Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019
Volume 153 No. 12 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
Sports
Editorial
Athletes study kinesiology and health science
SJSU’s neglect of menstrual health needs to end
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A&E Astronomy lecturer brings aliens to the big screen
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PERI D PROBLEMS
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Economics behind bars Speaker compares CA prison system to others By Chris Core
to provide governance for themselves,” Skarbek said. Prisoners are driven to David Skarbek, San Jose form connections behind State 2006 economics alum- bars because the ratio of nus and author, discussed his prisoners to prison workers research on California’s pris- creates a lack of structure for on system inmates, he and in comsaid. parison to “The gangs prisons from are controlling other regions I was a student not only the of the world general [prisat San Jose State Wednesday on] populain the and I’m pretty sure tion today, S t u d e n t this [Norwegian but [prison Union. workers] too,” S k a r b e k prison cell] is nicer Skarbek said. used infor- than some of the “If officials do mation from not provide housing here. his books, resources, “The Social David Skarbek there’s a big Order of the 2006 economics alumnus demand for and author prisoners to Underworld: How Prison provide govGangs Govern the American ernance.” Illicit items such as Penal System” and “The drugs, cell phones and cigPuzzle of Prison Order,” arettes cannot be provided during the seminar. by the correctional facilities, He is a fellow at King’s so inmates look to gang conCollege London and began nections to provide them. his research on crime in To expand on his point on 2010. the gang-formation theory, “Prisoners create civilized entities within the prisons PRISONS | Page 2 STAFF WRITER
$25 - 60 Average cost of a pap smear; recommended for women over 21 to do every three years
13% Personal care/hygiene products cost more for women than men
16,000+ Approximation of how many tampons a woman may use in her reproductive lifetime INFORMATION FROM: GIRLS HELPING GIRLS PERIOD, NEW YORK CITY DEPARTMENT OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS, STUDENT WELLNESS CENTER ILLUSTRATION BY MELODY DEL RIO
Black students face diversity gap By Christian Trujano STAFF WRITER
Female students face extra costs in buying feminine hygiene products By Erica Lizarrago STAFF WRITER
Tampons are one of the many feminine hygiene products female students consider for cost and accessibility in college. Female students often have to think about more than textbooks, class assignments and parking. They also need to worry about personal health concerns. Women’s health issues include menstruation, birth control, annual checks for cervical and breast cancer and pap smears. Resources for these health issues can often be costly, inconvenient and inaccessible. “Being a commuter and dealing with women’s issues like periods, I have to plan ahead or keep extra supply in my car or backpack,” public health senior Kaela Nguyen said. With a large population of commuters at San Jose State, many female students need to plan accordingly for fear of interrupting their school day because of menstrual cycles. “Commuting challenges me because when there are days when I forget to plan or I run out of supplies and I leave
If they can provide condoms, I think it’s also fair they can provide other feminine products that are a necessity. Samantha Smith graphic design senior
early in the morning to beat traffic, I need to rely on the resources available on campus,” Nguyen said. SJSU provides some on-campus resources, including free tampons, pads and condoms at the Student Wellness Lounge and the Gender Equity Center. However, with limited supply for the entire university and high demand for these products, female students usually do not receive more than a couple at a time, Nguyen said. “I have to be prepared with pads and tampons in my car and backpack to make sure an incident doesn’t occur and in case it does, I have to make sure I have an extra pair of jeans in my car or backpack to quickly change,”
business administration sophomore Kathy Cadena-Garcia said. Girls Helping Girls Period, an organization focused on shedding light on accessibility to feminine products, found a woman may use more than 16,000 tampons in her lifetime and spend upwards of $125 extra a year. For students, obtaining one or two feminine products isn’t enough and forces students to buy these products regularly, an expense threatened by financial circumstances. On average, Cadena-Garcia said most women use somewhere around 1,000 tampons during a week of menstruation. In 2016, the National Center for Health Research found that sanitary protection is a $3 billion a year industry. Women at SJSU face a scarcity of locations to buy feminine hygiene products on campus. Several female students interviewed by the Spartan Daily said they must buy tampons outside of the school and questioned why there is a dearth of pads and tampons. “This is something that happens regularly for women no matter what,” music education sophomore Kathleen Darrow said. “I believe because this is HYGIENE | Page 2
Despite the significantly low number of African American and black students at San Jose State, students and faculty say the campus is diverse, but would like to see more resources available. The Wall Street Journal recently released a study ranking SJSU at No. 9 for diversity among private and public universities across the United States. Schools were ranked based on the socio-economic, racial and ethnic diversity among students and faculty and the international student population. But despite ranking ninth, SJSU had a black student population of 3.2% in Fall 2018, according to the SJSU Office of Institutional Research. Kathleen Wong(Lau), chief diversity officer for the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion said her office works hard to recruit more people of color from outside San Jose. But she said Santa Clara County already has a low population of African American and black people, making it hard to serve that community.
In 2018, about 2.8% of the population in Santa Clara County was black or African American. “We are likely underserving African American students – even in this county – because close to half of our African American students come from Southern California,” Wong(Lau) said. She said this makes it hard for African American students to find a sense of community. “On the weekends they may not have family close by,” she said. Business junior Nathanial Hancock said he admires the push for diversity in the Bay Area and thinks SJSU is doing better than other schools. But he also recognized the overall low population of African American students in schools around the country because of societal reasons and how that’s a problem. “As far as diverse for us, I don’t feel like it’s diverse but as far as diversity overall for the campus there’s definitely a lot more influence from other ethnicities and cultures,” Hancock said. He also said how he wants to see more resources and DIVERSITY | Page 2
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NEWS
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THURSDAY, SEPT. 19, 2019
DIVERSITY Continued from page 1
ABOUT 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. The Spartan Daily is written and published by San Jose State students as an expression of their First Amendment rights. Reader feedback may be submitted as letters to the editor or online comments.
EDITORIAL STAFF EXECUTIVE EDITOR KUNAL MEHTA MANAGING EDITOR VICTORIA FRANCO EXECUTIVE PRODUCER EDUARDO TEIXEIRA NEWS EDITORS MAURICIO LA PLANTE CHELSEA NGUYEN FLEIGE A&E EDITOR COURTNEY VASQUEZ OPINION EDITOR JONATHAN AUSTIN SPORTS EDITOR CORA WILSON PHOTO EDITOR JESUS TELLITUD
opportunities available for African American students like himself. But one resource he said helps students such as himself is the African American/Black Student Success Center at SJSU. The center works with retaining, empowering and successfully graduating African American and black students at SJSU while offering a space for community. Jahmal Williams, program director for success center that opened last year, said it’s important to create a community for African American students on campus and answer any questions they have. “‘Where do I get a good solid soul food dinner? Where can I find someone who knows how to braid my hair? Where can I find somebody who can speak to this idea of black existence?’ We make sure that our center is a home and a hub for that,” Williams said. Williams said it’s important to understand that when discussing diversity, to consider the diversity even within the black community. He said black students
come from Africa, Caribbean islands such as Haiti and even ones born across the U.S., the range is so vast that it’s important to not put a box around being black. “What our space does is it doesn’t try to define or put a box on what blackness is,” Williams said. “We basically say that you as a black person are amazing, are beautiful and you will be supported here.” But one thing Williams said SJSU could do as an institution to help improve the diversity for African American students is support the Department of African American Studies. He said supporting the department and educating students of all ethnicities about the history of black people will help combat racism. “Sometimes you get into these financial battles in higher education where it’s like, ‘They’re [black students] only 3% of the population we can only invest so much,’” Williams said. “But I would push against that and say we need to make sure we are investing into that 3% because of how marginalized black students can feel.” The Bay Area has seen rises in gentrification and is struggling with affordable
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housing, said Wong(Lau), therefore it doesn’t create an environment for marginalized people of color. “It’s a challenging environment,” Wong(Lau) said. “Once people get [to SJSU] not every group has the same needs.” Wong(Lau) said her office, apart from working with students to educate them about the resources available, works on understanding the needs of different ethnic groups which may include housing or food insecurity.
Continued from page 1 he compared California prisons to other prisons around the world. In his research, Skarbek found that some Norwegian prisons only hold 100 prisoners at a time, making for far more hygienic living conditions. He said, “I was a student at San Jose State and I’m pretty sure this [Norwegian prison cell] is nicer than some of the housing here.” Daniel Peyer, a Swiss foreign exchange student and business management junior, said that CHRIS CORE | SPARTAN DAILY because of his time in America, SJSU alumnus David Skarbek gives a he agreed that the American prison seminar on the presence of gangs in system faces many issues that other prisons Wednesday in the Student Union. countries do not.
HYGIENE Continued from page 1
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something we can’t control – not all of us have the means or the funds. This should be something that should be given to everyone because it’s a necessity.” Other students criticized the university for prioritizing optional contraceptives more than monthly hygiene necessities. “If they can provide condoms, I think it’s also fair they can provide other feminine products that are a necessity,” graphic design senior Samantha Smith said. Village Market, an on-campus convenience store, sells tampons for a dollar or two above their standard price at $10 a box. A monthly period isn’t the only cost female students must anticipate. Access to birth control without health insurance can also be costly. While the Student Wellness Center does prescribe birth control pills, it costs approximately $10 per month or $120 per year from the center. Pap smear testing is required of women older than 21 to check for cervical cancer. Women are
required to get this procedure done at least every three years, according to the Mayo Clinic. The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center found that the average cost of a pap smear without insurance can cost anywhere from $25 to $60 out of pocket. As women get older, the cost and access of mammograms also need to be considered. Research published by the Journal of Wo m e n’s H e a l t h found 23% of women aged 50-64 reported paying an out - of - p o ck et cost for their most recent mammogram. Twelve percent of women aged 65-74 report paying out-of-pocket for the service. This cost can range anywhere from $80 to $120 according to Blue Cross, Blue Shield, a health insurance provider. While Planned Parenthood does offer these services for free, services such as STI testing, preg-
“With the increasing of prices in Silicon Valley . . . I feel like it’s just harder and harder for people to afford to live here and unless that changes you’re not just going to attract different sorts of diversity,” psychology junior Ayan Salh said. Regardless, students like Salh and Hancock still believe SJSU is leading the push for diverse campuses’ and Wong(Lau) also said she believes there is always room to improve. “You have to start somewhere,” Hancock said. For Williams, he is also
Peyer said that in Switzerland prisons resemble the Norwegian prison example Skarbek explained in his seminar. But Peyer said that some people in his home country criticize their own system for being too nice and small to fit additional more prisoners without building more facilities. Peyer didn’t agree with that perspective and said people from Switzerland should be more satisfied with the lack of prison gangs running through their justice system. “The goal is to have less prisoners,” Peyer said. California’s prison gang problem is far worse than any country that Skarbek referenced, but Skarbek said that the issue didn’t always exist.
nancy tests, pap smears, birth control and abortions are at risk. The federal government recently added restrictions to Title X funding regarding information about abortion services, which Planned Parenthood decided they could not comply with, according to the Washington Post. With less federal money to conduct these services, Planned Parenthood says the 1.5 million low-income people it serves are threatened, as demand for these services continues to increase. These services are listed on the Student Wellness Center’s women’s health website, though the cost of any additional services are not listed. Although there have been many strides to de-stigmatize women’s health issues, some students still feel embarrassed to seek out on-campus resources. Nguyen said sometimes she’s nervous to go to the Student
seeing a shift in the school and notes the work the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion is doing to educating and reaching a more diverse range of students. “I do think San Jose State is a very diverse campus,” Williams said. “I’m encouraged to see where we go as a campus, I just want to make sure we continue moving in a positive direction and we don’t go backwards.” Follow Christian on Twitter
@ChristianTruja2
When San Quentin State Prison opened in 1852, it had little to no gang related issues or interactions among prisoners, he said. It stayed consistent until 1957 when the prison began to report gang activity. In the ’70s, gangs began to dominate the prison system much like they do today. Economics junior Isaac Aymerich Diaz agreed with Skarbek that the system needs to be fixed, but understands that a lot of people overlook the importance of a working justice system. “Portrayed from the media, it’s unfair,” Diaz said. “But if you see it in some cases, [courts] have made decisions that have been fair.” Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisCore24
Wellness Center for these services when there are so many students permeating campus all day. She said that while SJSU is a caring school, there’s always room for improvement in terms of accessibility and costs associated with feminine personal care products. “In terms of women’s health, we would like to implement toiletry vending machines. This would include necessities like pads, tampons, sexual wellness products and more,” Nguyen said. Peer Health Education wants to initiate on-campus services to make these concerns easier with support from Associated Students director of legislative affairs Zobeida Delgadillo. Until then, students like Nguyen said they must still plan their education around their health needs.
Follow Erica on Instagram @erica.lizarrago
Diana Avila contributed reporting to this article.
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.
Corrections On Wednesday, Sept. 18, the Spartan Daily published an article titled, “Political debates are pointless banter,” in which South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg was misidentified. In addition, the article should have referenced the viewership statistics of the 2018 World Series. The Spartan Daily regrets these errors.
Crime Blotter Manufacture/sale/possess nunchucks Poss Unlaw Paraphernalia, Destroy/Conceal Evidence, Bench Warrant Issued Sept. 16, 2:51 p.m. at Art Building Adult arrest
Drive W/License Suspended Sept. 16, at 1:38 at San Salvador/3rd Adult cited
SPORTS
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THURSDAY, SEPT. 19, 2019
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Athletes prioritize post-college career By John Bricker STAFF WRITER
Several men’s soccer athletes at San Jose State rely on their kinesiology and health science studies as a backup plan for their professional soccer aspirations. Eduardo Buenfil, junior midfielder and health science major, recognizes that a career in professional soccer can only last 10-15 years, which can be shortened by injuries. Three athletes on the team said they want to pursue professional soccer but that they know they can fall back on careers related to their degrees. Kinesiology freshman and defender Andy Barajas said his main focus is “obviously soccer,” but that if he cannot play professionally, he will try to work with local teams like the San Jose Earthquakes or the San Francisco 49ers as a physical therapist or athletic trainer. Planning to graduate this summer, psychology senior and forward Suliman Khorami, hopes to find a contract with a professional team and to pursue a career in whatever interests him. “If soccer does not work out, then obviously after I graduate here, I will have a degree,” Khorami said. Buenfil turned down tryout offers from professional soccer teams in Mexico after high school because he wanted to go to college.
KAVIN MISTRY | THE SPEAR ARCHIVES
Junior midfielder Eduardo Buenfil said a professional soccer career might last 10-15 years, so he focuses on academics.
“Right here in the United States, you need a degree,” Buenfil said. “If you do not have a master’s, bachelor’s, you name it, you are nothing in here.” Buenfil hopes to pursue a career in nursing after graduation, or use his minor in business to pursue business marketing. Two Spartans who have studied kinesiology shared different perspectives on how soccer and their studies have influenced each other. Barajas said he chose kinesiology because he wanted to study a field related to sports, despite
Right here in the United States, you need a degree. If you do not have a master’s, bachelor’s, you name it, you are nothing in here. Eduardo Buenfil junior midfielder and health science major
how difficult his studies can be. To Barajas, studying to become a personal trainer is manageable because, “everything is going to be hard from now on.” After initially choosing kinesiology to study material relevant to his
sports career, Khorami said he learned that applying his classwork to soccer is not as easy as he thought. Khorami advised kinesiology majors to not try to self-diagnose their own injuries. “You have to go to
an actual professional to try and do that stuff for you,” he said. Last year, Khorami changed his major to psychology because he said he enjoys the academic research required by psychology more than the hands-on activity and memorization of kinesiology. Barajas studies kinesiology to help other athletes in the future, just as personal trainers have helped him through injuries. “The most difficult part about being an athlete is always injuries,” Barajas said.
Although health science does not relate as directly to sports like kinesiology does, Eduardo Buenfil said his studies have reminded him of the importance of eating well and taking care of himself. “If you feel good, you will play well,” he said. All three athletes have slightly different methods they use to keep up with classes while playing soccer. Calling himself, “not a big fan of school,” Khorami said he makes classes easier by scheduling then in the mornings so he can look forward to soccer practice after. Barajas said he dedicates time at home for studying but that it can be hard to find motivation after leaving campus. “But at the end of the day, either it’s you do your homework or you don’t play,” Barajas said. Relying on a very different method than his teammates, Buenfil manages his busy schedule by doing all his homework on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday so he can have more time to relax and recover later in the week. Buenfil said he believes most of the men’s soccer team shares a similar priority on education. “They are capable of playing professional right now but they also wanted a Plan B at the end of the day,” Buenfil said. Follow John on Twitter @JohnMichaelBr15
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OPINION
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THURSDAY, SEPT. 19, 2019
Name calling doesn’t solve anything Christian Trujano STAFF WRITER
Associating the National Rifle Association with domestic terrorism is the equivalent of pointless name calling and won’t change the fact that there are unnecessarily more guns than people in America. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a resolution Sept. 3 designating the NRA a domestic terrorist organization and encouraged others to follow. The city will also reassess its contractual and financial relationships with vendors who do business with the NRA. The underlying reason why the board decided to pass this resolution was that “the National Rifle Association through its advocacy has armed those individuals who would and have committed acts of terrorism,” according to the text in the resolution. Even though the NRA does propagate not restricting gun ownership, calling the NRA terrorists won’t have any significant change to reform gun control. According to a Small Arms Survey, U.S. civilians alone account for 393 million of the worldwide total of civilian held firearms which
exceeds the country’s current total population. With 289 reported mass shootings in the U.S. this year as of Sept. 3 according to the Gun Violence Archive, the NRA’s push for pro gun ownership is unacceptable. But that still does not deem the NRA as a domestic terrorist group. The issue with calling the NRA a domestic terrorist organization is that you’re dealing with a group that focuses on technicalities. And by using rhetoric in the NRA bylaws, their members cannot be terrorists. The NRA argue that since their bylaws prohibit violence and overthrowing the government for political aims it goes against the definition of terrorism. Basically the NRA is relying on their words and strict definitions, just like they do when regarding the second amendment. The thing is, the NRA does need to understand they have a significant influence on their supporters and people who support gun ownership. And that population is huge.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre speaks in front of 2017 The Conservative Political Action Conference in Maryland.
According to the Pew Research Center who focus on social and demographic trends, three out of ten adults in the U.S. say they currently own a gun. Plus with the latest instances of gun violence and mass murders involving people like the 19-year-old Gilroy Garlic Festival shooter, the NRA needs to recognize that not everyone needs a gun. In a response to San Francisco’s resolution naming the NRA domestic terrorists, the NRA is suing the San Francisco Board of Trustees for infringing their First and Fourteenth Amendment rights. NRA CEO Wayne LaPierre said in a statement following the lawsuit, “This lawsuit
comes with a message to those who attack the NRA: we will never stop fighting for our lawabiding members and their constitutional freedoms.”
the Constitution the only way to limit their propaganda of everyone owning a gun is to amend the Constitution and the Second Amendment.
Even though the NRA does propagate not restricting gun ownership, calling the NRA terrorists won’t have any significant change to reform gun control. But the constitutional freedoms LaPierre describes is the real problem. If the NRA truly believes in strictly following the text in
In an interview with The Atlantic, U.S. Representative David Cicilline said, “I think a proposal to amend the Constitution to substantially change the
Second Amendment would more likely be used by the NRA to galvanize their supporters and maybe even engage less active gun owners.” This is the approach the San Francisco Board of Supervisors should have taken, rather than the pointless name calling. If people like the NRA truly believe in following strict rhetoric and see a change in the language of the Second Amendment based on hard facts, they will have to follow the changes. But cities should not follow in San Francisco’s steps or the back-and-forth name calling will never end. Follow Christian on Twitter @ChristianTruja2
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Celebrating the Constitution is not a federal requirement To the Editor, As a professor who teaches constitutional law, I’m writing partially to express my gratitude that Brendan Cross raised awareness of Constitution Day with his editorial published by the Daily on Tuesday. The editorial, however, demonstrated the need for further education about the Constitution, as it was based on a fundamental error. The federal government requires or encourages universities that receive federal funds to commemorate Constitution Day. Brendan argued that this mandate is unconstitutional because
it violates the 10th Amendment, which preserves states’ rights. His concern for issues of federalism is admirable, but his argument just isn’t correct. It is indeed true that the federal government cannot force states to implement federal policies. But the Supreme Court has held – many times – that it is entirely constitutional for the federal government to withhold federal money from states that fail to comply with federal mandates. In these situations, states are not forced to comply. They may choose to maintain their policies. But the federal
government doesn’t have to subsidize them if they choose to do so. For example, the federal government cannot directly require drivers to use seat belts. Under the Constitution, that power is reserved to the states. But the federal government can deny highway funding to states that do not require seat belt usage. So there is nothing unconstitutional or illegal about this federal mandate. In any case, the Constitution is worth celebrating. So SJSU will continue to do so, whether it’s required or not. Political Science Professor James Brent
Spartan meme of the week
MEME BY SOFTWARE ENGINEERING SOPHOMORE BRIAN LUU
Every week the Spartan Daily chooses the best memes about SJSU Submit yours to us at spartandaily@gmail.com or on Instagram @spartandaily
EDITORIAL
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SJSU: Impasse on menstrual health must end
M
enstruation is inevitable, period. San Jose State is trying to be a leader in student equality across the California State University system. Unfortunately, It is failing. According to the student quick facts on SJSU’s Institutional Research website, women account for 50.2% of the student population as of Fall 2018.
Without proper feminine hygiene products being made available, women on campus may find it difficult to feel comfortable, whether it is because they are struggling financially, or because they simply forgot theirs at home. Although there are more women on campus than men, SJSU lacks access to quality feminine hygiene products. Right now, the only place to receive free feminine hygiene products is from the Gender Equity Center on the first floor of the Student Union. Amy Guerrero, a sociology senior with a concentration in gender, women and sexuality studies, works at the Gender Equity Center and said that although menstrual tampons and pads are free there, they only have enough for times of “emergency.” “I think [hygiene products] should be more accessible, it should be like the condom co-op where you can get four a day,” Guerrero said.“Menstrual products are just as important if not more important.”
The Student Health Center currently gives students four free items daily, which includes male and female condoms, lubricants, dental dams and latex gloves. While sexual protection is important, menstrual products should be just as accessible to women because it is a basic health necessity. A health necessity no individual has control over. The only place to get tampons and pads are in machines in women’s bathrooms for 25 cents, or in packs available for sale in the Village Market or the Spartan Bookstore. A 10-pack of Tampax tampons in the Village Market are sold for $4.19, but on Amazon, the same pack can be found for $3.73. Not only is it more expensive, but it is almost the only place to purchase these items at SJSU, aside from dispensers in women’s restrooms across campus. The 25 cent machines in the bathroom may seem like a quick, cheap alternative, but the reality is that not all of the restrooms carry tampons – and some of the machines that do, are not functional. The Central Classroom Building does not have machines that carry any menstrual products like tampons. Meanwhile, Clark Hall and Dwight Bentel Hall do have the machines, but the dispensers are broken. Menstrual resources are vital and not making them widely available can have damaging effects to the women on campus. On average, a woman will menstruate for seven days and for each day, must change her tampon at least every four hours. Not providing access to hygiene products for women on campus may cause them to keep a tampon in for longer than the recommended amount of time, which can have drastic repercussions. Keeping a tampon in for longer than 8 hours can cause Toxic Shock Syndrome, which can result in organ damage,
CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
COURTNEY VASQUEZ | SPARTAN DAILY
A broken tampon dispensing machine found in the bathroom in Dwight Bentel Hall.
shock and even death, according to the Food and Drug Administration. Toxic Shock Syndrome is caused by the overgrowth of bacteria called staphylococcus aureus. The body of a female will respond with a sharp drop in blood pressure that deprives organs from receiving oxygen, which can lead to sudden death. While the health repercussions are important, there is the aspect of comfort
that is also important to address. Without proper feminine hygiene products being made available, women on campus may find it difficult to feel comfortable, whether it is because they are struggling financially, or because they simply forgot theirs at home. Women should have access to free, quality products because it is a basic need for their health and should not cause them financial stress or worse, leads to serious illness.
SUDOKU PUZZLE Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
Follow the Spartan Daily on Twitter @SpartanDaily
JOKIN’ AROUND What did the left eye say to the right eye?
Between you and me, something smells.
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Alert 5. Alpha’s opposite 10. Midmonth date 14. Away from the wind 15. Children 16. Resound 17. Drowsiness 19. Beige 20. Detachable container 21. Cut of beef 22. Cake frosting 23. Fashionable 25. Open, as a bottle 27. East southeast 28. Knee pants 31. A dice game 34. Threesome 35. French for “Summer” 36. Offended 37. Publish 38. Buttocks 39. Belief 40. Affair 41. Jokes 42. Wild mustard 44. To make a fool of (archaic) 45. Divinity
46. Ill-mannered 50. Chubby Checker’s dance 52. Elegance 54. Twosome 55. Sword handle 56. Backwash 58. Small island 59. Feel 60. Central area of a church 61. Not barefoot 62. Fruity-smelling compound 63. Beers DOWN 1. Narrow-waisted stingers 2. Grant 3. Slender 4. Born as 5. Indolent 6. Tropical Asian starlings 7. Anagram of “Seek” 8. Gesticulating 9. Donkey 10. Vomitive 11. Decodes 12. Acquire deservedly 13. Strike heavily 18. One who is excessively
proper 22. Anagram of “Dice” 24. Past tense of Leap 26. Tidy 28. Threshold 29. French for “State” 30. Collections 31. Fashionable 32. Hurry 33. Armored nocturnal mammal 34. Three wheelers 37. Conspiracy 38. Sassy 40. Flutter 41. Fight on horseback 43. Reposed 44. Street person 46. Expire 47. Something to shoot for 48. Debonair 49. Houses 50. Not that 51. Desire 53. Fluff 56. South southeast 57. Ribonucleic acid
09/18/2019
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6
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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THURSDAY, SEPT. 19, 2019
Lecturer develops astronomical film By Brendan Cross STAFF WRITER
San Jose State astronomy lecturer Ignacio Mosqueira is taking his talents to another world. Mosqueira is directing a sci-fi movie about aliens called “Riddling Angels” that he hopes will be completed by next summer. Mosqueira has a Ph.D. in astronomy from Cornell University and dabbled in theater. “Af ter graduate school I actually wrote plays and I acted in a few in San Francisco,” Mosqueira said. He went back to astronomy and worked at SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence in Mountain View. While at SETI, Mosqueira said, “[I] was associated with the institute that tries to listen into alien signals.” After his time at SETI, he took advantage of his status as a lecturer at SJSU and sat in on film classes to hone in on the filmmaking side of his craft. Mosqueira came up with the idea for his movie and wrote a script. The movie centers around a young man named Lucas who is having trouble balancing his life after an otherworldly encounter. “In the movie we’ll have things like wormholes being produced by aliens,” Mosqueira said. “We’ll
PHOTO COURTESY OF IGNACIO MOSQUEIRA
Screen actor Christopher Fung plays Lucas in astronomy lecturer Ignacio Mosqueira’s sci-fi film “Riddling Angels.” The film is set to be completed by next summer. Students can watch the trailer on YouTube.
see the effects of aliens without having green men running around.” Lucas, played by screen actor Christopher Fung, met Mosqueira through a casting notice that was put online and became very interested in playing the character. “I guess you can describe Lucas as a socially disconnected, mildly autistic young man who doesn’t really connect well with people around him,” Fung said. Lucas comes from
Some people like to just write the script and send it over to Hollywood, it’s more fun when you do everything. Ignacio Mosqueira astronomy lecturer
a troubled family background in the film which compounds his problems after his alien encounter. “It’s initially unclear whether it’s his own
mental health and his own hallucination of events or whether he’s actually encountered something supernatural,” Fung said. Because of the nature of the film, Fung was the
only person in front of the camera for a lot of the shoots. Fung said this was the most difficult part of the filming process. “The biggest obstacle has been tuning out and being reclusive,” he said. “It’s been sort of a self-contained type of performance.” The other creative force of the movie, along with Mosqueira, is director of photography Kennedy DeSousa. DeSousa was in charge
of the film’s aesthetics and tone. “I made it dark,” DeSousa said. “It’s almost like a horror movie where the lighting is not perfect, it needed to have a creepy undertone to it.” DeSousa said he enjoyed the raw style he was able to shoot in and the set pieces involved real locations. “We shot in all these creative locations and I got to find creative ways to light it up, kind of MacGyver it,” DeSousa said. Late last year on the film’s Facebook page, Mosqueira said he had enough for a short film. He made the decision to expand it and turn it into a feature-length production. The choice of growing the film was made to inject more tension into some of the scenes. “It’s more cinematic to have a little bit of mystery and suspense, so basically I was just trying to increase the level of suspense of the movie,” Mosqueira said. As a first-time film director, Mosqueira is enjoying the whole process despite the sheer amount of work that goes into it. “Some people like to just write the script and send it over to Hollywood, it’s more fun when you do everything,” Mosqueira said. The “Riddling Angels” trailer is available to watch on YouTube.
Follow Brendan on Twitter @BrendanCross93
BOTTOMS UP
I bought a swirl and somehow I didn’t spill Roman Contreras SENIOR STAFF WRITER
drink review “Aqui Cal-Mex” Rating:
One does not simply drink a swirl. A swirl is part of an experience, if not handled carefully, will be one you quickly forget. Bay Area chain restaurant Aqui Cal-Mex has quickly become most famously known for their “Industrial Swirls.” An Aqui swirl is a mixture of their classic “Industrial Margarita,” tequila, lime juice and vodka, along with 7-Eleven slurpee adjacent flavorings, and sometimes more alcohol to create a unique and individual taste. The Aloha Mai Tai Swirl is my personal favorite. It makes me feel like what I imagine an Instagram model feels like while sitting in a cabana on a tropical island. Adding the word “industrial” to anything immediately evokes a sense of fear in me I cannot particularly describe. Especially when it becomes associated with alcohol. But before you stop reading this and rush over to Aqui for a swirl, take this one piece of advice with you, a swirl is NOT for the weak. Aqui has a limit of two swirls per customer, but I guarantee after one you will be feeling real pretty. Aqui is not necessarily a “normal” restaurant either.
Instead of sitting down and waiting for a server, customers wait in line to order and retrieve their own food. The ambience of the Willow Glen location is relaxed, but can get a little difficult when trying to find seating depending on the time you attend. I waltzed in on a Saturday night around 7 p.m. and almost had to fight for a chair. The location also has a back patio for seating if you prefer to feel the cold air on your alcohol flushed face. Since I like to live my life on the edge, I thought ordering a salad with my swirl would be a spectacular idea. And to my surprise, disaster did not ensue. The food can be described as Mexican-American which is why I opted for a salad instead of something like traditional enchiladas. Think Chipotle, but sit-down restaurant grade. I ordered chips, which have unlimited refills, and the Lime Avocado Chicken Salad. Both were delicious. The salad was large and carried a fair amount of chicken. This was perfect prepping for drinks, as stated in my previous article. I am not a monster and I proceeded to eat my chips with salsa like a civilized
Cuisine: Mexican-American Location: 1145 Lincoln Ave., San Jose, Calif. Price: $$
individual. That was when Aqui really shined in my eyes. The chipotle salsa was something otherworldly to me. The flavor was incredible and it held just a hint of spice. I was almost tempted to force the bartender to mix it into my swirl. Overall, I’d say Aqui is a great place for dinner and a pregame before heading to the bars. Not everyone goes to the bars after having swirls, but once the alcohol starts flowing I can’t keep myself away from the bar. If you’ve made it this far, I’d say congratulations! Pick yourself up and head to Aqui, but drink with caution, or your world will start to swirl. Follow Roman on Twitter @RoaminRoman_52 Bottoms Up appears every week on Thursday.