THE PIONEER Covering the East Bay community since 1961
California State University, East Bay
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¡EDICION EN ESPANOL! PAGINAS SEIS Y SIETE
THURSDAY MARCH 10, 2016
www.thepioneeronline.com
Winter 2016 Issue 10
Publisher consolidates Bay Area newspapers SEE OPINION PAGE 2
By Louis LaVenture
JOKE CREATES OSCAR FLAK
NEWS AND SPORTS EDITOR
SEE SPORTS PAGE 11
WOMEN CLAIM CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP
#NEWSPIONEER /thepioneernewspaper @thepioneeronline @newspioneer
Women’s U.S. soccer struggles to break ground By Elizabeth Avalos and Christina Bleakley STAFF WRITER AND CONTRIBUTOR
The NBA, NFL, and MLB, remain the best leagues of their kind in comparison to the rest of the world, and chances of this changing anytime soon appear substantially slim. While the United States is unquestionably home to some of the most passionate sports fans, soccer is the only globally loved game whose popularity in America does not come remotely close to that of baseball, football, or basketball. Still, this has not stopped the US from producing at least one world cup winning national soccer team. For many years, the United States Women’s National Soccer Team (USWNT) has remained a strong title contender. Alex Morgan, Hope Solo, Abby Wambach, and Carli Lloyd, have stunned the world with their exceptional foot skills in countless stadiums around the world, which caught the attention of news outlets and magazines, but for some reason, American Women’s soccer cannot gain traction. Despite the unsuccessful past attempts of the United States Soccer Federation to develop and maintain a strong professional women’s soccer league, the USWNT are not a reflection of the league’s failed history. In fact, the American ladies are the opposite of failures, they are champions. Although they brought home a world cup championship, why does the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) still not have a steady stream of owners, sponsors, and fans? “I think even though the professional women’s soccer leagues have been able to attract a lot of talented players and put together an excellent
SEE SPORTS PAGE 11
PHOTO BY TAM DUONG JR./THE PIONEER
Senior forward Bianca Littleton celebrates during a home game last month at Pioneer Gymnasium.
Women make history in tournament East Bay hoops squad wins conference title By Louis LaVenture
NEWS AND SPORTS EDITOR The Cal State East Bay women’s basketball team made history program Saturday night. In a rematch of the 2015 California Collegiate Athletic Association Conference championship game, the Pioneers (27-4 overall, 28-2 conference) avenged
last season’s loss after they defeated the Cal State Dominguez Hills Toros (22-9, 18-2), 68-53, at Stockton Arena. This is the first conference championship for CSUEB since they joined the CCAA in 2009-2010, the same year the school became an NCAA Division II member. “It’s a surreal feeling,” CSUEB senior guard Shannon Bland said. “It’s such an honor to be a part of the program that is bringing history to this university. To set a standard for athletics and women’s basketball with this group of people is very exciting.” Senior and East Bay’s all-time leading scorer, Tori Breshers, led the way for the
Pioneers. The forward tallied a game-high 23 points and 5 rebounds in 32 minutes on the floor. Fellow seniors, Laci Effenberger and Shannon Bland, also had big games. The two guards combined to record 24 points and 9 rebounds, while Effenberger also had 6 assists and 3 steals. This was the school record-setting fourteenth consecutive victory for the Pioneers, who haven’t lost a game since Jan. 16, 64-63 to Cal State San Bernardino. Also, CSUEB accomplished another first in program history after the conference championship game triumph. For the
SEE SPORTS PAGE 11
From extra credit to community service Kinesiology students hand out 50 bag lunches By Louis LaVenture
NEWS AND SPORTS EDITOR Cal State East Bay’s Kinesiology students spent some extra time creating bag lunches for the homeless in Hayward, for some extra credit. That is exactly what happened to CSUEB biology major Kevin Zsanchez and sociology major Zinaya Brown, while they attended an event to hand out food to the homeless for extra credit in one of their kinesiology courses. Zsanchez said he had an epiphany and he mentioned it to Brown. “We were joking around and I said how can we get more extra credit but also relate it to something we want to do, like helping people who need it” Zsanchez said. “I jokingly said, hey we can raid some orchards and get some fruit to pass out?” That joke turned into a full philanthropic effort for two kinesiology classes and nearly 50 students. CSUEB kinesiology instructor, Sabrina Smith, helped the students organize the impromptu project and buy supplies. The students bought enough food and supplies out of their own pockets to make 50 bag lunches to hand out to homeless people in the Hayward community. The group targeted high homeless populated areas like the Hayward BART Station and the Hayward Main Library. “Since we are not a club we were told
PHOTOS BY MELODY PLATT/THE PIONEER
Top: CSUEB kinesiology students make bag lunches on Friday to pass out to homeless people in Hayward and Oakland. Bottom left: Students wrote notes on the bag lunches. Bottom right: A CSUEB student gives a lunch to a homeless woman near the Hayward BART Station on Friday. that we could not table for donations but the students who are leading the project still wanted to put on the event,” Smith said. Students made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and filled the lunch bags
with other items like fruit, jello cups, juice and water. Brown said that the project related to her kinesiology class, “because there are a
SEE NEWS PAGE 4
Bay Area residents better get ready for a makeover to their local newspapers. On Tuesday, Bay Area News Group President and Publisher, Sharon Ryan, announced some major shake ups to all of their publications, beginning on April 5. In an open letter to BANG readers, Ryan announced plans to merge the Contra Costa Times, East County Times, West County Times, Tri Valley Times, San Ramon Valley Times, Oakland Tribune, The Daily Review and The Argus to create one publication called the East Bay Times. Ryan also said the San Jose Mercury News and the San Mateo County Times would merge to form The Mercury News. Ryan said the changes were prompted by, “a desire to sharpen our content offerings,” in a BANG conducted survey last fall that asked readers what they wanted in their paper. The response explained that readers wanted a focus on “regional news that impacts their daily lives.” BANG issued a survey online and in its publications to gauge its readers wants and needs in 2015, which is the basis for the changes, according to Ryan. The Oakland Tribune, The Daily Review and The Argus, will all be converted into weekly publications that will be delivered to subscribers in Oakland, Hayward and Fremont on Friday’s. Ryan would not confirm or deny if any of the publications on the list were losing money for the BANG corporation, however, along with the consolidation Ryan said roughly 40 of BANG’s 200 newsroom employees would be laid off or bought out of their contracts. Dan Smith, BANG’s vice president of audience, said that 23 contract buyouts would be offered to newsroom employees 60 or older who have also been with their publication for at least 20 years. However, only 30 BANG newsroom employees met these requirements and just five of the contract buyouts would be offered to reporters, according to Smith's statement. Former San Jose Mercury News reporter and current freelance journalist Mike Rosenberg took to Twitter to express his displeasure with the situation. “Sad day for my former colleagues at San Jose Mercury News, Oakland Tribune & Contra Costa Times - and for journalism,” Rosenberg said. “Newspapers need big changes but not sure I agree with ditching 2 historic, household brand names in Oakland Tribune & Contra Costa Times.” The Oakland Tribune has been a Bay Area staple for 142 years since its inception on Feb. 21, 1874.The Contra Costa Times has was founded in 1947 giving it a rich 69-year history for the publication. BANG is the largest publisher of daily and weekly newspapers in the Bay Area, which is also a subsidiary Denver, Colorado’s MediaNews Group. The former ANG (Alameda News Group), changed to Bay Area News Group in 2006 after the MediaNews Group bought the Mercury News and Contra Costa Times. BANG also announced that they would add newsroom employees to three key areas of interest to readers, identified by the 2015 surveys, environment, transportation and local businesses coverage.