03-04-2020

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Wednesday, March 4 - Tuesday, March. 10, 2020 Weekly Print Edition

Vol. 106, Issue 25 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

Study abroad programs halted due to coronavirus by Jadyn Brandt STAFF WRITER

Last month, San Diego State decided to suspend all study abroad programs in China and South Korea due to the coronavirus outbreak. Now, students studying abroad in Italy are also having their programs cut short due to the rapid spread of the virus. SDSU has now suspended all Spring 2020 study abroad programs in Italy due to a level three warning issued by the Centers for Disease Control last week, according to the university. A level three warning is issued when there is a widespread transmission of an illness within a community, according to the CDC website. It is recommended that travelers avoid all nonessential travel to Italy. An email was sent out by Academic Programs International Associate VP of Student Health, Safety and Success Carolyn Lutes to SDSU students currently studying in Italy saying the program would

be suspended and that they would need to leave the country by March 6. The email said API will consider reopening Italian programs if the CDC’s warning level is downgraded. “Specific academic concerns will be addressed next week,” the email said. “Financial considerations will be evaluated in the coming weeks, once we are able to determine if the program will resume and what API’s non-recoverable costs are.” A March 2 blog post on the API website provided a safety update to students in all 23 countries included in the API program. The post laid out its current guidelines for canceling a study abroad program and alerted students of the CDC’s most recent public statement. Associate Vice President and Chief Communications Officer La Monica Everett-Haynes said the university is in contact with all SDSU students who are abroad in Italy and will be offering support for their return. Everett-Haynes added that

there will be no changes to class schedules at SDSU due to the coronavirus. “With the exception of study abroad programs in China, South Korea and Italy, SDSU remains open and classes will continue as usual,” Everett-Haynes said in an email. “No plans currently exist to cancel classes, and SDSU will not plan to do so unless directed by the San Diego County Health and Human Services Agency.” Students who need assistance in making plans for departure from Italy are encouraged to call On Call International, API’s insurance carrier, at (855) 2268490. All members of the SDSU community are encouraged to follow the most current direction of the CDC which includes practicing healthy habits and good hygiene, washing hands often and/or using an alcoholbased hand sanitizer that contains a minimum of 60% alcohol and paying attention to one’s health during travel and for 14 days after leaving an area affected by the coronavirus.

Olympic medalist and most decorated track athlete visits campus by Johann Derek Oribello SENIOR STAFF WRITER

With a growing need and recognition for gender equality in the workplace, San Diego State’s Women in Business organization invited ninetime Olympic medalist and the most decorated track and field athlete in history, Allyson Felix, to headline the fourth annual Women in Entrepreneurial and Leadership Forum. The Feb. 27 event aimed to address gender inequality by providing women the skills and confidence necessary to navigate through the competitive workforce. Felix spoke at the engagement to share her journey and inspire future business leaders and entrepreneurs by sharing her experiences as a female athlete. Some of the conversation centered on the intersection of work and motherhood. At the event, Felix discussed her New York Times op-ed released last year regarding

Nike’s lack of paid maternity leave for its athletes. Her story prompted significant public outcry that resulted in the company changing their policies, ensuring maternity protections for all its female athletes around pregnancy period, according to an update from the op-ed. Felix said her peers who shared similar experiences inspired her to write her op-ed, which was warmly received as many women in other industries also felt her story reflected theirs. “Other friends of mine who were in the sport had their contracts paused and their likeness was still being used, they were still required to do appearances,” Felix said. “I’m glad that I decided to do that because I had a lot of other women reach out to me who’ve had similar experiences across different industries saying this is not okay. We really wanted to do something about it. SEE MEDALIST, PAGE 3

Sophomore Success program affects Greek life housing by Jadyn Brandt STAFF WRITER

As San Diego State approaches its second year implementing the Sophomore Success program, students in Greek life are having trouble finding eligible sophomores to fill beds in their respective houses. Part of the Sophomore Success program, Sophomore QUEST, works to improve student retention and graduation rates by requiring all non-local sophomores to live on-campus for a second year. Previously, non-local students only had to live on campus during their freshman years. Greek houses are not considered campus housing because they are not owned by SDSU, which means not all sophomores who hope to live in their sorority or fraternity houses will be able to do so. History sophomore Lindsey Cannon is a member of Gamma Phi Beta and said the limit placed on the number of

File Photo.

Since Greek houses aren’t campus housing, SDSU limits sophomores who can live in houses.

sophomores who can live in her sorority’s house means the cost unfilled bed spaces falls on the other members. “(Housing) gives us a quota which limits the amount of

sophomores who can live-in,” she said. “(The sophomores) are usually the majority of people who live-in so then we all have to split the cost of the empty beds.”

Business freshman Avalon Schenone is also a member of Gamma Phi Beta and planned on living in her sorority house next year. But it wasn’t the university that prevented her

from staying in the house, it was the sorority’s requirements that she was unable to meet. “I was going to (live in the sorority house) but honestly I just didn’t have enough merit points so I couldn’t,” she said. “Since so few sophomores can live-in because of sophomore success, it goes by who has the most points.” Schenone said although her inability to live in the sorority house didn’t have much of an effect on her, she knows other members who, if unable to live in their sorority house, wouldn’t be able to afford other campus housing options. She also said there could be potential issues with a lack of revenue for the sorority if bed spaces are unable to be filled. According to Director of Student Life & Leadership, Caryl Montero-Adams, sophomore students were originally completely unable to live in Greek houses under the SEE GREEK LIFE, PAGE 2


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03-04-2020 by The Daily Aztec - Issuu