Spring 2015 Issue 14

press GOLDEN GATE

May 06, 2015 ISSUE 14 VOLUME C GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Serving the San Francisco State community since 1927

Embracing Diversity

Campus communities honor pride and equality through creative art, dance and remembering historical leaders who have shaped SF State culture from past to present.

KATE FRASIER / XPRESS

TRADITION: Flag bearers lead the dancers into the arena during the grand entrance at the Celebration of Nations powwow in the quad at SF State Sunday, May 3.

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2 News

MAY 6, 2015

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Student food and housing struggles to be evaluated in CSU study AVERY PETERSON averylp@mail.sfsu.edu

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his month marked the outset of a yearlong study of services conducted by the California State University on all 23 campuses to identify students who struggle with housing and food issues.

CSU Long Beach social work professor Rashida Crutchfield will lead the study and said the number of students facing these problems is underreported.

“I think the population of students with housing and food insecurity is largely hidden,” Crutchfield said. “In general, people believe when students make it to college they generally wouldn’t be experiencing these problems and students are less likely to disclose they are experiencing these issues.”

The study will produce a report summarizing current services offered as well as data-driven best practices to share within the CSU system, according to a press release from CSU Public Affairs April 23.

Studio art major Arthur Savangsy is a former foster youth who has been involved with the Guardian Scholars Program at SF State for close to a year and said the program helped him secure stable housing.

“Last semester I was kind of homeless, not in a sense of sleeping on the streets, but I just couldn’t be where I was because it wasn’t the best place for me to live,” Savangsy said.

GSP at SF State is based out of the Educational Opportunity Program and serves foster youth in their pursuit of a college degree. The program has about

HELEN TINNA / XPRESS

GRATEFUL: SF State studio art major Arthur Savangsy takes a break from his sculpture in the art studio on campus Monday, May 4. Savangsy has been involved with the Guardian Scholars Program for almost a year, which helped him secure stable housing.

80 active student members, according to the program’s career planning manager, Melanie Ramirez-Carpio.

GSP helps members by offering grocery store gift cards for emergencies and providing free on-campus meals and housing over the summer, Ramirez-Carpio said.

“Our students, on top of academic stress, have daily life stress and we want to support them and alleviate that so they can be successful both inside and outside the classroom,” Ramirez-Carpio said.

GSP assisted Savangsy with locating a shelter and in November helped him secure housing at Larkin Street Youth Center’s Edwards II House.

“I got my own room, bathroom and all that, so having a place to sleep is cool for me,” Savangsy said. “The program at (SF) State really helped me get secure and is still working with me now.”

Stable housing has provided a much better environment for school and studying, he said.

“Before, it was hard to focus in class knowing that I was kind of homeless,” Savangsy said. “Now it is much easier for me to do my work and I’m not thinking ‘am I going to have a place to sleep tonight?’”

Director of SF State’s Student Housing Program Philippe Cumia said financial aid helps many SF State students afford housing in the City.

“The majority of students attending SF State use financial aid awards to pay for housing,” Cumia said. “Financial aid is able to calculate these awards based on

each individual financial situation.”

The National Center for Education Statistics College Navigator estimates both on- and off-campus housing at SF State cost more than $13,000 in 20142015, while the total cost of an education including fees, tuition, housing and other expenses is approximately $24,206 for students with California residency. The site indicates that housing is the largest cost SF State students face.

At SF State, 70 percent of students received some type of financial aid during the 2012-2013 school year and 53 percent received aid through a grant or scholarship with an average of $10,220 awarded, according to the site.

The housing office offers payment options for students with financial constraints, according to Cumia, who said arrangements can be made with housing financial staff.

SF State’s housing office also works with a number of rental assistance programs in San Francisco and collaborates with other programs on campus.

“One of the best programs for former foster care students is the Guardian Scholars (Program) that provides former foster youth academic, social, financial and emotional support,” Cumia said.

Identifying housing and food services like GSP in the study will help create collaboration and shared best practices among CSU campuses, according to Crutchfield. She also said talking about these programs helps reduce negative stigmas.

“The more we increase awareness and talk about this in a way that is not specialized, but in fact incorporated in to the things that we do, the better responses we have and the more we normalize students’ experiences,” Crutchfield said.

In last week's issue, we reported that the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency discontinued several major bus lines across the city during their Muni Forward changes that were implemented April 25.

SFMTA did not stop running any of the previously mentioned lines. On April 25, SFMTA renamed several lines and discontinued certain stops along some of the routes.

For an updated schedule on SFMTA's bus schedule, please visit SFMTA.org or goldengatexpress.org

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NEws 3

MAY 6, 2015

CULTURAL EXPRESSION:

(RIGHT) Young dancers dressed in custom regalia are given instruction before they enter the arena during the Celebration of Nations powwow at SF State Sunday, May 3.

KATE FRASIER / XPRESS

REGALIA:

(BELOW RIGHT) A group of young girls (from left) Natalia Tejeda, Melinda Garcia (10), Jayden Garcia (10) and Faith Garcia (12) run around in the arena during the grand entrance at the Celebration of Nations powwow.

ANGELICA EKEKE / XPRESS

Dancers flourish at annual powwow ANGELINE UBALDO

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aubaldo@mail.sfsu.edu

ancers dressed in feathers, headdresses and buckskin shawls taught students simple footwork for the round dance to the beat of drums at the heart of campus during the 40th annual Celebration of Nations powwow.

The Student Kouncil of Intertribal Nations hosted the powwow at the center of campus on the lawn next to the Malcolm X Plaza May 3. A powwow is a traditional American Indian Social event based on shared intertribal song and dance, according to John-Carlos Perea, assistant professor in the department of American Indian Studies.

This year's theme, "Celebration of Nations," was created to invite and celebrate the different Native American tribes, according to SKINS chair and head of the powwow planning committee Nicholas Alexander Gomez.

“We wanted to reach out to all different kinds of tribes and have different representations that wouldn’t normally be seen at a powwow," Gomez said.

About 200 visitors set up lawn chairs and tents surrounding the perimeter of the grass-covered arena space in which dancers performed and competed.

Before the powwow began, Monica Arellano, the vice chairperson for the tribal council of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe, offered a blessing and gave an official welcoming declaration to her ancestral homeland of the San Francisco Bay Area.

"We need to educate the public that this is our tribal land," Arellano said.

"They're standing on Indian land where our ancestors lived, rose and where some are buried. So it's important that we make ourselves present and that we educate the public as much as possible."

As many as 50 dancers from tribes all over California donned vibrant regalia and bells as they entered the arena where they were introduced by the master of ceremonies during the grand entrance.

University of California, Berkeley

hosted their annual powwow on the first day of the dance competition May 2 while SF State hosted the second day.

2015-2016 UC Berkeley Powwow Princess and high school junior Arianna Antone-Ramirez, 17, participated in a blanket dance at the SF State powwow.

During the blanket dance, powwow attendees help raise money for a certain cause by placing bills on a blanket in the arena for the dancing participant.

Antone-Ramirez said she used the blanket dance to raise money to pay for her air fare to study Spanish abroad in Spain.

"I promote higher education," Antone-Ramirez said about her role as powwow princess. "And set a role model for the younger girls in the powwow community who are dancing for something good to aspire to."

Young children and adults participated in various dance competitions throughout the day, including southern straight, men's and women's southern, men's and women's northern, traditional shawl, jingle dress and grass dance.

The main differences between these types of dances is usually the regalia and how the dancers want to portray themselves, according to Chelsea Slack, a member of SKINS and point person for the dressing room and regalia in the powwow committee.

"The whole point of (the grass dance) is to kind of look like grass blowing in the wind," Slack said. "I know that the southern traditional men's dance is supposed to portray hunting, so they look like they're hunting, they're searching for something."

Slack said the men's dances were judged on footwork while women's dances were judged on the fluidity of dress and shawl fringe movement. Competition includes precision since both feet must be flat on the ground right as the song ends, according to Slack.

"It's a really tough competition," Slack said. "It's really difficult. And everything else, it's all about form, it's all about attitude. People have to show a real dedication to it."

Vendors at the event sold beaded jew-

elry, blankets and hats. One popular food vendor sold Indian tacos and Indian burgers with local buffalo meat as a replacement for beef. Handmade baskets woven by students in SF State's Native American Indian Art class were showcased at a table near the arena.

Gomez said he was honored to organize the 40th anniversary powwow because of the Native American history associated with SF State.

The types of music and dance associated with powwows were outlawed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs on reservations across the nation from 1890 to 1934, according to Native America in the 20th Century: An Encyclopedia by Mary B. Davis. Perea said that although the government did not directly make a specific law against powwows, reservation agents were advised to penalize people who danced. Perea said he believes that powwows are a form of activism.

"Part of the revolutionary or activist aspect is what it takes to participate and put these on," Perea said. "It wasn’t too long ago that this was outlawed. It’s important for people to know that.”

Slack said that powwows are important to establish Native American character and presence.

"To me, (powwows) are really important because it allows people to express their identity with Native American heritage, and that's kind of a big thing that they're struggling against right now," Slack said. "It's a really awesome community, and everyone is always helping out everyone else and just the environment and atmosphere is really awesome."

Edwardo Madril, a lecturer in the department of American Indian Studies, has danced for 35 years and has attended SF State's powwows for 15 years. He said he likes how close-knit and community-oriented the event is.

"There's a lot of people here who know each other so it's community," he said.

"It feels like a community, it's intimate. It doesn't feel like a spectacle."

Gomez said that it is fitting to have a powwow at SF State because of the Native American activism that took place on campus.

"San Francisco does need that representation for Native American indigenous culture, (SF State) in general," Gomez said. "With the College of Ethnic Studies, Richard Oakes and all the radical stuff that has happened here, it’s in our history, it’s in our blood that we do have a powwow."

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4 NEWS Malcolm X’s legacy remembered MAY 6, 2015

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IAN SUMNER isumner@mail.sfsu.edu

MARLENE SANCHEZ / XPRESS

SOLIDARITY: Students and members of the Black Student Union hold hands during SF State’s 21st annual celebration of Malcolm X’s birthday at Malcolm X Plaza Thursday, April 30.

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or those who were relaxing in Malcolm X Plaza, the sound of chanting started out barely audible. A brief moment later, observers were witness to a crowd of students and teachers marching and shouting different slogans.

“Calling out the violence of the racist police, we ain't gonna stop till’ our people are free,” students chanted as they marched into Malcolm X Plaza. “I can hear my people crying ‘I can’t breath.’”

The event, titled “By Any Means Necessary: Continuing the Fight for Freedom," was SF State’s 21st annual celebration of Malcolm X’s May 19th birthday, which was celebrated early on April 30. Students honored Malcolm X by highlighting current race relations in this country, according to Brittany Moore, founder of SF State’s Black and Brown Liberation Coalition.

The campus celebrated the event with slam poetry from professor Javon Johnson, a speech by Africana studies lecturer Amar Casey and students’ recital of Malcolm X quotes, intermixed with dancing in the plaza.

“(Malcolm X) is still relevant today because we’re still dealing with the same issues of structural oppression,” Moore said. “He’s a good reminder of the fact that you have to fight for your freedom.”

Moore said she thinks students know Malcolm X’s name, but not who he was and especially not the nuanced version of him.

“We’re taught a very flatlined story of Malcolm X,” Moore said. “Unless you have a desire to know your history not from a white Eurocentric point of view, then you only know that flatline story of him.”

Historians and journalists have traditionally portrayed Malcolm X as a militant person, and although that was not everything he was, it was one of his pivotal roles, according to SF State history professor Mark Sigmon.

Malcolm X recruited thousands of members to the Nation of Islam and acted as spokesperson for the Muslim organization during the early 1960s until his departure from the group. Under the NOI and afterward, Malcolm X did not endorse violence but said in a famous address "we are nonviolent with people who are nonvio-

lent with us."

“It made Martin Luther King more effective,” Sigmon said. “The threat of violence makes nonviolence more effective.”

The event was a joint effort between the African Student Association, Black and Brown Liberation Coalition, Black Student Union and the Richard Oakes Multicultural Center. “(The event) changes every year,” said Francine Shakir, culture and arts director for the Richard Oakes Multicultural Center. “But music is always involved, words of knowledge are always imparted and revolutionary messages are always put out.”

The event brings the conversation about race relations in the community and the nation to the university campus, according to Moore.

“You can’t fix a problem if you can’t talk about a problem,” Moore said. “We need a dialogue around race in order to address how it is structured, how it is institutionalized.”

MARLENE SANCHEZ / XPRESS

ENTHUSIASTIC: (LEFT) Students

and members of the Black Student Union march through Cesar Chavez Student Center into Malcolm X Plaza as they celebrate SF State’s 21st annual incarnation of Malcolm X’s May 19th birthday Thursday, April 30.

MARLENE SANCHEZ / XPRESS

TRENDING: (ABOVE) Red

bracelets with the hash tag #IamMalcolmX on them are displayed at Malcolm X Plaza during SF State’s 21st annual incarnationcelebrationofMalcolm X’s May 19th birthday Thursday, April 30.

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news 5

MAY 6, 2015

Students explore social health issues KELLY SODERLUND kls10@mail.sfsu.edu

SF State's 22nd annual African American Health Fair departed from tradition Tuesday, widening the scope of the event to focus on the social health issues that affect the black community. The Student Health Advisory Committee ran the event, which was held at Jack Adams Hall and was open to all students.

"We are covering racism as the topic for the health fair because it encompasses mental health, which sometimes gets overlooked by physical health," said SHAC secretary Maggi Horn.

The historical campus event began in the 1990s as community outreach in response to the low level of access to healthcare for students, especially those of color, according to SHAC President Andrew Castillo. Since that access has since largely been addressed, SHAC has broadened the fair in recent years to cover more specific aspects of health, he said.

"It’s going to be a big change from past years," Castillo said.

"We’ve done the clinics. This year we felt, especially with the current events, social health just needs to be addressed."

SHAC, a student organiza-

MELISSA MINTON / XPRESS

SATISFIED: Students get food during the intermission at the screening of Hidden Colors 3: The Rules of Racism at the African American Health Fair in Jack Adams Hall Tuesday, May 5.

tion that acts as liaison between Student Health Services and SF State students, advocates for students to make sure their needs are being met, according to their website.

"Access to health care has been one of the main priorities of SHAC and we do a lot of

outreach in that sense," Castillo said. "And since (students) have that access, we wanted to shift (the focus of the event) outside of that."

Sponsored by Associated Students, Inc., the fair featured catered Jamaican food from local restaurant Peaches Patties and

showed a film by Tariq Nasheed, a New York Times best-selling author, radio host and social activist. His film series "Hidden Colors" attempts to explain and describe the marginalization of African Americans.

SHAC presented the third

film of the series, "The Rules of Racism," which tackles the subject of systematic racism. The film explores how institutional racism effects all areas of human activity and the rules, laws and public policies that maintain this system, according to its website.

The film proposed that if Americans want to see black communities flourish, they should invest in them by supporting businesses operated by African-American business owners.

"We felt this film is actually able to bring conversation amongst anyone," Castillo said.

"To create a dialogue for people to just talk about what’s going on in the world, especially with current events in Baltimore and New York."

Patrick McFall, interim associate director of Residential Life at SF State, has attended the fair for the past nine years and said he was especially intrigued when he heard about this year's event.

"This is new, this is different," McFall said. "These (SHAC) students are not willing to stick to a normal script, which is what we want from students– to broaden definitions. And it's timely considering what's going on in the world right now."

6 Lifestyle & Culture

MAY 6, 2015

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Community interprets meaning of Cinco de Mayo KALANI RUIDAS kruidas@mail.sfsu.edu EVA BARRAGAN evbarrag@mail.sfsu.edu

Among the crowd gathered around the south end stage on 24th and Valencia streets Saturday, three bleary-eyed teens in multicolored ponchos, sombreros and fake mustaches swayed their arms and hips to the live music playing at the Mission Neighborhood Center’s annual Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Erick Arguello, who has been living in the Mission for 52 years, shook his head at the intoxicated bunch.

“Cinco de Mayo is a day of remembrance and cultural pride,” Arguello said.

“People died in the battle of Puebla to overcome the French. It’s really upsetting to see people making a joke of our national heritage.”

Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday that commemorates the unlikely victory over the French forces that occupied the city of Puebla in 1862 during the French intervention in Mexico, according to Nancy Charraga, owner of Mexican goods store Casa Bonampak on Valencia and 22nd streets.

The historical association with the Battle of Puebla is generally overlooked by many of those who visit the Mission for Cinco de Mayo, Charraga said.

“People take advantage of Cinco de Mayo as an excuse to get drunk and pretend to be Mexican for a day,” Charraga said. “Mexicans are a festive people, we love to celebrate. But people often miss the cultural significance of the occasion.”

As a person of Mexican descent born in California, Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán member Julia Hernan-

HELEN TINNA / XPRESS

PASSIONATE SINGING: German Contreras (9) performs traditional songs for guests who attended the Mission Neighborhood Center’s Cinco de Mayo celebration in the Mission District Saturday, May 2.

dez said she was not taught the origins of Cinco de Mayo until later in her life. She said she learned the holiday was politicized because of the Chicano movement in the 1960s as a way for Mexican-Americans to break free from assimilation. Many new immigrants recognized their struggle against dominant culture and colonialism, like the people of Puebla’s struggle against the French, Hernandez said.

“It’s kind of ironic,” Hernandez said.

“Cinco de Mayo is a holiday intended to bring about Mexican consciousness, but instead it’s become about how much you can drink until you’re unconscious.”

In Mexico, Cinco de Mayo is observed in Puebla more so than anywhere else in the country, according to Charraga. The holiday has been widely popularized in the

U.S. by Mexican-Americans with festivities that encourage the Latin community through traditional music, dance and food.

In turn, the U.S.’s advertising industry has misappropriated the holiday and commercialized it for beer sales and a source of entertainment, Charraga said.

“Last year I was in the Mission and I saw several people dressed in costumes as an avocado, onion and tomato,” Hernandez said. “I was like, ‘Why are you doing that?’ What does that have to do with anything?’ It was incredibly offensive.”

Dolores Terrazas, children services division director at MNC said she sees their Cinco de Mayo event as an opportunity for the neighborhood to share in a vibrant celebration of culture and community.

“We don’t expect a huge crowd,”

Terrazas said. “We do it more for the neighborhood, to inculcate the richness of our culture.”

MNC geared the event toward families by prohibiting alcohol and incorporating clowns, balloonists, games and other activities for children. Many of the acts that performed on both the north and south stages included young performers, like a band from the Community Music Center and 9-year-old mariachi singer German Contreras from Puebla, Mexico.

“It’s a family friendly event for Mexicano people of all ages to gravitate towards something familiar and take comfort in their culture,” Terrazas said.

“Immigration can be an isolating experience so our goal is to address diaspora and support youth, young people and seniors in building connections within the community.”

To celebrate Cinco de Mayo on campus, SF State’s Hermanos Unidos hosted an event Tuesday in Malcolm X Plaza.

Destiny Rivas dances with Ballet Folklórico Alma de México, a class at South San Francisco High School. Rivas said she was enthusiastic about participating in a cultural event for Cinco de Mayo.

“I think it’s really cool,” Rivas said.

“I’m not Mexican and experiencing it is really cool and fun for my Salvadorian culture.”

Cinco de Mayo’s festivities provide an opportunity for people to come together and take pride in Latin heritage, according to Martin Cruz, director of Folklórico Alma de México.

“It’s not a big holiday in Mexico, but here it is,” Cruz said. “As long as everyone gets the facts correct it’s a good way to bring the Latino community together.”

Sewing project creates opportunity for inmates FARNOUSH AMIRI famiri@mail.sfsu.edu

MARTIN BUSTAMANTE / XPRESS

TRANSFORMATION: Connie Ulasewicz (right) and one of the five graduate students in a Social Entrepreneurship class present the fabric inmates will use to make tote bags at the San Francisco County Jail Monday, May 4.

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very Monday since the beginning of April, a unique group of women have transformed piles of slightly damaged tablecloths into handmade totes with the hopes that their needlework and stitchery could create a sense of entrepreneurial independence when they are released from the San Francisco County Jail.

The Pilot Sewing Project is a six-week program created through the collaboration of SF State professor of consumer and family studies Connie Ulasewicz, lecturer Gail Baugh, the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department and its Women’s Resource Center. The class is taught by five SF State graduate students and is part of a geometry course female inmates are required to take during their time at the jail to receive their GED. Russell Esmus is one of the five graduate students who has been going to the county jail every Monday to teach nine to 12 inmates how to operate the sewing machines and ultimately become sewing machine operators after their release from incarceration.

“The idea through my specific lens is that if we give (inmates) a skill set and they’re able to take that skill set and go get work and they’ll have a place that they need to be everyday and they’ll have an income,” Esmus said.

“They won’t have to rely on their participation in the black market economy.”

Ulasewicz said she and the student teachers initially focused on female inmates because the Women’s Resource Center was located across the street from the county jail where the women are serving their time. The center was already equipped with the sewing machines that could make this program possible.

“We got involved with the sheriff’s department because we were working with them to try to determine how we could eliminate waste and create workforce development,” Ulasewicz said. “Four percent of San Francisco’s waste is textile and no one was really looking at that idea.”

Through the Pilot Sewing Project, the women are

learning how to operate sewing machines, utilize textile fabrics and make different seams and stitches with the bags, according to Ulasewicz.

“The idea is that the city would be supporting reuse, so we’re teaching a skill on a product that would otherwise be going to landfill,” Ulasewicz said. “It’s a bag and if this is something that works, we could create more bags out of this textile waste.”

Baugh and Ulasewicz said that through this opportunity, the students, in addition to the inmates, have benefitted. “(The graduate students) have learned how to inspire others and be open to be inspired by a person who has made poor choices in their life, yet are resilient as they rebuild their lives,” Baugh said.

Esmus, whose degree has an emphasis in apparel, said that through this program they hope to reduce the San Francisco County Jail #2’s recidivism rates, which are the rates of inmates returning to jail after they were released for a similar offense.

“The purpose of the project is workforce development and the reason we’re focusing on sewing and people that are currently in the county jail is because there is a lack of skilled workforce,” Esmus said.

Each tote bag that the women make will go into a manila envelope and will be kept at the Women’s Resource Center. When the women finish serving their time at the jail, which is an average of four weeks, they are able to go pick up their designs to keep or sell.

“There have been women that leave the program and take the bags (they created) with them,” Ulasewicz said.

“It’s very exciting. They feel very positive about it.”

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MAY 6, 2015

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE 7 App tracks genderneutral bathrooms

GENDER-NEUTRAL & GENDER NONCONFORMING BATHROOMS

GENDER-NEUTRAL BATHROOM GENDER-NEUTRAL BATHROOM

FOR A MORE DETAILED VIRTUAL MAP OF GENDER -NEUTRAL BATHROOMS ON CAMPUS VISIT GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG EVA BARRAGAN

evbarrag@mail.sfsu.edu

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eciding which restroom to walk into isn’t normally thought of as a difficult or confusing task. For individuals whose sex does not align with their gender identity, however, using the restroom can be stressful and even dangerous.

SF State alumnus Harlan Kellaway is

ILLUSTRATION BY KATRINA ANDAYA / XPRESS

an iOS engineer who helped create a new LGBT-friendly mobile app that helps users find a gender-neutral bathroom near them.

The REFUGE Restrooms app, which first launched as a website in February 2014, allowed users to search and add records of restrooms that are safe for transgender, intersex and gender non-conforming individuals, according to Kellaway. His contribution to the project was to translate REFUGE’s valuable information to iOS in app form.

Kellaway became familiar with the REFUGE Restrooms project and its founder, San Francisco area coder and writer Teagan Widmer, in 2013 when

REFUGE first showed up in online publications.

“I had a particular interest in tech projects that benefit trans people,” Kellaway said in an email, “So it piqued my interest.”

Kellaway said he thinks there is a need for apps like REFUGE because of the recent political movement in some U.S. states to force trans people to use restrooms that are not aligned with their gender identity.

“It’s alarming (because) violence that occurs regarding restrooms is typically aimed at trans people, not caused by them,” he said. “The intent behind REFUGE is to take the anxiety and potential violence trans people face when using public restrooms away from an activity we all have a right to do in peace.”

Although the response to the app has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Kellaway, he said some individuals in the LGBTQ community might see the REFUGE database as an unnecessary collection of data for their community.

“We’re not past needing resources that make the lives of trans people in particularly easier,” he said.

Assistant Director for SF State’s Queer and Trans Resource Center Mitch Hymowitz said he agrees that REFUGE does make the lives of trans people easier.

“What I really like about the app is that it involves the entire community,” Hymowitz said. “Transgender, intersex, gender non-comforming folks– we’re all working together. The app is there to help us but we as a community, can contribute to it and find other restrooms that are safe for non-cisgender individuals to use.”

Associated Students, Inc. Assistant Director for SF State’s Educational and Referral Organization for Sexuality Al Pugh said that although they think an app like REFUGE is an excellent resource to have, they see it as a temporary fix to a bigger problem of institutionalized transphobia and violence against trans people.

“It is sad that trans people must resort to an app to seek refuge, or just use the bathroom without fear of being verbally or physically assaulted,” Pugh said. “However violence and assault are a very present reality, so I am glad there is an app like this available for folks to use.”

Hymowitz is currently using REFUGE and adding all gender neutral bathroom locations he finds on campus so that non-gender-conforming students at SF State can feel safe.

“This app says we’re slowly making progress,” he said. “The transgender community is trying to gain visibility, trying to gain access just to do simple everyday task and we’re making it one step at a time.”

8 SPOTLIGHT

MAY 6, 2015

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SPOTLIGHT 9

MAY 6, 2015

ASI to draft new mural policy

Asian & Pacific Islander Mural

KALANI RUIDAS kruidas@mail.sfsu.edu

Dedicated April 30, 2004 Lead Artist: David Cho with help from Albert Yip Location: South Plaza of the Cesar Chavez Student Center

NOSTALGIA: (RIGHT) SF State

The Asian and Pacific Islander mural pays homage to a diverse group of people who have fought to establish and maintain rights for their community. The painting incorporates cultural symbols and depictions of important events like the Japanese redress and reparations movement and the third world strike at SF State.

The mural also includes portraits of several influential figures, including Mohandas Gandhi and Yuri Kochiyama, an outspoken supporter of ethnic studies and workers rights. The images and themes chosen reflect each community’s arduous history.

alumnus Carlos Gonzalez stands in front of the mural he was commissioned to paint in 1994 to remember Cesar Chavez in Malcolm X Plaza Monday, May 4.

DAVID HENRY / XPRESS

PROMOTING EDUCATION: (BELOW

LEFT) Carlos Gonzalez’s mural called “Education is Liberation” at the Juvenile Justice Center in the Forest Hill District Wednesday, April 29. The mural represents education as the key to success.

MARLENE SANCHEZ / XPRESS

Muralist inspires through art

J

SERGIO PORTELA

sportela@mail.sfsu.edu

azz and Latin music streamed from a small black portable speaker connected to an iPhone as the artist in heavily paint-stained pants and boots floated the paint brush in his left hand to the rhythm of the oldies.

SF State alumnus Carlos “Kookie” Gonzalez, a recently retired probation officer, sat on top of a black crate as he applied strokes to his latest mural “Education is Liberation” in the stairwell between the second and third floor of the Juvenile Justice Center.

“The music makes me flow with whatever I’m doing, and I kind of just go with the groove,” said 56-year-old Gonzalez.

He was adding the final touches to what will be the final creation he gives his former employer, the JJC, and he said it is an art form that means so much to him.

“It’s freedom, it’s something I love to do,” Gonzalez

said. “I don’t think there are any words for it. It makes me feel like I’ve accomplished something, like I’ve left something behind.”

Cinco de Mayo marked the 20-year anniversary since Gonzalez’s mural of migrant worker leader Cesar Chavez was completed on the side of the Cesar Chavez Student Center and dedicated to the late revolutionary. Gonzalez, who graduated from SF State with a bachelor’s degree in ethnic studies, said he was honored when he was commissioned for the task to paint the mural for the legendary Chavez in 1994. He said it had all come full circle for him since he had marched with Chavez from Dolores Park to Civic Center in 1988. Gonzalez had even brought his son Carlos Jr. and pushed him the whole way in a stroller, he said.

Gonzalez attended SF State from 1983 to 1991, where he was a member of La Raza. With the organization, he said he protested for multiple causes including solidarity in El Salvador and fighting for migrant farm workers. The La Raza students even initiated a sit-in inside former University President Chia-Wei Woo’s office, but Gonzalez said all of this would not have happened if it were not for a childhood friend steering him in the right direction.

Gonzalez said growing up, he would constantly get into trouble. He was a member of his neighborhood crew, the Leño Parque Locos. Gonzalez said that during his time with the gang, he was sent to Juvenile Hall, where he was sentenced to community service. As his punishment, he was required to work with muralists and he quickly fell in love with the craft, he said.

“I was ordered to do community service, and at that time murals were booming in the Mission,” Gonzalez said.

“That was it man, like a fish to water– bam.”

Gonzalez fit right in with the muralist community, as he has been an artist since he was a child. He said his father was so impressed with his art when he was young he would throw away his homework and just make him draw.

While Gonzalez was still looking for a way out of his neighborhood, his friend Johnny Mayorga, a former Leño Parque Locos member and currently a deputy sheriff, was attending Sonoma State through the Educational Opportunity Program. When Mayorga noticed that the jobs Gonzalez was working were headed nowhere, he asked him to join him at Sonoma State, Gonzalez said. There, the aspiring artist earned a spot on the dean’s list and later transferred back home to finish off his degree at SF State.

“We’re an anomaly from the Mission, both him and I,” Mayorga said. “At least 85 percent of the people we grew up with are not around anymore. We look at ourselves as survivors and we use that to do good in the community.”

Two years after Gonzalez earned his degree, a job opened up at the Juvenile Justice Center. He said new Center director Nelba Chavez was looking for an intelligent, streetwise probation officer who could speak Spanish.

Gonzalez, with his atypical ponytail and tattoos, was the perfect fit.

“You can’t be a good (probation officer) unless you are a gangster,” said Gonzalez, who retired May 1 after working there for 23 years.

Gonzalez has left a strong legacy at the Juvenile Justice Center, including five of his former interns who are now probation officers. Christina Balistreri, a deputy probation officer with the San Francisco probation department, credited Gonzalez with helping her get where she is today.

“Kookie played a really big role in realizing what I wanted to do in my life by helping people and my community,” Balistreri said. ‘If it weren’t for him I would never be doing what I’m doing right now.”

Now that Gonzalez is retired, he said he looks forward to being a full-time muralist and having time to do what he loves, like playing the congas and spending time with his daughter Sofie. Even though he is no longer a probation officer, Gonzalez said he still looks to be active in his community, particularly with all the changes that are happening in the Mission District. He said he wants to instill in the kids of the city that education is an integral part of success.

“Access to education is key, free your mind, that’s the key to a better life,” Gonzalez said. “Even on my death bed I’m going to say go to college.”

Filipino Community Mural Dedicated April 4, 2003 Lead Artist: James Garcia with help from André Sibayan Location: North Plaza of the Cesar Chavez Student Center The Filipino Community mural represents the group’s history, heritage and struggle for independence. The quote “We Stand on their Shoulders” is written in ancient Philippine script at the bottom of the mural and relays the message that the strength of today’s Filipino community is founded on the efforts of generations past.

Native American Community Mural MARLENE SANCHEZ / XPRESS

PROGRESS: Carlos Gonzalez paints small details on his mural “Education is Liberation” at the Juvenile Justice Center in the Forest Hill District Wednesday, April 29.

Dedicated November 20, 2009 Lead Artists: Mark Nicely and Larry Sillaway Location: Northwest Plaza of the Cesar Chavez Student Center The Native American Community mural brings visibility to the survival of native tribes. The mural’s imagery epitomizes its underlying themes of self-preservation and resistance against cultural erasure and oppression.

The words “We Are Still Here” painted in bold red lettering serves to assert this sentiment.

INFORMATION GATHERED BY KALANI RUIDAS FROM THE CESAR CHAVEZ STUDENT CENTER WEBSITE

PHOTOS BY DANIEL E. PORTER / XPRESS

By incorporating the voices of students, faculty and elected representatives, SF State’s murals have had a long-standing reputation of brazen social justice advocacy and demand for cultural visibility.

“Approving a mural at SF State is a multi-step process structured to involve students and reflect campus passions,” said Associated Students, Inc.’s College of Liberal and Creative of Arts representative Forest Klein.

One example of campus passion is empowering marginalized groups through social justice, according to Klein.

The existing murals on the exterior of the Cesar Chavez Student Center feature portraits of activists like Malcolm X, Edward Said and Cesar Chavez as well as symbolic elements of cultural pride, exemplified by the Filipino Community Mural, the Asian and Pacific Islander Mural and the Native American Community Mural.

The process for any group interested in dedicating a mural begins with a proposal submission to ASI’s Board of Directors, according Klein. He said the board then assembles an ad hoc committee of student officers and select faculty members specializing in the art and subject matter of the of the proposed mural.

ASI Representative at Large Jordan James explained that once the committee approves the artistic quality of the intended design, ASI holds a town hall meeting on the lobby level of the Cesar Chavez Student Center, allowing students to view the draft of the mural.

“ASI is responsible for making students aware that these events and meetings are open to the public,” Klein said. “We want to get as much student involvement as possible to make sure their perspectives are taken into consideration.”

Klein said that an appeal process is also available should any students find the design to be offensive or distasteful. As student fees pay for the art, both the town hall meeting and appeal process serve to elicit student’s reaction to the prospective piece and incorporate their opinions into the mural’s dedication.

A second ad hoc committee then meets to determine the feasibility and budget for the mural, James said. This stage includes planning with the artist or artists the group has commissioned to review the logistics of the design’s execution.

The entire approval process from proposal to execution can take approximately one to two years, according to ASI’s Vice President of University Affairs Celia LoBuono Gonzalez.

“We want to make sure things are done right and that we’re reflecting the views of students, and all groups involved appropriately,” Gonzalez said.

ASI is the process of deciding on a pending policy change for future mural’s approval guidelines. The policy will be an amendment of former guidelines set by the Cesar Chavez Student Center governing board.

James said that once the new policy is drafted, it will help detail the process of which student officers and faculty members will be chosen for each committee.

ASI’s new mural policy will also expand the context of the existing policy and streamline the committees’ appraisal of future designs, Gonzalez said.

“After the merger between ASI and the Cesar Chavez Student Center, we’re trying to establish standards for future artwork to align with ASI’s values and those of the community being represented,” Gonzalez said. “(The policy is) still in its beginning stages, but the sooner we get it done, the sooner we can implement it.”

10 Campus

MAY 6, 2015

News Bites COMPILED BY XPRESS NEWS STAFF

Accessible Adventures Day

Gator Youth Sports Camp

Students, faculty and staff are invited to learn about courses and programs that offer accessible and inclusive activities during Accessible Adventures Day May 7 at the Nasser Family Plaza from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The event will include performances, games, demonstrations of accessibly-designed sports and travel equipment and other opportunities for students with disabilities. For more information, visit the University’s website event page or contact Disability Programs and Resource Center Outreach Coordinator Todd Higgins at toddh@sfsu.edu.

The Gator Youth Sports Summer Camp has open registration for children ages 7 through 14. The camp, hosted by the Department of Kinesiology, will be held on campus from June 15 to July 24. For more information and registration paperwork, go to the Department of Kinesiology webpage.

Raza Fiesta The Raza Faculty and Staff Association invite the SF State community to honor SF State Raza activists May 8 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. in room 473 in the Humanities building. Festivities will include lunch, music and awards.

Discounted math camp for SF State faculty and staff A 10-percent discount is available to faculty and staff who enroll second through sixth grade children in San Francisco Math Circle’s summer math camp. The camp will be held in three sessions June 8-12, June 15-19 and June 22-26. For the discount, use an SF State email address and enter the code “SFSU10” when registering. For more information, visit the San Francisco Math Circle website or contact mathematics lecturer Addie Schnirel at adde@sfsu.edu.

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GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

University Crime Blotter COMPILED BY XPRESS NEWS STAFF

Between Wednesday, April 1 and Sunday, May 3, the University Police Department responded to 103 incidents. Here are some of the highlights.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1 TENNIS COURT ARREST Officers arrested a suspect at 4:25 p.m. after stopping him and a suspicious group of people at the tennis courts on Lake Merced Boulevard.

After discovering he had an outstanding warrant from San Francisco, officers took the suspect into custody.

SATURDAY, APRIL 6 DUI After conducting a traffic stop at Lake Merced Boulevard at 2:41 a.m., officers determined the subject was driving under the influence. Police took the suspect into custody and his car was towed. They charged him with DUI as well as resisting a peace officer, according to the report.

MEDICAL ASSISTANCE After a female subject collapsed and suffered injuries to her face outside the Housing Office on Font Boulevard, San Francisco Fire Department medics transported her to the UCSF Medical Center at 12:26 p.m.

FRIDAY, APRIL 3

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22

BLOODY NOSE Officers received reports of a fight that took place at 2:16 p.m. in the Village at Centennial Square. One person received a bloody nose, according to the report. Police responded, no charges were pressed and the parties involved did not request medical attention.

HIT AND RUN Officers responded to reports of an alleged hit-and-run accident on Tapia Drive around 12 a.m. After searching the area, police discovered the suspect’s vehicle and had it towed. Officers could not make contact with the vehicle’s owner.

12 OPINION

x FRANK LADRA

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

NASHELLY CHAVEZ

MANAGING EDITOR nashelly@mail.sfsu.edu

MICHAEL DURAN

ONLINE SUPERVISING EDITOR michaeld@mail.sfsu.edu

SERGIO PORTELA

PRINT SUPERVISING EDITOR sportela@mail.sfsu.edu

KATRINA ANDAYA

CREATIVE DIRECTOR kandaya@mail.sfsu.edu

JOURDON AHN

PRINT CREATIVE ASSISTANT COPY EDITOR jahn@mail.sfsu.edu

DANIEL E. PORTER

PHOTO EDITOR danielep@mail.sfsu.edu

JENNAH FEELEY

NEWS EDITOR jfeeley@mail.sfsu.edu

TIMOTHY SMITH

NEWS EDITOR tsmith@mail.sfsu.edu

CALLA CAMERO

LIFESTYLE & CULTURE EDITOR ccamero@mail.sfsu.edu

NICOLE PARADISE

OPINION EDITOR nparadis@mail.sfsu.edu

ELIZABETH CARRANZA

SPORTS EDITOR ecarranz@mail.sfsu.edu

HANNAH MULLINS

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR hmullins@mail.sfsu.edu

PETER SNARR

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR psnarr@mail.sfsu.edu

DAYVON DUNAWAY

ASSISTANT MULTIMEDIA EDITOR ddunaway@mail.sfsu.edu

RACHELE KANIGEL

PRINT ADVISER kanigel@mail.sfsu.edu

JESSE GARNIER

MULTIMEDIA ADVISER jgarnier@sfsu.edu

KEN KOBRE

PHOTO ADVISER kkobre@sfsu.edu

EVA CHARLES

ADVERTISING & BUSINESS echarles@mail.sfsu.edu

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

SADE BROWNE

CIRCULATION sbrowne822@gmail.com

SHAWN PERKINS

STUDENT GRAPHIC DESIGNER smperk@sfsu.edu

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

Letters are subject to editing.

Send letters to Nicole Paradise at: nparadis@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 Frank Ladra at: fladra@mail.sfsu.edu

MAY 6, 2015

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GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

STAFF EDITORIAL

Ethnic migration is homogenizing SF San Francisco has a long history of being a diverse city, a living and breathing melting pot of civilization that honors and supports the unique eccentricities of every citizen. But with the recent influx of million-dollar startups and tech giants, the landscape has begun to change, leaving a homogenized hull of a once colorful cornucopia of culture.

A recent report by social equity group PolicyLink has indicated that San Francisco County will actually decline in demographic diversity, making it the most Caucasian-inhabited county in the Bay Area by 2040.

Coincidentally, the four surrounding counties continue and are projected to maintain the status as the most ethnically diverse region in the nation.

So why is it that a city so supposedly proud of its culturally inclusive and bohemian-natured society is now becoming so whitewashed after so many years of struggle for equality?

The answer may be in the inevitable change of what is often called “San Francisco Values,” which Salon.com recently attributed to generations of working-class activists and advocates whose struggles paved the way for today’s communities. But hundreds of local residents continue to flee the city due to

After many years of struggling for equality, a new report shows san francisco is facing a decline in its demographic diversity. evictions and increased rents, leaving holes in the community that are quickly being filled by younger, higher-paid entrepreneurs who are willing to pay the jacked-up costs.

“San Francisco is becoming a sort of precious preserve of the tourist and foodie class,” said Salon.com founder David Talbot in a recent interview. “But San Francisco used to be a city where people came not because of the hills and the trolley cars but because of the vibe. Now you have a dull city.”

Interestingly, the PolicyLink report also highlighted the steadily increasing economic inequality within the city limits. The incomes offered by the newer, more successful tech industries are widening the gap between new hires and those residents who have been struggling to make ends meet on a limited income.

We were once a thriving community,

enriched in a blend of counter cultures that changed the world with music and political rallies that challenged the government. In solidarity, we marched together to the beat of the same tunes, never worrying whether or not we would still have a place to live in the coming months.

But when a director of equitable growth initiatives reports that the city’s diversity and identity as a progressive, inclusive city is seriously at-risk, suddenly the viability of survival within the city limits is up for question.

Perhaps these once proud and vocal activists will resurface and once again join forces to initiate change and keep the San Francisco spirit alive.

The people of San Francisco are on the verge of a major transition, not solely based on the thinning out of people of color, but also because the rapidly increasing success of companies who employ young persons who have new values and new interests in which they choose to invest their six-figure incomes.

If the city hopes to maintain the once rich and diverse culture to which it has become known over the years, the citizens must strive for ways to preserve the unique characteristics that make San Francisco what it is and what it should be for years to come.

Stereotyping dishonors island diversity CALLA CAMERO ccamero@mail.sfsu.edu

Last weekend at work a customer asked me, “What are you?” Thrown off by the ambiguousness of the question, I thought to myself, “A woman?” After considering the unresponsive and confused look on my face, he rephrased the question to, “Like, what races are you?” I told him that I was half Filipino and half Caucasian, which then prompted his next question, “Where are you from?”

I am still unclear whether this man invested a solid 15 minutes discussing my origin and ethnicity because he was genuinely curious about my genetic makeup.

What was more compelling to me than I had initially thought was my realization that many people have little to no understanding of the cultures around them that are not their own.

I was born and

raised on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, so it makes perfect sense that I might not have a straightforward answer for who I am on the basis of my culture.

Even though Hawaii wasn’t annexed by the U.S. until 1898, its economy was controlled by U.S.-based businesses like sugar and fruit plantations. The workers that occupied these plantations were actively recruited Japanese, Chinese, Filipino, Korean, Portuguese and African-American immigrants, one of them being my grandfather who immigrated from the Philippines.

Indigenous Hawaiians also made up much of the workforce, but with so many cultures converging on the small islands, the local population started to decline from 97 percent of Hawaii’s population in 1853 to 16 percent by 1923, according to Library of Congress’ website.

This inevitable merging of ancestries created a culture in and of itself. A new generation ushered in genres of food, language, tradition, lifestyle and people were formed, while simultaneously belittling the culture that originated there, the Hawaiian culture.

Hawaii today has the highest racial minority population of any state in the union — 75 percent, according to U.S. census figures.

Even though I am of Filipino, German, Irish, Scottish and English descent, it is more probable for me to interpret my culture as being from Hawaii, a culturally blended subgroup.

ILLUSTRATION BY JOURDON AHN / XPRESS

Unfortunately, it is rare that anybody who is not from Hawaii knows much about the state’s culture. This may be because the Pacific Ocean separates the islands from the other 48 states, but more than likely because of social stereotyping and cultural disconnection that results in uneducated assumptions about Hawaii.

I’m not saying that I know every cultural identity in the world. This is a personal account of reactions I get from people who think that because they have visited Waikiki for a week and have watched the movie “Lilo & Stitch,” they now have a grasp of Hawaii’s culture.

I receive assumptions like, “You’re from Hawaii so you’re Hawaiian, right?” But being from Hawaii does not automatically make a person Hawaiian. Hawaiian is a race, which is why I refer to it as “Hawaii culture” and not “Hawaiian culture.” The culture is further generalized under assumptions like, “So does everybody do the hula?” and “Do you guys still use canoes to get around?”

Making an ignorant generalization about Hawaiian culture in the form of a question does not grant someone freedom to “ask” whatever they please. It is still insulting to those who are asked the question, even if there is a question mark at the end.

I can understand that it might be unlikely to visit a place and grasp its culture during a short vacation, but it is helpful to formulate an understanding of someone’s culture based on research and the experiences of those amid it, as opposed to generating presumptions from one’s own accord. There is a lot of value in the simple act of asking questions like, “What was that like?” when someone talks about his or her culture rather than inflicting one’s own preconceived notion. The absence of arrogance makes for a much better conversation.

I hadn’t thought about it until I moved from Oahu to San Francisco, but culture identity is a valuable characteristic, if not the most valuable quality. Without it, you get lost in a sea of a thousand meanings.

14 SPORTS

MAY 6, 2015

Softball wraps up season VINCE FAUSONE IV vfausone@mail.sfsu.edu

SARA HIGA CATCHER

GOLDENGATEXPRESS.ORG

Courtney Gravel shortstop .310 avg.

27 runs (led team) 48 hits (led team)

MEGAN CLARK PITCHER 3.63 ERA (led team) 12 complete games (led team) 2 shutouts (led team)

.301 avg.

37 hits 10 extra base hits 19 RBIs

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SARA GOBETS / XPRESS

DAVID HENRY / XPRESS

DAVID HENRY / XPRESS

T

SELINA RODRIGUEZ FIRST BASE

ILLUSTRATION BY KATRINA ANDAYA / XPRESS

.987 fielding percentage 214 putouts (led team)

he hallmarks of a demoralizing year plagued the Gators during their 1-13 start to the season, but their record did not prevent the young squad from establishing themselves as an enigma of the California Collegiate Athletic Association by the end of the 2015 season.

“So many teams would’ve packed it in early by now but they’ve kept fighting,” said head coach Cristina Byrne after a close late-season loss to the Cal State Monterey Bay Otters. “I’m so proud of them for that. They came out here and proved to themselves they can hang with tough squads like this.”

Byrne lauded her team for recovering from the stagnant 14-game stretch at the beginning of the season, where they were outscored by an average of 4.36 runs per game. The Gators rebounded over the next 38 contests to cut that average deficit down to 1.63 runs per game, challenging the CCAA’s best squads and winning 11 games along the way to end with a 12-40 record.

The Gators getting to know each other better looked on par on the field helped us become more with top-level competitive.”

DAVID HENRY / XPRESS clubs at times, Gravel was joined by junior which made their Jennifer Lewis and freshman Sara inconsistency against teams with similar records and Higa as the team’s top hitters this season. penchant for coming out on the losing end of close games Although wins eluded the Gators often and in freall the more unbearable for players, coaches and fans. quently agonizing fashion this season, freshman outfieldThe production of the team’s pitching staff remained er Delanie Chrisman said she took pride in the squad’s unchanged throughout much of the year, mixing lengthy persistence. outings from ace Megan Clark, but a resurgence of “There kind of comes a time when a team decides tenured hitters and the blossoming of newer ones helped whether they’re going to give up or fight when you don’t inspire the team to become more competitive. have a winning record,” Chrisman said. “I think we knew Senior shortstop Courtney Gravel was one of numerwe put in too much hard work to hand anyone a win so ous veterans who found her stride after a rocky start. Her we came out and competed aggressively.” .310 batting average led the team for the second consecuWith the graduations of Gravel, first baseman Selina tive year, catalyzing a late-season offensive surge.

Rodriguez and third baseman Lucy Fernandez, coach “I think as the year went on we were better able to Byrne will be building off of the performances of her put together our defense and offense,” Gravel said. “Just younger athletes as the team looks forward to 2016.

Gator bounces back from academic hurdles ELIZABETH CARRANZA ecarranz@mail.sfsu.edu

Lifting her right leg up, Alex Jones swirled in a fast motion and aimed her arm straight to the sky, launching the sphere shot put into the air before it landed in the sand pit. With cheers from the crowd and a shoulder pat from assistant throws coach Nathan DeSomber, the Gator relished in the opportunity to compete after having been away from the competitive atmosphere for a semester.

Jones had to leave SF State fall 2014 semester because she did not meet grade requirements after she received a C- in her remedial math class. She said it was very difficult for her to leave her team and felt that she had given up on herself.

“She was devastated,” said Jones’ father, Michael Jones. “She had to quit her job, she no longer had housing, she couldn’t work out with the team.

But what I’m really proud of her about is she enrolled into community college and turned that C- into a B. She never complained because she wanted to come back to the team and to the school.”

After contemplating what she should do, a fire of determination ran through Jones’ veins as she set her mind to return to SF State and come back to compete with her throwing squad, she said. The Gator said she continued to work at home with her father, went to the gym and stayed in communication with coach DeSomber.

“My coach kept in contact with me and told me he really wanted me to come back,” Jones said. “I’m proud of myself and I don’t give up on things easily.”

Michael Jones said he introduced and pushed his daughter into the sport, even though the two clash at times. He said he could not be more proud of his daughter’s success both on and off the field.

“I admire her in a lot of ways and I’m just really proud of her,” Michael Jones said. “When she sets her mind to something she succeeds.”

Jones has dominated this season for the Gators by setting a new personal record with a throw of 13.35 meters. Her recent success comes from the 2015 California Collegiate Athletic Association Championships, where she placed second overall in the shot put event.

Coach DeSomber said Jones’ success makes him very proud because of the short amount of time she had to prepare for this season. He said her drive to be the best and her personality made it fun to work with her.

“It’s hard to keep my heart out of my throat and the tears out of my eyes,” coach DeSomber said. “The mental toughness that it takes to accomplish something you know you shouldn’t be able to do, and then to go out and do it, to me that’s a demonstration of incredible mental toughness and that’s one of the great things of Alex.”

MELISSA MINTON / XPRESS

ECSTATIC: SF State Gator Alex Jones earned the silver

medal in the shot put competition during the 2015 CCAA Championships at Cox Stadium Saturday, May 2. Jones set her personal record with a throw of 13.35 meters.