Tuesday, April 13, 2021
Volume 156 No. 29 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
Protest halts at Papazian’s house
MADILYNNE MEDINA | SPARTAN DAILY
San Jose police officers block the house of San Jose State President Mary Papazian on University Way during a Sunday march that began at San Jose’s Municipal Rose Garden.
By Madilynne Medina STAFF WRITER
Nearly 30 protesters marched through San Jose State President Mary Papazian’s neighborhood on Sunday to object to SJSU’s treatment and response to the death of Gregory Johnson Jr. Johnson was a 20-year-old SJSU student who was found dead in the basement of the Sigma Chi fraternity house in 2008. The University Police Department and Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office ruled
the case a suicide, according to the coroner’s office autopsy report. However 13 years later, the Johnson family and many community supporters believe Johnson’s death was a hate crime and have called on reopening the investigation. San Jose activist groups Human Empowerment Radical Optimism (H.E.R.O.) Tent and Black Liberation and Collective Knowledge (B.L.A.C.K.) Outreach partnered with the Johnson family for the rally in an effort to reprimand Papazian for her absence at a Feb. 24 Associated
Students Board of Directors meeting. The event began at 4 p.m. at San Jose’s Municipal Rose Garden where supporters, advocates and the Johnson family held a barbecue before marching toward Papazian’s residence at 7 p.m. Protesters were met by more than 20 San Jose police officers who stood with batons and shields outside Papazian’s home on University Way and didn’t allow protesters within 300 feet of the Ilseh Busarelo residence. Lines were drawn around the Chicana and Chicano studies senior
She doesn’t want to have the conversation even though the family has been pleading her to admit that it was a murder [and a] hate crime.
perimeter of the area and police said anyone who attempted to cross the boundary was subject to arrest. Lou Dimes, president of B.L.A.C.K. Outreach, voiced his frustration as he told officers there was no indication that B.L.A.C.K. Outreach or the organization Justice for Gregory Johnson were targeting a specific home on social media. An officer told Dimes that protesting is an American right, but there is a law in the City of PROTEST | Page 2
Conservative tour comes to San Jose the maskless crowd, Smith said “because it’s a private property, I don’t have say over it.” San Jose State’s chapter of Local businesses with Turning Point USA hosted the conservative values tabled outside second to last stop of a nationwide the entrance of the chapel and speaking tour featuring the participants were clad in purple organization’s founder. shirts emblazoned with the The event took place “Gen Free Tour” motto. on Thursday at the packed Christian Calvary Chapel in the Blossom Hill neighborhood. Charlie Kirk, an Illinois conservative activist, founded and directs Turning Point USA. The group is a national conservative student organization that organizes and empowers students to promote the principles of free market and limited government, according to its website. In the “Gen Free Tour,” Kirk highlighted First Amendment freedoms within the U.S. government. Noel Smith, a communicative disorders senior and president of SJSU’s Turning Point USA Noel Smith chapter, said she appreciated communicative disorders Kirk’s conservative perspective. senior and SJSU Turning Point “In a time where there’s a lot of USA chapter president turmoil and not much discussion, I think having Charlie Kirk At the start of the event, brief and this event is a great way to introductions were made by have conservative voices heard,” Neil Mammen from “Every Black Smith said. Life Matters,” a local activist San Jose was the only Northern group that protects Black lives California stop on the tour. “from womb to natural death,” Calvary Chapel held nearly according to its website. 1,500 attendees in which many were maskless. In response to POLITICS | Page 2 By Laura Fields OPINION EDITOR
YAMI SUN | SPARTAN DAILY
Nutritional science junior Nina Chuang (left) and rally speaker Sera Fernando (right) lead a rally at the San Jose State campus Friday to march in solidarity with the Asian Pacific Islander Desi/American community.
Local leaders protest anti-Asian violence By Yami Sun
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
In an effort to raise awareness about systemic racism against members of the Asian Pacific Islander Desi/American (APID/A) community, more than 30 people gathered outside San Jose State on Fourth Street Friday. Nutritional science junior Nina Chuang said she organized “Not your Thirty Four” rally to
discuss SJSU’s lack of education on hate and violence toward the APID/A community. “I see that on [SJSU] campus we don’t really have many instances where our community really comes together and speaks with one voice,” Chuang said. The rally’s title was inspired by SJSU’s 34% Asian American student enrollment, according to Chuang’s website about the rally. RALLY | Page 2
People who I’ve never met before have my back and are willing to stand up for me and protect me. Alex Spielmann De Anza College student
In a time where there’s a lot of turmoil and not much discussion, I think having Charlie Kirk and this event is a great way to have conservative voices heard.
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NEWS
TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021
PROTEST Continued from page 1 San Jose about targeting a specific residential area. “We know that you’ve been watching [social media] but we never targeted her house,” Dimes said toward the police with a megaphone. “We’re protesting her, the university and Sigma Chi. How can you prove any intent to target her house?”
Papazian absence upsets Johnson supporters Papazian was scheduled to attend a Feb. 24 A.S. meeting on Zoom as the first agenda item. Community members expected her to address the case, which was scheduled later in the agenda. Many attended the meeting in hopes to hear Papazian speak on the matter, but she was absent, upsetting many students and others in the community. Kenneth Mashinchi, SJSU senior director of strategic communications and media relations, said in a Monday email that organizers and attendees of the march misstated facts regarding Papazian’s attendance at the Feb. 24 A.S. meeting. According to Mashinchi, the misstated facts include that Papazian purposely avoided attending the meeting.
RALLY Continued from page 1 Protesters gathered next to Yoshihiro Uchida Hall (YUH) to hear local leaders acknowledge SJSU’s role in past discriminatory events. YUH was used as a registration center to send Japanese Americans to internment camps during World War II, according to a 2014 SJSU Newsroom blog post about the building. “What was the worst anti-Asian action that has taken place was that of SJSU?” asked Rev. Jethroe Moore, president of the San Jose/Silicon Valley National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), during the rally. “We used to begin unconditional imprisonment of all the 6,000 Japanese people, [that] started right here.” The NAACP chapter
Mashinchi said Papazian was there to give a state of the university address, which she does with students every year and because of an error, was not provided the correct link or agenda. He said Papazian wasn’t informed Johnson’s case was an agenda item up for discussion. Mashinchi said Papazian has requested the opportunity to attend another meeting, which has yet to be scheduled. Ilseh Busarelo, a Chicana and Chicano studies senior and protester, said it was painful to be an SJSU senior and only recently find out about Johnson’s death. Busarelo said students and community members marched to Papazian’s home because she continuously “avoided the conversation” surrounding his case. “We need to apply pressure to Papazian, she keeps avoiding it,” Busarelo said. “She doesn’t want to have the conversation even though the family has been pleading her to admit that it was a murder [and a] hate crime.” The crowd of protesters called for Papazian to come out of her home and speak with them, but Papazian didn’t make an appearance. Many protesters made efforts to stop and explain the intent of the demonstration to Papazian’s neighbors. Denise Johnson, Johnson’s mother, said she would like to
is located in Milpitas and advocates for civil rights within minority communities. R a l ly atte nd e e s marched around the perimeter of campus after listening to the speakers, calling on the local community to stop anti-Asian hate and holding signs with phrases including “not your model minority.” Alex Spielmann, a De Anza college student and attendee who plans on transferring to SJSU next spring played his drums as rally participants marched downtown. “There was this moment when we were marching and I was playing my drum and I heard people’s voices from in front of me and behind me and it was just this indescribable feeling like this is where I belong,” Spielmann said. Spielmann said he was touched by the amount
see Papazian “do the right thing” and take a larger initiative in reopening the case so her family can receive answers. “I’d like to see my son’s case reopened and have it go back to court like it should be, because it was a kangaroo court, there was no justice about it,” Denise Johnson said, referencing a mock court. Mashinchi said the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s Office and the county coroner’s office will undertake a new review of the autopsy report.
[Papazian’s] words are just so empty and I feel like this problem is just a small glimpse of what this world fuels. Sydney Calinisan graphic design senior
In a Feb. 18 campuswide email, Papazian stated the review will take place after the coronavirus pandemic eases. “SJSU has been informed that the final analysis will be discussed directly with Gregory Johnson,
of people who showed up to support the APID/A community. “These people, these strangers, I don’t know very many of them,” Spielmann said. “People who I’ve never met before have my back and are willing to stand up for me and protect me,” Spielmann said. “And it was just, like, chills.” SJSU public health senior Maileen Mamaradlo said she attended to support the APID/A community and hold SJSU accountable for its treatment toward minority groups. “Even deep down to our roots, our institution has a lot of issues with [APID/A] populations and now it’s our job to remind the campus of the damage it has done not only to the Black communities wit h Gregory Johnson but also ours as well,” Mamaradlo said. Jenny Nguyen, a
Jr.’s mother,” Mashinchi stated. “SJSU will cooperate fully, if requested, with both offices in their review.” Denise Johnson said she’s still disappointed and outraged at SJSU’s response, especially because she was not notified until hours after her son died. “The school should always call the parents when a child dies on a campus,” Denise Johnson said. “Nobody called me, they sent the police to my house and one of them stood there with his hand on his gun while I fell out on the floor.”
University addresses systemic racism Sydney Calinisan, a graphic design senior and protester, said Papazian’s recent campuswide email addressing systemic racism was not enough initiative. Papazian stated in an April 5 email that the university is looking to implement changes to mitigate systemic racism. This includes efforts to increase diversity and inclusion training for staff and students, the expansion of the Black Scholars and Black and Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) residential hall themes and the renaming of the African-American/Black Student Success Center, which is now the Black Leadership Opportunity Center.
“[The email is] not even the bare minimum, it’s not even crumbs at this point, it’s nothing,” Calinisan said. “[Papazian’s] words are just so empty and I feel like this problem is just a small glimpse of what this world fuels.” Calinisan also said Papazian’s email responses regarding the BIPOC and the Black communities are “degrading.” During a March 24 A.S. meeting, board of directors passed the “Gregory Johnson Junior: Addressing Anti-Blackness and Systemic Racism at SJSU” resolution, which asked the university to acknowledge systemic racism as a factor in Johnson’s death. The resolution also demands more resources and the creation of a scholarship fund in Johnson’s name for Black students. However, Denise Johnson said she didn’t want the directors to make a scholarship in his name. “What are they going to make a scholarship for?” Denise Johnson said. “For a student that was murdered and lied about? What kind of scholarship is that?” The crowd left the neighborhood around 8:15 p.m. and returned to the San Jose Rose Garden chanting, “say his name: Gregory Johnson.”
Follow Madilynne on Twitter @madilynneee
YAMI SUN | SPARTAN DAILY
Speaker AJ Diokono (right) embraces organizer Nina Chuang (left) during Friday’s rally.
public health graduate student, said in addition to listening to local leaders, she appreciated hearing people open up about their personal experiences regarding “what it means to be an Asian American person
or Asian person living in the U.S. right now.” She also hopes SJSU students can continue standing in solidarity with the APID/A community. “[SJSU] students are extremely resilient . . . I think that’s something
the tone of our organizers . . . mentioned earlier, is that it’s going to take a lot of work and we need to stay committed to the cause,” Nguyen said. Follow Yami on Twitter @Yami_Frontline
POLITICS Continued from page 1 Kirk emerged soon after and was greeted by a standing ovation and applause from the crowd. He spoke to the crowd about current topics like “woke” culture in America and coronavirus-related lockdowns. “Did they make a difference?” Kirk asked the congregation about government lockdowns. “No!” was the collective reply. As Kirk spoke about social issues including systemic racism, he used expressive hand motions and chanted “it doesn’t exist, it doesn’t.” “Black Lives Matter flags, more like ‘I’m a better person than you’ flags,’ ” Kirk said during the event, referring to virtue signaling. Virtue signaling is the sharing of one’s point of view on a social or political issue, often on social media, in order to garner praise or acknowledgment from others who share that point of view, according to Dictionary.com. He denounced corporations that adopted diversity platforms such as Delta Air Lines, saying the companies are “no longer our friends” and are “acting like Democratic Super PACs,” or Political Action Committees. Delta Air Lines’ CEO announced the company would implement goals to promote equality in August 2020, including doubling its percentage of Black officers and directors by 2025. Paying homage to the venue and his personal convictions, Kirk referenced his Christian faith by quoting the Bible verse Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be
JAMIE BENNETT | SPARTAN DAILY
About 1,500 attendees listen to Charlie Kirk, founder and director of Turning Point USA, at Calvary Chapel in San Jose Thursday.
transformed by the renewing of your mind.” After stating former president Donald Trump “loved the people,” the room erupted in cheers and applause. “He had respect for the common man,” Kirk said. He also spoke about self-censorship and tied it back to Republicans avoiding certain conversations and trying to suppress their viewpoints. “[Liberals] want that,” Kirk said. “They want people to be afraid.” Out of 2,000 Americans surveyed in an August 2020 Cato Institute study, a public policy research organization, 62% said the current political climate prevents them from
expressing their views for fear of retaliation. The study also found 77% of people who identify as Republican are afraid to share their political opinions. Armoni Howard, a business administration and information technology major at Western Governors University in Utah, said he experienced censorship when he attended the University of California, Santa Cruz. “You had to sign a form that says you will censor yourself and your beliefs,” Howard said. “I thought that was a bit odd.” Smith said she can also relate to the idea of self-censorship.
“I don’t talk about my views publicly,” Smith said. “The few times I have, I have been bashed for them, I’ve been labeled a racist, all those nasty things, which is very sad when people don’t know who you are and don’t even bother to hear your side of the story.”
Follow Laura on Twitter @swimgirllaura
Jamie Bennett contributed to this article.
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OPINION
TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021
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Conservative event misses mark for CA Republicans Laura Fields OPINION EDITOR
If the “Gen Free Tour” featuring Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk is the future of the Republican Party, I want out of this dusty Bush-era time capsule. I attended the event Thursday hosted by San Jose State’s chapter of Turning Point USA, a conservative club. I had high hopes to hear fresh takes of Republican ideals from hot-shot young conservative firebrands such as Kirk. Turning Point USA is a national conservative student movement that organizes and empowers students to promote the principles of free markets and limited government, according to its website. However, Kirk’s hour-long yawn fest scraped the top of the barrel of Republican values and ideologies. Jesus? Check. Voting rights? Check. China is bad? Check. By preaching old-timey conservative points that tie into religion rather than pragmatism and logic, Kirk completely missed the mark of speaking to young Californians in San Jose. Given that the venue was at a Christian church, it was only natural Kirk would pay homage to the good folks that gave him a platform to speak. However, that didn’t give him the right to assume his target audience of high school and college-age
students would give a damn about who his favorite Bible character is. It was a complete throw-away question that wasted everyone’s time. Many young people grow up losing faith in Christianity or come from backgrounds without having any faith at all. Kirk playing up the Evangelical side was honestly pretty sad. He fell straight into that bored stereotype of what a Republican “should” be. Christianity is rapidly dying across America, according to an Oct. 17, 2019 study by Pew Research Center. Kirk should focus less on marketing his ideas toward the church-going faithful and more on the increasing number of Americans who describe their religions as “nothing in particular.” Hailing from Illinois, Kirk sees California as the epitome of failed liberal politics, the butt of the joke. Folks outside of California aren’t intent on fixing the state either. Kirk’s outdated scope on the conservative political landscape might’ve drawn some applause from the older crowd, but it was mostly out of touch from the actual issues Californians care about such as the state’s housing crisis, prison reform, the bail system and labor in the high-tech market.
LAURA FIELDS | SPARTAN DAILY
Students sell Turning Point USA posters and buttons in the hallway of Calvary Chapel before the event.
If Republicans want California to become a purple state, people like Kirk are spoiling the new conservative movement that is already taking shape. If Republicans want California to become a purple state, people like Kirk are spoiling the new conservative movement that is already taking shape. Ethnic minorities such as Black and Latinx communities, as well as women, shifted their votes for Donald Trump in the 2020 election, according
CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
to a Nov. 14, 2020 article by The Guardian. With a notable shift in political demographic toward conservatism with Santa Clara County residents voting for Trump at a rate of 20% in 2016 to 25% in 2020 and an overall increase to voting red across the entire state, it’s time we start paying attention to what matters to the growing
number of California Republicans. Organizations including Turning Point USA hold a key market in shaping young conservative viewpoints. The focus on conservative social issues is robbing the Republican party of its pragmatic economic side. To have a glorified Christian club such as Turning Point USA represent college Republicans is an embarrassment. On top of that, hypocritical Kirk bashed social media and the internet for destroying our youth when it was exactly the internet that made him the man he is today through his viral videos. Kirk was right to mention the potential Newsom recall vote, but lost me when he blamed Big Tech including Apple and Facebook for
SUDOKU PUZZLE Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
addicting us to our phones because it’s technology created by those who could’ve been in his audience. To end the night, Kirk left the crowd with three things California freedom lovers must do: play offense (as in recalling Gov. Newsom), represent working people and “never lose hope.” These points are not productive at all and are disappointingly expected. Thanks a lot, Kirk. Most Californians already have an allergic reaction to any other alternative political opinion differing from their own liberal views. We need to start entering conversations with an open mind and learn from one another through completely open dialogue.
Follow Laura on Twitter @swimgirllaura
JOKIN’ AROUND What did the nose say to the finger?
Stop picking on me!
SOLUTIONS SOLUTIONS
ACROSS
1. Acted presumptuously 6. Hairdo 10. Gait faster than a walk 14. Sisal 15. Lascivious look 16. Gown 17. Drug addiction 19. Wild goat 20. Off course 21. Veto 22. Misplaced 23. Adjust again 25. Days of the month 26. Defecate 30. World 32. Sympathy 35. Sidelong 39. Hit the sack 40. Lower the capability 41. Disentangle 43. Ideal 44. Sexual desire 46. Past tense of Leap 47. One who poses 50. Naked models 53. Mimics 54. East southeast
55. Sheepskin 60. Stitches 61. Donor 63. By mouth 64. Start over 65. Avoids 66. Not 67. Poems 68. Raise DOWN
1. Early 20th-century art movement 2. How old we are 3. Awestruck 4. Always 5. Macedonian monetary unit 6. Beer 7. Herbaceous plant 8. Performance 9. African antelope 10. Involving three parties 11. Android 12. Overweight 13. Schoolbooks 18. Coloring agent 24. Secret agent
25. Discourage 26. South American country 27. Portent 28. Chooses 29. In a non-hurting manner 31. Nil 33. Path 34. Parsley or sage 36. Anger 37. At the peak of 38. Gave temporarily 42. Flaxseed 43. Detachable container 45. Charisma 47. A worker of stone 48. A drama set to music 49. Type of vacuum flask 51. F 52. Gash 54. River of Spain 56. Reflected sound 57. Decorative case 58. Defrauds 59. At one time (archaic) 62. Dawn goddess
4/8/2021
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021
Group releases mediocre album By Alan Baez COPY EDITOR
Musical collective and self-identified boyband BROCKHAMPTON released their seventh studio album on Friday titled “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE.” Kevin Abstract, BROCKHAMPTON founder, tweeted on March 21 that the band will release two more albums this year and end their run as a group. The album speaks to the feeling of a final destination. Their material may be getting tiresome and slightly corny to some, but this new album demonstrates the group’s talent and how each member is ready for a new path. The group is no stranger to establishing a theme or “era” with every album. The 2017 “Saturation” trilogy established the group’s core identity and ideals while showcasing their influences. Their fifth album in 2018 titled “Iridescence” took a much more distinctive and industrial concept in tone and production. The 2019 album “Ginger” was a comeback where the group revealed their new identity focused more on spirituality and vulnerability. Their newest album is 49 minutes long and contains 14 songs, but serves as the group’s weakest body of work as far in terms of concept and rollout. “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE” fails to establish a core aesthetic, with most songs tackling a different sense of style with no sense of unification. This is the group’s most feature-packed album with nine features, though some seem unnecessary. Rapper JPEGMAFIA delivers smooth bars on the laid-back track “CHAIN ON” while in contrast, rapper Danny Brown’s aggressive energy matches the chaotic beat on the album’s intro song “BUZZCUT.” While these two fit perfectly within both song’s ambiance, other features feel out of place or don’t leave much of a positive impression. Some examples include rapper A$AP Rocky’s short verse
album review “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE”
Artist: BROCKHAMPTON Release Date: April 9, 2021 Genre: Hip-Hop/Rap
Rating:
ILLUSTRATION BY BIANCA RADER
on “BANKROLL” or Shawn Mendes’ contribution to the chorus in “COUNT ON ME.” Someone could’ve told me prior to listening to this album that Shawn Mendes is featured and I could never tell them which song. Mendes is accompanied by Ryan Beatty and BROCKHAMPTON vocalist Bearface, but the three singers’ vocals just don’t harmonize well or elevate the song. This album demonstrates the highs and very little lows the group has built for their foundation. Though a lot of the beats are accompanied by guest producers, BROCKHAMPTON’s core members including their producer Jabari Manwa, still stand out in his contributions to tracks with captivating beats such as “I’LL TAKE YOU ON” and “WINDOWS.” Despite the production lacking the group’s typical flair, each member stands out respectively with group member Joba absolutely shining the brightest on this album. After his father’s recent passing, he spends a majority of his appearances on the album depicting the event and conveying his trauma. Joba stands out with visceral poetry highlighting his father’s suicide through lines about the hammer of a gun and how his father will live forever in stories he’ll pass down to his grandchildren and their grandchildren. “THE LIGHT’’ tells a gruesome scene of the singer walking into the room where his father took his life. Lyrics including “Think I always will be haunted
by the image / of a bloody backdrop, skull fragments in the ceilin’ / felt your presence in the room, heard my mother squealin’” paints a gruesome but very real image. Track 12, “DEAR LORD,” sung by Bearface, acts as a group prayer to send off their bandmate’s beloved father. “THE LIGHT PT. II” concludes the album with Joba writing encouraging words. “The past does not define you / the light is worth the wait” Joba sings, indicating a positive take away and moving past this traumatic experience. Moments like these, along with strong lyrics by group members Dom McLennon on “WHEN I BALL” demonstrate a sense of joy and optimism as the group nears their end. Each member seems ready to ride the journey to a positive conclusion. Despite some impressive individual songs, “ROADRUNNER: NEW LIGHT, NEW MACHINE” fails to establish a core aesthetic that ties the album together. The album exemplifies that the members of the group perform their best individually, since the group’s synergy just isn’t present.
Follow Alan on Twitter @Thebrownsinatra
Open mic empowers Asian students By Isalia Gallo COPY EDITOR
Cheerful music and a bright, colorful poster celebrated Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage month during a Thursday online open mic. The open mic, which occurs monthly, was hosted by San Jose State’s MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center on Zoom. Program coordinator Sharon Singh said SJSU MOSAIC have hosted open mics to give a platform to students who are visual artists and poets. “With everything going on in the world, we really wanted to have student artists’ voices and our feature artists voices to represent and speak on what’s going on,” Singh said in a Zoom interview. SJSU MOSAIC’s open mics have been a tradition for about 10 to 15 years and this month’s open mic was in honor of Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Heritage month, Singh said. Kenny Jackson, SJSU MOSAIC’s cultural programmer, and Parul Puri, task force student coordinator, began by introducing themselves and encouraging “free speech, not hate speech.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF SJSU MOSAIC CROSS CULTURAL CENTER
Visual artist and nutritional science junior, Nina Chuang said she creates her artwork through her perspective as an Asian American woman. As a Taiwanese-Malaysian American, Chuang said she began researching Asian American activism in history books during high school and was inspired to incorporate what she learned into her work to inform others.
I realized that Asian American women have grown up in a society where they are told to be ashamed of their culture, to be ashamed to be a woman, that’s what kind of inspired me with some of my pieces, that Asian women embody fierceness that is not really acknowledged within our communities. Nina Chuang Visual artist and nutritional science junior
“I realized that Asian American women have grown up in a society where they are told to be ashamed of their culture, to be ashamed to be a woman,” Chuang said in a phone interview. “That’s what kind of inspired me with some of my pieces, that Asian women embody fierceness that is not really acknowledged within our communities.” She also said she’s never showcased her work in an open mic before and felt unfamiliar with the atmosphere. However, she was inspired by the event’s featured artist, William Nu’utupu Giles. Giles is a Samoan poet and arts educator from Honolulu, Hawaii, who has performed in places including the San Francisco Opera House, the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts in Washington D.C. and Broadway’s New Amsterdam Theatre, according to SJSU MOSAIC’s Instagram. Their work has also been featured on HBO’s documentary “Russell Simmons Presents: Brave New
Voices,” The National Parks Service, the YouTube channel Button Poetry and NBC News. Giles’ heartfelt performance began with “Synonyms for Mistake,” a poem about their birth. They performed another poem called “Oral Traditions” about the Pacific Islander storytelling tradition and how their culture was colonized in Hawaii. Giles made a strong connection to their culture and a painful
description of how language can be lost through time. “I think that in our country, especially through the [U.S.] education system, we’re taught to really be silent, [to] not speak our truth and become workers for capitalism,” Giles said. “But I think poetry and storytelling is one of the most powerful things people can do on an individual level.” Singh said SJSU MOSAIC chose Giles as its featured artist because it wanted to bring distinct voices onto the platform. “Pacific Islanders often don’t get heard,” Singh said. “[They are] tokenized or they’re not really considered and there’s a long history of that in the U.S.” With recent violence targeting the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American community in the U.S., the art and poetry in the open mic was just some of the ways Asian American students and SJSU faculty have come together to show support and embrace each other.
Follow Isalia on Twitter @i5alia
I think that in our country, especially through the [U.S.] education system, we’re taught to really be silent, [to] not speak our truth and become workers for capitalism but I think poetry and storytelling is one of the most powerful things people can do on an individual level. William Nu’utupu Giles Poet and arts educator
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SPORTS
TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 2021
5
SJSU Esports Club takes on global competition By Madison Fagundes STAFF WRITER
San Jose State Esports Club’s Valorant Blue Team claimed victory on Sunday after 10 SJSU Valorant teams competed against each other to decide which would advance to a regional tournament. The RedBull Global Valorant Tournament involves more than 300 universities in about 50 countries. It’s only the second global Valorant tournament in history since the game launched in June. Liam Mangual, business administration senior and the Valorant team manager for SJSU, said he’s confident in the players’ abilities to make it to the international competition. “They’ve been together for awhile, so they really have that synergy which is really important mentally, as well as being able to trust each other in terms of making sure that everybody is on the same page,” Mangual said. Valorant is a competitive first-person shooter game where teams of five are pitted against each other. Every team in each round is assigned an offensive or defensive position. The offensive team must plant “spikes,” or bombs, while the defense must work to defuse the spikes. There are 15 characters or “agents” players can choose from, each with various strengths and weaknesses. The first team to win 13 rounds clinches a victory. The regional competition is on April 18, followed by the national competition on June 1. The global competition
ILLUSTRATION BY BIANCA RADER
will be held in person in Spain on June 18-20. The regional and national competition levels will be held online because of the coronavirus pandemic. Mangual said the tournament will become more competitive as it progresses. There is no loser bracket and each round is the best of one game. The SJSU team is among the most decorated collegiate Valorant teams in the U.S., according to Edward Jae Ham, vice president of SJSU Esports Club. The team has won five titles in the last six months alone from various
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They’ve been together for awhile, so they really have that synergy which is really important mentally, as well as being able to trust each other in terms of making sure that everybody is on the same page. Liam Mangual Valorant team manager
collegiate tournaments despite never meeting each other in person because of the pandemic. “We have won quite a few events over the past couple of semesters, so I’d say we have a pretty
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Esports’ Twitter account if the team progresses that far. Brandon Wright, a business administration senior, said he’s excited to take part in the competition regardless of recognition. “I just appreciate the fact that we can compete during COVID and everything,” Wright said. “You know other sports, they have no opportunities at all to compete because of [the pandemic].”
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good shot at getting into the international event,” Ham said. Some of the players on SJSU’s team feel that despite their history of victories, they’re overlooked by the university. Many teams
they face and defeat are apart of varsity programs at their schools and receive benefits SJSU players don’t, including scholarships. Mangual said he believes SJSU Valorant players deserve to be given the same opportunities as other schools and this competition is their chance to prove it. “If we make it to the international finals and SJSU doesn’t recognize us, then I don’t know what’s going to change that,” Mangual said. Though many of the early matches are not streamed on Twitch, later stages of the competition will be broadcasted and links will be posted on SJSU
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Alum Rock Counseling Center and Santa Clara County are excited to invite you to Virtual You! Virtual You is a series of free virtual wellness groups for young people ages 12-25 aimed to build community and create space for connection. Our goal is to help you wind-down, re-center, and invest in yourself by incorporating self-care into your daily lives. Below are schedules and descriptions of our current groups: MINDFUL MONDAYS: This is a group to practice and learn about mindfulness. This group is for you whether you’re brand new to the practice or have been in a long-term relationship with mindfulness. Weekly themes include Grounding, Gratitude, Self-Love, and more! Middle School: Weekly on Mondays | 3:15-3:45pm High School & College: Weekly on Mondays |4:00-4:30pm COLOR & VIBE: In this group, you’ll learn to implement self-care by vibing to music and making art. Participants will learn to make color wheels, choose coloring sheets, create self-portraits, do photo and shapes art, and follow along with step by step “how to draw” tutorials. All Young People: Weekly on Tuesdays | 4:30-5:30pm GAME NIGHT: Virtual you is hosting Game Nights! The middle school group will rotate playing Among Us, Jackbox, and board games. The Game Night After Dark group will rotate through Super Smash bros, Jackbox, Nintendo games, and more! Middle School: Weekly on Wednesdays | 4:30-5:30pm Game Night After Dark (High School & College): Weekly on Wednesdays | 5:45-6:45pm TALK SPACE: This group is a space to “let it all out.” There will be different topics each week and we will hold space for you to vent about it all. Topics will range from how hard zoom school is, grieving social events, to just missing the normal life things. Whatever it is, we’re here for you. Middle School: Every 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month | 4:30-5:30pm High School and College: Every 2nd & 4th Thursday of the month | 4:30-5:30pm SHOW & TELL: Show & Tell is a fun way to show off your favorite things! Whether you want to show off your pets, plants, cool gadgets, instruments, or anything else, this is a fun space to share and learn from one another! Middle School: Weekly on Fridays | 4:00-5:00pm High School & College: Weekly on Fridays | 5:15-6:15pm To sign up, go to www.tinyurl.com/virtualyougroups. Please note: you do not have to be enrolled into any other ARCC or Santa Clara County Program to be eligible to participate. CHANCE TO WIN MONEY! Every session you attend will enter you into a raffle for a once/month $15 Visa gift card! Additionally, we’re introducing the “bring a buddy” incentive, where any time you bring a friend to group, you and your friend will be entered into a once/month $20 gift card raffle!
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