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Wednesday Nov. 20, 2019 | Vol. 83, Issue 13 //
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News
Police chief addresses library safety
Chico State releases special sexual assault survey Kimberly Morales Staff Writer
After surveying students last spring, Chico State released a report regarding the incidents of sexual violence students reported. While the information compiled from the survey was extensive, requiring months of collection and analysis, the data reveals the culture surrounding sexual assault on campus -- as
well as what might need to be done in order to prevent future sexual offenses. In 2018, Chico State partnered with EAB, a technology, research, and consulting firm with a focus on serving student affairs professionals. In spring 2019, Chico State implemented the EAB Campus Climate Survey with the intent of gauging the plausibility of sexual violence and other
intimate relationships students experience. Participation for the survey reached 4,138 students from Chico State, or a response rate of 23% of the total student body. “We have been wanting to do surveys for some time but as it’s a big political issue it’s not something that has had a ton of institutional support to look at on a large scale,”
instructor Lindsay Briggs, from the Department of Public Health and Health Services Administration, said. The survey was important to have concrete data so students aren’t educated on hypothetical or anecdotal situations, small case samples. Having the resources to accurately represent students who have dealt with sexual Continued on A3
Chesterman killer gets sentence extended
After Meriam Library was suddenly evacuated due to a possible shooter threat last month, University Police said they had advised against the evacuation. Chief John Reid met with The Orion to discuss this incident.
Jessie Imhoff Staff Writer
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Art
Womens’ Conference
The 21st annual Women’s Conference was held on Saturday and presented by the Gender Sexuality Equity Center. The theme of the conference was “Reclaiming Femininity” and because of this there were free workshops and events that promoted this idea. Continued on A1
Sports
Paradise athlete works through tragedy
Continued on A2 Despite losing everything, Talia Swangler overcomes her obstacles by finding solace and support in running.
Students donate meal swipes to classmates Angelina Mendez
After Riley Dean Hoover killed Kristina Chesterman on Nord Avenue while driving drunk, he was originally sentenced to seven years in prison. However, it was decided that Hoover would only have to serve 85% of that sentence. Hoover was scheduled to be released from Folsom State Prison on Tuesday, Nov. 19, five years after his original sentence was given and six years after he killed Chesterman, a young Chico State student. However, Hoover was recently moved to another prison, and his release date was pushed back. “The other day (I) wanted to find out what time he was getting released on the 19th and I called and found out that not only was his time extended to July of 2020, he was moved to a prison down in San Diego,” Sandra Chesterman, mother of Kristina, said. Sandra was originally planning on being there for Hoover’s release and protesting with a group. “There’s a group of between 50 and 100 people that were going to be outside of the prison protesting (in Folsom) his release because he was on felony probation when he killed Kristina, and he only had three days left, and in Ohio they had said that they were gonna call it close enough,” Chesterman said. “I was going to protest him not getting extradited to Ohio where he should have been.” This was not the first time Hoover’s release date was moved back. Chesterman said that when he was initially supposed to be released, “I received notice… that something happened, and they will not
Staff Writer
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Opinion
Editorial: President must acknowledge PR incidents
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Index
Corrections Weather Blotter
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Students who have available meal swipes on their student dining plan attended an event hosted by Associated Students at Sutter Dining Hall, “Swipe Against Hunger.” On Nov. 14, AS Dining Services held this event for students to donate their extra meal swipes in order for them to be distributed next semester to other students who are needs-based. Students were able to walk into the front of Sutter Dining, where the front desk is located, and donate one swipe that would be put into a place where it would be available to redeem at the Wildcat Food Pantry. According to the annual report from Division of Student Affairs for 2017-2018, the California State University 2018 Study of Student Basic Needs reported that 50% of Chico State students, an estimated 8,000 students, experience low (24%) to very low (26%) food security. Systemwide research indicated that 48% of the students are eligible
Briefs News A&E
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Sports Opinion
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Government Affairs considers protest of Zionist speaker Kimberly Morales Staff Writer
THE ORION | MELISSA HERRERA
Sutter Dining had a line of students waiting to order their food.
for CalFresh USDA SNAP food assistance benefits. There are many resources and opportunities for students to seek help when it comes to this particular area of need, such as the Wildcat Food Pantry and CalFresh, but the Swipe Against Hunger event was created to specifically tackle the growing problem of low food security on campus. “I found out about the event through The Hub and decided to donate a swipe because I know that they don’t roll over
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into the next semester,” firstyear psychology major Isabel Ceja-Ochoa said. “I paid a lot of money for this meal plan and not for the food to go to waste. I’m not into the food anymore at Sutter, it’s getting old, and because of that I have so many swipes left that someone else could be using.” The idea of students being able to purchase as many swipes in the dining hall as they
A week after Israeli speaker Neil Lazarus was invited to campus, two added agenda items were brought to the Associated Students Government Affairs committee meeting Thursday. Government Affairs considered a resolution to formally denounce white supremacy and examined last week’s event hosted by Chico Hillel, which stirred emotions of students who arrived to voice their questions and apprehensions.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR - In response to “Community responds to ‘Incoming Oroville vape bans’ “ Dear Editor,
The police blotter is a section of information cited directly from Chico Police Department and University Police Department
University Police Call Type: Vandalism Wednesday, Nov. 13th, 12 a.m. 600 Block of West 1st St. Vandalism under $400 was discovered at the Valene L. Smith Museum of Anthropology. No suspect has been identified or found. Call Type: Petty Theft Wednesday, Nov. 13th, 1 p.m. 600 Block of West Second St. Petty Theft of less than $50 was reported to UPD from the Student Service Center. Call Type: Petty Theft Thursday, Nov. 14th, 4:18 a.m. 1200 Block of West Sacramento Ave. Petty theft of less than $950 was reported at University Village and the culprit has not been found. Call Type: Detention of person drunk in public Saturday, Nov. 16th, 12:45 a.m.121 Normal Ave.
Chico Police Call Type: Fighting in a Public Place Wednesday, Nov. 13th, 8:38 p.m, 2000 Block of Business Ln. A 26-year-old transient man was arrested for fighting in a public place and for petty theft of merchandise. Their bail is set at $6,000. Call Type: Firearm Assault with a Deadly Weapon Thursday, Nov. 14th, 8:09 p.m. 1400 Block of Springfield Dr. A 25-year-old homeless man had a warrant sent out for his arrest for a felony. As well as assault with a deadly weapon with a firearm. Their bail is set at $60,000. Call Type: Commercial Forced Burglary Friday, Nov. 15th, 2:14 a.m. 200 Block Meyers St. A 32-year-old transient was arrested for commercial forced burglary. Their bail is set at $10,000. Call Type: Felon in Possession of a Firearm Saturday, Oct. 16th, 11:40 p.m. 1000 Block of West 6th St. A 37-year-old unemployed man was arrested for possessing a firearm while being a felon, alcoholic disorderly conduct and for being a felon in possession of lost property. Their bail is set at $41,000.
Oroville City Council recently passed a ban on flavored tobacco products and vape products and I believe this is for the better. Vaping is becoming an increasingly serious issue and people need to realize that it isn’t as safe as many think it is. Another problem with vaping is that youth are becoming interested in vaping at younger ages and can potentially develop nicotine addictions through inhaling their favorite cupcake kisses flavored e-juice. The general statistics sound small but they’re still a problem because these teens and youth are vaping nicotine which can lead to nicotine addiction, in addition to brain development damage, gum disease, chronic bronchitis and much more. This hasn’t even taken into account the other potentially toxic metals and chemicals being ingested as well. Statistics from the California Healthy Kids Survey from 2015 to 2016 show that 35% of 11th graders have tried vaping in Chico and Oroville and 37% throughout Butte County. It’s reported that local continuation schools expressed the highest rates of vaping activity at 36% of students stating that they currently vape and 66% of students stating they have tried it at least once. We need to push alternatives to vaping for these interested youth. One possible and effective solution that is gaining traction is aromatherapy and various forms of it. Considering that aromatherapy is much more sustainable and is based on the healing powers of natural herbs and plants it seems like a possible & healthy alternative to these harmful vape products. -Romelo Thornton
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As we approach the end of the decade, which began in the midst of recovery from an economic crisis, it is important to look at the actions of the CSU system in administration’s pay and raises to salaries as the decade went on. What does it really pay to occupy a top position within the CSU -- like being president of a state university? Are pay raises consistent each year? Annual data seems to reveal that there’s a wide variation in pay between universities, even between the same positions, and may depend on various changes throughout the past decade. In the past, The Orion was told that yearly administrative pay raises are often by 2-3%. However, a discrepancy can be found just by looking at the historic pay for Gayle Hutchinson. A gap in increase Hutchinson made $303,502 in 2018, and $474,108 with benefits, according to Transparent California. Her pay for 2019 has not yet been released. In 2016, Hutchinson made $239,065 in regular pay, and a total of $356,403 with benefits included. A raise was announced for many members of administration the next year, and it was estimated that according to what we were told is an average raise, she would have her pay raised by about 3%. Calculating estimations from the new increase, she was projected to begin receiving $243,847 in 2017.
Corrections This space is used to make corrections or retractions to stories in previous editions. Please email corrections to orionmanagingeditor@ gmail.com.
However, Hutchinson actually made $294,591, or $458,519 with benefits included, that year - an increase by $55,526 in regular pay. This was an increase of over 23%, and seems like a steep increase compared to what students were originally told. President pay gaps In fact, there seems to be wide variation for paying presidents between each CSU. Last year, a president could make anywhere between $246,000 (Sally J. Roush of San Diego State University) to $414,760 before benefits. Contrast that with 2011, when presidents made from $115,025 to $325,000. This means that from 2011 to 2018, the lowest salary for a president increased by over 110%, and the highest salary also increased by nearly 30%. Those lowest-paid presidents aren’t even receiving the least - some changes during the year such as pay for interim presidents received even less as the position changed hands, or for other undisclosed circumstances. In fact, the highest-paid president -- who is currently Jeffrey D. Armstrong, of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo -- can make nearly as much as the CSU’s chancellor (the top paid position). CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White received regular pay of $449,529 -- with benefits, $619,640 -- last year, an increase of about 10% from last year’s pay and benefits total of $563,096. White announced earlier this fall that he is retiring in 2020.
THE ORION | NATALIE HANSON
Kendall Hall is taped off due to an incident in October 2018.
A surplus issue Despite a found gap of 1.5 billion in the CSU budget this year --mostly from excess tuition revenue -raises for admin were expected again for the 2019 fiscal year and we will soon be able to see what CSU top admin made this year. However, it remains to be seen exactly why these raises vary so widely across the CSU system -and how exactly they will continue
to be calculated as the CSU grapples with this surplus scandal. All of the preceding data is available from Transparent California.
Natalie Hanson can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @nhanson_reports on Twitter.
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News
Vol-83 Nov. 20, 2019 Issue 13
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Chico State releases special sexual assault survey ‘Swipe Against Hunger’ encourages students to donate meals
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assault was a big win, according to Briggs. The data was also helpful in gauging the demand for on-campus resources for students reporting sexual assault, such as Chico State’s Safe Place which gained a new employee in the past year, according to Dylan Saake, director of Chico State’s Title IX office. The data gathered revealed a striking amount of students who recall undergoing sexual abuse on campus. A majority of students experienced potential sexual harassment behavior, which includes but is not limited to sexist comments or jokes in the student’s presence, followed by inappropriate comments about the student’s or someone else’s body or appearance in the presence of that student. While the responses appear alarming, the data opens the question if campus education regarding consent does enough in preventing students from making harmful decisions. “These rates have been stable for a very long time,” Briggs said. “We have not seen a spike or a decrease, no matter what our programming on campus has done and that follows the national data. We have not seen a shift in sexual violence nationwide for a really long time.” The training is not effective at changing behavior, Briggs added. “No program is going to change behavior, that is a student-driven thing -- we can do all these rules and training but until students themselves decide to make these changes, we aren’t going to make a lot of headway,” she said. While the information from the survey highlights the severity of oncampus sexual assaults, the report does disclose that a higher number of students from Chico State receive more training and education of reporting options for incidents of sexual violence than other schools. 90% of survey respondents received prevention training in sexual violence, versus a 60% average for the survey cohorts, according to the report. Similarly, data examines students’ level of comfort with coming forward to professional, school-provided resources to report an experience of sexual assault. According to the report, 80% of the survey respondents agreed that if someone makes a report of a sexual violence incident, the university would take it seriously. However, concurring with data collected from other universities’ research, while
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THE ORION | KIMBERLY MORALES
Survey conducted last spring spotlights students’ experiences with sexual violence on campus.
these figures indicate high training and educational rates, the survey also highlighted a very low formal reporting rate of only 5% of respondents who used formal procedures to report incidents. Lastly, the survey reports expanded community perceptions, behaviors and attitudes towards problematic behavior. Through Title IX training that is required for all students, students are taught how to recognize and address problematic situations. According to the survey, of the students who responded to the survey, 15% have witnessed an act of sexual assault or an event which may lead to sexual assault, 87% of students who took the survey reported that they intervened. In the near future, Chico State intends on creating a cycle for the survey to be conducted at timely yet least-costly manner. What information does to help Chico State, is to clear up the problem more and address the problem more effectively.
“It’s always going to be a sensitive issue, especially on the institutional level,” Briggs said. “We want to talk about these things but we also know that anything that reflects poorly on the institutional on a wider context, where people don’t understand, we don’t want people thinking, ‘Chico State is some rape school!” when we aren’t much different from other schools. Our data is not outstanding from our other schools in the system.” “We shouldn’t be asking, ‘Why is Chico State a party school?’ when every university is one,” she said. “What we should be asking is ‘Why isnt Chico State a consensual party school?’ Teaching partying can be fun in moderation but we should be looking after each other.” Kimberly Morales can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @kimberlymnews on Twitter
Government Affairs considers protest of Zionist speaker Continued from A1
The meeting discussed an Activity Fee Fund Capital Expenditure Report and announcements including outcomes of events such as “Swipe Against Hunger.” Once items on the agenda were dealt with, Alejandro Alfaro Ramirez, Director of University Affairs, presented the resolution to denounce White Supremacy and Hate Speech to the sitting table. The resolution was co-authored by Ramirez and Lupe Santana, Commissioner of Diversity Affairs and was cited as mirrored by California State University, Long Beach, the only Associated Student Inc. that has passed this type of resolution within the CSU system as of the time of the meeting. The resolution was drafted in response to incidents in recent semesters at Chico State, where students from marginalized backgrounds felt that AS’s response was “subpar” and their communication about these events were not adequate, according to Ramirez. In an attempt to move forward from these events, Ramirez asked for responsibility to be taken by AS for mistakes made. The resolution included a statement from the GAC and from President Gayle Hutchinson denouncing white supremacy and asking for timely campus announcements when a conflicting event occurs. The added agenda item was proposed to be rescheduled by Jared Geiser, Commissioner of Sustainability Affairs, for the following GAC to ensure sitting members could have more time to review for any concerns or additional methods for the proposal. For the resolution to denounce white supremacy and hate speech, no vote was taken, and the decision was moved to the following meeting. The meeting moved to discussing regarding the town hall with Neil Lazarus, a Zionist speaker. The GAC discussed making a distinction between how the event was brought up weeks ago when first requesting funding, versus how it how it played out. Ramirez said the event was displayed to GAC as a town hall forum, but during the event, opening speakers said the presentation would be one-sided, according to the audience who attended in protest. Concerns were expressed over waivers that guests were asked to sign upon entrance, ensuring that they would be respectful to opinions at the event as well as giving permission for Chico Hillel to use photographs and videos taken during the event.
THE ORION | JULIAN MENDOZA
Sutter Dining had a giant menu displaying the several meals available that day.
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want in the beginning of the semester has been circulating for some time. But the student-representative behind the event, Jessica Ramirez, explained how a portion of the meal plan money is flowing back into the school. “That’s an interesting topic, but our campus is run by Associated Students,” Ramirez said. “We don’t have Chick-FilA’s or Taco Bell’s and because of this, that money that is being paid from the students for the meal plans is coming back to our campus.”
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This is helping those who need more swipes or don’t have money because food is expensive and being in college itself is already expensive,” Isabel Ceja-Ochoa said. “We don’t have enough money to let this food go to waste. So I’d rather it go to someone else.” ISABELA CEJA-OCHOA | Student
THE ORION | KIMBERLY MORALES
Government Affairs met Thursday and discussed a special proposal based on past incidents.
Students who attended in protest of the speaker told Associated Students they were concerned about being photographed or recorded and then posted on a website known as Canary Mission, known as a “doxxing” site. The site hosts dossiers on pro-Palestinian student activists, professors, and organizations, focusing primarily on those at North American universities. The website says it lists those it considers be anti-Israel or antisemitic and has said that it will send the names of listed students to prospective employers.
“We feel like our free speech was barred and that’s a big problem. We have been in conversations with people who know this. They know what’s going on here. I feel like again, as a student I’m being betrayed. “ MELYS JEREZ | Student
Ramirez said that the presentation was uninformative, skewed and Islamophobic, presenting one side of the situation regarding Israel and Palestine. Leaving the discussion to a Q&A during the last 20 minutes pertaining only to topics discussed during the presentation made attendees feel that the event was not a town hall forum. “Y’all aren’t listening to what we’re saying,” student Melys Jerez said. “We feel like our free speech was barred and that’s a big problem. We have been in conversations
with people who know this.... Hillel lied to us. I was there when they were requesting funding and they said ‘It wasn’t going to be a lecture,’ but it ended up being a lecture.” On the day of the event, members of Chico Palestinian Act were told by Sharleen Lowry Krater, Assistant Director of AS Programs and Government Affairs, that signs and flyers were not allowed inside the BMU. Later, Krater was informed that attendees were allowed to be inside. Although this was an incident of miscommunication and error, students felt that their free speech was barred. Krater apologized to them. “There are people who would love to come inside the building and hand things out to people but there are operational rules in the BMU limiting the free speech, this guidance is what I followed when asking protesters to bring their signs outside,” Krater said. “Because the groups in attendance were directly attending, the rules could have been altered.” After public opinions were expressed, GAC responded with possible solutions for the near-future. “I don’t think we should put the safety of students below any speaker or group who comes on campus,” Breanna Holbert, Director of Legislative Affairs, said, adding that she felt concerns were brought to the GAC at the last minute. “This is a repetitive issue of GAC where issues come very last minute and we can’t do our job efficiently when we don’t have time to do research before we choose to act... I think we should look at providing more resources for students so they can talk about their trauma of attending these events, no matter what side they were on,” Holbert said. Kimberly Morales an be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @kimberlymnews on Twitter.
“We do keep our campus afloat with that money. Do I think it’s a bad idea for a student to have an option to purchase how many swipes they have? No. Do I think it’s easy to come up with an idea like that while maintaining our campus? No.” Ramirez mentioned that after the quantitative research done on campus, one in every two students is food insecure at Chico State. She explained the event isn’t a permanent or definite solution to the low food security problem for students, but is a start. “I used to live in housing last semester and had a large number of leftover swipes as well,” she said. “After discussing with my peers and teachers, we decided to propose this idea that won’t fix the problem but will create a path to the permanent solution.” “This isn’t my original idea, because it has been done on other college campuses before,” Ramirez said. “But I did take those ideas and culminated it into something that Chico State could afford.” Ramirez explained how if the event were to occur every year, she doesn’t think there will ever be one “for sure answer” to food insecurity because it is an issue facing the country and many other college campuses. “This is helping those who need more swipes or don’t have money because food is expensive and being in college itself is already expensive,” Isabel Ceja-Ochoa said. “We don’t have enough money to let this food go to waste. So I’d rather it go to someone else.” Next semester, students will have the opportunity to identify themselves as food-insecure to one of the staff in the Wildcat Food Pantry. They will meet with director Joe Picard, who will assess their needs to see if this is something students will benefit from. Once assessed, students would have the opportunity to receive a food voucher to enter the dining hall and eat like a normal student with a meal plan. Although data is still being collected and counted, as of Nov. 14 over 400 students have donated one meal swipe to the “Swipe Against Hunger” event. Angelina Mendez can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @theorion_angie on Twitter.
News
Vol-83 Nov. 20, 2019 Issue 13
A4
Police chief addresses library evacuation Cyclist killer
gets extended sentence
Kimberly Morales News Writer Student safety has been in the public eye, with two incidents involving a sudden, improvised evacuation in the Meriam Library and a suspicious message carved into the wall of a bathroom in the library. While both cases were deemed nonthreats, students have been criticizing the communication Chico State’s University Police Department has with students. But the problem may not be the communication from Chico State Police -- in fact, the issue may be that there is no “problem,” UPD explained to The Orion. On Nov. 5, when students found a message written on a bathroom stall of the library reading “THERE SHOOTNG WENDSDAY, (sic.)” the official Twitter account of Chico State announced the next day, Nov. 6 at 1:01 p.m. “We are aware of graffiti in Meriam Library containing a non-specific threat. University Police are investigating. Update in 30 min.” A campus-wide email was sent out to students the same day around 5 p.m., explaining that UPD had determined that the graffiti’s message was not specific or credible, and did not constitute a threat. Some student reactions to UPD showed disappointment at the transparency of the police department and reliance on Chico State’s University Communications department to communicate incidents to the student body. UPD explained that, although the incident was acknowledged by Chico State authorities and administration, the situation did not lead to students receiving any immediate alert because the threat in the case -- which at the time was being examined -- was not credible and any alarm with current information would endanger the integrity of the investigation. “We’re not going to classify that as a threat and in that initiate an emergency notification to the university,” John Reid, Chief of UPD, said. “We can’t issue emergency notifications without a credible emergency identified because then you’re heightening alarm and running into a ‘cry wolf’ kind of philosophy.”
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Folks expect an impossible standard. It’s news but it’s not a threat. Within 24 hours of the incident, we had social media and campus-wide information on it. If it had been determined a threat, this would not have been acceptable.” CHIEF REID | Police Chief
While UPD understands that a number of students remained skeptical of the threat, Chief Reid hopes that students would understand that those who are trained and experienced will determine the validity of the threat and have a process to carry out, in the event that the threat is considered plausible -- including a university-wide alert. “We have quantitative tools like rubrics where we input facts and circumstances into a metric that produces a score determining a greater level threat,” Reid said. “The only information we had was, “There shooting Wednesday,” -- we don’t know who did that or why they did it,
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share with me what it was that happened, but they did tell me that he got 14 months added on to the sentence and he was moved to Folsom State Prison.” Chesterman was well prepared for the protest that would have taken place at Folsom on Nov. 19. “I had all these people ready to be there outside of the prison at Folsom and I had t-shirts that I had made with Kristina’s picture that said ‘justice for Kristina, keep Riley Hoover in prison,’ just all these things,” she said. “I just have to fight the fight.”
THE ORION | ANGELINA MENDEZ When Meriam Library was evacuated last month, police said they had advised against it.
if ‘shooting’ meant shooting a video of shooting a gun, we don’t know if ‘Wednesday’ means this Wednesday next Wednesday a Wednesday or even at the library just because the message was found at the library.” Reid explained the crisis communication protocol, which involves putting out information through a single source -- the public information officer, Sean Murphy -- is to ensure that it is efficient and effective and that people know who to talk to while police are working on those situations. Had UPD determined the threat was credible, they would have sent out an emergency motivation through Chico State Alerts to let the community know, he said. UPD is still investigating this incident. “It’s still a crime but we don’t need to close the library or campus down,” he said. “Folks expect an impossible standard. It’s news, but it’s not a threat. Within 24 hours of the incident, we had social media and campus-wide information on it. If it had been determined a threat, this would not have been acceptable.” Chief Reid added that students should be mindful of the assumptions and incomplete information they read from their colleagues on social media. “We, as a society, are dealing with a new environment that is making information released by government agencies very difficult because a narrative is already out there ‘going viral’ and oftentimes that narrative becomes the reality for many people,” he said. “We’ve seen a number of incidents where we have put out information that says ‘that’s not true, that’s not accurate’ and folks don’t believe that because what they saw or read on social media and I can’t control that. Anybody can pick up their phone and put up whatever they want on social media.” Chief Reid explained the measures taken in the event where a report is taken, such as on Oct. 20 when students were suddenly evacuated from the library without warning after a false alarm of a student carrying a gun. “There has never been a threat in the library,” Reid said. “The first incident was clearly not a threat and not even reported as a threat but an individual who seemed odd, made hand gestures that looked like he was holding a gun but there was no gun reported.” Reid said it was the library staff that “made the determination that this was a threat and to begin to evaluate the library, UPD had nothing to do with that but we met with the staff and council them that we did not think that this was a good practice.”
“As security leaders of this school, it would be our responsibility to go to that department and speak to them after the fact to explain that we didn’t think it was a good call and here’s why,” he said. “Unless it’s immediately evident, UPD should make that call because we’re trained to do that. The library manager made that judgement call and she did what she thought was the proper thing to do. This could have been their first experience with this, and maybe that was the wrong call, but humans make mistakes every day.”
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We have quantitative tools like rubrics where we input facts and circumstances into a metric that produces a score determining a greater level threat. The only information we had was, ‘There shooting Wednesday,’ -- we don’t know who did that or why they did it, if ‘shooting’ meant shooting a video of shooting a gun, we don’t know if ‘Wednesday’ means this Wednesday next Wednesday a Wednesday or even at the library just because the message was found at the library.” CHIEF REID | Police Chief
While UPD has never directly worked with The Orion to publicize incident notifications, Reid suggested one solution for future incidents occurring on campus could include a daily information bulletin. If approved, it would include statements and information released for incidents reported that will be distributed through email for those who choose to subscribe.
Kimberly Morales an be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @kimberlymnews on Twitter.
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There’s a group of between 50 and 100 people that were going to be outside of the prison protesting (in Folsom) his release because he was on felony probation when he killed Kristina, and he only had three days left, and in Ohio they had said that they were gonna call it close enough. I was going to protest him not getting extradited to Ohio where he should have been.” SANDRA CHESTERMAN | Mother
Kristina’s family has been keeping her memory alive for the past six years, and are still continuing to do so. “Kristina was not a shrinking violet,” Chesterman said. “She was just the kind of person that was gonna change the world… I have to follow through with that dream for her.” The family set up the Kristina Chesterman Memorial Clinic, which is a fully functioning hospital in Ozu Abam, Nigeria. “Kristina wanted to go and volunteer for a year with Doctors Without Borders,” Chesterman said. “When her nursing instructor heard the story at her memorial service she said ‘I want to do something to honor Kristina and this is the way to do it.’” The Chesterman’s have also given back to the Chico community to honor Kristina. “We also have a scholarship at Chico State for nursing students that we have funded for the next, I think, 45 years,” Chesterman said. Since Kristina’s death, the Chico community holds a place in Sandra Chesterman’s heart. “I never thought I would love Chico,” she said. “I never thought that the Chico community would mean something to me but it means more than you could ever know, honestly.” Chesterman and other protestors will be at Calipatria State Prison when Hoover gets released in 2020. “It doesn’t matter when it is, but I will be there when he gets out,” Sandra said. Jessie Imhoff can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @JessieReports on Twitter
Burglar confirmed as night prowler Angelina Mendez News Writer On the morning of Oct. 31, Chico Police Department officers responded to a call regarding a burglary alarm going off at the Pick and Pull, located at 397 East Park Ave., according to a Chico Police news release. The call was made by the alarm company, alleging that there was a subject within the fenced area of the property going through vehicles. After the officers located the subject inside the business’s fenced area, he was identified as 32-year-old transient David Bowers. Bowers was uncooperative and fled on foot to an adjacent property, according to the news release. While units were monitoring the perimeter of the business to keep
Bowers contained in the area, K9 patrol animal Aron and his handler were brought to search for Bowers’ exact location. Aron located Bowers under debris in a nearby property and Bowers was arrested. This is Bowers’ third arrest for stealing from Pick and Pull this year. He was later transported to the Butte County Jail and charged with 647(h) PC - Prowling. Following his arrest on Halloween night, Bowers was released from the Butte County Jail on Nov. 14. He was later identified as a prowler in a report made on Nov. 15 regarding an incident occurring at 1 a.m. at Habitat for Humanity, located on 220 Meyers Street, Chico. When arriving to the scene of the report, officers witnessed a subject sorting through donated items, the news release said.
THE ORION | ANGELINA MENDEZ 36-year-old David Bowers and K9 Aron. Photo provided by Chico Police Department.
The subject fled the area but was finally captured after a prolonged manhunt with the help of Aron again. The subject was later identified as Bowers, who was charged for burglary and transported to
Butte County Jail. Angelina Mendez can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @theorion_angie on Twitter
A&E
Vol-83 Nov. 20 2019 Issue 13
A5
‘Pokémon Shield’ a good time but not worth the price tag
DIGITAL ART | JACOB COLLIER PHOTOS COURTESY BY | THE POKEMON COMPANY
Ricardo Tovar Staff Writer
Game Freak’s latest installment in the mainline Pokémon franchise makes its debut on a console for the Nintendo Switch. Drawing inspiration from the United Kingdom, the ‘Galar’ region is a gorgeous new environment to explore. The ‘Pokémon: Let’s Go’ influence is apparent as Pokémon can be seen in the overworld. The scope of the Galar region is deceptively massive. The world feels so lived in, and it’s the best the franchise has ever looked. Yet, despite the massive feel of the world, it is empty. Camera angles are zoomed out as much as they can and try to make you forget you’re walking a
linear path the entire game. There is an apparent lack of things to do outside of the main story and catching Pokémon. Even the 86 new Pokémon, while they look great, feel a little light for a marque console Pokémon game. Making curry and playing with your Pokémon in camps is fun but lacks any real purpose aside from being a small distraction with no real depth to it. All that happens is your Pokémon get a little more experience and a bit more friendship, that’s it. There are dozens of recipes that do that same thing of next to nothing. The next prominent feature that Game Freak tried to promote heavily is ‘Dynamaxing.’ It is a feature when Pokemon grow exponentially for three turns. They get status increases and are much more powerful, and it adds
a certain level of strategy to battles. It is only available in ‘Gym’ battles and certain other areas. ‘Gigantamaxing’ is another form of ‘Dynamaxing’ that only certain Pokémon have access too; however, it’s nothing more than an aesthetic feature. You can access this by getting candies and giving them to your Pokémon from doing, ‘Raid Battles’ in the ‘Wild Area.’ The ‘Wild Area’ is a hub where you can see other players and join in to do ‘Raid Battles’ together. All these features sound like a lot, but after a while, they get very repetitive. The lack of actual content would have been fine if it was still a handheld game worth $40, but it is a full-priced game for a console at $60. They cut the roster of over 900 Pokémon to a mere 400, to make the
models of the Pokémon look “better.” They do look better, but the rest of the game does not make up for the cut content. The Pokémon battle animations look no better than they did since the first 3D game came out for the Nintendo 64 in 1998. That’s not good. It begs the question, what was all that time spent on? The lack of post-game is jarring, and unless you are a hardcore online Pokémon battle fan, you’re out of luck for anything else to do. Rating 3/5 stars Ricardo Tovar can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @rtovarg13 on Twitter.
“She Kills Monsters” finds strange niche in Chico
COURTESY BY | CHICO SCHOOL OF ARTS
Emily Neria Staff Writer
With daring heroes, crazy monsters and heavy emotional beats, “She Kills Monsters” appeals to the young and old; nerds and theatre-goers alike. Written by Qui Nguyen in 2011, the play follows a 24-year-old school teacher named Agnes (Zoe Stamos) who plays her deceased younger sister’s Dungeons & Dragons campaign to try to get a sense of who her sister really was beneath all the geekiness. Her younger sister Tilly (Sydney Baichtal) leads her through the adventure as a non-playable character. With their production, Chico State’s Department of Music and Theatre
made the most of a very messy and touching script. The highlight of the show was the cast. Leif Bramer, who played Chuck, a high schooler who offers to be Agnes Dungeon Master lit up the stage with his earnest enthusiasm and accidental innuendos. Meanwhile, Stamos and Baichtal had great sisterly chemistry. Their scenes together felt like the most down-toearth of the whole production, and tackled some weighty themes about loss and what it is to really know a person. Aside from the actors, the show also attempted some pretty elaborate special effects. Some of the stunts they pulled didn’t
quite hit home. The stage fighting, for instance, which happened pretty often throughout the show, was laughable even when it wasn’t supposed to be. Many a victorious battle pose was struck to an uncertain spattering of applause. However, the show really nailed other effects. A running gag was that when people died gruesome deaths, their body parts would fly everywhere. This involved an evil fairy exploding into guts and bone, a mage getting his spine pulled out, and a giant gelatinous blob bleaching out the bones of one of its victims. Fortunately, this was always done for laughs, as the effect was hilarious. Even better was the climactic battle scene, when Agnes faces off against a
five-headed dragon. The dragon was depicted by an actor holding up each of its heads and operating its jaws. The heads slithered out of a set of double doors on the set creating the illusion that the dragon’s necks were craning through the doorway to snap at Agnes. The result was very convincing and fun to watch. “She Kills Monsters” seems to have discovered a strange little niche at Chico State. Between the mature themes and epic adventure of the game, there’s a little something for everyone in this production. Emily Neria can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com.
A&E
Vol-83 Nov. 20, 2019 Issue 13
A6
Annual Womxn’s Conference embraces femininity
THE ORION | MELISSA HERRERA (Top) (Top row) Ka Lynda Watts, Cheryl Watson, Mia Cadet, Brandy Holland. (Bottom row) Nyomi Hurd, Marquia Smith, and Heaven Grant. All these ladies hold positions in the club and have actively fought for a voice in their community. (Bottom Left) Just Unity Sistas (JUS) closed the event with their panel about reclaiming their identity. (Bottom Right) Students, teachers, locals, and faculty gathered to hear the disheartening issues that black women faced on this campus and in the community.
Danielle Kessler Reporter
The 21st annual Womxn’s Conference was held on Saturday and presented by the Gender Sexuality Equity Coalition, themed “Reclaiming Femininity.” Womxn’s program coordinator Bri Guerrero and intern for the inclusivity program, Talia Vargas explained what the conference means for GSEC. “Reclaiming femininity means to create space for the voices of feminine people who are left behind,” Guerrero said. They also explained what femininity means to them personally.
“To me, (femininity) means being courageous, speaking up and remembering to create space for people when it’s necessary,” Guerrero said. “I would correlate femininity with feminism … A lot of people think that feminism is (only) about women, when for me it’s more (about) inclusivity and incorporating more people into the idea that it’s not just empowering women, but empowering everyone.” During the conference, there were many opportunities to attend workshops that reflected “Reclaiming Femininity.” One workshop called “Claiming Autonomy Over Our Bodies” presented by Chico State Safe Place,
focused on the importance of setting boundaries, feeling comfortable and safe in one’s body and the importance of self care. There was also support from local print-making company Pedal Press, which had set up a print making activity for anyone that registered for the conference. “We were supporting the GSEC with some event logos and bags,” Cathryn Carkhuff from Pedal Press said. “We do live printing, so we think it’s a lot more fun when folks get to print themselves, so we had folks come in and do patches and bags.” Pedal Press is a women owned and
operated company that also has a workshop called “Art for Change.” “In addition to live printing like this, Pedal Press also does art workshops with youth. We did this amazing project with Stonewall for pride,” Carkhuff said. Their next project is a silent auction that will be held on Nov. 23 at the 6th Street Center for Youth. With support from local artists and many workshops for attendees, the Womxn’s Conference proved that femininity is powerful. Danielle Kessler can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @ reserv0irpups on Twitter.
Student architects continue rebuilding Paradise Danielle Kessler Reporter
“Project Rebuild Paradise” is underway as interior architecture students are finalizing their floor plans for Paradise residents. The group of students met with engineers and builders for the first time on Friday and showed residents their updated plans. The group’s advisor, Rouben Mohiuddin, showed each floor plan option to builders who were then free to ask any questions they had. A collective sigh of relief filled the room as builders gave their approval of the floor plans the students had been working on. He also explained the way these students first got involved with the project. “We created a class called ‘Rebuild Paradise Internship’ where the students come in and, basically, I gave them the initial concepts and from those concepts they started developing the designs,” Mohiuddin said. “The internship is really teaching them to not necessarily design, but also understand the process of how to take an idea through a system of drawings, and designing and modeling.” Later, Paradise residents were able to come and view the floor plans after giving some notes from the last meeting with students. The interior architecture students were able to show Paradise families their own floor plans that they been collaborating and working on. Student Tarik Daroich, explained where the group is in terms of the rebuilding and designing process. “Right now we’re done with designing the floor plans, the elevations, the sketch-up designs,” Daroich said. “We’re meeting with engineers to decide what is the best
THE ORION | DANIELLE KESSLER (Top) Floor plans designed and collaborated on by Chico State students. (Bottom) Professor Rouben Mohiudden talking with engineers and builders who will eventually start building homes from the student designed floor plans.
direction to head toward and we’re meeting with different clients almost every week.” “It’s a satisfying feeling to help the community after what happened last year,” Daroich said. “It’s a blessing to be in this project to be honest. I think this is what architects are supposed to do, we have a goal and it’s to help people find the most comfortable living situations.” The next steps for the project include finalizing some details and getting more feedback from residents to ensure that each family gets a new place they can call home. Danielle Kessler can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @reserv0irpups on Twitter.
A&E
Vol-83 Nov. 20, 2019 Issue 13
A7
Resilience through knitting
COURTESY BY | MIMI QUIRARTE (Top Left) Quirarte spreading peace and love through beanies. (Bottom Left) Beanies ready for donation in Quirarte’s car. (Right) Quirarte handing out free beanies during the We Will Rise event held at the Paradise Alliance Church.
Melissa Joseph Staff Writer
As cold weather draws near, it’s hard to forget the emotional and physical chill left by the Camp Fire this time last year. The Camp Fire burned nearly 14,000 homes and killed 85 people; those who survived were left with nowhere to go in the cold rains of November. One survivor, Donna Araiza, spent 13 days in the Walmart parking lot after being evacuated from her home in Magalia. Araiza was stranded in the parking lot doing what she could to keep warm as temperatures fell well below 40 degrees. Araiza’s granddaughter, Mimi Quirarte, visited Araiza upon realizing the severity of diminished resources, she felt a social responsibility to provide comfort to the shattered community. “I figured if she was cold, so was
everyone else,” Quirarte said. Quirarte began crocheting beanies, baby blankets and washcloths for Camp Fire victims that had lost everything in the fire. “Throughout the year I would make beanies and bring them up and hand deliver them to Butte county,” Quirarte said. Quirarte now lives in American Canyon, commuting to work by ferry where she was able to make two beanies a day, one on her way to work and one on her way home. To produce more beanies and spread awareness, Quirarte enlisted in the help of strangers on Facebook, encouraging members of the community to also make beanies. Quirarte collected beanies from strangers, who soon became friends, and evenly dispersed them between distributors she knew in Butte County. In February of 2019, with the help of her mother and friends, Quirarte made and collected approximately 700
beanies, donating them to donation centers in Magalia, Concow, Chico, Corning and Oroville. In addition to the donations in February, Quirarte and friends handed out 400 beanies this October during the We Will Rise event held at the Paradise Alliance Church. Quirarte’s motivation not only comes from her grandmother, who was directly affected by the fire, but from multiple friends and family members who lost their homes, as well as their lives. Tamara Konicki, Quirarte’s childhood best friend, drove to California from Ohio when word of the Camp Fire spread. Her mother, Sheila Santos, was unaccounted for and could not be reached; it was later confirmed that she had died. “My friend Tamara and I grew up together in Pacifica. Her mother was like a second mom to me,” Quirarte said. The loss of Sheila Santos shook
Quirarte to her core. Losing Santos was like losing a piece of her younger self. Through the spirit of donating and creating beanies, Quirarte has been able to keep her memory alive. “When I make the beanies and hand them out, I share the memories I have of Sheila and her family,” Quirarte said. “It’s my way of honoring her. If you’re wearing a beanie by Mimi or a friend, know it’s my way of letting Sheila hug you and keep you safe and warm this winter as she watches over all of us here on earth.” Quirarte continues to make beanies for those in need and is planning another large donation for Christmas. To help Quirarte and donate your own beanies, more information can be found at www.mimismomentarybliss. com. Melissa Joseph can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @melisstweetz on Twitter
Masterful techniques in “Ford v Ferrari” with not much else
COURTESY BY | FOX MOVIES
Matt Damon and Christian Bale star as Carroll Shelby and Ken Miles, respectively in “Ford v Ferrari.”
Angel Ortega Staff Writer
“Ford v Ferrari,” while lacking narrative substance, exhibits some of the best sound editing and mixing. Directed by James Mangold, “Ford v Ferrari” takes place in the 1960s, where automotive designer Carroll Shelby (Matt Damon) and British racecar driver Ken Miles (Christian Bale), design a revolutionary racecar for the Ford Motor Company’s racing division in an effort to defeat Enzo Ferrari’s cars, who has defeated Ford at the 24 Hours at Le Mans the last five years. “Ford v Ferrari” is nothing special as far as sports dramas go. The film carries clichés that are seen time and time again in sport dramas, including melodramatic sequences, a run-of-the-mill romantic arc and
household turmoil because of a conflict that arises in the film. These things aren’t inherently bad, but they’re things that audiences have seen time and time again and bring nothing new. The product placement on this film could not have been more obvious. Almost every other scene in the first two acts of the film had either a Coca-Cola or Smirnoff bottle or advertisement in frame. I don’t have too much issue with product placement in media, let alone films and have come to expect it considering that we live in a capitalistic society. However, the abundance of product placement in “Ford v Ferrari” was annoying. My last major critique of the film is the runtime was too long. The film is two and a half hours long, but it felt like three. I don’t mind long films,
but if it lacks enough substance, be it symbolism, metaphors, or stellar performances, having a long film is pointless. The film would have benefited had the runtime been trimmed at least 20 minutes. With that said, I enjoyed the “Ford v Ferrari.” Though I wasn’t fan of Damon’s performance, as he lacks any real range as an actor, and Bale’s character’s wife (Caitriona Balfe) was nothing more than a caricature of a housewife, I did thoroughly enjoy Bale’s character. Bale is the type of method actor to truly immerse himself into his character, as seen in films like Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy, “Vice,” and “American Hustle.” Therefore, it’s no surprise that his performance in “Ford v Ferrari” was impeccable.
Though the actions, specifically with the race sequences, were to be expected in this sports drama, the sound, design and editing in these sequences were well done. The audio during Miles’ race at Le Mans was so crystal-clear, the film allowed me to immerse myself into the scene. Watching “Ford v Ferrari” is probably the closest I’ll ever experience riding a Ford GT40 without physically being in one. “Ford v Ferrari” is a decent sports drama with some clichés in the narrative, but the production redeems this film from falling flat. Rating: 3/5 stars Angel Ortega can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @AngelOrtegaNews on Twitter
Sports
Vol-83 Nov. 20, 2019 Issue 13
A8
Inspiration is the key to prominence
Wesley Harris Staff Writer
The first steps of becoming an outstanding collegiate athlete do not just incorporate natural talent, but rather require list of people and experiences along the way which influence a talented individual. For Chico State’s senior soccer player Ronan McEnroe, coming from a humble home base and meeting one-of-a-kind individuals have all motivated him to keep his drive for the game through the grueling season. “Bakersfield is a town that has a bunch of players that love the game too,” McEnroe said. “(There were) a lot of teams I could play for, a lot of talented players I could be with and be able to grow as a player.” McEnroe’s interest in soccer started in his backyard with his four brothers. While growing up in a family with two immigrant parents, McEnroe learned the important values of hard work from their hardships and how they were able to provide a life for their family in the United States. Home was an epicenter of soccer talent and life stories that propelled him to the next level. “They started literally from nothing,” McEnroe said of his parents. “All of a sudden they had five sons in eight years. (My dad) was able to go back to school after he had his first three kids.
All while he was doing that, he had to stay real disciplined and got really good grades in med school. My mom, while my dad was going to school, she was being the primary breadwinner working her ass off to support him to go to school and for us to have food on the table.” McEnroe believed that soccer was the greatest sport to show his talent. He grew up watching players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Yaya Toure, who provided a palette of excellence for McEnroe to follow on and off the field. “I liked soccer because it’s a team sport and you can show off your individuality in it,” McEnroe said. “In football you have big pads and a helmet, it’s a pretty straightforward game. With soccer you have these moves and there’s so many ways you can show off your talent. You can play a really nice pass. You can show off your fancy footwork or you can be a great defender too.” After arriving at Chico State, McEnroe has had more individuals to pattern his game style after. Competing with former players on the field and learning from his current teammates has encouraged him to work on different parts of his game. “(Justin Womsely) had springs in his leads and would win every single
header that came his way, which is a part of my game,” McEnroe said. “ I got guys like Mikey (Hirsch), Cooper (Renteria), they’re so are talented with what they do with the ball which makes me want to be better as a player… Jeremiah Egujie was just a beast. He had this Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan mentality that I try to emulate.” Thanks to McEnroe’s diverse background, he has also found a variety of music to be helpful in his endeavors. “Music is a huge tool that you can use,” McEnroe said. “I have five different playlists on any given day that I can run through and inspire me before games. I listen to EDM, Hip Hop or whatever it has to be to get me in that mood.” Role models extend beyond the field for McEnroe. His friends back in his hometown help him realize his current journey is not nearly as hard as their lives. The heartfelt stories of his parent’s and teammate’s immigrant experiences are a blueprint for his motivation. “I’ve seen poverty and I’ve traveled a lot,” McEnroe said. “I went to my mom’s home country, which is in Africa, two summers ago. That was such a surreal
THE ORION | WESLEY HARRIS Ronan McEnroe (middle) celebrating a goal at University Soccer Stadium.
experience. You see kids begging for money. To come back here and you’re like, ‘this is not even funny how good we have it in the States.’ If you’re not taking advantage of everything we have, it’s almost like you’re spitting on those who are less fortunate than you.” McEnroe has used his teammates throughout the years to his advantage as far as adding to his soccer game, music choices and overall personality. Being able to see genuine hardships in other countries has helped inspire his next journey after Chico State. “I’m currently trying to get my Irish passport,” McEnroe said. “Maybe I can work in Europe and find a team out there. I’ve always wanted to be a (veterinarian), but there are a lot of other options with my degree, and I think I would like to be (involved in) health care and medical field.” Wesley Harris can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @jiggy_wes on Twitter.
Cross country runner pushes through tragedy
Karina Cope Staff Writer
Talia Swangler was raised in Paradise and attended Butte College after high school. She then transferred to Chico State before the start of her junior year. Less than three months after her transition, she was hit with tragedy. The town she grew up in and her parents’ home she had recently moved out of was engulfed by flames. Swangler did not know for a while whether her house was gone or when she would be allowed to go back. She would go to her house in Paradise almost every weekend because it was so close to Chico and it was “home” for her. She eventually discovered that her family had lost everything. Throughout the most difficult of times, Swangler stuck with cross country. Two days after the fire, Nov. 10, 2018, she had a long conversation with her head coach, Gary Towne. He had told her that what she needed most was continuity during that time. Swangler continued to go to practice every day. She did not take a break from it. However, Swangler has been running since seventh grade, so she was used to this.
“I didn’t even realize it was affecting me, and then I asked, ‘What is going on in my life that’s making me miserable?’,” Swangler said. “Oh, well I did go through a trauma.” The team had running practice destinations in Paradise that everyone loved. For a long time, the team refrained from going up there to run. When the girls go up to Paradise together now, however, they notice that the destinations have changed drastically. While no other runner had experienced quite to the same extent what Swangler had gone through, her team served as a great support system. “My team was something to hold onto and something that was steady throughout that whole process which was so up in the air,” Swangler said. Despite everything that Swangler went through over the past year, she remained strong and continued to run like nothing was holding her back. During her first year at Chico State, Swangler set new personal records, placed in several meets, and won many awards. Last year at the Hornet Invitational in Sacramento, she recorded an 18:04
5K personal best. Swangler also finished number 21 at her first COURTESY BY | CHICO STATE SPORTS INFORMATION Talia Swangler has been on the cross country CCAA Championship and was team for two seasons. named the conference’s Newcomer of the Year. Not to mention, she earned two CCAA All-Academic Awards along with running. She mentioned that she with many other titles and rankings is excited to simply run for fun, not competition. Swangler also mentioned with her name on them. A couple of weeks after the Camp that she would love to coach a Girls on Fire, the cross country team went the Run team, a nonprofit organization to Regionals in Billings, Montana. that empowers girls from the ages of 8 Swangler mentioned that this was her to 13 through life skills and running. worst race of the season, as she did not She is also open to coaching a small know what she was doing there after town high school cross country team. Through all the ups and downs within such intense weeks prior. Then, two weeks after Regionals, the the past year, Swangler highlighted team went to Nationals at Humboldt the incredible community that she saw State. With some extra time for come together after the fire and how Swangler to process things, she felt much people wanted to give. “Tragedies bring out the best in that she had something to run for. At Nationals, Swangler went from people,” Swangler said. “I don’t think number seven on the team to number people will ever understand how much their actions meant.” four. “In the face of what I had gone through, I could make myself even more proud by doing well and being Karina Cope can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com successful,” Swangler said. In the future, Swangler wants to stick or @KarinalCope on Twitter
Opinion
Vol-83 Nov. 20, 2019 Issue 13
A9
Depressed and down but still around Jacob Collier Designer
Trigger Warning: This article contains several references to selfharm that may be disturbing to some readers. Everyone feels down sometimes, but for some it can reach a terrifying level. When I was 23, I gave up on trying to fight my sadness and tried to end my life. “What is the point?” was my catchphrase at the time. During every action, every day I had that phrase repeating in my head. The world becomes a dull, dreary place when every movement and interaction is internally questioned. The most fun conversations to have are when a person with depression tries to communicate how they feel. So often, these interactions are met with either the “one up,” where someone tells you how bad they have had it or the “you are probably just sad today,” when someone discredits your entire experience. Neither of those options are helpful, since it’s already so hard for a person with depression to reach out and talk about what they’re experiencing and these responses draw the conversation away from the person seeking help. When I was younger, I did not want to be another sad, depressed teen and so I promised myself to give it time — to see if I could ever get over the way I felt. When I turned 23, I decided it was time to leave my daily dilemma behind. My suicide attempt was stopped by
my best friend. He said nothing in the moment— what could he have said? He eventually just asked me to play video games with him and we spent the entire night doing what we enjoyed together. That’s what someone who feels hopelessness in life needs: someone to care enough to do anything for them. Someone to give them time, space and care. Depression makes it hard to understand what feelings are “normal.” Whenever I interact with others beyond a greeting, I will dissect and repeat the conversation in my head over the next hour. Every perceived failure impacts all my other plans and leaves me paralyzed. It is impossible to feel like a good person when you’re plagued by self-doubt and constant analysis. Everything I do, I wonder: “Did I do that just to seem nice?” The best way to define depression from my perspective would be to call it a handicap. Nothing can be done without extra effort and the simplest road blocks can make everything infinitely harder. If these challenges can be surmounted, maybe it’s characterbuilding— “forged in fire,” but up until that point, you’re just on fire. The best—the only—option I have found for powering through these issues is to truly never give up. Depression is not something that you can hide from or fix easily. Each day, I walk out of my house with a smile so that I can at the least look the part. I have great friends,
family and a wonderful partner that keep me grounded and make life worth it. The best advice I could give that has helped me is to never say no to
an opportunity. The thought of things going wrong is terrifying, but don’t let it cripple you. I have found I gain more joy than sadness from doing activities I’m hesitant to participate in. Depression is brutal, but from someone who had the chance to end it, I absolutely would have regretted missing everything I have experienced since. Jacob Collier can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com
DIGITAL ART | JACOB COLLIER
The nude selfie is an Campus police take act of sex positivity responsibility for actions Kati Morris Staff Writer
The leaked nude photo was a nightmare that young women of the previous generation only hoped would never happen to them. Now, many women freely choose to share their own nudes, whether publicly, to a “fake” private Instagram account, or in exchange for profit. It’s a common facet of my own social media feed to see women posting half-nude photos of themselves. Body positivity and sex positivity have been at the forefront of modern feminism for almost as long as I’ve had an account. In many ways, it has been an important part of sexual liberation for women. The act of choosing when your naked body will be shared and with whom can be a powerful exercise of autonomy. The power of the nude selfie may come from a chain reaction that occurs when women see other women posting photos of themselves. There’s something about seeing someone shamelessly loving their skin that can provoke a certain self confidence. I’ll admit, I have felt inspired to photograph myself after seeing a mutual follower artfully pose in front of her camera. With that being said, there is still a lingering thought in the back of my mind that I may not be posting photos for myself. After once posting a topless photo to my own Twitter, I was met with comments that I could have anticipated but hoped were fueled by good intention. The comments and direct messages I received were a mix of praise for my boldness and yearning for me to reveal more. I eventually took the photo down after it accumulated an uncomfortable amount of likes. When porn accounts started retweeting my photo, I hit a wall. What I was doing didn’t feel like creating porn, but the analytics told me otherwise. At the same time, I saw so many of my peers publicly loving their body that I felt taking it down was an act of insecurity. While I still do appreciate the act of posting a nude photo for one’s own expression of body positivity, I feel there is an underlying dialogue that should be addressed. There is an assumption that women who show off their bodies are confident while women who choose to cover them lack confidence. Social media has given women the ability to present themselves however they choose. Yet, society still has the tendency to pathologize their choice of expression. It feels like women are stuck in a limbo of sharing too much or
too little — whether we will be viewed as progressive, sex positive feminists or prudish opponents. What I realized about my own experience with nude selfie posting was that it had the effect of inflating and deflating a balloon. I felt good while the comments filled my ego like helium, but worse when it became too full and popped. For others, this may not be the experience they have and that’s OK. There is no universal way to love your body.
DIGITAL ART | JACOB COLLIER
Kati Morris can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @neutralsoymlk on Twitter.
- Hutchinson will not Natalie Hanson Editor-In-Chief
After weeks of ongoing investigation into the Meriam Library incidents this semester, we got a chance to talk to the police chief to clarify things. My concerns, this entire semester, have rested with the control of information by the campus PR department, and these incidents only made it more clear how tight their grip on the university is. That’s why I appreciated Chief Reid’s willingness to meet with us several times this semester to address our concerns. I want to commend him for taking the time to explain the process behind what happens on campus -even if we disagree with that process and do not feel that the notifications system is working. It is clear that UPD must do whatever the administration asks them to, and any issues with the current system in protecting our student body must be considered the ultimate fault of the administration. I am still alarmed at how much UPD must follow campus orders to the point when they tell us to go to the PR team for information they should be the experts on. But who is going to be able to change this? Not the Chief, but President Hutchinson. For any journalist who’s been in the game long enough, the problems our newspaper has faced this year in getting timely, accurate information about campus incidents, and in dealing with University Communications, have been incredibly unacceptable, and should be deeply alarming to anyone in this business. Even if you’re not as concerned with the issues facing a student newspaper, I would think that concerned student or staff or faculty member is going to be just as concerned about the control of information and protecting free speech. Here’s why we all need to care about what the PR office has control over. How can a library still be evacuated even if the chief of police does not give his approval? Why hasn’t President Hutchinson ever commented on this serious breach in security? Why won’t the library staff explain their decision to evacuate the library for a potential unconfirmed shooter threat despite the chief’s approval? As we examined this week, President Hutchinson’s salary raises have been different every year, and it’s per the usual for CSU presidents to continue to be paid more even as tuition also rises.
It seems that the president is more concerned with The president’s office has not acknowledged the incidents this semester which deeply concern the student body. Hutchinson has never addressed the student body about the incident involving two Border Patrol officers who tabled in full uniform in the Career Center’s job fair. Even if these officers had clearance from the Career Center to be there, it was clear that the student body was shocked and even hurt at their presence -- to the point that Associated Students came forward in their Government Affairs meeting and condemned its effects on the student body. Yet not a word has been said by Hutchinson’s office on the matter, one way or another. She also has never addressed the fact that the library staff ignored UPD’s advice in a suspicious behavior circumstance and evacuated the library against the Chief’s orders. Shouldn’t that deeply concern the president? I would be surprised if no disciplinary action was taken against the staff in question, particularly as now they are unwilling to comment on the incident to our reporters. The president’s office took months to release the enrollment data for this year, which was due in August, and has not acknowledged that various factors in our community directly impact these numbers -- like the rise in rent prices, a severe lack of housing and ongoing safety concerns after the fire. The more issues the president’s office refuses to acknowledge, the worse the administration looks. Issues of safety, transparency and control of information must be addressed by the president and if they are not, the school continues to look more and more like it would prefer to bury its head in the sand as long as it possibly can. The thing is, we’re all watching, and so is the city of Chico, and potential future students. Hutchinson cannot hide from the responsibility of addressing these serious problems forever. There are many strange things going on at Chico State and ultimately it’s on the president’s plate. We as students need to demand more from her and continue to demand a response and an acknowledgement of mistakes. Hold the president accountable, and ask for better. ILLUSTRATION | MELISSA JOSEPH
Natalie Hanson can be reached at orionmanagingeditor@gmail.com or @nhanson_reports on Twitter.
NOVEMBER
Advertisement Student Learning Fee - Request for Proposals A campus fund created by the consolidation of course fees, the Student Learning Fee (SLF), is now available for the submission of proposals that will lead to the enhancement of student learning. The estimated amount available for the 2020-2021 award year is $1,700,000. Awards will be determined by colleges, the Division of Student Affairs, and the Campus Fee Advisory Committee (CFAC), each of which will receive specific allocation amounts. CFAC accepts proposals from non-college academic units and interdisciplinary teams. In this context, “interdisciplinary” refers to proposals that cross college or division lines. Proposals may be submitted by students, faculty, and staff via the SLF web application located at: https://slf.csuchico.edu/. If you are part of an academic college or the division of Student Affairs please discuss your funding needs, and how to submit a proposal/ expenditure request, with your college office or the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs. Please refer to the SLF website (http://www.csuchico.edu/slf) and go to the Guidelines section for more information on the proposal process. Proposals may be submitted online from Monday, October 21st, until the final submission deadline of 5:00 p.m. on December 5, 2019. If you have any questions or issues, please send an email to: slf@ csuchico.edu. Thank you for your participation in this opportunity to support and enhance student learning.
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Wed. 20 • Tue. 26
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Climate Activism Training 6:00 p.m.–8:00 p.m., Colusa 100. Free! Inclusive training on involvement for climate change activism featuring Dr. Mark Stemen and Steven Marquardt of Sunrise Movement. People of all backgrounds are encouraged to join and learn about claimte activism in the community.
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Green Dot Violence Prevention 12:30 a.m.–1:30 a.m., Sutter 276p An overview of safety strategies on campus, with faculty and staff on hand to explain the vital role of campus employees in safety. A comprehensive look at the term “bystander”. Employees register in CSU Learn.
25 Chico Schoolhouse Art 1:30 p.m. –4:30 p.m., Ayres Hall A two-day printmaking workshop taught by graduated CSU Chico BFA printmakers. In this workshop, students will make a design, carve, ink and print their own masterpieces. Students will bring prints to frame. Monday-Tuesday Age range: 13-19, Price is $90 Contact Rebecca Felstein at extension x6878.