Thursday, Oct. 24, 2019
Volume 153 No. 27 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY
SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
News
El Espartano Noticias
Immigration
SJSU’s precision flight team takes off for Arizona
La batalla del rismo en los generos murdenos
Update News reports on migrant and refugee crises
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JONATHAN AUSTIN | SPARTAN DAILY
Approximately 26 stacked washer and dryer units sit outside of Campus Village 2. The laundry machines were installed Wednesday after a two-day closure of the CV2 laundry rooms.
CV2 laundry machines replaced By Jonathan Austin OPINION EDITOR
San Jose State students residing in the Campus Village 2 dorm received new washing and drying machines in the building’s multiple laundry rooms. The new machines are expected to be ready for usage starting today. “I think it’s about damn time,” behavioral science senior Tatiana Thomas said. University Housing Services began the removal process of old machines Tuesday. In an email, Sonja Daniels, associate vice president of
campus life, said that washing units are being replaced in several of the buildings. Campus Village B, one of the buildings receiving the updated equipment, will be having its laundry room renovated from Friday to Nov. 25. The new laundry equipment is being provided by CSC ServiceWorks Holdings Inc. According to a flyer in the CVB laundry room, laundry will continue to be free until Nov. 4. After Nov. 4, residents will need to download the CSCay Mobile app, where they will register and receive
I think it’s about damn time. Tatiana Thomas behavioral science senior
an automatic $16.50 credit on their account balance. The new app will require residents to have a Bluetoothcompatible device to use the new laundry equipment on any of the floors.
The Spartan Daily reached out to University Housing S er vices representatives to inquire if refunds will be provided to residents with dollar amounts remaining on laundry cards used by the now defunct provider but did not receive a response by print time. Residents of CVB will be provided with access to Campus Village C to use the buildings laundry equipment as well as the Joe West Hall laundry room while the renovations are ongoing. Un i v e r s it y Hou s i n g Services received multiple
complaints about the washers and dryers in the Campus Village, and eventually rendered them f ree to use during the Spring 2019 semester. “Most students shouldn’t have to pay for things that don’t work considering most students are already broke to begin with,” Thomas said.
Follow Jonathan on Twitter @JonathanAus10 Roman Contreras contributed reporting to this article.
Amanda Nguyen rises for advocacy By Grace Pang & Vicente Vera LEGISLATIVE COLUMNIST & SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITOR
“Being raped wasn’t the worst thing that happened to me, being betrayed by the criminal justice system was,” a Nobel Peace Prize-nominated activist said to San Jose State students and faculty members Wednesday night. In the latest installment of SJSU’s Speaker Series, Amanda Nguyen spoke at the Student Union Ballroom, discussing the barriers that she and other survivors face when trying to navigate the justice system that they claim worked against them.
Being raped wasn’t the worst thing that happened to me, being betrayed by the criminal justice system was. Amanda Nguyen Nobel Peace Prize-nominated sexual assault survivors’ activist
Her solution was the hardnosed process of lobbying Congress to pass more SURVIVOR | Page 2
JESUS TELLITUD | SPARTAN DAILY
Harvard alumna and founder of non-governmental organization “Rise,” Amanda Nguyen speaks in the Student Union Ballroom Wednesday about fighting survivors’ rights during SJSU’s Speaker Series.
Awaiting the next big one San Jose officials plan for earthquake preparedness By John Bricker STAFF WRITER
JOHN BRICKER | SPARTAN DAILY
Karen Philbrick (left), Mineta Transportation Institute executive director, introduces Frances Edwards, an SJSU professor and the master of public administration program director, at the “A Look Back, a Look Forward: Lessons Applied 30 Years After Loma Prieta” event Friday.
Following the 30th anniversary of the Loma Prieta earthquake that shook the Bay Area in 1989, residents are preparing for the next big one. San Jose officials plan to update building codes and San Jose State disaster experts planned how to prepare the city for the next big earthquake at
San Jose State. In a San Jose City Council meeting Tuesday, a measure update to San Jose’s building codes passed; requiring independent special inspection for concrete, promoting increased seismic separation between adjoining buildings and limiting the use of unsafe materials in brace walls. The city council also discussed how San Jose can
maintain function in the event of a power outage. San Jose City Manager David Sykes said San Jose’s uninterruptible power systems supply power to crucial facilities with batteries until backup generators can start running in the event of an outage. Walter Lin, San Jose deputy EARTHQUAKE | Page 2
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NEWS
THURSDAY, OCT. 24, 2019
SURVIVOR Continued from page 1 protections for sexual assault survivors. Nguyen said she spent time with Chanel Miller earlier in the day. Miller, formerly referred to as Emily Doe, recently wrote the memoir, “Know My Name” following her assailant, Brock Turner, being found guilty by a Santa Clara Superior Court jury of three counts of felony sexual assault. According to the SJSU 2019 Annual Security Report, 19 rapes were reported on campus and in campus housing in 2018. Nguyen went on to recount the story of her 2013 sexual assault while attending Harvard University. Because she did not have the time or resources after her assault and the statute of limitation for reporting sex crimes in Massachusetts was 15 years, she decided she would press charges against her assailant at another time. Law enforcement officials then informed
her that she would have to renew her rape kit every six months, or else it would be destroyed. Shortly after her graduation from Harvard, Nguyen founded the non-governmental civil rights organization, Rise, and began working with local politicians to pass new legislation further protecting survivors. “Success to me is not that I can do something, it’s that I can pass it along for the next person to do it better than me,” Nguyen said. “I wasn’t just doing this just for me, I felt obligated to act for all sexual assault survivors in the country, over 25 million people.” According to the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence, 21% – 55% of Asian women in the U.S. report experiencing intimate physical and/ or sexual violence during their lifetime. Her campaign caught the attention of a few politicians, including U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren, who represents most of San Jose. Lofgren, along with U.S. Rep. Mimi Walters,
He wiped the water out of his eyes, turned to me and said, ‘My daughter is also a rape survivor and she went through a lot of the same things you’re going through.’ Amanda Nguyen Nobel Peace Prize-nominated sexual assault survivors’ activist
JESUS TELLITUD | SPARTAN DAILY
During her presentation, activist Amanda Nguyen brings up teaching consent to children at a young age to negate behavior that could lead to becoming an assailant.
introduced the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act of 2016 to the House floor on June 24, 2016. Passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and signed into law by President Barack Obama on Oct. 7, 2016, the Survivors’ Bill of Rights Act essentially outlawed the practice of destroying
rape kits before the statute of limitation on the crime is up, Nguyen said. She said the issue of rape kit backlogs stems from negligence in processing. To address this on the state level, Governor Gavin Newsom recently signed Senate Bill 22, requiring law enforcement to test newly collected rape kits
EARTHQUAKE Continued from page 1 director of public works, said the batteries can last for 45 minutes, while the backup generators can last 17 hours. Most likely, a large earthquake will strike California within the next 30 years. In 2014, a now-outdated U.S. Department of the Interior report estimated a 99.7% chance of an earthquake with at least a 6.7 magnitude within the next 30 years. On Friday, the day after Loma Prieta’s anniversary, SJSU hosted a series of panels called, “A Look Back, a Look Forward: Lessons Applied 30 Years After Loma Prieta” in the Engineering Building. JOHN BRICKER | SPARTAN DAILY Anne Wein, operations San Jose Fire Chief Robert Sapien tells San Jose City Council that the city’s research analyst for the firefighting staff will take approximately three months to review the fire codes U.S. Geological Survey, before proposing an amended code to address discrepancies in the current draft. spoke at the event and said the survey now projects the chance of a big earthquake as 72% on average, with a margin of error between roughly 30% and 94%. Poss Unlaw Paraphernalia Drunk in Public - Detention Although this Oct. 21, 12:46 a.m. at S. 7th St./ Only earthquake now appears E. Virginia St. Bench warrant issued if no slightly less immediate, Adult cited court appearance the experts at the event Oct. 21, at 9 a.m. at said a large quake was Possess Burglary Tools Corporation Yard A inevitable and serious. Oct. 21, at 1:35 a.m. at S. 10th Adult cited Wein’s research on St./Needles Dr. Adult cited Auto Burglary possible earthquake risks Oct. 17, at 1 p.m. at along the Hayward fault Posses/Carry/Transfer South Garage projects shifting of up to Billy Club Information only 2 meters in some places, Probation Violation Felony which could destroy roads, Poss Unlaw Paraphernalia Poss Marij Und 28.5 Grams cables and pipelines. Poss Controlled Substance False Reg/Plate without Intent Wein said the U.S. Misd Oct. 21, at 10:34 p.m. at Geological Survey has Under Influence Cntl Sub S. 10th St./E. Santa Clara St., not determined exactly Probation Violation San Jose how large an earthquake Misdemeanor Adult cited originating at the Oct. 21, at 3:17 a.m. at Margaret St./S. 11th St. Hayward fault could be, Adult arrest but she projected as many as 18,000 people could be
Crime Blotter
promptly in California. Nguyen emphasized the importance of teaching bodily consent at a young age to help with preventing behavior that may lead to assault. Kinesiology sophomore Anna Verzosa said she attended Nguyen’s speaker event for extra credit in her Asian Studies class, but quickly related to the Harvard alumnus. “She talks with so much composure, just a quality human being,” Verzosa said. “I’m also Asian American and when she spoke, I feel like her and I came from similar backgrounds.” Toward the end of her speech, Nguyen told a story of an Uber driver she met while he drove her to the steps of the Senate
to lobby for her bill. “At the end of the ride, he asked me why I was going to the Senate and I told him why and this complete stranger just started crying,” Nguyen said. “He wiped the water out of his eyes, turned to me and said, ‘My daughter is also a rape survivor and she went through a lot of the same things you’re going through.’ ” When he stopped the car, Nguyen said, the man thanked her for “fighting for his daughter” and told Nguyen he loved her for her grit. “I’ll never forget that dad,” she said.
injured as a result and the destruction of both poorly and well-built buildings at the disaster’s epicenter. Wein said low-income people are especially at risk because they often live in buildings that have not been retrofitted to withstand earthquakes. To demonstrate this point during her talk, she showed a picture of two buildings next to each other on the same street. One had not been retrofitted and collapsed after an earthquake, while the other had been retrofitted and still stood. Wein said 2,000 of the projected injuries could be prevented with the MyShake app, a mobile phone application developed by UC Berkeley’s seismology lab that detects earthquakes using ground motion sensors and sends emergency warnings,
of the earthquake before the shaking hits. Goodrich advised those far away enough from the epicenter of the quake to make a plan to protect themselves and their family. “This isn’t just about having the communications capabilities,” Goodrich said. “It is also having the knowledge of what to do with that information.” Ash Padwal, chief risk officer at Allied Telesis Inc., said young people using the MyShake app may feel a false sense of security and advised against over reliance on technology. Although California has taken steps to prepare the state for the next earthquake, not all of the lessons from the Loma Prieta earthquake have been applied. At Friday’s panel event, Frances Edwards, a professor and the director of the master of public administration program at SJSU, said she helped produce a book of 100 recommendations for the California Seismic Safety Commission after Loma Prieta. Edwards said California has applied 20 out of 100 of the recommendations. She said she holds that book and another, produced by the National Academy of Sciences and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute in Oakland, as “historic treasures” and “guides for the future, as we think about what more can we do to become better prepared and safe.”
This isn’t just about having the communications capabilities. It is also having the knowledge of what to do with that information. Dan Goodrich Mineta Transportation Institute research associate
according to ABC 7 News. Dan Goodrich, research associate at the Mineta Transportation Institute, said at the event that this app will not be able to alert people at the center
Follow Grace and Vicente on Twitter @gpangcalstate @VicenteSJSU
Follow John on Twitter @JohnMichaelBr15
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NEWS
THURSDAY, OCT. 24, 2019
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Precision flight team soars to regionals By Brendan Cross STAFF WRITER
Four planes will take off from the Reid-Hillview airport Friday morning, carrying San Jose State’s Precision Flight team to Arizona, for their first competition of the season. SJSU will show off its skills in a regional clash against schools such as Cypress College and Mt. San Antonio College beginning Monday. “They’ve been practicing really hard and I think they’re going to really do well,” said Daniel Neal, aviation and technology lecturer and flight team advisor. “Our arch rival is Embry-Riddle [in] Prescott, Arizona so we’ll be going head-to-head with them.” During the competition, the team will use the four planes they left in, two Cessna 152’s, a Cessna 172SP and a DA40, three of which are provided by the Flying 20. It is a non-profit flight club for SJSU students, alumni and faculty members. The DA40 is a team member’s plane. The six-day long Region 2 SAFECON 2019 competition, hosted by the National Intercollegiate Flying Association, will feature ground, flying, simulator, navigation and safety related events. Ground events include students answering multiple choice questions relating to flight plan scenarios and
I’m nervous because anything where you have to be in a completely unfamiliar environment is nerve-wracking, but on top of that, it’s a competition and I want to be a valuable asset. Sierra Brannon-Young aviation freshman
aircraft identification, such as looking at a picture of a portion of an aircraft and identify the manufacturer and the name of the aircraft in three seconds. Aerial events include the message drop competition where a pilot and co-pilot fly a certain altitude above the runway with a target on the ground. The co-pilot then tosses a box with a message in it out the window and tries to get it as close to the target as possible. SJSU finished second in the regionals last year to Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and earned a trip to the national SAFECON 2019 earlier in May. Aviation operations senior Peter Ruth, who is in his third semester with the team, said he is both
PHOTO COURTESY OF SAL KHAN
The SJSU precision flight team is gearing up to compete at SAFECON in order to qualify for the 2020 nationals.
excited and nervous for the regionals. “It can be stressful, but for the most part, we’re all there to have a good time with each other and promote aviation,” Ruth said. He also talked about his typical mindset when he’s up in the air, mid-event. “It’s a competition so you’re never truly relaxed, you’re always a bit on edge,” Ruth said. “You’re focused on the event that you have to do.” Aviation freshman Sierra Brannon-Young, who joined the team this
A.S. recognizes land, discusses initiatives By Christian Trujano STAFF WRITER
The San Jose State Associated Students board of directors added a land acknowledgment statement to its bylaws, and discussed six areas of focus for student success and a new website for students to find off-campus housing at its meeting Wednesday.
Land acknowledgment statement Approved with a unanimous vote, the land acknowledgment statement is a small paragraph that will be read at every board or committee meeting and A.S.-related event on campus starting today, barring any time restrictions. “This was something that when it was brought up to the board last year that A.S. wanted to do,” A.S. executive director Carole Dowell said. The statement will honor and acknowledge the land of the Muwekma Ohlone tribe who lived on the land that SJSU now sits on top of: “It’s also important to note the work and sacrifice all of our ancestors and those who came before us, made to be here today.” Director of internal affairs Kenya Gallo said previous A.S. President Ariadna Manzo spoke with the Native American Student Organization, who had asked A.S. to include the statement in its bylaws.
Student Initiatives
Success
Sharon Willey, senior
associate vice president for enrollment management, spoke about six new areas of focus for student success that the university is aiming to improve: retention, equity gaps, advising and advising tools, student belonging and enrollment. “Our students who are here at SJSU, are you having a positive experience? Is the university a helping and caring place where you’re able to have assistance when you need it and give you the autonomy to learn and grow at your pace?” Willey said. She said currently the university is not where it wants to be regarding four-year graduation rate outcomes but wants to improve that with this new student success plan. “We’re at 25% [fouryear graduation rate] and we want that to be higher,” she said. She said she did, however, recognize some students might not be on track to graduate in four years due to work or family commitments. “We are here to ensure that all of our students who come here intending to graduate, will in fact graduate,” Wiley said. She said she does not want the university to be one of those barriers keeping students from graduating on time. She also made it clear that when talking about student success, it’s not just about the graduation rates, but the overall student experience.
We’re at 25% [fouryear graduation rate] and we want that to be higher. Sharon Wiley senior associate vice president for enrollment management
College Pads The second discussion item for the board was a website called College Pads, which helps university students find off-campus apartments and houses for rent, finding roommates and working with landlords. The website would have to partner with the school in order to create rent listings based on the area surrounding campus, but A.S. President Branden Parent said there is no set timeline to when, or if, this would launch. Partnership with the website and the university still has to go through various levels of administration, Parent said. But based off the results from other California State University campuses that have successfully implemented it to help students with housing needs, Parent said this website aligns with his own goals of helping students with housing needs. “It had everything I wanted to do,” Parent said. Follow Christian on Twitter @ChristianTruja2
year, said she is looking forward to experiencing her first competition with the group. “I’m nervous because anything where you have to be in a completely unfamiliar environment is nerve-wracking, but on top of that, it’s a competition and I want to be a valuable asset,” Brannon-Young said. “I’m also so excited because I know it’s going to be super fun.” The nearly entirely studentrun and student-funded flight team has experienced a surge in membership in recent years.
The team grew to about 40 members, 24 of which will be traveling with the team to Arizona. “I’ve been on the team since 2015 and we’ve never had this many members as we do now,” Sal Khan, team president and aviation engineering senior, said. “I feel like the team is growing and I feel like it will continue to grow.” Brannon-Young said she loved being on the flight team so far and has learned a lot, despite going into it with limited knowledge.
“It’s so nice having the flight team on campus because it’s a big group of people going through exactly what I’m going through with the same interests,” she said. The team will need to finish in the top three again to qualify for the national competition. Nationals are scheduled to take place at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh, Wisconsin May 18-23, 2020. Follow Brendan on Twitter @BrendanCross93
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EL ESPARTANO NOTICIAS
JUEVES 24 DE OCT. DE 2019
DISCUSIÓN DEL DÍA
¿El reggaetón es música verdadera?
ILUSTRACIÓN POR MELODY DEL RIO
Para mi, el reggaetón invoca Las canciones son una burla para el arte y mis orejas una conexión personal
“Te Boté Remix” debutó en mayo del 2018 y sigue siendo una de mis canciones favoritas. La canción me hace sentir empoderada como muchas otras canciones en el género musical del reggaetón. El reggaetón moderno también es conocido como Latin trap, en cuáles artistas como los puertorriqueños Bad Bunny y Anuel AA rapean sobre el amor, las luchas y el éxito. Estos son temas genuinos que resuenan con cualquier audiencia. Según Billboard, el reggaetón empezó como una forma clandestina de expresión en barrios de Panamá y Puerto Rico, combinando el ritmo caribeño con letras en español. Ahora, el estilo de música urbana sirve como el fundamento del sonido latino, atrayendo fanáticos entre varias culturas y generaciones. En “Ven y Hazlo Tú,” Nicky Jam dice, “No sabes lo que me he tenido que joder / Abría la nevera y no tenía qué comer / Cogí la disciplina y en mi Dios puse la fe / Me dio la bendición y coroné.” En esta canción, el cantante estadounidense con raíces puertorriqueñas y dominicanas cuenta sobre su pasado de pobreza y dificultad, basándose en que no mucha gente conoce sus antecedentes. Como estudiante universitaria, yo he pasado por ocasiones que no he tenido que comer muchas veces, pero se que Dios siempre esta conmigo y que Él proveerá todo lo que necesito. Solamente ciertas personas saben de las demandas que constantemente enfrento. Ahorita estoy disciplinándome y luchando hacia mis metas profesionales. Igual que Nicky Jam, estoy confiando en Dios que pronto recibiré una corona bien merecida. Varios reggaetoneros vienen de barrios con bajos recursos y a través de la música, promocionan el cambio que necesitan estas comunidades. En “Afilando los Cuchillos,” una canción hecha para agregar llamas
Kelsey Valle
Nora S. Ramírez
REPORTERA
REPORTERA
al fuego de protestas en Puerto Rico contra el ex-gobernador Ricky Rosselló, el trapero Bad Bunny dice, “Y denle la bienvenida a la generación del “Yo no me dejo” / Y quizás tú hablas en tu grupo como yo en el mío / Pero yo no tengo fondos públicos escondos / De la muerte de los puertorriqueños yo no me río.” Bad Bunny describe que la gente de su tierra ya no se dejará abusar ni matar por el gobierno. El rapero agrega que el líder tiene fondos secretos, exponiendo un presunto mal uso de los impuestos del pueblo. Finalmente, el reggaetón hace ecos con sus mensajes de amor y angustia. En “Te Boté Remix,” Nio García dice, “Yo te di confianza y me fallaste / Te burlaste de mí y me humillaste / Lejo’ de aquí te fuiste y ni explicaste / Viste mi película y viraste.” Yo recientemente terminé con una relación cual yo pensaba era seria. Yo estaba bien entregada a este noviazgo, entonces no entendí cuando mi pareja quiso terminar en vez de trabajar juntamente para mejorar las condiciones de nuestra relación. Sin embargo, cuando él vea “mi película,” en este caso mis triunfos, se dará vuelta y se arrepentirá de haber soltado una mujer trabajadora. La mayoría del tiempo, los artistas del reggaetón cuentan sobres sus experiencias personales y hablan de temas relacionadas con la sociedad entera. Además, pueden usar su plataforma para llamar atención a situaciones políticas. A veces los reggaetoneros mencionan fiesta y violencia, pero estas características también forman parte de sus seres y hay que respetarlo. Como adultos, todos tenemos nuestras fallas. Aunque tal vez no usen frases comunes o sofisticadas, los reggaetoneros utilizan su propio vocabulario para contar historias reales.
Aunque tal vez no usen frases comunes o sofisticadas, los reggaetoneros utilizan su propio vocabulario para contar historias reales.
Sigue Kelsey en Twitter @KelseyVNews
Artistas que se hacen llamar lo mejor del género urbano están en competencia constantemente para crear música que apetezca al público al instante y no eternamente. En los últimos años el género de la música urbana se ha desviado por completo. Se está convirtiéndo en una ofensa para la música y una burla para la sociedad. Durante sus comienzos, el reggaetón era controversial por sus letras ya que hacían inferencias a temas de drogas, fiestas y mujeres. Las canciones surgían al público con letras cautelosas pero con sentido polémico. Canciones como “Pasarela” por Dalmata o “Quiero Bailar” por Ivy Queen eran tabú en sus tiempos para la sociedad por las referencias a actos ilícitos. Daddy Yankee, quien es conocido como uno de los pioneros del reggaetón, comenzó influyendo sus propias composiciones musicales con el rap noventero. “Gasolina” rápidamente hizo que este llamado género se convirtiera de escándalo a una pena. En lo que va de la última década, estos llamados artistas han ofendido a los grandes exponentes de la música de toda la historia como Ludwig van Beethoven, The Beatles, José Alfredo Jiménez y Elvis Presley. La fama motiva a los reggaetoneros, no el arte. La Academia Latina de Grabación publicó una lista de nominados para los Latin Grammys sin incluir al género urbano. En protesta, los reggaetoneros empezaron con la iniciativa de “Sin reggaetón no hay Latin Grammy” en contra de la organización En una publicación en Instagram el reggaetonero Daddy Yankee compartió su enojo y desilusión luego de que se enterara sobre la falta del género en la lista de nominados. La decisión de los Latin Grammies tiene sentido por que el reggaetón no es música. Para premios importantes como un Latin Grammy o un Premio lo Nuestro solo
se deberían nominar artistas que lo merecen. La composición musical, la letra y la perseverancia debería ser primordial para premiar a un artista. No deben enfocarse en las veces que la ponen en el radio o internet. Es repugnante ver a los niños bailando o cantando al ritmo de canciones tan inapropiadas como “Felices los Cuatro” o “Shaky, Shaky.” Los niños no saben hacer distinción a este tipo de música. El ritmo es lo que los atrae. No tienen la conciencia adecuada para razonar sobre las vulgaridades que escuchan. Los ritmos de ambiente y escándalo mantienen el gusto del público sin concientizar en cómo las letras explícitas influyen a millones de personas. Cientos de fanáticos creen la mentira de que los actos inmorales descritos por sus artistas son actos completamente admisibles. Estas letras explícitas refuerzan la idea de que devaluar a la mujer está bien. La intimidad y el respeto entre una pareja es abierta y sin compromiso. Una buena fiesta tiene alcohol, drogas y el sexo no debe faltar. ¡Esto es absurdo! Asiento a que cada persona es libre de vivir su vida como quiera, pero creo que los valores humanos nunca deben perderse. Que se puede esperar de los fanáticos del reggaeton cuando los propios artistas dan el ejemplo. Varias veces Maluma ha menospreciado a sus propios fanáticos durante encuentros, empujando a sus fieles seguidoras y limpiándose con disgusto los besos que le dan. Los reggaetoneros se mueven por dinero. Este género es incoherente. Este género es una ofensa para el arte de la música y una burla para artistas que han dedicado toda su vida educándose y esforzándose para prepararse musicalmente.
Cientos de fanáticos caen en la mentira de que los actos inmorales descritos por sus idolatrados ‘artistas’ son actos completamente admisibles.
Sigue Nora en Twitter @noraramirez27
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
THURSDAY, OCT. 24, 2019
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BOTTOMS UP
Chacho’s: Tuesdays, tacos and tequila Roman Contreras SENIOR STAFF WRITER
I must say, Tuesdays are one of my favorite days of the week, and at Chacho’s, Tuesdays mean $1 street tacos. A Chacho’s street taco consists of a corn tortilla carefully cradling a dollop of meat, diced white onions and cilantro. Let’s talk salsa for a minute, though, shall we? I’d like to begin by saying if you don’t enjoy spicy food, you’re a wimp. I’m sorry, I don’t make the rules, I just enforce them. This brings me to my next point. Chacho’s serves tacos with mild salsa on the side. I’d like to emphasize it is literally just pico de gallo, which is a mixture of tomatoes, onions, lime, cilantro and occasionally jalapeños. But the real good stuff is the salsa that is not handed out. Admittedly, I don’t know the official name for this salsa – I just ask for the hotter one – but it is orange in color so let’s refer to it as orange hot sauce. This sauce is actually hot, like a “use sparingly because it will leave a tingling burn in your mouth” hot. However, in true destructive fashion, I drench my tacos in it and resort to chugging the margarita on my left to distract my taste buds from the fire I have set upon them. All in all, this is an experience I obviously do not regret because I continue to do it. Now let’s get into what you’re really here for: the drinks. While doing “research” for this story, I discovered that I have tried 10 of the 15 specialty drinks on the menu. But for the sake of time, I’ll only touch on my personal favorites. To start, there’s my go-to gal, the Mangolada – a beautiful blend of mango puree, lime juice and triple sec. This concoction is a 22-ounce schooner and also holds a 50 milliliters bottle of Don Julio Blanco Tequila, so more alcohol pours in the drink as you drink it. Drinking the Mangolada through a tamarind straw is refreshing and the bottle of Don Julio does not overpower the mango in any way. If you ever have difficulty deciding which drink to get and enjoy both mango and tequila, opt for this. Next up is the No Panties. This drink is a light mixture
INTERESTED IN THE TACOS? WATCH A REVIEW OF CHACHO’S TACOS ON OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHACHO’S
Chacho’s serves drinks such as the Hennchata (left) and the Mangolada (right) on its specialty drink menu.
drink review “Chacho’s” Rating:
Cuisine: Mexican Location: 87 E. San Fernando St., San Jose, Calif. Price: $$
of vodka, tequila, gin and Bacardi fruit juice topped with a Coronita, a small version of the average Corona bottle. I know what you’re thinking: “What human would willingly consume this jungle juice-esque death mixture?” and the answer is me – I would. In all honesty, it really doesn’t taste as bad as you may think. Although, drinkers beware, the mixture gives reason to believe the drink may live up to its name, so only indulge with those you trust. Last is the arguably infamous Hennchata, which is
Chacho’s house horchata topped with a 50 milliliter Hennessey bottle served in the same vessel as the Mangolada. Truthfully, Hennessey is not a drink I particularly enjoy. I’m more of a tequila guy myself, but when mixed with horchata, the Hennessey tastes an entirely different way. The bitter taste of the Hennessey is almost entirely masked by the sweetness of the horchata, but all the effects can still be felt. I’d say the Hennchata is more of a cult favorite as opposed to a personal favorite, but nonetheless, worth mentioning. To close, if your Tuesday feels like it needs a little excitement, head to Chacho’s and drown yourself in dollar tacos and 22 ounce schooner’s of alcohol. If that can’t make your day any better, then I don’t know what can. Follow Roman on Instagram @RoaminRoman_52 Bottoms Up appears every week on Thursday.
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COUNTERPOINTS
THURSDAY, OCT. 24, 2019
Can MLB succeed without quality superstars? No, the league requires marketable superstars Brendan Cross STAFF WRITER
As the 2019 World Series rages on, it’s clear that Major League Baseball is still in dire need of more nationally recognized superstars. The Washington Nationals and Houston Astros’ rosters are full of big names among baseball fans, but none of the players have permeated the country enough to become household names. Veteran starting pitchers Justin Verlander and Stephen Strasburg are the most well-known players on their own teams, according to YouGov. The YouGov statistics, taken from thousands of interviews across the country, said that 48% of the U.S. has heard of Verlander and 38% know of Strasburg. Verlander’s percentage, which is most likely inflated because of him being married to supermodel Kate Upton, is higher than any other active MLB player. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout, largely considered the best player in the league, is only known by 45% of the country. Those numbers may seem solid, but they pale in comparison to stars from the NFL and NBA. New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is known by 91% of the country while Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is known by 88%. Brady, James and Trout are not only some of the best active players, they are some of the greatest of all time in their respective sport. How great is Trout? A stat called WAR, wins above replacement, tells the tale. New York Yankees legend Derek Jeter played 20 seasons and has a career WAR of
72.4. Trout has played nine seasons and has amassed a WAR of 72.5. Basically, it’s taken Trout nine seasons to be a better player than Jeter was in his 20 seasons. Fellow Yankee Babe Ruth is the all-time leader in WAR. Ruth played 22 seasons and finished with a WAR of 182.4. If Trout is able to finish his career playing the same amount of years and keeps his current WAR average, he’ll end with a career WAR of 177.2.
James was only slightly behind, having 98% of counties air a quarter of his 2018 games. Only 1% of counties aired a quarter of Trout’s games during that season. If the country can’t watch him play, then they certainly won’t know who he is. The MLB has received negative press in recent years for the lack of marketing of the game’s biggest stars. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred deflected the blame to Trout, according to a July CBS Sports article. “[Trout] has made decisions on what he wants to do, doesn’t want
PHOTO COURTESY OF FLICKR
With all that greatness, why doesn’t more of the country know Trout exists? A potential issue is the lack of talent on the rest of the Angels roster. In Trout’s nine seasons, the Angels have only made the playoffs once, meaning that his talent has only been on a national stage one time. Another issue is national coverage. Going back to Brady and James, 100% of the counties in the U.S. aired at least a quarter of Brady’s games in 2018, according to the New York Times.
EVENTS
Chris Core STAFF WRITER
Major League Baseball decided this postseason to advertise its young talent. The phrase “We Play Loud” has been the motto pushed by the league to show fans the up-and-coming players that play with passion and love for the game. Baseball has never been about star power and so the advertisement itself represents the collective players in the postseason rather than focusing on just one star.
but it will almost always be someone different depending on who you ask. This is because the players on a team means more than any individual on the field. Anaheim Angels outfielder Mike Trout illustrates this point perfectly. He has hit an astounding .305 batting average on his career with 1,324 hits and 752 RBIs. Trout has played for the Angels since he was drafted in 2011.
PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
to do, how he wants to spend his free time or not spend his free time,” Manfred said. A similar story surfaced again prior to this year’s game. If the best players MLB has to offer aren’t willing to put themselves out there, then the MLB is destined to continue its descent down in the popularity rankings. Brady and James are both equal parts superstar and brand, and that’s just what the MLB needs of its players to keep it afloat. Follow Brendan on Twitter @BrendanCross93
WHAT’S AT YOUR *10/25 -
Yes, good ‘Moneyball’ teams are spectacular
Kaleidoscope! 2019 presented by
SJSU School of Music and Dance @ 11:00 AM & 7:00 PM
*10/26 - NT Live: Fleabag — Screening @ 2:00 PM
10/27 - Steinway Society presents pianist, Anna Dmytrenko in concert @ 2:30 PM
*10/29 - NT Live: Fleabag — Screening @ 7:00 PM
11/01 - Teen Top “Party To. N9NE” Concert @ 6:00 PM * $5 Student Rush tickets available on day of performance, based on availabilty. Valid Tower ID required.
hammertheatre.com or call 408.924.8501 Hammer Theatre: 101 Paseo de San Antonio, between 2nd & 3rd Street
MLB is the epitome of what it means to be a team sport, which takes away from star power, but that’s the point of the game. Take a sport like basketball. If you ask just about anyone who the best basketball player of all time is, you will most likely get Michael Jordan every time, but for baseball, that is not the case. Baseball fans will spew any number of names back when asked who is the best of all time such as Willie Mays, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron,
During his career, the team has only made the playoffs three times and every time it has failed to win even one game. If you put Lebron James on any NBA team, that team will automatically be a contender because basketball thrives off a one-player show. However, a five-player team makes it so that one player can dominate in every category and carry a team, while baseball could never achieve this. The nine-player game makes it so every position holds equal value and if it’s lacking in one area
the entire team could collapse. In the NBA, it is far rarer to see a team without a superstar climb the ranks and compete for a championship, but in baseball we are seeing it happen this year. The Washington Nationals have plenty of young talent, but no individual player in that squad could be considered a superstar. This is what makes baseball so special, a group of misfit players can rally together to take out a team that spent more money to acquire bigger stars. The Bay Area is no stranger to this concept with the San Francisco Giants winning three World Series titles recently. Shortstop Edgar Rentaria and third baseman Pablo Sandoval won the World Series MVP in 2010 and 2012 respectively, despite neither player being a superstar. The Oakland Athletics popularized the nosuperstar league with the “Moneyball” model of selecting players. Athletics Vice President Billy Beane started basing player scouting by comparing on-base percentage of players rather than who looks better on the field and could become a superstar. Although this way of game planning has never brought a title to Oakland, it gave them success without a big name to carry the team. Baseball separates itself from other sports because it has these success stories. No one player can ever bring a title to a team and because of that, there is no need or desire for superstars to exist. The sport will continue to thrive the most when the collective nobodies win a title rather than an “all for me” approach. Follow Chris on Twitter @ChrisCore24
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SPORTS
THURSDAY, OCT. 24, 2019
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Midfielder gives back to community By John Bricker STAFF WRITER
Despite his rough upbringing, Eduardo Buenfil, junior midfielder on the San Jose State men’s soccer team, thanked his loved ones and mentors for helping him grow as an athlete and student. Now in his third year playing for SJSU, Buenfil uses his soccer experience to give back to the San Jose community by teaching private soccer lessons at cheap prices for low income families. Buenfil said he charges around $40 for a lesson while many other private instructors would charge $80-$100. If a child’s parents cannot afford the $40 cost, Buenfil negotiates prices so their children can still learn soccer. He also lets siblings train together for the price of a single lesson. Todd Esrey, a mentor to Buenfil during high school, said teaching is helping Buenfil become a better communicator and player. Esrey now helps Buenfil teach his clients. “It is one thing to understand [soccer] for yourself but to be able to share it and express it and manifest it, like he is doing right now, that is another level of mastery,” Esrey said. Buenfil now has the experience to pass down to future generations, however, there was one point when academics almost kept Buenfil from playing soccer in high school and starting his career in sports. During the first few weeks of his freshman year at James Lick High School, Buenfil said he was not allowed to play soccer because of his 1.9 GPA. “It was totally brutal,” Buenfil said. Esrey said Buenfil struggled with classes during high school, especially English, which is his second language. “He wasn’t the most gifted kid in a scholastic environment because he was not given that kind of structure growing up,” Esrey said. Esrey said he tried to teach discipline and structure through soccer and ensure that students excelled in school by getting them involved in after-school programs where they could finish their homework before soccer practices.
“He was basically like my second Dad,” Buenfil said. Buenfil grew up in East Side San Jose, surrounded by gang violence. Several of Buenfil’s relatives were in gangs while his extended family lived together in a three room apartment, but they moved out of that neighborhood 8 years ago to escape the violence. Buenfil has persevered despite growing up surrounded by adversity, violence and drugs, Esrey said. “His moral fiber is strong,” Esrey said. Esrey would drive Buenfil to games and practices, take the team to get meals and pay for his trips across the country with the team. With Esrey’s support, Buenfil gradually improved his academic performance throughout high school, eventually earning a 3.3 GPA in his senior year. Buenfil’s studies at SJSU have been much more successful than his performance in high school classes, with a 3.1 GPA in college overall. After meeting SJSU head coach Simon Tobin at an exhibition game at Davis, Buenfil said he knew that he wanted to come to SJSU and play soccer for him. “His methodology and his techniques of soccer is unbelievable,” Buenfil said. Buenfil is now in his third season at San Jose State after 39 career appearances and four goals. Defender and junior Eddie Saydee said Buenfil did not start in many of his games during the 2018 season, but that he has started playing simpler and demonstrating his versatility in quickly transitioning between defense and offense. “Right now, it is really hard for the coach to keep him out of the starting 11,” Saydee said. After taking responsibility for his mistakes, Buenfil learns from them without getting discouraged, Saydee said. “He makes mistakes and stuff, but he just gets right back,” Saydee said. After starting his soccer career at SJSU by being too relaxed and not working hard enough, Buenfil now wants to get stronger and more fit. “I wasn’t like a workhorse,” he said. “I didn’t really like to run.” Saydee said Buenfil always helps other players improve and that he spent the summer
CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
JOHN BRICKER | SPARTAN DAILY
Eduardo Buenfil (right) trains Diego Maldonado, age 13, at San Jose High School Oct. 9.
practicing with drills Buenfil had taught him. Buenfil is one of the hardest working players on the team, Saydee said, but his relaxed body language makes that hard to guess. Esrey said Buenfil makes friends wherever he goes, including on opposing teams. “He truly earns their respect,” Esrey said. Saydee said he and Buenfil always sit next to each other, watch shows together and order the same drinks on flights to away games. “Lalo [Buenfil] is a clown,” Saydee said. “He likes to joke around a lot.” Buenfil’s girlfriend public health senior Rocio Arjon said her favorite thing about Buenfil is his kindness and sense of humor. “If I am having a bad day, he always finds a positive in that,” Arjon said. “He is always
trying to make everyone laugh around him.” After graduation, Buenfil said he will try to get into a professional soccer team for a few years. If he can’t, then he’ll fall back on a career in public health. Buenfil will do whatever it takes to play professional soccer, he said. “I don’t care where I play,” he said. Players need to work hard and dedicate extra time to soccer in order to play professionally, Buenfil said. “Where are the other guys?” Buenfil said after a practice, pointing to two Spartans who stayed afterward to continue working on their kicks. “This is the 1% that makes it.”
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 does a nosy pepper do?
Gets jalapeño business!
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Surpass 6. Air force heroes 10. 20th-century art movement 14. Got up 15. Lake (Scottish) 16. Nile bird 17. Steam bath 18. Ancient Peruvian 19. Drunkards 20. Typographer 22. Ballet attire 23. Tall woody plant 24. Anagram of “Rioted” 26. Travel on water 30. A large vase 31. Lair 32. Annul 33. Felines 35. He plays a role 39. Refuse to do business with 41. Carrying boats overland 43. Beauty parlor 44. Biblical kingdom 46. Former Italian currency 47. Muck 49. Anagram of “Ail” 50. The original matter
51. Levy 54. Liturgy 56. Encircle 57. The climax of a drama 63. 62 in Roman numerals 64. Send forth 65. 3-banded armadillo 66. Greek liqueur 67. 3 times 3 68. Risk 69. Not closed 70. Labels 71. Be DOWN 1. Where the sun rises 2. Roentgen ray 3. Masterstroke 4. Feudal worker 5. Not the most 6. Uneducated person 7. Carefree 8. Behold, in old Rome 9. Distributed equally 10. Clearly 11. More or less 12. Repeat 13. An ancient Assyrian city
21. Spew 25. Costly 26. U-boats 27. Dwarf buffalo 28. Bucolic 29. Movement 34. Pillages 36. A dog wags one 37. Monster 38. 500 sheets 40. Burden 42. Leaves out 45. Dashing 48. Fair 51. Snow house 52. Confusion 53. Award 55. French for “Storehouse” 58. Dogfish 59. Pinnacle 60. Indian dress 61. Colored part of an eye 62. Sodium chloride
10/23/2019
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IMMIGRATION
THURSDAY, OCT. 24, 2019
PRODUCER’S NOTE
Beyond borders: Refugee realities A
television special produced by San Jose State journalism students and alumni will bring viewers along on an international refugee journey. “Beyond borders: Refugee realities” will air as an episode of Update News, SJSU’s broadcast news program. The Middle Eastern and African refugee crises are deepening, with thousands of new arrivals in the past month. This summer, journalism professor Diane Guerrazzi led students to Italy and Greece to report on the refugee crises in those countries, as part of a study abroad program. It was the fourth such trip in which students reported on the growing international problem. In collaboration with the current Update News team, the special will begin with the stories of the European migrant situation. The Europe team spoke with those fleeing the violence in their countries,
WATCH UPDATE NEWS’ IMMIGRATION SPECIAL ON YOUTUBE OR CREATV visited refugee camps, listened to those with opposing views and featured several organizations that strive to assist migrants with reshaping their lives. In the United States, students interviewed a Vietnamese refugee who traveled to America by boat, losing a family member on the way. Another reporter interviewed her mother, who emigrated from the Philippines. She described one of the biggest problems she faced while adjusting to a new culture to be the language barrier. The special can be seen on the Update News YouTube channel or live on CreaTV channel 27, Thursday at 11:30 p.m. and Friday at 7:30 p.m. — Kelsey Valle
JAILEANE AGUILAR | SPARTAN DAILY
COLUMN
The stars in their eyes Melo Melody Del Rio GRAPHICS EDITOR GRAP
JAILEANE AGUILAR | SPARTAN DAILY
A young refugee draws a garden for an assignment while being taught by volunteers at the Happy Caravan school in Athens, Greece.
Parallels in the refugee crises in Europe and the United States By Jaileane Aguilar COPY EDITOR
LESVOS, GREECE — Along the border between Mexico and the U.S., many migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador are seeking asylum in the U.S. as an attempt to escape crime and poverty. Because of the devastating wars and dangers in countries including Syr ia, Afghanistan and Iraq, many migrants are fleeing their homes and moving to Europe to seek political asylum or simply a better standard of living. Despite Europe and the U.S. occupying separate continents, both struggle with the same political issue of immigration. The European refugee crisis began in 2015. According to the United Nations refugee agency, by the end of 2016 nearly 5.2 million refugees and migrants reached European shores. Refugees are mostly coming from the Middle East, Asia and Africa. In terms of routes, most migrants that go to the U.S. travel over land. But European migrants have to navigate through many different routes and face various levels of danger. Nazarim, a 15-year-old refugee who fled from Afghanistan, was taking an English class in June at Stand by Me school near the Moria refugee camp
My family paid for a smuggler and we were able to get here by boat. It was very dangerous and scary. Nazarim 15-year-old refugee from Afghanistan
on Lesvos Island. She had been living in Moria for five months, after traveling to Greece with her mother and father. She said her family fled the Taliban. “My family paid for a smuggler and we were able to get here by boat,” Nazarim said. “It was very dangerous and scary.” And the misery continues for many refugees after they make the risky voyage. They must wait in overcrowded camps to be processed in an overburdened asylum application system. In the U.S., the Trump administration has instituted a policy called “metering,” reducing the number of people allowed to petition for asylum. It means that instead of staying in the U.S., migrants are at the border in Mexico, managing their own waitlists. While the application process in the U.S. and
Europe is often frustrating, many migrants say they had little choice but to make the move. It was a matter of life and death. Hassiam, a 22-year-old woman from Afghanistan, said she fled to Pakistan, then Iran, then to Lesvos in order to escape her brother and family who are still searching for her and her husband because they fled their home country. “I escaped from Afghanistan to Iran. I lived for four months in Iran and then my brother found my husband and tried to kill him. That’s how we got here,” Hassiam said. “I want to have a normal life, where I can live and be safe, so I don’t know what’s going to happen for my family and me.” But for some, that safe place is not at Moria. “I want to go to another country because of our future to make our future better,” Nazarim, the 15-year-old refugee at the Stand by Me school, said. “I want to work and make some money, because Moria is no good. I want to study and learn, not just the language English, but other classes also.” At the end of the day, Nazarim returned to the Moria camp, as she has done every day for the past five months. Follow Jaileane on Twitter @Jaileane1
The ground I stand on is filled with blood and hopes for a better tomorrow. A promise made in the shape of stars but crossed out by reality in the form of red lines. People strive to be the best versions of themselves, to obtain the basic human rights fleeing from their countries in search of finding solidarity in another. Throughout the time I spent my summer studying abroad in Greece and Italy, I found that the refugee crisis was not only something that was happening in America, but also in Europe. The United Nations human rights agency reported that Greece has taken 15,670 migrants arriving by sea and Italy has 2,144 as of July 2019. In Catania, Sicily we met with Sanusi Iadama, a refugee from Gambia. He’s been living in the Cara di Mineo refugee camp for two years and at the end of the month, he is not sure where he will go. “Sometimes I think to myself, ‘I don’t even know why I make it’ but it’s already happened and there is no going back,” Iadama said. His journey has been difficult because he hasn’t been able to find a job and the allowance the government has given him isn’t a livable amount. These refugees want to be able to work and support themselves. Tony Okoza, a refugee at Cara di Mineo from Nigeria said, “In my country, I don’t want to beg somebody. I like to work with hard labor and I have my money.” On Okoza’s first day at the camp, they offered him free food and he was not fond of it. He appreciated that people gave him food but he said he takes more pride in working for his necessities. Refugees, like anyone else, want to live without violence or fear, they want to be able to provide for their families and they want to have basic human rights. Though their destination might not be America, there is a sense they strive for: the American dream. The American dream is a term that can be defined differently by anyone. Oxford dictionary states the American dream is the ideal by which equality of opportunity is available to any American, allowing the highest aspirations and goals to be achieved. “We have the dreams to come [to the United States]. Your country is good, very good for refugees,” Roxana Aayan, a refugee living in Athens said. I met Aayan while visiting Greece. She invited my classmates and me to her twobedroom apartment where five of her family members were also living. The family traveled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Athens, Greece. They took a train to Turkey and then boarded a rubber boat. Smugglers promised them they would take them to Italy in exchange for 2,000 euros but two weeks after they arrived on land they found out it was Greece. During my meeting with the family, they asked me where I was from. When I
Refugees, like anyone else, want to live without violence or fear, they want to be able to provide for their families and they want to have basic human rights. said “America” their eyes sparkled bright and a grin took over their faces. Aayan’s brother, Shkodran Brahimi said, “United States, we love them. That’s our dream to reach the United States.” To them, the seven letter word is the promised land filled with milk and honey. A land in which their dreams could come true without any trouble. “We want to go there but it’s very hard. We have documents, we have passports but we don’t know how to get there,” Aayan said. “We know the United States is a big country. They have jobs, they have everything.” Unlike Aayan’s family, the U.S. borders are nearby for some and though the idea of coming to America might sound simple to others, the truth lies in the story of the ones crossing their neighbors’ fence for a better life. According to the Pew Research Center, Mexico was the top country of origin in the U.S. immigrant population in 2017 with 11.2 million immigrants. Forty years ago a little girl boarded a train with no idea where she was going. She remembers the crowded train as she sat on the lap of her uncle while her older sister sat in the aisle. The girl didn’t know what was to come but only that her parents packed their clothes and never went back to Mexico. The little girl was my mother, Leonor Viayra. At age 46, my mother still does not have citizenship. The worry that she will one day be deported back to Mexico can be concerning, especially because she is the only guardian of my 6-year-old sister. While I worry about my mother’s status, another family member of mine is struggling with his father’s case. His father has lived in the U.S. all his life but in the past year, he was deported. Unhappy, with suicidal thoughts, and living in a country he barely knows, he is struggling to find work. The refugee crisis is not just a European problem nor is it an American problem, it’s a problem for all of humanity. Our responsibility is to unite over issues that we believe to be unfair or unethical. The problem is our society is desensitized by looking at refugees and immigrants as numbers rather than people who have the potential to contribute to society. Follow Melody on Twitter @melodydelrio