Issuu

NAMED NATIONAL FOUR-YEAR DAILY NEWSPAPER OF THE YEAR FOR 2020-21 IN THE COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION’S PINNACLE AWARDS

Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Volume 158 No. 38 SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934

WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY

SJSU group objects to new jail By Joaquin De La Torre STAFF WRITER

Students Against Mass Incarceration, a San Jose State student group held a protest Friday in front of the Santa Clara County main jail on West Hedding Street, calling for the Santa Clara County board of supervisors to halt the construction of a new prison and reallocate funds to mental health services for current inmates. Demonstrators chanted phrases including, “Can’t get well in a cell!” as they stood at the corner of 100 West Hedding street. “The construction of the new jail . . . has taken away the people’s power [because] they voted to [construct] a jail without any public opinion,” said Matthew Ferreira, sociology sophomore and lead SAMI organizer during a Zoom interview. Santa Clara County’s board of supervisors voted three to two on Jan. 25 for the construction of a new jail in place of sections of the Elmwood

JOAQUIN DE LA TORRE | SPARTAN DAILY

JAIL | Page 2

Matthew Ferreira, SJSU sociology junior and organizer of the campus group Students Against Mass Incarceration, (right) leads a chant yelling, “Can’t get well in a cell” with other protesters in front of the Santa Clara County Main Jail on West Hedding Street on Friday.

Reversal of Roe v. Wade detailed in leaked draft opinion By Bojana Cvijic NEWS EDITOR

MADILYNNE MEDINA | SPARTAN DAILY

SJSU students and community members from various advocacy groups including the student organization Cops Oﬀ Campus attend a policing forum hosted by UPD in the Martin Luther King Jr. Library on Thursday.

Student and local advocates call to disarm, defund at UPD forum By D’Netrus Chevis-Rose STAFF WRITER

San Jose State students, community members and local advocacy groups attended a police forum hosted by SJSU UPD on Thursday expressing various concerns regarding the university’s police department. Before the forum at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library, students and advocacy groups including Human Empowerment and Radical Optimism (HERO Tent), marched through Tower Lawn calling for the defunding of SJSU UPD. HERO Tent organizer Jesi Faust said the initial goal of the protest was to express “concrete demands that are designed to decrease police violence for the protection of Black people in the surrounding neighborhood and on campus.” “Our ultimate goal is to protect people in San Jose, who are oppressed by our white supremacist, capitalist system, and work

on creating a community of care where we can actually provide safety for each other,” Faust said. After a few minutes, Charlie Faas, SJSU Vice President of Administration and Finance, asked the protesters to join the UPD forum in the library. Lieutenant Eric Wong, SJSU Detective Sergeant of Investigations and Crime Prevention presented information during the forum and helped facilitate questions from attendees. The presentation included an overview of the various UPD roles and future plans for the department. Michael Carroll, who started as SJSU police chief in January, shared updates regarding UPD projects from this year. The UPD presentation detailed proposed future investments to improve the university police department including approximately 20 different projects, including revising the

UPD | Page 2

The Supreme Court voted to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, according to a leaked draft majority opinion written by Associate Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito obtained by POLITICO. Roe v. Wade is the 1973 decision that people across the U.S. the choice to have an abortion, ruling a state law banning abortion unconstitutional. The opinion, written in early February, would end federal constitutional protection of abortion and would return to each state deciding whether to restrict or ban abortion, according to the POLITICO article. “Roe was egregiously wrong from the start,” Alito wrote in the leaked document. “ . . . It is time to heed the Constitution and return the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives.” The opinion is still considered to be the draft majority, with the opinion being subject to change before the final release expected in early June or July, according to the same article. “If the Supreme Court does indeed issue a majority opinion along the lines of the leaked draft authored by Justice Alito, the shift in the tectonic plates of abortion rights will be as significant as any opinion the Court has ever issued,” the American Civil Liberties Union stated on Twitter Monday. According to a March 16 Guttmacher Institute article, a pro-reproductive rights research group, 22 states will have laws imposing strict restrictions on abortions, with 18 states including Alabama, Wisconsin, Texas,, and Tennessee will impose near total bans. No draft decision in the history of the Supreme Court has ever been disclosed publicly while the case is still pending, according to the same Politico article. SJSU linguistics junior Brandon Rodriguez said he’s concerned about the abortion bans that may occur. “I also think it’s scary because these sort of bans don’t always stop at their intended goals, they continue to spread, chipping away at everyone’s right to have a say in what goes on with their bodies,” he said. “We’re already seeing it with the rights of transgender people - I can’t imagine what’s next.” Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

sjsunews.com/spartan_daily

NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

UPD Continued from page 1 mission statement and core values, the campus firearm policy and creating recruitment flyers for UPD’s 16 vacant positions. Carroll added that the UPD’s campus firearm policy hasn’t been updated since 1969. Carroll said specifically, the department will analyze “who can and cannot carry firearms on campus.” Some attendees said they disagree with campus police carrying guns, saying the presence of firearms during the presentation event made them feel uncomfortable in the meeting room. UPD Sergeant, Chris Zonsius, said his armed uniform is not meant to be intimidating, it’s meant to protect the community. “It’s a safety issue for officers, instances especially in California where officers are being killed randomly on the street,” Zonsius said. “We obviously want to give ourselves an ability to protect ourselves and the community.”

Our ultimate goal is to protect people in San Jose, who are oppressed by our white supremacist, capitalist system, and work on creating a community of care where we can actually provide safety for each other. Jesi Faust

organizer of advocacy group Human Empowerment and Radical Optimism (HERO Tent)

Advocacy members argued that their approach to a safer community is having unarmed officers patrol, rather than officers with guns. “When you’re asking officers to be unarmed, how would you deal with someone who’s violent with a knife or a gun, how realistic is that?” Zonsius said. Sadie Stoner, SJSU sociology sophomore and exchange student from England, said during the forum that she is uncomfortable with American police because she observed officers always carry guns. “This isn’t normal, this is absolutely wild, I come here and I’m scared, like there’s other

JAIL Continued from page 1 Correctional facility and the entire Main Jail Complex North, according to a Jan. 25 San Jose Spotlight article. County supervisors Cindy Chavez and Susan Ellenberg voted no, while supervisors Mike Wasserman, Otto Lee and Joe Simitian voted yes. The new maximum-security jail will house 500 inmates and is intended to address issues of inhumane living conditions for Santa Clara county inmates, according to the same article. “This is Silicon Valley, home to an extremely intelligent community,” said Xavier Espanol, member of Silicon Valley De-Bug. “I know we can come up with a better way to use $390 million focusing on care, mental health and inclusion of the people who are continually

MADILYNNE MEDINA | SPARTAN DAILY

Matthew Ferreira, SJSU sociology junior and Students Against Mass Incarceration organizer, leads a chant on campus Thursday.

resources, there’s other ways,” Stoner said. In response to Stoner, Carroll explained that hosting the forum was one of the first steps for UPD to hear from the community and consider ideas for improvements in the department. Carroll also mentioned the Task Force for Community Policing and Safety report, which was released a month before his arrival, which details policing data including some aspects of the UPD budget. The initiative was created by former SJSU President Mary Papazian in July 2020 in an effort to “examine and begin to address systemic racism,” according to the task force website. Faust and several other community members said they believe SJSU needs to consider diverting money from UPD to invest money into other student-related issues including student homelessness. “Would that money be better spent on housing students and actually having them in a safe, secure place to live? This is what we

affected by incarceration.” McKenzie Owens, global studies senior and lead researcher for SAMI, said the stories of jailneglect regarding Michael Tyree and Andrew Hogan highlight the inadequate care for inmates with mental illnesses. Three Santa Clara County correctional officers were charged with Tyree’s murder, according to a Sept. 8, 2015 Santa Clara County press release. “Andrew Hogan was having a mental health crisis,” Owen said in a Zoom interview. “He was in a transfer van and . . . they didn’t do anything as he was banging his head against a wall for over 15 minutes.” Hogan now suffers from multiple disabilities and is permanently paralyzed, Owens said. There are 2,543 inmates inside Santa County jails and about 44%, or 1,109, of them suffer from mental illnesses but in the entire county there are only 247 psychiatric beds available, according to a May 2021 report by Silicon Valley De-Bug. Silicon Valley De-Bug is a San Jose-based platform focused on advocacy, storytelling and organizing,

mean by building community alternatives to the police,” Faust said during the forum. Officers mentioned that according to the task force report, the UPD budget is less than 1% of SJSU’s overall budget. Several audience members, including Faust, said they still disagree with the amount of money allocated for the university police department. “We’re not interested in more money going to the police department . . . We think that the money would be better spent in creating alternatives that are not connected to police,” Faust said. Faust said she believes the university should invest in mental health professionals as alternatives to police. “If you all want to work with mental health professionals that’s great,” she said. “But the money that’s going to these frankly ridiculous ideas could be spent on actually providing service.” Wong said the department is not opposed to receiving help from outside sources such as

according to its website. “If [inmates] have mental illnesses and that might be a reason why they are in prison, shouldn’t we [address] that instead of just punishing them for it?” said Abraham Perdomo, second year sociology major and SAMI member. The recidivism rate, or one’s likelihood to become a repeat offender and return to prison, for inmates with mental illness is 50 to 250% higher than inmates with no mental health conditions, according to a 2014 National Library of Medicine article. After the protest, SAMI held a press conference at the Santa Clara County Executive’s Office at noon where speakers included SAMI members, two Silicon Valley pastors

trained psychologists, because UPD officers are not trained to deal with individuals struggling with a mental illness. “We’re not psychologists, we don’t have doctorates,” Wong said. “If I could have a doctor with me for a medical call, I’d rather have the doctor there. We are trying to better ourselves.”

Bojana Cvijic contributed to this article.

and Jeff Moore, former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily demolishing the older structure of Elmwood Main Jail, and reduces San Jose’s jail capacity from 835 beds at the outdated existing facility

If [inmates] have mental illnesses and that might be a reason why they are in prison, shouldn’t we [address] that instead of just punishing them for it?

“When it cam came down to the vote on Jan. 25, 2022, the supervisors 20 decided to betray their constituents betr with a three to two vote in favor of a new maximum favo security jail,” Perdomo secu said during the protest. Before the vote, B Ellenberg presented Ell non-carceral alternatives to the alte board to reject the boa construction of a new con jail with hopes to find more comprehensive mo restorative practices, re aaccording to a JJanuary 24 Santa Clara County press release. “To supervisor Wa s s e r m a n , supervisor Lee and supervisor Simitian, we ask: What changed in the year since the supervisors unanimously superv voted to explore noncarceral alternatives?” carcera Perdomo said. However, a press release Howeve issued by the county of Santa Clara on January 26 JOAQUIN DE LA TORRE | SPARTAN DAILY Students Against Mass Incarceration members protest against Santa Clara County’s new jail construction and stated that building the new jail is a step towards call for the funds to be reallocated to mental health services for inmates at the county main jail on Friday.

Abraham Perdomo sociology sophomore

to 500 beds. The press release was issued after the board of supervisors voted to pass Otto Lee’s recommendations that the new facility “provide more comprehensive behavioral health care and expand communitybased alternatives to pre-trial incarceration.” Supervisor Lee called San Jose’s existing jail facility “inhumane,” and said the new facility would focus on rehabilitation and would reduce incarceration of people who are frequently detained due to mental health issues, according to the same press release. Speakers at the Friday protest said in addition to mental health services, funds need to be allocated toward the K-12 education system. “I want to let you know that right now, the lowest performing schools in our neighborhoods have 67% of the inmates inside the jail system,” Moore said.

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

sjsunews.com/spartan_daily

NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

INFOGRAPHIC BY CHRISTINA CASILLAS & BOJANA CVIJIC; SOURCE: MAYORAL DEBATES

San Jose mayoral candidates take stage at SJSU to answer questions on city’s future By Jennifer Schildge & Eva Martin STAFF WRITERS

The four candidates running for the position of San Jose mayor gathered in San Jose State Union Theater on Thursday for a debate moderated by Damien Trujillo for NBC News Bay Area. The debate was sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) California, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose their way of living as they age, according to its website. The four candidates are Santa Clara County district two supervisor Cindy Chavez, and council members Dev Davis, Matt Mahan and Raul Peralez representing districts 6, 10, and 3, respectively. The four candidates answered six questions in 90 seconds each, in a different order for each question. All the mayoral candidates presented their platforms about youth civic participation, maintenance of the city’s parks, financial support for small businesses, transportation improvements, and housing solutions in San Jose, with a central point being affordable housing.

Civic participation Maureen Dela Cueva, political science senior, asked the candidates what their propositions were to increase civic participation from the youth. “I made a key point of it to have a really strong relationship with the university to ensure that we can get that civic participation out of our student base here at San Jose State,” Peralez said. Peralez added that it was important to engage the community at a young age, especially low income and immigrant families. Davis said civic engagement is not only about voting, but also about “taking advantage of the services that are available to you” and getting involved in the community. “The best thing that we can do is help people get involved with the issues they are passionate about,” Mahan said. Chavez, who is an SJSU political science alumna, said students should collaborate with candidates to find ways to engage the youth.

Housing The main topic throughout the debates was housing. With the Bay Area

continuing to struggle under the weight of its houselessness crisis, the mayoral candidates spoke on what they would do for affordable housing. One of the questions presented to the candidates by SOMOS Mayfair, a community organization in San Jose, was about the Community Opportunity to Purchase Act, or COPA. The act would allow qualified nonprofit buyers or tenants to make the offer on residential properties, according to the city of San Jose website. “It really will give the community an opportunity to come in and purchase. Not a mandate, not a requirement. . . But an opportunity for us to be able to purchase that and convert that into permanent affordable housing for our community members,” Peralez said. Breaking with most of the candidates, Davis said she does not support COPA. Chavez and Mahan also had concerns about the execution of COPA, with Chavez wondering how preservation of the buildings will be funded. “Now as it relates to COPA. I don’t think we should be looking at single family homes or four-plexes. I do like the idea of looking at large apartment complexes because I think that’s an opportunity,” Chavez said. Mahan said he supports nonprofits and their right to purchase buildings to convert into affordable housing, but is concerned about how COPA is structured. “ . . . I don’t agree with the mechanism because it basically just creates a new rule set and extends the friction and the timeline around selling or transferring property without solving the real problem which is needed to identify the funding to preserve affordable housing,” Mahan said. Another question posed by AARP is how the candidates would help older adults stay housed during the homelessness crisis in San Jose. According to the organization, senior homelessness is on the rise, with many losing their support networks as people are leaving the area due to the high cost of housing. “I’d say at the end of the day, a lot of these housing issues are going to come down to supply and demand and we have to get barriers out of the way to build up and significantly increase the housing supply and particularly affordable by design incentivizing developers to build smaller units with more shared space,” Mahan said. “That is such a key component whether you’re a young child or whether you’re a senior and you need that affordable

housing and for me, that’s the biggest hurdle and light rail Caltrain,” Chavez said. “So that that we have in our way is the political we really are seamless in our community in terms of how all of these schedules work world,” Peralez said. together.” Parks and recreation Mahan said that embracing innovation in A recent city auditor report stated that transportation is the future. San Jose has half a billion dollars in deferred Peralez said that the reason why public park maintenance, but so many residents are transit is the way it is because the city has utilizing outdoor spaces. not prioritized public transit in this county. Deferred park maintenance and backlog When asked if he would preserve the refers to total cost of all maintenance current road capacity there is right now for projects that were not complete, according vehicles, his answer was “definitively, no.” to a Nation Park Service infographic. Concluding statement Guadalupe River Park Conservancy raised the question of what a strategy would All candidates had 90 seconds to make a be to close that gap and ensure that residents concluding statement about their platform have access to well cared for open spaces. and the debate. “San Jose is facing big problems. We know Small business what they are: homelessness, blight, public Chavez said that City Hall should be safety, housing affordability, and city hall the support small businesses are missing really must begin to help and not hinder our compared to big companies with growth,” Davis said. many resources. Mahan said the city needs a government Mahan said that it’s needed to create a safe more focused, data-driven and accountable and appealing environment around small for results. businesses to support them. Chavez said she believes any of the “We want people to also come to places candidates will not have all the answers, like downtown and walk around and spend including her, but she has the experience time that also leads to us investing in arts with the community to “make big and cultural events,” Mahan said. things happen.” Davis said she wants to implement a “I think we all have different perspectives, permanent foot patrol for police officers to whether our personal stories or our deter crime and build a community in the professional experiences and our priorities business neighborhood. that we want to be able to lead on,” Peralez Peralez said that downtown San Jose said. “Hopefully you learned a lot about turned into a “ghost town” during the us tonight and are able to make your coronavirus pandemic and it’s necessary to decision easier.” The 2022 San Jose mayoral election will support new and existing small businesses as be held June 7. emerging from the coronavirus pandemic. “We need to be a better resource for these small businesses to make it a more equitable playing field so that way they can have Bojana Cvijic contributed to this article. that same shot that the large corporations,” Peralez said.

Transportation The project to bring BART to San Jose will take longer and will now cost more bringing the total to $4 million, according to a Feb. 18 NBC Bay area article. Public transportation was raised in discussion but an audience member took a basic question a step further by asking how the mayoral candidate would make public transit a practical alternative. Chavez said that people in this community love transportation so much that we have taxed ourselves heavily. “One of the most important things that we could get out of all the investments we’re making is better coordinating BART, buses

Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily

sjsunews.com/spartan_daily

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

AMANI HAMED | SPARTAN DAILY

Attendees take photos next to a large poster of comedian Hasan Minhaj at his Saturday show at the San Jose Center for Performing Arts in Downtown San Jose.

Comedian relates to immigrants By Amani Hamed & Saumya Monga EXECUTIVE PRODUCER & A&E EDITOR

Indian-American comedian Hasan Minhaj brought his relatable jokes and South Asian experiences to the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday. More than 2,000 people made up the diverse audience, which included many Indian immigrants, Black San Jose natives and Muslim-Americans celebrating Ramadan. Minhaj, a Davis native, gained popularity when he joined “The Daily Show” in 2014. Since then, Minhaj has spoken at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in 2017 and started his own Netflix show “The Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj,” which was canceled in 2020. Many attendees said they were happy to see a comedian openly share his South Asian experiences, especially in an industry that is largely white dominated. “During his last live show, ‘Homecoming King,’ he talks a lot about growing up and being the only brown kid in a very white space,” said Priyanka Thatipamala, an audience member. “I mean, since he grew up in Sacramento and my sister and I also grew up in really white spaces. And so all of that was really relatable. He tells a really relevant immigrant story being the child of immigrants.” “Homecoming King” was Minhaj’s 2017 comedy tour which was released on Netflix on May 23 the same year.

Attendees said there aren’t many South Asian comedians and many cater to white audiences instead of openly embracing their culture. “What I do appreciate about [Hasan is that] he’s still married. He still talks about being Muslim. Not to point fingers, but I think there are a lot of people in this situation that you know . . . they just kind of talk negatively about Islam,” said Mohamed Zeiny, who attended the show with his siblings.

to be new Muslim converts and attempted to coerce confessions out of Muslim children. His storytelling never missed a beat as he walked the audience through a harrowing tale of him almost being arrested, eliciting gasps from the audience. Minhaj never diminished the severity of the situation while also laughing at the absurdity of his experiences. Ahmed Zeiny, an SJSU alumnus,

He brought up the case of Hamid Hayat, a Lodi teen who was coerced into confessing to terrorist conspiracies and spent 14 years in prison before being released in 2020. In an act of defiance, Minhaj named his Netflix show after the act that he said targeted him and many other American Muslims for years. As the comedy show progressed, Minhaj told stories where he gave a “metaphorical middle finger” to governments and individuals who’ve done irrevocable harm to citizens. In a relentless pursuit of truth, justice, and yes, Instagram clout, Minhaj chronicles his battle with Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman and how his hubris began to affect his growing family. Minhaj’s show was fast paced, moving from jokes that left you breathless to moments of sincerity that had you almost in tears. Mohamed Zeiny In a December episode of comedy show attendee “Patriot Act”, Minhaj said “ [My father] survived for us, but I’m trying to live.” said he enjoyed that Minhaj took serious Minhaj lives up to that quote. moments that are relatable to many His parents had to “keep their heads Muslim kids who grew up post-9/11 and down” as many immigrants do, but he made them funny and relatable. is not afraid for others to see him as “I was about to talk about a Muslim, an Indian American and ‘Brother Eric’ that is so on the nose a comedian. and the fact that he’s able to make that funny . . . it’s fantastic,” he said. Zeiny said he was skeptical of white converts who suddenly appeared at mosques after 9/11. Minhaj talked about the passage of the Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter Patriot Act in 2001, which made it easier @SpartanDaily to surveil Muslim communities.

What I do appreciate about [Hasan is that] he’s still married. He still talks about being Muslim. Not to point fingers, but I think there are a lot of people in this situation that you know . . . they just kind of talk negatively about Islam.

Much of the show felt like a series of inside-jokes Minhaj had with immigrant audience members. Minhaj’s unique delivery was reminiscent of his Patriot Act show and mixed visual elements, lighting changes and a touching vulnerability and hilarious physical comedy. His strongest, most compelling joke was about him being targeted by a federal government agent known as “Brother Eric,” an experience many Muslim kids find relatable. Agents like “Brother Eric” pretended

sjsunews.com/spartan_daily

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

Kehlani embraces tranquility of romance and their journey to self-love on their 13-track album released on Friday. According to a March 24 Rolling Stone article, Kehlani’s latest album “blue water road” is a peaceful Kehlani described “blue water road” as a “destination,” healing experience that allows listeners to spread their giving listeners a chance to experience Kehlani’s road to wings and fly across the shore. understanding their identity. The singer-songwriter Kehlani, who “To me, the album is like a glass house. It’s light, goes by she/they pronouns, told a story transparent, and the sun is shining right through it,”

By Madilynne Medina and Royvi Hernandez EXECUTIVE EDITOR AND SCIENCE & TECH EDITOR

Singer-songwriter explores loss and healing in transcendent ‘blue water road’ The instrumentals of “little story,” the album’s opening track, feature soft, expressive strums of a guitar, giving listeners a soothing glimpse of the spiritual journey Kehlani experienced while making the album. The title of the track also represents simplicity and elegance: “You swear I’d leave you at the altar/working on being softer.” Near the end of the track, Kehlani’s voice fades and an orchestral crescendo dominates the song and makes the listener feel overwhelmingly restored as if you’ve let out a deep, cleansing breath of crisp, fresh air. “Little story” makes listeners feel weightless as Kehlani harmonizes with violins and brings listeners to a sense of sublime peace. Following “little story,” the next track “any given sunday,” features American rapper Blxst. The song gives heavy nostalgia for Sunday night vibes, with Kehlani’s calm voice and a smooth trap beat in the background. Kehlani creates a perfect balance between soothing vocals and bold lyrics, singing ”This shit is presidential got you stimulated, to you I’m more than famous, call me daddy in front of all your bitches in the lobby.” This is one of the best songs on the album, because the beat makes a fluid and effortless transition to Blxst’s verse, “Fourth time back this week, I’m tweakin’, got a bag for a walkthrough last weekend.” The album also features two interludes that were beyond beautiful though they differed in musical style. Both tracks reflected the album’s naturalism. “Everything” featured a full and warm sound including violins, making listeners feel as if they could close their eyes and realize everything is going to be okay. Although it was solely instrumental, the track gives listeners a tranquil moment to reflect and escape into the ascending notes. “Shooter interlude” features Kehlani’s effortlessly smooth vocals as they sing about vulnerable life experiences and reminds the world that Kehlani is confident and spirited, despite the swirling chaos of life. “Altar” debuted as a single in September 2021 before the album’s release and triumphs as a spiritual and passionate leading track. While there are themes of romance in the track, some listeners may interpret the song as a tribute to those who may

have lost loved ones because of the tender lyrics that offer divine healing rather than heart-wrenching grief which is paired with a shimmering synth beat. According to a March 24 Rolling Stone article, Kehlani tweeted that the song is dedicated to “all those I have lost, all the angels I have gained, all those that walk with me with hands cracking my chest open.” The song has a special place in my heart because it helped my healing process after my 16-year-old cousin died in November. The song is reminiscent of loss and love, but makes you feel like the person you’ve lost is still with you because of the sparkling aura in Kehlani’s voice and the song’s implication of a metaphysical connection to someone you love. The lyrics “Put you on the altar/ stay just a little bit longer/laid it out for ya/thought I’d felt you before/but now you’re closer,” reminded me that although my cousin is no longer on Earth, I still feel her vibrant spirit with me today. “Altar” also allowed me to memorialize my cousin’s young life with relatable lyrics including “Holding on to things you told me/holding on to dreams you showed me/ holding on to anything from you.” Kehlani sings this specific verse in a high-pitched and delicate tone as they long for the one they love. This track was all-encompassing of Kehlani’s mystical and graceful approach to the rest of the album which emphasizes healthy love in all forms. Although “blue water road” doesn’t include Kehlani’s signature rap and R&B style, their soft edge in the most recent album shows their maturity as an individual and as an artist.

Follow Madilynne on Twitter @madilynneee

they said. The album is beautifully written, and shows 27-yearold Kehlani evolving to the next stage of their life. Compared to their previous albums including 2020’s “It Was Good Until It Wasn’t,” they are more at peace and content with their life and its challenges. The album is sensual, reflective, and gracious all at the same time.

Artist leans into love, lust, with fluid melodies and entrancing vocals Kehlani opens the album with an electric guitar as they reflect back on past love in “little story,” and asks for a second chance. They sing “I want you to pick up the pen and write me into your story, you know I love a story only when you’re the author.” Kehlani posted a documentary series on their YouTube channel showing their journey of selfdiscovery and said “little story’ is about me being really honest about not having been the best for this girl that I was with or into, and she’s a writer, and she just writes great stories and it was me just saying I want to finish what we started.” “Any given sunday” also explores infatuation with someone. Drums, snaps and soft acoustics juxtapose lyrics of longing, including “the baddest bitch that’s in the mirror wants to love somebody’s daughter right.” After publicly identifying as a lesbian in April 2021, they portray a masculine role and throughout the track address their love interest spending time in Miami and “making it rain” at the club. The first interlude of the album, “shooter interlude” describes the nonsense they’ve encountered from others and continues with more of the same R&B instrumentals as they sing “ ‘S’ on your chest but you never feel super, do you ever feel stupid? Do you call out for cupid? . . . can I come over later and can I overstay my welcome?” Kehlani told NME in a Friday article that “shooter interlude’ is a compilation of all the bullshit that has come out of people’s mouths towards me.” The guitar riffs vibrate in the background and they continue singing “before you blew up I knew you, before you grew up I used to babysit ya.” They go back and forth to the perspective of what others have said to them and their response at the end of the verses.

album review “blue water road” Rating:

Artist: Kehlani Release Date: April 28, 2022 Genre: [ R&B/Soul ]

“Wish I never” starts with the sample beat of 1995’s “This Is How We Do It” by singer-songwriter Montell Jordan. Kehlani begins, “I never let ‘em win ‘less I say so and I don’t show my cards but I play though.” With a drum beat, they further sing of regret, “Seen the bullet coming but I didn’t dodge it quick enough. I wish I never did it . . . wish I could’ve kept it pimpin should’ve never took that mission.” Kehlani ends the track with a high-pitched siren sound that transitions to the start of the next track. “Up at night” features Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber and showcases Kehlani’s signature R&B music flow. This hip-hop and soul style continues in their other collaboration tracks, “get me started” featuring singer-songwriter Syd and “more than i should” featuring Canadian singersongwriter Jessie Reyez. The second interlude, “everything interlude,” is a 35-second instrumental track featuring violins that makes the listener feel at peace and transitions to the second half of the album. I felt as if I was sitting on a sandy beach, reflecting on my past as ocean waves crashed along the shore. “Melt,” “tangerine,” and “everything” are tracks in which Kehlani maintained a calm, blissful musical vibe while expressing their love, lust and desires, associated with spending time with a romantic partner. They confidently end the album wit h “wonder ing/wander ing” which features singer-songwriters Thundercat and Ambré. Starting with a piano and wave sound, they sing “Took time to enjoy it . . . try to release control . . . rebuild it all, it found me.” Behind a bass beat, Kehlani sang “It left me wondering, wandering, wondering,” their voice’s pitch changing as they sang, “Now I’m living free wondering, I surrender.” Kehlani concludes the track with their daughter saying “and blue water.” Listeners imagine Kehlani and her child wandering on the shore then departing the blue water, unsure of where to go but regardless looking toward the future.

Follow Royvi on Twitter @lesroyvs

sjsunews.com/spartan_daily

SPORTS

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

SJSU women’s golf goes to regionals By Gio Gaxiola STAFF WRITER

San Jose State’s women’s golf team earned the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Ann Arbor regional after dominating their 2022 season. After a record setting victory in the Mountain West Championship on April 20, the Spartans earned an automatic bid to the regional round at U-M Golf Course hosted by the University of Michigan on May 9-11. “We are excited,” head coach Dana Dormann said in a Twitter interview. “The team has been working hard all year and deserved the No. 1 seed. Hopefully we can prove it while we are there.” SJSU will need to bring its A-game as the regional field is stacked with competition and conference winners. There will be 11 other teams competing against the Spartans and six players will play in an individual tournament at the regional. The University of Michigan, a Big-10 conference winner, will look to spoil the Spartans’ season and could be a threat in the regional. The Wolverines are coming into the regional round after shooting a +5 over par in the Big-10 Championship to secure the programs first Big-10 title. Michigan S ophomore Monet Chun was on fire in the last tournament. She finished with a score of -8 under par, which is a new record score for the tournament. In the Spartans group is Big East Championship winner Xavier University. The Musketeers won its third straight Big East Tournament title on April 23 with sophomore

PHOTO COURTESY OF SJSU ATHLETICS

Junior Kajsa Arwefjäll lines up for a shot during the Mountain West Championship on April 20, 2021 at the Mission Hills country club.

Ann Arbor regional. Oakland is the final team that received an automatic bid for winning its Horizon League conference title on April 26. Leading the way was graduate

We are excited, the team has been working hard all year and deserved the No. 1 seed. Hopefully we can prove it while we are there. Dana Dormann

women’s golf head coach

CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE 2

22 26 30

33 38 43

45 50

1 4 9

Follow Gio on Twitter @GaxiolaGio

3 7 5 2 3 1

“How do you ask a baker out on a date?”

54 58

38 46

2 8 4

9 6 4 9

1 8 5 3

35 39

40 49

ACROSS 1. Wall upright 5. Astrological transition point 9. Inquires 13. Glazier’s unit 14. Up to 16. Boat 17. Wood-chopping tools 18. Keyboard instrument 19. Game on horseback 20. Right after fifth 22. Ephemeral 24. Types of dessert 26. Direct 27. Aperture 30. Creative person 33. Cankerous 35. Caper 37. Furrow 38. Munchkin 41. Form of “to be” 42. Water vapor 45. Provided commentary 48. Detestable 51. Pledge 52. Not a winner 54. Totals 55. Sugar or honey 59. Complete 62. Teller of untruths 63. Goes ballistic

3 2 2

6 9 6

Oon is one of the top golfers in the country and will need to continue her dominance for the Spartans to win the regional. “We are familiar with this course,” Dormann said. “We can play in the warm weather and the cold weather. They can throw whatever they want at us in Michigan, we’ll be ready.” If the Spartans win the regional, they will head to the NCAA Championships on May 20 in Scottsdale, Arizona.

JOKIN’ AROUND

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

SUDOKU PUZZLE

21 24

student Amalia Shahzan, the only golfer in the field to shoot under par with a score of -7 under par winning the tournament by 10 strokes. Oakland could play spoiler to any team in the field. Rounding out the tournament field are Virginia, Arkansas, UCF, Virginia Tech, North Carolina, Washington, Ohio State, and Pepperdine. The field looks deep and the competition is going to be top-notch for the Spartans, as they will be relying on Natasha Andrea Oon.

“You bring them Flours!”

Emma McMyler finishing with a score of -3 under par and senior Abby Kiefer tying for first. The Big East champs will look to make a splash in the

59 64

65. Anagram of “Tine” 66. As well as 67. Barrel part 68. Computer symbol 69. Secluded valley 70. Otherwise 71. Cobras DOWN 1. Resorts 2. Cab 3. Unanticipated 4. Preordain 5. Container 6. Module 7. Suns 8. Mexican party item 9. Painkiller 10. Footwear 11. Pottery oven 12. Detect 15. Hermit 21. Inheritor 23. Bristle 25. Kiss and cuddle 27. Not yours 28. Formerly it was a planet 29. Firearm 31. Data 32. Rubber wheels 34. Male child

SOLUTIONS

April 26

65 68

36. Yield 39. A diagram of the Earth’s surface 40. Makes a mistake 43. Wing flap 44. Debatable 46. Defeat decisively 47. Strong-smelling cleanser 49. Utilizers 50. Upper legislative chamber 53. Majestic 55. Dross 56. Bequeath 57. Lack of difficulty 58. Guns an engine 60. At the peak of 61. Focusing glass 64. Observe

PLACE YOUR AD HERE Place your Classified Ads Online at Spartandaily. CampusAve.com

5 6 9 8 4 3 7 1 2

2 1 7 5 9 6 4 8 3

3 4 8 7 4 8 1 9 2 1 7 5 6 2 5 3 9 6

6 5 2 7 3 8 1 9 4

9 1 8 3 9 4 1 6 3 2 3 6 6 7 5 4 2 1 5 8 9 7 4 2 8 5 7

7 2 5 4 8 9 3 6 1

SpartanDailyAdvertising @sjsu.edu

Our office at DBH 213 is closed because of the pandemic.

sjsunews.com/spartan_daily

SCIENCE & TECH

TUESDAY, MAY 3, 2022

OPINION

ILLUSTRATION BY XENA SEO

Fitness mirror fails to boost exercise By D’Netrus Chevis-Rose STAFF WRITER

The future of fitness is quickly evolving, but for the long term health of mankind it’s necessary to keep an appropriate distance with AI fitness and keep a close relationship with natural outdoor hiking and morning jogs. Home fitness-based activities have seen a rising trend since the televised dance workouts in the 1980’s, and now digital home gyms including the new FITURE mirror is another new alternative to outdoor exercise. Regardless of the interactive technology a company squeezes into a smart fitness mirror or dvd home workout series, nothing can compare to a real life outdoor workout experience. The FITURE mirror concept is similar to the aerobic workout videos of the 1980’s, which were centered around burning calories in front of a screen.

reviews covering entertainment and gaming, according to its webpage. While it promotes innovative contact between the human body and artificial intelligence (AI), the end goal is trying to imitate real-life workouts. However, the feeling of a crisp, early morning breeze blowing through hair as the body moves swiftly down a dirt paved path is irreplaceable. Interacting with a virtual being in the front of a sleek new mirror device would be fun for an evening workout before bed but not everyone will be content with relying on screens as their only source of exercise. The atmosphere and sounds of nature in the outside air is a necessity for the body and mind to experience at least once a day. The biophilia phenomenon, introduced in 1984 by Edward O. Wilson, supports the fact that humans physically and mentally thrive in outdoor settings, according to a June 25, 2018 Forbes article.

Regardless of the interactive technology a company squeezes into a smart fitness mirror or DVD home workout series, nothing can compare to a real life outdoor workout experience. The mirror shows motion-capturebased technology in a 43-inch tall, narrow display that can be mounted on a wall or leaned against a flat surface, according to an April 26 Engadget article. Engadget is a technology news and

Researchers concluded in a Japanese study that spending a short period of time outdoors helps reduce cortisol levels, which is a chemical inside the body that causes stress, according to a July 7, 2020 Fitness Nation article.

ABOUT

EDITORIAL STAFF

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.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR MADILYNNE MEDINA

The Spartan Daily is written and published by San Jose State students as an expression of their First Amendment rights.

NEWS EDITOR BOJANA CVIJIC

Reader feedback may be submitted as letters to the editor or online comments.

MANAGING EDITOR CHRISTINA CASILLAS EXECUTIVE PRODUCER AMANI HAMED PRODUCTION EDITOR BRYANNA BARTLETT

MULTIMEDIA & ASSISTANT NEWS EDITOR EVAN REINHARDT A&E EDITOR SAUMYA MONGA ASSISTANT A&E EDITOR JOVANNA OLIVARES

OPINION EDITOR MADISON FAGUNDES 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

Fitness Nation emphasizes that exercising outdoors may naturally lower blood pressure and burn more calories faster compared to indoor workouts.

tracking, body form correction and an accurate rep count during workouts. The advanced features of the FITURE mirror make it stand out from the older

The feel of a crisp, early morning breeze blowing through hair as the body moves swiftly down a dirt paved path is irreplaceable. Outdoor workouts typically require more strenuous effort than an at-home workout, because the consistent change in terrain and weather pushes the body’s muscles to move harder and faster than it would using a machine. Additionally, most people that exercise outdoors improve their breathing techniques because the outdoor breeze is not as polluted as the circulated air inside of a building, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Technology workout alternatives like the FITURE mirror and Apple Watch can be beneficial in some ways because they detect weight loss and precise movements. The difference between a television set and the FITURE mirror is its built-in camera, which monitors people as they run. FITURE tracks the movement of several skeletal points in front of the screen, according to its webpage. Compared to the Lululemon and Tonal smart fitness mirrors, FITURE is the first to include maximum efficiency and precise assistance with performance

Lululemon and Tonal models, which should be most consumers’ motivation for purchasing the mirror. The motion engine provides real-time feedback through the sound and visual of a life-size digital instructor, which is fully interactive and encourages people throughout their workout. The FITURE mirror is a great device that promotes innovation and futuristic contact between the human body and artificial intelligence (AI), but its end goal is trying to imitate real life workouts. Although many companies are finding ways to squeeze technology into a smart fitness mirror or DVD home workout series, these alternative workout methods can’t compare to a natural, outdoor workout experience.

Follow D’Netrus on Twitter @dchevisrose

GRAPHICS EDITORS NICK YBARRA LINDSAY VILLAMOR AUDREY TSENG DAISHA SHERMAN AARON CHEUNG BIANCA RADER HANNAH GREGORIC XENA SEO

ADVERTISING STAFF

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR MIA WICKS

EDITORIAL – MAIN TELEPHONE: (408) 924-3821

STAFF WRITERS D’NETRUS CHEVIS-ROSE JENNIFER SCHILDGE SAMANTHA DIETZ JOAQUIN DE LA TORRE HAILEY FARGO GIO GAXIOLA EVA MARTIN

ADVERTISING REPS TYSON TSOI ERICK BAQUERA ELENA RAZGONOV MOISES LLAMAS HAYLEY WATANABE THI TUYET MAI TRUONG RONALDO MENDOZA ESPINOZA AARON LAO JENNIFER YEH REGINA GRAJO CHELSEY THAI AMARI JOHNSON

SENIOR STAFF WRITERS CHRISTOPHER NGYUEN DON LE JAMIE BENNETT PRODUCTION CHIEF MIKE CORPOS NEWS ADVISER RICHARD CRAIG

CREATIVE DIRECTOR SHANALL SNEED

ADVERTISING ADVISER TIM HENDRICK

EMAIL: spartandaily@gmail.com

ADVERTISING – TELEPHONE: 408-924-3240 EMAIL: spartandailyadvertising @gmail.com

CORRECTIONS POLICY The Spartan Daily corrects all significant errors that are brought to our attention. If you suspect we have made such an error, please send an email to spartandaily@gmail.com.

EDITORIAL POLICY Columns are the opinion of individual writers and not that of the Spartan Daily. Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Editorial Board, which is made up of student editors.