, which has been on hold since 2008, could get the green light this fiscal year if CSU legislatives approve the budget for the major capital project.

“Nobody likes a capital project being postponed like this,” said Marilyn Lanier, senior associate vice president for Physical Planning and Development.

“But, we all see how importance of having a new, state-of-the-art, efficient building that meets all codes.”

According to Lanier and President Leslie E. Wong, additional state bonds that would help fund these types of projects, were suspended due to the 2008 economic recession. Since Legislatures have yet to approve the project, construction days are still unknown.

The project is partially funded by a $10 million gift from Manny Mashouf, an SF State alumni.

NEW CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

LGBTQ students get down at

PRIDE PROM

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SUPERSTAR: Robert Gilbert, winner of the evening's "Superstar" award, dances during SF State's Pride Prom in the Cesar Chavez Student Center Friday, Feb. 28.

PHOTO BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

BY KYLE DA SILVA | kdasilva@mail.sfsu.edu

he dance carried the air of a high school prom. Streamers and glittery tassels flowed on the ceiling each time a new group arrived. There were refreshments, a backdrop for classic prom-styled photos and even a conga line. Couples awk-

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THE CAMPUS SHAKES OFF THEIR INHIBITIONS AT THE FOURTH ANNUAL CAMPUS PROM CELEBRATING THE DIVERSITY OF THE STUDENT BODY.

wardly danced to slow songs as their fears of being judged for their sexual preferences faded away.

On Friday night, the Cesar Chavez Student Center stopped slinging burritos and coffee, hosting student organizations and flipping textbooks for the evening. For the fourth consecutive

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year, it was transformed into a nightclub and hosted a dance party that celebrates the diverse student body at SF State.

Student Life’s Pride Prom is becoming an SF State tradition said the Dean of Student Affairs, Joseph Greenwell.

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PROM CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

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News

MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

XPRESS YOURSELF WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:

What would make you more interested in ASI elections?

SF State alumni creates social learning network STUDYROOM ICON

BY CHRIS SANCHEZ | sanchezc@mail.sfsu.edu

“

”

If they handed out something of practical use, like a pencil or notebook.

BRENDAN ZHAL, SOPHOMORE ACCOUNTING

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”

If there was something that concerns me, like dining at the student dining center. The food is terrible.

ASHLEY WILLIAMS, FRESHMAN UNDECLARED

E

liezer Guerrero is struggling to solve a problem where he must find two vectors on his physics homework. As the clock hits midnight he realizes that no professor, textbook or set of notes can help him now that he is stuck.

“I just couldn’t figure this problem out and the website I use to turn in my homework for class only gives you five chances to get the right answer,” Guerrero said.

More than 5,000 struggling students at SF State like Guerrero are closer to finding answers on StudyRoom, a website and iOS app where they can get tutoring from classmates.

Using StudyRoom, students can create or join course sections for classes they are enrolled in. There, they can post questions, share notes and send private messages with other classmates.

“I’m good at English, but math and science are not my strong suit. So I got the app to help me get through the semester when I needed help,” Guerrero said.

Emerson Malca, co-founder of the service and 2010 alumnus, describes it as a social learning network that helps connect students similar to how Facebook connects friends.

“Learning is inherently social,” Malca said. “Sometimes you just need help with something you’re stuck with and all it takes is someone to help point something out that you’re missing.”

After being in development for more than a year, Malca officially launched StudyRoom in January with the start of

It seems to me like this kind of application could seriously be used for simply swapping answers Bill Sokol, LABOR STUDIES PROFESSOR

several univeristies’ spring semesters.

StudyRoom has more than 5,000 users at SF State, a far-cry from the few dozen students using the service last semester when it was quietly released for testing. Students from several universities including UC Santa Cruz, San Jose State University and Pennsylvania State University now make up the more than 20,000 users using the service.

While StudyRoom has caught the eye of students in recent weeks, it has also received attention from wary professors who fear the app may lead to cheating instead of learning.

Bill Sokol, a labor studies and employment studies professor at SF State said his class, that is primarily tested through multiple choice online quizzes, may not benefit from the service.

“It seems to me like this kind of application could seriously be used for simply swapping answers,” said Sokol.

© LUMA EDUCATION, INC.

Although StudyRoom currently doesn’t implement an abuse reporting system, Malca said he is confident college students will not use the service to cheat.

Malca believes that often getting an immediate answer and moving on to the next topic is what keeps students from learning and is a deep-seated flaw in the public education system.

“Many times when a student doesn’t get something, they’re forced to move on because the class has to move on and that really hurts students when it comes to taking quizzes and tests,” Malca said.

Although Malca has yet to make a profit from StudyRoom, Sokol is worried Malca’s StudyRoom will move into the education technology space and eventually privatize the public education system which has failed to implement a competing technology to benefit students’ learning.

“The current technology is not particularly good. It needs tremendous work,” Sokol said. “What the administrators and the academic staff should be thinking about is ‘how do we get out ahead of this technology to take advantage of it and use it so that it works for us?’”

With plans to expand its user base at several other colleges and the addition of several new features in future updates, Malca is continuing his goal of making StudyRoom the premiere learning service for college students.

“We want to become the ubiquitous platform that is the place to go whenever students take a class in college,” Malca said.

Students get a helping hand with health care enrollment CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

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A voting booth in the student center and more advertisement so that people know that they do have a choice.

JILANE THOMAS, SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS

Photos by: Tony Santos Reporting by: Jayda McClendon

language is an issue, get college students involved and tell them that they can really help their family out with understanding it,” said Márquez-Magaña.

In January, Latino enrollment increased by nearly a quarter compared to the October through December numbers, according to Peter Lee, executive director of Covered California.

The agency will continue their efforts by spending $8.2 million between January and March on Spanish-speaking advertisements, according to Lee. Covered California also plans to hire more bilingual enrollment counselors and bilingual call-center representatives.

To get more students enrolled in health insurance by the deadline, Williams said that the student health center is working with the CSU Health Insurance

Education Project, which works to educate CSU students about the options they have under the new health insurance law.

Throughout the week SF State students involved with the project will go around to classrooms and give presentations about enrolling in health insurance. Once they collect e-mails from the students who want to enroll, Williams will help them continue with the enrollment process.

Williams added that students are responding well to this and that in the last two weeks she has seen an increase in the number of students who want to enroll.

“Right now, we’re going to stick with this process, but we’re thinking about getting an outside enrollment counselor on site so that we can do more advertising,” Williams said.

Ramón Castellblanch, an associate health education professor, thinks that the government should change the outreach to Latinos, both in terms of mass media and hiring people to go into the community and help them sign up.

He added that a solution to better mass media efforts for the community would be for Covered California to use Latino radio stations as a means of reaching out to the community about enrolling.

“I tell all of my students that they are not only responsible for themselves, but they are responsible for all of their family,” said Castellblanch, who added that some of these students may be the first members of their family to go to college.

Covered California plans on holding enrollment fairs throughout the Bay Area, leading up to the March 31 deadline.

News

MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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New building may cost $146 million CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

According to Robert Nava, vice president for University Advancement, they are in preliminary conversations with the Mashouf Family, and information about how their gift will be used in the project is currently unavailable.

According to Michael Maltzan Architecture, the firm designing the new building, the entire 242,000 sq ft. compound will cost an estimated $146 million.

Renovation consists of four phases, each of which will focus on different departments within the building. The entirety of the project will take place at two separate times at two different locations.

Phases one and two will move the PHOTO BY TONY SANTOS / XPRESS broadcast and electronic communicaOUTDATED: (TOP) Outdated equipment in the Creative Arts Building broadcasting room tion arts and theater arts departments 216D Monday, March 3. (LEFT) A visual representation of the future location of four to new locations in the Tapia triangle, Creative Arts buildings with phase one planned to be built south of Tapia Drive and COURTESY OF WENDY BLOOM / SPECIAL TO XPRESS phase two on the West Campus Green area. across from the current Creative Arts and Humanities Building. Additionally, a 1,200-seat theatre will also be constructed in phase one. the Tapia Triangle and West Campus Green creates a capital projects for all state universities.

During construction, residents of the 24 occupied unified zone and clear identity for the College of Liberal Plans of overhauling the Creative Arts Building appear apartments in the Tapia triangle, that are a part of and Creative Arts, with all these departments located in the CSU’s improvement plans as early as 2006, though University Park South housing, will be evicted. together,” said President Wong. due to funding issues, the project may still be postponed Phases three and four will move the music and dance According to the CSU Five-Year Capital Improveuntil 2015/2016. department and the performing arts theatre to the West ment Program of 2014/2015 through 2018/2019, the With the limited amount of state funding for this Campus Green area, behind The Village at Centennial total amount requested for this year toward the project is project, Lanier suspects no physical construction will Square on Font Blvd. $1,704,000. The Creative Arts Replacement Building is begin until 2018/2019.

“Placing the Creative Arts replacement buildings on placed 17th on the State Funded Priority List of 32 major

WATCH SAN FRANCISCO’S KEYSTONE PIPELINE PROTEST ONLINE AT: GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG/2014/03/04/KEYSTONEPROTESTS/

PHOTO BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

MARCH 2014

SOLIDARITY: Sophie Harrison speaks to a crowd in front of the doors of the State Department Building at 1 Market St. during a protest against the possible Keystone XL pipeline Monday, March 3.

Women’s History Month

“I know that together, we are fighting the fight of our generation. We together are rewriting history.”

SOPHIE HARRISON, STANFORD STUDENT

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MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

News MINIMAL EXPOSURE:

THE FUTURE OF THE SCIENCE BUILDING

B

ehind closed doors on SF State’s bustling campus, administrators are locked in a battle against a $203 million backlog of infrastructure problems waiting to be remedied.

In an exclusive interview with Xpress, SF State President Leslie E. Wong and Chief of Staff Shawn T. Whalen said that officials will weigh the cost to repair the Science Building against the estimated $100 to $200 million amount it would take to destroy it and create a new facility.

“If I included all the work from late December and through the remediation and the staff costs of evenings and weekends and having to reschedule 10,000 students,” said Wong. “Suddenly you get this situation where the scope of remediation in total suddenly looks like a new building.”

Major Capital Outlay on the infrastructure of California State University campuses show that Science Building repairs and equipment replacement have been on their radar since at least 2006, but insufficient funding has continued to push the repairs back, adding them to a laundry list of “deferred maintenance.”

The effects of deferred maintenance and failed safety audits came to fruition at SF State five days before the Spring 2014 semester with the closure of the Science Building. Although “administrative and operational controls governing OHS was for the most part effective,” other controls including “health and safety inspection procedures and practices” needed improvement, according to the 2007 Board of Trustees Occupational Health and Safety audit.

“I’d like to point out that this was not a natural disaster,” said Marteen Golterman, a professor of physics at SF State. “The closure of the Science Building is a direct consequence of what I would call a gross negligence on the side of the University.”

Though funds for the CSU system have increased in recent years, the tight budgets across campuses since the recession have resulted in postponed projects for the upkeep of buildings. Major Capital Outlay reports for the entire CSU system show that this is not isolated to SF State.

In an SF State deferred maintenance report from May 2013, the estimated cost for renovations to the Science Building was relatively low in comparison to other buildings on campus. At $9.37 million, this included fixes to ordinary operations in the building like elevators and fire detection equipment, as well as the painting of public areas.

The report, released just weeks before the closure of the building, listed a replacement value at $69.5 million for the entire structure. In the late 1990s, SF State successfully worked to reduce a $66.2 million maintenance backlog from 1994. But by 2000, the University recorded an increased $67.3 million in work yet to be completed.

Furthermore, there were more than $5 million of incomplete asbestos removal projects for buildings on campus, according to a 2001 report completed by SF State for reaccreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. Asbestos remains a major factor in the closure of the Science Building, according to Whalen.

“It could be easy to dismiss SFSU’s deferred maintenance backlog by blaming it on poor leadership in the past, lack of

BY MICHAEL BARBA | mdbarba@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHEL ASTON / XPRESS

DISPLACED: Workers from Belfor, a damage restoration company, remove boxes from the Science Building and move them into Hensil Hall Friday, Feb. 7. at SF State.

$9,370,000

Estimated cost of renovations to Science Building

$100,000,000 -200,000,000

Amount of money it would cost to destroy Science Building and build new facility

$69,500,000

Replacement value for entire structure

CSU’S deferred maintenance problem As maintenance costs rise accross CSU campuses, the amount set aside (offset, in white) barely makes a dent.

Source: CSU FACULTY TRUSTEE REPORT ON THE BOT MEETING, NOV. 15-17 2011, CSU 2014-2015 SUPPORT BUDGET

SEE FULL PROJECT INCLUDING INTERVIEWS WITH CAUSE & TO PROFESSORS, STAFF AND PRESIDENT WONG GO TO EFFECT GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG/2014/03/05/MINIMAL-EXPOSURE

funding, and insufficient attention to the problem,” the WASC document said.

But the WASC document added that facilities on campus were often built with materials and systems secured at the lowest paid bid, without attention to their worth in SF State’s harsh climate of fog and salt.

In January, Gov. Jerry Brown proposed a 2014-15 year budget for CSUs that would provide $815 million in funds for deferred maintenance, which would lessen the current $1.8 billion amount in maintenance due across the CSU system.

Alongside expansive renovation backlogs, safety failures have negatively impacted university reviews in recent years, according to several CSU system-wide risk assessments, including the 2007 audit of Occupational Health and Safety and the 2013 Hazardous Waste Management audit.

The Office of the University Auditor recommended alongside other suggestions in the 2007 report that SF State review its Injury and Illness Prevention Program and OHS policies, health and safety inspection procedures and practices and student health and safety training.

The auditor reviewed several departments, including the chemistry department, which offered its lab for the examination of poisonous artifacts from the Science Building in 2001, but recommendations were expanded to include the entire campus, according to the report.

In 2013, the University was ineffective in its management of hazardous waste, according to the CSU Hazardous Waste Management report.

“Areas of major concern include: general environment, hazardous materials administration, laboratory standard, and hazardous waste and training,” said the audit.

Wong said that the health and safety of students, staff and faculty were the primary cause of his executive decision to shut the building doors to the campus community, with asbestos and lead-based paint at the forefront of the danger.

“One of the differences here is not just that asbestos exists in the building,” said Whalen. “They found asbestos loose fibers and dust. That poses a risk that gets into the air and it’s potentially mobile if you’re starting to clean up the dust.”

In a February press conference, officials said health risks associated with asbestos, lead and mercury for those regularly in the Science Building were minimal to low.

Critics of the closure have pointed to the fact that these contaminants are common in structures the age of the Science Building, which was built in 1953. Other campus buildings constructed in the early 1950s include the Creative Arts Building, Gymnasium, Administration, Business Building, Burk Hall, and Fine Arts.

The University aimed to have assessed asbestos and lead levels in buildings on campus constructed before 1978 by the end of February.

In March, University officials will release long-term plans for the Science Building, according to Cortez.

“The test now is if it costs X mil. to remediate and X mil. plus a little bit to build new, then it’s an easy call,” said Wong. “We’re going to build new.”

News ASI ELECTIONS

Candidates apply in record numbers

BY MARC ARGUELLO | margue11@mail.sfsu.edu

A record number of candidates have been approved to run for positions in this year’s Associated Students Inc. elections, the highest amount in 17 years, according to ASI officials.

ASI approved 48 candidates to run for the 18 different positions within the organization. While ASI declined to offer the exact numbers, multiple candidates are running for all executive positions.

The position for ASI president is available, in addition to positions in vice presidential offices of internal affairs, external affairs, finance and university affairs.

According to ASI Director of Programs and Services Horace Montgomery, greater competition may get more students interested in the election this year.

“I hope that we can double the election turnout this year,” Montgomery said.

The average voter turnout for an ASI election is around 1,500 to 2,000, but last year’s election garnered only 798 votes, or about three percent of the total student body.

Elections typically get a lower voter turnout when candidates are running for positions unopposed, as was the case last year.

“Anytime you have folks fighting for something, it lets everyone else know that it’s possibly important and it brings their attenThe election debate: tion to it.” Montgomery said.

ASI will be holding events April 7, 2014 this month to educate students on what ASI does with the hopes The voting period for of getting them interested in this the election: year’s elections.

April 7 - 11, 2014 “We’ve really ramped up our publicity,” said Kenneth Collins, representative at large for ASI. The results of the Collins said that ASI interns election: have proposed an event where April 12, 2014 students would be able to meet their representatives in person and get to have discussions with them. The “meet your rep” event would be devoted to answering students’ questions and letting the ASI body hear their concerns.

Collins, who is running for ASI president in this year’s election, described the event as a town hall meeting rather than the usual public comment section of an ASI board meeting.

“As a student here at San Francisco State, you already pay fees to Associated Students,” Collins said. “With that in mind, you should want to know where your money is going.”

Collins noted that everyone who is a student at SF State is eligible to vote in the election.

“They have the power to say who is going to be their representatives,” said Jennifer Yuen, ASI elections commissioner. “Students will be the ones who elect in this board of directors that will have a say in the future that we’re heading toward.”

Candidates met for the first time March 3.

Students will be able to vote in the elections this April.

MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

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CITY ELECTIONS

City supervisors seek endorsement from College Democrats

BY CHLOE JOHNSON chloej@mail.sfsu.edu

District 3 Supervisor David Chiu and District 9 Supervisor David Campos met with the SF State College Democrats in February with the hope of endorsement in their campaign for State Assembly this month.

The group’s support will give that supervisor an advantage, as other Democratic groups in the city tend to follow the club’s lead, according to faculty advisor Jared Giarrusso.

Issues that the candidates discussed included job creation, housing, transportation and public education.

Chiu and Campos have very similar voting records, but the two candidates differ in how they engage with the business community, especially the booming tech industry, according to Club President Naeemah Charles.

“Chiu is going to present himself as business friendly,” said Giarrusso. “Campos is not going to campaign on job creation. He’s more focused on services.”

David Chiu voted to give tax exemptions to companies that took up residence in the struggling mid-Market neighborhood, an initiative that Campos said he voted against.

“If San Francisco hadn’t changed the tax code, Twitter would have moved to Brisbane,” said Chiu, speaking to the College Democrats Feb 17. Chiu credits his business-friendly policies with creating 42,000 new jobs in San Francisco since the 2008 recession.

Campos said he is concerned about the effects that tech companies have on residents and small businesses in the neighborhoods they move into.

“Old businesses are being pushed out by companies that may not be there in five years,” said Campos. “I want to work with the tech industry. I think the tech industry should be here.

I don’t think we should give them everything they want.”

Both candidates have focused heavily on housing issues in San Francisco, particularly the lack of affordable housing and recent spike in evictions.

“The city still has tremendous challenges that it faces,” said Chiu. “State law has made it way too easy to evict tenants.”

Chiu has tried to pass a 10-year suspension on condo conversions and pushed for the building of more affordable housing units.

Campos has worked on laws to prevent evictions and advocated for tenants. If elected, Campos said one of his main priorities would be overturning the Ellis Act, in order to reduce evictions in San Francisco.

The College Democrats currently do not know which candidate they will endorse, although Giarrusso predicts that their pick will be Chiu. Many College Democrats are in favor of Chiu’s moderate position compared to Campos’ more left-wing policies, according to Giarrusso.

However, not all College Democrats support Chiu over Campos, with some feeling that Campos cares more about the people of San Francisco while Chiu favors big companies. Club member Marcus Ismael said that he doesn’t believe Chiu is going about job creation in the right way.

“It takes like 15 people to run a tech company. If you want to create jobs, you put in factories,” said Ismael.

Even though many members of the College Democrats like Campos, most of them agree that the club will most likely endorse Chiu.

According to Giarrusso, Chiu is seen as more mainstream and therefore more likely to get elected.

“He (Campos) is more open about his progressivism,” said Ismael. “That’s good for San Francisco, but how it would play in Sacramento, I don’t know.”

The primary election will be held June 3, and the general election for State Assembly will be Nov. 4.

Xpress Magazine SPRING 2014 ISSUE

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@XPressMagazine

Fundraising Mixer

March 12th, 6:30 PM

100% College Prep of Bayview

Open Mic & Bakesale

I.T. Bookman Community Center of OMI

March 11th, 18th

March 14th, 21st, 7 PM

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Black Student Union of SFSU

Community Jam Session & Potluck

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6

Arts & Entertainment

MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Poets slam it out on campus, SF State wins

BY APRIL HALOG avhalog@mail.sfsu.edu

A

s poets bared their souls on stage, the sound of snaps echoed through the Humanities Auditorium during the annual Battle of the Bay Poetry Slam.

For the third year in a row, Spoken Poetry Expressed

by All Kinds, also known as SPEAK, walked away victorious in the battle.

The group hosted its third annual Poetry Slam in the Humanities Auditorium Thursday night, which hosted a packed crowd of nearly 160.

SPEAK battled against poetry groups from UC Berkeley and USF. The groups battled for four rounds and each poet had to perform an original piece within a short time limit.

Five members of the audience volunteered to score the poets on a scale from 0.0-10.0 after each performance.

The MC of the event, communications major Keenan Todd, highly encouraged the audience members to cheer or boo the judges’ scores along with Dr. Javon Johnson, a communication studies assistant professor and one of SPEAK’s coaches.

Although junior sociology major Jari Bradley is a recent addition to the SPEAK, she is not a rookie in poetry competitions.

“I have always been doing spoken word poetry. I’ve been doing (poetry) since I was 15, so when I went on campus I figured I’d try out for the team,” she said. Bradley joined SPEAK this semester.

Bradley performed three poems including a group poem with Jarvis Subia titled “Queer Bodies in the Sanctuary.”

Bradley describes the poem as a commentary on how to live as a queer-bodied person brought up in a religious background.

“A lot of people in the nation are struggling with sexuality

LORISA SALVATIN / XPRESS

SCREAM, SPEAK: SF State communications assistant professor, Dr. Javon Johnson closes out the poetry performances by reciting a piece of what he thinks could have been the last words Malcolm X said to his daughter in the Humanities Auditorium on Friday, Feb. 28.

and spirituality. I feel sexuality and spirituality are pitted against each other. We don’t have to make a choice,” said Bradley.

Imani Cezanne, coach and co-founder of SPEAK, was selected to be the feature poet.

Cezanne recited four new poems halfway through the show.

After graduating last year, Cezanne embarked on a nationwide spoken word tour called “Love.Always.” and released a spoken word album of the same name. She performed at various poetry slams and completions from August to December.

Cezanne now teaches creative writing to middle school students in East Oakland but she takes time out of her schedule to coach the team.

“It’s still evolving so I still want to help out,” she said.

Cezanne started SPEAK as a sophomore four years ago because was surprised with the absence of poetry groups on campus.

“This is the Bay Area. I feel there should have been a poetry organization and there wasn’t,” she said. “I was looking for the poetry community and there wasn’t one so I started one.”

Next, SPEAK will go to Boulder, Colo. to compete in the 14th College Union Poetry Slam Invitational (CUPSI) at the University of Colorado Boulder March 12-15.

They will compete against about 60 other teams from across the country.

SF State is the only Califor-

Italian heritage, sight, sound, emotion treasured

BY ANGELICA WILLIAMS | anwms@mail.sfsu.edu

Chatter and laughter filled the Knuth Hall theatre as musicians tuned their instruments for a night of classical music during the 50th anniversary of the Frank V. de Bellis collection.

The celebration was held at the J. Paul Leonard Library and College of Liberal Creative Arts on Thursday, Feb. 27 and Friday, Feb. 28 with alumni and current students performing from this rare music collection that celebrates the Italian heritage and culture.

The de Bellis collection was presented to SF State in February 1963, a year after de Bellis donated the collection to the California State University trustees.

De Bellis was a resident of San Francisco up until his death in 1968, according to Christine Brandes, director of the Alessandro Scarlatti piece performed on Thursday Feb. 27.

He was focused on educating people on his heritage and the rich culture of Italy.

“Music of the Italian Masters” radio program was one of his ways of educating the public on his culture and also having free concerts by Italian chambers, singers and scholars. Currently, the J. Paul Leonard Library has the only known manuscript in the original form in their Special Collections.

Brandes, director of “Cain: The First Homicide,” an oratorio by Alessandro Scarlatti, a piece written in 1707, said that the first step to putting on this event was finding alumni who were available and familiar with Baroque chamber music from the 17th and 18th century.

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nia State University sending a team to CUPSI. SPEAK was the first poetry group from a California State University to compete in CUPSI when they competed in 2012.

Even though SPEAK won the slam competition, Johnson said he compares local competitions to scrimmage games. He observes the parts of the team’s performance during these local competitions that need polishing before they go to CUPSI. According to Africana studies major and Vice President of SPEAK Jasmarie Murry, the previous Battle of the Bay poetry slams were free, but this one was donation-based. All donations go toward funding for the team’s trip to Colorado.

“We’re very, very close. We have enough to buy everyone’s plane ticket. We need more for the hotel,” said Murry. Since SPEAK does not receive funding from the school, they turn to fundraisers and donations to compete in competitions.

Murry said she joined SPEAK because she was inspired by the creativity and how they provide a safe space for poetry.

This Battle of the Bay attracted their largest audience.

Cezanne said only nine people showed up for the first competition. Second time around, the audience grew to about 100 people, according to Todd.

In addition to the poetry slam, SPEAK also hosts monthly open mic nights at The Depot.

Music of the masters owns the night

BY KYLE DA SILVA kdasilva@mail.sfsu.edu

It was hard to tell who stole the show on Friday’s opening and reception of the de Bellis Italian heritage collection.

The second night of the show took place at the J. Paul Leonard Library and included speeches and performances by students, professors and a local choir.

The afternoon began with speeches

by Tony de Bellis, Frank de Bellis’s son, about his father’s legacy and vision to educate the public on the music that he loved.

“He had died after his second heart attack,” said de Bellis. “His second one, imagine that; he kept at it for fifteen years after his first one because he was doing what he really loved.”

RYAN LEIBRICH / XPRESS

Liesl MacPherrin, pictured right, and Buffy Baggot, left, perform the parts of Cain and Abel in “Il Primo Omicidio” in Knuth Hall Thursday, Feb. 27.

The younger de Bellis’ speech elicited a spectrum of emotions from the crowd of around 90 people. But the audience’s attention was quickly stolen by Alondra Orellana, the sophomore music student with a prodigious opera voice.

Orellana sang the last crescendo of Ferdinando Paer’s Sei Ariette Italiane.

To read more visit: www.goldengatexpress.org

Arts & Entertainment

MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

7

PHOTO BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

BACK TO BASICS: E.G.A.Y. President Alberto Paredes hits the dance floor at SF State’s Pride Prom in Cesar Chavez Student Center Friday, Feb. 28.

Prom-goers donned vintage attire at annual dance

CONTINUED FROM THE FRONT PAGE

“Pride Prom is the prom that the LGBTQQIAAP students may not have been able to comfortably participate in during high school,” said Greenwell.

Pablo Ramirez, who was on Pride Prom’s founding committee in 2011, said that the dance is just that.

“I’ve had people come up to me and say that they’ve never felt so accepted,” said Ramirez. “To me, sometimes, it’s just a dance. But for some people it really means the world.”

Ramirez said that unlike a high school prom, attendees are encouraged to wear whatever gender-bending

PHOTO BY JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

SHAKIN’: (From left) Maharaja, Axel Diez, Brandon Samuel, and Miguel Castillo dance in front of the DJ booth during SF State’s Pride Prom in Cesar Chavez Student Center Friday, Feb. 28.

clothes they feel inclined to, bring whoever they want and to simply have fun in a safe environment.

This year students were encouraged to pull out all the stops and attend the dance in their finest vintage attire. The theme this year, selected by Ramirez, was “Back to Basics.”

Students responded with a slew of skinny ties, long evening gloves, vintage flower power attire, gold chains and a whole lot of leather.

“It was a great experience. It allowed me to break out of my shell and meet new people,” said Joe Padilla, a graduate of business management.

“Last year’s attendance was slim,” said Ramirez.

“So this year I proposed that we just take it back to basics, and it pretty much carried itself from there.”

In previous years, Ramirez has coordinated much of the dance on his own, but this year he said that his leadership team is playing a much bigger role and that SF State’s faculty was much more helpful his fourth time around.

“I was able to just go up to Sarah (Bauer, director of student life) and other members of student life and ask for what I wanted,” he said. “It was much easier this year because I’ve been doing it for so long.”

Similar to the Noise Complaint dances, the event was open to all SF State students and a pre-registered guest.

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8

Opinion

MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

STAFF EDITORIAL

ANDREW CULLEN

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF culle010@mail.sfsu.edu

JORDAN HUNTER

PRINT MANAGING EDITOR jordanh@mail.sfsu.edu

NENA FARRELL

ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR haydee@mail.sfsu.edu

NATALIE YEMENIDIJAN ART DIRECTOR nataliey@mail.sfsu.edu

EVELYN CAICEDO

ART ASSISTANT ecaicedo@mail.sfsu.edu

BAILEY RIDDLE

COPY EDITOR briddle@mail.sfsu.edu

JESSICA CHRISTIAN PHOTO EDITOR jac@mail.sfsu.edu

BRADLEY FOCHT

NEWS EDITOR bfocht@mail.sfsu.edu

DAVID MARIUZ

NEWS EDITOR dmariuz@mail.sfsu.edu

LAUREN SEWARD

A&E EDITOR lseward@mail.sfsu.edu

ANNASTASHIA GOOLSBY OPINION EDITOR agoolsby@mail.sfsu.edu

CURTIS UEMURA

SPORTS EDITOR cuemura@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHEL ASTON

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR raston@mail.sfsu.edu

WILL CARUTHERS

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR wcarruth@mail.sfsu.edu

EMILIA ROSALES

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR eer@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHELE KANIGEL

PRINT ADVISER kanigel@mail.sfsu.edu

SCOT TUCKER

MULTIMEDIA ADVISER tucker@sfsu.edu

KEN KOBRE

PHOTO ADVISER ken@kobre.com

EVA CHARLES

ADVERTISING & BUSINESS echarles@mail.sfsu.edu

CSU maintenance cannot be swept under the rug

S

hit is hitting the fan in the California State University system and SF State is no exception.

From the complete closure of the Science Building to much needed repair in the ancient and disgusting locker rooms, our school is in dire need of tender loving care — $203 million worth, to be exact.

Our campus is not the only one suffering. Fresno State University has faced severe power outages during the past years that led to classes being cancelled and there was even a four-day power outage in 2012 when its 60-year-old electrical system took a massive shock.

In Southern California, Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson is in need of more than $4.3 million in electrical and waterline upgrades.

The State of California needs to funnel massive amounts of funds into the hands of trusted university officials for renovations plaguing CSU campuses that have racked up a $1.8 billion backlog of infrastructure problems.

Even with increased funding proposed for the third consecutive year, and a plan to reduce deferred maintenance in the works by Gov. Jerry Brown within his recent budget, negligence of building issues by University officials has

left students, faculty and staff in undesirable situations.

The deterioration of heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are only few of the issues at hand at the 23 CSU campuses, at which nearly half of the buildings are more than 40 years old.

Just like cars need maintenance as mileage increases, buildings need upgrades as time passes.

When upkeep is ignored, problems that could have been an easy fix escalate into an

entirely new dilemma.

The Science Building is a prime example, but only a hyper-focused look at the future of many other CSU campuses.

If school officials did their job when it came to maintaining their own school facilities, we might not be in this predicament.

Thousands of students and teachers wouldn’t be required to be squatters in their own school, having classes in makeshift rooms, tucked in a dirt lot back behind our one-

and-only parking garage.

California legislators need to work with CSU officials to benefit the universities that are supposed to be enhancing the learning experience of the future leaders of California; not depriving them of buildings to sit in.

After all, if college is going to lunge all of us into a lifetime of debt, we should at least be comfortable while we take the fall.

ART BY JORDAN CERMINARA

ARUN UNNIKRISHNAN I.T. CONSULTANT arun@mail.sfsu.edu

SADE BROWNE

CIRCULATION sbrowne822@gmail.com

ALEXANDRA SOISETH

STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER asoiseth@verizon.net

XPRESS YOURSELF

WRITE US A LETTER The Golden Gate Xpress accepts letters no longer than 200 words.

Letters are subject to editing.

Send letters to Annastashia Goolsby at: agoolsby@mail.sfsu.edu

ABOUT XPRESS The Golden Gate Xpress is a student-produced publication of the journalism department at San Francisco State University.

For more information or comments, please contact Andrew Cullen at: culle010@mail.sfsu.edu

WE ASKED SF STATE STUDENTS:

How would you split up California?

“

”“

”“

I would make San Francisco one state and make myself its dictator.

I wouldn’t because I feel like there’s bigger issues than splitting up California. California love, we’re chillin’.

MACK BECKMAN, SENIOR

LIZZY ARENAS, SOPHOMORE

Photos by: Lorisa Salvantin Reporting by: Madison Rutherford ENGLISH EDUCATION

ZOOLOGY

”

San Francisco, the Central Valley, Northern California, Sierra Nevada, Baja California and L.A. It’s geographically easiest to break it down that way.

TYLER VIAN, SENIOR

CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Opinion

MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

9

The Golden State:

Opposing views on the potential division

California dreamin’ is just a dream

I

As Tupac said, “California Love”

BY LAUREN SEWARD | lseward@mail.sfsu.edu

magine a state in which all inhabitants shared similar income levels, backgrounds, political and religious beliefs, occupations and hobbies. From the luscious pot fields of Humboldt County to the sea-foraging bros of San Diego is not that state.

The economic and social mecca that is California should have been split into separate physical masses in the mid-19th century when the idea was first proposed, according to the Washington Post’s Reid Wilson.

More than 150 years later, although the “California dream” still lives in the hearts of Hollywood-idolizing teenagers everywhere, the economy and environment have since been overused and left dry after multiple attempts to rejuvenate the once thriving state.

As of 2012, California is home to more than 38 million individuals in need of proper income, living space and support from the government.

This population is six times greater than the average state’s population, according to the same Washington Post article.

We have all joked about splitting the state into two halves — NorCal vs. SoCal — for years. The population has escalated to such extremes in the past decades that a whole legislature couldn’t even hope to meet the needs of a half-California. A six-way split is the ideal path.

Large enough to be its own country, California is home to 12 percent of the U.S. population and owns 10 percent of the total electoral votes.

However, California’s size is terribly underrepresented in the Senate consisting of only 2 percent of the votes; as with all other 49 states.

The theoretical six separate states would result in much less land and a lower population for each senator to control, bettering the chance for each future “Californian” to have a say in the politics of their state.

Vermont’s 625,000 residents are represented

BY EMILIA ROSALES | eer@mail.sfsu.edu

by two senators. As are New York’s 19 million. This means, according to New York Times writer Adam Liptak, that each Vermonter has 30 times the voting power in the senate than a New Yorker. That said, California’s near 40 million inhabitants have basically no say in how they are governed.

With the passing of this initiative, each state will have a chance to start everything new. Smaller states have always been “given a lift” by the Constitution, said Liptak.

A more local government, the kind that could be provided by smaller states, is more representative of its people. When concerning the massive variation in financial status across the state, most Californians have no chance of being evenly and fairly governed.

According to a Living Wage Calculator created by Amy K. Glasmeier, a professor of urban planning at MIT, a single California resident with no children needs to earn at least $11.20 an hour in order to pay for basic living expenses. The estimate is $3 more than the state mandated $8 minimum wage.

With such enormous and diverse economies, including agriculture, energy, technology and entertainment, how could a state hope to govern all of us equally? California is home to many of the nation’s wealthiest individuals but also hosts the highest poverty rate of any U.S. state, according to Huffington Post’s Kathleen Miles.

Citizens from the northern to the southern border should have legislation that correctly represents them.

From the techies in Silicon Valley to the big shots in Hollywood, all Californians deserve a state that can correctly fulfill their needs.

ART BY JORDAN CERMINARA

P

icture this: California, the place we call home, ripped into six very distinctly different states. California is the only state that has everything anyone could ever want: amazing weather, sandy beaches, the tallest Redwood trees in the world and of course, the movie stars.

On any given day, we could be relaxing on a sunny beach along the coast and within just a few hours, drive and be in the mountains playing in the snow, catching snowflakes.

We don’t have to travel far to be immersed in a completely different atmosphere and culture, but Republican Tim Draper wants to change this.

Splitting the state into six smaller states would be utter nonsense. If the outrageous idea were to transpire, the state and its inhabitants would not be the same.

Not only would it disrupt the lives of millions, it would put the state through an economic and political turmoil. So much work would have to be done to complete the split; not only would 10 new state senators be needed but it would have a major impact on the American voting system.

Draper, the mastermind behind this idea, has suggested the California debt be split equally among the six proposed states. According to the U.S. Debt Clock, the population of California is more than 38 million; 1 million of those people are unemployed. California’s debt, which is rapidly increasing, is estimated to be $419 billion.

The population and income of each new state doesn’t add up, which means this proposal isn’t remotely fair. The split would push Californians further

apart creating more separation and animosity. United we stand, divided we fall.

Since California became a state in 1850, there have been dozens of proposals to divide the state into two or more entities. According to the California Assembly Office of Research, 1859 and 1992 are the only two years the split was taken seriously. The many proposals were stopped dead in their tracks due to war, insufficient number of signatures obtained, or simply the fact that the proposal was too vague to be taken seriously.

In addition, the entire political landscape will change in America if California is split into six states.

According to a report released in December 2013 by California Secretary of State Debra Bowen, 43 percent of registered voters in the state are Democrats while 28 percent are Republican. With the arrangement of political preferences in California, the six-way split will inevitably give the Republican Party more pull on the West Coast.

Does it come as much of a surprise that Draper is a Republican who undoubtedly wants to take advantage of California residents to benefit his political party and increase the wealth in his domain of Silicon Valley? No. With six new states and 10 new senators, who knows what will happen to the political stance of the “Six Californias.”

Before ever considering a separation, building a larger and stronger government to better help govern the populous state would definitely be a better option. California has always been the place to achieve your dreams and work hard for them.

The splitting of the state would not only kill the California dream but it would disrupt the lives of millions.

10

Sports

MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

SF State’s win secures place in postseason

GAVIN MCINTYRE / XPRESS

FADE AWAY: SF State’s Nefi Perdomo (13) shoots the ball as Cal State Monterey Bay’s Brandon Cole (3) tries to stop him during the game against the Otters in SF State’s Swamp, Saturday, March 1. The Gators won the game 66-47.

Senior guard returns from injury, enters record book

BY NELSON AMAYA slenon44@mail.sfsu.edu

AFTER SITTING OUT LAST YEAR, THE GATORS LEADING SCORER BECOMES SF STATE’S ALL-TIME CAREER LEADER IN FIVE CATEGORIES

O GAVIN MCINTYRE / XPRESS

TOUGH DRIVE: SF State’s Brandon Tatum (24) runs into Cal State Monterey Bay’s Kris Gallop (15) as he takes the ball to the hoop during a home game against the Otters Saturday, March 1. The Gators won the game 66-47.

W

BY NELSON AMAYA | slenon44@mail.sfsu.edu

ith a spot in the conference tournament on the line, a tied game with 20 minutes left in their season stared at the men’s basketball team.

Faced with a win-or-go-home decision, the team chose win — by a lot.

Using a stifling defense that shrunk the rim into a thimble for the Otters, the Gators took control of the game to crush Cal State Monterey Bay, 66-47 at The Swamp Saturday, March 1.

“It was a good way to go out,” said senior guard Nefi Perdomo, who was one of seven seniors honored before their final home game. “I was just walking down memory lane, when I first got here as a freshman and how much I grew and I’m happy.”

The victory clinched a spot for the Gators in the California Collegiate Athletics Association Championships next week.

Perdomo led the team with 19 points and center Max Fodor, one of the other

seniors, finished a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds.

“It’s a little surreal, being that it’s the last time I’ll play a home game at that gym,” Fodor said. “I put four years into the program and it’s good to finally come out with a bang and get a big win that put us into the playoffs.”

The team was unable to find the bottom of the bucket at the start of the second period, head coach Paul Trevor took an early timeout two minutes in. From then on, the Gators would hold the Otters to just 10 points.

“We were struggling to score and we were putting so much pressure on ourselves to make the play and I think that we needed to relax and settle down and just play together,” Trevor said. “We were trying to take on the world on our shoulders by ourselves and we needed to do it with each other.”

The team finished the season with a pair of victories after they had lost their previous three games. With a

It’s a little surreal, being that it’s the last time I’ll play a home game at that gym.

Max Fodor

12-10 record in the conference, the team will travel next week to Ontario, Calif. to compete in the CCAA championships.

They will take on the third seeded Chico State, who has beat SF State in both their matchups during the regular season, but Trevor said he is just happy to be able to continue to coach the team for another game.

“I’m excited. I’m excited,” Trevor said. “Let’s go play one more and see what we got.”

ut last year for what was supposed to be his final season after breaking his forearm, all Nefi Perdomo could do was watch from the sidelines. Now, he’s back and breaking records too.

Despite being out for an entire season, Perdomo is currently SF State men’s basketball’s all-time leader in assists, steals, three-pointers made, three-point attempts and free throws made. He is also second all-time in points, field goal attempts and free throw attempts.

He finished the regular season leading the Gators in points, steals and three-pointers made and helped them claim the sixth seed in the upcoming CCAA conference tournament.

In his first game back since the earlier injury, the senior guard said the feeling was impossible to put into words.

“I was so excited I don’t even know how to describe it really,” Perdomo said. “I was sitting out for so long, I was just happy to play basketball again.”

Gators head coach Paul Trevor said being a spectator actually helped Perdomo become a better player.

“He learned a lot just by watching the team play; it was a great learning experience for him,” Trevor said. “When he came back in the spring, he was working even harder than ever.”

Nicknamed “Nef Curry” by teammates this year as a play on the name of current NBA All-Star guard Steph Curry, Perdomo said he has played basketball for as long as he can remember.

“Ever since I’ve been able to walk,” Perdomo said. “Ever since I could hold a ball, I’ve been playing basketball.”

Because Perdomo is one of the more experienced

Ever since I could hold a ball, I’ve been playing basketball.

Nefi Perdomo

players and well regarded by teammates, Trevor said he considers him to be a leader and calls him the “Derek Jeter” of the team.

“He’s the O.G.; he’s the old guy,” Trevor said. “He jokes, but it’s very quiet. He’s kind of like the old guy that has been around and seen everything and (his teammates) respect him for it.”

Freshman center and teammate Malik Edwards said Perdomo has really helped him adjust to the college game.

“He’s a leader by example. If you do something wrong at practice, he’ll pull you to the side and tell you what you did,” Edwards said. “He helped me learn how to play as a role player and how to play off of other great players.”

Perdomo’s career as a Gator is winding down and he will graduate with a bachelor’s in criminal justice at the end of the semester. Once he is done at SF State, Perdomo said he will continue to play basketball, however far he can go.

“I’m going to try to see how far I can go playing basketball for as long as I can,” Perdomo said. “Then, when I’m done with basketball, it’s the real world.”

Sports

MARCH 5, 2014 GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

11

Three wrestlers place at regional championship

BY HALEY BRUCATO hbrucato@mail.sfsu.edu

H

ead coach Lars Jensen tells his SF State wrestlers one thing before every match: “Walk in there like you own the place.”

Three gator wrestlers did exactly that in the NCAA Division II Super West Region/RMAC Championships in Grand Junction, Colo. March 1 and 2.

Isaiah Hurtado, Zach Jimenez and Andrew Reggi will move forward to the NCAA Division II National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio March 14, where the ultimate title in college wrestling will be

crowned — National Champion.

Graduating senior Hurtado wants to end his collegiate wrestling career strong as an All-American. He finished a perfect 3-0 for the tournament to win the West Region title in the 133 weight class.

“I want to make the most of my final weeks, because after (champs), my wrestling career is over,” Hurtado said.

Senior Jimenez finished in third place at this past weekend’s Super Region. He previously qualified for the National Championships as a freshman in 2010, so the return to nationals this month will be a step closer to achieving the daily reminder he keeps tacked on his bedroom wall.

“On my wall at the beginning of the season I wrote ‘Goal for year: 184 National Champ’,” Jimenez said. “It’s about getting the job done.

Staying calm and relaxed.”

The wrestlers weren’t just battling opponents this past weekend, they were also battling the elevation in Colorado at 4,500 feet.

“It’s tough competing at that elevation, we’re not used to it,” Jensen said. “Some kids might have been affected from it. We should (have) had four to five qualifiers.”

Redshirt junior Andrew Reggi said he expected to win, even after going into double-overtime both days he competed. He eventually won the double tie-break-

er due to his eight additional seconds of riding time over his opponent to claim third place and a spot in nationals.

“I was tired but I pushed through. I wanted to make it to champs,” Reggi said. “I went to wrestle well and wrestle tough.”

To lighten up the long travel times and exhausting duals, head coach Jensen resorts to odd methods for keeping his team mentally focused and sharp.

He hides their wrestling gear for them to find — shoes and all. It gives much needed laughter to an otherwise serious and brutal sport.

“I knew (Jensen) was the one who hides my stuff, because coach kept asking, ‘Hey where

are your shoes?’” Reggi said.

As a head coach, Jensen had a 16 year streak of having at least one of SF State’s wrestlers being named an All-American from 1989 to 2005 by placing in the top eight at nationals.

The Gators will train hard as the NCAA Division II National Championships are fast approaching, and for Hurtado and Jimenez, it will be one final chance to walk away with a title in their last career tournament.

“It is bittersweet, but in the long run, I’m happy with what I’ve done,” Hurtado said. “I probably won’t continue with wrestling...it’s a lot of sacrifice and I am looking forward to my career now.”

Gators sit atop conference after dramatic extra-inning win

JESSICA CHRISTIAN / XPRESS

GLOVED: SF State infielder Fernando Escobar tries to tag out CSU San Bernardino’s Spencer Bayless as he slides into second base during a home game at Mahoney Field Friday, Feb. 28.

BY MICHAEL DURAN michaeld@mail.sfsu.edu

The entire SF State baseball team piled on Fernando Escobar as he rounded first base, after getting the walk-off hit against the Cal State Bernardino Coyotes in the bottom of the 12th inning to win 4-3 Friday.

“I didn’t expect for all of them to pile up on me,” said Escobar. “It hurts being on the

bottom of that huge pile.”

The Gators took advantage of some late game mistakes by the Coyotes, after a one-out single by first baseman Garrett Heisinger, two straight errors put the winning run on third. After freshman Wes Carswell struck out swinging, Escobar was able to come up with the big two-out single.

In the first five innings of play, the Gators were held without a hit, while the Coyotes had put two on the

scoreboard. Starting pitcher Preston Tarter threw seven innings, allowing only those two runs.

Both Taylor Wade and Cory Davis, pitched the rest of the game, only allowing one unearned run combined.

“We did play a little flat in the beginning, but I think it was because we didn’t expect to play and that put us out of our routine,” said Davis, who picked up the win to improve to 2-0 on the season.

A key hit by designated

hitter Bryce Cherry in the bottom of the sixth sparked the Gators offense.

SF State had a chance to close out the victory in the ninth as they were up 3-2 to start the inning, but an error of their own let the tying run score and force extra innings.

“A win is a win,” said head coach Mike Cummins, “It just shows how resilient this team is.”

The Gators are in the midst of four game win streak, as they

prepare for a double header against the Coyotes on Saturday afternoon. The Gators are now 4-1 in the CCAA, which puts them in the top spot in the conference.

A little wet weather couldn’t stop the Gators, and neither could Cal State Bernardino as SF State got the win 4-3 in extra innings.

Second baseman Fernando Escobar got the walk-off hit to center field in bottom of the 12th inning.