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Thursday, Feb. 10, 2022
Volume 158 No. 7
Associated Students
A.S. Board talks cultural holiday
By Jennifer Schildge STAFF WRITER
San Jose State’s Associated Students Board of Directors met Wednesday on Zoom and introduced a letter of support for the Lunar New Year Day Act. The Lunar New Year begins on the second new moon following the winter solstice, or the first day of the new year in the lunisolar calendar, and extends until the full moon 15 days later. The Lunar New Year Day Act, a bill introduced by New York Rep. Grace Meng, will establish Lunar New Year as a federal holiday. The bill would send a message of inclusion to Asian Americans. A.S. Vice President Nina Chuang discussed the letter because she was inspired by Meng’s resolution. The resolution is designed to push the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize the cultural and historical significance of Lunar New Year, expressing respect for Asian Americans and all who observe the holiday. “I think that it’s important for us to recognize cultural religious holidays that affect a very big majority of our campus community,” Chuang said in a phone interview. Chuang hopes the support letter will urge Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Rep. Ro Khanna, Sen. Alex Padilla INFOGRAPHIC BY BRYANNA BARTLETT; SOURCE: JAN. 31 PRESS RELEASE FROM MENG’S GOVERNMENT OFFICE and Rep. Eric Swalwell to vote “Yes” on House of Representatives 6525 to establish APID/A Task Force; the Society of Verzosa said in an email interview. Lunar New Year as a federal holiday. Asian Scientists and Engineers SJSU “In a city and school where the majority “If we do approve this letter, it’s more chapter; Spartan Wushu Club; the of the population is [Asian American/ like our students are saying we want our Taiwanese Student Association and Pacific Islander], we have to ask ourselves, government representatives to represent SJSU’s Vietnamese Student Association. ‘what are we doing to support us as well,” Chuang said. Anna Verzosa, kinesiology senior and the communities that are uplifting It’s common for Chinese-American president of Akbayan SJSU, attended the our society?’ ” communities to work around the holiday Wednesday meeting in support of the Ashley Guerrero, A.S. director of season and then take off Chinese New Lunar New Year Holiday recognition intercultural affairs spoke about her Year to celebrate, she said. letter. She said it’s important to highlight appreciation for the letter during the They usually don’t celebrate the all the traditions and customs of Zoom meeting. new year when it’s the proper time, Asian Americans. “I hope that we move forward with Chuang said. Akbayan means “embracing in supporting this,” Guerrero said. “Because The bill does not yet designate a specific friendship,” and is an organization on there’s no reason why we shouldn’t.” date for the holiday, and every year it falls campus based on Pilipino/Pilipinoon a different day because of the varying American culture. It strives to increase Anna Verzosa the community’s knowledge of the second new moon placements every year, kinesiology senior, Akbayan president Pilipino/Pilipino-American according to a Jan. 31 BBC article. culture, Meng’s bill has 44 co-sponsors, meaning according to the Akbayan SJSU website. senators or representatives have added The letter is supported by SJSU’s “To push for this act, it honors the Follow Jennifer on Twitter their names in support of the bill. Akbayan Pilipino American organization; history and customs of Asian Americans,” @kyIojen
In a city and school where the majority of the population is [Asian American/ Pacific Islander], we have to ask ourselves, ‘what are we doing to support the communities that are uplifting our society?’
Proposed jail prompts calls for mental health resources By Madilynne Medina EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Local advocates and community leaders are urging for mental health alternatives after the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors voted to move forward with a $390 million jail in a Jan. 25 meeting. The proposed jail will be located at the previous location of Main Jail South, at 885 N. San Pedro St., according to the Santa Clara County Facilities and Fleet Department website. Tomara Hall, race equity and community safety representative for the Reimagining Public Safety Committee of San Jose, said community members against the jail felt “at a loss.” “There were many people who put a lot of time and effort, and spoke with the various elected officials
in the county and felt that things would swing the way of what the community wanted, what system-impacted folks needed,” she said. “When that vote failed it was disenchanting.” The 500-bed jail is intended to “fulfill the need for additional medium to high-medium security,” and address the need for inmate programs including mental health services, special management housing beds, and re-entry programs for inmates preparing to be released from custody, according to the facilities website. MacKenzie Owens, global studies senior and member of the San Jose State Students Against Mass Incarceration, said she believes a new jail will not address systemic issues. “If there aren’t enough prisoners in there and enough incarcerated folks in there,
they’re going to try and fill it,” she said. “It’s just not fair to the community, especially marginalized groups.” The jail was approved in a 3-2 vote, with District 2 Supervisor Cindy Chavez and District 4 Supervisor Susan Ellenberg voting against the facility’s construction. Ellenberg presented a referral during the supervisors’ meeting rejecting the jail’s construction and proposed more comprehensive behavioral health care and expanding alternatives to pretrial incarceration, according to a Jan. 24 statement. The referral comes after Ellenberg and District 3 supervisor Otto Lee’s Jan. 11 referral, which received a unanimous board vote, declaring mental health and substance abuse a public health crisis in the county. Alternatives to
incarceration including permanent supportive housing, addiction recovery programs, psychiatric treatment and mental health rehabilitation centers are programs “critical” to addressing public health and safety matters, Ellenberg stated in her Jan. 24 referral. Approximately 80% of people held in Santa Clara County jails are held pre-trial, according to the referral. Kiana Simmons, president of local advocacy group Human Empowerment Radical Optimism (HERO) Tent, said because a majority of those in county jails are held at pre-trial, incarcerating those individuals violates their due process rights. “If we have more [mental health] services, more prevention services that can get in between people on the street, people suffering from substance abuse issues and the
IN BRIEF The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved a $390 million, 500-bed jail in a Jan. 25 vote. The jail was approved in a 3-2 vote and will implement mental health services and re-entry programs for inmates preparing to be released. District 4 Supervisor Susan Ellenberg and many community advocates disapprove of the jail and are calling for mental health alternatives. jail, then that would prevent people from going to jail,” she said in a phone interview. Though Ellenberg’s efforts to reject the jail didn’t succeed in the Jan. 25 supervisors meeting, a portion of her referral passed. The referral will allow the county to consider options to build a new mental health facility and expand funding for existing mental health services and drug abuse care infrastructure, according to a Jan. 25 Mercury News article. Tomara Hall said
lawmakers should prioritize decarceration efforts and “moving forward with more empathy” for marginalized communities. “We believe in the mental health of these folks, and being locked up is not going to help,” she said. “It’s only going to really add to the trauma.”
Follow Madilynne on Twitter @madilynneee
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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THURSDAY, FEB. 10, 2022
First-round halftime picks don’t fumble
ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH GREGORIC
By Joaquin De La Torre
dropping through the stage door in a cloud of white smoke on the last word of “Like a Prayer,” The Super Bowl halftime leaving behind the message shows have evolved into a grand “World Peace” illuminated spectacle since the first Super Bowl on the stage in occured on Jan. 15, 1967, and golden dust. featured a halftime performance 4) Lady Gaga by the Grambling State University Marching Band with the Ana-hi Number four is Lady Gaga’s drill teams and flag girls. performance at the NRG Stadium Many of the early halftime in Houston, Texas in 2017 for performances were similar, Super Bowl LI. family-friendly marching bands. The performance began It wasn’t until 1993, when with Gaga singing a medley of Michael Jackson performed at “God Bless America” and Super Bowl XXVII that the NFL “This Land is Your Land” as began headlining more pop artists drones flashing red and blue to entertain audiences. lights illuminated the sky with the Since then, many spectacular artists have taken to the stage to play for American football’s biggest day of the year. These next five artists have delivered superb performances and set the standard for every performance moving forward. STAFF WRITER
5) Madonna Coming in at number five is Madonna, often referred to as the “Queen of Pop,” who performed at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana for Super Bowl XLVI in 2012. Her performance, some might argue, tried to do too much. Madonna delivered a fun, high energy show that was a spectacular success because it had so many elements. For example, the tightrope walker. Was it a bit strange and out of place for a halftime show performance? Maybe. But it broke expectations of what is possible at a halftime show. The pop icon started her performance being wheeled in like an Egyptian goddess by an army of shirtless men in armor, while her 1990 hit “Vogue” played. Her outfit, designed by Riccardo Tisci for French luxury brand Givenchy, was a black bodysuit, with golden embellishments reminiscent of a gladiator and a crown of gold. During her performance, 53-year-old Madonna impressively performed several stunts including flips and choreographed dances that she performed with pop artists such as LMFAO, Nicki Minaj and M.I.A, and CeeLo Green. This was a great performance, but compared to others, it offered a mediocre music selection. Madonna has so many amazing songs, and she should have included tracks from her early years such as “Like a Virgin” or “Borderline.” Nit-picking aside, Madonna entered her performance like a goddess and left as an apparition,
“Teenage Dream” and “California Gurls,” which had dancers wearing full body shark costumes and giant inflatable palm trees, but it was an absolute joy to watch. The show began with Perry riding into the stadium mounted on a Trojan horse-sized golden, geometric lion as she sang her song “Roar”. Following her flamboyant entrance was a mashup I didn’t know I needed in my life: Perry sang “I Kissed a Girl” with singer-songwriter Lenny Kravitz. Halfway through her performance, Perry introduced rapper Missy “Misdemeanor”
songs from her incredible discography including “Crazy In Love,” “Baby Boy,” “Single Ladies,” and “End of Time.” At one point, Beyoncé multiplied into five other clones of herself using two body doubles and two video monitors. The resulting visual effect was hypnotic, pulling viewers into a trance-like world where Beyoncé was a spiritual guide, ready to break all expectations of a halftime. The real show-stopping moment was when Beyoncé introduced Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, reuniting the R&B girl group “Destiny’s Child” for the first time since the
INFOGRAPHIC BY SAUMYA MONGA
United States flag. Hope you didn’t blink, because moments later Gaga jumped from the top of the stadium and like a spider, descended to the stage with arms and legs spread, as the intro to her hit song “Poker Face” blasted through the stadium. The stellar performance featured Gaga’s most popular songs including “Just Dance,” “Born This Way” and “Bad Romance.” The one thing preventing this performance from claiming a higher spot on my list is the lack of appearances from other performers, which is important because surprise guests are a gift to the audience. 3) Katy Perry Katy Perry’s performance at the University of Phoenix Stadium for Super Bowl XLIX was everything you would expect from a Katy Perry show. It was a little bit quirky and silly, specifically the stage design for
Elliot, who performed her hit songs “Get Ur Freak On” and “Work It.” During Perry’s show, she had four costume changes – icon behavior. The spectacle ended with Perry singing “Firework” as she was airlifted around the stadium on a large shooting-star platform. This Super Bowl halftime show was fun, creative and oozed with Perry’s signature brand of wackiness that reminds viewers to not take life too seriously. 2) Beyoncé Beyoncé, who performed at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana for Super Bowl XLVII in 2013, takes the number two slot. This halftime show began with the singer-songwriter backlit by flames emanating from a large outline of her silhouette as she began to an acapella version of the chorus from “Love On Top.” Beyoncé performed several
dissolution of the group in 2005. The group performed “Bootylicious” and “Independent Women Part I,” giving audiences a sense of nostalgia. Beyoncé had an undeniable stage presence with amazing visual elements. The show ended with an emotional rendition of “Halo” that could easily bring a tear to anyone’s eye. 1) Jennifer Lopez and Shakira The best Super Bowl performance was rendered by Jennifer Lopez and Shakira, who performed at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida for Super Bowl LIV in 2020. Some special guests included Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and Colombian rapper J Balvin. This halftime show was like a love letter to Latinx Americans, and came at a time when some may have felt the political unrest of living through the Trump administration,
who was actively trying to abolish the Dream Act. The Dream Act gives young, undocumented immigrants a path to U.S. citizenship by giving them a chance to work, go to college, or join the armed forces according to a March 16, 2021 article by the American Immigrant Council. The American Immigrant Council is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping immigrants in the U.S. according to its website. The performance began with Shakira dancing energetically to the Afro-Caribbean beats that open up her song “Dare (La La La),” which she transitioned into her song “She Wolf.” The rest of Shakira’s performance is a display of pure, unadulterated talent as she sings, shreds on a guitar, plays the drums, belly dances and shakes those hips across the stage. Have you heard they don’t lie? Hands down though, Shakira’s dancing is what made her performance so captivating. Throughout the show, Shakira sprinkled in Afro-Latinx dances such as the champeta and the mapalé, which paid homage to her Colombian heritage, and more specifically the impact African cultures have had on Colombia. Shakira was amazing, and Lopez brought the same energy level to create an exhilarating show. Lopez entered the performance with a moxie that only someone who grew up in the Bronx could embody. She was introduced to the show hugging onto the tip of a model of The Empire State Building. The most sensational moment of the show was when Lopez climbed a dance pole as piles of men and women were at her feet. Once at the top, she spread her arms like an eagle and the beat for “Waiting for Tonight” played. The moment Lopez started singing, the dancers crawled up like ravenous, yet sensual zombies. As the chorus started, the floor dissipated displaying blue waterfalls cascading down into a rich, green world of light. The most impactful part of the whole performance was the moment Lopez brought her daughters out to sing rock-singer Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” During this number, children in cages sat on the stage as lights formed a red fence behind the performers, alluding to ICE’s detainment of children at the border in 2020. The performance headlined by Shakira and Lopez was a stunning display of what happens when you lead with culture, and the power of letting one’s message speak through art. Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily
SPORTS
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THURSDAY, FEB. 10, 2022
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Athletes benefit from new facility By D’Netrus Chevis-Rose STAFF WRITER
The San Jose State Event Center unveiled its latest completed weight room project, which opened for student athletes this month. Senior Associate Athletic Director Blake Sasaki said the new facility will accommodate the athletic performance training programs of various teams including men’s and women’s basketball, water polo, women’s gymnastics, swimming and diving and indoor volleyball. Club sports will also have access to the new facility, he said. “Athletics will have access from 6 a.m. - 4 p.m., and club sports from 4 p.m. - 10 p.m. and adjustments can be made as needed,” Sasaki said in an email. The facility will be supervised by Head Coach of Athletic Performance, Abe Munayer, and Club Sports Supervisor Winston Adams, Sasaki said. Sophomore volleyball athlete Mia Schafer said many of her freshman teammates live in on-campus dorms, and are happy to have a shorter commute to the new weight room. The walk from the Dining Commons to Yoshihiro Uchida Hall for practice, then to the Event Center and back home is easier than the drive to South Campus, she said. “This will save us that five minute drive to South Campus, so it’s pretty convenient,” Schafer said. The Event Center weight room will stand as a new home for student athletes who have locker rooms on campus such as women’s volleyball, she said. Trent Kersten, women’s volleyball head coach, said he plans to use the new weight room with the team three times a week. He said the volleyball team is grateful for a closer practice location, only a two minute walk from Yoshihiro Uchida Hall. “It’s going to be a lot more efficient with our time, and I think that’s the greatest gift you could give our
EVAN REINHARDT | SPARTAN DAILY
Brooke Bryant, SJSU women’s volleyball blocker, participates in a workout alongside teammates in the new Event Center weight room.
There was a lot of excitement and anticipation with the new weight room. Not just the swimmers, but our coaches as well. Chloe Limargo senior swimming and diving athlete
student athletes,” Kersten said in a phone interview. Senior swimming and diving athlete Chloe Limargo said compared to the Koret Center weight room at South Campus, there is a much wider range of equipment.
The new medicine balls in the Event Center are a lot easier to handle than those at the Koret Center, she said. Limargo said she was relieved when she heard about the new weight room last year. She said using the South Campus Koret Center was difficult because teams would have to share the space using time slots. “Scheduling times to use the weight room at South Campus isn’t easy because many teams have to equally share the facility,” Limargo said. She said the swim team normally holds practices nine times a week at the Spartan Recreation and Aquatic Center. With the addition of the Event Center weight room the team will hold weight training sessions three times a week, Limargo said. “There was a lot of excitement
and anticipation with the new weight room,” Limargo said in a text message. “Not just the swimmers, but our coaches as well.” Limargo said she appreciates the team being closer to the student population on the main campus. “I think it also helps us to keep our presence on campus, we all were fairly disconnected from the main student body, so being able to be on the main campus has been a welcoming change,” Limargo said.
Follow D’Netrus on Twitter @dchevisrose
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OPINION
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THURSDAY, FEB. 10, 2022
ILLUSTRATION BY NICK YBARRA
TV shows advance cinematic worldbuilding Jennifer Schildge STAFF WRITER
The use of television shows to drive characters’ stories is the best thing to happen to any cinematic universe because they can expand those “worlds” more thawn standalone movies. Whether it’s Marvel, Star Wars, or DC, shows derived from these fictional universes allow fans to spend quality time with minor movie characters they’ve come to love but don’t necessarily know. For comic lovers, their favorite side character could be a main character for a short time. I’m not saying we should drop movies and push out shows. Movies will continue to dominate box offices but to get more people interested in a story, TV shows are a necessity. For example, no one anticipated the storyline of Marvel TV show “WandaVision,” which was streamed on Disney+. Technically speaking, if someone’s never read the comics they would hardly know the extent of Wanda Maximoff ’s powers. It was a pleasant surprise with an emotionally satisfying story. WandaVision can be watched even if you’ve never seen a Marvel film. There are details a superfan could notice but an average viewer can still understand the plot of the show. It adds detail to the cinematic universe while also advancing the
story’s end. The depth of the series appeals to a variety of audiences who may have varying character interests and knowledge levels. WandaVision is beautiful. Its sitcom setup was a concept never used by the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) before. Now, with everything fans learned from WandaVision, including how powerful Wanda Maximoff truly is, bigger theories can be made about the next MCU movie set to come out, “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.” Wanda Maximoff was always known as Wanda, but in WandaVision she held a whole town captive to live with her dead robot hus-
The shows make the minor characters of the bigger universe more recognizable and likable. band, fought with her dark magic counterpart Agatha Harkness and became the Scarlet Witch for the first time in the MCU. The best shows revolve around character development while still pushing the wider universe along with the plot. This is why releasing TV shows alongside the cinematic universe is genius. It never devalues the main story and if anything, the shows help uncover more minor details about it. “The Mandalorian” is another great example of
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The Spartan Daily prides itself on being the San Jose State community’s top news source. New issues are published every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday throughout the academic year and online content updated daily.
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The Spartan Daily is written and published by San Jose State students as an expression of their First Amendment rights.
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expanding a universe that has ended its main anthology. While I don’t agree with what Disney did to the final Star Wars trilogy, I do like what it’s doing with its shows. One of the most mysterious details in the Star Wars universe was the expressionless mask of a Mandalorian. No one knew much about what was underneath the helmet in The Mandalorian but it was a chance to explore another character. The show captivated audiences and it had people swooning over a little green Yoda-like character. This made for good television because nearly everyone was talking about “baby Yoda,” which encouraged other people to watch the show.
MANAGING EDITOR CHRISTINA CASILLAS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AMANI HAMED PRODUCTION EDITOR BRYANNA BARTLETT
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SPORTS EDITOR ESTEVAN LOPEZ SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR ROYVI HERNANDEZ SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR SAMANTHA HERRERA PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR TRAVIS WYNN STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS AI BLY SANDRA SANTOS-CRUZ COPY EDITORS REBECCA LEE CHRISTINE STEVENS ALAN BAEZ BRIANA CONTE SAVANNAH NATIVIDAD ISALIA GALLO
The Mandalorian was the most “in-demand” original streaming series of 2020, according to a Dec. 24, 2020 Business Insider article. Business Insider is an online media company for financial news. The Mandalorian, like WandaVision, drove a minor character’s story while also bringing in characters from its entire cinematic universe. The Mandalorian didn’t devalue the old Star Wars stories, it brought life to the timeline again. The shows make the minor
characters of the bigger universe more recognizable and likable. Another reason shows are tools for a cinematic universe is the weekly releases. Viewers are more likely to watch shows that are released weekly as opposed to shows that are released all at once, according to a June 15, 2021 Parrot Analytics article. Parrot Analytics is a company that developed a metric to rate the number of viewers for shows and their likelihood of attracting subscribers to a streaming service. Wade Payson-Denney, an insights analyst at Parrot Analytics said in an Axios interview that “by dropping an episode once a week, streamers are more likely to keep subscribers on the platform for longer . . . and stay long-term,” according to a June 15, 2021 Axios article. When an episode is released once a week, I find myself talking about it longer and more often than I would with a movie. The shows released on these platforms are exploring their respective worlds, and creating space for new ways of storytelling. Shows aren’t a better option, but having them alongside gives an extra insight that can bring new viewers and please existing fans.
Follow Jennifer on Twitter @kyIojen
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