Wednesday, Feb. 3, 2021
Volume 156 No. 3 SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
A&E
Opinion
Sports
Controversial lyrics spark conversation about colorism
Minimalistic logo designs spark little excitement
COVID-19 doesn’t stop for the Super Bowl
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KUNAL MEHTA | SPARTAN DAILY ARCHIVES
San Jose City Attorney Rick Doyle (left), Mayor Sam Liccardo (center) and City Manager Dave Sykes (right) listen to public comment in a November 2018 city council meeting.
City Council debates hazard pay By Christian Trujano SENIOR STAFF WRITER
San Jose city councilmembers returned from their dinner recess to several community members demanding the approval of a coronavirus hazard pay ordinance that would guarantee retail food workers an extra $3 per hour. This urgency ordinance will be reviewed next week by the council after councilmembers voted 6-3 in favor of drafting the ordinance during Tuesday’s Zoom meeting. Vice Mayor Chappie Jones and councilmember Pam Foley both recused themselves from the vote because of conflicts of interest with owning Amazon stock. “We know companies can do this,” said John Gomez, an essential grocery worker during public comment. “It’s not the ability to pay, but rather if companies want to reward workers or stakeholders.” Councilmember Sergio Jimenez drafted the memorandum and although he acknowledged the financial impact this could have on companies, he said they’ll survive. The city attorney office will draft the ordinance which would apply to retail establishments that sell meats, poultry, dairy products, fresh fruits and vegetables and have at least 300 employees nationwide. If the ordinance passes next week, there will be a 120-day period where the council will evaluate the ordinance’s impact and decide on extending hazard pay for additional time. The council will also use this time to further discuss how the ordinance would play out in real-life application. Jimenez stated in his original memorandum that hazard pay for retail food workers is a benefit that should’ve been adopted at the start of the pandemic. John Nunes, president of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union, Local 5, said grocery workers deserve compensation for the life-threatening work they’re doing. Nunes said his union represents about 25,000 grocery workers in Northern California. “Our union nationally has lost over 120 workers to this deadly disease and tens of thousands have been affected,” Nunes said during public comment. On Tuesday, Oakland City Council
unanimously passed a similar emergency ordinance mandating hazard pay until the pandemic subsides, according to a Tuesday article from the East Bay Times. According to the article, Oakland joined Long Beach, Seattle and Santa Monica in Hazard pay for retail COVID-19 vaccine adopting the measure. Other cities, including food workers distribution update Berkeley and Los Angeles, are considering similar actions. When the pandemic began, grocers around Ordinance would pay retail Number of COVID-19 the country instituted hazard pay of $2 per food workers $3 more per hour. cases has declined in the last hour and benefits to compensate those two weeks. considered essential workers. But according to a June 4, 2020 article City is working to speed the San Jose City Council will from The Philadelphia Inquirer, that $2 bonus vote on approving the ordinance vaccination process but it’s not pay expired on June 1, 2020. The article receiving enough doses from next week. states other supermarket giants and Rite Aid the state. pharmacies have also stopped additional pay. The main concerns against the ordinance came from the retail grocery industry about INFOGRAPHIC BY BRYANNA BARTLETT; ICONS FROM THE NOUN PROJECT increasing prices and being unable to pay employees without losing profits. councilmembers consult stakeholders and distribution process remains the same, with health care workers and citizens over the different companies for more input. “I just want to have a better understanding age of 65 being first in line. The next phase of our ramifications of our decision,” is an age-based approach in choosing people, Wilcox said. Jones said. He mentioned having Blue Shield of Some of Jones’s concerns revolve around wanting to analyze the impacts to other cities California, a health plan provider, and who have adopted a similar ordinance, the Kaiser Permanente help distribute doses increased cost to customers and business directly to their hospitals and providers at a faster pace. employment reductions and eliminations. He said ensuring the most at-risk Several councilmembers also agreed the lack of data and risk of viability in companies communities are vaccinated is the top priority. Deputy City Manager Kip Harkness said are the main concerns for the ordinance. District 10 councilmember Matt Mahan the city is also planning to open smaller said stores including Chavez Supermarket vaccination sites around San Jose to Dev Davis aren’t like Amazon or Walmart and would prepare for when more vaccine doses councilmember probably have to raise product prices. He said become available. Liccardo said opening additional sites won’t this is a big decision and is advocating for supply more vaccines. Steve McCarthy, vice president of public more analysis. “We have a whole team working on site policy and regulatory affairs of the California “I don’t care about the businesses retail association, urged the council to refrain themselves, I care about the people employed selection . . . but the primary constraint for from passing the ordinance because it’s not by those businesses whose jobs or whose hours getting shots is getting the actual vaccines,” economically viable for companies. may be at risk by something that we do,” Harkness said. “That flow remains smaller than our capacity to administer vaccines at “This is the last thing our members want to councilmember Dev Davis said. this point.” do in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic,” COVID-19 vaccine update McCarthy said during public comment. During the Office of Emergency “A mandated pay increase beyond what retail COVID-19 update employers can tolerate without raising prices Management’s or cutting workforce hours will hurt both report, Chief of Staff Lee Wilcox told the consumers and our hardworking employees.” council that the city has been trying to San Jose Vice Mayor Charles Jones ramp up vaccinations which have been proposed an amendment to further analyze slow statewide. Follow Christian on Twitter The Santa Clara County vaccine different aspects of the ordinance and have @ChristianTruja2
City Council priority items
I don’t care about the businesses themselves, I care about the people employed by those businesses whose jobs or whose hours may be at risk by something we do.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3, 2021
ANALYSIS
White beauty standards plague music industry Royvi Hernandez STAFF WRITER
DaniLeigh, an R&B singer and rapper, shared a snippet of her song on Jan. 21 to Instagram titled “Yellow Bone” that caused immediate online controversy when it seemed that her lyrics embodied colorist sentiments. In the snippet, which has since been deleted, she sings, “Yellow bone that’s what he want,” allegedly referring to her boyfriend, North Carolina rapper DaBaby. According to the September 2010 article “Color Names and Color Notations: A Contemporary Examination of the Language and Attitudes of Skin Color Among Young Black Women” yellow bone is a term that refers to individuals who are light-skinned. This particular incident speaks to the larger issue of colorism in today’s society. In response to pushback on her song, DaniLeigh responded in an Instagram video that has also since been deleted. “Why can’t I make a song for my light skin baddies?” she said. “Why y’all think I’m hating on other colors when there are millions of songs speaking on all types, why are y’all so sensitive and take it personal?” Assistant professor of African American Studies Jalylah Burrell, said individuals associated with lightness and loose-textured hair generally have positive connotations and those associated with deep brown
tones and dynamically coiled hair are generally regarded more negatively. “Within the African American community, like other communities of color, there is clarity on proximity to whiteness,” Burrell said in an email. “In this case light skin and straighter hair textures privileges some members of the community in both interraacial and intraracial spaces.” Burrell also said colorism continues to be frequently discussed in media and communities all around the world. “There are a host of books and articles on colorism in East Asia, South Asia, Central and South America, it has been studied in many other places subject to dreadful and violence of European imperialism,” Burell said. As to the audience’s response to DaniLeigh, Burrell said it reflects the frustration of those whose objections to celebrations of white beauty standards are frequently dismissed. Human resources senior Adaolisa Okafor said she enjoys some of DaniLeigh’s music but believes the song is inappropriate because it is blatantly colorist. “It’s one thing to be proud of your skin tone but it’s another thing to act like you’re better than someone just because you’re light-skinned,” Okafor said in an email. While she will continue listening to DaniLeigh’s music, Okafor said she thought it was strange because DaniLeigh is not
ILLUSTRATION BY HANZ PACHECO
date a whole chocolate man. I have beautiful dark-skinned friends.” To this Burrell said that if you perpetuate colorism, you are a colorist. “Plenty of racist people date interracially and plenty of colorist people have dark-skinned friends, they may even have dark-skinned partners. A lever of imperialism, white-supremacy infects Mikomi Kaelani representation and Stories for Solidarity founder relationships throughout the world, in part, through enforcing of white beauty standards,” Burrell said. Black and “light-skin is a Okafor said the singer’s term used for lighter-skinned Black people but rather she is response was tone deaf considering how often Afro-Latina being from the women face colorism in the Dominican Republic. media and music industry. DaniLeigh further This is not the first time responded to the backlash on colorism has been expressed Twitter by saying “I am not in music however, it usually a colorist. I am not a racist. I
The power lies within the words and there is no escaping the white beauty standards that produce colorism.
CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
doesn’t receive as much negative attention when it’s perpetrated in lyrics from male artists. An example of this is in DaBaby’s verse on the remix of Jack Harlow’s song “What’s Poppin” where he raps the lyrics,“My bitch is mellow yellow like a soda.” When it comes to differences between men and women expressing colorist statements in songs, Okafor said she thinks DaniLeigh is getting more hate because she is an Afro-Latina woman. “If she were a fully black man, it probably wouldn’t have been a big deal,” Okafor said. Mikomi Kaelani, founder of Stories for Solidarity, a local social justice and equity organization shared the same belief as Okafor. She said it was unfitting the way she
SUDOKU PUZZLE Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
used the term “yellow bone” as a way to imply she’s better than the alternative. “In society, yellow bone diaspora are at the top of the social hierarchy because they are closest to whiteness in race, so to say something like that so ignorantly reinforces the colorist rhetoric,” she said. Kaelani said being lightskinned comes with a social responsibility to acknowledge privilege but that doesn’t mean denouncing one’s Blackness and that to honor it is to make sure all skin shades get the same appreciation and celebration. “The power lies within the words and there is no escaping the white beauty standards that produce colorism,” she said. Follow Royvi on Twitter @lesroyvs
JOKIN’ AROUND Where do you learn to make banana splits?
Sundae school!
SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Rend 5. Money 9. A hollow cylindrical shape 13. Norse god 14. Cars 16. Tilled 17. Religious offshoot 18. Anger 19. Blown away 20. Fruity-smelling compound 22. Despotic 24. Burden 26. Latin name for our planet 27. Prolific 30. Sags 33. Turn off 35. 8th Greek letter 37. Prefix meaning “Modern” 38. Noodles 41. Ear of corn 42. Films of impurities 45. Pertaining to tactics 48. Sleeping sickness carrier 51. Pee-pee 52. Anagram of “Smite” 54. Barely managed 55. An antacid
59. Be 62. Biblical garden 63. Half of six 65. Balm ingredient 66. Left 67. One more than 6 68. Coagulate 69. Carpenter’s groove 70. Umpires 71. Carry DOWN 1. Thorny flower 2. Midmonth date 3. Triumphant 4. Accord 5. Bird call 6. Emanation 7. Begin 8. A bed of rich soil 9. Egyptian king 10. Hawkeye State 11. Equal 12. Countercurrent 15. Bake in a shallow dish 21. Wreckage 23. Gait faster than a walk 25. Smack
27. Devotees 28. Choose by voting 29. Estimated time of arrival 31. Indiscretion 32. Brown ermine 34. Eastern Standard Time 36. Competent 39. Letter after sigma 40. Unit of land 43. Souvenir 44. Goulash 46. Kid 47. Not precise 49. Statistics 50. One or the other 53. Wait on 55. Bawdy 56. Bright thought 57. Fix 58. Coral barrier 60. Lampblack 61. French for “Head” 64. N N N N
2/2/2021
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3, 2021
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OPINION
The Super Bowl can be a super spreader By Samantha Herrera EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
The Super Bowl, an unofficial American holiday that dates back to 1967, is celebrated across the nation. But this year, as the country struggles through a global pandemic, the threat of the coronavirus should take precedence over annual parties. Usually, the Super Bowl is celebrated through large gettogethers, finger foods, beer and friends screaming together at the TV when their favorite team scores a touchdown. However as of Tuesday, 446,561 Americans have died from COVID-19 and over 26.4 million have tested positive for the virus, according to The New York Times COVID-19 tracker. Partying for the Super Bowl is not worth adding to the death toll of nearly half a million Americans. COVID-19 cases surged across the country during the holiday season because of family gatherings that led to huge spikes in hospitalizations, positive cases and death, according to a Jan. 14 article in The Hill, a Washington D.C. news publication. In Santa Clara County alone, the seven-day new case average went from 96 cases in October, to 1,479 cases by midJanuary, according to the County of Santa
Clara Public Health Department COVID-19 dashboard. “We’ve seen over the past week and a half or so since the ending of the holiday season, everything seems to be a record,” said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert in The Hill article. “We’re in a very difficult situation and it is getting worse.” Since the virus was first detected in the United States almost one year ago, it has run rampant through the country leaving a path of death in its wake. In September, a new variant of the virus was discovered in the UK with evidence of it being more contagious. It accounted for more than 60% of cases in December alone, according to a Friday article from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Since the discovery, other variants have been identified in South Africa, Brazil, California and other areas worldwide. If the mutant spread of the coronavirus and its effects aren’t a rude awakening to safely celebrate the Super Bowl without attending large parties, I don’t know what will be. With the recently discovered variants of
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ILLUSTRATION BY NICK YBARRA
If the mutant spread of the coronavirus and its effects aren’t a rude awakening to safely celebrate the Super Bowl without attending large parties, I don’t know what will be.
the virus and surges in cases caused by holiday gatherings, we need to do our part to ensure we aren’t contributing to another deadly wave. We can do this simply by
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not attending Super Bowl parties. Even though Gov. Gavin Newsom lifted the stay-at-home order and mandatory curfew on Jan. 25, it’s not an excuse
to let our guard down and start partying again. The U.S. is the worst country for contracting COVID-19 because of how carelessly the country has handled the pandemic. The closest neighbor to our 26.2 million positive COVID-19 cases is India, with 10.7 million positive cases, according to the World Health Organization. The whole world is looking at us and shaking their heads, so we shouldn’t perpetuate more carelessness because we couldn’t follow basic guidelines and social distance for a football game. It’s still possible to
order takeout from a local restaurant, buy a six-pack of beer from 7-Eleven and enjoy the day with your household without endangering other American lives because you want to rage over the Chiefs and the Buccaneers. While the Super Bowl is a fun holiday special to many Americans, it’s important to remember it comes every year and we should prioritize the pandemic and our safety before the game.
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OPINION
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 3, 2021
Minimalist logos miss the mark Jacqueline Vela STAFF WRITER
Companies have attempted to stay relevant to millennials and Generation Z by rebranding logos to fit minimalist trends; however, they end up becoming a shortlived memory consumers often forget. Businesses create a brand identity marked by logos in an effort to stay connected with current pop culture movements. Some companies succeed, while others fall into a black hole of fads, never to stand out against competitors. Many brands have recently shifted to minimalism and have made significant cutbacks on logo creativity. Switching to minimalism seems as if the cliché “less is more” is being taken seriously. As a person who gravitates toward the look of simplicity, I was for that idea. But as I further researched, I’ve come to realize that isn’t always the case. A 2019 study published in the Journal of Marketing Research tested the effectiveness of descriptive logos versus minimalist ones. The study found the design of a company’s logo can significantly alter the outcome of a customer’s purchase. In fact, less descriptive logos tend to have a negative impact on businesses. “More descriptive logos can positively influence
brand evaluations, purchase intentions, and brand performance,” researchers said. Nike, Adidas and Apple are companies that currently use minimalist logos. The simplicity of the designs has helped make these companies top competitors in their markets. Many companies that attempt to follow in their footsteps fall short. Franchises, including Burger King, are among the businesses that have succumbed to the newest trend. Instead of the fast food restaurant’s multicolored yellow, red and blue logo, it released a two-toned simplified version in its most recent revamp. Burger King is trying to give customers a retro feel with the new logo, according to a Jan. 7 CNN Business article. Although the fast food restaurant’s goal is to increase sales, the new design makes me less motivated to order food from a restaurant with a bland logo. Am I to expect a bland burger? “Branding works best if the way you feel about a company relates to the way they feel about themselves,” said designer Kendra Gaines in a June 2012 article on We b d e s i g n D e p ot . c om , a blog about the web design industry. If I were in a new city
ILLUSTRATION BY NICK YBARRA
Although the fast food restaurant’s goal is to increase sales, the new design makes me less motivated to order from a restaurant with a bland logo. Am I to expect a bland burger? looking for a place to eat, I would be less likely to pick a restaurant with a dull, monotone logo. I’m more
likely to select the restaurant with a descriptive logo full of color instead. While I thought I was
a classic Gen Z, the truth is, I am not a fan of the minimalist trend. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up in the dark hole of trends I try to forget. Mostly due to the fact that companies try so hard to accomplish the simplistic design. A recent article on Canva.com, a website for web and graphic design, addressed where companies tend to go wrong when seeking a more simple logo. “Designers fall into the trap of focusing too much on aesthetics — to the extent that it negatively impacts a design’s usability,” the article said.
Minimalist designs might be a popular trend at the moment, but it wouldn’t be shocking if it is short-lived. The amount of companies that can successfully pull off the simplistic look is few and far between, the benefits of a descriptive logo outweigh the aesthetic appeal of a minimalistic logo. In a couple of years, let’s look back to this trend and remind ourselves how important creativity is. It is better to be set apart instead of blending in with a crowd to please the masses. Follow Jacqueline on Twitter @Jacqueline_v20
University must tighten campus mask mandates Christina Casillas STAFF WRITER
It seems that maskless walks around campus will become a distant memory as new coronavirus variants that are far more transmissible than the originally discovered COVID-19 strain continue to pay us a visit. It is long overdue for San Jose State to tighten its mask policy in order to better protect the campus community, especially when some campus faculty members are expected to return Feb. 15. The university’s inability to act could harm the campus community. According to SJSU Health Advisories, 29 students living on campus have contracted COVID-19 since March 2020. Masks are required to be worn by all students, faculty and staff on campus at all times when indoors, outdoors and when social distancing is not possible, according to the SJSU Adapt Plan. On Jan 25, Stanford University researchers reported two new COVID-19 variants, originating from the UK and Brazil, have spread across the Bay Area, according to a Los Angeles Times article from Tuesday. More precise mask policies on campus would be a wise decision as SJSU must be proactive in adjusting to the
pandemic. The threat of the new variants is far too great to neglect implementing stricter mask guidelines. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has encouraged various mitigation strategies to deal with the new strains. Former CDC director Dr. Tom Frieden shared in a Jan. 25 tweet, it’s a good decision to invest in higher quality masks. “Consider upgrading from a cloth mask to a surgical mask, or from a surgical mask to an N95/KN95/ equivalent if available,” he tweeted. “Better masks may help reduce risk from more-contagious strains.” Institutions including the CDC have highlighted the importance of layering masks for their efficacy in providing protection from COVID-19. Because of the threat of more transmissible coronavirus variants, some masks are simply not as effective as others. For the safety of all those who step foot on campus, it’s crucial that SJSU health leaders revise the list of acceptable and non-acceptable mask varieties. It is not enough for SJSU to give advice on mask care and how to properly wear masks while not taking into account what material homemade
ILLUSTRATION BY HANZ PACHECO
masks are made from. A student could theoretically come to campus with a mesh mask and be within the university’s guidelines–this is simply unacceptable. In a 2020 study published in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health, researchers found there were discrepancies among homemade and purchasable masks, especially in regards to the material used. Out of all the masks tested, a KN95 Jinjiang mask protected a wearer the most. This was followed by N95 masks and then surgical masks. When it came to homemade masks, the ones made out of pillowcases were less effective than those constructed from a wool scarf. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Medical clinic said
A student could theoretically come to campus with a mesh mask and be within the university’s guidelines – this is simply unacceptable. in a blog post that singlelayered neck gaiters are not as effective as multilayered cloth masks. A facehugging N-95 mask will always protect the wearer from particles better than cloth masks. It is true that any mask is better than no mask and our campus community may have to jump across hurdles to satisfy the proposed policy changes, but we must be better protected by officials enforcing stricter
mask guidelines as the virus evolves. If a student chooses to continue wearing a neck gaiter, they could easily fold the sleeve to create additional layers of protection that block 90% of particles measured, according to MIT Medical. But even so, it’s important that SJSU makes a clear distinction as to what it expects for masks, whether it be the type of material or the number of layers a mask has. While it’s almost
impossible to actually police students on mask preferences, I have hope that enough students would take university implementations seriously and the number of students who comply with new guidelines outweigh the number of students who don’t. If students don’t have thick masks that effectively keep themselves and others safe, they could look to national leaders, such as Dr. Anthony Fauci, and wear two masks instead of one. It’s safe to say that almost everyone hates wearing a mask, but in order for people to stay healthy as the virus continues to mutate, a more aggressive mask policy must be put in place at SJSU.
Follow Christina on Twitter @christina_casi