SJSU women’s soccer team remains eager despite loss against CSUN Page
Suspended professor quietly retires
By Kaya Henkes-Power MANAGING EDITOR
Suspended San José State professor abruptly retired despite having been initially scheduled to have courses in the fall.
Jonathan Roth worked at SJSU for 30 years as a history professor and was put on administrative leave in 2024 following allegations of assault during a demonstration in the Spring semester, according to an LA Times Feb. 26, 2024 article.
Michelle Smith McDonald, SJSU’s senior director of media relations, confirmed Roth’s decision to retire in an email to the Spartan Daily.
“I believe Professor Roth made the decision to retire,” Smith McDonald wrote.
The Spartan Daily reached out to Roth and his attorney, but did not receive a response in time for publication.
Roth, who was the recipient of the university’s 2019 Distinguished Service Award, was recorded grabbing the wrist of a community protestor.
On Feb. 19, 2024, students and community members protested the guest lecturer, Jeffrey Blutinger, who was set to speak publicly at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library, about a twostate solution regarding the ongoing Israeli military operations in Gaza, according to a Feb. 21, 2024 KRON4 article.
The California State University Long Beach professor was later escorted out of the library to Sweeney Hall to conduct a closed lecture, where the protesters lined the hallways, according to a Feb. 26, 2024 Moment Magazine article. In public documents obtained by the Spartan Daily, Roth recounted the incident
during the investigation following the alleged assault.
“In any case, so what I did was, reflexively, I moved her (the alleged victim) hand,” Roth said to attorney
investigator Morin Jacob. “Let me try to explain my motion, so I took my hand like this.”
Roth went on to describe the incident, saying he
cupped the victim’s left hand, moving it to the side of her leg. He later went on to say he couldn’t imagine that the alleged victim suffered any injuries.
In the same documents the alleged victim, who has not identified herself publicly, recounted the pain she experienced from the altercation.
“I was explaining how I continued to feel weakness in my hand,” she said. “She said (doctor) that the muscle strain impacted from the hand all the way up to – it can go all the way to my shoulder.”
The organization California Scholars for Academic Freedom wrote an open letter on July 28 to SJSU administrators condemning Roth’s potential return.
In the letter, the organization mainly cited that suspended professor Sang Hea Kil is currently
facing termination of her tenure, while Roth had been on the Fall 2025 course schedule, according to the letter.
Smith McDonald was unable to confirm why Roth was set to teach the courses, Historiography and Military History to 1500 for the Fall 2025 semester. The Spartan Daily contacted the SJSU History Department for a comment regarding the matter but did not receive a response in time publication.
“I am unable to answer the question because it pertains to a personnel action that is protected by employment law,” Smith McDonald wrote in an email to the Spartan Daily.
Tower Lawn set to be closed until October
By Charity Spicer EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Despite multiple campus construction and maintenance projects anticipated to finish by the end of summer at San José State, construction is scheduled to continue through the fall semester frustrating incoming students navigating their way around campus.
These projects aim to improve safety for students and faculty and provide adaptability for events on Tower Lawn and are scheduled to be completed in mid to late September, according to the SJSU Campus Construction and Maintenance Projects webpage.
Aaron Klemm, associate vice president of SJSU’s Facilities Development and Operations, said there have been delays to the Tower Lawn Lighting Improvement project.
“ The way public works, construction works is unforeseen conditions, grant schedule relief and/ or budget relief to the contractors,” Klemm said.
“So you have a best laid plan schedule and everyone's agreed to a price and then you find some unforeseen condition that causes a delay or an increase in price.”
The project is intended to enhance the lighting surrounding Tower Lawn and replace outdated infrastructure, according to the SJSU Campus Construction and
Maintenance Projects website.
“ There were fairly regular failures, particularly in the wintertime when the soil was wet where the lights would be off,” Klemm said.
“They would get wet, short out and they would be off for a night on all of Tower Lawn. And it was not safe for our electricians to try to come just with headlamps and try to make those repairs.”
Klemm said that on this project there were several delays because of special events that had construction workers sent home for days resulting in schedule relief. Michelle Smith McDonald, senior director of media relations at SJSU, said in an email sent to the Spartan Daily that the facilities team communicated updates to employees on campus throughout the summer.
“Our facilities team sent out messages to employees who were on campus on May 19, June 2, June 9, June 23, June 30 and July 7 before setting up the page,” Smith McDonald said.
Despite these updates sent out during the summer, there were no updates outside of the webpage that communicated any delays in the construction and maintenance projects on campus from the university to students.
“We provide updates that marketing and communications who our communications experts target at folks. Because if you send email blasts to
everyone too frequently, no one’s ever gonna read them,” Klemm said.
Smith McDonald confirmed that students can expect communication via the Sammy app regarding the status of construction projects during the fall semester.
Brent Young, a thirdyear computer science student at SJSU, said he is disappointed about the lawn being closed off to students.
“ Especially with the weather right now, it does make me a little sad because it is a cute area and I'd like to play spike ball and I had an idea (with) portable KBBQ tables,” Young said. “I don’t know, it’s just like a cool friend
hangout area. So, I don't know what’s going on.”
Klemm confirmed that Tower Lawn will be fenced off until SJSU’s annual Fire on the Fountain event which will take place on Oct. 17, according to the SJSU event webpage.
Two of the three projects that will be continuing into the fall semester include the Central Classroom Building: Occupational Therapy Spaces Renovation and Ongoing Tower Hall Façade Repair, according to the SJSU Campus Construction and Maintenance Projects webpage.
According to the same source, the pathway between the Student Wellness Center and the
Spartan Complex East Wing will be fenced off because of the Central Classroom Building renovation and moderate noise and detours can be expected.
The ongoing Tower Hall façade repair will be continuing from last school year, according to Klemm and has faced budget issues resulting in the delay of the project’s completion.
Sophia Gerardo, a firstyear aerospace engineering student at SJSU, said she has experienced difficulty navigating the campus because of the detours and fencing around Tower Lawn.
“ The campus… it’s a lot to take in. I got lost a good amount of times,” Gerardo said. “ Me and my friends were thinking about doing like a little picnic kind of thing. But the grass is blocked off, so it was kinda hard to find somewhere to sit down.”
“ We need $4 million and we only have $500,000 to make that repair. So we are starting on design with the starter money,” Klemm said. “There’s not really a lot of active loud construction that’s disruptive – that construction fence was up last spring semester as well to keep people from getting injured from falling stucco.”
SJSU COLLEGE OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
Tenure history professor, Jonathan Roth, retires despite initially being on the fall 2025 semester course offerings.
CHARITY SPICER | SPARTAN DAILY
A muddied Tower Lawn will remain closed off well into the semester because of ongoing construction projects.
Summer releases channel escapism
By Kaya Henkes-Power MANAGING EDITOR
One of the hardest things at the beginning of the fall semester is knowing the summer releases will never hit the same.
Driving around with the windows down while blasting a recently released song or album that hasn’t been beaten to death by TikTok is truly unmatched.
What I saw this summer was the continuation of recession pop, with many continuing to lean into the hyperpop nostalgia of the 2010s.
Recession-pop is a high-energy pop subgenre stemming from periods of economic recession with the common theme of escapism, according to an Oct. 11, 2024 Berklee College of Music article.
While the United States is not currently in a recession, the current political climate leaves many longing to escape — which is evident in the U.S. music industry.
University of California, Los Angeles’ Anderson School of Management issued a recession watch in March, indicating there may be one on the horizon, according to a March 19, Los Angeles Times article.
This summer saw some amazing albums and singles that aided in the idyllic escapism I need, here is some music that helped with that.
The jazz duo, Dana and Alden, dropped their album “Speedo” in late June and helped me glamorize my hot summer evenings.
Known for their song “Dragonfly” released on their album “Quiet Music for Young People,” on August 4, 2023. The song was popularized on TikTok
in 2024 and the duo has been pushing out jazz bangers for the last two years — this album is no exception.
Not one song is the same and each adopts elements of different genres, somehow making a beautiful collage of jazz.
One moment you will be listening to a song like “Lisbon in Rain,” where there is a slower, louder and mystical feeling that blends jazz styles similar to Samantha Sang.
Then the tracklist switches to songs such as “Rick Pablo,” which has a heavy blues and funk influence.
Having these different music styles throughout the album allowed for different instruments to shine; some songs are heavy on saxophone and some spotlight the drums.
While some may love the blend of these different styles, when you are vibing with a particular mood, it can be jarring to have that switch.
A good example of this is “Cacio e Pepe,” which has a harsh and ominous tone that is layered with a voice sample of an older person describing making the dish.
However I noticed the duo uses their voices and voice samplings as instruments rather than the main focus of the song.
“Daydrinking in Springfield,” is an airy jazz-rock song in which the duo’s voices are incredibly light, nearly being taken over by the guitar and drums.
This album truly feels like one is lying in the grass while you bask in the summer breeze as the sky turns bright orange.
electronic-pop EP in August and is the future of electronic music.
Rising in popularity after rapping on Aliyah’s Interlude “IT GIRL (Fan Remix) (feat. Ve’ondre),” she shamelessly represents her trans identity through her music.
“Body” was one of four singles featured on her EP and is definitely in my top 10 favorite songs of the summer.
The electronic beat makes me feel like I should be driving on the bikes from the movie “Tron: Legacy” on Highway 17.
Her use of different electronic sounds somehow captures this futuristic robot feel that is parallel with sci-fi movies.
You can see her lean into this through the album art used for her singles and in music videos.
It’s not just the beat of the music that is amazing; the lyrics of her songs tackle personal yet universal problems faced by the transgender community.
Another single featured on the album is “Gay,” which exudes the definition of an electronic pop song.
The underrated artist, Ve’ondre, released an
The chorus is “If you think I make you gay / You prolly are,” referring to when heterosexual people struggled with
their identity because of their attraction to a trans person.
Some of the songs were very akin to the early 2000s MySpace electronic-scene era, with some of them heavily relying on autotune.
At times, the autotune in her voice detracted from the beat, as evident in the song “Secret.”
Though it can be jarring, Ve’ondre takes elements of these popularized techniques and makes them her own, even if it can come off as a bit harsh.
The genre has seen a decline in Black representation, despite the genre’s origins stemming from the 1980s Black club scene, according to a July 5, 2020 Respect My Region article.
With her approach to the genre, her lyricism takes an uplifted-party approach to topics that aren’t talked about.
This is an incredibly different approach to the EDM genre than what has been released recently.
Overall, I wouldn’t be surprised if in the future we hear Ve’ondre becoming one of the staples for the club scene.
To be expected, Chappell Roan made her way into my playlists with her highly anticipated single “The Subway,” released on July 31.
Unbeknownst to me, she teased this song in June 2024 during her Governors Ball Music Festival performance in New York City.
Despite the fans’ pressure to release the song, Roan waited saying she wasn’t ready to release the song because the song was too painful, according to an Aug. 4 Vogue article.
This is incredibly apparent in the emotions and lyrics in the song, describing the struggle of getting over an ex.
“Made you the villain, evil for just moving on / I see your shadow, I see it even with the lights off,” Roan said in her song.
The music throughout the song is a soulful pop ballad, leaving the listener yearning for someone that they may not have thought of in years.
At a time when samesex marriage sought to be overturned, according to an Aug. 11 ABC News article.
Hearing a woman pine over her relationship with another woman has never been more confirming to my sexuality. I don’t feel alone in my feelings and I feel seen.
That being said, it feels like it was released at a time when yearning singles are the hits of the summer. Making “The Subway” feel not as standout as it would have been if it were released sooner.
This is mainly because of the recent popularization of sombr and his songs “undressed” released on March 21 and “back to friends” dropped last year on Dec. 27.
Despite this, overall, I feel like Roan has been able to continuously put out intentional music but something that is mainstream and universal to everyone.
All in all, I found myself longing for escape during the summer, and these albums honestly helped to achieve that.
I didn’t staunchly listen to these albums and found myself more listening to older albums on repeat.
Despite the stark differences in these artists and albums, the one thing that connects them is allowing people to have an idyllic version of their lives just for a moment.
Follow Kaya on Instagram @kayuh.h
PHOTOS FROM FLICKR, GRAPHIC BY KAYA HENKES-POWER | SPARTAN DAILY
learning process.
The San José State women’s soccer team hosted a California State University, Northridge team and lost 1-0 on Sunday afternoon at the Spartan Soccer Complex.
Sonia Curvelo, as head coach for the Spartans since March, designated the teams early struggles as a growing and
“We showed some really good moments on Thursday and today I didn’t feel we had as many good moments compared to Thursday’s game against the No.16 team in the country,” Curvelo said. It’s a part of learning right now.”
Curvelo said the season brings new challenges and expressed faith in her team that completed its first home game
Sunday afternoon.
Seven minutes into the match, the Matadors forward Jordyn Canister drilled a kick into the net to give them an early 1-0 lead.
It became chippy and physical early, with CSUN pushing the ball up the field and SJSU competing to stop them.
After the first half of the game, the Spartans accumulated five total fouls and both teams
combined for seven fouls.
SJSU became exposed as the game clock ran out and the Matadors tallied 14 attempts versus the Spartans’ five.
SJSU sophomore goalkeeper Paige Fry notched one save in the first half, as opposed to the three saves tallied and no goals allowed by CSUN goalkeeper Riley Liebsack.
However, the Spartans would turn around the goalkeeping aspect of the
game in the second half, with Fry pegging seven saves versus Liebsack’s three.
“I actually coached her as a freshman under my leadership there,” Curvelo said. “I’ve known (Fry) since she was a senior in high school. I know what she’s capable of.”
The Spartans’ defense was anchored by another goalkeeping match by Fry, but the Spartans’ offense was timid.
Curvelo said her plan for the team is to use the season’s hardships as a learning experience.
“I’m looking to improve everywhere. Our defense, our midfields, our forwards and even our goalkeepers,” she said.
“It’s going to be a learning opportunity this season for us.”
In their 3-0 loss to Santa Clara University on Thursday, Fry’s effort was highlighted, with the goalkeeper recording seven saves against the Broncos. SCU handed the Spartans their first loss of the season, according to game notes from SJSU Athletics.
Santa Clara knocked off the Spartans 3-0 at Stevens Stadium – Buck Shaw Field on Thursday, Aug. 14, according to game notes from SJSU Athletics.
The San José State women’s soccer team returned to action
against No.16 Santa Clara University on Thursday, Aug. 14.
“Honestly, it comes down to speed of play for us from what I’m seeing,” Fry said. “It ultimately comes down to just deciding that we’re going to keep working in practice for that speed of play.”
SJSU looks to bounce back on the road and capture its first win in non-conference play and earn their first win under Curvelo.
The Spartans are scheduled to play their next game against the University of California, Davis on Aug. 21 at 7:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time at the Aggie Soccer Field in Davis, California.
DANIEL POTTER | SPARTAN DAILY
Spartan and Matador players clash near the goal area on Sunday at the Spartan Soccer Complex. The Spartans lost 1-0.
DANIEL POTTER | SPARTAN DAILY
Spartans midfielder Joliye Brass (8) dribbles away from a Matador defender to maintain offensive possession.
By Navin Krishnan
Navin Sunjay Krishnan ASSISTANT SPORT EDITOR
It should be unanimous. After all the accolades, the nostalgia and the innovation, Stephen Curry should be a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Though he bears the gift of one-in-a-million talent, his
Curry was considered the best scorer in the NCAA in the 2008-2009 season, averaging 28.6 points per game in his final season at Davidson College, according to an ESPN webpage.
He should also be recognized as the greatest shooter of all time. In his career at Davidson, he broke the record for 3-pointers made in a single season with 162 shots beyond the arc, according to a Davidson College webpage.
The guard not only knows how to be a dominant player, he also knows how to perform under pressure.
of all time” been among the basketball legends.
Just because point guards and shooters aren’t usually accepted as franchise players or legends doesn’t mean anyone should snub him as a Hall of Famer.
Instead, Curry should be the headliner over any player in the NBA today, even at his age of 37, according to a July 10 Yahoo! Sports webpage.
He should be the premier player on a team with any fantasy team and be seen as the greatest point guard of all time.
Something that sets him apart is the respect he draws, even from famous athletes.
Watching our hometown hero from the Warriors dominate at the highest stage in basketball, the Olympics made me feel like I could use the game as a platform to bring the eyes of the world to witness the world of basketball.
When the biggest challenge came to Team USA, Curry shone, carrying his squad in the final with eight 3-pointers and claimed the gold medal, according to the same webpage.
Even in his younger years, Curry dazzled fans, as his electric skills was something me and my friends would try to emulate when we met up to play basketball. In his debut at Madison
Square Garden in New York, which many embrace as the ‘Mecca’ of basketball, Curry was at a crossroads in a game against West Virginia University.
collegiate head coach Bob McKillop simplifies what is different about him.
“I’ve been coaching for 35 years. I’ve had some great players. I’ve never had one
to franchise player.
championship and possibly an NBA Finals berth.
With the world watching, including a younger version of myself, Curry lit up the stage the New York night.
What sets Curry apart from the rest of the players in the NBA is the journey he went through, having to switch to the point guard position because he wanted to play in the NBA, just like
At that point, I had my mind made up. Curry was, hands down, the most entertaining player I had ever seen play.
Towards the end of the game, he scored 13 of the last 15 points for the Wildcats and securing a win according to an April 18, 2024 Basketball Network article.
Curry currently has 4,058 shots from beyond the 3-point arc and counting,
Curry may be an anomaly by himself, but the combination of him and Butler give Warriors fans something to look forward to.
The tandem has a strong chance to propel the Warriors to what could be Curry’s fifth
Some hesitate to give him credit as a member of the greatest of all-time conversation, but his resume definitely speaks volumes to the way he shaped the game.
Stephen Curry’s father, Dell Curry, known as a sharpshooter, played 16 seasons in the NBA and made 1,245 shots from 3-point range, according to an ESPN article.
If the statistics don’t give you an idea of the sheer brilliance of Curry, his
quickly rose through the ranks, going from rookie
acquired 14-year veteran Jimmy Butler III in a 5-team trade, according to an NBA article.
With the one-two punch of Butler and Curry, the Warriors have a chance to compete in the 2025-2026 season for a Western Conference
Curry showed us it’s not about being big or fast, it’s about work ethic, heart and
Having played varsity basketball as a bench player enormous influence on how the game changed and should
Paris Olympics, webpage.