THE USD VISTA
Government shutdown stops Fleet Week Military event canceled during
CADEN HAYNOR NEWS EDITOR
During this time of year, the U.S. military normally hosts “Fleet Week” at Broadway Pier, an annual event highly anticipated and attended by thousands of San Diegans. This event was canceled preemptively due to the ongoing government shutdown, which began on Oct. 1.
Every year, San Diegans flock to this event, watching fleets of naval ships pass the USS Midway on their way through Coronado Bay. It is a patriotic celebration that looks to honor the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and the Coast Guard with various events.
USD sophomore Ben Zabel, a midshipman in the Navy Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC), reacted to Fleet Week’s cancellation.
“I did not know that Fleet Week was canceled this year,” Zabel said. “I’m sad now that I know it is no longer happening. This is definitely sad for the military people especially.”
This year’s Fleet Week was especially meaningful for the Navy community
250th anniversary
because it marks the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Navy, which was established by the Continental Congress
before the country’s founding.
USD sophomore and NROTC midshipman Brandon Eng talked about the importance of
Fleet Week on this anniversary.
“It’s also ironic that they decide to cancel on the 250th anniversary,” Eng said. “In my opinion it’s one of the biggest anniversaries yet and would attract a ton of people and be a
SDFC on historic playoff run
PRIYA COOPER SPORTS EDITOR
On Saturday night, Nov. 2, San Diego FC tied Portland Oregon 2-2 and proceeded to penalty kicks in overtime. San Diego fell short and lost 3-2 in penalties. The game was a part of the first round of playoffs for the MLS (Major League Soccer).
Each round of playoffs are best of three. The cup involves 18 teams overall, 9 from each conference, competing in a multiround tournament. The next round of playoffs, or round two, is the conference semifinals and is set to begin Nov. 22. The winner of the match will determine which team advances to the next round. San Diego FC is scheduled to play Oregon one more time on Nov. 9. The team won the first game 2-1, but lost the second.
San Diego FC has never made it to the playoffs before, this is their first ever appearance in the MLS Cup. Many students at USD were not aware of the teams progress in the tournament thus far.
USD senior Gabriella Pardo shared her knowledge of the team. “I honestly had no idea San
Diego
Pardo
“I
Fleet, Page 2
FC was in the playoffs,”
said.
knew we had a team, but I don’t follow them that
much. I think I know more about the women’s team, or San Diego
The Official Student Newspaper of the University of San Diego since 1968
Fans celebrated the San Diego FC win in the first playoff round against Oregon. Photo courtesy of @sandiegomag/Instagram
Fleet Week includes multiple community events such as ship tours, educational outreach and parades around Coronado Bay. Photo courtesy
Fleet Week canceled due to shutdown Navy, Coast
Guard and Marines showcase will
From Fleet, Page 1
huge success for the city of San Diego and the entire Fleet Week.”
Usually, Fleet Week would be celebrated with ship tours, educational outreach and parades around Coronado Bay. Due to the shutdown, the U.S. military branches involved were unable to provide the necessary ships, equipment and personnel for public outreach.
These resources fund student STEM days, which had over 5,000 students signed up this year. Some events include a Veterans and Military boat parade, public ship visits aboard a Navy warship and a Coast Guard cutter from Alameda and community breakfast aboard the USS Midway.
The dates for Fleet Week each year are decided by the host city and the Department of the Navy, depending on annual naval schedules and major anniversaries or events. All of these events would have happened this year from Oct. 30 – Nov. 9, so some San Diegans already signed up to attend certain
not happen this November
events before the cancellation. Eng expressed his disappointment at Fleet Week being canceled.
“I’m not sure why they exactly canceled Fleet Week,
but I think it’s a rather poor decision,” Eng explained.
“Fleet Week is good because it’s able to let the Navy and Marine Corps build a positive rapport with the public and also recruit. Recruiting numbers are trending upscale and they should aim to keep it that way.”
Despite the shutdown, San Diegans looking to celebrate
GAMES
Crossword of the week:
Fleet Week can still attend events hosted by the San Diego Fleet Week Foundation such as the Military Family Day on Nov. 9 and the Enlisted Recognition Luncheon on Nov. 21.
Parades of military sea vessels and flying machines attract large crowds at each Fleet Week.
Photo courtesy of @fleetweeksd/Instagram
CADEN HAYNOR NEWS EDITOR
USD housing issues persist
Housing rates and availability worries students
Before each school year, students must take a look at the costs and benefits of living in school-sanctioned housing or living elsewhere. Housing rates are continually on the rise in San Diego, causing USD upperclassmen students to reassess their options in comparison to the options that USD offers.
This academic year, housing rates increased for all living areas on campus. In a statement, the University explained why housing rates are increasing.
“Each year we evaluate our housing rates in comparison to local market values to help stay competitive,” the University stated. “Our on-campus traditional-style housing options consistently come in below the average rental rates in San Diego, even as the city’s cost of living continues to rise. San Diego is one of the most expensive housing markets in the country. Rate adjustments help us maintain safe, highquality, well-managed residential spaces for students while keeping affordability top of mind.”
This market research is conducted to analyze the rising costs in San Diego’s rental market, as well as with operational costs and demand. These increases in spending have worried some students looking to pay for housing next year.
USD junior Sam Cotter, who lives in the Manchester Village Apartments on campus, reacted to these increased prices.
“For me personally, considering the amount that it’s increasing, I don’t think it makes sense,” Cotter said. “We don’t even have air conditioning. We’re still paying for laundry.”
At USD, the cost of oncampus housing can differ from some off-campus options, but it depends on factors such as the location, amenities and lease terms. For example, the Alcalá Vista Apartments cost $6,975 per semester, per student for a unit with four people living in it. This is a $300 increase from last academic year.
According to the price range from Apartments.com, if four students split the cost of a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom apartment in Linda Vista, the
rent ranges from $750 to $850 per month. This depends on the apartment, which would range from $3,000 to $3,400 per semester, per student, not including other costly factors such as utilities.
Some students, however, have worries about the availability of housing in the future.
USD junior Eva Mae Ross lives in the Pacific Ridge apartments off campus and through a private lease, not through the University. Ross explained why she is worried that housing might not be available in the future.
“Oh, 100%, I am worried about [housing availability],” Ross said. “I think it was kind of ridiculous to build the Wellness Center when we have so many students without housing. I had a lot of trouble with housing last semester… and then I’ve heard multiple complaints from freshmen and sophomores, how they’ve transformed every
triple in Maher, and they’re transforming doubles to triples, so I definitely am worried.”
If a student wants to live in the Pacific Ridge apartments next to campus, they have the option of purchasing housing through a USD master lease or an independent lease. A single bedroom apartment, under the USD master lease, includes dorm furniture and utilities, costs $8,255 per semester. An independent lease for the same size apartment costs about $10,800 per semester, not including the costs of furniture and utilities.
USD junior Elaina Phiel lives in the Pacific Ridge Apartments through a private lease. Phiel explained how this housing situation suits her.
“I actually applied for oncampus housing for my junior year last year and did not get it. So I was kind of scrambling to find housing by the time that decision
The USD Vista
came out last year,” Phiel said. “I ended up in Pacific Ridge with someone else who was kind of in the same boat. I did try to get housing through USD and by the time I was denied that housing, there was not really an option for me to get a lease with the school through Pacific Ridge. And then additionally, I would rather have more of my own space. And it helps my academics and socializing better, in my opinion.”
Over this year, there have been some issues with housing areas, including appliance malfunction, mold and flooding. Students can submit a request to maintenance to come and fix these issues. In some cases, the issues cause students to leave their room for a period of time and live elsewhere while it gets fixed. Cotter described how maintenance responded to one of these requests.
“I had to [put a] work request in for [an appliance] for a month and no one came to fix it,” Cotter said. “This has happened a few times. I do see where they’re coming from, but when it comes to maintenance and stuff, if it’s not being done in an effective and efficient time frame, then it’s like, is it really worth it? Is it the increase [of students]? Like, my neighbor down the hall, their room flooded. And they were in temporary housing for a month.”
The housing application for the next academic year should open for USD current students around Feb. 9, according to the Residential Life website. This will give housing options to USD students for where they can live around campus and the prices for those housing spaces.
USD first-years and sophomores that are required to live on campus have multiple living options.
Hailey Howell/The USD Vista
ARTS & CULTURE
‘The Piano Man’ serenades the UCs
Christoph Kasper’s musical journey
RILEY RAINS
ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
“It’s nine o’clock on a Saturday,” and in the Hahn University Center (UCs), there stands a grand piano. Tucked between walls, open windows and busy staircases, the instrument fills study areas with serene music –a pleasant distraction for students cramming for exams and rushing to class. One of the many musicians who plays this piano has coined a nickname known around campus: “The Piano Man.”
USD first-year Christoph Kasper was born and raised in Boston, Mass.
“I decided to come to San Diego because I’ve lived on the East Coast my whole life and just wanted to get a break from the East,” Kasper explained.
Kasper’s parents are both immigrants: his mother is from Brazil and his father grew up in Germany. Kasper’s father plays guitar, but other than that, neither of his parents were active musicians. “The Piano Man” explained the origins of his talents despite this fact.
“My parents were pretty adamant about me learning an instrument growing up because they said it’s good for the development of the brain,” Kasper said. “I had lessons from kindergarten up until sixth grade.”
A study by the National Center for Biotechnology Information confirmed Kasper’s parents’ claim. Researcher Ewa Miendlarzewska, a neuroscience specialist, described her findings.
“Children who undergo
musical training have better verbal memory, second language pronunciation accuracy, reading ability and executive functions,” Miendlarzewska wrote.
“Learning to play an instrument as a child may even predict academic performance and IQ in young adulthood.”
The scientific reasoning behind his beginnings came full circle when Kasper decided to study neuroscience and biology on the pre-med track at USD. Including his dedication to his studies, “The Piano Man” also enjoys playing basketball, going to the gym and gardening with his dad.
However, Kasper wasn’t always drawn to the notes of a piano. After he and his family moved to Canada during his middle school years, he drifted away from his craft.
“I took a break,” Kasper explained. “I had to stop and I also just lost the love of it because my parents turned it into a chore. I just stopped playing as much.”
Kasper moved back to Boston before his freshman year in high school. After some time apart from the instrument, “The Piano Man” eventually stretched his fingers across the black and white keys for a quite romantic reason.
“I picked it up again, actually, because I wanted to impress this girl,” Kasper blushed. “I learned ‘Die With a Smile’ by Bruno Mars. It worked, and I guess I just kept it going.”
It has been about a year and half since “The Piano Man” returned to music, and covers of Bruno Mars aren’t the only tunes filling the UC’s.
Kasper prides himself on learning well-known
songs so that students can relax while listening to their favorite artists.
“I tend to learn songs, or I do my best to learn songs, that generally people will know,” Kasper explained. “Just because I love it when people walk by and they recognize the song and I get that little bit of affirmation.”
In coming to USD, one of his requirements was that the school had a piano for public use. Kasper was excited to use the instrument, although his first time playing was a bit intimidating.
“I was nervous, and my leg would bounce as I played,” Kasper shared. “But as time went by that stopped and I realized that it isn’t that serious. I began just enjoying playing for myself. People smiling or applauding was just a bonus.”
Walking through the UC’s, students might hear a soft whisper of Kasper’s newest learned songs: Daniel Caesar’s “Best Part” or Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.” As students prepare for exam season, they can trust that tunes from “The Piano Man” will calm their nerves with beautiful music.
Christoph Kasper fills the UCs with beautiful music.
Riley Rains/The USD Vista
Using this piano located in the UCs, ‘The Piano Man’ serenades Toreros with covers from popular artists such as Daniel Caesar and Bruno Mars. Hailey Howell/The USD Vista
Toreros embrace ‘recession core’
Students turning frugal habits into fashion
RILEY RAINS ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR
ANJALI DALAL-WHELAN ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Predicting the market is no easy feat. Economists use recession indicators as signals for a decrease in the market: factors such as increased inflation, a dip in stock prices and high rates of unemployment, all allude to negative trends in the economy.
Recently, on popular social media platforms such as X or Instagram, users label aspects of pop culture as “recession indicators.”
Whether it is used in earnest or in jest, the twist on the term clearly links current trends in pop culture to politics and the economy.
Anything can have the economic expression attached to it: Lady Gaga’s resurgence, coupons on canned goods or even the popular Sonny Angels.
In 2008, during the Great Recession, there were a variety of recession indicators that spread their way through American pop culture. Upbeat
tunes such as Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” the Black Eyed Peas’ “I Gotta Feeling” and Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream” all contain poppy beats and optimistic lyrics: a trend that helped Americans alleviate the stress of the Great Recession.
USD Spanish Professor Aldara Fernandez Sierra moved to the U.S. from Spain in 2007, and she commented on her experience surrounding the Great Recession.
“I couldn’t find a job in Spain after I graduated, in 2005,” Fernandez Sierra shared. “We were in the middle of the economic crisis in Spain, but people didn’t know about it yet. You could just feel it in the atmosphere. In my experience, The Recession affected opportunities –it ended up being why I stayed in San Diego.”
While some faced economic downturn more directly, others utilized the societal trends to distract themselves. Today, not all of the pop culture recession indicators are about coping — a lot of them
Some Toreros avoid salons in light of rising prices. @Giorgio Trovato/Unsplash
Simple outfits have been trending which some people consider a recession indicator.
“My roommate and I only decorated the outside of our dorms. Inside, we only put a strand of fall leaves on our wall We decorated because the holidays are fun and it’s cute, but our space inside is already the way we like it. We just didn’t feel the need to change it ”
- Grace Evans, USD first-year
“I decorated with a lot of fall Snoopy stuff because it’s my favorite season, and Snoopy is so comforting and cute and reminds me of my childhood I do think more people should decorate their dorms for the holidays I think Founders did a good job It increases holiday spirit and the comfort of home.”
- Pia Kellems, USD firstyear
Holiday Do
USD students ar
Room decor is a fantastic way f themselves and feel cozy and a leaves wrinkle orange and the wi
October to November - a season w Whether with leaf garlands or littl found their own ways to spread ho they embrace fall aesthet
“I decorated preparati decorations, h out photos of we had and cov water, a cala
I do choose to decorate - m and Thanksgiving. They’r Maryland so I try to get a f because here there’s jus some decoration
-Stephe first-ye st
Content by Katarina Maric: Design by Alissa Abramovich
Katarina Maric /The USD Vista
Katarina Maric /The USD Vista
Hailey Howell /The USD Vista
orm Decor
re getting festive
for many st udents to express t home in any weather. As the ind chills, the months flip from where fall aesthetics still linger. le pumpkins, USD st udents have oliday spirit. Toreros shared how ics in their decorations.
“I mainly just put a couple of little pumpkins and string lights around my dorm String lights make it really ambient and set a Halloween vibe, especially since San Diego doesn’t really have fall weather. It’s almost always sunny. I think decorating in general is really f un, and it makes me feel good in my space,”
my living room with the help of my roommates in on for Día de los Muertos We set up marigold hung string lights on the wall, and printed and cut our loved ones. For the altar, I used an extra table vered it with a zarape blanket, adding candy, fruit, avera, papel picado, candles, rosaries, and other meaningful items ”
-Michaela Garcia, USD senior
my decorations are for Halloween re mostly just orange. I’m from eel of me being at home in a way t not the same seasons. I’ll get ns for Christmas too.
en Perrotta, ear graduate udent
- Emily Chen, USD sophomore
“I didn’t decorate my dorm for the holidays. I don’t think that many people decorated either, other than the outside of their room and doors. There’s just not much room to decorate in general inside a dorm. I feel like it’s more of something people would do with a house. I definitely think it adds to the festivity. I like walking through the halls and seeing pumpkins and orange and stuff like that.”
- Sadie Kuzma, USD firstyear
Katarina Maric /The USD Vista
Katarina Maric /The USD Vista
ARTS & FEATURE
Torero tours guide future students Guides
AMELIE SEDLACK
FEATURE EDITOR
Students dressed in blue lead groups of prospective students and their parents, holding a pamphlet about USD and seeing the campus for the first time. Torero Tour Guides are the students leading tours for prospective students here at USD.
Many Toreros at USD already had an experience with a Torero Tour Guide before committing to USD. But, some students decide to keep touring on campus, becoming tour guides themselves. These guides are responsible for selling the school to prospective students through their own experiences here at USD, sharing what the University has to offer and what might be unique for future Toreros.
USD sophomore Sam Pesiri has been a tour guide since his freshman year. Pesiri gave his reasons for wanting to be a tour guide at USD.
“In my family, tour guides were always such a fun character to play with,” Pesiri stated. “And you think of what a tour guide is: trying to sell the college and give statistics and stuff. I guess I really wanted to become one because when I came to USD, the people that showed it to me were fantastic. The school is beautiful and it has so many great people and I figured if I can be at all part of that, that would be a meaningful way to have an impact on future people who are looking to come.”
A tour guide is often a prospective student’s first point of connection at a school, so tour guides must be able to effectively communicate all that might attract new students.
USD sophomore Gabe Ambrose has also been a tour guide for a year now. He was given a personal tour by an alumni of his high school and the personal connection that he felt on his tour is what he hopes to bring to all of his tours.
“There’s something really special about being the first connection that a person makes to an academic institution, especially when you’re making that next big step in your life,” Ambrose explained. “When you make that college decision you make a choice not off the stats but that personal connection you have, that feeling you have on campus … That’s the kind of tour that I’d like to give other people. That feeling of being at home here at USD.”
The job of a tour guide at USD is to show off the campus while explaining all aspects of USD. Because of this, students from all backgrounds, majors and clubs are welcome to apply to show off the diverse range of students and interests here on campus.
share what it takes to represent USD
Pesiri explained what it feels like to be part of this diverse tour guide community.
“It might be one of the most fun communities on campus,”
Pesiri said. “The people who do the tour guiding are such a solid group. It’s really fun because you have all kinds of people from a ton of different extracurriculars, they’re playing sports, or they’re on the surf team, or they’re involved in [University Ministry]. There’s all these people from all over that really get together and love this school because they’re showing it off.”
Ambrose also shared how he feels to be part of the community of tour guides.
“It just feels like such an awesome family too,” Ambrose shared. “You’re only giving tours by yourself, but somehow, you feel this sense of community with who you’re giving tours with, with other people who are not even giving tours at the same time.”
The application process to be a Torero Tour Guide is a rigorous process in order to accommodate the large number of applicants. Part of the initial application is to create a 60 second video explaining why you want to become a tour guide for USD. After a student is accepted past the first stage, they enter into the group interviews where a group of applicants are interviewed all together. Next, is the one-on-one interviews between the applicant and those in charge of accepting students.
Pesiri talked about his experience with the application process.
“Being a tour guide is an on-campus job and the application has multiple steps, obviously, because you’re vetting for people that you want to represent the school, especially to prospective students,” Pesiri said. “It’s somewhat pressure, but it felt like deserved pressure
because you’re looking to enter a community to be in something bigger than yourself and that takes qualified, good people who are genuine and have candor. Overall it was good.”
Ambrose shared how the application process made him feel, explaining that the first couple steps made him very nervous, as he thought hard about the process and making sure his interviews were as perfect as possible.
“It was absolutely gut wrenching,” Ambrose shared. “Scary. Very, very scary. Then you get to do your personal, oneon-one interview, and there, I feel like I was really able to come to life and talk to all of my unique experiences of being an international student, being part of all the things I do on campus.”
Many tour guides have something they do to make the tour experience more memorable to prospective
students and parents. Ambrose shared what he does on his tours to make his tours unique.
“Usually, when I’m giving tours I zone in fully to the people I’m giving tours to,” Ambrose explained. “I have to tell them to ask questions, too. Often my line is ‘It’s okay, you can come closer. I promise I don’t bite. Soon you will warm up to me’ … I talk about my research experiences — being able to travel. I talk about my resident assistance job and how much I love being a first-year RA … all those unique anecdotes.” Ambrose continued, explaining the feeling he gets when giving a tour.
“It feels like, when I’m giving a tour that it’s a full circle moment,” Ambrose said. “It reinvigorates my purpose of being a student here on campus.”
USD junior Aileen Solis shared her experience with tours, both as a prospective student and seeing them around USD.
“I didn’t pay much attention to tours back then,” Solis said. “Now, it’s interesting to hear that they talk about everything. They talk about research they do in Shiley or Greek Life. It’s nice that they don’t just talk about academics.”
Torero Tour Guides are a unique group of students on campus from all backgrounds and interests who have come together through a love for their chosen school. They hope to share their experiences with all prospective students and make sure that everyone will find a place here on campus. These students will be the first connection made with the student body for many new Toreros and they make sure that connection is strong, with the short time they are given.
Diego Torero poses with a group of Torero Tour Guides.
Photo courtesy of @usdadmissions/Instagram
A Torero Tour Guide gives a tour of USD to prospective students.
Hailey Howell/The USD Vista
Tearing down more than walls
America’s biggest issue isn’t Trump’s East Wing ‘remodel’
DAVID COOK OPINION EDITOR
The White House is getting a makeover unlike anything we have ever seen on Pennsylvania Avenue. President Donald Trump ordered the destruction of the East Wing, the historic section of the building that has housed the First Lady’s offices and a small private theatre for decades. The announcement sparked outrage across social media and cable news, with critics calling it a blatant act of disrespect toward history and tradition.
Personally, I am not as outraged about this as others — not because there is nothing to be upset about, but because this is a predictable move staged to distract Americans from the real issues we face daily.
Some may argue that the East Wing represents far more than just architecture. It is a symbol of continuity and quiet influence within the presidency. The space has reflected the evolving role of women in American political life. While an initial version of the East Wing was built in 1902, the larger structure that we know today was added in 1942 under Franklin D. Roosevelt to conceal a wartime bunker beneath it.
Eleanor Roosevelt, meanwhile, became the first First Lady to truly professionalize her office there, turning the space into a center of press and policy activity. Lady Bird Johnson later used it to promote her environmental “beautification” campaigns. Hillary Clinton made it a base for her healthcare reform efforts, and Michelle Obama used it to champion her health and education initiatives.
It is indeed ironic that Melania Trump is the current First Lady, given that she has been one of the least visible irst ladies in recent history. Perhaps part of the reason Trump decided to tear it down was that the First Lady was never going to be a roadblock. Melania has kept a notably low profile throughout her tenure, and the East Wing, which was once a center of visibility and advocacy, has not carried the same weight under her.
Tearing it down isn’t just a construction project, but it’s the destruction of a physical archive of American cultural and political history. The East Wing has long been a space where influence took a quieter path to progress. This is where social causes were shaped, where visiting students, diplomats and military officials came, and where the role of the First Lady
shifted from hostess to advocate. Its walls have seen decades of changing expectations for women in power and shifting definitions of public service. Removing it means more than losing a building; it means stripping away a chapter of how American leadership has learned to listen and engage beyond politics.
Now, Trump plans to replace it with a grand ballroom — something more reminiscent of Mar-a-Lago than the White House. And honestly, that feels symbolic too. As an American citizen, this is the most explicit statement about priorities we have from the administration. The same administration that hides flight logs, restricts access to reporters in the Pentagon and tries to get shows taken off the air for differences in opinions is more transparent about the architecture than its own policies.
The East Wing represented service, diplomacy and the understated labor of those who supported the presidency behind the scenes. A ballroom, on the other hand, is a space for the wealthy, the powerful and the performative. It reflects the broader shift in American politics: away from public service and civic duty and toward personal status and
luxury. It’s the same energy that drives tax cuts for billionaires, causes photo ops masquerading as policy and cuts healthcare for millions of Americans.
In all honesty, though, I don’t care as much as others about the destruction of the East Wing. Not because it is meaningless, but because it is expected. It’s another headline designed to stir outrage for a few days before we move on to the next one. If Donald Trump wants to build a ballroom, so
be it. Every week has a new controversy, a new distraction, a new “end of democracy” moment that everyone fixates on until something shinier comes along.
Meanwhile, the real stories — immigration reform, the return of nuclear bomb testing in America, climate policy, healthcare costs, gun violence and the Epstein files — stay buried under the noise. Every controversy becomes a trending topic. We yell, post and move on, all while the
issues that actually shape people’s lives remain untouched.
That may be why the East Wing’s destruction feels so symbolic after all. The White House theatre is being torn down, but politics has never been more performative. And while the media debates which part of the building goes next, we keep missing the parts of history that are disappearing in real time. It is time to stop ignoring the real problems Americans face every day.
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.
On Oct. 20, destruction of the East Wing began, creating space for President Trump’s new ballroom.
Photo courtesy of @wayneskinnerdc/Instagram
The aftermath of the destruction of the East Wing shows the complete destruction of the historic building.
Photo courtesy of @nbcnews/Instagram
OPINION
When the cloud crashes
AWS shutdown exposes our dependence on tech giants
OWEN FUGIT
ASST. OPINION EDITOR
Students studying late on the night of Oct. 19 probably noticed something strange happening online a few minutes past midnight: loading screens and error messages.
Personally, I tried doing my online Spanish homework, but the webpage would just not load no matter how many times I restarted my computer, and no matter how long I waited. That morning, Oct. 20, brought an unexpected explanation for this incident: Amazon Web Services (AWS), a cloud-computing service, experienced a minor error — causing a ripple effect that subjected many webbased applications to a halt.
From Fortnite to Snapchat, to services like Apple Music and Life360, the AWS outage had a profound impact on the internet. But what this outage reveals about the current state of our web infrastructure, is more frightening than a loading screen.
Our dependency on a small handful of cloud-computing services is an issue that is rarely discussed, but can lead to serious consequences if we do not act soon.
For many people, Amazon is just an e-commerce company that is responsible for delivering anything from socks to garden sheds. What most people may
not understand is that AWS is one of, if not, the most profitable parts of Amazon as a whole.
AWS is essentially a digital landlord that rents out powerful computing, storage and artificial intelligence (AI) services to businesses who require it, but do not have the funds to support their own local infrastructure.
Take Canvas, for example: owned by Instructure, an educational technology company, Canvas is used by nearly 40% of U.S. higher education institutions, USD included. While Instructure is certainly a wealthy company, Canvas’ real home is the cloud-computing servers that Instructure pays for.
These servers are run by companies like AWS, and when AWS’s servers experience an error — major or minor — it can effectively freeze websites like Canvas in an instant, until AWS fixes the issue. Just like a landlord, if the pipes clog, everyone has to wait for the landlord to fix it. Regardless of each individual’s wealth, there is very little they can do to fix the problem. This is what we saw during AWS’s recent outage. A breaker tripped, and the internet had to wait for AWS to fix it.
The main issue at the heart of this outage is the fact that AWS commands around 30% of the global cloud infrastructure market, outpacing even Microsoft, which boasts a 20% stake. When we give one
company that much influence and power, we cannot be surprised with the impact an error has. Amazon has a clear incentive to grow their cloud-computing services, especially in an industry making hundreds of billions of dollars each year. If we continue to give AWS, Microsoft and Google — colloquially known as the “Big Three” cloudcomputing companies — more money and more control, we risk paying our way into an oligopoly that will be much
harder to escape than it is to join.
It is certainly incorrect to view cloud-computing as a blemish — these services make it possible for hundreds of thousands of businesses of all shapes and sizes to access game-changing technology at quite an affordable price. So there is certainly a need for cloud-computing services.
However, as any economics student knows, the best markets are made up of many sellers, competing for many buyers. The more sellers there are in a market, the better price options buyers have. This creates competition, and allows a true market to find the right price for the right service with the right provider.
The issue with AWS and the “Big Three” cloud-computing giants is the fact that they do not have to compete nearly as hard with each other to attract a sizable chunk of the market. In AWS’s case, being the first, largest, most recognizable and most popular cloud-computing provider gives them a unique advantage over even Microsoft and Google.
If we want to mitigate the fallout from the next AWS outage, we must demand that the companies whose products and services we depend on diversify their cloud-computing choices. But to demand that, we must also support efforts on the national level to break up monopolies before they become too powerful and before we become too dependent on them.
However, trust busting is a lengthy, difficult process, and we have no idea when the next outage could strike, which is why schools like USD
must look to reduce their dependence on AWS as well.
During the outage, I was unable to access the course catalog on USD’s website, and I am sure that there were many other pages on USD’s website that also went down, which is why I think it is fair to ask that USD does not spend our money, propping up a budding monopoly that has the chance to take away or limit our access to critical services and materials at any given moment.
The University responded in a written statement.
“Many Fortune 500 companies/products, including Canvas, Workday and many others, trust AWS because of its strong historical reliability,” the statement read. “AWS services are known for their high reliability, with published uptime figures near 99.99%. However, no cloud platform is immune to service disruptions outages. USD has no control over which cloud providers are used by Canvas or other software vendors — that means that we cannot diversify the cloud service providers for these products.”
Thankfully, the AWS outage occurred due to a tiny error, and only affected a small portion of their customers. But what are we to do when AWS has a serious problem, or if AWS suffers a cybersecurity breach?
Our best course of action would be to allow more competitors to break into the cloud-computing market. This would offer services tailored to specific kinds of businesses on a local or regional level, and hopefully pressure our institutions to not support monopolistic firms.
Students lost access to a number of online services including Canvas, leaving Toreros unable to complete many assignments.
Photo courtesy of @TheDustyBC/X
San Diego FC on historic playoff run Next
From Soccer, Page 1 Wave FC because they used to have players like Alex Morgan.”
Their first win over Portland also set several club records, including becoming the third expansion club to win its first playoff game in its inaugural season.
San Diego had two goals in the game this past weekend before going home defeated. FC equalized just before halftime when Amahl Pellegrino scored in the 45th minute plus stoppage time. After a series of quick passes between Jeppe Tverskov, Anders Dreyer and Corey Baird, Baird threaded a pass forward to Pellegrino, who had a right-footed shot, making the score 1–1.
Then, early in the second half, San Diego took the lead
game versus Oregon to determine who advances
through Hirving “Chucky” Lozano in the 51st minute. Anders Dreyer’s initial shot was blocked by goalkeeper James Pantemis, but Lozano was quick to react and got on the end of a rebound to give San Diego a 2–1 advantage.
USD senior Sean Hudson described his reaction to the team’s advancement in the tournament.
“I feel like I have been so distracted by the World Series so I didn’t really know what was going on with the MLS, I think it’s also just less popular here,” Hudson said. “I hope they do well though since San Diego is lacking in professional sports.”
In the final moments of the game Portland tied the match with a charging header inside the penalty area, beating SDFC
PRIYA COOPER SPORTS EDITOR
The World Series concluded this past weekend with the Los Angeles Dodgers securing the title of 2025 World Champions. The final game of the series ended with a score of 5-4, giving the Dodgers a 4-3 victory in the series of games. The Dodgers are also the first repeat champions since the Yankees went on a winning streak and took the World Series from 1998 to 2000.
This end to the MLB season marks the Dodgers ninth overall World Series victory as they are now tied with the Boston
by Ariel Lassiter.
Dodgers win World Series Toronto Blue Jays lose at home in game 7
Red Sox and Oakland Athletics for nine wins total. The Yankees still dominate the MLB with the most championship wins, having twenty-seven in total.
The seventh game in the series was nothing short of dramatic and took place in Canada, on the Blue Jays home turf. The final game itself was watched by about 26 million people and has been ranked at one of the highest watched fall games since 2017.
The Blue Jays had numerous opportunities to pull ahead but were shut down by the Dodgers — evening Saturday’s game with a solo homerun from Miguel Rojas, then pulling
ahead in the 11th inning when catcher Will Smith sent a ball over the left-field wall. Smith hit the first extra-inning home run in a winner-take-all World Series game in MLB history. The other player who sealed the deal after Smith’s hit was rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Yamamoto pitched the last few innings of game seven and forced a ground ball in the 11th inning, resulting in a gameending double play against the Toronto Blue Jays. With one out and runners on base, Yamamoto’s pitch to Alejandro Kirk resulted in a grounder to shortstop Mookie Betts, who completed the double
play to seal the championship for the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Yamamoto ended up receiving the MVP title for the gamewinning play, even though he debuted his MLB season in 2024 and is still considered a rookie.
The series was action packed throughout all seven games and for more than just the final. Game three of the series went on for 18 innings and ended with a grand slam — a home run hit when each of the three bases is occupied by a runner, thus scoring four runs from Freddie Freeman and bringing the final score to 6-5. This put the Dodgers in the lead for the series, leading
2-1. This is the second time Freeman had a World Series walk off. The other time occurring when he was playing for the Dodgers in game one of the 2024 World Series.
Many records were shattered with the Dodgers triumph over the Blue Jays and the team is considered to be one of the best in a long time — even according to hall of farmers like Derek Jeter.
The Los Angeles Dodgers had their victory parade Monday Nov. 3rd through LA where an estimated 250,000 fans lined the streets and another 42,000 fans attended the rally at Dodger Stadium.
goalkeeper Pablo Sisniega on a cross
San Diego FC played game one against Portland at Snapdragon Stadium.
Photo courtesy of @sandiegomag/Instagram
The Dodgers won game seven at the Rogers Centre.
Photo courtesy of @dodgers/Instagram
The Dodgers celebrated their win post-game. Photo courtesy of @dodgers/Instagram
The final and determinant match will be held at Snapdragon stadium in San Diego, CA.
USD women’s volleyball sweeps San Francisco Toreros reach 11 game winning streak
NOLAN LUMBY CONTRIBUTOR
In a one-hour and nineteenminute showcase on Thursday night, the USD women’s volleyball team defeated San Francisco in straight sets at the Jenny Craig Pavilion, with scores of 25-18, 25-12 and 25-18. This victory extends their winning streak to ten matches.
From the opening serve, USD (17-4, 10-0) appeared focused. By the time the Toreros discovered their rhythm, midway through the first set, the outcome felt unavoidable.
USD junior Nemo Beach once again took the lead, accumulating 14
kills with an impressive hitting percentage of 0.344.
USD graduate student Kali Engeman and USD junior BayLea Sparks dominated at the net, with Engeman recording six total blocks and Sparks contributing three solo blocks. As a result, USD out-blocked the Dons 11 to 3. The USD sophomore setter, Kylie Munday, provided steady guidance for the offense, finishing with 28 assists and falling just one dig short of a double-double.
In the second set, San Diego really made its mark. After exchanging points early on, the Toreros went on a dominant 22-5 run, overwhelming San Francisco with a series of kills
from Beach, Engeman, USD first-year Ava Durgan and Munday. The Dons struggled to respond to the offensive attack, and by the third set, Toreros were in control of the match. Beach added six more kills, sophomore Isabel Clark contributed five, and Engeman added four to secure the victory. The Toreros never trailed again.
San Diego is currently enjoying a remarkable ten-game winning streak, showcasing the potential that many anticipated and demonstrating an even greater level of competitiveness.
At this juncture, the focus is on whether the Toreros will maintain their winning momentum.
Cross country closes out season Results for XC WCC Championships
MAXIMILIANO ACOSTA ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
While many stayed up late for the festive Halloween night this past weekend, USD’s cross country teams sent the top seven men and women to compete at The Course, in Spokane Valley, Washington for the 2025 West Coast Conference (WCC) Cross Country Championships. USD joined 11 other universities in the women’s 6K race and nine other programs in the men’s 8K race.
So far, cross country at USD consists of a four-meet regular season with three postseason opportunities, including the West Coast Conference Championships, and the upcoming NCAA West Regionals building up to the NCAA National Championships in Columbia, Mo.
Prior to participating in the West Coast Conference, both USD teams competed in the UCR Highlander Invite in Riverside. There, 15 Toreros logged personal bests from both the USD women’s and men’s cross-country teams.
USD junior Jilli Lange on the women’s cross country team described how motivating this was for her team before traveling.
“I have never seen our team as prepared as we are this year,” Lange said. “Our team has been blessed with extraordinary depth and talented girls to add to our group this year which has helped our group improve as a whole. I can’t wait to showcase and celebrate our hard work with my team on race day.”
With racing at such a competitive level, Lange further explained how she planned on calming her
nerves before the race.
“To prepare for this weekend, I am focusing on calming my mind and visualizing my race,” Lange said. “To help prepare for the cold climate of Spokane, our Coach has us jump in the cold ocean in the mornings after our runs and encourages cold showers as well to help us acclimate despite being in SoCal. In terms of training, all of the work is done; the hay is in the barn so to speak, so just maintenance runs this week.”
Another interesting aspect of the race that the runners had to focus on was the WCC’s newly created course, designed specially for cross country. It had open large grass plains with wide corners, where the runners spent their time hustling through the 40 degree weather.
USD senior William Gratke expressed how much he was
looking forward to the course.
“It is a super exciting idea knowing that this course was designed specifically for hosting cross country meets,” Gratke said. “The grass is beautiful and is going to be the perfect place to shoot for our best times of the season.”
Gratke shared how he worked to train for this meet.
“To prepare for WCC’s this weekend we’ve been focusing on getting a ton of sleep while training in the cold weather to make sure that we can perform to the best of our ability,”
Gratke said. “The culture of the team has been extremely supportive and uplifting so to see so many of our teammates doing well and performing in the best we have seen is a very motivating concept.”
USD flew to the West Coast Conference with motivation
and excitement. USD graduate student Jake Colemen filled his role again as an upperclassman by leading the team with a 57th overall in the 8K with a 25:35.3 time, adding the Toreros with 280 points.
Unlike most sports, in cross country, the team with the lowest amount of points in the end wins. So the closer you are to the front, the lower the amount of points you receive. Therefore, the team is only as fast as their seventh runner.
Gratke is also looking forward to the intense competition that he and his team always deals with whenever they compete in the WCC.
“It is always exciting to be up against our rival schools and have the opportunity to see where we stack up against them,” Gratke said. Despite these moving accomplishments, the opposition
proved to be vigorous. The Torero’s rivals, Gonzaga, prevailed in the top three in both the men’s and women’s races, whereas, only the USD women’s team superseded Pepperdine by a close four minutes. The race concluded with both USD Torero teams placing ninth. The women’s team scoring summary resulted in a time of 1:53:46. In comparison, the top of the table, Washington State, earned a time approximately 12 minutes quicker. On the men’s side, Washington State again placed first, having a 16 minute quicker completion compared to the Toreros with a 2:12:49 finish.
The leading teams who were top of the table last year, according to the Team Scoring Summary Standings were Gonzaga, Portland and Washington State. Although this year, Portland’s standing was less consistent, and both USD teams had close finishes, Washington State and Gonzaga still prevailed. Last year, USD’s women’s team placed eighth and the men’s team placed tenth. USD junior Jack Devries commented on how the conference was a step to refine themselves.
“Despite the rain and adverse conditions, we pulled together and each performed to the level we needed to to succeed,” Devries said. “We expect this momentum to continue on to regionals where we’re working toward placing higher than last year and to beat our inconference rivals once again.”
Many of the placements did not change from last year’s results. The USD Toreros now get to focus on what’s forward to try to improve for the NCAA West Regionals that are to come in Sacramento on Nov. 14, 2025.
MSOC
MROW vs
Fall Classic
Diego, CA
WROW vs San Diego Fall Classic
Nov. 9 San Diego, CA
WBB vs Arizona State
Nov. 8
p.m. San Diego, CA
WXC takes off at WCC race in Spokane, WA.
Photo courtesy of @usdxctf/Instagram
Women’s volleyball dominated USF at Jenny Craig Pavilion. Photo courtesy of @usdvolleyball/Instagram