Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2019
Volume 153 No. 26 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
Opinion
A&E
Students build friendships and leadership while rock climbing
YouTube’s demonetization oppresses content creators
Found and saved, student cares for rescued kitten
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Sports
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Food in Union not open late Students express dismay over limited hours for food court By Erica Lizarrago STAFF WRITER
JESUS TELLITUD | SPARTAN DAILY
Corinne Oestreich-Rice addresses students Tuesday about not appropriating Native American culture or symbols.
Appreciate, not appropriate Indigenous journalist speaks about respecting cultures By Roman Contreras SENIOR STAFF WRITER
A Native American journalist spoke to a room of about 25 students about her perspective on cultural appropriation of the indigenous people Tuesday in the Mosaic Cross Cultural Center. Corinne Oestreich-Rice discussed the effects of cultural appropriation, which is the act of taking or using things from a culture that is not your own without showing understanding or respect, according to the Cambridge Dictionary. “Cultural appropriation is when a non-oppressed culture or race puts
on the image of an oppressed culture or race without fear of danger to themselves and when convenient,” Oestreich-Rice said. Before moving to Minnesota for work in June, Oestreich-Rice worked as a journalist for Powwows.com. The website centers around the indigenous peoples’ practice of powwows, gatherings for the celebration of culture and preservation of heritage. Powwows.com offers information on where to find gatherings, as well as live footage of the gatherings for those who may not be able to attend, or would like to appreciate the gathering from a distance. Oestreich-Rice now works for the
It can be hard to find the time to eat in college between juggling classes and homework. 91% of 182 students surveyed by the Spartan Daily, who reside both on and off campus, said they typically eat dinner after 6 p.m., but many restaurants on campus close earlier. This can be a problem for commuter students or those who have late classes because on-campus restaurants are limited in their operating hours. Of the 10 restaurants in the Student Union food court, only Panda Express and Steak ‘n Shake close later than usual, at 8 p.m. Some restaurants close even earlier than 6 p.m., which causes concern for those who don’t live on campus. “The Student Union should
be open later. There are enough students who would utilize the resources, currently the union is only catering to morning and afternoon students,” design studies senior Zoe Brazil said. “There are plenty of evening students who need resources too.” Brazil said the food lines in the Student Union are always long, which makes it difficult when students are on a time constraint. The food court gets the most traffic during the height of classes or during the afternoon, when most other students are looking to eat. “It sucks because a lot of students are on campus and are hungry. If a few places stayed open later, it would help more students get through class” Brazil said. One freshman student with access to the Dining Commons found the operating hours problematic. LATE NIGHT | Page 2
Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition as a program coordinator. During the talk, Oestreich-Rice used a slideshow of images from people appropriating indigenous culture on social media to explain her points. She elaborated on how the stereotypical act of “fancy dancing,” jumping around in an erratic manner, during powwows was only to entertain the Caucasians that were overtaking the indigenous peoples’ land. Oestreich-Rice went on to explain how many things the general public CULTURE| Page 2
CAMPUS IMAGE
Spartan rises up for the slam
INFOGRAPHIC BY CINDY CUELLAR
Aid workers thank donors for support By Christian Trujano STAFF WRITER
JESUS TELLITUD | SPARTAN DAILY
Junior forward Ralph Agee goes up for a dunk for the blue team during warmups at the Spartan Basketball Tip-off Event held at Event Center Tuesday night. The basketball teams played scrimmages of blue vs. gold teams later that night to kick off the season. The women’s team will play Nov. 5; the men’s team will play Nov. 6.
In 2004, mental health officer Karen Stewart got off a plane in Lagos, Nigeria and was met by a hot 95 degree weather, 90% humidity and the chaos of a busy city to work for a HIV and AIDS clinic. “My anxiety was very high as I thought, ‘What made me think I can do this?’ ” Stewart said. She had finally arrived to work on her first field assignment for Medecins Sans Frontieres, also known as Doctors Without Borders. “In Nigeria, in this time, the stigma and discrimination of HIV was intense,” she said. “We had husbands and wives coming into the clinic, collecting their HIV medication on different days, not telling the other they were HIV positive.” Stewart opened up about her experience in providing mental health services for
countries around the world at Tuesday’s “MSF On the Road: A Voice from the Field” event at the Hammer Theatre Center. The traveling speaker series was intended to thank the donors who Stewart said fund about 90% of the organization’s costs. Medecins Sans Frontieres is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organization that provides medical assistance to people affected by conflict, epidemics, disasters or exclusion from healthcare. It was founded in 1971 in France and opened a branch in the U.S. in 1990. It now has 24 independent sections worldwide, 43,000 field workers and serves 74 countries. In 2002, Stewart’s sister, her only sibling, took her own life. She then lost another family member later that year PHILANTHROPY | Page 2
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23, 2019
CULTURE Continued from page 1 uses for fun or aesthetics often hold deeper meanings for the cultures they are borrowed from and ultimately offend the original culture or people who developed it. Native American headdresses, or war bonnets, and tipis are two prime examples. Traditional headdresses are a sign of sacred significance and honor in Native American Plains culture. They are most often worn by males after making a grand sacrifice for their people. Tipis are also considered sacred. She said the home inside the tipi represents the womb. The direction the opening faces and the number of poles used to construct the structure hold deeper cultural and personal meanings as well. “All of these things matter and they represent something,” Oestreich-Rice said. Mosaic center director Christopher Yang said on such a culturally diverse campus like San Jose State, discussions around cultural appropriation are necessary.
“It’s definitely one of the topics that’s very relevant to our student body and college campuses across the entire country,” Yang said. Junior transfer student Gabriela Vaquerano said she attended the talk for a sociology class, and to gain more knowledge on how to identify and properly approach someone who is appropriating a culture. “I wanted to learn more tips on how to come about [cultural appropriation] so if someone does come and ask me or if someone is wearing something that’s not appropriate, how can I approach that,” Vaquerano said. At the end of her talk, OestreichRice took questions from the crowd and used the discussion to address how she approaches people whom she finds are appropriating a culture. Oestreich-Rice suggested rather than calling someone out, to “call them in.” “Ask them if they have time to learn about why what they’re doing is wrong. Ask them if they have time for you to educate them on the subject,” OestreichRice said. Follow Roman on Instagram @roaminroman_52
Spartans stand with DACA students on Day of Action
JOHN BRICKER | SPARTAN DAILY
Fernanda Perdomo-Arciniegas (lower left), deputy Diversity Officer and SJSU alumna, and Alma Vaverde (lower right), Office of Diversity interim executive assistant, talk to students at SJSU’s fourth annual Stand with Immigrants Day of Action event outside Clark Hall Tuesday. They asked students to join their mailing list and promoted the Intergroup Training Institute, which facilitates dialogue between students with different social identities.
LATE NIGHT Continued from page 1
CHRISTIAN TRUJANO | SPARTAN DAILY
Karen Stewart, mental health officer for Medecins Sans Frontieres, speaks during “MSF on the Road: A Voice From the Field” Tuesday at the Hammer Theatre. Stewart worked with HIV/AIDS patients in Lagos, Nigeria.
PHILANTHROPY Continued from page 1 and found herself in a position where she wanted to do more with her life. “Life is short,” Stewart said. “I asked myself, ‘Have I done everything I wanted to do if were to die tomorrow?’ and the answer was no.” Stewart was already looking for different agencies to continue her work as a clinical social worker. She connected a lot with Medecins Sans Frontieres principles of independence and neutrality. These same principles are what also draw in donors like Padma Channa, who said she appreciates the work the organization does to help countries in need. “I am a strong believer in what they do,” Channa said. “This is one of the very few organizations that are nonpolitical.”
Linda Leum, an anesthesiologist for the organization, was grateful for donors who helped her and the organization continue humanitarian work, such as building a child hospital in Libya to address the high childhood mortality rate. She especially wanted to thank donors for providing the funds to keep the field workers safe during these trips because of the fact that the organization doesn’t involve government entities. As a result, it relies on its own means to keep its staff and workers safe in these sometimes dangerous countries. “I would just like to give a personal thank you to all of [the donors] because your donations really make it possible for us to be safe,” Leum said.
Follow Christian on Twitter @ChristianTruja2
Justice studies freshman Nicholas Kashou said he takes a 6 p.m. class that lasts until 8:45 p.m., which forces him to bring along a protein bar or small snacks to eat between classes. “This makes it often difficult to eat on campus at night and I tend to go off campus after this class to eat,” Kashou said. Kashou said that he gets regularly tired of his only option left: the Dining Commons. He said it becomes an issue for him on most nights after his late class. “The general consensus and my personal opinion is that the Student Union closes too early,” Kashou said. “After a long day of classes with short breaks in between it is hard to find time during the day to eat.” Closure times of on campus dining have left some of these students hungry during the late nights. Students like Brazil said in trying to balance a late class, she has to choose to either bring food or wait until she gets home, something she can’t afford due to hunger. “Sometimes when I don’t have time to pack a snack, I end up hungry and distracted during class,” Brazil said. Spartan Eats marketing director Stephanie Fabian said in an email that the particular restaurants within the Student Union were picked based on student feedback.
The general consensus and my personal opinion is that the Student Union closes too early. Nicholas Kashou justice studies freshman
“Spartan Eats conducted surveys and focus groups with a large amount of feedback focused on the need for more authentic Asian cuisine, which really shaped our decision to bring Japanese Kitchen, Tea Degree and Ginger Market onto campus,” Fabian said. Fabian said the operating hours of the eateries always fluctuate and are based on customer foot traffic. While Fabian said they haven’t received feedback on operating hours, the hours take into account business demand. “Spartan Eats has not heard any feedback regarding hours,” Fabian said. “We continue to collect feedback daily to improve the overall dining experience.” Richard Nguyen, a radio, TV and film sophomore, said that it wouldn’t hurt for the Student Union restaurants to stay open later, but can see some negative effects if longer hours were extended. “The drawback is if the Student Union restaurants do
open later, a large majority of the employees there are students, so that’ll cut into their free time for recreational activities and class assignments,” Nguyen said. However, Nguyen said that he wants to take a 9 p.m. class in the Spring 2020 semester, and knows that options on campus would save a lot of time. He said he often has to eat quick snacks in between the 15 minutes he has before class. Business junior Tyrah Hicks, who formerly worked at the Student Union pizza restaurant “Build”, said that she would support an initiative of pushing back the restaurant’s hours, as long as it doesn’t interfere with student’s focus on schooling. “I do support the campus dining staying open longer,” Hicks said. “It closes significantly early and I think it doesn’t take into consideration the students who have night classes or commute as well as all the other factors that can go into people needing later meals.” Hicks said their early closure times could affect students negatively and lessens the school’s profit, but can also see how it allows employees to leave earlier. Until then, students who do not have access to dining on campus must continue to find off-campus options after their late classes.
Follow Erica on Instagram @erica.lizarrago
Crime Blotter
Petty Theft Oct. 13, unknown time at Campus Village 2 Information only
Offensive Words Univ/Etc Oct. 20, 8:31 a.m. at Washington Square Hall Adult cited
Vandalism:damage Property Oct. 18, 5:00 p.m. at Sweeney Hall Information only
Obstruct Public Officer Battery on a Person Oct. 20, 2:34 p.m. at MLK Library Adult arrest
DUI Alcohol/Drugs Oct. 20, 1:15 a.m. at E William St/S 8TH St, San Jose Adult arrest Battery on a Person Oct. 20. 2:17 a.m. at Campus Village A Information only
Vandalism:damage Property Oct. 20, 7:00 p.m. at Sweeney Hall Information only JESUS TELLITUD | SPARTAN DAILY
Computer science juniors Runze Wei and Lifan Zeng study together for classes at the Student Union food court Tuesday night after all the restaurants have closed.
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23, 2019
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Students reach new heights at SRAC By Olivia Wray STAFF WRITER
At the Spartan Recreation and Aquatics Center, the climbing wall offers more than just climbing. Students who are involved with the SRAC program learn risk management, leadership and team-building skills. Sharing the same values and motivation as the Outdoor Adventures club, the students who climb at the SRAC use the motto, “Wander. Connect. Grow.” When Outdoor Adventures coordinator Tony Dianda started working at SJSU last year, he knew he wanted to help students build relationships and get them out of their “city-mindset.” Having studied biology at UC Santa Cruz, Dianda said he noticed everyone was more “outdoor-aware” back at his college and he wanted to integrate that into his programs at SJSU. Dianda leads the Outdoor Adventures program as well as the climbing programs, where he hired student staff members to interact with new climbers and build their interpersonal skills. Compared to other gyms, Dianda said, at the SRAC climbing wall, he and his staff members encourage climbers to engage with each other by asking them to put their phones away and remove their headphones.
“Throughout life it becomes more and more challenging to meet new friends and this is an easy way to do it,” Dianda said. “Our staff is trained to be like ‘friend-wingmen,’ helping people make friendships.” Finance senior Sean Nguyen started climbing in 2016 and when the SRAC opened, it gave him the opportunity to become more immersed in the sport and meet students with the same interest. “I became friends with some of the climbing wall staff because I would be there often and just talk about routes on the wall or advice on how to do something,” Nguyen said. The Studio Climbing in downtown San Jose offers student specials once a month and Nguyen said he used to go to their gym, but memberships cost about $90. At the SRAC, students can check out harnesses, belay devices, climbing shoes and even participate in climbing classes for free. Dianda has 15 student staff members who operate the wall, manage the safety of the top-rope wall and teach belay classes. The belayer is the person who stands on the ground and controls the rope for the climber. Students who want to climb the top-rope wall, which requires a belayer, can take an online orientation and once they pass the quiz they can climb
Throughout life it becomes more and more challenging to meet new friends and this is an easy way to do it. Our staff is trained to be like ‘friend-wingmen,’ helping people make friendships. Tony Dianda Outdoor Adventures coordinator
at any time during SRAC operating hours. The orientation helps students understand the safety policies of SRAC climbing, which includes a 13-foot boulder and a top-rope wall with a 30-foot section and 45-foot section. “In the climbing world, there’s all sorts of different ways to belay a climber, tie your knots, how to do all these other smaller components, but there’s an international standard that’s deemed as the safest way,” Dianda said. The safety of climbing is important to Dianda, but he wants the policies to help students develop good habits so when they’re out climbing on their own time, they won’t do something dangerous. Sociology senior Bea Dizon said she was hired
PHOTO COURTESY OF TONY DIANDA
Electrical engineering sophomore Gerard Pablo (center) observes belayer and graphic design junior Harry Sio (right) while advertising senior Kara Wessel climbs.
just before the SRAC opened and enjoys teaching belay classes and ensuring everyone’s safety. “We also like to have fun and initiate climbing games on our boulder with those that come in,” Dizon said. Dianda said the climbing staff have been working for a short time, but they seem to be constantly improving their leadership skills. “We hope that all of our
students, either a participant or a staff member, get to tie [the skills] into their day-to-day lives and into their careers eventually,” Dianda said. After seeing the success in his student staff members, Dianda hopes the climbing program will continue to grow. He said the sport club, located in the event center, is currently being renovated, but when it reopens, a part of the weight room
will be dedicated to the climbing and outdoor adventure programs. Dianda hopes to have courses where students can learn outdoor-related skills such as how to fix a flat tire, how to use a map and compass and night photography. It will allow students to learn those skills if they can’t spend money on the Outdoor Adventures trips. Follow Olivia on Twitter @bmo_liv
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OPINION
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23, 2019
YouTube tyrannically censors videos John Bricker STAFF WRITER
YouTube’s quest to become more advertiser friendly by censoring controversial creators is killing the edgy humor and self-expression that made its platform interesting in the first place. After three former PayPal employees founded YouTube in 2005, the site became a haven for some of the internet’s most eccentric weirdos and comedians. YouTube featured plenty of amateur sketch comedy, fan animations and absurd remixes of familiar media. Slowly, YouTube became more corporate and regulated, beginning with Google purchasing the company in 2006, when YouTube had only 65 employees according to a Business Insider article. According to the same article, Google started advertising on YouTube in 2007, and that shift has fundamentally changed YouTube’s goals as a platform. Now appeasing advertisers seems to be YouTube’s main goal, even if censoring its creators is necessary to do so, which totally contradicts the company’s old motto of “Broadcast Yourself.” Now, creators on YouTube have to follow an unclear set of tyrannical rules just for a chance to make some money from their original content. YouTube has been somewhat transparent about some rules, like how it states in its “advertiserfriendly content guidelines” that creators should not use “strong profanity” at the start of their videos if they want them to be monetized. The guidelines also do not clarify how long they should stop themselves from swearing or what “strong profanity” even means. However, YouTube lies to its creators about some of its rules and regulations, making it virtually impossible for a full-time YouTuber to know how to avoid the dreaded yellow demonetized icon. With the help of researcher Sealow, the channel “YouTube Analyzed” created a giant spreadsheet containing a list of words that will get YouTube to automatically demonetize your video if you put them in the title or description. Despite YouTube posting videos celebrating Pride Month every year, “gay” and “gay marriage” are on the list of demonetized words, although they can sometimes slip through because of context or random chance. This means that in some cases gay creators can be punished just for accurately disclosing the content of their videos. While creators are censored and punished, YouTube denies that its system automatically demonetizes videos based on words at all.
ILLUSTRATION BY EDUARDO TEIXEIRA
While creators are censored and punished, YouTube denies that its system automatically demonetizes videos based on words at all. In an interview, Neal Mohan, YouTube chief product officer, said YouTube does not use any “list of words or keywords or terms or anything like that” to determine whether a video should be demonetized. Beyond YouTube’s institutional censorship, the company has individually targeted specific creators who it labels as “controversial,” forcing some of YouTube’s best content off the site. For years, YouTuber Anthony Fantano was known for two equally entertaining channels: His dry and analytical music review channel, “theneedledrop,” and his wild meme channel, “ThatIsThePlan.” While his music centered channel slowly grew, Fantano struggled to make a profit from his off-the-wall, chaotically-edited meme reviews, leading him to delete the channel in 2017. Through Twitter, Fantano explained the situation, describing how YouTube “routinely” demonetized his videos before he made them public, “regardless of tags, content, titles.”
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
YouTube superstar PewDiePie has since started making his own meme reviews, but they are no replacement for Fantano’s unique editing style and hilarious commentary. YouTube has even deleted channels because of their controversial image by suddenly hitting them with undeserved community guidelines strikes. In late 2018, YouTube shut down two channels run by YouTuber Mumkey Jones by giving each channel three community guidelines strikes, deleting both channels and robbing the comedian of hundreds of videos and hundreds of thousands of subscribers in the process. As he explained in a video on a new channel, YouTube took down the channels by accusing that his videos mocking an infamous school shooter promoted violence. One of the videos it struck was set to private and they claimed a viewer had reported it, despite it being impossible for anyone other than YouTube employees and the creator to see the video. Jones spent the next few months feuding with YouTube over Twitter and starting new YouTube channels, which YouTube deleted over and over again. Ironically, the channel that YouTube finally allowed Mumkey Jones to keep was originally called “All Hail Chancellor Susan,” an insult directed at YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. If “Chancellor Susan” and her underlings don’t start to allow YouTubers to express themselves more freely, YouTube will become just as bland and uninteresting as an average cable TV network, making this new media giant seem very archaic indeed. Follow John on Twitter @JohnMichaelBr15
SATIRE
Racism is a problem on Panda set to replace bald San Jose State’s campus eagle as American symbol Dear Editor, Both you and I know that racism is alive and well on our campus. It’s not an everyday occurrence or a war is being waged over it, but being a student myself, I have experienced it firsthand. Therefore, when you use quotes in your publication, “Faculty to Enroll in Anti-Racism”, from Professor Easter, claiming that people are sensitive to the subject of racism, that is where it falls apart for me. You did a great job portraying and explaining how successful the Antiracism workshops are and even got interviews with some of the people involved with the workshop. You do a great job setting up why the workshops are working and why future workshops will be beneficial for the staff at SJSU. The one weak point for me in your publication is the use of Professor Easter, saying that racism is not a problem on our campus.
I know you were using this to set up and portray why the workshops are needed on campus, but it was unnecessary. Let’s look at it like this, racism is a problem on campus, the anti-racism workshops are successful. That’s it. You had a great layout, the inclusion of those few quotes saying how people are sensitive to racism or that racism is not an issue did not need to be included. Now, I am certain that your interview with Professor Easter was extensive and definitely had more depth and context. If you had added more of the interview that revealed the depth of Professor Easter’s opinions and tie it in with the effectiveness of the workshops and I would have had no problems with your publication. With that, I look forward to seeing more of your future publications.
By Jonathan Austin OPINION EDITOR
An executive order is being prepared that will change the U.S. national bird from the bald eagle to the giant panda. Several people have commented that the change from a uniquely American symbol to a clearly Chinese one is alarming. President Donald Trump has since clarified the order was being presented as a conservationist initiative. “This is being done to help folks realize that pandas are endangered, and they need our help,” Trump said.
Sincerely, Trung Nguyen
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The Trump administration said the bald eagle is no longer endangered like when it was initially made the symbolic bird of America, and as such it is using its office to help preserve the noble Chinese panda bear. “I don’t like China. I can’t be any more clear that this has nothing to do with the market interests that America has in China,” Trump said. Democratic Party leaders indicated they plan to filibuster the Senate hearings confirming the panda bear as national bird. Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanAus10
Letters to the Editor may be placed in the letters to the editor box in the Spartan Daily office in Dwight Bentel Hall, Room 209 or emailed to spartandaily@gmail.com to the attention of the Spartan Daily Opinion Editor. Letters to the Editor must contain the author’s name, year and major. Letters become property of the Spartan Daily and may be edited for clarity, grammar, libel and length. Only letters of 300 words or less will be considered for publication. Published opinions and advertisements do not necessarily reflect the views of the Spartan Daily, the School of Journalism and Mass Communication or SJSU. The Spartan Daily is a public forum.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23, 2019
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Sutton’s new anthems know no genre By John Bricker STAFF WRITER
After several years of independently producing instrumental electronic music, New Jersey-based musician Chuck Sutton made an explosive entrance to experimental vocal pop with his debut album, “i know what i’m doing*” that was released on Friday. From 2014-18, Sutton made and released instrumental electronic tracks every few months and began releasing YouTube videos about his music production process in 2017. In October 2018, Sutton planned to release a five-track EP, but decided to start saving songs for an album when he made his best track yet, “Rosetta,” which he later released as the second single for “i know what i’m doing*.” “It kind of overshadowed the quality of the rest of the songs,” Sutton said in an interview over a Discord video call. “It was bittersweet.” As he recorded more songs for his debut album, each one revealed more and more of the album’s complete meaning. Before finishing the album in February, Sutton got a shoutout from influential music critic Anthony Fantano, seeing that he had an extra 40,000 plays on SoundCloud the day after Fantano’s YouTube video went live. “I’ve never seen that kind of spike,” Sutton said. Sutton’s new album features plenty of the futuristic embellishments Fantano praised, powerfully delivered through pop song structures that explore many different aesthetics. Sutton said that each of the album’s nine songs tied together with seven skits and interludes, explore a slightly different genre. The album’s first single, “Chess Bling,” creates an original take on the mumble rap sound with distorted flutes, 808 bass and equally rhythmic and melodic vocals. Along with demonstrating his usual production prowess with surprising switch-ups into choruses with jazzy guitar chords or ghostly synths, Sutton also shows his strength as a rapper, delivering tongue-
in-cheek bars about saving money and “Zoomin’ off in your dad’s whip.” Sutton called “Chess Bling” a trap song about materialism and said he enjoys making music that contradicts the conventions of its genre. “I am using one medium to talk about almost the opposite feeling,” he said. Sometimes, Sutton’s songs abandon their detached critique to deliver an addictive, unforgettable pop anthem, like the beautiful and haunting “Rosetta.” After an opening featuring cold synths and growling bass, the track explodes into a bustling trap beat that somehow acts as a perfect foundation for Sutton’s earworm hook. After detours into an energetic rap verse and distorted talk box vocals that sound ripped straight from a classic Daft Punk song, the track closes with the same hook, ensuring that you’ll be humming the track’s melody for hours after hearing it. While tracks like “Rosetta” and “Chess Bling” provide refreshing takes on familiar sounds, the album’s deep cuts venture into much more adventurous territory. Sutton’s heartfelt tribute to nostalgic experiences in college, “133 (Ode To Freshman),” seems to shift between four genres in less than two minutes, beginning with triumphant electronic dance music synth chords, before shifting into dark drums and ominous double bass samples by way of a synth line taken from a G-funk track. Sutton called the track “downtempo synth-pop,” although he admitted that he really does not know how to describe his own song. “It’s not a genre, but like, it kind of is,” Sutton said. One of the first songs Sutton finished for the album, “Homebound//Energy” displays all the best qualities of his previous work rolled into one package. The song begins with processed vocals over ambient chords, then suddenly drops into a cold-blooded rap verse backed by rattling percussion, grumbling bass and stabs of muffled synths. As if the dichotomy between these two sections was not enough to set the track apart, Sutton builds the track into an outro
CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
ILLUSTRATION BY JOHN BRICKER
which blends soothing jazzy chords with a driving rhythm and dizzying slices of Sutton’s sampled vocals. Sutton called this hyperactive outro a callback to “older, Chuck Sutton jumpy, vocal-choppy vibes, which I’m happy about.” Even with all its multifaceted bangers, “i know what i’m doing*” takes less than half an hour to listen to, thanks largely to most of the tracklist containing short interludes that help each track flow into the next. These interludes often address the subject matter of the next song, like how “The Long Scheme” introduces “Chess Bling’s” themes of materialism by mimicking putting the listener on hold after calling their bank. The album also loops seamlessly from the last track back to the first, begging listeners to play the whole album again and suggesting a thematic consistency that Sutton does not quite deliver. Although this loop suggests a cohesive and conceptual album, Sutton’s debut simply functions as a perfect introduction to him as an artist, without much to stay in terms of a unified theme. When asked if he wants to make music that appeals to the mainstream, Sutton replied that he wants to make his music accessible by blending left-field and traditional sounds.
album review “i know what i’m doing*” Rating:
Artist: Chuck Sutton Release Date: Oct. 18 Genre: Electro-pop
“I think what fuels me to make music is I love giving people new perspectives,” he said, referring to how he hopes pop-haters can enjoy “Rosetta” and hip-hop-purists can understand “Chess Bling.” Whether Sutton’s strategy brings him mainstream acclaim or not, he plans on focusing on his music career full-time after recently dropping out from the music production program at Drexel University in Philadelphia. “If I am in college, I don’t want to be slacking, getting bad grades but then having a good career,” he said. Sutton said his fellow students joked that he would drop out long before he did and faculty at the university supported his decision.
SUDOKU PUZZLE Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
Follow John on Twitter @JohnMichaelBr15
JOKIN’ AROUND What kind of jokes do you make in the shower?
Clean Jokes!
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Snob 5. Partitions 10. Frozen 14. Sharpen 15. S-shaped moldings 16. Prying 17. Relieve 19. A ridge of sand 20. Discontinuity 21. Chin indentation 22. Ticketed 23. Empower 25. Panache 27. Purchase 28. Anchored 31. Small islands 34. Salt water 35. Mineral rock 36. Bend 37. Move furtively 38. Absent Without Leave 39. Mist 40. Catapulted 41. Compacted 42. Annuals 44. Prefix meaning “Modern” 45. Extols
46. Informant 50. English county 52. A very short time 54. Emote 55. An intimate chat 56. Collaborator 58. Cain’s brother 59. Beginning 60. Arid 61. Corpse 62. Abounding in noxious plants 63. Was cognizant DOWN 1. A type of virus 2. Ancient empire 3. Bumbling 4. Hair goop 5. Hairy 6. Tally 7. Foliage 8. Inscription 9. South southeast 10. A citizen of Calcutta, for example 11. Heard before a rocket launch
12. Feudal worker 13. Not the original color 18. Convulsion 22. Chimney channel 24. Wild goat 26. Hit on the head 28. Smiles 29. God of love 30. Expunge 31. Questionable 32. Blackthorn 33. Permitted 34. Chalcanthite 37. Skidded 38. Eternity 40. Swing around 41. Discourage 43. Seldom 44. Refinement 46. Rubbed 47. Consumed 48. Gain points in a game 49. Scatter 50. Anagram of “Cabs” 51. Vagabond 53. Thorny flower 56. Bovine 57. Request
10/22/2019
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 23, 2019
APARTMENT ANIMALS
Lil’ Homie brings home the smiles Jaileane Aguilar COPY EDITOR
The most spontaneous decisions can lead to bringing a college household together. The moment global studies senior Nicole Albillar saw her sister advertising a kitten on social media, she knew Lil’ Homie was meant for them. Albillar was on social media when she saw her sister’s post about a kitten she found outside her work in Fresno. After a long day of school, international business senior Valerye Avalos, who is also Albillar’s roommate, hopped in her car, sat through 4 p.m. traffic and drove to Fresno in pursuit of her new kitten. Albillar said she and her roommates are now responsible for the kitten’s life. Rather than coming home and sitting on their phones like they normally would, they now have to take care of their kitten and its needs. However, despite the workload of watching over a new animal, she explained that owning the kitten is a reward in itself. “Honestly, it just makes you happy. You come in feeling down and then you see Lil’ Homie and you start playing with him,” Albillar said.
can only eat with someone around to watch him. “In the mornings I will wait with him for a couple of minutes and make sure he eats his food. Then I have to do that again during lunch, and then do it again during dinner. So it’s very time-consuming,” Avalos said. “I feel like you need to know what you’re doing.” Avalos said. Avalos said there’s a lot of cuddling involved throughout the day for Lil’ Homie and herself. She also said that when Lil’ Homie first came into the home, he caused a lot of conflict for the roommates. “One of our roommates wasn’t too on board on it at first, until she met him and started bonding with him,” Avalos said. Albillar said Lil’ Homie has been able to bring all the housemates to sit down and play with him together as a group. “He has a favorite video and it was nice. We were all able to catch up together while we watched him pay close attention to the video,” Avalos said. Avalos said caring for him is like raising a baby. “I think he does a good job of bringing us together and he’s become our baby to all of us,” Avalos said.
She also said she thinks that the kitten helps her emotionally. “The other day I was sad and he came and sat on my lap and we fell asleep and he was just there,” Albillar said. Albillar said Lil’ Homie is able to help people cope through those who are feeling down in the household. Lil’ Homie will go toward whoever is feeling down that day and try his best to make sure to provide comfort to the person who is not feeling their best that day, Albillar said. Albillar and Avalos said they believe that having a cat isn’t for everyone. “If you’re going to have a cat and leave them in the room, and not take care of them or play with them then don’t get one. But if you have everyone on board to help and is willing to play with him then it’s okay,” Albillar said. Lil’ Homie has also been able to grow an attachment towards Albillar and her roommates. Every time he is left alone, Albillar said he will begin to cry and feel sad. The 7-week-old kitten Follow Jaileane on Twitter enjoys playing and enjoys @Jaileane1 resting with one of the four Apartment Animals roommates. appears on Wednesdays. Avalos said Lil’ Homie
JESUS TELLITUD | SPARTAN DAILY
Above: International business senior Valerye Avalos poses with her kitten, Lil’ Homie. Below: 7-week-old kitten Lil’ Homie plays with his toys in his owner’s living room.
Freaky beats lead to addictive album By Christian Trujano
Horrorcore aims to scare you the same way horror movies do, and the new clipping. album does exactly that.
STAFF WRITER
If you want to experience what it’s like to be inside the mind of a ’70s horror movie psycho murderer, the new clipping. album “There Existed an Addiction to Blood” is for you. The third album from Los Angeles-based experimental hip-hop group clipping. should not be solely judged on its boring, edgy title. Yes, the name is a bit tacky, as Halloween is just around the corner. Rapper Daveed Diggs and producers William Hutson and Jonathan Snipes revive the horrorcore scene of the mid-90s with this album, steering clear of the corny garbage of bands like Insane Clown Posse. Horrorcore, a purposefully absurdist and creatively significant subgenre, flourished in places like Memphis, Tennessee and was known for its dark, cold killer lyricism and ambient beats. Horrorcore aims to scare you the same way horror movies do, and the new clipping. album does exactly that. “There Existed an Addiction to Blood” incorporates the hyperviolent themes of murder, crime and disturbing content through samples and Diggs’ lyrics. From the intro with its fuzzy radio intercom that Diggs raps over, to the final song which is 18 minutes of the sound of a piano burning, this album will leave you wanting to keep
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
William Hutson (left), Daveed Diggs (center) and Jonathan Snipes formed their group, clipping., in 2009.
the lights on at night. “Intro” starts the album with footsteps, shovels and the ambient sound that you might hear at 3 a.m. Diggs monotone, almostrobotic verse might hurt any other album, but his cold delivery perfectly captures the character of a stone cold killer seen throughout the album. His bars right off the bat start strong and the muffled radio speaker effect over Diggs’ voice, along with his morbid lyrics, sets an ominous scene. His flow and wordplay continue to shine with the next song, “Nothing is Safe,” which captures the aesthetic of John Carpenter’s legendary score for 1978’s “Halloween,” showing their
album review “There Existed an Addiction to Blood” Rating:
appreciation for classic horror movies that shines throughout the album. The song starts off with one high-pitched shrill piano note that lingers throughout the track, creating tension while Diggs sets the scene of criminals inside their gang house. The narrative picks up as a simple bass line comes in and Diggs describes a police raid on these criminals,
Artist: clipping. Release Date: Oct. 18 Genre: Experimental hip-hop
sucking you into his intense world through his creative and vivid lyricism. “Blood of the Fang” is another musically interesting piece which ties themes of racism and to a surprising blend of genres. After a gospel sample, the beat drops into distorted bass and synths with a slightly quiet drum sample behind it. Diggs again delivers his stunningly
the, shut the club down.” Although his monotone rapping does complement the track’s mood, “Club Down” is a missed opportunity for Diggs to unleash some evil bars. In contrast, Diggs takes the spotlight in “He Dead,” as ambient synths drowns everything but Diggs’ vicious raps. “There Existed an Addiction to Blood” ends beautifully with “Piano Burning,” an avant-garde piece written by composer Annea Lockwood. Yes, it is the sound of a piano burning. The solemn ending complements everything leading up to this grand finale, which fades away to the sound of a heartbeat slowing then stopping. If you are looking to challenge yourself and don’t mind sleeping for a couple nights, listen to clipping.’s new album “There Existed an Addiction to Blood.”
precise and annunciated bars which leave you thinking, “Does he even appreciate what he’s doing?” The way Diggs flows with the ambient noise and blaring samples almost seems as if he’s working as another instrument. However, the substance of what he says is well thought out that you can’t focus on anything other than his lyrics. Unfortunately, Digg’s resorts to mindless repetition, like on “Club Down,” where siren samples, boosted bass and distorted synths steal the show. Degrading the immersive beat, Diggs raps a typical gangster rap hook, “Turn the lights off, they done Follow Christian on Twitter shut the club down, @ChristianTruja2 shut the club down, shut