09-30-2020

Wednesday, Sept, 30 - Tuesday, Oct. 6 Weekly Digital Edition

Vol. 107, Issue 1 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

SDSU surpasses 1,000 COVID-19 cases, limited in-person classes to resume Oct. 12 Brenden Tuccinardi EDITOR IN CHIEF by

Since Aug. 24 San Diego State has reported 1,080 cases of COVID-19 associated with the university, the vast majority among students, and more specifically students living off-campus.

The spike in cases associated with the university drew stark criticism from College Area and San Diego County residents who blamed students for jeopardizing the county’s reopening plan.

However, the number of new cases associated with SDSU seems to be trending downwards.

Over the past three days, SDSU has reported daily case counts below 10. On Sept. 29 only three

cases were reported. The day before only five.

According to the university, 11 students are currently in isolation housing and 119 are quarantined in their on-campus residences.

To date, 389 on-campus residents have tested positive for the coronavirus compared to 669 off-campus students according to SDSU’s COVID-19 dashboard. 13 visitors, defined as someone who had exposure to an SDSU-affiliated individual, have tested positive along with eight faculty and staff members. None of the on-campus cases are connected to in-person instruction.

Four weeks ago, SDSU halted in-person instruction for nearly 200 courses after reporting 64 new cases.

Graph by Brenden Tuccinardi Over 1,000 cases are now associated with San Diego State.

On Sept. 29, President Adela de la Torre announced in a campus-wide email a limited number of in-person courses would resume on Oct. 12, extending the

initial four-week pause by seven days.

2,100 students will be enrolled CASES see PAGE 2

Joseph I. Castro chosen as next CSU Chancellor

Online petition demands tuition, fee refunds due to COVID-19

by Jadyn

Brandt NEWS EDITOR

by

The California State University system has announced Dr. Joseph I. Castro will replace Timothy P. White as the system’s eighth Chancellor, starting early next year.

The announcement was made through the CSU Board of Trustees meeting on Wednesday.

Castro is both the first California native and the first Mexican-American to serve as Chancellor of the CSU. “I want to thank all the members of the Board of Trustees for your confidence in me during this consequential time,” Castro said, during the live-streamed board meeting. “And I want to thank Chancellor White for his valued mentorship and support over the last several years. He definitely has big shoes that I need to fit into here.”

Castro has served as President of Fresno State University since 2013 and has held leadership positions at five other California

San Diego State students are voicing their opposition to high fees through a Change.org petition demanding refunds for campus service fees not provided due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The petition, which has nearly reached its goal of 5,000 signatures, was created by communica-

Patrick Doyle STAFF WRITER

tions and television, film and media senior Kelsey Santin over her concerns of increasing fees while most students aren’t on campus.

“Students are not receiving an interchangeable quality of education and educational experience, which were promised and therefore expected upon their commitment to the university,” Santin writes in the petition. “A lessened quality of edPETITION see PAGE 2

Photo courtesy of the CSU

universities.

Chancellor White announced his retirement in October of 2019, after nearly eight years in his position. The board had planned to announce their selection of White’s successor back in March, as White was originally prepared to retire last June. However, both actions were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

CHANCELLOR see PAGE 2

The petition has amassed over 5,000 signatures from SDSU students demanding refunds

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The Daily Aztec

CASES:

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in an in-person course, the email stated. Prior to the pause, 6,200 students had in-person classes.

The full list of courses resuming in-person instruction is available on the registrar’s webpage.

The majority of these courses are upper-division or graduate-level deemed to be essential for student degree completion, de la Torre wrote in the email.

“Like colleges and universities across the nation, we face the challenge of maintaining our core mission while protecting public health during a pandemic,” de la Torre wrote. “To be clear: this mission is education, and it must continue.”

Accessible and quick COVID-19 testing is imperative for this mission to continue. SDSU’s mandatory testing protocol is still ongoing and expanding.

SDSU received approval from the California State University system to enforce a mandatory testing requirement for all undergraduate and graduate students taking in-person courses. This is in addition to all students living

CHANCELLOR: continued from page

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Former California State Students Association President and San Diego State alumnus Michael Wiafe served on the selection committee. He said he’s excited for Castro’s leadership.

“He understands some of the challenges that students and the system are facing, and through some of his examples at Fresno

PETITION:

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ucation should be met with lessened tuition.”

The frustration over tuition comes just weeks after SDSU informed its on-campus population that a stay at home order was in place due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

“Many of the things included in our tuition and fees are inaccessible,” Santin said of students off-campus. “Like the gyms, pools, fields, library, student union, campus stores, health center, etc. If we lose resources which are included in pricing, then we should receive reduced and fair pricing.”

Santin herself is not living on

News on-campus who continue to be tested randomly.

Students will be tested at least every 14 days, the email said. Additional information about this requirement will be shared with students through their SDSU email accounts.

Beyond SDSU, San Diego County is reporting improving case counts as well. On Sept. 29 the county’s case rate fell to 6.7 cases per 100,000 residents, down from 6.9 a week earlier. This places the county more securely in the red tier of California’s color-coded reopening plan. In order to move to the less-restrictive orange tier, San Diego County must maintain a case rate of fewer than 3.9 cases per 100,000 residents for two weeks. That calculates to an average of 133 or fewer cases per day, according to county data.

County health officials continue to implore residents to follow public health guidelines, wear facial coverings and maintain physical distance. President de la Torre echoed these sentiments.

“Individual actions are foundational to any campus plan and public health overall,” de la Torre wrote.

Sept. 30 - Oct. 6, 2020 Editor: Jadyn Brandt

On-campus residents anxious as cases rise Brenden Tuccinardi and Jayne Yutig by

Students living in on-campus housing are anxious and uncertain as the COVID-19 outbreak at San Diego State continues to escalate.

As the community grapples with the severity of the rising case numbers, students living on campus are self-isolating and communicating in group chats with neighbors to track who might have symptoms.

Some students are even making preparations for the possibility of being sent home. Though the university has repeatedly reassured residents this will not be the case.

Ryan Harper, a freshman studying hospitality management was shocked that SDSU’s stay-at-home order, which ended Sept. 14, didn’t come sooner.

“I’m surprised that SDSU came out with the stay at home order see

ONLINE

State is committed to fighting them for a better future,” Wiafe said. “As the first Mexican-American to hold the position of Chancellor, he also serves as a beacon of representation in higher education leadership, statewide university leadership is starting to more reflect the population of the student body both at CSU and UC.” In a statement, university president Adela de la Torre said, “As a native Californian and current

president of Fresno State University, Dr. Joseph Castro is an excellent choice to lead CSU as the new chancellor. Dr. Castro and I both share deep roots in the Central Valley and fully appreciate how access to public higher education transformed our lives.

He offers a timely and important perspective to the role of higher education, and I look forward to working with him as CSU’s newest Chancellor. “

campus, but a lot of students who have signed the petition, like business administration junior Dustin Do, feel the same way.

“Given the circumstances, I don’t believe students are utilizing the services on campus nor do I think most of them are even available at this time,” Do said. “Therefore, it makes no sense that we have to pay full tuition.”

Other supporters of the petition like physical therapy sophomore Hunter Gauthier claim the school risks pushing away its students.

“This is the school telling its students that it only cares about the money,” he said. “If the administration keeps this greedy capitalistic mindset up, many students will take the Spring 2021 semester off

and focus on work or internships.”

Santin’s petition calculates the university should return between $884 – $989 each semester to students due to the services unable to be utilized. She also requests the university refund these fees for the Spring and Summer semesters in 2020 which were transitioned to online as well.

“All CSU students are facing this exact problem of unfair tuition and pricing,” Santin said. “SDSU is a great school, and under normal circumstances these prices are fair, at times high, but fair. These are not normal circumstances however.”

For more information on coronavirus at SDSU, visit the university’s official COVID-19 webpage.

EDITOR IN CHIEF Brenden Tuccinardi NEWS EDITOR Jadyn Brandt ASST. NEWS EDITOR Katelynn Robinson OPINION EDITOR Trinity Bland MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Daniel Guerrero ASST. MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR Noé Sandoval ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR Devin Whatley SPORTS EDITOR Kyle Betz ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Luis Lopez SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Catlan Nguyen PHOTO EDITOR Alexa Oslowski ASST. PHOTO EDITOR Amanda Orozco VIDEO EDITOR Angela Kurysh ASST. VIDEO EDITOR Mackenzie Stafford GRAPHIC DESIGN EDITOR Emily Burgess SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Ryan Hardison Catherine Van Weele STAFF WRITERS Aaliyah Alexander Patrick Doyle Jayne Yutig CONTRIBUTORS David Ahumada Maya Rodriguez ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Bryan Diamond MARKETING/PR DIRECTOR Roxana Becerril EDITORIAL editor@thedailyaztec.com ADVERTISING advertising@thedailyaztec.com PRINT The Daily Aztec publishes 5,000 copies of its weekly print edition every Wednesday thoughout the semester when we are not in a global pandemic.

WEB Daily content is available at www.thedailyaztec.com SOCIAL MEDIA

@thedailyaztec @TheDailyAztec /DailyAztecVideo /thedailyaztec The views and opinions expressed in this issue do not necessarily reflect those of The Daily Aztec.

Sept. 30 - Oct. 6, 2020 Editor: Trinity Bland

Opinion

The Daily Aztec

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The emotional well-being of Black Americans is declining because of social injustice Trinity Bland OPINION EDITOR by

Black Americans have been plagued by racial discrimination including profiling, police brutality, voting restrictions and mass incarcerations for generations. At this point, the number of victims increases every day and it is a moral outrage.

After the brutal murder of George Floyd earlier this year and after the recent case results in regards to the Breonna Taylor investigation, there have been riots, demonstrations and protests all over the world and although they do not have an end in sight, they are considered to be the broadest in history.

After several weeks of sustained and occasionally disruptive activism, it is impossible to turn a blind eye to the civil turmoil we, as a people, are facing — whether you are a Black American or not.

Though a vast majority of the

Black Lives Matter protests were peaceful, the use of force by authorities in a number of demonstrations is a very disturbing indication.

Black Americans are typically apprehensive when it comes to the police and law enforcement, because of what has occurred over the course of history. After Floyd’s death, ill, infuriating and uneasy feelings have only intensified among Black Americans.

As violent police encounters involving Black Americans dominate news headlines and political coverage, the social unrest paired with the COVID-19 pandemic has undeniably placed a detrimental impact on Black Americans’ emotional wellbeing. In that, The U.S. Census Bureau found anxiety among Black Americans had increased by 26 percent and depression increased by 22 percent.

While Floyd’s killing ignited the innumerous protests worldwide,

One night of fun isn’t worth contracting COVID-19 Catherine Van Weele SENIOR STAFF WRITER by

Humans are social beings.

College students in particular crave human interactions.

This is a period in life when many young people leave their homes for the first time to live independently.

Students are encouraged to go out, have fun, meet new people and be social during their college years.

With many students experiencing a lack of human connection for several months now since the beginning of the COVID-19 quarantine, there is a strong desire to go out and socialize. Freshmen, in particular, may feel the desire to reach out to new people as they begin to try to navigate college on their own.

While this desire for human connection is certainly understandable, students need to be responsible and limit their social interactions as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to plague our communities.

San Diego State is encouraging students to keep six feet of space between people outside of their household, wear masks in public spaces, and not attend or host any parties. Additionally, the Interfra-

the Black Lives Matter movement has also organized all types of demonstrations surrounding other victims of police violence and racism across the country. To see people from all walks of life come together has been a beautiful sight to see as the protests seem radically more diverse. Even pop culture influencers, athletes and politicians have spoken out about the innumerous amount of victims and the unfortunate social unrest our

The original message of selfcare has been mistranslated

ternity Council (IFC) has imposed a social moratorium banning social events such as fraternty parties.

SDSU has stated they will be holding students accountable and will investigate any possible violations to their COVID-19 policy.

No matter how much the university promotes social distancing practices and tries to reinforce preventative measures, students are still going to socialize and party with one another. With only one week into classes, there have already been several sizable gatherings over the last few weekends see

Graphic by Emily Burgess

country is facing.

However, many victims of racial discrimination and police brutality have not received justice, which is perhaps the main triggering point for Black Americans in addition to the ongoing existence continue of these horrific incidents.

Black lives matter and many people understand and stand by this mere fact. However, when Black Americans see figures in pop culture or in politics speaking out about these issues at hand — whether often or seldom — it appears performative and bogus, driving the outrage of the Black community to a new depth.

The intensification of the Black Lives Matter movement has led to radical reform and action but what Black Americans want is justice and equality for all. We long for people to understand that our lives matter just as much as everyone else’s. We deserve to live a decent life and to be treated equally.

ONLINE

Graphic by Emily Burgess

Aaliyah Alexander STAFF WRITER by

The self-care movement has evolved so much over the past few years alongside the self-love movement.

Self-care and self-love are two phrases that are used interchangeably, but I think there is a difference between the two that we need to acknowledge.

According to theself-lovemovement.com, self-love is “the act of putting your own happiness and well-being first” and the definition of self-care is, “the practice of taking an active role in protecting one’s own well-being and happiness.”

I believe self-love can be a by-product of self-care. However, social media has boiled the selfcare movement down to an overindulgence of cinnamon-scented candles and bubble baths. Instead of having wholesome practices in place to take an active role in protecting our personal wellbeing, we unknowingly disguised laziness as an act of self-care.

Don’t get me wrong, taking a night to light some candles, do your nails and treat yourself to your fa-

Graphic by Emily Burgess

vorite show on Netflix is a way to care for your wellbeing. The problem is when we use these activities as an excuse to stay aloof and not partake in practical self-care rituals such as exercising, eating a balanced diet, taking breaks from social media and intentionally resting.

People often neglect these activities that are scientifically proven to boost our overall well-being because they often require planning and an active approach. Instead, we inherently do the things that are pleasurable such as eating junk food, watching hours of television and remaining idle.

Of course, self-care looks different from person to person, but using self-care as an excuse instead of a tool is the issue. see

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The Daily Aztec

Mundo Azteca

Sept. 30 - Oct. 6, 2020 Editor: Daniel Guerrero

Latinx Resource Center se enfoca en las culturas Afrolatinx y Afroidigines para la Celebración de la Herencia Latinx Daniel Guerrero MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR by

Para la celebración del Mes de Herencia Hispana, el Centro de Recursos Latinx tendrá evento virtuales y eventos para educar de y celebrar de la herencia Afrolatinx en latinoamérica y culturas indígenas.

La celebración, llamada ada Latinx Heritage Celebración, es la primera que ha organizado el centro.

El Centro de Recursos Latinx (LRC por sus siglos en inglés) tendrá como objetivo de celebrar y elevar la herencia Africana con un enfoque de las voces Afrolatinx y Afro Indígenas, según la publicación de redes sociales que el LRC anunció al l inicio de la celebración.

Después de un verano de protestas locales y nacionales del movimiento de Las Vidas Negras Importan, o Black Lives Matter por su nombre en inglés, Sánchez dijo que centrarse en la herencia afrolatina era importante para combatir el racismo sistémico y las desigualdades en nuestras comunidades.

Yessenia Sanchez, la directora del Centro de Recursos Latinx, dijo

Foto por Jadyn Brandt El Centro de Recursos Latinx celebró su gran inauguración en febrero, pero la pandemia de coronavirus ha desplazado sus recursos en línea durante el primer celebración de la Herencia Latinx.

que es muy importante reconocer las culturas y raíces de las personas que se identifican como Afrolatinx.

Sánchez dijo que el movimiento de Las Vidas Negras Importan atrajo más atención y conciencia sobre los problemas de la desigualdad y el racismo sistémico en los Estados Unidos. Ella considera estos problemas importantes para afrontar.

“Es crucial”, dijo Sanchez. “Las Vidas Negras Importan ha sido un movimiento no solo en los EE.UU., pero global.”

El Centro tendrá eventos virtuales con oradores invitados incluyendo los próximos eventos como “Bomba”, una actuación y taller de Lenguaje de Resistencia Afropuertorriqueña, y una serie de fotos de Afrolatinx en SDSU y más.

“Bomba” contará con la oradora invitada Ivelisse Díaz, artista y fundadora de La Escuelita Bomba de Corazón, una escuela de danza que ha brindado clases a diversas poblaciones de Chicago.

Estudiante de ciencias del ex-

presión, el lenguaje y la audición del segundo año Marlene Chávez Corona dijo que los eventos ayudan a conectar estudiantes a otros estudiantes Latinx.

“Hasta ahora, sus eventos han sido una oportunidad maravillosa para conectarse virtualmente con otros Latinx en SDSU,” dijo Chávez Corona.

La introducción de los eventos Afrolatinx no es solo para educar a la comunidad latinx como aliados del movimiento por la justicia social, sino también para reconocer las raíces africanas que tienen las personas que identifican como Latinx.

Cháves Corona dijo que es importante educarse con la cultura de personas que identifican como Afrolatinx e indegina.

“Creo que es esencial reconocer las diversas culturas dentro de la comunidad latinx,” dijo ella.“Reconocer el impacto de Afrolatinx y Afroindigenx en la gran cultura Latinx puede ayudar a hacer de SDSU una verdadera institución que sirve see

ONLINE

Columna: Los deportes de SDSU finalmente regresaron, pero no hay que olvidarnos de la pandemia en curso Daniel Guerrero MUNDO AZTECA EDITOR by

El anuncio que todos los aficionados de los deportes de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego estaban esperando.

Ya regreso a los deportes.

Después de que el NCAA cancelara los deportes en marzo, los aficionados y atletas estaban pen-

sando cuando los deportes regresarían.

El 24 de septiembre, esa espera se acabó cuando la conferencia Mountain West anunció que el fútbol americano se regresará el 24 de octubre y en noviembre podemos esperar el regreso del básquetbol masculino y femenine para los Aztecs.

Pero debemos olvidar lo que nos

Foto por Sam Mayo Los deportes del estado de San Diego, incluido el fútbol y el básquetbol masculino y femenine, regresarán durante la pandemia, pero lo harán sin fanáticos.

llevó a este punto.

Después de que se cancelaron los deportes en marzo y luego se cancelaron las clases presenciales del semestre pasado, el mundo se sintió de todo menos normal.

Los estudiantes se sentaron a anticipar si regresaríamos a la instrucción en persona en el otoño.

Lo cual, luego descubrimos que no estaba sucediendo y también nos enteramos de que las clases presenciales seguirán en pausa durante el semestre de primavera de 2021.

Ahora, tenemos una muestra de lo que era normal antes de que el coronavirus fuera un problema mundial. Podremos sentarnos y ver los deportes de SDSU. Aunque no podremos ver estos juegos en persona, es para lo mejor.

Cuando podamos volver con seguridad a los estadios, será un mayor sensación de normalidad, pero habrá que esperar.

El habitual escape de los deportes para distraernos de los problemas del mundo que enfrentamos había

desaparecido. Meses después, cuando pensamos que no tendríamos deportes SDSU este año, finalmente anunciaron un regreso.

Ahora tenemos ese escape de nuevo. Algo para alejarnos de la mente que sirva como interés común sin importar a qué equipo apoyamos.

Aún así, no deberíamos dar esto por sentado.

Con la emoción y ánimo que viene con el regreso de deportes, no deben de olvidar el aumento de casos de coronavirus en SDSU, el problema global y la pandemia en curso.

Los casos confirmados o probablemente de COVID-19 han superado los 1,000 en SDSU al 29 de septiembre y las pocas clases presenciales continúan en pausa desde el 2 de septiembre.

Será bueno poder sentarse y ver un partido de fútbol americano de SDSU. Especialmente considerando see

ONLINE

Sept. 30 - Oct. 6, 2020 Editor: Kyle Betz

Sports

The Daily Aztec

5

Mountain West Conference reverses previous decision, announces football will be played starting Oct. 24 Luis Lopez ASST. SPORTS EDITOR by

The Mountain West Conference announced it will reverse course on its earlier decision to postpone its football season to the spring, and begin playing games next month.

The conference made the official announcement on Thursday night via social media.

San Diego State football will begin its season on Oct. 24 with a shortened schedule of eight conference games. Should the Aztecs find themselves in the conference championship game, that will take place on Dec. 19.

“I am very excited that our football student-athletes are going to have the opportunity to compete this Fall,” athletic director John David Wicker said in a press release on Thursday night. “While we still have work to do with campus and local county colleagues on a full re-

File Photo Then-freshman wide receiver Jesse Matthews (left) and then-sophomore wide receiver Kobe Smith celebrate after a play during the Aztecs’ 48-11 win over Central Michigan on Dec. 21, 2019 at the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque.

turn to play, we have made significant strides in returning our players to practice in a safe and healthy manner.”

The return of the season is pending the approval of state, coun-

ty and local officials. While there has been no word from officials yet on what approval has been granted, other factors would indicate that SDSU should have no issues playing their season.

The Aztecs’ new temporary home, Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif., is currently playing host to the MLS’ LA Galaxy.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, SDSU should get the green light to play in Carson.

In a press conference last Wednesday, head coach Brady Hoke referred to an MWC call that he described as “very good.”

“I know our players want to play, (and) throughout the league we want to do what’s best for them,” Hoke said.

As of Thursday night, it is currently unclear if all 12 of the conference’s teams will go through with the season.

Aztec players spent Thursday night reacting to the news that they would get to play football again.

More information will be released by the conference in the coming days.

Women’s basketball reacts to NCAA decision on season Katelynn Robinson ASST. NEWS EDITOR by

After months of uncertainty, the NCAA announced Nov. 25 will be the official start date for the women and men’s basketball 2020-21 season.

San Diego State women’s basketball head coach Stacie Terry-Hutson said she had been hopeful about having a season.

“I was just really excited to have a season — I should say, appreciative to have a season,” Terry-Hutson said.

The season will start around the Thanksgiving holiday, when most college campuses will be at a low capacity.

“What I like about the Nov. 25 start date, I like the thought process of starting to play those games when we have less students on campus only because the (COVID-19) transmission rate gets lower,” Terry-Hutson said.

Junior guard Jayden Perez said she was both excited and surprised to hear about the start date.

“I think we are all just super excited that we have a date to look forward to now and something to move forward to instead of being

File Photo Sophmore guard/ forward Mallory Adams dribbles near the top of the key during the Aztecs’ 55-45 win over Cal State Fullerton on Nov. 17, 2019.

out in limbo, so it was super exciting,” Perez said.

The NCAA announced the season will be played with a reduced number of games. Each team will play a minimum of 13 games and have a maximum limit of 27 games.

Perez said the team will have to make the most out of the circumstances.

“I think we just have to make the best out of whatever they give us,” Perez said. “I mean, it is a limited number of games, but on the bright side, we are one of the teams having a season — one of the first teams having a season at that.”

Terry-Huston said she was not bothered by the limited number of games and the main priority is the health and safety of the team.

“I don’t mind the reduction of games because I think it is for the betterment of our student-athletes,” Terry-Hutson said.

Redshirt junior forward Mallory Adams said she was frustrated by the limited number of games, but she will approach the season “one game at a time” and is excited to be back on the court.

“It’s upsetting just because, of course, you want to have the most opportunities to play,” Adams said.

“But I think the strategy for the most part stays the same because we don’t really need to get ahead of ourselves. When we do that we aren’t as successful.”

During the 2019-20 basketball season, Adams only appeared in six games before suffering an ACL tear and was out for the remainder of the year.

Adams said she is recovering well from her knee surgery and is nearing the end of her physical therapy.

“I think we’re getting closer to the end of all the physical therapy,” Adams said. “Thank goodness, I’m sick of it. I’m ready to play some basketball.”

The official start date for full practices is Oct. 14, but until then, the team is allowed 12 hours of practice time a week.

“Now that (the practice start dates are) being said we are working with a different set of rules obviously with the virus,” Terry-Hutson said. “So just making sure we are bringing our kids back in a timeline that’s obviously helpful for us to compete at the highest level, but most importantly, to make sure our student athletes are safe.” see

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6

Arts & Culture

The Daily Aztec

Club Corner: Clubs endure changes during COVID-19 David Ahumada and Maya Rodriguez by

As the spring 2020 semester came to a complete halt, campus life was suspended for an undetermined amount of time. Groups, clubs and activities stopped along with in-person instruction, leaving the leaders of these organizations to become resilient in maintaining their organizations. For the fall 2020 semester, campus life will not return to its previous state, but clubs and organizations are working on adapting to a virtual environment.

SDSU Advertising Club San Diego State University’s Advertising Club has been an active organization since 1911.

President Cassidy Gonzalez took the lead in the club during the spring 2019 semester, after taking the fall 2019 semester off, she felt as if the club was ready to start up again for spring 2020.

“We built our executive board, we were ready to start the club,” she said.

After three physical meetings, the club had to stop operations due to COVID-19. Gonzalez had to move back home to Hawaii, and with the organization just beginning, it was difficult to keep moving forward with the club.

For the fall, Gonzalez’s approach is what she calls a “social listening” plan. This means a remote approach to communication, while simultaneously building a sense of community within the club itself.

“We’re trying to consider new modes of communication that would best fit our members’ needs,” Gonzalez said. “I want to be able to provide members with content that can be digested asynchronously.” see

ONLINE

Graphic by Emily Burgess

Sept. 30 - Oct. 6, 2020 Editor: Devin Whatley

Warner Brothers Studios hosts roundtable for new movie “Tenet” Ryan Hardison SENIOR STAFF WRITER by

“What the hell are we doing, what did I just read?”

This was John David Washington’s first impression when he read for the role of “The Protagonist,” the lead in director Christopher Nolan’s latest cinematic adventure “Tenet.”

Despite his wide-eyed introduction, Washington knew if anyone could pull off this absurd story, it’d be Nolan. After all, Nolan was the one who wrote it. But regardless of the film’s ambiguous nature, Washington couldn’t wait to get started.

“He chose me to be in it, so I’m gonna do my part, I’m gonna do my job and we’ll see what happens,” Washington said.

“Tenet” follows Washington’s character, an ex-CIA operative, tasked by Tenet, a secret espionage organization from the future,

Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon, courtesy of Warner Bros.

JOHN DAVID WASHINGTON stars in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action epic “TENET,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release.

to save the world from a mysterious apocalyptic threat. The film’s two and half hour run-time is highlighted by vulnerable performances, exhilarating action sequences, and a beautiful score from Ludwig Göransson.

Though it features many hallmarks of Nolan’s usual action fare, the film’s time-bending stunts, non-linear storytelling and outright rejection of the laws of physics set it apart from standard spy

flicks and safely among the acclaimed director’s most ambitious efforts.

In promotion for the film, Warner Brothers held a college roundtable interview with Washington.

The Daily Aztec got a chance to participate along with a fellow journalist from UCLA’s The Daily Bruin.

Throughout the interview, Washsee

ONLINE

National Association of Black Journalists look to start new chapter at SDSU

Photo courtesy of Jerry McCormick Journalism professor and Emmy-winning broadcast news producer Jerry McCormick is looking to start the first ever NABJ at SDSU.

Catlan Nguyen SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR by

This semester, the National Association of Black Journalists is looking to start their first chapter at San Diego State.

“I really wanted to start a chapter because in the JMS school, you don’t really see a lot of Black students in the classes, you’d see maybe two or three,” NABJ President Aleah Jarin said. “I just felt like we

need this organization on campus to show that Black student journalists do matter and are needed especially at a predominantly white school.”

Jarin is a staff writer for The Daily Aztec and is also vice president of SDSU’s Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. For her, starting a NABJ chapter at SDSU is all about promoting diversity and inclusion in the journalism business.

“In today’s climate, I feel like having that diversity in the media and journalists of color– I can’t stress how important that is,” Jarin said.

“You have to have the different perspectives and voices.

“You need people to be able to tell those stories right. I just want people to understand why we need these chapters at our school.”

Jarin said the organization plans to provide a space to support Black students, expose students to scholarship and internship opportunities and create networking events with working Black journalists in the field.

“Since it is the first chapter at State, I’m excited to be a part of history and I really want to collaborate with the Black Resource Center and Afrikan Student Union,” Jarin said. “I’m very passionate about this and excited to see it grow.”

SDSU NABJ Advisor Jerry McCormick has wanted to start a chapter at SDSU for years now see

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