Issuu

Science & Tech Don’t let the Senate erase free speech online

Sports

Editorial

Star sophomore guard takes inspiration from kicks

Students deserve transparency from SJSU on COVID-19

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Thursday, March 12, 2020

Volume 154 No. 22 SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934

COVID-19

A.S. talks travel bans, evaluations

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COVID-19

By Christian Trujano NEWS EDITOR

The San Jose State Associated Students Board of Directors discussed conference travel bans for clubs and canceling teacher evaluations this semester during Wednesday’s meeting. Conference travel bans A.S. Vice President Zachary Birrer went over SJSU’s recent domestic and international travel bans and how recognized student organizations that were approved for conferences cannot go anymore because of the new coronavirus. “The school has specifically put a ban on that travel because they don’t want students to get infected or have any extra exposure to the coronavirus,” Birrer said. He said A.S. does not know how the previously approved funding for these conference trips will be used. Birrer said the board will meet to figure out how that money will be moved because it was approved for those specific purposes. “A lot of what is happening right now is up in the air just because we don’t have a full

A lot of what is happening right now is up in the air just because we don’t have a full understanding of the situation. Zachary Birrer A.S. vice president

understanding of the situation,” Birrer said. “We’re trying to adapt at this time.” Professor evaluations A.S. President Branden Parent said in light of classes suspended because of COVID-19, the SJSU Academic Senate unanimously voted to suspend the Student Opinion Teaching Evaluations for the Spring 2020 semester so that it does not affect faculty members’ tenure track. Parent said it is now up to SJSU President Mary Papazian to accept the suggestion. GIA PHAM | SPARTAN DAILY

Follow Christian on Twitter @ChristianTruja2

Rape alleged in campus dormitory UPD received report months after incident By Andrew Glenn STAFF WRITER

University Police Department officers are investigating an alleged rape that occurred last year at Joe West Hall, UPD Capt. Frank Belcastro said. The UPD report states that a police officer was dispatched to meet with the victim, a San Jose State student who said she was assaulted while in a drugged and unconscious state. The incident was reported to have happened sometime between October and December last year according to the UPD Daily Crime/Fire Log, but Belcastro said he could not give a specific date because UPD received multiple reports. “We do know the name

of the suspect and an investigation is ongoing,” Belcastro said. Because of the sensitive nature of the incident, the names of both the victim and the suspect have not been released at this time. Other details pertaining to the case are also being kept confidential. Belcastro said the victim is pressing charges and the case was sent to the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office for evaluation because of the circumstances surrounding the incident. The suspect is a former SJSU student and is currently being investigated through the Title IX office.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @SaviorElite10

Janette Aguirre, a Santa Clara Kaiser Permanente floor nurse and SJSU alumna, stands alongside East Homestead Road Wednesday morning with a sign protesting the CDC’s new recommendations for medical staff, which some believe raise the risk of new coronavirus infections among medical staff.

Nurses slam CDC rules

Medical staff say they need more protection from virus By Mauricio La Plante ASST. NEWS EDITOR

More than a dozen medical staffers rallied in front of Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center Wednesday morning to demand more protections from the new coronavirus. “We have had a number of patients come in who they didn’t think had the virus, and all of a sudden they did have the virus after they were tested,” said Sarah Fried, the chief nurse representative for the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center staff. “Many of our nurses weren’t wearing any protective gear when they took care of these patients.” The California Nurses Association, National Nurses Organizing Committee and National Nurses United made a joint announcement that their employers and the government need to provide more protection from the new coronavirus for the sick and those who care for them. The nursing organizations criticized the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for rolling back personal protective equipment standards for N95 respirators. The surgical masks are worn to protect people from airborne particles and contamination from liquid, as defined by the Food and Drug Administration. The organizations also protested the CDC’s decision to limit the use of negative pressure isolation rooms and weaken protections for workers

Many of our nurses weren’t wearing any protective gear when they took care of these patients. Sarah Fried chief nurse representative for the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center staﬀ

collecting diagnostic samples. “Registered nurses are outraged to learn that the [CDC] on Tuesday further weakened its guidance on measures to contain COVID-19,” the organizations’ news release said. “These are moves that National Nurses United nurses say will gravely endanger nurses, health care workers, patients and our communities.” The CDC recommended that health care facilities ration N95 respirators by wearing the masks past their designated shelf life and reusing masks. Fried said this practice is harmful for patients and nurses. “The rationing of masks is very, very concerning. That’s one of our main protections against spreading anything to other patients,” Fried said. “We have cancer patients on my unit who have no immune system. So if they get infected with the virus, it’s very, very concerning.”

The three nursing organizations said the CDC should require negative pressure isolation rooms for patients potentially infected with new coronavirus because the rooms decrease transmission risk. “These negative pressure rooms are where all of the patients should be. These rooms suck the air out of the room up into the atmosphere. Regular rooms don’t do that,” Fried said. “So basically, the virus can stay in the room and that’s what can infect people.” Fried said Kaiser Permanente has fewer than 20 negative pressure rooms, which she believes is insufficient. “It’s concerning we don’t have enough rooms to put patients who might be positive with the coronavirus,” Fried said. Karl Sonkin, media relations representative for Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara, confirmed that Santa Clara has negative pressure rooms available, but could not disclose the number. Kaiser Permanente Northern California released a statement announcing that they engage weekly to air grievances from staff members and will do its diligence to keep employees safe. Ann Williamson, regional chief nurse executive for Kaiser Permanente Northern California, said they would follow advice from the state and the CDC moving forward. Follow Mauricio on Twitter @mslaplantenews

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SCIENCE & TECH

THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2020

BINARY BOMBSHELLS

Privacy is a right, not earned privilege End-to-end encryption Kunal Mehta

SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR

A group of U.S. Senators are spreading something nasty around Capitol Hill and it’s not COVID-19. Touted as bipartisan legislation, the EARN IT Act would effectively end the ability to legally have private conversations online, ending free speech as we know it. Officially known as the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act, a draft of the bill is being circulated by Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, according to Bloomberg, which published a leaked copy. The authors are simply trying to take advantage of public sentiment that “Big Tech” needs more regulation. No doubt we could all benefit from a well-regulated tech industry, but this isn’t the way to go about it. The bill would end Section 230’s protection for websites and service providers. Section 230 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 effectively states that if someone says something illegal online, that person will be held responsible, not the platform (with some exceptions). This legal protection

In end-to-end encrypted systems, only the message sender and recipient are able to read the message. Servers in the middle would be unable to read the message, which is a signiﬁcant diﬀerence from transport encryption.

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INFGORAPHIC BY CINDY CUELLAR AND KUNAL MEHTA

allows for every user-generated content site to exist, from discussion forums to messaging apps. It allowed the internet to transition from a place where everyone just published their own content to one where an emphasis is placed on participation. In a future world under the EARN IT Act, websites would need to “earn” legal protection by complying with yet-to-be determined

guidelines issued by a commission reducing child exploitation. Yes, these Senators want to use a “think of the children” argument to upend how the entire internet works. After Edward Snowden’s 2013 revelations of global surveillance programs, activists ramped up promotion of a stronger form of security: end-to-end encryption. Taking a step back, most online security these days

CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE

is what is referred to as transport encryption. If I direct message a friend on Instagram, the message can’t be read by whoever runs my Wi-Fi (the transport), but Instagram’s servers and my friend can read it. Whereas in an end-to-end encrypted service like WhatsApp or Signal, my message would be unreadable by everyone except its intended recipient. None of my

Wi-Fi operators, neither WhatsApp nor Signal servers would be able to read the messages. It’s been tested in court too – when Signal was subpoenaed in 2016, it responded that it had no message data or contact lists. From a surveillance perspective, end-to-end encryption means that the government has no way of reading our messages unless they gain access to

SUDOKU PUZZLE Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

one of the devices. Alternatively, the government could pass legislation to make end-to-end encryption illegal, aka the EARN IT Act. Legislators aren’t trying to hide their intentions either, Politico reported that in a December 2019 Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Senators made it clear they wanted the government to be able to read users’ messages. “My advice to you is to get on with it, because this time next year, if we haven’t found a way that you can live with, we will impose our will on you,” Judiciary Committee chairman Graham said in the hearing, according to Politico. Pushing this anti-encryption stance under the guise of protecting children simply won’t work. End-to-end encrypted messaging apps already exist and will still be available in some form or another regardless of what legislation the U.S. implements. People intent on breaking the law will have no problem using illegal end-to-end encrypted messengers, but it’s the rest of us that will have an issue. Most of us already don’t trust those in power in Washington – I certainly don’t want them reading my private messages and I’m sure you don’t either.

Follow Kunal on Mastodon @legoktm @mastodon.technology Binary Bombshells appears every other week on Thursday.

JOKIN’ AROUND What do you call a very religious person who sleepwalks?

A Roamin’ Catholic.

SOLUTIONS

ACROSS 1. Rescue 5. To cast aside (archaic) 9. Nobleman 13. “Smallest” particle 14. Golden 16. Always 17. Only 18. Shrimp-like crustacean 19. Not his 20. Goads 22. Loyal 24. Letters, etc. 26. Prevaricators 27. Artificially formal 30. Concise summary 33. Surfing with a sail 35. Busybody 37. Yore 38. Slowly losing life 41. Dab 42. Goons 45. Unnecessary 48. Sleeping sickness carrier 51. Otalgia 52. Dentist’s direction 54. Hindu princess

55. Pervaded 59. Plateaux 62. Bright thought 63. Trimmed 65. Drunkard 66. Biblical garden 67. Attendance counter 68. Affirm 69. Handout 70. Evasive 71. Not nays DOWN 1. Back talk 2. At the peak of 3. Copious 4. Green gem 5. East Indian tree 6. Emanation 7. Ruffle 8. Positive stimulus 9. Rupture 10. Eye layer 11. Composer Jerome ____ 12. At one time (archaic) 15. Transparent

21. Seats oneself 23. Midway between white and black 25. A feudal vassal 27. Smack 28. Not loose 29. Not wet 31. Dithery 32. Hiding place 34. Flipper 36. Church alcove 39. Born as 40. Equipment 43. Relevant 44. Anagram of “Ties” 46. Apothecary’s weight 47. Alley 49. Breaks 50. What’s left behind 53. Creepy 55. Multicolored 56. Cocoyam 57. Bobbin 58. A small wooded hollow 60. Dwarf buffalo 61. Scatters seeds 64. Former North African ruler

03/11/2020

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2020

MURAL BY LACEY BRYANT AND LOCAL COLOR; PHOTO FROM LOCAL COLOR

Creatives convene at Local Color show By Shruthi Lakshmanan STAFF WRITER

As a bubble of art in a city booming with technology, Local Color showcased Bay Area artists’ works to the San Jose community on Sunday. Local Color, a San Jose-based nonprofit organization, was established to “build economic opportunities for creatives at the intersection of art and community development,” according to their official website. The organization held a second installation of its Daytime Market, where artists set up stations for art fanatics to browse and buy their work, on Friday. The first Daytime Market was hosted in December 2019. “We just wanted to give a reason for people to come out and have an opportunity for artists to come and sell their items,”

said Carmen Gaines, Local Color’s facilities and fiscal sponsorship manager. “If you have things to sell and you feel confident in setting up a table, you’re more than welcome to visit here.” Gaines worked with a committee of five to organize the event and the market in December 2019 as well. The exhibition consisted of 22 artists hailing from different cities, because artists did not need to live in San Jose to present their art. Visitors indulged in different art forms like live painting, portraiture paint prints, graphic design clothing, jewelry making and more. Each artist seemed to embody their work, as opposed to the regular suit and ties that are seen in and around glass buildings. Jim Fonseca, a Local Color artist and freelancer, has been graphic designing for the apparel industry for

12 years and screen-printing for the last four years. At the market, he sold an amalgamation of his two professions: his original designs screen-printed onto T-shirts.

hopefully network and now just build the community, bring it together.” Through these events, Local Color hopes to provide a workspace for artists and help them make a profit,

One of the things artists can give is a sense of community, a sense of ownership over a space that might be blighted or empty or vacant . . . So that’s kind of what we’ve been doing over the last couple of years is building. Building the community and actual people in it. Erin Salazar

Local Color founder and executive director

“It’s good to just be able to interact with the public,” Fonseca said about the Daytime Market. “We get our stuff out there and sell things,

eventually making enough financial strides to find a permanent home. Their previous location on First Street closed down

because it did not comply with zoning laws. Now, Local Color rents two places and produces artwork at each location. “Moving from space to space has been fun and exciting,” said Erin Salazar, executive director and founder of Local Color. “But we know now that in order to be stable and to be sustainable, we need to have a stable place to be.” Salazar, a San Jose State alumna, started Local Color, originally called The Exhibition District, after a nihilistic lapse in her life following the death of her parents. “I wanted to do something that would be big and impactful with my time on earth because [my parents] died when they were pretty young,” Salazar said. “I really wanted to do something special and important and with my whole heart, for my life and for my job.”

She decided to revitalize run-down buildings to spread art and provide artists with a creative platform. “One of the things artists can give is a sense of community, a sense of ownership over a space that might be blighted or empty or vacant,” said Salazar. “So that’s kind of what we’ve been doing over the last couple of years is building. Building the community and actual people in it.” Salazar said Local Color’s mission is to provide artists with economic opportunities to sustain a “sense of cultural authenticity” during the turbulence of gentrification and development San Jose goes through. Local Color plans to host an event at its South First Street location on April 11. Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

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SPORTS

THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2020

SJSU’s Knight in shining sneakers

JESUS TELLITUD | SPARTAN DAILY

Sophomore guard Seneca Knight led the Spartans in scoring, averaging 17 points this season. Knight was named third-team all-Mountain West in a vote of the league’s coaches.

By Austin Turner

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

As San Jose State’s men’s basketball team finished up a late-season practice, Seneca Knight remained at the free-throw line. His jersey was draped around his neck like a cape as he took extra shots. The look was fitting. After all, the sophomore guard has been SJSU’s Superman this season. But even the man of steel needs motivation and Knight has his with him wherever he goes. Knight trotted off the court sporting bright yellow sneakers. They are intricately designed, but they didn’t come like that straight out of the box. Reminders of Knight’s origin story canvas his kicks. With a black marker, Knight has decorated multiple pairs with over a dozen meaningful phrases, numbers and names. They’re just shoes of course, but Knight believes they have something to do with his hero-like performances this season. He led the Spartans in scoring and rebounding with 17 points per game and just under 6 rebounds per game. “Any time in a game, say something doesn’t go my way or I get frustrated . . . I just look down at my shoes and I just remember why I play,” Knight said. His story starts in New Orleans. With his hometown’s name written near the toe and the area code “504” near the ankle, Knight’s childhood in the "Big Easy” has a meaningful impact on his mentality on and off the court. “All we got in New Orleans is just hope,” Knight said. “After Katrina hit . . . it just taught us how to fight through adversity.” Adversity is a thread that runs throughout Knight’s life. While he fortunately moved to Arkansas the year before Katrina struck, the impact of the disaster

MARISSA SCOTT | THE SPEAR

Knight’s shoe is covered in writing, which highlights parts of his upbringing.

stuck with him. Knight learned to deal with profound loss, tragedy and massive change at a young age. Among the motifs on his sneakers are tributes to two close friends. At age 12, Knight moved to Lafayette, Louisiana where he attended Northside High School. One of these motifs, “#RipEric,” recognizes Knight’s close friend and high school teammate at Northside High School in Lafayette. When Eric Robinson was a senior in high school during Knight’s junior year, Robinson was shot and killed. The same year, Knight’s friend Cam McGilvery was “jumped outside of a barbershop.” He was left with severe brain damage, according to Knight. McGilvery is acknowledged on the shoes with “#CamWay.” After facing tragedy of this volume at such a young age, some might lose hope. Not Knight. Scattered around his left sneaker are words that remind him of the experiences that would be unfathomable to most. Pain, loss and heartbreak. “Basketball brings me through [it],” he said. Alongside those words is the latest addition to Knight’s shoes: “Mamba Mentality.”

Any time in a game, say something doesn’t go my way or I get frustrated . . . I just look down at my shoes and I just remember why I play. Seneca Knight sophomore guard

The death of the late Kobe Bryant, one of Knight’s basketball idols, serves as a reminder of how to be successful at the game he loves. “[It’s about being] locked in and focused,” he said. “Hard work each and every day and never feeling like, ‘Oh, just because I had one good game,’ that’s in the past, we’re on to the next one now.” So does Knight have the “Mamba Mentality?” “I think I’m getting there,” he said with a laugh. Others say he’s already there. “On game day, from the crack of dawn, he’s up making his breakfast, playing his music super loud,” said teammate and roommate Zach Chappell. “Everybody knows [Knight’s] getting ready for the game. He has the same routine every gameday.” After waking his roommates up with the loud sounds of rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s tunes, he’ll go to class, then shootaround,

which is when Knight says his day really starts. He’ll then have lunch in his dorm, take a nap and talk to his parents on the phone. Both Knight’s mother and father remain in Louisiana and being away JESUS TELLITUD | SPARTAN DAILY from home has been a In SJSU’s 90-81 win over Air Force on Jan. 25, Knight tough transition for scored 20 points to lead the Spartans to victory. Knight. “I was definitely homesick at first,” he said. “He had me lifting “I just go out there and Knight added that he like a football player,” try to play all the way talks to his parents on the Knight said. until the end,” Knight said. phone “about four or five Putting on weight and “You never know when times per day,” and that adding strength was a the game might take a they remain his support priority for Knight this turn . . . I just give it my all. system, even from more offseason. He had a solid Whatever it takes.” than 2,000 miles away. freshman year, starting After the Spartans “They help me figure about half of the Spartans’ were eliminated from the everything out,” he said. games and averaging about Mountain West Conference “They make sure I go eat 6 points per game. But in Tournament this season, and eat the right things his sophomore season, Knight said he is preparing and eat enough.” Knight’s game exploded. for a stellar junior year – Knight’s parents have “He showed flashes last potentially still at SJSU. made an effort to help year, but now he’s putting If Knight misses a shot or him on the court as strings of games together,” if the team is in a rut, check well. When he returned head coach Jean Prioleau to see if he takes a look at home to Louisiana over said. those bright yellow shoes. the summer, his father, Knight has improved If he does, you just might a former professional in nearly every statistical see something special from football player in the category, but the difference SJSU’s Superman. Arena Football League, between now and then Follow Austin on Twitter put him on a strict may be more mental than @AustinTurner_ workout regimen. physical.

Correction

Clarification

On Wednesday, March 11, the Spartan Daily published a story titled, “Black voters' support of Biden is irrational” in which Mississippi and Delaware were misspelled.

On Wednesday, March 11, the Spartan Daily published a story titled, “Coronavirus raises concerns in dorms” in which Dr. Barbara Fu should have additionally been identified as the Student Health Center interim clinical supervisor.

The Spartan Daily regrets this error.

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EDITORIAL

THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2020

Transparency is key in times of crisis

lthough pandemics are unpredictable, San Jose State’s administration could and should have provided clear instructions earlier for students and faculty members in the event of a closed campus or suspended classes in response to the spread of new coronavirus. By not communicating clearly with the campus community, SJSU left professors and students the impossible and unfair task of preparing to operate fully online in less than a week. The San Jose State administration took drastic action to combat the spread of COVID-19 after the first death was reported in Santa Clara County, Monday. But action should have happened far before a death in the county occurred. SJSU President Mary Papazian’s announcement to suspend classes and move them online in the following weeks left instructors and students with unanswered questions. The first case of COVID-19 was reported on Dec. 31, 2019, by Chinese health authorities when unusually high cases of pneumonia were confirmed as examples of the respiratory illness, according to the World Health Organization. The university sent out an initial email on Jan. 29, but didn’t send any other communication about what is now referred to by WHO as a pandemic until almost a month later. The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department then announced the first COVID-19 case in the county on Jan. 31. “I understand the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 has created anxiety, concern and, in many cases, fear,” Papazian stated in an email on Feb. 28. “The health and well-being of the SJSU campus community is our top priority. If you are feeling ill, please take care of yourself. Together, we will navigate through this time of uncertainty.” To say pandemics are unpredictable is an understatement, but in “this time of uncertainty,” university leaders should have sent out clearer instructions for students and faculty members long before classes were suspended or campus was shut down, not after the fact. Instead of sending out emails to students in the dorms about reserving their spot for next year, many students want answers about how to stay safe in the dorms now. Dr. Barbara Fu, SJSU’s interim clinical supervisor, told the Spartan Daily on Tuesday that students in the dorms should try to move their beds to be 3-6 feet apart, but no such communication has been sent to those students in the dorms. On Wednesday, resident advisors went around knocking on dorm doors to see who had remained on campus. Those who didn’t answer were sent an email from Residential Life Coordinators asking if dorm residents had departed campus. The university brought this upon themselves by making an abrupt announcement to suspend classes despite the lack of in-depth planning, prompting an exodus from many campus residents. Nancy Messonnier, director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on Feb. 25 that the spread of the virus in the U.S. is “not so much a question of if, but when,” according to PBS. With top health experts warning of an inevitable outbreak in the country, SJSU, which aims to be an educational leader in the U.S., should be more transparent with its action plan for the rest of the semester. Ideally, SJSU would have begun preparing for a possible cancellation of in-person classes when Santa Clara County had its first COVID-19 case. It will be difficult to have all relevant faculty members trained by SJSU Academic Affairs to adapt their curriculum for online instruction within the span of four days. That’s not nearly enough time, but we have to accommodate these rapid changes. However, the university would make it easier on students and faculty members by being more transparent about exactly how classes will transition online. If students don’t have reliable internet access at home, what are their options? What if students don’t even have computers at home? Going to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library is certainly an option, but that would defeat the purpose of social distancing. While the average age of an undergraduate SJSU student is 22 and the average for graduate students is 29, according to SJSU Institutional Research, a student infection could be fatal to a family member who has a weakened or compromised immune system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Older people and people of all ages with severe underlying health conditions – like heart disease, lung disease and diabetes, for example – seem to be at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 illness.” The university administration cannot go back in time to reshape their initial response, but for the sake of transparency to those who sacrifice so much to attend SJSU, us students should receive more detailed information about the school’s plans going forward.

Nancy Messonnier, director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said on Feb. 25 that the spread of the virus in the U.S. is “not so much a question of if, but when,” according to PBS.

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ILLUSTRATION BY CINDY CUELLAR