WINNER OF 2023 ASSOCIATED COLLEGIATE PRESS PACEMAKER AWARD, NEWSPAPER/NEWSMAGAZINE NAMED BEST CAMPUS NEWSPAPER IN CALIFORNIA FOR 2022 BY THE CALIFORNIA COLLEGE MEDIA ASSOCIATION AND CALIFORNIA NEWS PUBLISHERS ASSOCIATION
Thursday, May 9, 2024
Volume 162 No. 43 SERVING SAN JOSÉ STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
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Students protest on Smith & Carlos lawn
PHOTOS BY ALINA TA | SPARTAN DAILY
Electrical engineering freshman Sahar Waseem holds a sign in support of Palestine.
A protester holds a sign with a list of demands the group wants the university to complete.
A crowd stands in front of the Olympic Black Power Statue listening to speakers.
A protester shouts into a megaphone in front of Tower Lawn on Wednesday.
Ice skating class canceled at San José State By Alina Ta EXECUTIVE EDITOR
Students at San José State are signing a petition after the Department of Kinesiology permanently canceled its Beginning Ice Skating class. SJSU’s Figure Skating club announced the class was canceled after teaching students to glide on ice for over 30 years, according to an April 27 Instagram post. KIN62A Beginning Ice Skating teaches students the basics of how to skate on ice while teaching students the history of ice skating and teaching students how to stay active, according to the class syllabus. Business management junior Amy Huang, the president of SJSU’s Figure Skating club, said the petition has signatures from around 200 students. “When this news broke out it (was) just a lot of grief, a lot of anger, sadness associated with the loss of this class because it feels like a tradition that has been here for so long is being taken away from us,” Huang said. She said students enrolled in the class were not given
any advanced notice to inform them when the class would be canceled. Two students were sent emails informing them that they were dropped from the class, but there was no additional warnings before April 26, according to the petition. Huang said she was surprised to hear that the class would be canceled because the class typically overflowing with enrollment. “It’s always a bloodbath to get in and students are always like, ‘Can I please just – add me, add me, add me,’ ” Huang said. Tamar Semerjian, the department chair of the Kinesiology Department, said the class was cut because of budget constraints. Semerjian said she understands that students are disappointed by the cancellation and that the department is still trying to offer as many classes as it can within the current budget. “We do hope that in the future we can offer the class again,” she said. Michelle Gentry, the class activities instructor for the class, said that it is really
sad to see that the class has been canceled despite its popularity with students. Gentry said she has been teaching the Beginning Ice Skating class for the past 20 years after her old coach asked her to take over the class. “You know, the kids love my class,” she said. “My class is always full, it’s always maxed out. I have a waiting list every semester.” Gentry said the class started during the early 80s at Eastridge Ice Arena, which closed on April 15, 2004, according to a Facebook page titled “Eastridge Ice Arena - R.I.P.” She said she took the class herself when she was a student at SJSU in 1986. “I really enjoy working with and exposing new people to new skills,” Gentry said. Child development junior Jade Phan, said she felt slightly intimidated when she first started taking the class, but she later discovered a new passion. Phan also said she was already disappointed that there wasn’t an intermediate level for the class before it was canceled.
ALINA TA | SPARTAN DAILY
Human relations junior Sandy Ouk skates around to warm up before completing the class’s final.
“Finding out it was cut completely is really disappointing because people like me that had no interest in any of the other options (and) now this is eliminated as well,” Phan said. “So it's even harder to find something and have fun while exercising.” Gentry said Huang quickly wrote the petition after she heard the class would be discontinued. Huang said the class is a support system for many
students, and it’s hard to see the class being taken away suddenly. “I just felt such immense betrayal from the university,” Huang said. “They only care about money, they don't care about our student experience.” Follow Alina on Instagram @mniatailmp
Editor’s note: The Spartan Daily will resume publishing on Aug. 21, for the 2024 Fall semester. For breaking news, go to SJSUNews.com.