Thursday, Sept. 17, 2020
Volume 155 No. 12 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
A&E
Opinion
Sports
Student animation praised at film festivals
Joe Biden needs to move left to win progressives over
Walk-on athletes’ lives changed by scholarships
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Shooting near SJSU leaves 2 dead By Andrea Briseño NEWS EDITOR
Two people were pronounced dead at the scene and four others sustained injuries after a shooting occurred two blocks south of San Jose State Tuesday night, according to a news release by San Jose Police Department. At the time of publication, no suspect has been arrested or identified, according to the news release. Sgt. Christian Camarillo, an SJPD public information officer, stated in the release that officers responded to reports of a shooting around 10 p.m. near the 600 block of South Eighth Street.
“The first shot I heard I was kind of expecting it to be like a car or something,” SJSU anthropology senior Danielle Celona said over the phone. “But then I kept hearing the shots.” Camarillo said when police arrived at the scene, five victims were found, however a sixth victim who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was identified through the course of the investigation. Danielle Celona Celona, who has lived in Downtown San anthropology senior Jose for nearly four years, said she was not aware of the safety conditions near campus said Celona, who formerly lived in San Bruno. until she chose to attend SJSU and moved into She said she would just like to feel safe. the area. All four victims who were injured in the “I’ve been talking to my parents and my shooting were transported to local hospitals boyfriend . . . I want to get out of San Jose,” for medical treatment and are expected to
I’ve been talking to my parents and my boyfriend . . . I want to get out of San Jose.
survive, stated the SJPD news release. The deceased victims will be identified once the next of kin is contacted. “It doesn’t feel safe, especially because I heard it’s so close to me,” Celona said. “And it’s not the first time I’ve heard gunshots.” These deaths mark the 27th and 28th homicide of the year in San Jose, according to the news release. Anyone with information is asked to contact SJPD Detective Sgt. Ali Miri or Detective Gabriel Cuenca at 408-277-5283.
Follow Andrea on Twitter @andrea_briseno_
Spartans say Zoom classes lack quality By Olivia Gerber
really seamless,” Curry said over Zoom. “You may have a great laptop, but if you have bad internet As most San Jose State classes there’s no way around that.” remain online for the Fall 2020 Curry said her colleagues have semester, students and professors faced struggles with teaching say remote teaching has hindered through Zoom since last semester. “In March when professors were the quality of instruction. Justice studies senior Sydney Sandoval said her professors’ technical difficulties routinely divert the class who all have to wait and offer support through Zoom before the class can start. She said she has noticed a double standard between professors and students, with professors saying they will not accept technical difficulties as an excuse for late work yet they can’t even operate Zoom. “It’s annoying when professors have the ‘I will not accept technical difficulties as an excuse’ Sydney Sandoval attitude but they can barely start justice studies senior class on Zoom,” Sandoval said over the phone. Some professors said they first transitioning, I was in the are also unhappy about the [Instructional Research Center] suspension of in-person teaching. and about 14 or 15 professors Julia Curry, a Chicana and came in asking ‘What is Zoom and Chicano studies professor, said how do we do it?’ ” she said. “It even with the support offered made me feel really bad for them by the university, professors because they didn’t even know are struggling to adjust to what Zoom was.” remote teaching. Professors also said they have ”The university is doing what to spend more time on lesson they can publicity-wise to say planning to ensure they are ready ‘Look, we had faculty take this to lead online lectures because instruction so everything is great, we helped them’ . . . but it’s not REMOTE LEARNING | Page 2 STAFF WRITER
ILLUSTRATION BY HANZ PACHECO
Content creators criticize OnlyFans policy changes Students say celebrity pressure on the subscription service app limits sex workers’ incomes in qurantine
By Bryanna Bartlett & Samantha Herrera ASST. NEWS EDITOR & STAFF WRITER
For San Jose State student sex workers, OnlyFans is not just a side job, it’s their main source of income. But with the news that 22-yearold actor Bella Thorne joined the site, OnlyFans content creators claim she allegedly caused a change in payment policies including caps and holds on payments. Now, many of these students might have to look for other ways to make money, according to a Sept. 3 Cosmopolitan article.
“The worst part about the Bella Thorne scandal is it’s going to really affect content creators,” said an SJSU nursing major and OnlyFans content creator who asked to remain anonymous because she doesn’t want family finding out she’s a content creator. For the rest of the article, she’ll be referred to as “Sophia”. Sophia said over Zoom that for many content creators including herself, the app has been a main source of income, especially since the coronavirus pandemic started. SEX WORK | Page 2
“It’s annoying when professors have the ‘I will not accept technical difficulties as an excuse’ attitude but they can barely start class on Zoom.
CAMPUS VOICES
How do you feel about most Spring 2021 courses remaining online?
“I was about to go through sorority recruitment this weekend but now that the entire school year is online, I’m not so sure anymore.” Rashi Ranka business marketing junior
“I feel more easily distracted than I would with in-person classes. I also really miss being in the classrooms and actually talking to people.” Julius Moridis radio, TV and film sophomore
“We cannot just expect 33,000 students to just walk to classes or have classes with a [limited] amount of people, with having the covid restrictions in place.” Jasmine Chohan communications junior
“It takes time to get adjusted. I prefer in person but I like that I can go back and see my [professor’s] lecture.”
Deep Joshi public relations senior REPORTING BY ALYSON CHUYANG AND GRACE PANG
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NEWS
THURSDAY, SEPT. 17, 2020
ILLUSTRATION BY NICK YBARRA
REMOTE LEARNING Continued from page 1 they have lost access to campus resources. “Now I feel like for a 40-minute lecture, I have to do like six hours of preparation as far as setting up slides, working out the scanning with my phone and then transferring and making sure everything is okay,” Curry said. “I can’t just use the department scanner or just go to the library and do the work that I need to do and I’m sure that’s true for everybody.”
However, Yoshimitsu Shimazu, a world languages and literature professor, said over Zoom that professors have no other choice but to learn to teach remotely. “We were all forced to use online teaching but what can we do? We do what we must to survive,” he said. “We got Zoom training over the summer but that was also virtual.” Shimazu said he has been teaching at SJSU since 1999 and was the first professor on campus to teach Japanese online. He then conducted a study from 1999 to 2004 on the effectiveness of online learning
Crime Blotter Under the influence of a controlled substance and possession of unlawful paraphernalia Sept. 13, 7:15 p.m. at Campus Village 2 Adult arrest
Misdemeanor charge for possession of a controlled substance Sept. 10, 1:48 a.m. at Keyes and South Fifth streets Cited adult
Occupying property without consent Sept. 13, 2:07 a.m. at Spartan Stadium No deposition
Grand theft of money, labor, and property Sept. 8 to 9, between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. at Sigma Chi Fraternity Information only
Armed with intent to commit felony Sept. 12, 8:23 a.m. at South 10th Street and Paseo De San Antonio Active investigation Burglary Sept. 9 to 10, between 2 p.m. 7 a.m. at 1200 block of South 10th Street Information only Trespass and refusing to leave at police officer’s request Sept. 10, 11:32 a.m. at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library Information only Petty theft Sept. 4 to 10, between 3:30 p.m and 8 a.m. at Student Union Information only Hit and run away vehicle, including driving while drunk and without a license Sept. 10, 2:23 a.m. at Floyd and South First streets Adult arrest
Obstruction or resisting an executive officer, auto burglary, vandalism, and possession of unlawful paraphernalia Sept. 9, 11:59 a.m. at Lot 3 Adult arrest Indecent exposure Sept. 8, 11:39 p.m. at Alpha Phi Sorority Cited adult Petty theft Sept. 3 to 8, between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. at Joe West Hall Information only Petty theft Sept. 3 to 8, between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. at Joe West Hall Information only Possession of burglary tools, possession of unlawful paraphernalia, and destruction of evidence Sept. 3, 5:05 p.m. at South First and West Virginia streets Adult cited
Yoshimitsu Shimazu
Continued from page 1 OnlyFans, founded in 2016 by British tech entrepreneur and investor Timothy Stokely, is a subscription service app where sex workers, influencers and other content creators can sell original content to users. This content can range from food, eating and fitness videos, to semi-nude and nude photos and even explicit soft-porn videos. The recent controversy with Thorne started on Aug. 19 when she announced on Instagram that she created an OnlyFans account. According to an Aug. 25 Los Angeles Times article, she made $2 million within a week by charging $20 a month for access to her feed and $200 for a pay-to-view nude photo. However, OnlyFans subscribers tweeted at Thorne and OnlyFans saying that the photo was a scam because it wasn’t a nude photo and they demanded refunds. In regards to OnlyFans payment policy changes, monthly payouts replaced weekly payments for content creators. The other payment change OnlyFans instituted put a cap on the amount creators can charge on their pay-to-view content and the amount a creator can make in tips, which is now capped at $100 for tips and $50 for videos and photos, according to an Aug. 31 Vulture magazine article. “For sex workers, especially those who are career sex workers and don’t have other sources of income, this directly impacts their livelihood and access to their economic resources and stability,” said Jack Caraves, SJSU women, gender and sexuality studies professor, over Zoom. “This again
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PRODUCTION EDITOR CHELSEA NGUYEN FLEIGE A&E EDITOR ERICA LIZARRAGO OPINION EDITOR CHRIS PADILLA SPORTS EDITOR KATHRYN HOEDT
world languages and literature professor
SEX WORK
ABOUT
Reader feedback may be submitted as letters to the editor or online comments.
We were all forced to use online teaching but what can we do? We do what we must to survive. We got Zoom training over the summer but that was also virtual.
GRAPHICS EDITORS NICK YBARRA BRIANA CONTE HANZ PACHECO JASSIMRAN SRA RAQUEL GARCIA
places limitations of what they are able to do on a platform that once was just for adult content and was a lot more ‘free’ in the sense of exchanges that were made.” Sophia said she made $4,000 in her first payout from OnlyFans and it helped her during a financially difficult time, including paying for tuition. “I wasn’t able to work due to the whole quarantine thing, so I thought it would be a good way to make money,” she said. She added that the effects of Thorne’s scandal will impact her
When I was really active, I was making about $2,000 a week. That was a big game changer because it helped me pay for school, books and other things I needed. “Nicole” psychology junior and content creator
income now. “A lot of my [pay-to-view] content is a lot more money than the cap OnlyFans has put so that’s going to definitely affect me,” Sophia said. “Now I’ll just be selling myself short because I know my content is worth a lot more.” Content creators tweeted at Thorne after OnlyFans changed its policies and said Thorne jeopardized the integrity of sex work. “[Thorne] doing that just stigmatized sex workers even more because we aren’t going to be able to put our prices at what we think
SENIOR STAFF WRITERS JONATHAN AUSTIN JOCLYN AGUIRRE ANDREW GLENN STAFF WRITERS LAURA FIELDS SAMANTHA HERRERA RUTH NOEMI AGUILAR ESMERALDA BAUTISTA ISALIA GALLO OLIVIA GERBER SHIRI MARWAHA JOVANNA OLIVARES FELIX OLIVEROS ALEXANDRA SHEZIFI PRODUCTION CHIEF MIKE CORPOS NEWS ADVISER RICHARD CRAIG
through his Japanese classes. “[In the study], I found that students did better with in-person classes. They were less likely to drop the class and received higher test scores,” he said. “Online testing is ineffective, humans cannot be tested on the quantitative level like that . . . I feel bad for the students still paying so much money, [classes] should be in person.” According to the SJSU Bursar’s Office website, SJSU has made no reductions to tuition fees this semester compared to last Fall semester. California State University
Chancellor Timothy P. White said during a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee hearing on July 7, that classes may remain online until the end of the academic year. Erica Diaz, political science and Chicana and Chicano studies senior, said she is not looking forward to the next semester of online classes. “It’s frustrating because distance learning is so hard for me,” she said. “Just knowing that there’s another semester of it makes me dread next semester.”
it’s worth,” Sophia said. “Now a lot of people are going to be looking at that situation and think of sex workers as people who are just scammers and feed into negative stereotypes people have of us.” Thorne posted a series of tweets on Aug. 29 apologizing for hurting the livelihoods of sex workers and content creators and said she will meet with OnlyFans directors to ask about the payment policy changes. “I wanted to bring attention to the site, the more people on the site the more likely of a chance to normalize the stigmas, And in trying to do this I hurt you,” Thorne said in one of the Aug. 29 tweets. “I have risked my career a few times to remove the stigma behind sex work, porn, and the natural hatred people spew.” An SJSU psychology major and content creator who asked to go by her stage name, “Nicole,” because she doesn’t want family finding out about her OnlyFans account, also said the sites’ updated policies are detrimental to her. “When I was really active, I was making about $2,000 a week,” she said over Zoom. “That was a big game changer because it helped me pay for school, books and other things I needed.” She added that she is less active on OnlyFans now because she’s disappointed in the way it’s treating its creators and that it’s just not worth it anymore. “To make these type of changes without thinking about the sex workers who have in a sense built OnlyFans to be what it is today, is not only unfortunate, but irresponsible . . . but it’s not surprising,” Caraves, SJSU women, gender and sexuality studies professor said. Follow Spartan Daily on Twitter @spartandaily
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
THURSDAY, SEPT. 17, 2020
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Student film receives recognition By Stephanie Lam STAFF WRITER
Sitting in front of a computer screen may not be the most exciting way to celebrate receiving an award from a renowned film festival. But for Justin Lee, Aerik Bertulfo and David Diba, San Jose State class of 2020 alumni, the medium through which they find out doesn’t matter. Every message they received about having their 2D-animation film, “First Born,” shown in a film festival is an exciting reminder that their work is being acknowledged by the professional film industry. “First Born” is a 2D-animation film about a young kung fu enthusiast named Arthur who feels overshadowed by his younger sister, Aurora. In order to impress his father, Arthur must perfect a routine for an upcoming kung fu competition. “I didn’t have a second to think we were going to do well [in the film festivals] at all,” Diba said over the phone. “It was just me and my friends trying to make the coolest thing possible.” Although Lee, Bertulfo and Diba didn’t create “First Born” to compete for awards, the film was widely recognized at local and national film festivals. Their film was featured in 20 film festivals since its completion in May and accumulated seven awards over the summer, including a bronze medal from the Independent Shorts Award for the month of May for best animated short. Under normal circumstances, Lee, Bertulfo and Diba said they would’ve attended each festival in person and watched their film with an audience of friends, family and animation industry professionals. But with current social distancing guidelines, the festivals have been showing “First Born” and other featured films on various streaming devices. The film was created by Lee, Bertulfo and Diba as a final thesis project for SJSU’s animation and illustration Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) program. According to SJSU’s animation and illustration website, BFA students are required to complete a thesis project as a graduation requirement. Students can choose to make short films, video games
IMAGE COURTESY OF JUSTIN LEE
“First Born” follows the story of Arthur (right), a kung fu enthusiast who competes against his sister Aurora (left) for his father’s attention.
or graphic comic books. Once the thesis is completed, students are encouraged by professors to apply for art festivals. Lee, Bertulfo and Diba met as underclassmen in the BFA program at SJSU. They eventually became roommates and produced the majority of “First Born” from their one-bedroom apartment. The inspiration to create a film about sibling rivalry came from a remark Bertulfo’s mom made to him during a family dinner. Bertulfo’s younger sister told the family that she was a top student in her math class, an accomplishment Bertulfo didn’t achieve at her age. “I look at my mom and she looks at me and she said, ‘Oh Aerik, it’s OK if you’re not in first place,’ ” he said over the phone. When Bertulfo told Lee about the conversation, the two of them decided to center the film around the pressure first-born children face to be exceptional. When it came to finishing the
I didn’t have a second to think we were going to do well [in the film festivals] at all. It was just me and my friends trying to make the coolest thing possible. David Diba SJSU alumnus
short film, Lee said the university’s campus closure in March actually helped increase the pace of the animation’s production. “If the pandemic didn’t happen, we would have probably been going out more to celebrate our last year of college,“ Lee said over the phone. “Since we didn’t have that, we used all of the time on our short film.” After March, the three created what Lee described as, “an on-going
routine” of eating meals, watching inspirational films and working on “First Born.” They discussed the film even while half asleep on their bunk beds, only several feet away from two small desks they called their studio. Animation and illustration seniors can enlist the aid of students in other departments like music and theatre to help with their thesis projects. Although the animation process picked up speed during the shelter-in-place mandate, the film’s musical production was inconvenienced despite help from SJSU music education alumnus Arnie Co, who was a senior and the film’s music composer at the time. Co said he could no longer conduct live performances for the film because of social distancing regulations. Despite that, he enlisted the help of several non-SJSU friends to record the music. When the film was completed, the animation and illustration BFA program hosted a viewing of the class of 2020’s thesis projects from the
department via the video streaming platform Twitch. Lee said they were overwhelmed with positive feedback from classmates and crew members. “[The film] is so beautiful,” animation and illustration senior Pearl Kaewpanya said over the phone. Kaewpanya worked on “First Born” as a background painter. She was responsible for coloring in the locations of each scene. “I’m proud of the team. Especially knowing how much work they put in it and seeing the whole film coming together from the beginning,” she said. “I had no doubt that it was going to do well.” Lee said that while the rest of the world was being negatively affected by the pandemic, shelter-in-place mandates gave the trio an opportunity to create a project they will remember for years after graduation. “We just got to find that silver lining during the pandemic,” he said. Follow Stephanie on Twitter @StephCLam
Home-based student beauty technicians flourish By Samantha Herrera STAFF WRITER
Three San Jose State students have discovered a new passion for providing home-based beauty services amid salon closures across California. As the coronavirus swept through the state in March, various salons were forced to shut down because of local and state quarantine provisions. “I had gotten laid off from my job and even though I was getting unemployment [benefits] at the time, I felt that I still needed some form of income for my daily necessities,” Alyssa Licea, an undeclared sophomore and homebased nail technician, said over the phone. “Just like any other business, I just wanted [another] form of income because I was struggling a lot through the beginning of quarantine.” Licea and the other SJSU beauty technicians are licensed and follow the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention COVID-19 and social distancing guidelines for their home-based businesses. Licea said she looked at it more as a hobby when she first began. However, she quickly gained customers as beauty treatments rose in demand because of so many salon closures. “When I first started, I didn’t expect as much clientele and I didn’t go into it thinking that this would be a [substantial] form of income,” she said. “When I did start, a lot of
PHOTO COURTESY OF ALYSSA LICEA
Alyssa Licea (left), works on a client’s manicure from her home work station in South San Jose.
girls would [direct message] me and reach out to me because they wanted this service done.” Communications sophomore Monica Gonzalez is a home-based eyelash technician and said she had a similar experience to Licea’s. “I have customers from all over San Jose now,” Gonzalez said over the phone. “I do think that the pandemic definitely helped build my business, along with other home-based businesses too.” Social media platforms like Instagram have helped these home-based beauty technicians promote their work, answer client’s questions and create appointments. Alyssa Varela, an undeclared sophomore and waxing technician said when she began her business,
she was unsure how to build it until she posted her work on Instagram. “When I first started it wasn’t too booming because I didn’t really know how to get myself out there, but once I started to post more I got around 40 new clients,” Varela said over the phone. Once the technicians began promoting their work on social media, they started to see how many people in the community wanted to support local small businesses. “I feel like home-based businesses should be supported through this as long as they’re taking proper safety precautions,” Tess Mosher, a client of Varela’s said. She said she will continue supporting home-based businesses after salons reopen because she
thinks the service is better. Savannah Beltran is a recent client of Licea’s home-based business after seeing Licea promote her services on social media throughout quarantine. “I was seeing Alyssa [Licea’s] Instagram posts and saw that her work came out really nice, so I took a leap of faith and put my trust into it,” Beltran said. She said now she will only go to home-based businesses to support their work because once everything opens back up, she feels that home-based businesses might struggle again. Licea said she didn’t realize how important it was for people to indulge in self-care practices like getting your nails done during quarantine and she appreciates how many clients
she’s gained. All three artists also said they have benefited in other ways after starting their businesses. They said they’ve obtained new skills that have even helped them even do better in school. “Since I got so focused into my business, I feel like I learned new habits like how to stay more organized,” Gonzalez said. She said having a business at 19 years old has taught her useful practices and that she’s never been more proactive with her school work. Both Varela and Gonzalez said along with better organization and time management skills, their new businesses have helped pay for additional expenses required for SJSU. Varela said the extra stream of income allowed her to buy things like textbooks. The technicians said they appreciate the skills and additional income they’ve gained during a time of economic uncertainty. “As I continue to do nails, grow my clientele and see how much girls enjoy getting their nails done by me, it motivates me to keep doing it,” Licea said. The businesswomen said they want to continue their new endeavors for as long as possible and are looking forward to the future and possibilities growing their home-based businesses. Follow Samantha on Twitter @sammiherreraa_
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OPINION
THURSDAY, SEPT. 17, 2020
Joe Biden is good enough for now Olivia Gerber STAFF WRITER
Joe Biden’s Democratic presidential nomination is definitely not what the more progressive members of the Democratic Party wanted to see this year. For the more progressive Democrats, Biden represents no dramatic changes to current conventional politics, something they don’t want. He doesn’t cut it for the left-leaning members of the Democratic Party that have their sights set on free public higher education, stronger climate action and widespread health care. Biden’s moderate stances can be seen in his plans to support only two years of free college tuition, expand student debt relief programs as opposed to canceling some student debt and ending new oil and gas leases on federal land instead of banning fracking everywhere. Left-leaning Democrats should not be impressed with Biden’s moderate health care agenda to simply build on the Affordable Care Act. The goal for progressives is not just to maintain or build on the Affordable Care Act, but to instead establish universal health care, according to a July 17 NPR article. Because Sen. Bernie Sanders withdrew from the presidential race in April, most members of the Democratic Party agree
that helping to elect Biden in November is better than another four years with Donald Trump as president according to an Aug. 17 Politico article. To make this happen, former Bernie Sanders aides and allies created political action committees and promised to spend millions of dollars to help elect Biden in a show of support that former presidentialnominee Hillary Clinton never received in 2016. It is evident that Democrats learned a difficult lesson back then: when divided, they stand no chance against the Republicans. One of the reasons for Clinton’s downfall in 2016 was failing to excite young voters and minorities and instead putting too much effort into winning over sections of the Republican Party. Focusing on these voters meant that Clinton’s votes were concentrated in states which lost her the Electoral College. If Clinton had appealed to the diverse members of the Democratic Party and gone after their votes, she may have been able to win more states and the electoral college. The stakes are high in November because if Biden doesn’t win, the country faces four more years of tyranny under the
ILLUSTRATION BY SHISIEDO LANNI
current administration. The Democratic Party should have one goal: ousting Trump. Even if that includes progressive Democrats begrudgingly voting for Biden. However, the tolerance for a moderate presidential candidate may drastically change after the election. Despite the election being over a month away, progressives are warning Biden that he or vice presidential candidate Kamala Harris could be voted out in the 2024 election if the pair is not sufficiently progressive, according to the Aug. 17 Politico article. At first glance, it would appear that Biden selected
CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
Harris because she is a woman of color and because she would quell the progressives because she represents minority voters and could make history as the first female vice president. However, this is not the truth. As reported by The New York Times on Aug. 12, Biden’s selection of Harris reaffirmed what many progressives had feared: a Biden administration is likely to govern as the former vice president had spent most of his career – playing it safe and trying to accommodate both sides of the political spectrum, but only further aggravating progressives. If Biden is elected but
progressive Democrats remain unsatisfied with his administration, they may be just as demanding as the dissenting Republican Party. Progressive leaders are making plans to push their agenda of new Medicare proposals and a substantial green jobs plan after the election, according to an Aug. 17 Politico article. In an effort to appease the progressives in the Democratic Party, Biden has adopted slightly more progressive policies to his campaign. According to a Sept. 16 NBC article, Biden will seek to lower the eligibility age for Medicare from 65 to 60. He also plans to forgive
SUDOKU PUZZLE Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
federal loan debt for people who make less than $125,000 a year, students who graduated from any public undergraduate universities and students who attend minorityserving institutions. This small olive branch cannot be the last of Biden’s efforts if he wants to keep progressives happy. Progressive Democrats feel pressured into voting for Biden in November in order to avoid another four years of Trump, but if Biden is elected, they will push him to the left on issues and he’ll be obliged to acquiesce if he wants to keep their support. Follow Olivia on Twitter @LivGerber
JOKIN’ AROUND What do birds give out on Halloween?
Tweets.
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Testament 5. French for “State” 9. A heavy open wagon 13. Murres 14. Edge on a cutting tool 16. Beers 17. Boohoos 18. Eccentric 19. Need a bath badly 20. Piques 22. Scarves 24. Perishes 26. Chocolate substitute 27. Pee-pee 30. A type of dome-shaped structure 33. Undershirts 35. A sudden forceful flow 37. Conceit 38. Mangles 41. Abet 42. Avoids 45. Overhanging 48. Sleeping sickness carrier 51. Perturb 52. Timepiece 54. Articulates
55. State something incorrectly 59. Doled out 62. As just mentioned 63. An organization’s rule 65. Carry 66. Parasitic insect 67. Steeple 68. Not false 69. Nonflowering plant 70. Way out 71. Arab chieftain DOWN 1. Wimp 2. Press 3. Driven by lust 4. Enduring 5. Diminish 6. Heavy, durable furniture wood 7. Ancient Mexican 8. Foursome 9. Reindeer 10. Away from the wind 11. Coral barrier 12. Sounds of disapproval 15. An elastic fabric 21. Secure against leakage
23. Pigs 25. Flower stalk 27. Applications 28. Correct 29. Estimated time of arrival 31. Cogitate 32. Senescent 34. A type of large sandwich 36. Border 39. Directed 40. Views 43. Reporter 44. Immediately 46. Streetcar 47. Kit for a baby 49. Pierces 50. A copy from an original 53. Spiral 55. Annoy 56. Doing nothing 57. Clairvoyant 58. Indian dress 60. Decorative case 61. Bambi was one 64. Damp
09/16/2020
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SPORTS
THURSDAY, SEPT. 17, 2020
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Scholarships transform students’ lives By Samantha Herrera STAFF WRITER
Not every studentathlete gets a scholarship. Some take the difficult road to becoming an athlete by walking onto a team. Sophomore kicker Matt Mercurio and senior offensive lineman Trevor Robbins took on these difficulties and went from being walk ons to full-scholarship student-athletes. “[SJSU] was the only school that reached out to me and said, ‘Hey, if you want to walk on here, there’s a spot for you,’ ” Mercurio said over Zoom. Similarly, Robbins said when he was applying to universities, he sent an email to seven college football coaches and several directors of personnel asking if he would have the opportunity to walk on. SJSU and the University of Nevada, Reno were the only ones who offered him a chance and he said SJSU was the program for him because he felt the coaches showed more interest in him. Walking onto a sports team isn’t as easy for a university student as it is for a high school recruit. Walk-on players have the challenge of figuring out the dynamic of the team on top of learning the team’s plays. “Coming in and having to meet new people and play next to them at the same time, it was pretty weird at first,” Robbins said over Zoom. “I was a month behind trying to figure out who the people on the team were, trying to meet everybody and trying to learn the offense.” While Robbins walked onto the team Fall semester of his freshman year, Mercurio decided to wait until spring. Mercurio said that walking on in late January for spring training gave
PHOTO COURTESY OF SJSU ATHLETICS
Sophomore kicker Matt Mercurio, who joined San Jose State’s football team as a walk on, kicks a field goal against Army West Point on Oct. 26, 2019.
I told my parents initially if I didn’t get a scholarship at a certain point and if there ever came a point in time where they just couldn’t afford my school anymore, then I would happily drop out. Matt Mercurio kicker
him more time to settle in with the team and get to know the coaches and plays better. While trying to improve their skills and deal with the hectic life of a college student, both athletes said being a walk on means you have to go above and beyond to get noticed by coaches. They said the way to get noticed and maybe earn a scholarship is based on how well walk ons can manage their schedules and how well they perform.
“How are they academically? Are they good students, are they responsible and respectful of the academic process here? That’s where it starts,” said head coach Brent Brennan over the phone. “Then it’s based on their contributions on the field. Are they dependable, do they know what they’re doing [in plays], are they playing a big role on game day?” Brennan said that walk on players earn their scholarships by showing how well they handle their academics, if
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they act professional and how well they play. “After my first season I knew I was a walk on because I wasn’t as big as other linemen and I wasn’t as athletic as them, but the one thing that helped me separate myself from everyone else is how smart I am and how smart my football IQ is,” Robbins said. “By the time I got into the off season after my second season, I pretty much mastered the offense of what I needed to know. After being able to do that I was able to show the coaches that I know what I’m doing and I was able to separate myself from everyone else.” Robbins said that a lesson that some walk ons learn is that it’s not about making flashy plays, but about playing the game and understanding what is important, such as football IQ. “In the beginning I struggled a bit to try and impress coaches and
players, but luckily I was able to reground myself, change up my priority and get after it that second year,” Mercurio said. Mercurio and Robbins said that walk-on players need to work harder in school and on the field if they want to obtain a scholarship, but once they got theirs it was life changing. “I told my parents initially that if I didn’t get a scholarship at a certain point and if there ever came a point in time where they just couldn’t afford my school anymore, then I would happily drop out,” Mercurio said. “I have three younger brothers that also are planning on going to college and I would much rather have them go to college than me.” Much like Mercurio, R o b bi n s s t re s s e d the importance of the scholarship as it helped him and his family financially.
“Being able to let them know that they don’t have to pay for school anymore, worry about me for any sort of money and knowing that they don’t have to take care of me anymore was cool,” Robbins said. “When I told my mom I got on scholarship, she thought it was only for tuition and not that I didn’t need her to help me pay rent anymore or get food. Now they have been able to use that money to help out with traveling to our away games, travel the country and be able to live their lives more.” Brennan said he loves being able to have a meaningful impact on players’ lives by awarding them scholarships. “One of the best things you get to do as head coach is reward a non-scholarship player with a scholarship,” Brennan said. Follow Sam on Twitter @sammiherrera_
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