10-21-2020

Wednesday, Oct. 21 - Tuesday, Oct. 27 Weekly Digital Edition

Vol. 107, Issue 4 www.thedailyaztec.com

San Diego State University’s Independent Student Newspaper Since 1913

Aztec football lives... here?

Dignity Health Sports Park is a sneak peek into the future with Aztec Stadium by

Devin Whatley

ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

INSIDE THE ISSUE

This season, San Diego State football will be playing eight games on the gridiron, but none of them at SDCCU Stadium.

In fact, they won’t even be in San Diego at all. Instead, try going two hours north up Interstate 5.

On Sept. 15, SDSU Athletics announced the Aztecs would be playing at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California for the 2020 and 2021 football seasons, expediting construction of Aztec Stadium by demolishing the Mission Valley site completely.

Despite the road trip, playing in a smaller 27,000seat stadium will provide players, coaches and fans an inside look into the future.

Two years from now, Aztec Stadium will open its gates to welcome 35,000 fans to a new era of SDSU football in Mission Valley.

With its ongoing construction and the team’s current move to Carson, getting the opportunity

to play at a smaller venue can allow student-athletes, coaches and staff to experience a similar feel to that of the new stadium.

As a fan, one of the best parts about experiencing any sporting event at a stadium is the intimacy within the atmosphere. The closer fans are to the action of the game, the more likely it is for them to be able to connect with the game, bring energy and create a great atmosphere.

An issue with SDCCU Stadium was despite having a seating capacity fit for an NFL team, the concrete structure was not ideal for SDSU football from a fan experience standpoint.

The student section seats and other sections along the plaza level were too far from the field, and as a result, depreciated the interaction many people had with the game and with players.

Many college football venues encourage student interaction by placing them close to the field to funnel in noise for opposing benches.

FOOTBALL IS BACK Aztecs preparing for UNLV, new coaching staff See page 5

By playing games in a smaller venue at Dignity Health Sports Park, it allows for SDSU Athletics to experiment with different techniques of student and fan engagement and game atmosphere.

This can give them a peek into the future at Aztec Stadium, where current map plans place both students and fans closer to the field than ever before.

Dignity Health Sports Park also makes it easier for SDSU Athletics to prepare for gameday operations – with or without fans in attendance.

For example, television crews broadcasting football games have to rely on the availability of certain angles and views within the stadium to provide a great experience for viewers.

In Carson, there is more space around Dignity Health Sports Park in comparison to SDCCU stadium that creates a unique viewpoint for fans with the cameras.

SDSU athletic director J.D. Wicker said the move to Carson can allow for

broadcast crews to showcase a premier experience to Aztec fans, which is ideal considering local current health guidelines.

“Having the ability to come in, set up and do the television experience that we want to put out led us to where we are,” he said.

Also, when Wicker and SDSU Athletics picked up the keys to SDCCU Stadium, it was in such poor shape to where it would have been “impossible” to be able to get it ready by this November.

Now, with a move to a new, smaller venue in Carson, gameday operations become easier and thus different without spectators in the stands.

Wicker mentioned selecting Dignity Health Sports Park as the venue for the next two seasons was done with the players in mind.

“It was all about the student-athlete experience,” Wicker said in a press conference.

Some of the players have already taken a liking to the new amenities of the

BAKER NAMED STARTER Sophomore Carson Baker outduels Georgia Tech transfer, named week 1 starter See page 5

Graphic by Emily Burgess

stadium – from the locker room, to the quality of the field – after the team’s intrasquad scrimmage on Oct. 10.

“Dignity Health (Sports Park) is a beautiful stadium, and we know we’re lucky to have something like this,” senior offensive lineman Kyle Spaulding told SDSU Athletics. “A lot of schools don’t get stuff like this and we’re getting taken good care of up here. It’s a beautiful field, beautiful facility and I’m excited to have our season up here.”

The biggest benefit for players, coaches and training staff? Expanded locker rooms with modern designs and all the bells and whistles of a stadium fit for today’s college football standards. Also, with the ability for extra space, it can be utilized in case a player has to go through COVID-19 protocols.

Sophomore quarterback Carson Baker said despite California’s public health regulations prohibiting fans from attending games at see

ONLINE

THE END OF AN ERA San Diego says goodbye to a piece of history: SDCCU Stadium See page 6

2

News

The Daily Aztec

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2020 Editor: Jadyn Brandt

Residents of all backgrounds rally behind Prop 16 by

Patrick Doyle

STAFF WRITER

Supporters of affirmative action organized a rally in downtown San Diego last Friday, Oct. 16 to show their support for Proposition 16 on the November ballot in California.

Prop 16 would repeal Prop 209 (passed in 1996), which prohibits California’s governments and public universities from “discriminating against or giving preferential treatment” to anyone based on “race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin.”

The passage of Prop 16 would allow for affirmative action in universities, or the increased representation of minority populations who have been historically marginalized.

“I understand that when you first read it it kind of makes you think they’re going to discriminate

Photo by Brenden Tuccinardi Nicki Sanchez, a first-year business administration student at San Diego State spoke at the rally held at Waterfront Park in front of the San Diego County Administration building.

against people,” Nikki Sanchez, a first-year business administration student at San Diego State, said.

“But I would tell them to really think about their workplace, their education…and really consider who they see there, what they’ve experienced, what they’ve heard.”

Sanchez was one of 10 speakers at the rally, which took place in front

of the San Diego County Administration Center.

The speakers came from varying backgrounds, ranging from students to local community organizers.

An array of participants in the rally stood behind the speakers holding up handmade signs in support of the proposition. Some signs read “no to racist divides, yes to equality,” with others reading “equal

pay, equal opportunities, leveling the field.”

“It’s not just education,” UC Berkeley student Sarah Farouq said. “Prop 16 impacts every single way of life. It impacts how you get access to opportunities.”

Many at the rally spoke about the negative impact Prop 209 has had on California, and why they believe it has barred so many women and minority populations from having equal opportunities.

Prop 16 will be on the ballot of every Californian in 2020. A yes vote repeals Prop 209 and allows affirmative action. A no vote keeps Prop 209 intact, thus continuing to prohibit affirmative action.

Eligible California residents who missed the Oct. 19 deadline to register to vote online can register in person on Election Day, Nov. 3.

Cost-saving measures make a dent in SDSU budget gap, but CSU cuts create uncertainty by

Brenden Tuccinardi

EDITOR IN CHIEF

Not surprisingly, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc on the state, California State University and San Diego State budgets. Nevertheless, above target state tax receipts, debt savings and better than expected enrollment numbers have provided a shred of good news in these uncertain times.

However, by no means have our budget problems gone away.

SDSU still must contend with a $35 million base budget reduction. The CSU faces a $299.1 million cut and California is estimating a $54 billion budget deficit.

Overall, the CSU budget remains uncertain.

The Board of Trustees will meet in November to review and approve the 2021-22 state budget re-

quest, but with the state expecting “three full years of economic challenges,” a campus-wide email said, the CSU is preparing for the worst.

As a result, CSU officials anticipate decreased capital funding for new academic projects over the coming years. Deferred maintenance will continue to be a problem across the system’s 23 campuses, the email stated. At SDSU, deferred maintenance and campus renewal needs are estimated to be $1 billion, according to a request made to the President’s Budget Advisory Committee in March.

What does this mean for SDSU? Decreases in CSU capital funding will not impact the development of SDSU Mission Valley, the university said in a statement.

“As a reminder, and as the university has shared since the developmental

phase of for SDSU Mission Valley, the project will not rely on state dollars, tuition and fees,” the statement read.

The project will be funded primarily by public-private partnerships that provide external, non-state dependent financing, according to the university.

In August, President Adela de la Torre laid out a worst-case scenario and announced that the university would be relying on one-time reserves to stabilize the budget in the short-term, in conjunction with a search for long-term solutions. These solutions included a hiring chill, an early retirement program and suspension of capital construction projects.

In an Oct. 13 campus-wide email, de la Torre and Chief Financial Officer Anges Wong Nickerson provided an update announcing that cost-saving measures, like the

Early Exit Program (EEP) announced in September, have been effective, and the budget outlook has improved due to positive enrollment numbers and debt restructuring.

Higher enrollments = higher tuition revenue Perhaps the biggest news buried in the 1,300word email: summer and fall actual enrollments and spring projected enrollment was not as bad as university officials expected them to be.

“It is thanks to the collective efforts of our colleagues across campus that the summer and fall actual enrollments, as well as the spring projected enrollment, surpassed the worst-case scenario applied in our conservative budget model,” de la Torre wrote in the email.

Non-resident enrollsee

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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 Catherine Van Weele Ryan Hardison STAFF WRITERS Aaliyah Alexander Jake Greenfield Patrick Doyle

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.

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

3 Opinion Current school systems aren’t broken, they’re just outdated Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2020 Editor: Trinity Bland

by

Aaliyah Alexander

STAFF WRITER

There’s this quote that says, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” In this case, I believe our society is beyond insane when it comes to our educational system.

We have had the same educational system since the industrial age in the 1800s. We see a few occasional tweaks with a modern flair, but not much has changed and we see the consequences weighing on the youth of this generation.

If we analyze the educational system back when it began to form, we can make out why there are so many visible cracks seen today. The purpose was to prime and prep people to

The Daily Aztec

be producers in a new age of industrialization where jobs were needed to stimulate the economy. The structure created in the 1800s was often referred to as the “factory model of education” which was copied from the Prussian model of the 18th century and the intent of this design was to create “docile subjects and factory workers”.

In our innovative and entrepreneurial era, the same cookie-cutter model of education used decades ago does not hold up. We have curricula that assess us on subjects we have been forced to learn about for 12 years — or even more — if one seeks higher education.

Do I think the educational system is a total waste?

No, I think it is just simply outdated and requires

Here’s what you should know about obtaining letters of recommendation

by Jake

Greenfield

STAFF WRITER

Applying to any graduate program can be a daunting task.

In my conversations with other students applying to graduate school, many of them noted how difficult it was getting their letters of recommendation from professors or other individuals who were willing to speak highly of their character.

This was already a difficult task before the pandemic shut down in-person instruction. I recently applied to graduate school and went through the process of obtaining letters of rec-

Graphic by Emily Burgess

ommendation.

Some programs won’t specify who can write a letter, while others have certain requirements for the reference’s position and your relationship to the reference. I applied to physical therapy programs that require one letter from a professor that taught a class I took, one letter from a physical therapist that I volunteered for and a third letter from a professor, physical therapist or anyone with whom I’ve had a professional relationship.

I obtained two letters from professors, and these steps can help you get the letters of recommendation you need.

Establish a connection with the professor before asking for a letter of recommendation. Keep in mind, professors are asked for letters all the time. You see

ONLINE

Graphic by Emily Burgess

much-needed improvements.

We shouldn’t discard the entire system but adding and subtracting a few objectives to fit our current society wouldn’t hurt.

For example, instead of forcing students to learn about subjects they are not passionate about, teach the basics or adequate information to be knowl-

edgeable about a subject up until middle school and let students decide from a diverse plethora of courses what they want to venture into. Let them decide what they are naturally drawn to and build off of that in their next few years of education.

This would encourage students to be curious and explore their interests in-

stead of putting them in dusty boxes that tell them to follow the status quo laid out by our predecessors.

The factory model of education has obviously been outdated for many decades and it is ultimately failing when it comes to its original purpose. Instead of producing docile subjects and factory workers, it is producing depressed students who hate going to school to learn about things they are not passionate about and if they are lucky, they will be pressured to choose a career path where they are again forced to take prerequisite courses before they’re even able to study what they want.

We, as a society, need to create a new model that fits this new and diverse generation.

Class discussions should cater to all students, not just extroverts by

Catherine Van Weele

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Class discussions have come to play a major role in the classroom. It is supposed to be a way to engage students and help students to develop their public speaking skills. However, traditional class discussions aren’t necessarily always beneficial to the learning process, especially for introverted students.

Most people associate introverts not speaking in class with simply being shy.

This is not necessarily accurate. Not all introverts are shy. An introvert is someone who turns inward for energy, whereas extroverts are energized by lots of external stimulation.

While shyness may be the reason some students choose not to participate in class discussion, there are plenty of other influencing factors such as not being prepared on the course material, not having

an interest in the course material or an overall fear of public speaking.

It can be difficult, especially at large universities like San Diego State, to hold class discussions when the classroom environment is not really set up for that. A quarter of classes at SDSU have over 50 students. With most classes only meeting for two and half hours per week, and a good chunk of that time being dedicated to lectures, this leaves little time for substantive class discussions in which all students are able to par-

ticipate. Simply opening the room up to discussion often leads to a small handful of students dominating the conversation.

There are students who may even prefer lectures to class discussions. With thousands of dollars going towards their education, some students would rather allocate classroom time with a more direct, straightforward way of learning. Lectures clearly outline what information and material students should know so they can prepare for their tests and see

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Graphic by Emily Burgess

4

The Daily Aztec

Mundo Azteca

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2020 Editor: Daniel Guerrero

Todo lo que debes de conocer para la temporada 2020 de fútbol americano de SDSU by

Daniel Guerrero

EDITOR DE MUNDO AZTECA

Han pasado más de siete meses desde que algún equipo de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego ha jugado.

Después de un verano lleno de cuestionamientos sobre dónde obtendremos una temporada, estamos a solo unos días del comien-

zo de la temporada de fútbol americano de los Aztecs en 2020.

Pero, esta temporada será una temporada diferente.

Antes que los partidos comiencen, estos son los detalles más importantes sobre los Aztecs y la temporada que debe de conocer.

Los Aztecs jugarán en

Photo por Kareem Jones Los receptores de la Universidad Estatal de San Diego Jesse Matthews (izquierda) y Kobe Smith celebran después de que Matthews anotara un touchdown durante una victoria contra la Universidad Central de Michigan. SDSU venció a CMU 43-11 en el New Mexico Bowl 2019 el 21 de diciembre de 2019.

una temporada más corta En una temporada normal, SDSU jugará en una temporada de 13 partidos, pero esta temporada durante una la COVID-19 pandemia en curso, SDSU jugará en una temporada de ocho partidos, la Conferencia Mountain West anunció el 24 de septiembre.

La temporada corta comienza el 24 de octubre cuando los Aztecs se enfrentarán a la UNLV en casa antes de viajar a la Universidad Estatal de Utah el 31 de octubre para un partido fuera de casa.

Los demás de los oponentes para los Aztecs serán como enemigos de la Conferencia Mountain West y el partido final será el rival BYU para terminar la temporada el 12 de diciembre.

El calendario revisado también incluye un juego de campeonato de la Conferencia Mountain West programado para el 19 de

diciembre.

Un nuevo estadio espera a los Aztecs mientras que se esperan su hogar permanente El Dignity Health Sports Park en Carson, California, será un hogar temporal para el fútbol americano de SDSU mientras se construye el Estadio Aztec en Mission Valley.

La ciudad de San Diego se ha despedido del San Diego County Credit Union Stadium, que antes se conocía como Qualcomm Stadium y Jack Murphy Stadium.

SDCCU Stadium ha comenzado su demolición como parte de la expansión de SDSU Mission Valley y los Aztecs harán lo que San Diego ha visto antes y es dirigirse al norte para jugar fútbol americano.

Se espera que el Aztec Stadium, que tendrá una capacidad para 35.000 asientos, abra en dos años.

Jugadores conocidos y jugadores nuevos tomaran el campo para SDSU

Será una mezcla de caras conocidas y nuevos jugadores tomando el campo para SDSU este año.

La ofensiva estará dirigida por un nuevo mariscal de campo, ya que el jugador de segundo año Carson Baker fue anunciado como el titular para la temporada 2020.

El resto de armas ofensivas serán algunos nombres conocidos.

Los corredores de tercer año Chance Bell y Jordan Byrd, junto con el corredor de último año Chase Jasmin regresan este año.

El trío se combinó para un total de 1.188 yardas terrestres yardas y nueve touchdowns terrestres en 2020.

Byrd terminó el 2019 con una gran actuación cuando compartió el premio de Jugador Ofensivo Más Valioso en el último juego del año de SDSU en el New Mexico Bowl 2019 contra la Universidad Central de see

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SDSU anuncia un estabilización de casos de COVID- 19 en el campus by

Noé Sandoval

ASIST. DE MUNDO AZTECA

La Universidad Estatal De San Diego anunció en su aviso semanal que los casos de COVID-19 en la universidad se han estabilizado, sin ningún nuevo caso en las semanas pasadas.

Hay un total de 1,205 casos de coronavirus en el condado de San Diego desde la fecha del 15 de octubre, según el anuncio.

De estos 1,205, 416 están conectados a estudiantes que viven en el campus de SDSU, pero el más de 99% de los 416 ya han completado el periodo de aislamiento y se han recuperado totalmente.

Ha pasado una semana en que las clases limitadas

presenciales regresaron para los estudiantes, y no han habido nuevos casos.

La universidad exige que los estudiantes que están asistiendo a las clases presenciales deben tomar la prueba de COVID-19 cada 14 días, sin importar si viven en la universidad o no, para seguir asistiendo a las clases.

Antes de cada sesión de clase, ambos instructores y estudiantes deben revisar su SDSU Webportal para ser aclarado negativo en la prueba.

Los estudiantes también deben revisar su temperatura diariamente. Tienen la opción de ser revisados por el instructor antes de la clase o receber una revisión en una estación en el

campus desginada para revisar la temperatura, donde estudiantes recibirán una pulsera con la fecha y la temparatuea para el dia La universidad también está concordando con la orden estatal del Departamento de Salud Pública de California.

La orden prohíbe cualquier reunión que incluya a más de tres hogares. El departamento alentó a limitar las interacciones con otras personas fuera de su hogar, ya que al hacerlo reduce el riesgo de transmisión de COVID-19.

Según el aviso, la universidad tomará medidas disciplinarias si algún individuo o organización de la universidad violara la orden estatal.

Photo por Brenden Tuccinardi El Parma Payne Goodall Alumni Center se ha convertido en un sitio para pruebas gratuitas de COVID-19 en la Universidad Estatal de San Diego. El sitio ofrece pruebas gratuitas a estudiantes y es operado por el Condado de San Diego.

“El Centro de Derechos y Responsabilidades del Estudiante abordará las presuntas violaciones individuales y organizacionales del Código de Conducta del Estudiante, ya sea que el comportamiento ocurra dentro o fuera del campus.” dijo el aviso “Las consecuencias

pueden incluir sanciones de la organización estudiantil y consecuencias disciplinarias individuales, hasta e incluyendo suspensión o expulsión.”

La universidad continúa en su décima semana de see

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Sports

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2020 Editor: Kyle Betz

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5

Aztecs set to host UNLV in 2020 season opener by

Kyle Betz

SPORTS EDITOR

After months of uncertainty due to COVID-19, the Mountain West Conference postponing fall sports in early August and the initial decision to play next spring, some thought San Diego State football wouldn’t have a season at all.

But now, that’s in the past.

Football is back.

SDSU’s season opener is set for Oct. 24 against UNLV at the team’s temporary new “home” in Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, Calif.

Facing the Runnin’ Rebels probably won’t be all butterflies and flowers, though.

UNLV bolstered its roster this offseason after hauling in key additions, including a brand-new coaching staff.

The Runnin’ Rebels moved on from head coach Tony Sanchez last November. In

his five years at the helm, he amassed a 20-40 record.

To replace him, UNLV brought in former Oregon assistant head coach and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo.

Last season at Oregon, Arroyo won the Pac-12 Conference championship and Rose Bowl. While also serving as the Ducks’ quarterbacks coach, he played a substantial role in developing top-10 NFL Draft selection and Los Angeles Chargers starting quarterback Justin Herbert.

SDSU senior defensive back Tariq Thompson said with the addition of Arroyo, he expects UNLV to spread the field on offense.

“For me, as a defender, I know that coach Arroyo is a great offensive mind,” Thompson said. “We’re expecting to have a spreadout game. A lot of talent on the perimeter, getting the

ball out fast and trying to make big plays, so our job is to stop that.”

Shortly after Arroyo put pen to paper, UNLV hired Peter Hansen as the team’s defensive coordinator. Most recently serving as Stanford’s inside linebackers coach for the past six seasons, Hansen once coached in a Super Bowl as a defensive assistant with the San Francisco 49ers.

Arroyo was also able to bring in Glenn Thomas to become the team’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in April.

Thomas has over 20 years of coaching experience and recently worked with current Carolina Panthers head coach Matt Rhule at Baylor from 2017-19.

SDSU head coach Brady Hoke said considering UNLV’s new hires, he expects the Runnin’ Rebels to include aspects of both

File Photo Then-sophomore cornerback Darren Hall celebrates after returning a fumble for a touchdown during the Aztecs’ 48-11 win over Central Michigan on Dec. 21, 2019 at the New Mexico Bowl in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Oregon and Stanford’s playbooks.

“You’re assuming it’s going to be Oregon’s offense, Stanford’s defense because of the hires and the coordinators,” Hoke said. “So that’s been a lot of it, trying to get our guys and (Oct. 15) was the first day that we

really started on UNLV, but get them accustomed to what they do.”

The Aztecs, on the other hand, also have a brand new coaching staff in place, with Hoke at the helm for the second time in his career. see

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Baker outduels Johnson, named starting quarterback for season opener against UNLV practice, I feel really conASST. SPORTS EDITOR fident,” Baker said. “I feel like I’ve had a lot of time Last season’s calf injury to in this system to get really then-San Diego State se- comfortable with it. So for nior starting quarterback me, I mean, I have the utRyan Agnew didn’t neces- most confidence in myself sarily have massive implica- and the guys around me.” tions en route to SDSU’s Head coach Brady Hoke 10-3 record. highlighted Baker’s perforIt did, however, give Az- mance in fall camp and his tecs fans their first look attention to detail of the at today’s newest starter Aztecs’ offense as reasons under center, Carson Bak- why he selected him to er, against BYU on Nov. 30, start week one.

2019.

“I think he really had Baker was announced as a good camp. I think he SDSU’s starting quarter- picked up the nuances to back for week one against the offense,” Hoke said.

UNLV over Georgia Tech “Highly-competitive, did a transfer Lucas Johnson, lot of good things, obviousamong others. A San Di- ly. The other guys all have ego native and nearby He- things that they did real lix High School graduate, well also, but we just felt Baker said his experience that he was the guy to lead with the program’s system us and to start us off.” and the work he’s put into While Baker has been practice has gotten him to able to compete for his this point. starting spot on an actual “Just the amount of team football field since July 7, reps we’ve been having in the coronavirus pandemby

Luis Lopez

ic has presented him and other college quarterbacks competing for starting spots one of the most unique challenges to mastering an offensive system.

With last spring’s team workouts canceled due to the pandemic, Baker was forced to continue his learning of the offense over Zoom meetings. Despite the unique challenge, Baker feels he and the offense are ready to take the field.

“I think we got so much time to meet on Zoom to get walkthroughs in. We’ve been together just trying to perfect this offense since the spring,” Baker said. “Since we got shut down in the spring, we’ve been working towards getting really comfortable with the system and we’re really excited for it.”

Baker said he wants to focus on distributing the ball to his skill position playmakers.

File Photo Then-freshman quarterback Carson Baker throws a quick pass during the Aztecs’ 13-3 victory on Nov. 30, 2019 at SDCCU Stadium. Baker is set to make his second-career start against UNLV on Oct. 24.

“We’re just going to try to get the ball to guys in space. Get the ball to our playmakers, however it is: through the run, through the pass, we can do it all.”

Baker said. “We’ve got a lot of good guys. We got a great (offensive) line, so we can do it any way.”

Hoke said at the end of the day, he has confidence in Baker to be the guy that

will be able to lead his team best.

“I think his mannerisms and his leadership (are) always (something) you look for from that position,” Hoke said. “I think he has shown that and I think the other thing that you look at is just his command, where he’s at right now and it’s been really, really good.”

6

Sports

The Daily Aztec

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2020 Editor: Kyle Betz

A new era follows the end of an old one San Diego bids farewell to SDCCU Stadium after 53 years

Photo by Brenden Tuccinardi

by

Brenden Tuccinardi

EDITOR IN CHIEF

The image of an empty stadium isn’t as alien these days yet seeing the thousands of blue seats sitting vacant at SDCCU Stadium hits a little different.

Unlike across the country, sports fans in San Diego aren’t looking forward to the day when they’ll be able to return to the once home of the San Diego Padres, Chargers and now San Diego State Aztecs — simply because that day won’t ever come.

The concrete monolith of Mission Valley will slowly be demolished in the coming months, and along with it the physical reminder of over 50 years’ worth of architectural, sporting and entertainment history.

Already, the stadium’s Wikipedia page reads in the past tense, the digital nail in the coffin for a structure that defined San Diego as a sports city and attracted headliners from The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan and Elton John to The Who, One Direction and Beyoncé.

Host to three Super Bowls (’88, ’98 and ’03) and two World Series (’84 and ’98) along with two MLB AllStar Games, two National League Division Series and two National League Championship Series, San Diego Stadium, as it was called upon its completion in 1967, was the only stadium in the United States to host the Super Bowl and World Series in the same year.

It played backdrop to the greatest sportsmen in San Diego history like Don Co-

ryell, Lance Alworth, Tony Gwynn and Trevor Hoffman, among many others.

Yet, the stadium’s illustrious golden years were tarnished by a recent era of neglect and the end of its surreptitious decline was punctuated by the departure of the now-estranged Los Angeles Chargers in 2017.

However, the stadium’s most loyal tenants, the Aztecs, plan to breathe new life into the 135-acre plot on which it stands, albeit not for much longer.

History has a funny way of repeating itself The inception of SDCCU Stadium, which many instinctively referred to by its former name Qualcomm Stadium, began very similarly to the plans to replace it: a decaying stadium and a ballot measure prompted citizens to think big.

Prior to San Diego Stadium, the Chargers played in Balboa Stadium and the Aztecs in Aztec Bowl. However, both venues left players and fans wanting more, to the point that Chargers owner Barron Hilton threatened to move the franchise to (you guessed it) Los Angeles.

So along came Proposition 1, a city charter amendment that permitted San Diego city officials to issue bonds to build a stadium in Mission Valley. The measure won by a “landslide” The San Diego Union-Tribune (then just The San Diego Union) reported on November 3, 1965, in large part due to the efforts of San Diego Union Sports Editor Jack Murphy for whom, upon his death in 1980, the stadium

was renamed.

Murphy saw the potential for a stadium in Mission Valley and starting in 1963 began lobbying support for the development in his columns.

Sports reporters of the day say Murphy’s push for a multi-use facility was integral in getting the people to vote in favor of Proposition 1, and overwhelmingly so.

The passion and support for a new stadium in San Diego ran deep.

On Nov. 2, 1965,The Daily Aztec Editorial Board wrote in favor of Proposition 1, lamenting that SDS (San Diego State College) would be doomed to be a “small college” football team forever if forced to continue playing at the restrictive Aztec Bowl.

“If we’re going to play better schools, we’re going to need a bigger stadium,” the Board wrote.

The Daily Aztec’s own Sports Editor, Tom Gable, implored voters to empower San Diego and San Diego State to move beyond their bush-league and small college labels.

“For too long we have sat in the shadow of Los Angeles and been content merely to say something should be done,” Gable wrote in 1965. “It is about time we realize San Diego’s potential, accomplish something positive, and make San Diego something more than Tijuana’s northern neighbor.”

However, that zeal for professional sports in San Diego diminished over the years, especially after the Padres moved into Petco Park in 2004. Efforts to build the Chargers a new $1 billion stadium fizzled out spec-

tacularly and the franchise abandoned San Diego for the City of Angels in January 2017.

In the vacuum left by the Chargers, SDSU, as well as other investors, saw an opportunity to do what the Chargers could not. In 2018, Measure E and Measure G once again tested San Diego voters’ support for the stadium in Mission Valley, and this time they sided with the home team, directing the city of San Diego to initiate the largest real estate deal in its history with SDSU. The Mission Valley stadium site was sold to SDSU by the city of San Diego on Aug. 7 for $88 million, turning the page in the final chapter of San Diego’s concrete monstrosity.

Saying goodbye to a brutalist beauty Though a far cry from the modern steel superstructures and glitzy facades of today’s stadiums, SDCCU Stadium was a gem in San Diego’s architectural crown.

It was only one of two structures in the city to win a national award from the American Institute of Architects (the other is the Salk Institute for Biological Studies).

Designed by Gary Allen in the brutalist style popularized in the 1950s and 60s, the stadium was groundbreaking in its use of over 1,700 pre-cast concrete forms, some weighing 39 tons.The six spiral pedestrian ramps and the concrete light bands are engineering

Photo by Brenden Tuccinardi When completed, San Diego Stadium was home to the world’s longest escalator.

Sports

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2020 Editor: Kyle Betz

and construction marvels.

The stadium was also home to the world’s longest exterior escalator.

“Things like that, it’s too bad we’re losing the stadium,” architect F. Leeland Hope said. “Even though the sightlines are far from the sidelines, the light band across the top, the circular structures are valuable from an architectural standpoint.”

Leeland Hope’s father Frank Hope Jr. was the principal architect and his uncle Chuck Hope was the structural engineer, both headed up Frank L. Hope Associates a San Diego-based architectural firm started by Leeland Hope’s grandfather, Frank Hope Sr., in 1928.

“I can remember running around on the field when I was 6 years old while the stadium was being built around me,” Leeland Hope said. “This stadium was very much a part of my life growing up.”

SDCCU Stadium was one of the last stadiums in America built by a small local firm and one of the first to be built in the rounded square style, one of Frank Hope Jr.’s largest contributions to the project.

He traveled around the country looking at the way other multi-use stadiums were designed to determine the best way to house both baseball and football, eventually deciding against a circular configuration, Leeland

Hope said.

“The circle didn’t convert well, it gave you just a full round outfield and it was not as good for football, so they decided on the rounded square,” he said.

San Diego Stadium was arguable one of the best baseball stadiums built at the time.

However, the stadium San Diegans know today is very different from the one that opened on Aug. 20, 1967.

Back then, the stadium was not entirely enclosed.

The area to the left and right of the scoreboard and jumbotron remained open until 1983 when seating capacity was expanded from 50,000 to 59,022 thus enclosing the field. Seats were added again in 1997 bringing the total capacity of the stadium to 67,544.

“At one time it was the best,” Leeland Hope said.

“The (1997) expansion made it super good for football but it didn’t work that well with the look of the stadium.They had to get the seats for Spanos.”

Leeland Hope credits his father’s involvement in the construction of the stadium for making him the avid sports fan he is today. Frank Hope Jr. held season tickets for the Padres and Chargers and would bring his son to many of the games.

Of course, designing a stadium for two professional sports franchises came

Photos by Brenden Tuccinardi The spiral pedestrian lamps and concrete halo of lights are relics of a bygone era of construction as both features would be too costly to build today.

The Daily Aztec

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Photo by Brenden Tuccinardi SDCCU Stadium could seat more than 67,000 spectators at full capacity. Turnstiles that are now gathering cobwebs, show attendance numbers in the thousands.

with its perks. Leeland remembers his 10th birthday when his dad flew him to New York City to watch the Chargers take on the Giants at the old Yankee Stadium.

“I got to fly back on the Chargers jet and get everybody’s autograph, and they sang happy birthday to me when the plane landed,” Leeland Hope said.

SDCCU Stadium has special meaning in the Hope family, Leeland Hope said.

“It’s been difficult for my father,” Leeland Hope said.

“It’s a bummer, but they say all good things must come to an end.”

However, the stadium currently under construction will pay homage to the giant that came before. SDSU says it will include an exhibit on the history of the Mission Valley and the former stadium and if that isn’t enough Aztec Stadium will literally be built on the bones of its predecessor.

Once demolition is completed in the university’s

plans to bury the concrete debris of the old stadium in order to create a platform to build Aztec Stadium on, raising it out of the San Diego River floodplain, Associate Vice President of the SDSU Mission Valley Development Gina Jacobs said.

Frank Hope Jr. seemed skeptical the current stadium would be easy (or cheap) to demolish, citing the several steel columns drilled down to bedrock. He also said, slightly pleased, he doesn’t think the university will get the permits to bury the old stadium.

However, Frank Hope Jr. made it clear he does not see the demolition of the stadium he built, and that has seated well over a million people, as the end of his legacy.

“It does not make enough sense to worry about it being the end of anything that I’ve ever done,” he said.

A new era follows the end of an old one The demise of SDCCU

Stadium is bittersweet. It’s sobering to see the concrete that has largely stood the test of time begin to come down.Yet, even more, sobering is the fact that a generation of San Diegans will never have the opportunity to experience the stadium on gameday, walk on those round ramps and ride the escalator that seemed to go on for ages.

For SDSU freshmen, like Genevieve Hope, Frank Hope Jr.’s granddaughter, the first Aztec football game they will attend as students will be in a new stadium.

However, much like the vision presented to San Diegans by Jack Murphy in 1965, the vision of a new stadium in Mission Valley along with a state-of-the-art research campus, river park and residential development is one that excites. Though many wish they could sit in the seats at SDCCU Stadium one last time, broken cupholders and all.

Photo by Brenden Tuccinardi The seats at SDCCU Stadium still bear the name of San Diego-based electronics company, Qualcomm, who purchased the naming rights for the stadium in 1997 for $18 million. SDCCU purchased the naming rights in 2017 for $500,000.

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The Daily Aztec

Arts & Culture

Oct. 21 - Oct. 27, 2020 Editor: Devin Whatley

SDSU Ambassadors take on-campus tours to the virtual world during COVID-19 by

Trinity Bland

OPINION EDITOR

For high school students or college-bound individuals in the process of evaluating colleges, admissions professionals strongly recommend scheduling campus visits.

Although doing so in-person isn’t an option right now, virtual campus tours offer a glimpse into student life and campus facilities.

There is no question the college search for current high school students and potential transfer students is going to be a little bit different. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a shift in the life of all students but likewise, it has altered the college search. Taking advantage of a virtual campus tour can be a great way to begin, in lieu of visiting in-person.

SDSU Ambassadors, who are housed out of

San Diego State’s Office of New Student and Parent Programs, serve as the official tour guides, orientation leaders and official representatives of the university. Between wearing a red polo paired with a name tag and walking backward, SDSU Ambassadors have always been known to admirably present SDSU to prospective families.

However, the way SDSU Ambassadors give campus tours will

inevitably look different in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organization has plans to take advantage of virtual platforms in order to still give tours — this time with some social-distancing flair.

They will utilize the interactive platform, YouVisit, giving a 25-minute presen-

tation and narrating information on a number of on-campus spots that are a part of the regular tour route such as Hepner Hall, Malcolm A. Love Library, Viejas Arena and the Aztec Recreation Center.

Paulina Navarro, SDSU Ambassadors’ service and philanthropy chair, was open to the idea of giving virtual tours.

“At first, I wondered how we were going to give tours virtuall y,”

Graphic by Emily Burgess

Navarro said.“In the spring, we stopped giving them and I think touring colleges is important for incoming students.”

Navarro encourages prospective students and families to take a virtual tour if they are considering attending SDSU. “They need to get a feel for the campus and surrounding areas as well so I am really glad that we are now giving virtual tours,” she said.

SDSU Ambassadors will also provide additional information about resource centers on campus, famous alumni and set aside time to answer questions their tour participants may have regarding campus life and student experience.

I hope students and their families are joining these tours together and are open to asking questions see

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Chicago rapper Taylor Bennett puts on a show by

Ryan Hardison

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

What does self-acceptance mean to you?

The answer is probably different for a lot of people, but for Chicago rapper Taylor Bennett – it means making the music industry a better place for himself and other independent artists.

Self-acceptance is a common topic in his music and Bennett said he understood early on that having a widespread platform as a musician means he has lots of responsibility when it comes to discussing these issues.

“I think it’s really important for us to speak on many things that not a lot of artists in the music industry or entertainment business even politicians might not say,” Bennett said.

Bennett briefly appeared via Zoom for Music Appreciation night on Oct. 6.

The event was presented

by Associated Students and

Photo by Ryan Hardison Taylor Bennett performed a bevy of songs, including his inspiring new single “Be Yourself. Pt. 2.

the Aztec Student Union board, offering a chance for students to enjoy a soothing show from the Chicago MC. Bennett was visibly excited to perform, despite it being a bit unusual to rap for a silent audience.

“It feels so great to be back to be performing, and with so much on in the world, it’s really the little moments that count and I’ve been learning that a lot lately,” Bennett said.

The event began with an

intimate concert from his Chicago studio where he performed the nostalgic and uplifting tracks “Dancing in the Rain,” and “Broad Shoulders,” along with his inspiring new single “Be Yourself. Pt. 2.”

Following his performance, Bennett answered various questions about his personal life and his view of the music industry in a one-on-one Q&A session moderated by ASUB Music and Entertainment Chair Jano Paredes.

Bennett spoke in length about how he remains especially close with his family in Chicago, including his older brother Chancellor, better known as Grammy award-winning artist Chance the Rapper.

Outside of his own music career, Bennett manages Chance, so the brothers are often in each others’ lives.

“I probably see him at least three or four times a week, so if he‘s working then I’m working,” Bennett

said.

Aa a prolific independent artist who has been able to sell out shows and play large gigs without a major deal, Bennett has achieved a lot in his young career. Some of Bennett’s favorite musical experiences include performing in front of 20,000 people at Chicago’s Lollapalooza festival in 2018, and being an ambassador for the 2020 NBA All-Star Game in Chicago along with his older brother.

“Growing up in Chicago and playing Lollapalooza is just a dream come true as an artist because it’s the biggest music festival in Chicago,” Bennett said.

When asked about what advice he had for aspiring musicians in the audience, Bennett made it clear there are many possible avenues to becoming a successful artist. Musicians just need to find opportunities that suit them and carry out a see

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