The Skyline View | Spring 2023 | Issue #2

THE SKYLINE VIEW The Voice of Skyline College, San Bruno, Calif.

April 6, 2023

theskylineview.com

Issue 2

Local artist creates mural for Dream Center

Monica Navarro-Marroquín teamed up with Skyline College center assisting undocumented students

By Joshua D. Picazo Editor-In-Chief

On Feb. 28, Bay Area muralist Monica Navarro-Marroquín unveiled her newest mural at Skyline College’s Dream Center.

The mural, which features the Dream Center’s logo of a monarch butterfly, includes plenty of symbolism that reflects the community, Navarro-Marroquín says.

“I wanted my mural to showcase the beauty in the journey that undocumented students take in going to Skyline College and pursuing their version of the American dream. Martin [Marquez] and I came up with the concept of using the monarch butterfly as it widely represents migration, alongside the tenacity that often comes with being an immigrant in this country. The monarch butterfly knows no borders and is essentially limitless in what it knows it can achieve,” Navarro-Marroquín said.

Over 94,000 students across California are undocumented, according to Higher Ed Immigration Portal. The Board of Trustees designates the three district campuses as “safe havens” in 2017.

“I believe art is incredibly important and powerful in telling the story of the community. I can only imagine the nerves and stress undocumented students go through in navigating the school system.

My wish is for the students to walk into the dream center and for a huge weight to be lifted off their shoulders when they see my mural… that it may inspire hope along their journey at Skyline [College]”,

Navarro-Marroquín unveils her mural at the Dream Center in buidling one.

My wish is for the students to walk into the dream center and for a huge weight to be lifted off their shoulders when they see my mural… that it may inspire hope along their journey at Skyline [College]”, Navarro-Marroquín Navarro-Marroquín said of the importance of art.

“Murals have been around for many thousands of years to share stories all over, and many murals

Cash App founder killed in San Francisco

By Graham breitbarth, Zach Hernandez & alex gonzalez multimedia editor & reporters

Cash App Founder Bob Lee was fatally stabbed at around 2:35 am on Tuesday morning along the 300 block of Main Street.

San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has tweeted that no arrests have been made, adding that “we do not tolerate these horrific acts of violence in San Francisco.”

Since the attack, friends of Lee have been posting on social media, calling out how dangerous San Francisco is.

Jake Shields had tweeted “He was in the “good” part of the city and appeared to have been targeted in a random mugging/attack.”

Cash App is a popular payment service used by the younger generation. 39% of Cash App’s users are college aged (18-29), according to Pew Research Center..

Olivien Pinaroc, a Cash App user, when asked if she trusts the app, told The Skyline View she felt confident using it, she said yes and that it is similar to other payment apps.

“Most CEOs… they always have eyes on them… They always, do something that will make someone else mad.

Them and the company are two separate things,” regarding trust with the app.

Julius Wijaya, another student at Skyline college, said that he avoids taking his car to the downtown after hearing about his friends car getting broken into.

Lee is survived by his wife Krista, and their two children.

have impacted the world by highlighting different social issues.

I wanted to create a light-hearted approach to storytelling what may feel like a heavy matter at

times for the undocumented Skyline students,” she added The Dream Center assists undocumented students with a

Danielle Cosino/The Skyline View

wide range of tasks, such as getting free legal advice, applying for financial aid, and having a supportive network on campus.

Navarro-Marroquín owns Diosa Dreams and can be reached via her Instagram account @diosa.dreams and on her website www.diosadreams.com, where more of her artwork can be found.

Muslim students around the Bay Area begin observing Ramadan

By Joshua D. Picazo Editor in Chief

Two weeks ago, Muslim students across the Bay Area and worldwide began observing the Islamic month of Ramadan at sundown.

For Muslims, it is a time to reflect on their faith, community, and practice restraint.

“As a native of the Bay Area, I attended public schools my entire life. So I have lots of experience practicing Ramadan at school, the good and the bad. I noticed that the lack of knowledge of my classmates and the school staff had impacted my own perception of the celebration,” said Aqsa Nawaz, a sophomore and co-founder of the Muslim Student Association at Berkeley City College.

“While there was minimal recognition of the holy month of Ramadan in my school district I believe that all other religions and faiths are celebrated on a much more national level in the USA, which claims to practice freedom of religion. To combat this, I along with other board members have been educating the Berkeley City College community with fun, engaging activities,” Nawaz added.

“As part of my efforts to reach

out to BCC’s administration, I helped advocate for a separate meditation room that is accessible to anyone who wishes to pray on campus during Ramadan and outside of Ramadan as well.

In doing so, I am aiming to help normalize Islamic practices in my community and teach the public about Islam in general”.

Perhaps the most well-known practice during Ramadan is fasting which is one of the five pillars of the Islamic faith, along with professing faith (shahada), completing the five daily prayers (salat), donating to the poor (zakat), and pilgrimage to Mecca (hajj).

Fasting begins just before sunrise (during the Fajr prayer) and ends at sunset (Maghrib), which can leave students tired and hungry during the early days of the month.

“Before sunrise, we have really up to two meals. I recommend eating very nutritious and hydrating foods. I also really recommend staying off the caffeine and sodas and sugary drinks and drinking water you need to stay hydrated,” said Barakah Dugan, a student at Skyline College.

“Personally, for me, it sometimes gets hard to concentrate because I’m really hungry but also over time because the body gets used to fasting and the routine like in the dietary routine gets easier... Another way I’m preparing is by trying to find different methods of studying because I find that you know certain methods of studying. I feel as though I won’t be as effective during this time,” Dugan added, and she stressed taking breaks.

“For any period of fasting, it is important to prioritize balanced nutrition outside of the fasting window,” Heather Gerrish, a registered dietician and nutrition professor at Skyline College said.

“This might include implementing a balanced meal or meal and snack comprised of fruits, vegetables, fiber-containing carbohydrates, and protein source prior to the start of a fast and after the end of the fasting window. Adding a healthy fat also can support satiety and help you feel full when added to a balanced meal or incorporated into a snack.”

Ramadan is expected to last until around April 20 or around when a new crescent moon is sighted and when Eid al-Fitr is celebrated.

2

News

The Staff Editor-In-Chief Joshua D. Picazo News Editors Joshua D. Picazo & graham breitbarth Focal Point Editor Sean siapno Opinions Editor nishad karulkar Sports Editor kathia noriega Chief Copy Editor Joshua d. picazo Multimedia Editor Graham breitbarth Social Media Editor danielle cosino Reporters Antonio franco alex gonzalez Ileana Guillen zach hernandez freelance reporter gabriel mendez Faculty Adviser Nancy Kaplan-Biegel

Skyline art professors reflect on AI arts rising popularity

Fears by the piers

By Joshua D. Picazo Editor-in-Chief

By Joshua D Picazo & Graham breitbarth Editor-in-chief & multimedia editor

Artificial intelligence art, commonly referred to as “AI art,” has been the talk of the art world for the last few months.

With both opponents and fierce proponents, arguments are being made that it can hurt artists’ livelihoods and assist the future of art.

“I think there will always be a place for anything that includes human input and ideas, which it seems to [have] with AI art,” said Eileen David, who teaches painting at Skyline College.

“I have artist friends who utilize it although I am not interested in doing that, I respect their process.

I do not, however, think that it’s ok for AI to use art from other artists’ creations. It does seem like perjury.

I wouldn’t be too happy to find out my art was used in this fashion without my permission,” David added.

Amir Esfahani, who teaches introduction to web design, mural painting, and digital art, disagrees with the opposing views of AI art.

“I think all technology over time tends to advance, and with these advancements, some parts of the industries go away while others just begin. In this case, with AI, I am not quite sure whether it will be beneficial to the digital artist or not.

I know AI will create new jobs for artists, programmers, and designers,” Esfahani said.

One criticism of AI art has been the accusations that it steals artists’ work in order to create pieces that are then sold by a third party that neither credits nor pays that artist.

In February, U.S. Copyright offices said that the AI system Midjourn-

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The Skyline View is a First Amendment Publication. The Skyline View is published bi-weekly during the spring and fall semesters by the journalism students at Skyline College. The Skyline View is a member of the Journalism Association of Community Colleges. Opinions expressed in the paper are those of the writers and should not be interpreted as the views of Skyline College, SMCCCD, the faculty, administrators or the newspaper adviser. Additionally, the paper does not endorse any of the products or services advertised.

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-ey should not have been given copyright protection, and several lawsuits testing the legality of AI art have recently been filed.

“I think it is important to give credit where credit is due, and I think there are copyright laws in place to protect us from this kind of thing. I am sure we will be seeing issues like this in the news more and more as AI gets more developed. things that are not under copyright, for example, illegal graffiti art, may not be able to protect itself against AI using the same copyright laws. Art has always been taken, remixed, and put back out there. I don’t particularly see anything different about AI doing this,” Esfahani said of the legal implications.

When asked if he anticipates his courses using AI tools, Esfahani said, “I am 100% sure we will use AI in our classes at some point. Maybe a lesson on generative artwork or using some third-party software that utilizes AI to create something visually interesting. Maybe we will make traditional oil paintings of 3D models that are rendered as a combination of different body parts from figurative sculptures from all around the world! I mean, the possibilities are limitless, really and I personally think it is very exciting.”

In related news, aiEDU recently announced a partnership with Skyline College to “bring AI education to every student in America.” aiEDU did not immediately respond when asked to comment on the specifics.

Former College of San Mateo employee pleads guilty to lewd acts with minors

By Joshua D. Picazo Editor-in-Chief

Richard Rojo, the former director of marketing and community relations at College of San Mateo, pled guilty to lewd acts with minors on March 15.

Rojo first joined CSM in 2017.

Rojo, 54, was first accused of engaging in sexual activities with two underage girls. In November of 2020, he met with a 14-year-old he met on social media according to the charges. The San Jose Police Department was then notified of a second incident with a then 15-year old girl.

Rojo turned himself after an arrest warrant was issued and was promptly released on bail.

As the former director of marketing and community relations at College of San Mateo, Rojo made $149,656 per year.

He faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months and is due back in court for sentencing May 26.

According to the Daily Post, the girls told police Rojo met with them in a hotel at Santana Row in San Jose and gave them alcohol then raped them.

April 6, 2023

Graham Breitbarth/ The Skyline View

Pier 23, a restaurant along the Embarcadero, has suffered from many customers not returning to offices

A global pandemic. Labor shortages. Inflation. Severe weather.

Calamities have brutalized San Francisco’s businesses along the piers over the last three years.

Since the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020, tourism has dropped significantly, damaging the health of businesses in the bay. For a city that saw 26.2 million tourists in 2019, reduced to 10.2 million during the first year of the pandemic, small businesses have found it an upward battle to stay afloat amidst a plethora of other issues.

Pier 23 Cafe Restaurant & Bar is just one example of many once-thriving tourist destinations struck by issues currently plaguing the city by the bay.

Lei Levi, a host working at the family-owned Pier 23, gave insight into the restaurant’s problems since 2020. “[The decline in customers] was from the very beginning. Fortunately, we’re a restaurant, so we were able to stay open throughout the pandemic. But immediately, it was only, maybe 10% of our [usual] business. I think that in the early days of the pandemic, people were not coming out at all.”

Pier 23’s business started suffering the moment the lockdown began, but it didn’t stop there.

Through the pandemic, Levi stated that the restaurant noticed an upand-down trend from 2021-2022.

Along with extreme weather conditions this past winter and the labor shortage that has affected the entire nation, the cafe has been fighting to stay afloat.

“I think for us, we’re a legacy business, and it would be nice to have some special recognition from the city that we’ve been here over 35 years,” Levi said when asked what the city could do to assist small businesses along the Embarcadero. “We want these kind of businesses to remain in the city to kind of be able to give people a diverse sense of what the city is,

we’re classic San Francisco.”

Levi also mentioned that it would be nice for the city to look into possible financial support for small businesses that haven’t seen numbers increase.

Ko A., who has worked at Magowan’s Infinite Mirror Maze since 2016, has concerns about the recovery of the city’s shops and attractions in the Pier 39 area, which relies heavily on tourism. “[In 2021] it was just dead here. I think it’s starting to pick back up this year. 2022 was a really quiet year for us. It’s been very, very different,” she said.

The Exploratorium, an Embarcadero iconic museum, has also struggled to regain its customers.

“Attendance from our tourism partners was approximately 60% of pre-pandemic levels during the first year we re-opened to the public,” Jenny Hu, Senior Manager of Institutional Communications said. In this second year, we are at approximately 80% of pre-pandemic figures for admissions from tourism partnerships.”

In related news, Mayor London Breed appointed Ed Harrington to the San Francisco Port Commission, which oversees the waterfront.

“In the past, the Port was critical to San Francisco growing and thriving as a City. Today it is vital for tourism, housing, and economic development,” Harrington said in a statement released by the city.

One thing is clear: for the city once dubbed the Paris of the West to remain a tourist attraction, small businesses like those along The Embarcadero will need to survive a deluge of issues. After all, in a city known for unpredictable earthquakes, San Franciscans have managed to persevere through its fair share of shaky moments.

Skyline College named one of the nation’s top community colleges

By Joshua D. Picazo Editor in Chief

A recent ranking of community colleges in the United States has placed Skyline College as the 73rd best in the nation.

The publication, Stacker, used information and data from Niche’s 2023 Best Community Colleges in America rankings to make the list.

“Skyline College in San Bruno California is dedicated to sustain-

ability alongside education and has published both a Sustainability Plan and Climate Action Plan outlining its initiatives to improve its sustainability and environmental impact,” Stacker wrote in their rankings.

There are nearly 1,000 public community colleges in the U.S. “It is quite an honor to be identified as a top community college, alongside our sister colleges in San Mateo County. Skyline

College’s ranking put us in the top 8% of the 935 community colleges across the nation. While our publicly reported data is what got us in the top 100 ranking, What makes us truly great is our approach that brings a sense of belonging to our students in the context of excellence in teaching and learning ,” President Melissa Moreno said.

“We have one of the most diverse set of employees and faculty in the District providing nothing

faculty in the District providing nothing short of a transformative experience to our students. When students arrive, they immediately get a sense that they belong here.

Students see themselves reflected in the classroom, at our events, and in all the supportive services we provide,” Moreno added.

All three of the San Mateo County Community College campuses made the list.

Editorial

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Opinions

April 6, 2023 Feb. 24, 2021

WiFi-xed

It is the year 2023. Why does it take 10 hours to load my communication class syllabus?

Skyline College needs to significantly improve its on-campus Wi-Fi. The way schooling is carried out has drastically changed with the rise of technology. Today, nearly all classes rely on some sort of ed-tech (educational-technology) to run efficiently.

Most online lessons and assignments cannot be carried out without reliable access to the internet.

Furthermore, you would think that community colleges and schools generally would make the efficiency of its Wi-Fi a top priority.

This is not always the case.

And Skyline is not exempt.

Skyline’s Wi-Fi needs to be improved to ensure the success of not just its students and teachers in class, but to effectively demonstrate its commitment to an evolving age of education, with the eventual goal of increasing enrollment.

Professors come into their classes everyday with some sort of a lesson set up through their computer or tablet. However, this lesson cannot serve much of a purpose if the PowerPoint fails to open or a YouTube video won’t load.

This ultimately leads to unfinished lessons, wasted time,

By Alex Gonzalez Reporter

San Bruno needs to have more garbage cans available throughout the community.

Going for walks in your neighborhood should be an easy and pleasant experience for all. That’s their purpose really, to be able to clear your head with the company of your pet or by yourself with some music. However, this isn’t always the case in San Bruno.

Having to be hypervigilant for any types of trash should not have to be a part of the walking experience in our communities. San Bruno needs to provide more garbage cans to ensure the safety of children

Editorial Cartoon

Graham Breitbarth/The Skyline View

or at worst, the whole class being postponed all together.

Mishaps like this not only waste precious time, but can be detrimental to the educational goals set by the professor for their students. Not to mention the career goals of the professors as well.

This fluctuation in internet reliability can lead to confusion during lessons, translating to substandard test scores for students and finally

resulting in poor reviews for professors at the end of the semester for something out of their control.

Skyline has a responsibility to ensure the efficacy and efficiency of the education it administers to all students. And in 2023, regular access to high speed internet is instrumental to delivering on that duty.

Many students do not have the privilege of having their own internet access at home, so

they rely on that little “SMCCCD_Public” icon in the corner of their screens.

If the Wi-Fi is not reliable enough for a student to complete their homework, or even worse, their classwork on campus, it can exacerbate existing socioeconomic barriers entrenched in public education.

With poor on campus Wi-Fi, there could be a dichotomy between the success of students with no at-home-internet-ac-

or pets and to protect the Bay and its ecosystems.

Children and pets will always be curious, whether that be for the better or worse. With few trash cans around, people simply dump their trash on the road or grass.

This trash can include anything from food scraps or tiny plastics that can be hazardous to both children and pets if consumed.

Aside from that, a trip to emergency services can cost a caretaker thousands of dollars. That alone is something that many people can’t afford, especially over an issue that can be solved fairly easily.

In my own experiences, I’ve always had to be extremely careful

when walking my dog in San Bruno. I’ve seen anything from used tissues to chicken bones, both of which can cause serious health complications for our pets. If more public garbage bins were introduced around our streets, this issue could be significantly improved.

Not only is this an issue on land, but it has proven to be catastrophic to our waters. According to The Mercury News, “Every year, 7 trillion tiny pieces of plastic, roughly equal to 1 million pieces each for every man, woman and child in the Bay Area, flow into San Francisco Bay.” These plastics end up in storm drains with trash, eventually

leading into the bay. Not only does this affect us as citizens, but it affects the wildlife within the Bay Area. Certain fish species such as anchovies have already been seen with microplastics building up within them.

While litter is universally seen as a negative thing, it can actually open the door for opportunity within our community. An increase in trash can use may result in new jobs for members of our community.

If San Bruno wants to further protect its citizens and maintain their overall happiness, they’ll need to consider adding more garbage cans all around.

It may not seem like a big issue on paper, but it’s something that’s already

San Bruno needs more garbage cans

cess and those who do have that privilege.

Poor reliability of on campus Wi-Fi can not only alter current students’ success, but it may also affect the school’s future.

This issue can lead to students wanting to take their education elsewhere, lowering the already declining enrollment. If Skyline wants to maintain and increase its student body, administrators must act fast.

Lowering enrollment may also affect the quality of staff that Skyline may be able to hire. Without proper funds from this enrollment, Skyline could have difficulties paying their hard-working staff properly.

This could lead to even further repercussions, ones that Skyline is unable to risk.

Skyline’s on campus Wi-Fi may seem like a minor issue.

But what can start small, can snowball into an immense problem. One that can further affect the students and faculty alike to slowly take a toll on Skyline’s future.

Improving our Wi-Fi will lead to more opportunity and student satisfaction for many years to come.

The Skyline View editorial has no byline because it is the voice of TSV’s editorial staff.

caused some irritation within our community and can have potentially serious consequences.

“These plastics end up in storm drains with trash, eventually leading into the bay...Certain fish species such as anchovies have already been seen with microplastics building up within them.”

By Gabriel Mendez Reporter

Graham Breitbarth/ The Skyline View

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Opinions

April 6, 2023

The new standard: no more daylight savings

By Danielle Cosino

Social Media Editor

Daylight savings should be eliminated and standard time should be permanent.

It’s that time of the year when everyone across the United States sets their clocks forward by one hour in order to preserve as much daylight for the next eight months. While this practice has been going on for decades, it is time to put an end to daylight savings time as it has more disadvantages than benefits.

The act of springing forward an hour leaves many people, especially students, at a disadvantage.

Many students come to school more exhausted than usual. Students aren’t as alert, leading to shorter attention spans during that initial transition time. After all, everyone did become deprived of an hour of beauty rest.

Additionally, daylight savings disrupts our natural, biological sleeping patterns known as our circadian rhythm.

According to the National Institutes of Health, the circa-

dian rhythm is a natural process that regulates our 24 hour sleepwake cycle and is synced with the sun. Our bodies respond to this process based on when we are exposed to light and dark.

While daylight savings increases productivity since the days are longer, many people tend to stay up and sleep later.

The sun also rises a bit later than usual, which affects when we wake up in the morning. This throws off our biological clocks.

Although daylight savings stretches light exposure just a bit more, overall, staying in standard time wouldn’t make much of a difference because the days will naturally get longer as we get closer to summer solstice.

What if daylight savings is kept permanent instead of standard time?

During fall and winter, the sun will rise way later than usual. Students with morning classes around 8 a.m. will end

Music: Out with the new and in with the old

With all the evolutions of technology, why has music regressed instead of progressing forward?

Graham Breitbarth/The Skyline View

By Zach Hernandez Reporter

Music is not nearly as good as it used to be.

We are passed the days of timeless bands producing classic hits that will be remembered and loved until the end of time.

Today, we now find ourselves living in the days of autotune, meaningless lyrics and a lack of love for the art from the artists.

Boring and unoriginal. Those are two words that can be used to most accurately describe the majority of this generation’s music.

Making music used to be primarily about formulating your own distinct sound. Nowadays, that philosophy has been thrown out the window.

Musicians today are too focused on appealing to the largest possible audience, which has unfortunately led to repetitiveness and generic production.

One genre that has gained the most traction in recent years is hip-hop. This genre has completely taken over the music industry. The problem is that this

current wave of hip-hop has lost all sense of creativity.

Most of these rappers spew the same sort of content: sex, money, drugs, weapons and fame. It contains no lyrical depth, and to put it in the simplest terms, it is just boring.

Aside from even just the lyrics, sonically these songs sound the same. The production is formulaic, the flows are basic and the voices are completely smothered by an excessive amount of autotune that sneaks its way into almost every track.

There is a major difference in skill level between current artists and artists from previous generations. Classic rock ran the 1980s, and this new era of hiphop runs this generation.

Musicians used to be releasing classic after classic. Tunes that would be played for ages.

Looking at the direction that music is headed, there will be no more “Piano Man” or “Hotel California” or “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Quite simply, we consumers of music do not get masterpieces like we used to.

Music is perpetually evolving, and it continues to evolve throughout different generations.

However, music today seems to be lacking in certain respects.

The absence of creativity, generic sounds and the lack of skill and depth have made this era of music look underwhelming in comparison to previous eras.

That is not to say that music can’t be saved. New artists continue to emerge, and if they can begin to prioritize the aspects of music that were displayed when this art form was at its peak, then music as a whole will be back on the right track.

Until then, the majority of classics continue to stand in eras prior to this one.

“Boring and unoriginal.

Those are two words that can be used to most accurately describe the majority of this generation’s music.”

Danielle Cosino/The Skyline View

up commuting practically in the dark and this can pose a safety risk.

Additionally, during winter solstice (the shortest day of the year), we would get an even less amount of daylight in that time if daylight savings continues year-round.

Daylight savings proves to have more health disadvantages.

According to a 2012 study by the University of Alabama at Birmingham, it was found that

within the following days of the time change, the risk of heart attacks increased by 10%.

Other research has shown that there is a spike in car accidents that happen during the week that daylight savings begins. People are more sleep-deprived resulting in shorter attention spans and slower reflexes.

On the other hand, standard time follows the circadian rhythm more closely than daylight savings.

In an article by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), AASM President Jennifer Martin states that, “Standard time provides a better opportunity to get the right duration of high-quality, restful sleep on a regular basis, which improves our cognition, mood, cardiovascular health and overall well-being.”

Why waste our time losing an hour of sleep and changing our clocks twice every year, when we can save it by sticking to the standard (time).

“...daylight savings disrupts our natural, biological sleeping patterns...”

SMCCCD deserves justice for abuse of power by former Chancellor Ron Galatolo

By Gabriel Mendez Reporter

While Ron Galatolo has been arrested and may soon face the consequences, it is important to note the harm that he has done to the District. His actions mean that he deserves a harsh sentence and steps must be taken to make sure it never happens again.

The Skyline View recently published an article on the upcoming hearings regarding the former District Chancellor and his many crimes, but in case you haven’t read it, here is a quick recap.

He has been charged with 21 counts of various crimes like theft of private funds, false tax returns, perjury, etc. To put it in plain English, Galatolo allegedly stole money from the district, received gifts from business partners that could have swayed his decisions, and cheated on his taxes among various other crimes.

I encourage Skyline students, and the students from our fellow community colleges, to keep an eye on the proceedings.

This trial can set a precedent for corruption in the local community college systems; thus, it is imperative that District students and staff remain engaged with the status of the hearings to ensure that an effective precedent is set to end corruption in our educational communities.

In case it isn’t obvious, the chancellor is a powerful position. For example, looking at the District website, you can see that the Chancellor’s Office is in charge of various initiatives, one of which includes student housing. As you can imagine, this is something extremely important.

For Ron Galatolo’s time in the position, these kinds of decisions he is accused of making were made with his, not our, interests at heart. The harm he has allegedly caused the school is immeasurable and the punishment should fit the crime.

While serving justice to the

community is necessary, setting a strong precedent to deter future corrupt officials with power in the San Mateo County institutions is critical to moving forward from Galatolo’s privileged idiocy.

If Galatolo is found guilty and let off easy, it will show the community that anyone can abuse their power at Skyline and get away with it. This would spell a dark future for our precious college.

According to the official District website, the current San Mateo County Community College District Chancellor, Michael Claire, will be retiring in June of this year.

We need to keep up with who’s in power and keep them responsible for their actions. That is the only way we can prevent this from happening again. When a new chancellor is put in power, it is our duty as students and members of this community to keep those in power accountable.

Graham Breitbarth/The Skyline View

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focal point

April 6, 2023

Cooking it up with SCARF

By Sean Siapno

focal point editor

While scarves may be out of season with spring rolling around, Skyline’s SCARF will never go out of style.

SCARF actually stands for “Sustainable Cooking and Real Food” and they are an unofficial club here at Skyline. They meet on the first Monday of every month at 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. in order to educate students about sustainability. CHEESY is their motto as it represents their five tenets: cheap, healthy, easy, eco-friendly, sustainable, and yummy.

Their origin roots from a statistics class that Club President Amanda Ratti took in the spring semester of 2022. This wasn’t just any ordinary stats class, however; this was where she met Club Advisor Richard “Rick” Hough.

With the real world

statistical knowledge she gained, she left with a bigger purpose: to start SCARF alongside her stats professor.

Hough describes himself as a “Climate-crisis solutions nerd” and has always been involved in the world of sustainability. In collaboration with Ratti, this club is a means to spread awareness on living a more CHEESY way of life.

“Food choice is essential,” Hough says. “I want to help people realize that they don’t need a lot of money, or experience making an inexpensive, long-lasting, and delicious meal.”

All of their work is handson. Not only will you learn healthy living habits, you will also leave with a full

stomach. Every meeting there’s always a new recipe that the club will have to cook.

With recipe inspiration coming from The New York Times, Pinterest, and various cook books, SCARF makes meals that spark the message of their club.

In their most recent meeting, they prepared a Citrusy Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup promoted by The New York Times.

Through an induction cooktop, a great alternative to the gas stoves we normally use, SCARF cooked this recipe in just 30 minutes to serve the many people around them.

Since their club cooks within the small kitchen in the MESA center, the people within the center got a taste of the citrus-bundled soup they prepared.

Most people finished their food in a timely fashion as the flavors blended together nicely.

This soup is just one of the many dishes that SCARF hopes to share. The ingredients used in this recipe are super simple and accessible. It also uses green

Sean Siapno/The Skyline View

Club President Amanda Ratti and Advisor Rick Hough cook the Citrusy Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup within the MESA center kitchen.

lentils as a substitute to meat for protein. Meals like this highlight their goals.

“A person really just needs a vegetable, a carb, and protein,” Ratti says. “Let’s get a group of students, cook a meal, and get more into sustainability and climate crisis.”

Similar to Ratti, Club Secretary Patrick Talavera is all about SCARF’s lessons.

“Amanda introduced me to SCARF. I really like to eat good food and sustainability,” Talavera

says.

Talavera is a prime example of what SCARF hopes to achieve. The stigma that surrounds sustainability derives from ineducation. With organizations like this club, people learn that the switch to better diets, and a better way of life isn’t hard. It isn’t expensive either.

Although the club is small in numbers, their impact can be huge. With the climate crisis still ongoing, SCARF can be an outlet to get educated. It’s never too late to learn, and especially eat great food.

“Food choice is essential. I want to help people realize that they don’t need a lot of money, or experience making an inexpensive, long-lasting, and delicious meal.” - Richard “Rick” Hough

Scan the QR code or visit bit.ly/lentil_sweetpotato_soup to get the “Citrusy Lentil and Sweet Potato Soup” recipe.

Sons of the Forest sticks to its thrilling roots

By Graham Breitbarth Multi media editor

The 2023 game “Sons of the Forest” has become the talk of the gaming community in the last month. “Sons of the Forest” is the sequel to the popular indie game “The Forest” which was released officially in 2018. Over the years, the game grew in popularity, eventually leading to the sequel released in February.

“Sons of the Forest” is a game rooted in mystery. It follows the story of a special forces team sent to an island tracking a missing family. The Puffertons had gone missing 31 weeks before you arrived and it’s up to you to discover what may have happened to them, and what else is going on within the island.

The game brings back an amazing horror feel to an industry that hasn’t had many open world horror games. “Sons of the Forest” gives you a massive island map to explore, featuring brand new cave designs, terrain and even underwater exploration. It also has many new types of enemies which is a large

Endnight Games

The official poster for the game Sons of The Forest (2023)

change from the first game.

Aside from the horror aspect of the game, there’s a massive story behind what is going on.

The game doesn’t force you to play the story with objectives; there are objects you can find, clues you can miss. Each playthrough you do can change ever so slightly. It leaves a truly unique experience each time you play depending on the choices

you make. It’s an environmental type of storytelling.

The game mechanics are another amazing but somewhat difficult aspect to the player.

Combat has changed since the first game and this time actually requires more preparation for a fight. There are different weapons you can choose from that hold different effects, such as a stun baton or a craftable spear.

You also have to be prepared for the different types of enemies, some are resistant to being stunned from a hit and others are more athletic, able to dodge a lot of attacks from the player.

“Sons of the Forest” is still in early access and is constantly being worked on by the developers, Endnight Games. It will probably change from now till the official full release of the game.

The developers said that the reason they released both games in early access was to allow the community to give feedback and allow the developers to make the game even better.

In the end, time will see what type of game “Sons of the Forest” can become, but with a dev team like Endnight at the reigns it could very well become one of the top games of 2023.

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focal point

April 6, 2023

The impact social media has on mental health

By Kathia Noriega Sports editor

Over the years social media has become both a useful and negative tool towards it users.

As college students grow and adapt to the real world, social media has either evolved into a great tool to maintain a healthy social life or possibly become a huge distraction. Today, social media has grown to be such an integral part of people’s lives that keeping it from taking over our mental health and productivity is not easy.

Ariel Campos is a 20-year-old cosmetology student who uses social media as a way to inspire herself in her creative field of study. She recognizes trends in fashion and makeup on the internet and how they influence people in her community.

“I feel like [social media] has affected our generation in different ways,” Campos says. “It can be like fashion. I think TikTok has a lot to do with it, everybody really goes on that platform and gets a lot of ideas and inspiration.”

However, she knows that social media can also negative-

ly affect her mental health. At times, she struggles weighing the pros and cons of her screen time.

“It has affected my mental health good and bad,” Campos says. “Because on social media there’s gonna be a lot of things that trigger something in a bad way, and it might bring me back to a certain memory or past.”

Psychological service counselors, like Perry Chen at Skyline College, agree with Ariel, believing that mental health is a critical issue that can be exacerbated by the standards that social media holds people to and showcases people as. Everyone is constantly presenting the highlight of their lives, which can have a strong influence on others within a community who may be struggling with their insecurities.

“I have definitely encountered students in my work where social media has not been good for their mental health,” Chen says. “Where they make comparisons, ‘I’m not x enough’. They

just don’t feel like they measure up. Even though they know that intellectually, emotionally some people can still feel inadequate.”

Social media can make us fall into a trap of subconsciously comparing ourselves and feeling like we are missing out on different experiences. Whether that’s a trip to Europe or not eating healthy enough, we are constantly noticing what others have and more importantly, what we don’t.

22-year-old student Kathleen Vides can relate to the struggles of being an avid social media consumer. She knows how easy it can be to not only lose track of time, but also your sense of self in the comparisons.

“You could keep scrolling and compare yourself to others,” Vides says.

This never-ending cycle of scrolling to see what people are up to and subsequently comparing your life to what someone else is projecting theirs as on the internet can be draining for

Danielle Cosino/The Skyline View

young adults.

Communications Professor Jessica Hurless also emphasized this concept of individual competitive comparison. As a communications professor who works with college students, she notices the different experience that comes with being a daily social media user.

“Social comparison is tied to self esteem and our perception of ourself,” Hurless says. “If you’re constantly comparing yourself to someone and feeling like you’re falling short, you’re probably gonna have more negative self esteem and then that’s gonna have an impact on how you value your worth. I think that can lead to mental health issues.”

Looking for social validation on various platforms is what a lot of users find themselves dealing with on a daily basis.

However, Vides explains her perspective on how social media can also be a powerful tool. As a student pursuing cosmetology,

The new Demon Slayer movie is not a slay

By Sean Siapno

focal point editor

The new Demon Slayer movie, “Demon Slayer - To The Swordsmith Village,” is not a movie. I wish there would be more to say, but I’m afraid that this about sums up the content of this so-called “film.”

The movie is essentially the last two episodes of the previous season in combination with the first episode of the upcoming season. So for avid fans of the show, you would know that this film just showcases the final battle between our protagonist, Tanjiro, alongside his friends, against the wicked upper-tier demons, Gyutaro & Daki.

For anyone who’s watched the trailer, it’s only briefly mentioned that this movie is basically a recap. With its title, and even the official poster, everything is quite misleading. The overall promotion for it is a false invitation to what the fans have been desperately waiting for.

While the trailer also states that this was a worldwide the-

The official movie poster for the film, “Demon Slayer – To The Swordsmith Village.”

atrical event, I would’ve done a better job at emphasizing the cinematic goal.

The art-style for the anime is beyond adequate, and its clean animation is what makes this show its own. It would have been more acceptable to say that this was a chance to see the beautiful clash of last season up on the big screen. In fact, this is why I primarily chose to watch.

Fortunately, I was well aware

of what I paid for, but I can’t imagine the disappointment that a fan could leave with if they did not know what this movie was trying to sell.

Even if this was one of the best anime fights I’ve personally seen, I didn’t need to waste $17 dollars to watch it once more.

I’m all for the live cinema experience, but this time it wasn’t hitting right. Nothing will ever match my initial reactions to

Ufotable, Inc

the stunning battle of the final episodes. I should have known that at the end of the day, there’s nothing new to gain from this experience.

The only aspect that was new from this event was seeing the first episode of the upcoming season. But even then, this wasn’t even worth it.

It makes no sense displaying the new characters and titling this film around the next arc for

she enjoys having a space that allows her to connect with people within her community and share their love for makeup.

“For the career I’m going for,” Vides says. “I get to see what other people are doing and their work. You could also find connections in what you’re doing or what you like.”

Vides uses social media to her advantage, utilizing the creative spaces it can provide for people online to be active in her engagement of her passions. Clearly, the medium also has the potential to positively impact our lives by encouraging us to share our ideas and creativity.

Human beings are social creatures who are constantly looking for people to interact with, and the convenience of being able to connect with others through social media platforms can be fun. It is still an essential tool that allows us to maintain those social bonds even if it is through a screen. As we grow, we tend to want to stay engaged with others’ lives because of how much it helps us keep that interaction.

Jessica Hurless points out the way social media has changed the way we collaborate with one another. She notes that there is still a disconnect between the social media presence, or character one presents online, and our real lives.

“The other kind of big impact I would say of social media is we are so connected and yet so alone all in the same moment,” Hurless said. “I can be connected to all of these people, yet I sit in a room all alone and if I was struggling with anything people may not know because I get to control the narrative of what I put on social media.”

Whether we are logging onto social media to stay acquainted with our peers or we are sharing our own lives on the internet, we still desire that social validation from others but must be cautious of the toll it can take on our mental health.

the anime if viewers are only getting a short glimpse of it. And sure, the creators aren’t trying to reveal everything, but they could have at least shown the second episode if watchers had to rewatch content they have already seen. This preview had to be the most underwhelming part of this event.

Something cool that could have saved this screening was if it was a D-BOX exclusive film.

The fight itself is an amazing view, but since most people have already seen it, having it in 3D with moving seats could have been thrilling. This would have at least made this recap a fresh experience for anyone watching.

Sadly, this was not a D-BOX event and was just old content trying to be glorified through a big screen and loud sounds.

If you really are dying for new Demon Slayer content, sure, you can check this film out for the newest episode. Otherwise, save yourself the time, the money and enjoy other blockbusters that are sure to give the fulfillment that this one could not provide.

The underdogs of badminton

By Antonio Franco Reporter

There is a strange sound and dance when it comes to the sport of badminton. The pop and subsequent whistle of the shuttlecock flying through the air, all of course continuing with another pop and whistle and finally ending with an eventual thud on the ground. A shout of the score, a curse under their breath, and then back to the serve and alluring song of the game.

The Skyline women’s badminton team played their first match of the season on Friday, March 18, against Fresno City College. It’s also worth mentioning that for a majority of these players, it was also their first game ever, so it’s not surprising that the Skyline team lost 20-1 in this match.

The women’s badminton team has been going through a transitional period of sorts. A year ago, a long standing coach, Jan Fosberg, retired. Now former women’s soccer coach, Kevin Corsiglia, has since taken up that role for the team. Coach Corsiglia has no prior experience with the sport but has stepped up to the plate nevertheless despite the obstacles.

“It’s been a learning process,” Coach Corsiglia said. “If you can communicate well with athletes, then you can get the information out and usually you can see an increase in perfor-

Antonio Franco/The Skyline View

mance.”

Emily Dubon, who is majoring in allied health to get into respiratory care, has been with the team since the transition of coaches. In fact, she was a part of the women’s soccer team before this with Coach Corsiglia and was given a chance to play badminton through that connection.

“It was kind of a rough start, you know? We didn’t really win,” Dubon said. “This season I’m hoping to get better and win

Kathia Noriega/The Skyline View

Yoga courses at Skyline take a positive spin on students Sports Editor

Yoga classes at Skyline College are allowing students to feel more relaxed and focused.

Kevin Simmers, a yoga professor at Skyline College, has taught yoga for 33 years. He believes that yoga is a great way for students to stay focused and relaxed during their stressful semesters.

As he teaches students how to use breathing techniques and stretches to their advantage, he believes that yoga can be an effective way to keep students away from their phones for an hour and a half.

“It’s enormously beneficial,” Simmers said. “Many of them go on to their next class in a more relaxed and open state of mind and physical well-being.”

Simmers likes the idea of having time for students to be in an environment where they can relax their minds, quiet down, and not feel the need to communicate. It gives them a break after being under a lot of stress from their daily schedules.

“Students are under a lot of stress,” Simmers said. “The

at the sport in general.

The odds are stacked high for this badminton team, but the resilience lies within the connection between teammates as well as their determination to continuously get better.

With a whole team behind you willing to encourage you to be the best that you can be regardless of the situation, this team has surely found a support system for each other. Coach Corsiglia acknowledges the challenges that this team faces but remains hopeful.

Catch the team in action at their next game at Fresno City College on April 13.

Karen Garcia Lopez makes a backhand swing during badminton practice at Skyline College on April 5.

Professor Simmers guides yoga class during stretches on Feb. 16.

By Kathia Noriega

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Sports

April 6, 2023

pandemic has caused a lot more anxiety. The breathwork in yoga, the physical asanas help relax the mind and body, which makes you a more efficient learner.”

Alejandra Hernandez is a digital art major and she participates in Professor Simmers yoga classes. She enjoys having time to herself every morning on Tuesdays and Thursdays to relax.

“After I take this class in the morning for a bit of exercise,” Hernandez said. “I feel like my stress reduces and my levels of anxiety as well.”

Victoria Brandt is a psychology major, and she describes the yoga class as refreshing. She looks forward to the energy of this class to help her feel more productive and awake.

“I think that it’s nice to have something to do,” Brandt said.

“Having to stretch kind of wakes me up in the morning.”

After being in the room during these yoga sessions, it’s no argument that Simmers holds a very zen environment during this course to keep students focused on their breathing techniques to help them stay relaxed.

a few more games than I did last season.”

A lot of the new players on the team are or were also a part of the women’s soccer team.

This established that level of connection and comfortability between teammates.

“He (Corsiglia) told us to come play badminton,” Dubon said. “We got some of the new girls to join us.”

This includes Hailey Klinger, who transferred to Skyline a few months earlier and is currently

undecided in her major.

“Team sports are really fun to work with all of your friends,” Klinger said. “Our communication is definitely better than it would’ve been if it was like some other person.”

Even though the badminton team is relatively new in terms of experience, they demonstrate a drive for competitiveness that has definitely carried over from soccer. That alone has been enough to keep players on the team and learn how to improve

Skyline College should have more sports teams

By Antonio Franco Reporter

Skyline lacks a large number of sports available for students to participate in.

The first thing most people see when driving up to Skyline College is our wonderful sports facilities. We have an athletic field, a baseball field, and tennis courts. But, unfortunately, out of those facilities, we only have two sports teams, baseball, and soccer even though we clearly have the facilities to house more sports.

For example, the athletic field itself could house two sports on its own, that being track and field and cross country, those two basically going hand in hand with one another.

That goes for the tennis courts as well. We have tennis classes but no competitive teams?

I understand certain sports like water polo where that requires the construction of a facility on top of hiring out coaches and purchasing new equipment. However, we are already two-thirds of the way there in terms of tennis. The only thing missing is the ACTUAL TEAM. Speaking of things being done halfway, why don’t we have a cheer team?

If anything, opening up more sports might just be a way to lead more students to Skyline.

Let us not forget that we are

Zach Hernandez/The Skyline View

Overview of the empty soccer field at Skyline College on March 20.

in a community college, many students see this place as merely a stepping stone to achieving an even higher education at a 4-year college. Ambition like that costs money, but lucky for those athletically inclined America loves an underdog and many 4-years offer scholarships to those with talent and drive.

That being said, with the current situation, Skyline athletes have to spread themselves thin, applying to other community colleges to participate in sports that we don’t have. With this comes the major inconvenience of commuting, which can lead to burnout or worse for Skyline, a decision made by the athlete to switch schools entirely out of convenience.

This is not a matter of having sports at our school just to have more sports at our school. These programs offer students the opportunity to not only get the experience of working with others as a team for a common goal but can also lead to better opportunities for students to get a better education at a college of their choice.

Moving forward and constantly improving is always the goal, but it seems that Skyline is not ready to

present students with that opportunity.

It’s not only a matter of having these programs just to have them.

Sports and being a part of a team really teach life lessons to players.

They teach you about responsibility and what it’s like to work for a common goal with a team.

Things that shape people into decent human beings. So it’s not just about having these programs just because it’s about Skyline College providing education beyond just a degree. It’s about creating memories and truly shaping outstanding citizens for our community.

Upcoming Games: Women’s Badminton @ Fresno 04/13 3:00pm @ San Francisco 04/14 12:00pm @ Mission 04/18 3:00pm @ Evergreen 04/20 3:00pm Men’s Baseball vs. San Mateo 04/08 1:00pm @ Chabot 04/11 2:30pm vs. Chabot 04/13 2:30pm @ Chabot 04/15 1:00pm

8

Sports

Kyle Shanahan: Certified Choke Artist

By Zach Hernandez Reporter

Kyle Shanahan is the most overrated coach in the NFL. Nicknamed the “offensive genius” for incomprehensible reasons, Shanahan has been labeled as a top coach in the NFL ever since he took over the head coaching gig for the 49ers in 2017. However, what has he really shown to warrant that kind of praise?

Taking this prior to his tenure in San Francisco, Shanahan was the offensive coordinator for the Atlanta Falcons when they blew the largest lead in Super Bowl history. Up 28-3 against the New England Patriots, Shanahan’s abysmal play-calling and lack of determination allowed Tom Brady and Bill Belichek to complete an unthinkable comeback on the biggest stage.

When Shanahan was granted the position of head coach for the 49ers, fans of the franchise were hoping he would bring the Lombardi Trophy back to the Bay Area.

Those fans were in for a frustrating ride.

In October of 2017, the 49ers traded for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with hopes that he could become the newest franchise QB for this team. After watching him win the final five games of the season in a mediocre and overpraised fashion, Shanhan panicked and made him the highest-paid player in the NFL at that time, after five games.

After an injury-riddled 2018 season, the 49ers shocked the NFL world and won 13 regular season games and met the Kansas

Jordan Poole shoots a jump shot.

All-Pro Reels/Creative Commons

Kyle Shanahan on the sideline during a matchup with the Washington Redskins in 2019.

City Chiefs in the Super Bowl the following year.

In the Super Bowl, the 49ers commanded the game for the first 53 minutes, but to nobody’s surprise, Shanhan ended up crumbling on the biggest stage once again. This was due to Shanahan’s terrible time management, atrocious play-calling, and a horrendous performance from Garoppolo.

San Francisco had a dominant run game for the entirety of the

season, which is one of the main reasons that they even made the Super Bowl. However, Shanahan thought it would be a fantastic strategy to abandon that run game and place the game in the hands of vastly overrated and painfully below-average Garoppolo.

The following offseason, Tom Brady, the undisputed greatest quarterback of all time, was gearing up to leave the Patriots.

Growing up in the Bay Area, his preference was to come home and

Sxmplyjo/Creative Commons

These struggles have been a trend all season long, and they have not been able to clean up their mistakes.

Heading into the home stretch of the regular season, the Warriors seem to be outmatched by several teams in both conferences. However, a fully healthy Dubs squad is not a team to mess with.

Their track record and championship DNA always gives them a chance to win the Finals, but from what the NBA world has seen from the defending champions, it will be a rocky road in the playoffs.

Warriors’ uphill battle Year of change

By Zach Hernandez Reporter

The Golden State Warriors have a very minimal chance to win this season’s NBA Finals.

Despite only slight changes to the roster from last year's championship team, the Warriors have had their fair share of struggles to say the least.

Home court advantage is nothing new to professional sports, but the Warriors have taken it to an extreme level this season.

When they play in San Francisco, the Dubs have won 32 of their 40 games, giving them the third best home record in the entire NBA. Pretty good right?

Well, when they have played literally anywhere else this season, they have a record of 9-30. That is the fourth worst in the league, sitting behind three teams that are in full rebuild mode.

One of the few bright spots for this Warriors’ team is that forward Andrew Wiggins will be returning to the lineup very soon. He

has missed nearly two months of action due to personal reasons.

Wiggins was arguably the second-best player during the Dubs’ championship run last season. He was a vital contributor on the defensive end, locking up star players and turning up the tempo on his offensive game.

Wiggins returning to the floor is much needed for this team, especially defensively, and it will leave Bay Area fans ecstatic when he trots out of the tunnel for the first time.

Along with their defensive struggles, the Warriors have had major issues with turning the ball over.

They have committed the second-most turnovers this season, only behind the 20-win Houston Rockets.

The Dubs have fumbled a few close and winnable games this year, which is now coming back to bite them as they are still fighting for a playoff spot with less than a week remaining in the season.

for SF Giants

By Alex Gonzalez Reporter

With the 2023 season underway, what can we expect from this year's San Francisco Giants?

Success can’t necessarily be guaranteed, but there’s definitely upside to this year’s lineup.

Besides the Giants three championships in 2010, 2012, 2014, and their improbable 107 win season two years ago, Giants fans haven’t had much to look forward to.

From years of utter mediocrity in 2017 to 2019, barely missing the playoffs with a loss in the last game of the 2020 season, and this years offseason fiasco which saw “Arson Judge” as a Giant for roughly 12 minutes and star shortstop Carlos Correa sign for about a week only to eventually return to the Minnesota Twins, saying it’s been a rough few years is a big understatement.

Of course a title run, or let

play for his hometown team, the San Francisco 49ers. Shanahan, however, decided to stick with Garoppolo and reject Brady’s proposal. Absolutely mind-boggling.

After another injury-infested season, Shanahan decided to trade three first-round picks for a very talented but young and inexperienced quarterback, Trey Lance.

Instead of giving Lance the reps that he needed to grow as a football player, Shanahan made the decision to keep him on the bench for his

April 6, 2023

entire rookie season, costing him one whole year of experience and forcing 49ers fans to sit through yet another season filled with grueling performances from Garoppolo.

Unsurprisingly, that season ultimately ended with another Shanahan and Garoppolo playoff meltdown.

For the 2022 season, Lance was finally named the starter.

Shanahan, who is regarded as an outstanding quarterback developer, utterly butchered Lance’s season in only the second game of the year.

Continuously running the young passer up the middle led Lance to suffer a broken ankle and ultimately miss the remainder of the season.

By analyzing the timeline of Shanahan, it is evident that his track record is severely underwhelming, considering a majority of NFL fans claim him to be the “offensive genius.”

The Shanahan coaching experience is not all horrible. He creates some effective schemes, establishes a commanding run game, and knows how to string together a good amount of regular season wins. There are still plenty of coaches that are worse than him.

However, the questionable and reckless play-calling, poor decision-making, terrible game management, and inability to close big games make it very difficult to label him as an offensive guru.

As an established choke artist, Shanahan will have to prove much more to be truly placed in the category with the elite coaches.

All-Pro Reels/Creative Commons

Brandon Crawford high fives his teammates.

alone a playoff spot, can’t be guaranteed, but a step in the right direction for the future can certainly be in the cards for the Giants this season.

Despite the disappointment we endured in the offseason, we still were able to snag proven players in Micheal Conforto and Bay Area native Mitch Haniger.

Both Conforto and Haniger endured season ending injuries that ended their season early last year, but both of them have homered north of 30 times at least once in recent years.

They’ll look to get back to their ways while adding some much needed offensive firepower to this Giants lineup.

Other new faces have also shown flashes of potential late last season and this spring training, specifically former rule five draft pick Blake Sabol.

He’s batted for an average of .333 with three home runs over 15 spring training games, and will look to give Joey Bart some competition at the catcher position this year.

Add in intriguing left handed pitching prospect Kyle Harrison, sophomore hopeful third baseman David Villar, and returning utility men in J.D. Davis and Wilmer Flores and this team has more potential than it may seem on paper.

Speaking of returning players, popular names such as Joc Pederson, Brandon Crawford, and LaMonte Wade Jr. will run it back with the Giants this year, looking to improve on the numbers they posted last season.

The pitching rotation and bullpen will also look to improve, with familiar faces such as Logan Webb and Alex Cobb leading the way. New additions such as Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea will look to bolster this season’s rotation.

Stripling has a career ERA of 3.78, compared to Manaea’s 4.06 career ERA. When put together, the Giants may seem like a mess, but it’s a mess that can turn out to be beautiful. We witnessed what happened in 2021, so anything really can be possible.