12-06-2017

Wednesday, Dec. 6 - Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2017 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 104, Issue 17 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

SDSU unveils plan for west campus, stadium Officials present proposal for campus on SDCCU Stadium

Wicker reveals longawaited stadium renderings

by Abraham Jewett ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

by David Santillan SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

San Diego State President Sally Roush and university officials unveiled architectural renderings of a proposed Mission Valley campus.

The university revealed its vision for the SDCCU Stadium site in a press briefing Nov. 29 at the Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center. The 166-acre project would include upper division and graduate student housing, a new multipurpose athletics stadium, retail shops, commercial office buildings and a hotel.

Community parks and recreational fields would shape the landscape surrounding the site, taking on what the university calls an “open space” design.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand the university in a location that is both close to the main campus and large enough to accommodate the university’s growth needs,” Roush said in a statement released by the university. “It is a plan with the heart and spirit of a modern university campus that will serve higher education and the community’s aspirations for the site.”

The plans for the site were designed by architectural firm Carrier Johnson + CULTURE, and development is being headed

by JMI Realty.

“SDSU made it clear to us from the start that a well-executed campus plan on the site must be rooted in environmentally sensitive design that enhances and highlights the San Diego River, and creates plentiful open space for the entire community,” Gordon R. Carrier, design principal at Carrier Johnson, also SEE WEST CAMPUS, PAGE 2

Photo by David Santillan

Athletics Director John David Wicker unveils the renderings for the SDSU West proposal at SDCCU stadium Nov. 30.

SDSU football surprised by bowl invitation Team officials, players say they are honored to face off with Army

by Zach Engberg and Abraham Jewett

There was a point during the 2017 San Diego State football season when a bid to a New Year’s Six Bowl – the pinnacle of success for an FBS team – seemed well within reach.

The Aztecs were sitting at No. 18 in the AP Top 25, with wins over two Pacific-12 conference opponents and a Heisman Trophy candidate in the backfield and a marquee matchup with Boise State upcoming.

That was week seven.

Back-to-back Mountain West Conference losses took SDSU out of the running for the conference championship, and after a weak

conference slate to close out the season, the 10-win Aztecs were relegated to the six bowls with Mountain West affiliations – of which SDSU was invited to none.

The Aztecs (10-2) will instead play against Army (8-3) in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23 at 12:30 p.m. in Fort Worth, Texas.

The invite was a surprise to head coach Rocky Long.

“It was out of the blue,” Long said. “We had eight manuals about the bowl game and what you do at the bowl game and this wasn’t one of the eight… We were guessing on eight and we didn’t guess right.

It was one we never thought we’d get.”

Long, whose father was in the Army for 30 years, said he is not disappointed by the selection.

“That’s a pretty good matchup,” he said. “Our number one criteria was to play the very best team we can.”

While SDSU has finished its regular season, Army will have a chance to win its ninth game of the season during its annual game against the Naval Academy on Dec. 9.

Aztecs defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said that sharing the field with Army will be an honor, and he expects a highly competitive game.

“We are totally honored to be on the same field with them, because what they’ve got in store, I mean they protect all our liberties and SEE ARMED FORCES BOWL, PAGE 9

San Diego State Athletics held an event at SDCCU stadium on Nov. 30 unveiling its plans for a multi-use stadium at the Mission Valley site.

SDSU Director of Athletics John David Wicker presented a virtual walk-through of the architectural renderings of the proposed $250 million stadium. “(It’s) a stadium that we envision as one of the top multiuse stadiums in the country, a stadium that will create a definitive home field advantage for Aztec football,” Wicker said.

“SDSU fans have long dreamed of the day we would return Aztec football to campus, and that final journey begins today.”

The stadium is designed to have 35,000 seats, and while the stadium concourse will be built on ground level, the field itself will be 30 feet below.

The south end zone will feature a terrace level, along with standing room areas with drink rails and a club space. A club space will also be available on the west side of the stadium and to field level patrons.

On the field will be portable loge boxes, which can be moved to different areas on the field depending on the type of event.

Loge boxes, along with suites, will also be located on the concourse level.

The west side of the stadium will have a premium deck, club seating section with an associated club space, and suite and press levels located above the club seating.

The east side of the stadium will have two decks of seating, with a mix of season ticket levels and concourse development.

The concourses will include 18 SEE STADIUM RENDERINGS, PAGE 9

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NEW DIGS

AUTORA VISITA

DON’T MISS THIS JOINT

PENNY SNUBBED AGAIN

Delta Upsilon’s SDSU chapter moves into its brand-new, three-story home.

Isabel Quintero habla con estudiantes sobre la importancia de la representación latina.

“Cannabis 4 the Cause” combats opioid addiction with alternative treatments.

Coaches and teammates react to Rashaad Penny not being named a Heisman finalist.

PAGE 5

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The Daily Aztec

News

Dec. 6-12, 2017 EDITOR: Will Fritz, news@thedailyaztec.com

Photo by David Cortez

Scott Radecic, founder and senior principal at Populous, presents images of SDSU’s stadium proposal in a media event at SDCCU Stadium — the intended site of the proposal.

Competing projects head for November showdown

by Gustavo Cristobal STAFF WRITER

Friends of SDSU, a new group formed to fight for the expansion of San Diego State onto the SDCCU Stadium site in Mission Valley, is collecting signatures for a ballot initiative that will compete with FS Investors’ SoccerCity plan on the Nov. 2018 ballot.

The current working budget for a Mission Valley satellite campus is about $3 billion, while the cost for the new football stadium included in the proposal is about $250 million, SDSU President Sally Roush said Nov. 29.

Fred Pierce, an alumnus and spokesman for Friends of SDSU’s steering committee, is one of the more than 40 individuals who are pushing for the SDSU West initiative.

Among the steering committee’s members are former SDSU presidents Elliott Hirshman, Stephen Weber and Thomas Day, he said.

SDSU is not officially affiliated with the group or its drive to put SDSU West on the 2018 ballot, but most of the organization’s members are either alumni or have ties to the university.

“The steering committee are essentially the official sponsors of the SDSU West initiative,” Pierce said. “As the sponsors, we drafted, prepared and administered the process to launch the signature gathering to qualify the initiative for the ballot.”

Pierce said the committee, a non-profit organization, is well on its way to collecting 100,000 signatures for the initiative by the end of the year. The organization needs 71,000 signatures from registered voters to qualify.

“We’ve hired paid signature-gatherers who are trained in how to communicate about the initiative,” he said. “They are at selected locations throughout San Diego County, largely at shopping centers.”

Should the initiative make it onto the November 2018 ballot and win, SDSU would be able to purchase 132 acres of the SDCCU Stadium site to build a west campus. The initiative, according to Pierce, provides that the university would pay fair market value for the land which through an appraisal process and subsequent negotiations between the city and the university once the initiative is approved.

“Once a ballot initiative is published, the initiative cannot be changed,” Pierce said.

“The reason why Friends of SDSU came together and have proposed this competitive initiative was because the university made it clear that the SoccerCity initiative did not work for them.”

SoccerCity’s proposed 33,000-seat stadium would be too small for SDSU to

play football in, Pierce said.

If SDSU West defeats SoccerCity at the polls, a Major League Soccer team would be given an opportunity to become a tenant at the new stadium on the site, he said.

The SoccerCity plan is being headed up

by FS Investors, a local investment group led by SDSU Directors Cabinet member Mike Stone.

Andy Altman, a spokesperson for SoccerCity, said in an email that despite the competing plan, FS Investors would be willing to partner up with SDSU and would welcome the university as tenants or partners.

“Unfortunately, SDSU is unable to extend that hospitality in the other direction, because of the constraints of the MLS bid process,” Altman said. “The SDSU West proposal can’t satisfy MLS needs or timeline.

If the SoccerCity initiative doesn’t win, San Diego’s bid for MLS is dead, and the last of the four remaining MLS franchises will be awarded to other cities. Of course, we’re going to work hard to win voter approval for SoccerCity so we can have both” SoccerCity is already qualified for the November 2018 ballot.

The proposal’s backers have and gathered more than 110,000 signatures in a record two-week time frame last spring, Altman said.

“Clearly, San Diegans are ready to welcome MLS, to see the long-held vision for open space on the San Diego river realized, to have see the kind of growth that complies with the Climate Action Plan — all without any taxpayer subsidy,” Altman said.

There are plenty of residents within San Diego County who do not support SoccerCity.

Joe LaCava, a spokesman for Public Land, Public Vote, said SoccerCity is a “massive land grab.” “The talking points and the pretty pictures offered by the proponents does not reflect the actual language of the initiative,” he said.

LaCava said that his coalition is 100 percent opposed to the SoccerCity initiative, but has not taken a position on the Friends of SDSU initiative.

“With the SDSU initiative, it actually embraces a public input process as to what land uses should be considered there and just as importantly proposes a full public process for an environmental impact report and full disclosure of what the impacts are in development of the appropriate mitigation,” he said. “The SoccerCity initiative, in stark contrast, completely avoided public input in developing their proposal and did a very limited environmental analysis and only identified those mitigation measure that they thought were appropriate.”

Artist’s impressions of a walkway on San Diego State’s proposed Mission Valley campus (top) and an aerial view of the proposal (bottom). Courtesy of SDSU NewsCenter.

West campus: continued from page 1

said in the statement. “You can see that thoughtful approach reflected in the amenities, from recreation fields to four miles of trails, and a 50-acre community river park.”

Roush said the total cost for the project is estimated to be about $3 billion.

“It’s got a really big-sounding number, but almost all of that would come from private developers that we could contract with to build the housing, the retail and the office buildings,” she said.

The costs for the stadium itself is $250 million, which Roush said would be financed by revenue generated from the stadium, signage and corporate sponsorship.

University officials said no taxpayer money will be used to fund any part of the project.

Friends of SDSU, a group pushing for SDSU’s expansion into Mission Valley, has been collecting signatures for an SDSU West ballot initiative since October.

Fred Pierce, the spokesman for Friends of

SDSU’s steering committee, told The Daily Aztec earlier this month that the group is well on its way to collecting 100,000 signatures for the initiative by the end of the year.

The organization needs 71,000 signatures from registered voters in the city of San Diego to be placed on the November 2018 ballot alongside a similar initiative for the competing SoccerCity plan, which would redevelop the SDCCU Stadium site with a Major League Soccer stadium and mixeduse residential and retail spaces.

Roush said she expects to brief San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer on the university’s newly-unveiled plans.

Faulconer has previously come out in favor of the SoccerCity initiative.

“We had hoped to brief him this morning, before having the press conference but he was unavailable, but we’ll give him a full briefing whenever he wishes,” Roush said.

“He’s been a great supporter of San Diego State and I think he’ll be pleased with (SDSU’s) plan.”

The university said it will reach out to the community and other local organizations over the next few months to get feedback on its plans.

Dec. 6-12, 2017 EDITOR: Will Fritz, news@thedailyaztec.com

News

The Daily Aztec

3

Delta Upsilon fraternity makes moves

by David Santillan SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR

The Delta Upsilon fraternity’s San Diego State chapter has a new home.

Chapter members held a dedication ceremony Nov. 18 for their brand-new house, located at 5545 Hardy Avenue, on the same site as their old chapter house.

Delta Upsilon’s old house was a 1,200-square-foot family home built in 1951 — a modest residence for a fraternity with about 100 members.

The new home, by contrast, is nearly 10 times larger than the old one, with three floors and 11,000 square feet.

“I believe it’s an important mark in our history and how far we’ve come,” kinesiology major and chapter president Jared Fitzpatrick said.

Fitzpatrick said that with an increase in members in recent years, it had become challenging to hold chapter meetings with all the members in the same room.

Noticing the need for expansion, Delta Upsilon alumnus John Pedicini contacted the fraternity’s Alumni Board of Directors offering to build a new on-campus home for its members.

Construction on the new building began late last year.

Most of the funds received for the new house project were from the fraternity’s alumni board of more than 1,000 members, who donated upwards of $250,000 to cover the cost of the project.

Photo by David Santillan

Delta Upsilon’s new three-story, 11,000 square-foot house was dedicated in November.

The fraternity hopes to be moved into the new house — which has room for about 38 members — by Dec. 15.

Chapter members said they attribute their growth in membership to their genuine approach to getting to know other potential members during their rush process.

“All throughout my new member process (the chapter members) really made me feel like I could do great in the house,” administration junior and chapter vice president Brandon Egger said. “The mutual encouragement is really nice to have.”

This sentiment was echoed by chapter

member and economics senior Gavin O’Hara, who says the fraternity stood out from others during his rush process.

“Instantly when I (first) walked in I was sat down, I was greeted, people came and talked to me; and it wasn’t necessarily the same everywhere else,” he said.

Delta Upsilon members also said that they try to be diverse in their recruitment process, adding that’s something that they’re proud of, and continue to strive for.

Chapter member and economics senior Jordan Yudess said he has been with the fraternity since his freshman year and is proud of the growth he has seen.

“I felt at home, and we’re also really diverse,” Yudess said. “ You can be who you want to be.”

While the members are enjoying their new home, they’re also taking precautions after the recent expulsion from campus of another fraternity, Phi Kappa Theta.

“It’s not only a concern to us, (but) also to our alumni, that we keep up this growth and positive reputation on campus,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’d be a shame to lose everything that we’ve worked for.

Fitzpatrick added that they’re working to have more members to attend their chapter meetings, and get them energized to become leaders and entrepreneurs, focusing on the fraternity’s motto, “building better men.”

“I want to be able to come back in 20 or 50 years from now, and come back to the same house and see the group of guys that are maintaining the culture that we’ve instilled,” Fitzpatrick said.

‘Drone lab’ program works toward expansion

by Paulette STAFF WRITER

Villicana

San Diego State opened a Center for Unmanned Systems Technologies — better known as the “drone lab” — in late August.

Director of Emergency Services Lamine Secka, who is also the drone lab’s coordinator, said the program started with a donation from Aztec Parents Advisory Board member Terry Parisher, who owns his own unmanned aircraft systems company.

“He was the one that made the initial donation that made it possible to get some of our initial equipment,” Secka said.

The drone lab’s purpose is to teach people how to properly and safely integrate drones into the airspace and help them do so correctly, legally and safely, said Kevin Powers, the program’s manager.

It’s open to students and staff who are interested in learning about or getting involved with drones.

Although the drone lab is not a club or student organization, it focuses on student involvement and works with the geography, geology, film and homeland security programs at SDSU. Powers said the drone lab has also been collaborating with SDSU head baseball coach Mark Martinez to film the university’s baseball team.

And it’s been helping SDSU Facility Services by mapping current and future construction sites, Secka said.

“I’ve used it with the Engineering and Interdisciplinary Sciences building to try to determine where we can put evacuation assembly points for fire alarms,” he said.

A long-term goal for the drone lab is to develop an undergraduate program in Unmanned Systems Technology, Secka said.

“It’s just an initial discussion phase at this point,” he said. “It’s probably going to be a multi-year process.”

Powers said he is starting to write a curriculum for students to take a drone class as an elective. He said the goal is to

emulate North Dakota State University and Kansas State University, both of which offer a bachelor’s degree in Unmanned Aerial Systems.

“So we want to start with elective classes,” said Powers. “I have to write curriculum, for example, for a course that would cover basic safety, how to operate and how to get your license. And we will just keep expanding from there.”

Although Powers is the only person allowed to operate drones at SDSU at the moment, he collaborates with people like Alex Kavanagh, the founder and creative director of DRONEGEAR and a major influencer in the drone industry.

“Kevin reached out to me on social media and mentioned (the drone lab) to me because I’ve been doing tutorials and videos,” said Kavanagh. “I just automatically wanted to help and contribute with my expertise and

get some eyes on the program.”

Kavanagh said he is donating an old custom-made drone to the SDSU drone lab.

“It’s where it all started and it’s good for students to be able to pull it apart and see first-hand, from scratch how it all works,” he said.

In an effort to promote the program, Secka said he plans for the drone lab to begin hosting open house events.

“We’re hoping to have a number of speaker series where we bring in industry experts from all kinds of different entities and just have them in a casual environment talk to students, talk to faculty, staff, whoever is interested about the lab,” Secka said.

Students and staff can visit the drone lab on the first floor of the Chemical Sciences Laboratory building, Powers said.

Photo by Paulette Villicana

Alex Kavanagh, founder of DRONEGEAR, appears on camera for a video for his YouTube channel. ordinance

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Opinion

The Daily Aztec

Dec. 6-12, 2017 EDITOR: Dana Tsuri-Etzioni, opinion@thedailyaztec.com

Fighting to keep net neutrality is fighting for consumer rights

ASST. NEWS EDITOR Jasmine Bermudez OPINION EDITOR Dana Tsuri-Etzioni MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Jocelyn Moran ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Cami Buckman SPORTS EDITOR Zach Engberg ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Abraham Jewett DIGITAL SPORTS EDITOR Mary York ENGAGEMENT EDITOR Alex Piscatelli PHOTO EDITOR Kelly Smiley MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Mirella Lopez

Illustration by Noah Callahan

Throughout his time at the FCC, Pai was an ally to broadcasters by advocating for less regulation. In 2015, he voted against the FCC’s Open Internet Order that classified internet service under Title II of the Communications Act of 1934 which moved to regulate the internet like a utility.

With Pai being the chairman and proposing to eliminate internet service from Title II, he’s giving companies such as Comcast the ability to capitalize in a way not currently possible.

The future of the internet should not be something that the FCC leaves entirely up to large corporations that constantly try to find new methods to squeeze

consumers. It’s bad enough that they are allowed to charge consumers more for internet service based on throttled download and upload speeds.

Another tool to take advantage of consumers shouldn’t be allowed.

These ISPs are the same ones that also provide cable and satellite TV. They offer different packages that are more expensive the more channels offered.

Many people are getting rid of their cable/satellite TV subscriptions because they are using streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, where subscriptions tend to be at a lower cost. According to MoffettNathonson Research, about 762,000 pay-TV

subscribers cancelled their subscription in the first quarter this year.

These cable companies know consumers are doing this. They know they are beginning to lose money — and they also know ways to regain the lost revenue.

The FCC will vote on Pai’s proposal to end net neutrality on Dec. 14. Take action. Contact the agency and local representatives.

Make it known that net neutrality is the future of the internet, the future for innovation to be possible and the future to further extend the spread of information.

Gustavo Cristobal is a junior studying journalism.

Abusers in office must be held accountable

by Chance Page STAFF COLUMNIST

Many prominent figures have recently been exposed for their sexual misconduct, thanks in large part to the #MeToo movement.

This movement has emboldened sexual assault victims to speak out against their abusers, and has been successful in punishing some of these alleged abusers with a loss of jobs and sponsorships.

However, one field where sexual assault or harassment allegations have often failed to bring about the punishment of the accused is in government.

In recent weeks, prominent figures in both the Republican — U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore — and Democratic — Congressmen Al Franken and John Conyers — parties have been accused of various acts of sexual abuse. Coupled with allegations that surfaced more than a year ago of current President Donald Trump committing sexual assault, this makes four accused men — if Moore wins his election — serving at the highest level of government.

These also represent four men who have faced little backlash among their political allies for these actions, with Moore still

MANAGING EDITOR Lilly Glenister NEWS EDITOR Will Fritz

by Gustavo Cristobal STAFF COLUMNIST

Net neutrality should not be up for debate. The argument to get rid of it is fueled by the greed of special interests — the telecoms.

Net neutrality is defined as the principle where internet service providers have to treat every piece of data on the internet the same.

These companies cannot legally charge different rates or slow down the download speed of websites, applications or platforms.

If net neutrality is lost, companies such as Verizon, AT&T and Comcast can decide who will have a large internet platform and who will not. This will take away consumer rights to communicate freely.

Fast lanes and slow lanes would become the new standard for websites. It would disrupt the way information is distributed.

These companies could then legally sell consumers different priced internet plans based on the websites offered.

Under the Trump Administration, companies gained one of the most influential seats within the Federal Communications Committee.

Ajit Pai is the current chairman of this regulatory agency. In February 2001, Pai served as Associate General Counsel at Verizon. In 2011, he was nominated into the FCC’s Office of General Counsel and served until 2016.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Andrew Dyer

running in Alabama and Trump and Franken remaining in office.

Only Conyers has been pushed out of office, announcing that he was stepping down on Tuesday.

The allegations against Moore haven’t shaken the support of the Alabama GOP. Trump also recently announced his support for Moore in the Senate race. It appears that prominent senators, including Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell are retracting their previous promise of expelling him from the Senate if Moore is elected. While Moore has had his support erode after his allegations of child molestation came to light, there is still a large possibility of him winning according to a CBS News poll released Sunday.

The Republican party initially rejected Moore after allegations emerged, but later accepted him again by reinstating funding for his campaign. This mirrors their handling of the Trump allegations when they emerged in October 2016.

After 16 women came forward with allegations of sexual misconduct committed by Trump, many Republicans condemned him and swore not to support him. However, by election time, most Republicans returned to the fold. There was no action taken

against Trump when he took office.

It is not just Republicans who have failed to punish their colleagues for their misconduct.

Two Democratic congressmen who have been accused of sexual harassment also remain in office.

Four women have come forward alleging that Sen. Franken from Minnesota, had sexually harassed them. One account showed Franken groping one of his alleged victims while she slept. Some of his Democratic colleagues have condemned him.

However, regardless of recent polls indicating he lost a lot of support in Minnesota, many of his colleagues have chosen to stand by him. Franken remains in office.

John Conyers Rep. from Michigan and the ranking Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, was accused of making unwelcome advances on congressional staffers. He then used federal funds to quietly settle with his accusers. While there is less support for Conyers than the others mentioned, some of his fellow Democrats, including House Minority Speaker Nancy Pelosi, cast doubts on the allegations.

Conyers finally stepped down on Tuesday, but the hesitance of Democrats

to condemn Conyers is still disturbing.

Despite the recent #MeToo movement to out sexual abusers, there are still many people, including their political allies, who support the accused.

Even the claims of a single accuser who has no documented evidence should be thoroughly investigated.

These abusers must held accountable. Voters should not vote for them when they are up for election. This ensures that they are denied a public position of power in which they can commit these abuses.

For quicker action, call or e-mail representatives. Demand that they take action against their abusive colleague.

But most importantly, in the same way that powerful politicians should hold their colleagues accountable, we too should serve as positive forces for justice in our communities. Not only should we condemn abusers who are politicians or famous people, but we should also not defend bosses, co-workers, friends or family members who act in an abusive manner.

Chance Page is a junior studying journalism and political science.

SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR David Santillan VOLUNTEER EDITORS COPY EDITOR Brian del Carmen EDITOR-AT-LARGE Jacob Sisneros ART DIRECTOR Aiden Prehatny GRAPHICS ASSISTANT Noah Callahan SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Julianna Ress Cassidy McCombs Sydney Sweeney Emely Navarro STAFF WRITERS Gustavo Cristobal Paulette Villicana Carolina López Rebeca Reyes Chance Page Sofia Bert Mayer Pohlod Paula Niederland CONTRIBUTORS Jeffrey Chacon STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS Alex Vasquez Petey Dyer David Cortez Alby Sanchez ________________________________ ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Connor Brooke SALES MANAGER Peter Saridakis ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES George Saridakis John Weil Josh Diaz Rauda Valerie Barrientos Miguel Souza Kaden Cowles Garrett Munt ACCOUNTING & CONTRACTS Tyler Burnett Meah Mapp ________________________________ GENERAL MANAGER/ADVISER Jay Harn GRAPHICS SPECIALIST Christopher Blakemore ________________________________ EDITORIAL 619.594.4190 editor@thedailyaztec.com ADVERTISING 619.594.6977 advertising@thedailyaztec.com PRINT The Daily Aztec publishes 5,000 copies of its weekly print edition every Wednesday throughout the semester WEB Daily content is available at www.thedailyaztec.com QUESTIONS/COMMENTS letters@thedailyaztec.com ________________________________ The views and opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of The Daily Aztec.

Dec.6-12 2017 EDITOR: Jocelyn Moran, mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Mundo Azteca

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5

Estudiante de UCLA explica encuentros de estudio sobre estudiantes transfronterizos por Carolina ESCRITORA

López

El primero de diciembre, Estefanía Castañeda, una estudiante que estudia un doctorado en ciencias políticas en UCLA, compartió con la Universidad Estatal de San Diego el inicio de un estudio en el que encontró que los estudiantes y personas de alto ingreso económico que cruzan regularmente la frontera San Ysidro-Tijuana tienen percepciones negativas de las autoridades con mayor cantidad que otros grupos.

Castañeda dijo que la interacción que tienen los estudiantes ciudadanos quienes cruzan a los Estados Unidos diariamente es la primera y, por ende, la de mayor importancia.

“Si esta experiencia es negativa”, va afectar la manera en que (los estudiantes transfronterizos) se identifican como estadounidenses y cómo perciben la sociedad estadounidense en general”.

Entre los 800 voluntarios transfronterizos, los cuales fueron cuestionados por Castañeda y su equipo en el trolley de San Ysidro durante un mes, también se encontraban personas quienes

Foto por Carolina López

Estefanía Castañeda explica encuentros de estudio a la comunidad de SDSU.

no eran ciudadanos, personas quienes no eran estudiantes y estudiantes de bajo ingreso económico.

Ninguno reportó mayor percepción negativa que los estudiantes y las personas de alto ingreso.

Una de las teorías que podría explicar esto es porque tienen mayor conocimiento de sus derechos e identifican cuando existen injusticias.

La frontera San Ysidro-Tijuana es la más traficada del mundo.

La cultura de viajeros transfronterizos es un tema

poco explorado y hablado de, especialmente en las escuelas.

Castañeda dijo que es por esto también le gustaría un futuro de investigar de qué manera afectan a los viajeros estas percepciones negativas en sus participaciones políticas.

Un impacto directo que tienen los estudiantes es en el desarrollo académico.

Estudiantes como Castañeda se levantan temprano para cruzar, y toman el trolley de San Ysidro a su destino, lo cual puede sumar 4 horas y de regreso otras dos.

Llegar tarde a clases o dormir

en sus carros son unos de los desafíos que enfrentan estos estudiantes.

Concientizar a los profesores y la universidad es el propósito que tienen las investigaciones de Castañeda y su equipo Organización Estudiantil de Alianza Transfronterizo, quien organizó el evento en SDSU. Castañeda también propone un cambio de política en donde los estudiantes quienes no residen en California califiquen para ayuda monetaria adicional, porque finalmente residen el 80 por ciento del tiempo en Estados

Unidos.

Cassandra Drake, quien estudia una maestría en educación y será parte de entrenamientos para concientizar sobre esta población, dijo que hay que cambiar la idea de que estos estudiantes, quienes son ciudadanos, no viven aquí y solo utilizan recursos que no les pertenecen.

“Existe un estigma con los estudiantes que vienen a nuestras escuelas, que se están acabando nuestros recursos”, dijo Drake.

“En realidad, tienen todo el derecho de estar aquí”.

Vanessa Falcon, quien estudia su doctorado en ciencias políticas y quien es presidenta de TASO, organizará en el semestre de primavera 2018 una serie de entrenamientos en donde se compartirá información sobre esta aparentemente población invisible.

Además, también invitará al personal de la universidad que se unan como “aliados”, los cuales pueden ser identificados por los estudiantes transfronterizos y podrán acudir para confianza y apoyo.

“Existe un sentimiento antiinmigrante”, dijo Falcon. “No es fácil ser abiertos sobre este tema, especialmente con esta ‘era de Trump’”.

Autora habla sobre la representación latina en la literatura

Isabel Quintero habla con la comunidad de SDSU sobre la representación latina en la literatura.

por Rebeca ESCRITORA

Reyes

La escritora chicana, Isabel Quintero, vino a hablar a estudiantes de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego sobre la importancia de la representación latina en literatura para jóvenes, adultos y niños el 28 de noviembre.

La lectura fue la primera parte de la serie “Literatura de los Niños y lo Digital”, cuyo enfoque es navegar las maneras estéticas diferentes en la literatura infantil, presentado por los profesores Jessica Pressman y Phillip Serrato del departamento de literatura.

Quintero habló sobre lo que la motivó a escribir su libro “Gabi, una Niña en Pedazos”, la cual

se trata sobre una chicana y su adolescencia. Ella dijo que fue el entendimiento y la realización de que podía escribir sobre ella.

Quintero dijo que la primera vez que vio a alguien como ella en un libro fue en la universidad, ya que todo lo que aprendió antes era desde el punto de vista de hombres americanos.

“Fue la primera vez que supe que mexicanos podían ser escritores a un nivel profesional”, dijo ella. “No sabía que hacíamos eso”.

Quintero dijo que Gabi, la chica principal en su libro, se parece a ella físicamente. Es chaparra, pasada de peso y de piel clara pero también es alguien franca.

“Aunque yo era franca sobre

Foto por Jocelyn Moran

ciertas cosas, me daba miedo cuestionar mi cultura y mi familia porque es como ser una traidora”, dijo ella. “‘Esta es tu cultura, debes estar orgullosa.

Esta es tu familia, debes estar orgullosa’”.

Otra razón que motivó a Quintero escribir sobre Gabi fue el hecho de que ella no sentía que la diversidad de las experiencias de los chicanos estaban plasmadas en libros.

“Siempre somos los inmigrantes trabajadores, o las mujeres sumisas, o el trabajador amable que ayuda al hombre blanco. Eso somos”, dijo ella.

“Pero también somos idiotas, y adictos, y doctores, maestros y tantas cosas que debemos escribir esas historias”.

Quintero dijo que quiso escribir sobre adicción ya que es un tema tabú.

“Y creo que es a través de las culturas que no hablamos de adicciones porque es algo vergonzoso”, dijo ella.

Ella dijo que el padre de Quintero sufrió de adicción, y no se hablaba de eso en su casa.

“Creciendo fue, ‘tu papá está mal’, como si estuviera enfermo”, dijo Quintero. “Y es como ‘no, él no ha venido a casa en tres, cuatro días, él está más que enfermo’”.

Ella dijo que su experiencia de chica con su padre y la adicción la motivó a querer escribirlo y compartirlo.

“Fue importante para mí escribir un libro sobre eso”, dijo Quintero. “Sobre una joven, ser una adolescente, una honesta adolescente y lo que es pasar por eso”.

Al crear sus personajes, Quintero dijo que no solo trata de poner una parte de su persona, pero también representar la diversidad entre mexicanos.

“Somos tan diversos en ser mexicanos y mexicoamericanos en San Diego, al estar tan cerca de la frontera”, dijo ella.

Sus padres son de México, su madre de Guanajuato y su padre de Sinaloa, y emigraron a los EE.UU en los ‘70s.

Quintero dijo que ella se convirtió en la traductora de sus padres al crecer, ya que ambos no hablaban inglés.

“Tienes ocho años y estás llenando formas del pasaporte o cartas de emergencia para la escuela y cosas que tus padres

deberian de hacer”, dijo ella.

La escritora dijo que sus padres no crecieron con la oportunidad de tener una educacion en México, pero ambos la motivaron a seguir su educación e ir a la universidad.

“Mi mamá me decía, ‘cuando vayas a la escuela’, no era ‘si vas a la escuela’”, dijo Quintero. “Era ‘cuando vayas’ a la escuela’”.

Ella dijo que su amor por la escritura vino de leer con su madre cuando ella tenía cuatro años.

“El sentarme con mi mamá que estaba aprendiendo a leer en inglés, y yo que estaba aprendiendo a leer fue mágico”, dijo Quintero. ”Las palabras se convirtieron en amor para mí.

Las palabras se convirtieron en eso para mí, en familia, en comunidad, una manera de comunicarse con otras personas”.

Carolina Enríquez, estudiante de tercer año de inglés, fue al evento ya que le gusto el libro “Gabi, una Niña en Pedazos”.

“Fue muy honesta y franca hablando de su familia y de sus padres, y me puedo identificar como una familia de inmigrantes”, ella dijo.

Estudiante de cuarto año de inglés, Vanessa Rodríguez, asistió el evento ya que se identificó mucho con el personaje principal del libro, Gabi.

“Es verdad lo que ella dice, mucha literatura que se enseña es eurocéntrica”, dijo Quintero.

“Así que escuchar estas historias que son tan similares a nuestra comunidad es muy emotivo y personal”.

6

Mundo Azteca

The Daily Aztec

Dec.6-12 2017 EDITOR: Jocelyn Moran, mundoazteca@thedailyaztec.com

Autora visita a SDSU para leer su novela y compartir experiencias con estudiantes

Foto por Alex Vasquez

Siel Ju lee una historia de su novela a la comunidad de SDSU.

por Jeffrey Chacon CONTRIBUIDOR

Autora Siel Ju leyó dos historias de su nueva novela, “Tiempo para Pastel”, en frente de profesores y estudiantes el 29 de noviembre como parte de la serie Memorial de Laurie Okuma.

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Ju es una autora ubicada en Los Ángeles. Su más reciente trabajo, “Tiempo para Pastel”, ganó el premio de mejor manuscrito ficción en el 2015 Red Hen Press.

“Tiempo para Pastel” es una novela compuesta de varias historias cortas que capturan los momentos diferentes de la vida

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Ju dijo que no le dio un nombre a la protagonista porque así, el lector puede relacionarse más con ella.

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“Yo escribí “Tiempo para Pastel” con un fuerte deseo de capturar esos momentos que todas las mujeres experimentan en differente periodos de su vida”, dijo Ju. “Las emociones que experimenta a cada nivel de edad”.

“Cuando el lector está leyendo, yo quiero que diga que ella ha sentido eso mismo o que ella ha estado en esa misma situación”, dijo Ju. La primera historia en “Tiempo para Pastel” y la primera historia que Ju leyó se llama “Cómo No Tener Un Aborto”.

La historia se trata de las decisiones que hace la protagonista cuando se embaraza mientras ella todavía es una estudiante de la secundaria.

La protagonista se embarazó con un amigo con quien ella apenas conocía.

En la historia, la protagonista describe cómo ella se siente ir a la clínica a tomar una prueba de embarazo y cómo se siente decirle a alguien que está embarazada por causa de él.

Después de leer las historias, Ju dio consejos sobre cómo publicar un libro.

Ju dijo que cuando ella tenía el manuscrito listo, ella comenzó a

leer mucho libros.

Cuando encontró un libro que era similar a su manuscrito, ella le mandó mensajes a los agentes que representaba a esos autores.

“Si el agente representaba a ese autor, quien tiene libros similares a los míos, quizás el agente estaría interesado a representar a mí también”, dijo Ju. También aconsejó que investigaran a pequeñas empresas porque hay varios que tienen competencias una vez al año donde el ganador recibe dinero y su manuscrito es publicado.

Así fue como Ju publicó “Tiempo para Pastel”. Ella mandó el manuscrito a una competencia que Red Hen Press estaba haciendo, y ella fue la ganadora.

“Estamos muy emocionados de tener una feroza autora quien está comprometida a escribir por autores femeninos, cuyas voces son marginadas”, dijo Megan Marshall, directora de la serie Hugh C. Hyde Autores Vivos.

“Cuando encontré el libro de Ju, ‘Tiempo para Pastel’, estaba encantada.

Siel Ju es una realista de las consecuencias que ocurren en la vida”.

Dec. 6-12, 2017 EDITOR: Cami Buckman, arts@thedailyaztec.com

Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

7

Cannabis event smokes opioid addiction

By Sofia Bert STAFF WRITER

The Community Alliance nonprofit will host its first ever “Cannabis 4 the Cause” event this Friday, Dec. 9. The event will take place in two parts: one open discussion that is free admission from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and a fine art fundraiser gala from 6-9 p.m.

This event specifically targets the medical benefits of using the natural remedies of cannabis to treat Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy.

The first portion will take place in Montezuma Hall and is free admission for anyone.

This segment will have featured speakers like Heather Manus, Ken Sobel, Brian Krumm and Kyle Turley.

The second portion of the event is a gala featuring musicians Denny Seiwell, Marlon Martinez and Sami Shapiro, as well as artists John Jazanjian, Dale Mathis, Chris Green, Linda Jacobson, Mark Lewis, Nic McGuire and Mikel Patrick.

“Our goal is to reach out to as many people in need,” former SDSU Monty Montezuma and C4C member Carlos Gutierrez said. “There’s a lot of sick people we can see it in our military with

PTSD and CTE in regards to concussions from soccer players to football players to people in car crashes.”

The discussion will be targeting the science behind the endocannabinoid deficiency and the use of cannabinoids in helping understand and better treat PTSD. With CTE, the goal of the conversation is to create an opportunity to do further research and create protocol that will prevent more injuries from happening during athletic events.

Former NFL player and SDSU alumni Kyle Turley will be speaking at the first event discussing his company, Neuro Armor, and his experience making the transition from using opioids to cannabis.

Neuro Armor is a CBD oil company that works to combat brain injuries in sports and is a natural preventative to brain injuries.

“I do not take one opiate or synthetic medicine to date going on three years now, and I feel significantly better than I did when I was on opiates,” Turley said.

He said he believes cannabis can stop the opioid epidemic America is currently facing and wants to educate people on the medical uses of marijuana rather than the recreational use.

Graphic by Aidan Prehatny

“It’s not about getting high, but it’s about relief and getting better and using it in a healthy place and not getting addicted to opiates,” Gutierrez said.

He said this is the first “Cannabis 4 the Cause” event and it was chosen to be hosted at SDSU to incorporate the educational aspect of studying and researching the plant to better understand its medical benefits.

“It’s imperative that universities research this and study it and document it in

studies with collegiate athletes,” Turley said.

Turley used to be an athlete.

He said he wants to help set up a protocol and a way to prevent head injuries that cause CTE so other athletes don’t have to suffer from an addiction to opioids like he did.

This event will have an open discussion, but will not be selling any marijuana products.

“We want to pay it forward to the community with healthiest alternatives” Bianca Martinez, event coordinator, said.

“Many people are just into the recreational side and I wanted something with no products, only educating the public.”

Those putting on the event encourage people to engage in the conversation and have an open mind to the science and medical research behind cannabis.

To RSVP and purchase tickets go to www.cannabis4thecause. com.

“Come learn about the truth and the science,” Turley said.

8

The Daily Aztec

Arts & Culture

Dec. 6-12, 2017 EDITOR: Cami Buckman, arts@thedailyaztec.com

Art exhibit displays inmates’ memories

By Sydney Sweeney SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Memories may be stored mentally, but they are rooted in physical, tangible pasts often worthy of reflection. And though it’s common to reflect on one’s own yesterday, the opportunity to hear and physically share someone else’s nostalgic tales is far more unique.

In “Spaces from Yesterday,” the latest exhibition running at the San Diego State Downtown Gallery, Oakland artist and art educator Amy M. Ho displays her capacity to not only listen attentively to the stories of her students, but also interpret those accounts with an abstract and powerfully illustrative eye.

The exhibition features three collaborative projects created

by Ho, who teaches art at San Quentin State Prison, and incarcerated artists Chanthon Bun, Dennis Crookes and Bobby Dean Evans Jr. The showcased works in “Spaces from Yesterday” are poised as installations and paintings of various scales that symbolize places significant to these inmates’ lives before prison,.

These visual manifestations are Ho’s method of documenting and processing her students’ stories in hopes that project allows the men to share their own memories– from locations to associated experiences–with the world, she said.

“All of the works in this project have their start in storytelling and listening,” Ho said about the concept behind the exhibition.

“So many of the stories I hear felt special, and I soon began to feel like I was carrying all of them in my mind and heart everywhere I went. I wanted to record them in some way, and it made a lot of sense to (use) visual art.”

Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Ho’s relationship with her students is the environment in which it fostered: an art

classroom at San Quentin, which she recognizes to be an open studio where artists from different levels of expertise work in parallel.

It was during these free-flowing classroom sessions that inmates like Bun, Crookes and Evans Jr. expressed their pre-incarceration recollections, and Ho found herself invested in their memoirs.

Similar to how the open studio atmosphere promotes a partnership between an individual student and teacher, Ho also said that she would work conjunctively with the collaborators of “Spaces from Yesterday” to accurately create the visual depictions of the sentimental spaces.

Along with exchanging ideas, she said she simultaneously envisioned the structures’ appearances.

“As I’m hearing the stories, my imagination runs wild,” she said. “Later in the studio, I create models and mockups of potential installations.”

This dedication to respectfully detailing the inmates’ remembrances won’t come as shocking to those familiar with Ho. Indeed, “Spaces from Yesterday” aligns with the artist’s interest in

Photos by Alby Sanchez

The Last Summer by Amy M. Ho and Chanthon Bun, is a collaborative piece featured in “Spaces from Yesterday.”

Bay Area prison became her zone of activism and, eventually, inspiration.

However, noteworthy is the idea that stories told in the San Quentin classroom–those of which now manifest as mixed media and wooden depictions

“So in many ways, it’s about humanizing them and sharing these stories outside of the prison walls.”

– Tina Yapelli, SDSU professor and ‘Spaces from Yesterday’ curator

human rights reform.

“At one point I thought I would be a human rights activist,” Ho said.

She said she deliberated how she could participate in prison reform as an artist. Hence, the

here in San Diego – can serve to inspire more than Ho and the exhibition’s audience.

The places and things of the past can possibly spark motivation in the inmates, too, the curator of “Spaces from Yesterday,” Professor

Chanthon Bun’s smaller model is part of the larger collaborative piece with Amy M. Ho featured in “Spaces from Yesterday.”

Tina Yapelli, said.

“While the exhibition provides insight to the pre-incarceration lives of these individuals, the fact that one of the student-artists has since served his time and is now living and working outside the prison system also provides hope for the future of other inmates,” Yapelli said.

That formerly incarcerated artist is Crookes, who now resides in Los Angeles.

As for enlightening the free public about prison reform, Yapelli believes the exhibit is powerful enough to raise awareness about the prison population and, more importantly, the potential for inmates to rehabilitate. “(‘Spaces from Yesterday’) shows that they aspire to a better life, they have this urge for creative expression,” she said. “All of the works reference places that were important to these men before they were incarcerated. So, in many ways, it’s about humanizing them and sharing these stories

outside of the prison walls.”

Ho said she admits that she doesn’t expect a single art exhibition to entirely eradicate anyone’s preconceived notions about those imprisoned.

She wants viewers to consider the idea of inmates as regular people, “like everyone else.”

“I think the spaces depicted in the show reflect how everyone, inmate or free person, cherishes home and family,” she said. “I see (the exhibition) as (a way of) planting a seed, and hopefully someday down the line, people can learn to extend compassion to those who need it most.”

The projects of Bun, Crookes, Evans Jr. and Ho will be presented via two installations crafted by Ho and numerous paintings by the three student artists, along with a model of an additional installation.

“Spaces from Yesterday” and its compelling message has graced galleries in Northern California, but the SDSU Downtown Gallery is the first institution in the state’s southern half to feature the exhibition. Yapelli said the gallery also makes for an interesting venue because of its relative location to the San Diego Central Courthouse and the San Diego County Jail.

“I think it’s an ideal venue for this project that humanizes the inmates that are living in downtown San Diego in our prison system,” she said.

In this sense, Ho’s exhibition touches base with both social and local issues. And aside from raising cognizance about prison reform and the normality of those incarcerated, Ho said she hopes that each person leaves the show with their own, new remembrances.

“I hope that in each person’s memories of the installations lie (the men’s) stories and experiences,” she said. “I like the idea that through those memories, (the artists), the viewer and myself all become linked forever.”

“Spaces from Yesterday” is free to the public and showing until Jan. 28, 2018. The SDSU Downtown Gallery is open Thursday through Monday, 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Dec. 6-12, 2017 EDITOR: Zach Engberg, sports@thedailyaztec.com

stadium renderings continued from page 1

different “garden rooms.”

The garden rooms will have a variety of outside seating options and will be serviced by food trucks, traditional concession stands, modified shipping containers, or even be treated as beer gardens.

The garden rooms can be used every day of the year but will be gated off and reserved for stadium patrons on game day.

The north end of the stadium will host the student section with adjacent seating on either side and will have fixed seats as well as standing room areas with drink rails.

The north end will also have a garden room catered towards students needs, with food priced within a student’s budget and geared more towards their overall tastes.

The university will be working with architectural design firm POPULOUS, which specializes in designing large entertainment venues and stadiums.

Scott Radecic, a founder and Senior Principal at POPULOUS, said the goal of the proposed stadium is to host all kinds of different sporting events, including a potential MLS team, and that the 35,000seat stadium could be expanded to 55,000 seats to accommodate the needs of an NFL team if necessary.

“The goal objective from the beginning was to create a 35,000-seat multi-purpose stadium, home to Aztec football, being able to accommodate soccer and an MLS team, someday being able to accommodate

Sports a future NFL franchise if they came back to the city, and also provisions for concerts and all kinds of other events,” Radecic said.

SDSU football head coach Rocky Long spoke about what a new stadium would mean not only to the program but to the entire athletic department.

“This is an exciting day for every one of us in the athletic department because we see this as an avenue and an ability with a new stadium for us to go to bigger and greater heights,” Long said. “It needs to be done and it needs to be done quick so everybody in this community, as well as our school and our athletic department, get to benefit.”

The unveiling came one day after the university formally released its architectural renderings to the public of its plans for a multi-use stadium, along with an expanded campus on the current SDCCU stadium site.

“Our vision for this location is a worldclass university campus, research center, and stadium venue,” SDSU President Sally Roush said. “Expansion at this location would allow San Diego State University the opportunity to grow, and to further our mission to educate a diverse and highly-educated workforce.”

The new renderings are the latest step forward for the Friends of SDSU group, as they try to get the required 71,000 signatures needed to get on the Nov. 2018 ballot.

If on the ballot, they would compete against the SoccerCity initiative, which hopes to turn the Mission Valley site into a stadium for a Major League Soccer team, along with retail and residential spaces.

Armed Forces Bowl continued from page 1

freedoms, and we understand that,” he said. “When those whistles blow on Saturday… for that 60 minutes that doesn’t matter, but when that 60 minutes is over we’re extremely honored and proud of those guys.”

The game will be a 0Texas homecoming for 13 SDSU football players, including senior defensive lineman Sergio Phillips.

“It’s a blessing to go back to Texas,” Phillips said. “Some of my family hasn’t seen me play, so they will be able to this time.”

Aztecs offensive coordinator Jeff Horton is one member of the coaching staff from Texas, and said that he and other Texas natives are excited to play back home.

“We’re excited about going home, and the team’s really excited about having an opportunity to go play and have a good time,” Horton said. “(It’s) a great reward for them and the hard work they’ve put in this year.”

SDSU played in only one afternoon game this season, and Horton said that he is excited for the team to get more exposure from fans away from the West Coast, especially in regards to watching senior running back Rashaad Penny, who leads the nation in rushing yards this season with 2,027.

“All the people that were sleeping during the year when we played that don’t realize that Rashaad Penny was the best player in the country, maybe they’ll

The Daily Aztec

9

be awake at 2:30 on that Saturday,” he said.

The game will feature two of the top running programs in the country, with Army leading the nation in rushing offense with 368.1 yards per game, while SDSU ranks 12th with 252.25 yards per game.

“I told our receivers if they don’t think we throw the ball enough, Army has thrown it 18 times all year,” Horton said.

“We’re like an air raid team compared to Army. If it wasn’t on TV, it would be a really short game.”

SDSU, for its part, has been tough against the run this season, and ranks eighth in the FBS in rushing defense, allowing only 110.4 yards per contest.

The game was one of the last of the 40 bowl matchups announced, and while some players began to feel anxious, sophomore running back Juwan Washington said that everyone was excited once the selection finally came out.

“It was great once we found out who we were playing,” Washington said. “We saw that we’re playing a great team so all the team was excited about that to see how tough we are.”

There had previously been rumblings about the Aztecs facing a Power 5 opponent in the Foster Farms Bowl.

But after the Selection Committee left a Big Ten Conference team out of the fourteam playoff, that spot became the Big Ten’s to fill.

This is the ninth consecutive season that the Aztecs will play in a bowl game, the last eight of which have come during Long’s tenure.

COLUMN

Bowl disappointment shouldn’t tarnish Aztecs’ season

by Mayer Pohlod STAFF COLUMNIST

It’s safe to say the 2017 San Diego State football season didn’t end as well as hoped.

At the end of September, emotions and expectations were high.

Coming out of its exciting upset win over the Stanford Cardinal on Sept. 16, SDSU jumped into the AP Top 25 at No. 22. Another impressive win against Northern Illinois saw the Aztecs reach No. 19, their highest ranking since the ‘70’s.

Many residents of San Diego, including myself, were confident this would be the year football would be playing in the next year in a New Year’s Six Bowl.

Well as John Steinbeck said, “Best laid plans often go astray.” If you need evidence, just look at the bowl game SDSU actually ended up with this year.

The Armed Forces Bowl against Army is a more underwhelming selection than most experts projected However, it doesn’t mean that all is lost.

While many may be disappointed by the admittedly underwhelming assignment, there’s still an opportunity to showcase what the premier sports team in San Diego is capable of.

Army also poses an intriguing matchup for the Aztecs.

Namely, the Scarlet and Black will be facing something of a mirror of themselves on Dec. 23.

SDSU prides itself on a dominant rushing attack complemented by a strong defense on the ground and in the air.

The Black Knights have an even deadlier ground game in place - they lead the FBS with 368.1 rushing yards per game.

Compare that to the Aztecs, who are twelfth with 252.3 yards per game.

That’s more than 100 yards less than the team with one of the best running backs in senior Rashaad Penny and one of the best offensive lines in all of college football.

If you like the physicality and

Photo by Kelly Smiley

Rashaad Penny stretches the defense duting SDSU’s 34-28 win over NIU on Sept. 30.

viciousness that comes with the run game then this bowl is for you.

It’s also for good reason.

While they may be at the top of rushing offense, they’re found at rock bottom when it comes to passing. Particularly, they’re dead last in passing yards (335), pass touchdowns (two), and passing yards per game (30.5).

The matchup does nothing to undermine the success of the team once again achieved this year too.

Penny is still going to be the main attraction, and SDSU fans should still savor the fact that they get at least one more opportunity to watch the future NFL star suit up in the Scarlet and Black one more time.

It’ll be entertaining to see what he can do against a Black Knights defense that has allowed 154.3 rushing yards per

game.

In games against the three teams ranked higher than that, Penny has struggled in losses against Boise State and Fresno State where he rushed for just 53 and 69 yards respectively, while he was much better against the win against Northern Illinois (107 yards).

The contest will be the ninth bowl game in a row for the Men on Mesa, showing a remarkable consistency for one of the top two teams in the Mountain West Conference over the last decade.

The last two seasons have definitely put the football program on display for the rest of the country.

Before Pumphrey and Penny blossomed into stars, it hadn’t been since the days of Marshall Faulk and LaDainian Tomlinson that America’s Finest City was recognized for its football prowess.

As disheartening as the selection may appear, it doesn’t take away from any of the Aztecs’ recent accomplishments.

If anything, it’s just another stage for Penny and the rest of Long’s squad to showcase the talent that propelled them to such a high ranking this year.

FOLLOW US /daaztecsports @daztecsports @daztecsports /daztecsports

10

The Daily Aztec

Sports

Dec. 6-12, 2017 EDITOR: Zach Engberg, sports@thedailyaztec.com

Aztecs cruise to big victory over Bradley

by Abraham Jewett ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

If the San Diego State men’s basketball team was playing with tired legs on Sunday afternoon, it certainly did not show.

The Aztecs (7-2), playing in their fifth game in 11 days, made quick work of the visiting Bradley University, jumping out to a big lead and never trailing during a 7552 victory at Viejas Arena.

Bradley (7-2) came in boasting a 7-1 record but fell behind by as many as 29 points against the Scarlet and Black.

“I’m happy with our performance tonight, (the) fifth game in 11 days that’s always a challenge,” SDSU head coach Brian Dutcher said. “We’ve been playing a lot of games, but I thought our kids competed at a high-level today.”

SDSU shot 44 percent from the field in the game – compared to 33 percent for the Braves – and outrebounded Bradley, 4624.

“We defended well, we rebounded well, and that usually leads to a good outcome,” Dutcher said.

The Aztecs were led on offense by redshirt freshman forward Jalen McDaniels, who finished with a game-high 14 points and 12 rebounds.

“I just used my quickness to try to get around them and it just works,” McDaniels said.

SDSU did not appear bothered by the absence of senior guard Trey Kell, the team’s second-leading scorer, who missed his second straight game with an ankle injury.

Photo by Petey Dyer

Senior forward Malik Pope rises for a dunk during the Aztecs 75-52 victory over Bradley on Dec. 3 at Viejas Arena.

“He lets me know if he can play or not.

I know he’s tough, so I know he wouldn’t refuse me if I said, ‘I want you to be ready to go in case I need you,’” Dutcher said.

“He’s close, but he’s not 100 percent. It’s a luxury for me to have such a good bench where I didn’t have to put him out there.”

Aztecs senior forward Malik Pope finished with 13 points and 6 rebounds but played only five minutes in the first

half after committing two fouls in the first five minutes.

Pope came out hot in the second half, scoring 11 of his 13 points after the break.

“I tried to do what I could in the second half to make up for lost time, do what I can to help the team,” Pope said.

The Aztecs built a 22-3 lead to begin the game and led by as many as 22 points in the first half after junior guard Devin

Watson hit a three-pointer to give the Aztecs a 27-5 lead with 8:23 to go before the break.

Watson finished with nine points in 34 minutes, three days after scoring 26 points and playing all 40 minutes in the Aztecs’ 66-57 victory over the University of San Diego. “(Watson’s) an energizer bunny,” Pope said. “He definitely likes to keep the tempo going.”

Junior guard Jeremy Hemsley added 13 points, five rebounds, and five assists for the Aztecs.

Bradley was able to cut the Aztecs lead to 37-23 going into halftime, thanks to sophomore guard Darrell Brown’s eight points during an 8-3 run to end the first half.

Brown led the Braves with 10 points at the break, but scored only two points in nine minutes in the second half, after he was forced to sit down following two personal fouls in the first two minutes.

Bradley shot only 33 percent in the first half, and its shooting woes continued after halftime, with the team missing its first four shots during an 8-0 SDSU run coming out of the break.

“Give (SDSU) a lot of credit,” Bradley head coach Brian Wardle said. “They’re good. They’re big, they’re long. They’re physical and they play physical without fouling. It’s what we’re trying to get to. We have to get a lot tougher and a lot better.”

SDSU’s next game is on Dec. 9 against the University of California, Berkeley, as the team looks to remain undefeated at Viejas Arena.

Dec. 6-12, 2017 EDITOR: Zach Engberg, sports@thedailyaztec.com

Sports

The Daily Aztec

11

Heisman leaves Penny off of final ballot by zach engberg SPORTS EDITOR

The Heisman Trophy Trust announced the three finalists for the 2017 Heisman Trophy award on Monday afternoon, leaving senior San Diego State running back Rashaad Penny off the final ballot.

University of Oklahoma senior quarterback Baker Mayfield, Stanford University junior running back Bryce Love and University of Louisville junior quarterback Lamar Jackson were named as the finalists for the prestigious award given to the nation’s top player.

Penny, who leads the FBS in all-purpose (2,698) and rushing yards (2,027), was not invited to the ceremony.

Offensive coordinator Jeff Horton said that he doesn’t understand how the committee could exclude Penny.

“It’s supposed to be awarded to the best player in college football,” Horton said.

“But to not even be included in the final selection, to me I just want to know what the criteria is... maybe I haven’t seen the fine print where it says if you aren’t from a Power 5 school, it doesn’t matter.”

All three finalists hail from a Power 5 conference – Mayfield in the Big 12, Love in the Pacific-12 and Jackson in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Love, who rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns in the Aztecs’ 20-17 win over Stanford on Sept. 16, is second in the FBS with 1,973 rushing yards and leads the nation with 12 rushes of 50 yards or more.

Mayfield is a finalist for the third consecutive season. He is second in the nation with 4,340 passing yards and 41 touchdowns against five interceptions, and the Sooners are the No. 2 seed in the College Football Playoff. Mayfield led the Sooners to a 12-1 record and a conference championship.

Jackson, who won the award in 2016, has 4,932 yards of total offense and 42 total touchdowns, leading the Cardinals to an 8-4 record.

Many teammates took to Twitter to express their discontent, including junior safety Parker Baldwin.

“It’s a shame one of the best players in the nation gets no respect because of the school, and conference he plays in,” Baldwin tweeted.

Senior running back Tyler Wormhoudt also tweeted in defense of his teammate.

“Respect to the top 3 Heisman finalists but there is no reason @pennyhendrixx shouldn’t be on his way to New York!,” Wormhoudt tweeted. “Y’all snubbing my

Photo by Kelly Smiley

Rashaad Penny outruns the Wolf Pack during SDSU’s 42-23 win over Nevada on Nov. 18.

guy left and right… you’re going to see how great he is at the next level! Penny is my Heisman!”

Penny responded to the social media outpouring, tweeting that he is focused on the Aztecs’ upcoming bowl game.

“Appreciate all the love and support… still have one more game left,” Penny tweeted.

SDSU will face off with Army in the Armed Forces Bowl on Dec. 23.

Sophomore running back Juwan Washington, Penny’s understudy in the backfield this year, said that Penny is taking the snub better than his teammates.

“All the players are more upset than Rashaad is,” Washington said. “He’s gonna play no matter what and he’s gonna give us his best and help us win games. We just take it how it is.”

Senior defensive lineman Sergio Phillips said that getting overlooked is nothing new, but that Penny will prove all his doubters wrong.

“We’ve always been underdogs in everything we do, but his true colors will show,” Phillips said.

Defensive coordinator Danny Gonzales said that the Heisman committee have the wrong running back in New York, and that Penny will prove himself at the next level.

“I think Rashaad Penny is the best back in this country,” Gonzales said.

“The running back they have in New York is not the best running back in the

country... you will find out next April who the NFL guys think the best running back is. If I was one of those guys, he will be the first running back I would pick.”

This is the second major award committee that has snubbed Penny, who finished the season with four consecutive 200-yard rushing games.

Coming off of his 428-yard, threetouchdown performance against the University of Nevada, Reno, Penny was left off of the Doak Walker Award

list in favor of Love, senior Penn State University back Saquon Barkley and freshman University of Wisconsin back Jonathon Taylor.

Barkley was at one point regarded as the clear favorite for the Heisman before dropping off during the second half of the season.

The Heisman Trophy ceremony will be aired on ESPN on Dec. 9 at 8 p.m. EST, where the winner of the 2017 award will be named.

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The Back Page

The Daily Aztec

Metamorphosis: From a couch potato to a kids Krav Maga instructor

By Paula Niederland STAFF WRITER

I have zero natural athletic ability and this is no exaggeration. My roommates make fun of the way I look when I run and I am probably one of the most uncoordinated, unathletic people you will ever meet—that’s why all of my friends laughed when I told them I was hired as a fitness instructor (for children) at a kickboxing and Krav Maga academy.

Throughout my childhood, the activity I hated the most was running.

No, scratch that.

I hated anything that required me to move beyond what the average American moves. I never liked gym class in school, and yes, for every game of kickball I was usually one of the last few to get picked.

Fast forward to a random Tuesday in September when I had extra time between classes. At the time, my bank account balance was so depressingly low that I would actually procrastinate checking how much money I had.

Therefore, I felt it best to use those 10 minutes between classes to search for jobs. That was when I stumbled upon a Craigslist job advertisement targeting enthusiastic, friendly applicants who are somewhat athletic.

I felt I fit the description, especially because I happened to wake up at 7 a.m. that morning to go for a jog.

I quickly drafted an email to the employer. I stated reasons why I should be hired, attached my résumé and walked into Storm Hall immediately after for my Spanish class.

The employer responded to my email and I came into the academy a couples of days later for an interview. I had gotten the job and was invited to a kickboxing class followed by a Krav Maga class later that week to see if I would like working there.

That brings me to Sept. 25: the first kickboxing class I took in my life.

By this point, I am a sophomore in college who no longer hates moving.

In those 45 minutes, I did combinations consisting of a jabcross, hook punch, round kick and push kick. I successfully completed the kickboxing class and I was surprised at how much pleasure I felt hitting and kicking a stationary cylindrical bag.

I left the class feeling confident, as if I could conquer the world.

Fast forward to the second kickboxing class I had ever taken: the class where I incorrectly round kicked the punching bag, resulting in my self-diagnosed sprained toe.

Conquering the world becomes quite the challenge with the addition of a swollen, blue and grey toe.

Despite the embarrassment and minor pain the injury caused me, I stayed for the following Krav Maga self-defense class that began five minutes after the kickboxing class.

There was nothing that felt more foreign to me than Krav Maga.

As a 5-foot-3-and-a-half-inch tall, rather vulnerable looking, girl I didn’t have any knowledge of fighting nor defending. The class was full of men significantly older than me and certainly stronger than me, and I was

expected to learn choke defenses, how to escape a headlock and so on.

No wonder my friends laughed.

Nonetheless, I continued to train in both the kickboxing classes and the self-defense classes. After all, it was my job to instruct kids’ martial arts classes.

Fast forward to today.

I have been working at the academy for over two months now. I assisted in well over 60 martial arts children classes and Saturday marked a new stage for me.

At 9 a.m. last Saturday, I taught my very first kickboxing class... for adults!

One may interpret this story as Paula Niederland’s way of humble bragging to The Daily Aztec readers of San Diego State, but this tale is meant to be lighthearted, humorous and inspirational.

Although athleticism never came naturally to me, there is a whole realm of possibilities out there. However, these possibilities only exist if one shoots their shot.

My arms noticeably gained definition and I am positive that if I were to be assaulted and forced to fight my attacker, my attacks would have a greater impact than it would have had two months ago.

With 2017 approaching its end, please remember to follow your dreams, particularly the ones you didn’t know you had.

More importantly, believe in yourself, even if it means shrugging off your friends’ disbelief and laughter.

Lastly, try something new, especially if it means getting a sprained toe somewhere along the way.

Dec. 6-12, 2017 Editor: Cami Buckman • arts@thedailyaztec.com

SUDOKU HOW TO PLAY Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit 1 to 9.

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Photo by Petey Dyer

Redshirt freshman forward Jalen McDaniels led the Aztecs with 14 points and 12 rebounds off the bench in their 75-52 victory over Bradley at Viejas Arena on Dec. 3.

ACROSS 1 Rope often coiled 6 __ Lanka 9 Selassie of Ethiopia 14 “One more time!”

15 See 16-Across 16 With 15-Across, cochlea site 17 *Intricate feature of some Victorian gardens 19 Anglican leader 20 Rainbow hue 21 Eye part that may become detached 22 What circled R’s may indicate: Abbr.

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52 Badminton court divider 53 President after Jimmy 54 “Bob’s Burgers” daughter 56 Emcee’s opening 57 Diamond in the rough ... or a literal feature of each answer to a starred clue 60 Give direction to 61 Salinger’s “Franny __ Zooey” 62 Tender beef cuts 63 Frost-covered 64 “Certainly!”

65 Lived DOWN 1 __-di-dah: pretentious 2 Number on many a birthday card 3 Extremely cruel 4 Communicate with a deaf person 5 Antsy 6 Neptune, for one 7 Shaving device 8 Boiling blood 9 Collective intelligence 10 Baker with Grammys 11 Cut into

12 Use for support 13 Knight-__ 18 Demeanor 21 Artifact 22 Bankrupt airline 23 Battleship call 25 Microbe 27 Poet Teasdale 31 Obama, e.g.: Abbr.

32 African antelope 34 The Stars and Stripes 35 Rowed 36 Dreadful 37 Manhattan concert hall 38 Bauhaus artist Paul 41 Superlative suffix 42 Like Shrek 43 “ASAP!” 44 Beverage brewed outdoors 46 Not seeing eye to eye 47 Gulf War missile 48 Lancer’s protection 50 Challenger 51 Flared skirt 55 It may come down in winter 57 Stable serving 58 Photo blowup: Abbr.

59 Salt Lake City hrs.