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Volume 61 Issue 5

Thursday, October 12, 2023

THE USD VISTA VISTA

The Official Student Newspaper of the University of San Diego since 1968

Devastation reigns after Hamas attacks Israel Israel officially declares war COLIN MULLANEY EDITOR- IN-CHIEF Last Saturday, the militant group Hamas launched a coordinated surprise attack on Israel, including hundreds of missiles and a ground invasion into Israel. As of Oct. 10, the Israeli death toll surpassed 1,000 — mostly civilians living near the border. Another estimated 150 Israelis were reportedly taken hostage by Hamas, according to The New York Times. As of Tuesday Oct. 10, 14 Americans have reportedly been killed in the fighting, and over 800 Palestinians killed in the counterattack. Rockets fired across the border into Israel are not uncommon, and usually shot down with Israel’s iron dome technology. However, this time, aerial attacks — including on Tel Aviv — were followed by a ground invasion. USA Today estimated that up to 1,000 Hamas militants entered Israel. Crossing through many border gaps and checkpoints, Hamas blew up segments of the cement barrier to smithereens. The sophisticated “touch fence” used to detect a border siege was not functional, possibly due to a simultaneous cyber attack and broader intelligence failure.

Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel last Saturday, sending shockwaves through the world. Photo courtesy of @quotes/Instagram

Former USD President Alice B. Hayes Honoring the legacy she left at USD

KATIE FOREMAN FEATURE EDITOR At 85 years old, USD’s previous president, Alice Bourke Hayes, passed away on Sept. 24, 2023. Hayes was the second president of USD from 1995 to 2003 and brought many positive changes to campus, including the Shiley Center of Technology and Science building and the Kroc Institute of Peace and Justice. Those who knew her said they loved and admired her. Current USD President James T. Harris III spoke on Hayes and her lasting impacts on the environment at USD. “She was a brilliant, kind, thoughtful woman. She was a scholar and very gracious,” Harris said. “She came down for my installation as president. She was the kind of person who would see something that happened at the university that was positive, and she would write me a note. And so I [would] get

Alice B. Hayes was the second president of USD.

these notes throughout the year.” Harris also mentioned that Hayes would send him a Christmas card every year, and he has stayed in contact with her sisters. “When I talked to her [sister]

Photo courtesy of sandiego.edu

right after I found out that Alice had passed, she said that Alice never had a bad word to say about anybody, or anything at USD,” Harris said. That is the type of person Alice was,” Harris said. Harris also expressed how she was a genuine human

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being who deeply cared for USD and those around her. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Noelle Norton, spoke about her time with Dr. Hayes, as well as her first impression of her. “She had a generous laugh, a warm demeanor and an approachable style. So I felt comfortable. She was someone who I felt comfortable saying ‘hi’ to,” Norton said. “She knew everybody’s name. I felt like she knew my name right away.” Norton went on to talk about her favorite experience that she shared with Hayes. “She would invite a group of faculty over for lunch,” Norton recalled. “I remember thinking ‘it’s my turn, I get to go to Dr. Hayes’… I remember being nervous and not knowing the other people, and she — again — was warm and welcoming.” “Warm” was common among the words shared by those who loved her, and the memory of going to her house for lunch

See Pres. Hayes, Page 8

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broader intelligence failure. Hamas attacked border communities and 11 Israeli Defense Force (IDF) bases, which were evidently short-staffed due to the recent Jewish holiday. From there, Hamas killed Israelis in their homes, often shooting victims at point-blank. Civilians hid in their houses, but Hamas burned down buildings to draw civilians out — to massacre them. Entire families were killed on the road in cars that were shot up, leaving bodies sprawling from their vehicles. Video footage posted by NBC News appears to show an Israeli woman taken hostage and shoved in the back of a car, bleeding through her pants after being raped. Various Hamas fighters subsequently posted videos on social media, mutilating corpses of the deceased. Women, children and the elderly were among the casualties, and an Israeli rave/ dance festival also appeared to be targeted, where 260 were slain, according to the Washington Post. Many have likened Hamas to a terrorist organization, including U.S. President Joe Biden, who said, “the United States stands with Israel; we will not ever fail to have their back… thousands of rockets in the space of hours raining down on Israeli cities… killing not only Israeli soldiers, but Israeli citizens. In the street. In their homes. Entire families taken hostage by Hamas — just days after Israel marked

See War in Israel, Page 2

INSIDE Maher break in See News, page 2

Rebooting ‘The Office’ See Opinion, page 4

Professors’ fashion See Feature, page 6

Post-abroad depression See A&C, page 9

USD volleyball See Sports, page 11

The USD Vista

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October 12, 2023

NEWS

Maher waterline break and burglary First-year housing experiences water shut off and break in

MARIA SIMPSON COPY EDITOR ANJALI DALAL-WHELAN NEWS EDITOR Maher Hall — a campus building that hosts classrooms, various offices and dorm rooms for first-year students — has seen an onslaught of problems within recent weeks. The morning of Tuesday Sept. 26, USD Human Resources (HR) personnel discovered that their office in Maher had been broken into. USD Public Safety concluded that the break-in occurred sometime between closing time at 5 p.m. on Monday Sept. 25 and the next morning at 8 a.m. when the office opened back up. The Vista contacted Lissette Martinez, USD’s senior director of media relations, on the issue. “When Human Resources personnel walked into the office on the morning of September 26, they noticed a broken window on the ground floor of the office along with some personal items that had been removed from the scene,” Martinez said. This break-in follows six others that the student body was made aware of this semester,

which all occurred in the Valley. The Maher HR break-in is the first non-residential break-in to be reported this semester. USD public relations addressed any concern about the confidential nature of materials in the Human Resources office and the status of those materials post-break-in. “The safety of our students and employees is of utmost importance, and this includes the protection of their personal information,” Martinez said. “It is important to note that all sensitive data in the Human Resource office is locked up and was not part of this break-in. Computers are also passwordprotected in these spaces.” Unlike the several residential cases of theft, no campus-wide alert was sent out notifying students of the situation in Maher’s HR department. Martinez noted that the university sends out these kinds of notifications based on federal regulations set by The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or The Clery Act. “In order to initiate a timely warning, there must be a serious and ‘continuing’ threat to the campus community,” she explained. “This single incident was the first reported

and was not determined to be a continuing threat.” The multiple accounts of residential break-ins and bike thefts that took place recently warranted a response due to the repetitive nature of the crimes. The break-in in Maher has not been replicated in any form and is therefore not currently considered a threat. Martinez shared that the investigation is ongoing. Public Safety is using surveillance footage and fingerprints from the scene to pursue various leads. The USD Human Resources office break-in is not the only issue Maher Hall has recently faced. Last week, a sewer main break in the building resulted in the water being shut off in parts of Maher, starting on Monday Oct. 2. “We believe it impacted less than a third of the building’s rooms,” Steven Covella, assistant director of the university’s media relations, said. “As a result, affected rooms couldn’t use sinks, showers, toilets or drains beginning Monday afternoon.” The water shut off left many of the students residing in Maher without a place to properly get dressed or retrieve drinking water in their dorm building, but Covella shared that “Residential Life was in touch with impacted

building occupants via email and through door-to-door outreach and worked quickly with USD Facilities and Auxiliary Services to identify alternative restrooms and showers.” He went on to share some of these alternatives including unaffected Maher bathrooms, bathrooms in nearby buildings and a tram that transported students to restrooms in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. Covella also noted that “premium portable restrooms and showers were quickly deployed and available by 8:30 a.m. Tuesday morning,” as well. USD first-year and Maher resident Allie Linane noted that the five day water shut off created a large inconvenience to her. “I feel like the solution to it was not adequate,” Linane stated. “First they had no solution, they said not to use the water, but they didn’t have anything for us on what to do, where to use the bathroom or shower. I was really disappointed in the solution. The bathrooms and showers were not good, they didn’t smell good, the water didn’t even turn on on mine.” Linane noted that she had to create her own solution and used her friend’s showers in a different dorm because she was dissatisfied by USD’s temporary options.

Emails were sent throughout the week keeping Maher residents updated on the situation. The water was turned back on Friday Oct. 6. USD first-year Aayush Dulani also expressed frustration with the conditions in Maher. “We’re paying like ten grand for two semesters to stay here. And to not even get a little bit of money back,” Dulani said. “Obviously they didn’t do it on purpose, but still we expect to come to a maintained building where the sewage system wouldn’t leak.” As far as future concerns about this issue go, Covella stated that the university is working proactively to prevent another water shut off. “Maher Hall is one of the older buildings on USD’s campus, but this event was unanticipated. Systems for student residences are back in working order and the Facilities team is working to identify any upgrades that may be required for the building in the future,” he said. Maher Hall has not been free of issues throughout the last few weeks, but USD has assured the community that measures are being taken to ensure that students’ health and safety needs are met in the meantime.

Violence erupts in Israel and the Gaza Strip President Harris’ statement on violence, met with mixed reactions From war in Israel, Page 1 the holiest of days in the Jewish calendar — is unconscionable.” Although tensions have run high for decades between Israel and Hamas, this is the largest coordinated attack on Israel in 50 years. Declaring a state of war on Saturday, Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, launched a counterattack on the Gaza Strip, which has been governed by Hamas since 2006. Israel has no maintained presence in the Gaza Strip since the early 2000s, as part of a “disengagement plan,” but remains an external power. 500 buildings in the Gaza strip were targets of Israel’s return missiles on Sunday night into Monday, The New York Times reported, and Israel has now activated 300,000 reservists. It is not clear how far this counteroffensive will escalate the war, with some speculating that Israel will decimate Hamas entirely, and annex the Gaza Strip. So far, around 800 Palestinians have been killed in the conflict. Hillel of San Diego, an organization of Jewish students in San Diego — including USD — posted a statement on Oct. 7, on Instagram: “Our hearts are breaking as we watch what is happening in Israel in horror. Specifically, our

sister region of Sha’ar HaNegev, the community where some of our Hillel students just interned this summer, is undergoing direct attack with many of our friends and family fearing for their lives and in hiding.” USD President James T. Harris III wrote a message to all USD community members. “This weekend’s deadly terrorist attack in Israel and its aftermath have left us shocked and heartbroken. While we are not aware of any USD students or faculty studying or working in the area at this time, the impact of the violence is especially acute for those with ties to the area,” Harris said. “We hold the victims and their families in our hearts and prayers and condemn terrorism and acts of violence in any form.” Harris invoked Pope Franics’ call to end violence of any kind, urging all at USD to “bridge differences and approach the complexities of our world with compassion and respect.” USD’s Palestine Solidarity Committee (PSCUSD), which currently has around 380 Instagram followers, made a statement in direct response to Harris’ email. “The President’s letter failed to mention anything of the 700+ Palestinian lives that have been killed at the time

Last April USD’s Palestine Solidarity Committee participated in a protest in San Diego.

of writing, most of which are in Gaza, whose population consists of 80% refugees or descendants of refugees from the 1948 ethnic cleansing.” PSCUSD was also critical about the lack of historical perspective that Harris’ letter afforded to the Palestinian perspective. “It perpetuates this growing trend of misrepresenting the nature of the events unfolding in Gaza, Palestine, and Israel. PSCUSD condemns the killing of all civilians and holds the Israeli Apartheid regime responsible for all violence occurring… we

condemn and are disheartened by the lack of acknowledgment and minimization of the genocide that Palestinians in Gaza are facing at the hands of the Israeili government.” PSCUSD claims the origin of this recent attack by Hamas is historical oppression of the Palestinian people. “The root cause is the 75year colonial ethnic cleansing and displacement, occupation, brutal domination, and apartheid rule over Palestinian land… President Harris, we demand you rewrite the letter, along with an apology to the Palestinian

Photo courtesy of @sdsujp/Instagram

community, and a commitment to further educate yourself.” USD engineering students hoping to study abroad in Jerusalem this coming January received an update from Professor Frank Jacobitz that “safety is our priority and the conflict may impact the class as planned for January. USD is evaluating the situation and will inform students as decisions are made.” Many flights from the U.S. to Israel have been canceled, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune, as the region braces for a brutal road ahead.

Volume 61 Issue 5

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NEWS

The USD Vista

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San Diego faces lifeguard shortage Students and campus recreation weigh in on the issue

RITI DEY ASST. NEWS EDITOR San Diego County experienced a lifeguard shortage this year. Students and staff at USD faced the effects on campus this summer, especially in the Campus Recreation Department. The reason for the shortage on campus, as well as the public pool lifeguard shortage, is largely attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several public pools were shut down due to public health concerns over the virus. Since then, The LA Times reported that it has been difficult for pools to open up again because “the [pool] closures resulted in fewer qualified candidates [for lifeguards].” While the USD pool may be back in the swim of things, Matthew McIver, the Recreation Programs Supervisor for Campus Recreation, reflected on the recent shortage and its direct repercussions within Campus Recreation. “I think we have definitely noticed the effects of this shortage,” McIver said. “When we post for the position to the public, the number of candidates we receive that are interested in the position — I would say — has dropped since we restarted the program, after the pandemic in summer 2021.” He also described those who are interested

lifeguarding at USD. “In the last three summers, our lifeguard/swim instructor staff has shifted and been mostly made up of USD students who showed interest in working in our program — some of them with prior experience, and others who are getting their certification and teaching lessons for the first time.” McIver explained that while there has not been a shortage of USD student lifeguards, the interest from San Diego community members to lifeguard at USD has decreased over the last few years. The issue extends to the larger San Diego community and the rest of southern California. The entire county has been experiencing the aftermath of the shortage over the last two summers. “I do recall last summer, someone from off campus reaching out to our area asking if we had spare lifeguards,” McIver said. “I think they were also facing similar hiring difficulties at our sibling schools, with our colleagues at SDSU and UCSD.” USD first-year Molly Marley discussed her lifeguarding history and how the pandemic affected her workplace in Southern California. “I got my lifeguard certification in May 2021,” Marley explained. “After the pandemic, there were different kinds of protocol at my specific workplace. When I worked as a swim instructor, we had to wear

masks inside the pool, which was definitely an adjustment.” Along with pandemic ramifications, Marley also honed in on the added element of increased heat. “On hotter days at the beach camp, we had to be more aware of heat exhaustion, dehydration and making sure the kids have sunscreen on.” Similarly, USD junior Hailey Yocam — who worked as a lifeguard and swim instructor over the summers at USD — explained how the pandemic exacerbated safety issues in the pool. “Since kids missed out on two years during COVID, we have been seeing more people who are not water safe,” Yocam remarked. “This means a lot of swim lessons we have been teaching are how kids and people can remain safe in the water, rather than technique refinement.” It is important to note the history of lifeguard shortages in America. There have been reported lifeguard shortages for decades, and publications credit the shortages to various factors. Lifeguard shortages have often been blamed on the difficulty of the lifeguard certification process, which requires passing a series of swimming skills tests. Lifeguarding is usually a seasonal job, which is another reason why many suspect that there are frequent shortages. USA Today reported in July that “while the pandemic closures made shortages more

USD’s recreation program supervisor commented that the amount of interest in lifeguarding has dropped. Anjali Dalal-Whelan/The USD Vista

The USD Vista Colin Mullaney - Editor-in-Chief Abigail Cavizo - Associate Editor Spencer Bispham - Managing Editor Maria Simpson - Copy Editor Khushi Patel - Art Director Anjali Dalal-Whelan - News Editor Jackie Marquez - Opinion Editor

Katie Foreman - Feature Editor Satvika Nitya - Arts & Culture Editor Lauren Ceballos - Sports Editor Aidan Freis - Distribution Manager Demili Pichay - Social Media Manager Anna Hallock - Director of Finance Emma Holliday - Advertising Manager

In hot temperatures, people flock to beaches and pools to cool down. Photo courtesy of @lifeguardsofsandiego/Instagram

visible, pools and beaches have long struggled to attract enough lifeguards — competing with other part-time, seasonal employers in food service and retail.” The lifeguard shortage paired with increased temperatures have made recreational activity much more difficult, as with soaring levels of heat for longer periods of time, there was also record attendance at beaches and pools. This was the hottest summer on record in the Northern Hemisphere. When there is a heat wave in San Diego, the county releases a list of “cool zones” that are open to the public for people to cool down. About 50 percent of these cool zones are recreation centers, in which people are free to use the pools. The lifeguard shortage creates potentially lifethreatening situations in already life-threatening conditions. Amelie Ramirez, the director of the Institute for Health Promotion Research at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, refers to public pools and beaches as “a critical public health resource.” “Pools and beaches can help people stay cool in record-high temperatures, and swimmers are less likely to die of drowning in bodies of water where a lifeguard

Editorial – 619.260.4584 Business – 619.260.4714 theusdvista.com / @TheUSDVista Gina Lew - Student Media Advisor Marie Minnick - Operations Advisor

is present,” she explained to the Indiana Capital Chronicle. “Having access to safe water recreation is really important, especially for underrepresented communities because many are disproportionately impacted by climate change and heat waves like the ones we just experienced.” McIver explained the effects of heat on the usage of USD pool facilities. “I think it’s safe to say that temperatures are one of the many factors that contribute to our facility’s usage over summer,” he said. Yocam explained her love of the USD swim facilities, and the reason why she chose to be a lifeguard on campus. “It feels good passing down life-long [swimming and water safety] skills and the love of swimming — a reason why I keep coming back as a lifeguard and swim instructor,” Yocam said. “It’s also nice to know what to do in an emergency and knowing that I can assist in a safe manner.” As the weather cools down, the urgency of the lifeguard shortage becomes less pressing. However as temperatures rise due to climate change, safe water zones will only become more vital for summer recreation.

The USD Vista publication is written and edited by USD students and funded by revenues generated by advertising and a student fee. Advertising material published is for information purposes only and is not to be construed as an expressed or implied endorsement or verification of such commercial venues by the staff or University. The USD Vista office is located on the fourth floor of the Student Life Pavilion in room 403B. All inquiries should be sent to: The USD Vista 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego or of its student body. Letters to the Editor can be submitted to The USD Vista office. Letters should be limited to 300 words and must be signed. For identification purposes, USD identification numbers and writer’s year must be included in the letter. The USD Vista reserves the right to edit published letters. Any content sent to the editor will be considered for publication unless otherwise stated.

The USD Vista

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October 12, 2023

OPINION

Don’t be frightened of flash tattoos

Getting inked on Friday the 13th isn’t as unlucky as you think JACKIE MARQUEZ OPINION EDITOR Friday the 13th is upon us, and while this day of superstitions has historically been regarded as bad luck, it has brought good fortune to people who are looking to get a low-cost tattoo. In tattoo culture, 13 is considered to be a lucky number. Legend has it that if you have the number inked on your skin, then misfortune will pass you by. To celebrate this legend, many tattoo parlors offer discounted prices on “flash tattoos,” or predrawn tattoos, that customers can pick from, on Friday the 13th. Many tattoo-enthusiasts commemorate the infamous day by getting a pre-made design inked into their skin, but the concept is controversial. Oftentimes people oppose getting a flash tattoo, because it doesn’t have the significance they want. However, this shouldn’t stop you from getting a flash tattoo. While there’s nothing wrong with wanting a custom tattoo, tattoos don’t necessarily need a personal meaning. Instead the meaning can

come from the experience of getting the tattoo, or your personal choice in displaying them. It’s incredibly common for people to get tattoos that are based on personal experiences, but you can get a tattoo for other reasons. According to a study done at the University of the Free State in South Africa, the primary reason people get tattoos is because of personal meaning. However, the study also reports that around 12% of people with tattoos get them as a way of expressing themselves aesthetically. When you get a tattoo as a way of expressing yourself, the meaning isn’t in the tattoo itself. Rather its significance comes from your appreciation of the artwork. In marking your body with a piece of art — simply because you like that art — you turn your body into a canvas of self-expression. As such, tattoos don’t need a specific personal connection to have meaning; their meaning can come from your enjoyment and display of them. When you get a flash tattoo that you like the look of, it may not have personal meaning, but it still has significance. Some people are afraid that

if they commit to a tattoo that doesn’t have personal meaning they may regret it in the future. However, it’s often precisely this aspect of personal meaning that leads to regret down the line. Advanced Dermatology, a clinic specializing in tattoo removal, demonstrates this in their “Tattoo Regrets” infographic. In this infographic, the clinic reports that 31% of people who regret their tattoo, do so because they “don’t relate to its significance anymore.” Since flash tattoos aren’t designed with a specific meaning in mind, there is no significant meaning to outgrow. Sure, you may grow out of the look of the tattoo, but that can happen regardless of its meaning. Ultimately, a tattoo doesn’t need to be designed with a personal meaning in mind to be worthwhile. You can get a tattoo, solely because you like how it looks, and it won’t necessarily lead to more regret than a custom tattoo. If you’re interested in getting a new tattoo and are brave enough to stray from the misconception that tattoos have to be meaningful, consider trying your luck with a flash tattoo on this week’s Friday the 13th.

Senior Viviana Moiso is one of many students with flash tattoos. Jackie Marquez/The USD Vista

Turn it OFFice

Popular TV show ‘The Office’ doesn’t need a reboot RONNIE SAENZ ASST. OPINION EDITOR

Numerous popular TV shows from “That 70s Show” to “Adventure Time” have made long time comebacks this year. With popular film franchises such as “Indiana Jones” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” also making a return, 2023 has steadily become the year of the reboot. Now, with the end of the writers’ strike, another TV show is digging itself out of the grave. “The Office” showrunner Greg Daniels recently revealed that he is actively working on a reboot of “The Office.” Personally, I think Daniels should leave “The Office” buried in 2013. In case you’ve been living under a rock (or don’t have a Netflix subscription), “The Office’’ is a mockumentary that follows the everyday chronicles of the employees working at the fictional paper company, Dunder Mifflin. “The Office’’ aired on NBC for nine seasons from 2005 until its finale in 2013. It is one of the most popular U.S. TV series of all time with Americans cumulatively streaming more than 57 billion minutes of “The Office” in 2020. That is 18 billion more than the runner up, “Grey’s Anatomy.” The series became immensely popular on a simple premise: the American workplace. Audiences quickly fell in

love with the ensemble of characters from the lovable receptionist Pam Beesly and her romantic interest Jim Halpert, played by Jenna Fischer and John Krasinski respectively, to the quirky, beetfarmer-turned-salesman Dwight Shrute, played by Rainn Wilson. The problem with a reboot of “The Office” is that the original show didn’t leave off on the best terms. Even though “The Office” is a beloved series, the show suffered from a dip in quality in the later seasons. It was so bad that I would have preferred if the series ended in season seven, after the departure of the show’s iconic main character, Michael Scott, played by Steve Carell. To me, the true series finale was when Michael Scott left the show. The dip in quality from season seven to season eight is so significant that the season eight rotten tomato critic score was 44% which is half the critic score of season seven. If the final seasons of the show couldn’t stay consistent with the quality audiences expected, then how can a reboot nearly a decade after the show’s finale be expected to do any better? That’s the problem: it can’t. Anything added on top of the original series will only dilute the hard-won legacy of “The Office.” Even if you are okay with the quality of the later seasons and wouldn’t mind seeing more, you probably won’t be getting

anything out of the original cast this time around. None of the lead actors have confirmed they will appear in the reboot. On top of this, the main characters in “The Office” were already given satisfying conclusions. There is no more room for growth or development for the characters that everyone fell in love with. Even though much of the cast has expressed interest in coming back for a reboot, the showrunners will have nothing to do with them since all of their arcs ended. A perfect example is a long running plot of Jim Halpert, one of the cornerstone characters of “The Office” wanting to leave Dunder Mifflin for a job he’s actually passionate about. It’s been a goal of his since the very beginning of the series, and he finally achieves it when the series ends. So if the reboot were to bring Jim back, then he would be back at the same job he’s been trying to leave for nine seasons as if nothing ever happened. It would be a slap in the face to the character and especially the audience that was so invested in Jim finding happiness only for him to end up back at square one. This is just one example of many that these characters have run out of usability. The showrunners for “The Office” reboot will have no choice but to create new characters which at that point we’re looking at a different show

The cast of ‘The Office’ pictured with Golden Globes before the show’s end. Photo courtesy of @yahooentertainment/Instagram

with a different appeal. If you’re not going to retain the characters of “The Office” then you might as well create a whole new series. There are those who believe that “The Office” reboot can still be good, citing how other TV series have maintained quality after being rebooted. One such example is “Futurama” which coincidentally also had a finale in 2013 and whose season 11 aired this year with an 86% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes. So if “Futurama” can do it, why not “The Office”? The problem with this belief is that unlike “The Office” the entire cast of characters in “Futurama” have unresolved plot threads especially with its broader sci-fi

premise. “The Office” has a much more limited premise, and now that all their main characters have gotten what they wanted, the series has nothing left to tell. Shows like “Futurama” stay consistent in quality because they can keep the quirky characters and plots their audience fell in love with, which is a luxury “The Office” doesn’t have. “The Office’’ had incredible highs and devastating lows in its nine season run, and with the amount of people still watching, a reboot felt inevitable. However, just because it seems bound to happen doesn’t mean it should. Unless Daniels wants to endanger the legacy of “The Office,” he needs to take a step back and stop the reboot.

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.

Volume 61 Issue 5

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Opinion

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The USD Vista

OPINION

Supremely problematic

Corporate influence on brands harms the fashion industry SPENCER BISPHAM MANAGING EDITOR The first time I came home with a Supreme t-shirt, my family was just as horrified as I was proud. They couldn’t get past the fact that I had spent $70 on a pre-owned, ratty piece of fabric, no matter how much clout its tiny logo gave me at school. I was slightly offended by their reaction at the time, but looking back, they were unknowingly trying to save me from a brand that continues to be incredibly problematic. For those who don’t know, Supreme is a cult-skateboard clothing brand founded in 1992 by James Jebbia. In the decades that followed, their provocative designs became fixtures of street fashion culture, particularly the iconic red “box-logo.” They’ve sold everything from t-shirts and hoodies to pinball machines, using a weekly drop system to release products during the spring and fall seasons. The releases regularly sell out, because of Supreme’s reliance on artificial scarcity: producing a limited amount of sought-after product to increase the demand. Not only does this prevent

Supreme’s highly recognizable red box logo is featured on all of their merchandise.

consumers from authentically buying/wearing the pieces, but it encourages those who wish to resell them for exorbitant prices on the aftermarket. Of course, one could certainly argue that this strategy is just “good marketing,” but in reality it is more complicated than that. The truth about Supreme is that it exemplifies so much of what’s wrong with fashion, specifically when it comes to the role of corporations in the industry. Supreme has been called out a number of times over the years, many times for the

intellectual theft of others’ designs. Some of their products have been ripped from smaller designers or marginalized cultural groups, such as the concept for their collaboration with The North Face in 2016, when rapper A$AP Nast claimed they copied his idea. Another example is the Obama anorak jacket from their SS17 collection, which used an iconic textile pattern unique to Ghana. Other complaints date all the way back to the creation of Supreme’s logo, which (very ironically) likely

Barbara Kruger’s 1987 silkscreen “I shop therefore I am” as displayed in the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden. Photo courtesy of @lets_talk_about_art/Instagram

copied the work of conceptual and anti-consumerist artist, Barbara Kruger. In line with this consistent controversy, the most recent person to check Supreme is the brand’s former creative director, Tremaine Emory. His time there lasted from Feb. 2022 until late August of this year, where he oversaw the production of three collections. Seemingly out of nowhere, Emory stepped down from this position because of what he alleged to be the effects of systemic racism. Hours after the news of his resignation broke, Emory took to Instagram to vent about his frustration with Supreme. He specifically cited concerns with the company’s lack of diversity “l left supreme because of systemic racial issues the company has from the treatment of the arthur jafa collab to the makeup of the design studio which has less than 10% minorities working,” Emory wrote in a caption. “the brand is largely based off black culture ask @juliencahn @kyledem and Alex detrich…” In a later post, he explained that even the founder of Supreme agreed that things may have gone too far with the cancellation of Emory’s collaboration with fellow Black creative, Arthur Jafa “So the Tuesday after i resigned james jebbia pulled up to my crib… and we talked about why i resigned,” Emory wrote. “James admitted he should have talked to me about cancelling images from the jafa collab…” Although Emory’s sudden exit speaks to Supreme’s inability to respect and acknowledge those producing their designs, it ultimately falls atop a long list of similar accusations. The brand’s problematic business ethics also drew the attention of comedian Hasan Minhaj, who dedicated an entire episode

Photo courtesy of @fbgsupreme/Instagram

of his Netflix show “Patriot Act” to illustrate the problems with their business model. In it, he mentioned The Carlyle Group, an investment firm which owned Supreme until 2020, and their ties to the military manufacturers, Wesco and BAE Systems. “Together, Wesco and BAE support a fighter jet called the Typhoon, which is used by the Saudis to bomb Yemen,” Minhaj said. “This [The Carlyle Group] is a company that profits off of war and obesity. Why are they trying to sell Supreme fanny packs to dudes with man buns?” The answer is simple: profit maximization. That is the literal goal of any investment firm; to make the largest possible returns on their patrons’ money. None of the biggest names in Western fashion are exempt from corporate meddling either: Gucci, Dior, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Karl Lagerfeld and others are all under the thumbs of some of the wealthiest people in the world. Unsurprisingly, all of the aforementioned brands have also been called out at some point in time for the misuse of others’ intellectual property and/or cultural appropriation. Gucci specifically has been the subject of complaints about creative control when it came to Tom Ford’s decision to leave their womenswear line in 2004. All of this information makes Supreme the perfect example of why corporations should not be involved in fashion. Their drive for financial gain primes them to steal and cheat their way to the top, no matter who they might hurt in the process. These terms get even more literal when you look at all of their investments, some of which can be traced down paths of death and destruction. Worst of all, they directly infringe on designers’ ability to foster creativity and selfexpression: the true function of fashion as an art form.

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily those of The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.

The USD Vista

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October 12, 2023

STYLE STA

Students nominate professo

The University of San Diego campus is not just a hub of academic pursuits; students strut the campus in unique trend-setting looks, making our campus notable for its fashion. Not only are USD’s professors noted for their wealth of knowledge, but their fashion sense as well. Students expressed how their professors' fashion choices have become an integral part of their teaching personas. The USD Vista asked the Fizz community to identify our school’s most fashionable professors. Here are a few students' opinions, as well as professors' reactions to their nomination by students.

Maria Knaizeva Marketing Professor

“Maria Knaizeva is the most fashionable, bestdressed professor I’ve had. In each fashion marketing class, she would arrive in sleek, clean and elegant outfits accentuated with fine jewelry. Her fashion-forward style curation is authentic and personalized to her. From monochrome fits to tops embedded with sparkling beads, she does it all.” - Mahlia Flores, USD senior

Emma-Kate Squires/ The USD Vista

Maja Blazejewska

Graphic Design Professor

“Professor Blazejewska is always dressed to impress. Whether she’s rocking a red blazer or wearing funky, big earrings, she’s always stylin’. Her mix of bold colors and fun patterns is only fitting to her design background and match her enthusiastic energy and passionate personality. I always look forward to going to class and seeing her outfits. She’s a style inspiration to us all” - Tyler Yancey, USD senior

Photo Courtesy of USD Directory

Jillian Tullis

Communications Professor

“I have professor Jillian Tullis for End of Life Communication, which is a pretty heavy class, but something that I always look forward to in going to that class is Tullis looks. She comes to class everyday with unique jewelry, ranging from earrings to bangles, and funky patterned dresses or tops. She always makes sure to complement every outfit with a fun shoe, even yesterday she showed up in snakeskin booties.” - Oliva Patterson, USD senior

Emma-Kate Squires/ The USD Vista

Honorable Mentio

Volume 61 Issue 5

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FEATURE

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The USD Vista

TANDOUTS

essors with the best fashion

Marilynn Johnson

ntions from Fizz:

Philosophy Professor

“That is very flattering indeed to hear [about being nominated as most fashionable]. When heading to campus I like to dress in something that makes me feel good and fits well — be that a patterned dress, a bright blazer, or a shirt with a detail on the collar. I think style is super important to how you move in the world and are perceived,although philosophers don't often like to admit it. Fashion is also a part of my research — I wrote a book called ‘Adorning Bodies: Meaning, Evolution, and Beauty in Humans and Animals,’ which is coming out in paperback this month. I also recently proposed a course called ‘Philosophy of Fashion and Bodies’ that I will hopefully start teaching next year. I am preparing my tenure documents now and am trying to figure out where I can slip in that students like my style.”

Emma-Kate Squires/ The USD Vista

Stacie Vos

English Professor

“Many years ago, a student remarked in a course evaluation that it was important that an English professor have good style. I think what she meant is that there’s an important connection between literature and clothing. In medieval and Renaissance works, clothing is always a central metaphor for the weaving of stories and the making of the self. Another reason I like clothing so much is that my grandmothers both worked at Jacobson’s department store in Michigan, and as a girl, I modeled in the shops’ fashion shows. I love talking with students after class about their own style choices, whether for clothes, or notebooks and pens.”

Photo Courtesy of USD Directory

Joseph Babcock English Professor “When you put on clothes in the morning it's a chance to express yourself and be uniquely you. That's true also of every time you speak or write. It's a chance to showcase who you are and how you want to be in the world.”

Photo Courtesy of USD Directory Spread by Khushi Patel/The USD Vista: Content by Allie Longo/The USD Vista

The USD Vista

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October 12, 2023

FEATURE AR TS &

Remembering Alice B. Hayes USD’s second President passes away at 85 years old

From Pres. Hayes, Page 1 was also a favorite of Dr. Daniel Sheehan, professor of physics. “She’s a very warm person and very inviting. I think my favorite time was when she invited a small group of faculty over to her home for lunch,” Sheehan said. “I’ve never been invited to the president’s home ever, much less for lunch. But that’s the way she was. She wanted to know faculty and she extended her hospitality and her home to various groups of us from time to time. That’s the way she was.” Sheehan explained that he was around at USD for Hayes’ entire presidency and always admired her. Chair and Professor of Biology Mary Sue Lowery also knew Hayes for the duration of her time as president and described Hayes’ demeanor. “Your first impression of her was [that] she was always very friendly and warm, but she commanded a lot of respect,” Lowery said. “The more I got to know her, the more I appreciated her integrity, her courage and her compassion for students.” Lowery expressed that Hayes was an integral part of the San Diego community and would meet with presidents from other local universities to discuss efforts they could make in the San Diego area. Pertaining to USD and its environment, Lowery, Sheehan, Norton and Harris all agreed that Hayes made her mark. “From a wider perspective outside of USD, she oversaw a very productive period in the life

of USD. We had a lot of building that went on, a lot of expansion, more active scholarship and a lot of wonderful things were happening,” Lowery said. “She also was a really strong leader. She was a real, staunch supporter of academic freedom and intellectual advancement by the faculty members.” Lowery noted Hayes’ passion for students and their success, and there is now an Alice B. Hayes scholarship for science students, in her honor. Norton also highlighted the ways that Hayes promoted the university’s values. “She kept that legacy of the liberal arts alive at USD, after our first president. So that was very important to have her approach to the liberal arts. That legacy that USD had continued and thrived and enhanced the sciences.” As a botanist, Hayes had a love for science and her presidency was essential to building the Shiley Center of Technology. Harris elaborated on a story he learned, about Hayes’ passion for botany. “When I spoke to [Hayes’] sisters, they said when they went through her materials and the stuff that she had — they found two, three-ring notebooks that had her handwritten notes in all of them. And it was all the flower beds on campus,” Harris said. “She would walk around and take notes about the flower beds, and then she would meet with the gardeners and stop and talk to them about what they were planting, and why they were planting that, and then she would

have her recommendation.” Harris noted that Hayes was a botanist at heart, so she was genuinely interested and passionate about the botany and greenery on campus. Not only did she care about our campus, Harris said, but she also cared about people. “She embodied the values of treating people with dignity, and also of making our campus a welcoming and inclusive place. And it was different in the 1990s and early 2000s. The world was different. The university was different,” Harris said. “But she did help us further advance our mission and values. It was in alignment with who she was as a person. So I think that’s one of the most important pieces and the following: that the university was better than she found it when she came here.” Whether you remember Dr. Hayes for her contributions to USD like the buildings that now stand on campus, her warm, inviting energy or her passion for the arts and sciences that lives on in the landscaping of USD, it is clear that she was instrumental to the success of USD in many ways. She also made an impact on people, who fondly remember the years of her presidency on campus. Her memory will not be forgotten.

President Hayes embracing a student at graduation with a proud smile. Photo courtesy of sandiego.edu

“She would walk around and take notes about the flower beds, and then she would meet with the gardeners and stop and talk to them about what they were planting...and then she would have her recommendation.” - President James T. Harris III Alice Bourke Hayes throughout her life, including as a child, with her family and in adult life. Photo courtesy of digital.sandiego.edu/usdmagazine/

Volume 61 Issue 5

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ARTS & CULTURE

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The USD Vista

A RT S & C U LT U R E

‘Post-study abroad depression’ It’s normal to crave the next ‘new’

ABIGAIL CAVIZO ASSOCIATE EDITOR During the Spring 2023 semester, I spent five months in Madrid, Spain. Before then, I had never stepped foot outside the U.S.; I had hardly left the west coast. Traveling was something I always wanted to do, but I never knew what to expect. Everything was new. It was fast-paced, vibrant colors. I was never alone, because, how could I be? The people were everywhere; the streets flooded with locals and visitors alike. I loved my 40-minute bus ride to school, my sacred novelty. I adored learning the past of a new country, walking along the same cracked cobblestones where blood had once spilled from old wars I had only ever read about in my high school history books. Every mundane activity was a treasure. I learned a lot about the world and about myself, and I was determined to carry those lessons back home with me. However, I was met with a new challenge when I came back home — one that I didn’t expect. The things that used to excite me here in San Diego felt too routine. Where I used to find comfort in the customary, I began to resent the familiarity. I was confused because just earlier this year, I was filled with a wonder I didn’t know I was capable of — the world was so big and my problems were so small (a mantra I often repeated to myself). It took me some time to grapple that I am not made of high-highs and low-lows. I’m going through a common phenomenon known as “post-study abroad depression.” According to iSchoolConnect, a popular platform where college students find abroad programs, post-study abroad depression (PSAD) is defined as a wide-range of emotions that students experience after living in another country overseas. Many students “return home often report feelings of culture shock [upon reintegration], depression, anxiety and loneliness.” Understanding why PSAD occurs is the first step to finding peace again in coming back home. Spending a limited amount of time in a new environment breeds a space for fresh, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Because of this, stimulation is easy to find abroad, but less accessible at home. In the human brain, there is an area known as the substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area, or SN/VTA. Otherwise known as the “novelty center,” the National Library of Medicine, describes it as the part of the brain that “regulate[s] reward consumption, learning, memory

and addiction behaviors through mediating dopamine (DA) release in downstream regions.” The brain is pumped with dopamine through new — and exciting — experiences. To have a constant stream of dopamine while in a different country suddenly limited in such a quick reversion, is a hard adjustment for many. The switch from being overseas to coming back home is a reverse culture-shock that many do not think about until returning to the U.S. It’s normal to crave the next “new”, especially when it was so easy to do so in a setting where new exploration was easy to seek out. USD senior Bela Bidaburu also studied abroad in Madrid during the Spring 2023 semester. She shared her experience with PSAD. “Starting my senior year [after my semester abroad] as a STEM student, lifestyle-wise, is so much harder here than in Spain. In Spain, they value work-life balance much more than they do here,” Bidaburu said. “I’m currently struggling [with finding ways to combat PSAD], but I’m just trying to find ways to look forward to things, like traveling again.” USD senior Kylie Kumnick studied abroad in Prague in the Czech Republic during the Fall 2022 semester. Since being back in the U.S. for a year, she offered advice to students who may be wrestling with their emotions about theirtime away from home. “Coming back [to the U.S.], you just are expected to put your head down and get back to that grind, which was hard for me to adjust to again,” Kumnick stated. “You need to focus on the best part about coming back. I really leaned on that aspect of seeing all my people: friends, family and people [who] I haven’t seen in awhile. I really think the people [in your life] make a difference.” Finding the “new” in life can be accomplished everyday, but sometimes when the familiarity feels suffocating, a perspective change is needed. USD exchange student Nawel Akar is from Strasbourg, France. This semester, she has the opportunity to study here in San Diego, at USD. “Everything here [in San Diego] is so beautiful and different. Everything is so different from France, especially the differences the city itself has to offer,” Akar said. “You can go from city [in downtown] to the beach to the greenery [in Balboa]. I couldn’t get tired of it. It’s so new and different.” Chasing the dopamine rush of the “new” is not limited to traveling abroad. People can look for signs of “new” everywhere

USD students explore their host country, discovering beaches of Mallorca in Spring of 2023.

— in the friends they make, in the love they seek and in the experiences they desire. People do not have to chase the literal “new” of a country, in order to feel high levels of dopamine. We can find “newness” in the routines we’ve established, by looking at our situations with

new eyes, or trying to see it through the eyes of an outsider. There’s value in recalling the first time something happened, remembering what it felt like to first step foot on USD’s campus as a first-year. Just because something may seem stagnant does not mean it is.

Abigail Cavizo/ The USD Vista

There is movement in the water — we just have to search for it. If you or someone you know is dealing with any form of depression, the USD Wellness center is a resource open to all students. Contact them wellness@ sandiego.edu or call +1 (619)2604655 to book an appointment.

USD Master’s in Accounting students during their multi-city trip to Paris, Milan and Rome during Summer 2023. Photo courtesy of @usd_business/Instagram

The USD Vista

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October 12, 2023

Suspect indicted for Tupac’s murder After 27 years, the rapper’s murder might actually be solved

NYLA HARRIS ASST. A&C EDITOR SATVIKA NITYA ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR After 27 years, the tragedy of the open case of the murder of the iconic hip-hop artist, Tupac Shakur, finally has a chance of getting solved. A former gang leader named Duane Keith Davis was identified as the one responsible for giving the order of killing the rapper in 1996. Davis was indicted on Sept. 29 by a Clark County grand jury on one count of murder with use of a deadly weapon with gang enhancement. The killing of Tupac sparked from an entanglement between the rapper’s affiliated gang, Mob Piru Bloods, with Davis’ nephew, Orlando “Babylane” Anderson and his affiliated gang, South Side Compton Crips. Due to the deeply rich history of rivalry between the two gangs and rising tensions over conflicts at the time, there was a scuffle that resulted in Anderson being profusely kicked and punched by Shakur and the Bloods after a boxing match at the MGM Grand Hotel in Vegas in 1996. The jumping of Orlando Anderson gave Davis and the Crips the motive and encouragement to seek revenge. According to ABC News, Davis was the one responisble for devising a plan to obtain a firearm and retaliate against Tupac for what happened to his nephew. As Tupac was headed to an after party in a black BMW, driven by friend, Suge Knight, a white Cadillac pulled up alongside the car. The Cadillac immediately opened fire, showering Knight’s car with bullets. Tupac suffered four gunshot wounds, with at least two to the chest. He was rushed to the hospital, where he passed away six days later on Sept. 13, 1996. Initially the investigation was halted, with the police blaming it on a lack of cooperation from witnesses as the reason for not being able to determine who was ultimately responsible. As years went on without any charges, conspiracy theories and accusations that the police had not worked hard enough to bring Shakur’s killers to justice started to spiral. USD senior Alana Bowers commented on why she believes the case took as long as it did to be revisited. “I think the length that it took for the case to be solved is a result or multiple contributing factors. [Police such as] LAPD has a history of disregarding and/ or illegitimating cases regarding black victims. Especially in the case of this situation, they have also shown to be far more concerned with directing blame onto affiliation, than seeking justice for affiliated individuals,” Bowers said. “I hope we can take greater steps to dismantle the systems which illegitimate

justice for communities of color and bring attention to injustices.” The case was revived in 2006, when the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) reopened the still unsolved 1977 killings of the Notorious B.I.G or “Biggie” in a shooting thought to be affiliated to Shakur’s death. Davis agreed to what is called a proffer agreement, in which a Los Angeles police detective, Gregory Kading promised not to prosecute Davis if he told him truthful information about Tupac and Biggie. Kading taped the interviews he had with Davis, and following his retirement from the Police Department, used parts of Davis’ confession in a 2011 book known as “Murder Rap: The Untold Story of the Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur Murder Investigations.” Davis, irritated by the disclosures, was eager to share his own story. Davis gave his first public interview on the subject of Tupac’s death for a 2018 documentary series called “Death Row Chronicles.” After the series aired with still no charges made, Davis wrote more about the case in his memoir “Compton Street Legend,” adding interviews on the subject. Davis also admitted in his memoir that he provided the gun used in the drive-by shooting. Police officials and prosecutors were watching Davis’ interviews closely, looking for ways to legally indict Davis. Although Davis was protected for what he disclosed with Kading, his later confessions were not protected the same. Prosecutors on the case collectively determined that there were repeated versions of the night of Tupac’s death, acknowledging that Davis is in fact the person that ordered the death of Shakur. Although Davis’ memoir mentions moments of remorse for the pain the death of Tupac has caused, he holds firm that revenge was necessary for the beating of his nephew, Orlando “Baby Lane” Anderson. In July of this year, police conducted a nighttime search of Davis’ Las Vegas-area home to find a connection with the Tupac murder investigation. According to ABC News, magazine articles about Tupac and his death were among the items seized by police during the search. Davis, now 60, was arrested on Friday, Sept. 23 during an early-morning walk near his home in suburban Henderson. A few hours after his arrest, a grand jury indictment was unsealed in Clark County District Court charging him with murder. Grand jurors also voted to add sentencing enhancements for the use of a deadly weapon and alleged gang activity. If Davis is convicted, that could add two decades to his sentence. Davis made his first court appearance on Oct. 4 but the hearing was cut short after he asked District Judge Tierra Jones to postpone the hearing

Tupac’s discography consists of 11 studio albums that he created during his short-lived time of five years in the music industry. Photo courtesy of @2pac/Instagram

while he retains counsel in Las Vegas. The arraignment is now rescheduled for Oct. 19. USD junior Nicole Saravia voiced her opinion regarding how long the case has been open, as well as discussions reminiscing on Tupac. “I’m very shocked with how long the case took, and what that is to say about other deaths within the realm of gang violence. If this important case is just now to be solved, what does that mean for other gang violence related cases that haven’t been solved as well?” Saravia said. “When I was in elementary school, we would always talk about Tupac; of course [it was] Tupac versus Biggie and the East coast versus

West coast stuff, but also about conspiracies that came from his death. It’s interesting to see how that is all coming to light now.” The killing of Tupac Shakur became the subject of books, podcasts, TV series and films, further elevating Shakur and his impact on hip-hop and the world. The rapper’s influence on Black culture is seen accross most of his songs, as Shakur was someone who constantly spoke up about the systemic oppression that puts the Black community in a vicious cycle of hardship. His death, and the closing of the case, has left the community reflecting on Tupac’s impact. USD senior Chris Curtis discussed Tupac’s legacy

following his death and the recent closing of the case. “The world hasn’t been the same without Tupac. I wasn’t alive to experience him on this earth, but I was able to feel the effect he had on this world with his music,” Curtis said. “I’m glad that this case has been solved, justice has finally been served. RIP to one of the greatest and most inf luential artists of all time.” Although it took 27 years, the case regarding Tupac Shakur’s murder may be closed once and for all. The closing of this murder case has sparked ref lection on all the ways Tupac has, and will continue to impact the lives of many.

Tupac’s poetry and tattoos displayed to commemorate the artist at the ‘Wake Me When I’m Free’ exhibit in Los Angeles last year. Photo courtesy of @2pac/Instagram

Volume 61 Issue 5

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SPORTS

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The USD Vista

SPORTS

USD volleyball fighting for first in WCC 5-match winning streak propels USD to top of standings

LEVI COOVERT CONTRIBUTOR USD women’s volleyball season didn’t start the way the Toreros had hoped. For a team that went to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Final Four in 2022, losing four matches to start the season was not what anyone had imagined. Winning 4 games and losing 6 in tournament play was not expected either. The Toreros traveled to invitationals in Hawaii, Los Angeles and Georgia, going a combined 3-5, and in their own USD Invitational, the Toreros went 1-1. Fortunately, better days were on the horizon, in the form of the West Coast Conference (WCC). After winning the WCC with an 18-0 record in 2022, the Toreros have gotten off to a similar start in league play this year. The Toreros now have a five-match winning streak as of their game on Sept. 23 against Saint Mary’s. Shutout

wins over Saint Mary’s, Gonzaga and Portland helped the Toreros climb back to a winning record. A 3-1 victory at home against Santa Clara showed everyone that USD isn’t going anywhere. They followed that victory with a road win over Pacific on Oct. 7, and are now 9-6 on the season. This year the Toreros are led by USD senior Kylie Pries and graduate senior Amber Stivrins. Both girls have been named WCC Offensive Player of the Week this season, with Pries recently taking the award on Oct. 2 and Stivrins receiving the award on Sept. 11, only her second week as a Torero. Stivrins played for Georgia from 2020 to 2022, leading the Southeastern Conference (SEC) in aces with 47 in 2021, and leading the Bulldogs in 2020 with 212 kills. She came to USD to play as a graduate student this year, and is leading the team with 217 points so far this season. On Oct. 5, USD celebrated its Final Four appearance last year, by

unveiling a brand new banner in the Jenny Craig Pavilion. It was a celebratory moment, followed by one of the Toreros’ closest wins of the season against the Santa Clara Broncos. After winning the second set, the Broncos rolled out to a 12-7 lead in set three, putting pressure on USD to respond. The Toreros did just that, fighting back to take the lead and winning a decisive set three victory. Then in set four, up 2-1, the Toreros pulled out another close win, coming out on top by a score of 25-23 to seal their fourth match win in a row. First-year student Blake Luehrman, who attended the match, shared his thoughts. “It was dope,” Luehrman said. The USD team has a lot of energy, evident from their frequent dancing after scoring. The team persevered by moving from 0-4 to second place in the WCC, with a 5-0 league record and 9-6 overall record. Although the Toreros may not have gotten off to the start they imagined, they have bounced back

USD unveiled the updated banner for volleyball on Oct. 5. Photo courtesy of @usdvolleyball/Instagram

and are now fighting to keep their title as champions of the WCC. They are currently behind only Pepperdine, whose 5-0 league record and 9-6 overall record beats out USD by a single win. A home game on Oct. 21 against Pepperdine

looms large, which could play a huge role in determining the winner of the West Coast Conference. The next Torero home game is next week on Thursday Oct. 19, where they’ll take on Portland at 7 p.m. in the Jenny Craig Pavilion.

Babcock’s Blue Jackets debacle

NHL Coach resigns after going through players’ phones LUKAS BLANKENSTEIN ASST. SPORTS EDITOR The Columbus Blue Jackets announced the resignation of their head coach Mike Babcock, before he had even coached a game for the team. The resignation came after allegations that he asked to go through players’ phones. Based in Ohio, the Columbus Blue Jackets, decided to hire Babcock after a season that saw them finish with the second-worst record in the National Hockey League (NHL). 60-year-old Babcock previously won a Stanley Cup, the award for winning the NHL playoffs, with the Detroit Red Wings in 2008, making him appear to be a valuable asset to the Blue Jackets. However, Babcock’s hiring also brought controversy stemming from the myriad of players and stories that painted him as “toxic.” Former NHL forward Johan Franzén called Babcock “the worst person I have ever met” in an interview for the Swedish newspaper SportExpressen. After Babcock was fired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2019, a story was leaked to the Toronto Sun about an incident during the 2016-17 season. According to the report, Babcock asked Mitch Marner, a rookie at the time, to “list the players on the team from hardest-working to those who, in the eyes of the rookie, didn’t have a strong work ethic. The rookie did so, not wanting to upset his coach, but was taken aback when Babcock told the players who had been listed at the bottom.” Babcock later confirmed this story to reporter Elliotte Friedman. He stated “I was

trying to focus on work ethic with Mitch — focusing on role models ended up not being a good idea, I apologized for it at [the] time.” After this story was released, many wondered if he would ever get another job in the NHL. However, on July 1, 2023, the Blue Jackets decided to hire Babcock for his first job since he was fired in Toronto. In his first interview with the press after being hired, Babcock talked about how he had changed during his time away. “What this [break from the NHL] has done is given me a chance to get outside my body, have a look and see what I’m doing, and understand that you need to change, you needed to grow,” Babcock said. This decision to hire Babcock brought many negative reactions. One of those reactions was from former defenseman Mike Commodore, who played under Babcock in 2011. Commodore stated in a social media video, “scumbags like that don’t change.” Babcock’s controversy meant he couldn’t afford any slip-ups if he wanted to keep his job. The Spittin Chiclets podcast, a popular hockey podcast with almost 300,000 subscribers on Youtube is run by former NHL players Ryan Whitney and Paul Bissonette. The podcast often advocates for players’ rights. Paul Bissonette reported on texts he received from Columbus Blue Jackets players. “One of the first things he does is call in Boone Jenner, the captain of the [expletive] team, and he says ‘let me see the photos on your phone, I want to know what kind of person you are,’” Bissonette claimed. The Blue Jackets later released

statements on social media from both Babcock and Jenner. “While meeting with our players and staff I asked them to share, off their phones, family pictures as part of the process of getting to know them better. There was absolutely nothing more to it than that,” Babcock said. Jenner reaffirmed Babcock, stating that “to have this blown out of proportion is truly disappointing.” Their statements was an attempt to cool the flames beneath Mike Babcock. Despite these statements, the NHL Players Association (NHLPA) continued their investigation into Mike Babcock. Seeing the writing on the wall, Babcock resigned. Following his resignation, NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh released a statement on Babcock’s tenure. “Our players deserve to be treated with respect in the workplace,” Walsh emphasized. “Unfortunately, that was not the case in Columbus.” The major concern for the NHLPA seemed to be incidents that happened outside of team facilities, as reported by NHL insider Pete Blackburn who stated that, “several of these incidents happened at Babcock’s house… a young player was invited for lunch, told to take out his phone, had Babcock flip through his photos and then told him to leave… without lunch.” With Babcock’s resignation come other questions, such as what to do about members of Columbus’ management. The USD Vista reached out to Jay Ashdown, the cohost of the “Jay. Jake. Jackets” podcast, a fan podcast covering the Columbus Blue Jackets, for his perspective on the situation.

The Blue Jackets are now led by Coach Vincent. Photo courtesy of @bluejacketsnhl/Instagram

“In my opinion, their [other managers’] fate was tied to Babcock’s success with the team, since he was the man they chose. I do not believe they should’ve had that card up their sleeves. In my opinion, they should’ve been fired,” Ashdown said. Babcock’s actions brought with it many opinions about the role of a coach and when a coach has gone too far. Peter Kilborn second year law student is on the USD hockey club team. He acknowledged that Babcock’s actions were unprofessional. “It is acceptable for coaches to ask a lot of players on the ice, but, off the ice, there is no room for that conduct. The content on a player’s phone makes no difference on how he is able to perform on the ice. There are so many private aspects of a person’s phone that a coach has no business seeing,” Kilborn said. It also brought to question why players would prefer to go to a podcast host with

allegations, before going to the team or players association. Bissonnette responded to this question on the Agent Provocateur podcast. “If word ends up getting back to management and they’re being a disrupter, and maybe they’re not a star player who’s locked into a contract, next thing you know you have a one way ticket to the American League, and your career is over.” Bissonnette lended credence to the idea that players would rather stay in silence put up with abuse than put their dream and livelihood in jeopardy. Mike Babcock’s brief but controversial time with the Blue Jackets left a lot of questions to be answered by the organization and the NHL. As they look to move into the new season, the team will hand the reins over to first-time head coach Pascal Vincent, who the franchise hopes will last longer than Babcock did and lead the team to victory.

The USD Vista

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October 12, 2023

Football (Taylor’s Version) ‘Kelce’s greatest catch of all time’

LAUREN CEBALLOS SPORTS EDITOR

Dear reader, singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and Kansas City Tight End Travis Kelce formed an alleged relationship that broke the internet. At Swift’s concerts, a trend fans made was making friendship bracelets to trade due to the line in her song “You’re On Your Own, Kid,” saying, “So make the friendship bracelets.” During a stop on Swift’s most recent concert tour, the Eras tour, in Kansas City during July of 2023, Kelce plotted to give the star a friendship bracelet with his number on it. Kelce’s attempt at being a mastermind failed, or so fans thought, until Sept. 21, 2023, on The Pat McAfee show. “I told her, you know, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage [Stadium] in Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit,’” Kelce said. “So we’ll see what happens in the near future.” Swift was spotted the very first night in a suite at the Kansas City Chiefs game on Sept. 24, with Tight End Travis Kelce’s mom, Donna Kelce. During the third week of the NFL’s season, when the Chiefs played the Chicago Bears with a final score of 41-10 for the Chiefs’ victory. This love stormed the media ever since Swift’s premiere with the NFL. In the “New Heights” podcast with Travis and his brother, Jason Kelce, the center for the Philadelphia Eagles, Jason asked Travis, “how does it feel now that Taylor Swift put you on the map?” Travis responded, “she looked amazing, everybody was talking about her in great light, and – on top of that – the day went perfect for Chiefs fans, of course. We script it all, ladies and gentlemen, but to see the slow motion chest bumps, to see the highfives with mom, to see how the Chief’s kingdom was all excited that she was there, that s*** was absolutely hysterical. It’s definitely a game I’ll remember that’s for d*** sure. And then we just slid off in the getaway car at the end,” Travis Kelce said. During the podcast, the two referenced how everyone is talking about the sparks flying between the two-time Super Bowl winner and the 12-time Grammy winner. “Everyone, literally everyone, even Bill Belichick, he hasn’t

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talked much about anything outside of game weeks that we’ve played, but he made sure to remind me that that’s the best catch that I’ve ever had in my life,” Travis Kelce said. USD first-year student Ethan Gaston shared his opinion on the relationship. “I think he’s a great player. I think he is just getting a lot more attention because he is dating a massive popstar that has a lot of fans and is beloved by a very large fan base,” Gaston said. Swift first appeared as a Kelce fan during a very successful game for the Chiefs. With seven minutes and 40 seconds left in the third quarter, Kelce scored a touchdown off a three yard pass from Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, scoring the team six points that was topped off by Harrison Butker with a complete kick. Taylor Swift was later spotted again at the Chief’s game on Oct. 1 against the New York Jets, where the chiefs won 23-20. Spotted with notable friends, including actress Blake Lively, Swift was seen enjoying herself and caught hugging Donna Kelce during the game. Swift did not attend the Chiefs’ game on Oct. 8 against the Minnesota Vikings. Some fans are upset, wondering about the couple, while others are happy for the focus of the game to not be on Swift. Kelce sprained his ankle walking on the turf, until he was cleared to go back on the field where he scored a touchdown not long after. Despite physical injuries, Kelce seems to be Mr. Perfectly Fine whether Swift is found in the crowd or not. Kelce, one of the top tight ends in NFL history, was born on Oct. 5, 1989, in Westlake, Ohio, and raised in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. Kelce led the NFL in catches, yards and touchdowns for tight ends in the 2022 NFL season. Kelce was an athlete from the start, playing and excelling in three sports during high school – football, basketball and baseball – leaving high school with two All-State team nominations for football. In college, Kelce played for the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. He originally began his football career as a quarterback, until his coaches slowly transitioned him into the tight end position because of all of the potential that they saw in him. He began playing for the Chiefs in 2013.

Swift was born and raised on a Christmas tree farm in Reading, Pennsylvania. She officially began her career in 2004 after moving to Nashville to pursue music, signing her first deal with Sony at 14 years old. Swift’s original music fell under the country genre but over her nearly 20-year career, Swift has spanned across a multitude of genres which her fans appreciate. Her first album was released in 2006, and she currently has 10 albums out. In 2018, Swift joined Republic Records, which would allow her to master the rights of her music. Since then, she has begun re-recording old albums with the majority of the same lyrics and tunes, but releasing them as “Taylor’s Version,” in order to own her own songs. Since then, Swift’s career has massively expanded. In March of 2023, she began the Eras Tour featuring songs from each of her “eras,” or albums, as opposed to just one album. According to Time Magazine in a piece published in Aug. 2023, there is a “projected gross of $2.2 billion in North America tickets alone, and hundreds of millions of streams reaching a nearly 80% spike in those listening to her music catalog in the weeks after the tour kicked off.” Swifties, the name given to her fanbase, have proven to be loyal to wits end. Some are even saying that the Eras Tour is saving the economy. The fanbase is willing to pay thousands of dollars to attend her concert and some are attending more than once. Swift is selling out the stadiums that she now watches Kelce play in on Sundays. A fan of Taylor Swift, @sarahhbeaarrr, shared an Instagram reel saying, “Taylor Swift pulled an Uno reverse on us” in dating Kelce, referencing a line in a Swift song; “in your life you’ll do things greater than dating the boy on the football team.” Now that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are known to be in a relationship, the NFL has chosen to use the relationship as a marketing strategy. For Swift fans, it hits different; however, some NFL fans are complaining about the amount of times that the camera pans to Swift and that they need to calm down. Swift was shown 17 times during the Oct. 1 game, according to USA today. Even Kelce said that the NFL is “overdoing it” when talking

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Swift photographed in the suite for the first time supporting Kelce. Photo courtesy of @nfl and @newheightshow/Instagram

about the amount of screen time she gets during Chiefs games. USD first-year Aidan Quinn gave his opinion on Taylor Swift’s screen time. “Honestly, he’s [Kelce] on my fantasy football team and it doesn’t matter how much they show Taylor Swift on TV as long as he catches the ball, so that’s my take,” Quinn said. On an episode of the Pat McAfee show, the host talked about how the love story is helping the NFL. “The demographic of females [watching the NFL] is up like 10% from last year. That particular lady [Taylor Swift] and her fanbase coming into the NFL is a beautiful thing,” McAfee said. “The NFL has been trying to reach that [demographic] forever. They got a bunch of suits sitting around a big a** table in New York going ‘we gotta get the younger women involved in this game somehow. How? Okay. Travis Kelce date Taylor Swift? Deal.’ You start thinking that the NFL has hands and eyes behind it,” McAfee explained. Joe Pompliano, a well-known personality in sports and business, posted on X about the impact that the couple has had on Kelce’s career.

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“Travis Kelce has had a busy 24 hours: seven catches for 69 yards and a TD, gained 300,000+ social media followers, +400% increase in merchandise sales [and] top-five selling jersey in the NFL. That’s the Taylor Swift effect,” Pompliano tweeted. USD first-year Josie Behrens shared her take on the relationship between Swift and Kelce. “Travis Kelce is her 13th boyfriend and 13 is her lucky number, so basically they’re probably going to be end game… I mean I think now that Taylor Swift owns the NFL pretty much… I just think that’s awesome for women,” Behrens said. Celebrities and athletes are known to have a lot of influence in today’s world. The SwiftKelce crossover was a pair that was not anticipated but has appeared to be more powerful than expected. The athlete and singer-songwriter are exciting some fans, looping them on the hunt for easter eggs with song lyrics from Swift throughout the media, but others feel less inclined to watch Chiefs’ games due to her multiple appearances on screen during games. And to think, it all started with a friendship bracelet.

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