Tuesday, Oct. 27, 2020
Volume 155 No. 28 SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
A&E Winchester Mystery House upholds Halloween traditions
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Sports Spartans halt Falcons offense in football opener Page 3
ILLUSTRATION BY NICK YBARRA
Relief for homeless students on hold
By Joclyn Aguirre
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The 12-bed pilot program, which is part of SJSU Cares’ comprehensive housing solution to provide rooms for San Jose State students seeking emergency housing, is postponed until Fall 2021. Despite the delay, SJSU Cares, a comprehensive support and referral program that assists students who are facing an unforeseen economic crisis, and Student Homeless Alliance members say students facing housing insecurity are not going unheard. Lana Gomez, a sociology senior and Alliance representative, said that the Student Homeless Alliance, a student-run club that advocates for housing insecure SJSU students, approves the postponement of the program because SJSU Cares said that “there will be no unhoused Spartan,” once the program is implemented. Vice President of Student Affairs Patrick Day said the SJSU Cares is currently working virtually, so if a student reaches out for emergency housing or other housing needs they will directly help that student move onto campus or into the Bill Wilson Center. The center originally partnered with the university in a challenge to house 100 students by Feb. 11. The pilot program was intended to create 12 or more beds for
emergency housing purposes and was set to be implemented this semester. It is part of a comprehensive housing solution that the SJSU administration, the SJSU Cares office and Alliance members all collaborated on creating. Housing insecurity could mean a student sleeps on their friend’s couch, a family that has been displaced or a person with longterm needs related to job loss, illness, addiction or mental health issues, according to an Oct. 1, 2019 SJSU newsroom post. Prior to the pandemic, a 2018 California State University basic needs study found that more than 4,300 SJSU students reported being homeless within the past year. Day said that those numbers haven’t changed since the start of the pandemic as far as the administration and SJSU Cares can tell. SJSU Cares and the Alliance members started working together in January so that they can continue to help students in need of housing and food security. The student organization fought to bring a centralized location to campus, so that it would be easier for students to access housing needs, according to a Jan. 28 Spartan Daily article. Day said that students are mainly concerned about the sustainability of their home situations because they aren’t sure if they will be able to pay for rent in upcoming months.
[These students are] saying, ‘I may be all right, for the next two months, but I’m not sure if I will still be able to sustain where I’m living or still pay my rent.’ Patrick Day vice president of Student Affairs
“[These students are] saying, ‘I may be all right, for the next two months, but I’m not sure if I will still be able to sustain where I’m living or still pay my rent,’ ” he said. More students are also getting food from the Spartan Food Pantry this year, Day said, which he said is predictable given the rising demand for most SJSU Cares resources. Gomez noted that international students are using SJSU Cares resources the most because since the pandemic, many of them said their bank accounts were frozen. “I wasn’t aware but it makes sense because [some international students] are . . . stuck here and they can’t go back home,” Gomez said. SJSU Cares, community stakeholders, Alliance
representatives and Sparky Harlon, the CEO of the San Jose Bill Wilson Center met Oct. 16 to discuss what resources students have needed most throughout the pandemic. Gomez said these quarterly advisory board meetings have changed because students need help with food and the sustainability of their personal situation due to a financial toll from the pandemic. “[SJSU Cares’ partnership with Student Homeless Alliance] is an important part of how we’re moving forward,” Day said. “The advisory board, the space that we’ve created, a number of those things have been done in partnership with [the Alliance].” Gomez said SJSU Cares and Alliance members are more informed about the pandemic’s effects and the current needs of students because of their communication with administration. “We’re fully aware of what’s going on,” she said. Gomez said SJSU Cares plans to connect with high schools to educate students on their financial future. The program members will break down the cost of attendance at SJSU so students aren’t put in a situation where they apply but can’t afford to attend the school. Ashley Crosdale, a sociology senior and the Alliance director of community outreach, said over
the phone that the team has been focused on connecting to the campus and community as much as possible by volunteering at the food pantry on campus. Crosdale is in charge of the Alliance’s social media accounts so they can continue to inform students in need of housing or food security resources. “We also go to a lot of the seminars like the online conferences just to learn more about how homelessness and how [COVID-19] is impacting students who experience homelessness to try and gain a better insight,” Crosdale said. SJSU Cares is using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act to help students. The coronavirus relief bill allocated $28.7 million in emergency funding to SJSU, according to an April 25 campuswide email from President Mary Papazian. Day said as the pandemic continues to affect the campus, it’s important for students to be vocal about what resources they need. “We very much want to hear from the students, it helps [SJSU Cares] make decisions,” Day said. “Particularly in moments like this that you can’t really plan for . . . you’ve got to be communicating and talking.” Follow Joclyn on Twitter @Aguirre.Joclyn
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, OCT. 27, 2020
Mansion keeps spooky spirit alive By Olivia Gerber STAFF WRITER
Halloween in 2020 is undoubtedly different because of the coronavirus pandemic, but San Jose’s historic Winchester Mystery House is still keeping its haunting traditions alive. To celebrate the spooky season, the mystery house is offering nighttime, self-guided Hallowe’en Flashlight Tours that allow guests to live out a haunted mansion experience while maintaining social distancing guidelines. I had the opportunity to take the flashlight tour this weekend. At times, I was in a room in the mansion entirely alone in the dark, listening to the floorboards’ creaking and the hair-raising wind soundtrack. Guests also taking the Halloween tour said they are making the most out of this year’s unusual circumstances. San Jose resident Natalie Zamudio got married at the Winchester house in 2013 and visits the mansion every year. This year she decided to celebrate Halloween by going on the tour with her family who were dressed up for the occasion as Disney villains. “We are just trying to make the best of it, there are still obstacles but we are out trying to have fun,” she said. The mansion requires attendees to pre-purchase tickets online to ensure a contactless check-in. Once guests arrive at the mansion, they are asked if they have experienced any COVID-19 symptoms and reminded to keep their face masks on while on the premises. At the start of the tour, guests are advised to maintain a six-foot distance from others outside of their party and are given their own Winchester Mystery House mini flashlight, before being sent into the dark depths of the mansion. Each tour group is sent into the house in about five-minute intervals
PHOTO COURTESY OF JACOB GOSPODNETICH
The Winchester Mystery House sold out its self-guided, socially-distant Hallowe’en Flashlight Tours that were offered from October to Nov. 1.
to maintain social distancing. The house is entirely dark with the exception of a few sporadic black lights, candles and ghoulish flickering lamps. Guests travel through the eerie mansion in the dark while a soundtrack of an ominous breeze is played throughout the house, setting a chilling tone for the entire tour. At various spots in the mansion, a ghostly recorded tape recounts chilling tales about the house’s history and its previous owner, Sarah Winchester. The recordings also point out the mysterious quirks that make the home so intriguing, like the stairs that lead to nowhere and a trap door that opens to a treacherous two floor drop. The low lights did make it challenging to see the dark corners of the mansion and pick out each of the unique qualities the attraction is famed for, like stairways that lead to the ceiling or doors that lead to two-story drops. However, the darkness added to the
definitely a nice Halloween outing.” To top off the experience, the haunting tapes tell stories of reported disembodied footsteps, voices and shadow figures seen in the mansion. Employees working at the flashlight tours also added their own chilling tales to the evening. Susan Delance, who began working at the Winchester house as a tour attendant in 1985, recounted her own experiences of unexplained tugging on her hair and skirt inside the mansion. She said that a tour in the dark is a special opportunity Noelle Mills for guests. Hallowe’en Flashlight “The house feels different in the Tour attendee dark, you really do feel more mystery thrilling aspect of the tour. in the house at night,” Delance said. This was Noelle Mills’ first time “Even for someone like me who’s at the Winchester House and she been working here for a long time, said the spooky effects were a nice there’s more hesitation making your touch for the Halloween tour. way around in the dark.” “With COVID this year, there’s Although the tour had a constant not a lot of Halloween celebration eerie vibe, the only screams of but this felt even more special fright I heard throughout the with the added sound effects,” she evening came from members of said. “So many things got closed tour groups using the opportunity down. This is a big deal so it was to scare each other by hiding in
With COVID this year, there’s not a lot of Halloween celebration but this felt even more special with the added sound effects. So many things got closed down.
the crevices of the home. The flashlight tour can easily become a popular yearly attraction for the Winchester Mystery House, continuing even after the COVID-19 pandemic. The tickets went on sale in late September, with tours offered from October until Nov. 1. Seemingly popular and with limited availability, all of the remaining flashlight tour dates are sold out. The tour was informative, entertaining and eerie, while also providing an enjoyable experience for adults and children. Under the extenuating circumstances, the Winchester Mystery House successfully adapted to offer its guests a safe and spooky experience. The self-guided aspect of the tour enhanced the experience because it allows guests to take their time in the mansion and investigate each shadowy corner. Follow Olivia on Twitter @LivGerber
Gorillaz drop hotly anticipated, genre-bending album By Felix Oliveros STAFF WRITER
Gorillaz’s newest album “Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez” veers away from the musical status quo. From the innovative presentation to the instrumentals and the features, the whole listening experience was completely unexpected. The British band, led by songwriter, producer and lead singer Damon Albarn, rose to fame with their most notable album “Demon Days” in 2005. Gorillaz is a virtual band, meaning most of their visual content is animated, which is part of the band’s unique image.
exactly what they delivered. The sounds and production of the album can only be described as a genreless jumble of free-flowing thoughts. Each song stands on its own through different forms of musical experimentation, identity changes and layers of various instruments. The opening track “Strange Timez” uses a weary, siren-like synthesizer to capture the essence of the title, while “The Lost Chord,” featuring Leee John, captivates you with its jazzy sonics. On this track, a comforting and minimal drum pattern complements a melodic flute
album review “Song Machine, Season 1: Strange Timez” Rating:
Two years after the release of their 2018 album “The Now Now,” the British electro-pop band returns.They call their newest release, which dropped Friday, a season instead of an album, with the lineup consisting of 12 episodes instead of songs. “It was meant to be an episodic thing with no real sort of agenda,” Albarn said in a Thursday BBC Radio 6 interview. If a no-agenda project is what the Gorillaz intended to create, then that’s
Artist: Gorillaz Release Date: Oct. 23 Genre: Alternative
while the subject matter touches on freedom, as the song’s final refrain repeats, “I want to be free.” The song “Pac-Man,” is bolstered by a strong, introspective performance from L.A. rapper ScHoolboy Q, who delivers two verses over a funk-inspired instrumental about topics of trauma and fear. Lyrical content is one of the only things that remained consistent throughout this project. Throughout most of
CREATIVE COMMONS IMAGE COURTESY OF FLICKR
the album, somber moods and internal conflicts from the artists are hidden within its complex production. This is evident in the uptempo track “Chalk Tablet Towers” where the hook repeats, “I wanna get drunk / I wanna get stoned / I wanna give up / I wanna go home,” over an ironically happy-go-lucky, high-pitched synthesizer. The album continues its unconventional themes with the unlikely pairing of Atlanta singer and rapper 6LACK and English artist Elton John in “The Pink Phantom.” The slow-tempo song featured a minimal piano loop and a simple drum pattern. An auto-tuned 6LACK accompanied the instrumentals followed by John’s famous voice and the contrast between the two
artists while distinct, provided a lively dynamic. Another highlight is “Désolé”, originally the second single released prior to the album. The track stands as one of the most uncomplicated songs on the album with its steady, calm guitar riff and simple refrain that repeats the title throughout the song, translating to “sorry” in French. The tail end of the track features a triumphant and soulful trumpet bridge leading into a lush piano melody, percussion section and calm electric guitar that closes out the song. Every episode on “Song Machine, Season One: Strange Timez” individually shines and embodies a different style that at times can be chaotic, but in a way that is intriguing and captivating. The multiple genres in the
album range from pop to bossa nova, from punk rock to hip-hop, alternative rock and plenty other musical fusions. While the album loses some momentum around the song “Severed Head,” it does not take away from the listening experience. The closing track “How Far?” features assertive rapping from British artist rapper Skepta who boasts, “Looked at the man in the mirror, that’s the only enemy that I fear.” Gorillaz proved with this album that even though its members are more than 20 years into their careers, their ideas are original, forward-thinking and fans should expect the unexpected. Follow Felix on Twitter @f3lixthe3rd
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SPORTS
TUESDAY, OCT. 27, 2020
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San Jose State defense defies the odds By Lexie Shezifi STAFF WRITER
The San Jose State football team’s herculean defensive effort combined with quarterback Nick Starkel led to the team’s 17-6 season-opening win over Air Force Saturday night at CEFCU Stadium. SJSU’s victory ended Air Force’s NCAA-best nine-game winning streak. The Spartans (1-0, 1-0 MWC) also opened Mountain West Conference play with a win for the first time since joining the league in 2013. The game was scoreless in the first half, but the Falcons (1-1, 0-1 MWC) came close to scoring. A fourth and goal defensive stand by the Spartans halted the Falcons inches from the endzone. “I [was] just really excited about what our defense did tonight against that group from Air Force,” head coach Brent Brennan said in the post-game news conference over Zoom. “I mean, what a special effort across the board.” Air Force came into the game as the favorite because the team has been practicing since August. SJSU had far less time to prepare, as the football team recently returned from Humboldt State where they practiced for two weeks until Santa Clara County health department approved the team to play at CEFCU Stadium. “So it’s just awesome to get the chance to play and then to play the way we did and get a win against a really, really good opponent,” Brennan said. “It was just really special.” Brennan said that playing in a stadium with cardboard cutouts instead of fans
PHOTO COURTESY OF SJSU ATHLETICS
Head coach Brent Brennan celebrates on the field after the Spartans defense put a stop to the Falcons offense at the 1-yard line Saturday.
It feels great to win a game against a really good team like that. Now we’re gonna sleep, wake up and get ready for New Mexico. Brent Brennan head coach
was a different experience than what he’s used to. “You know, just Spartan Stadium, with no one in it. It’s just surreal,” Brennan said. The Spartans hit their offensive stride in the second half, where Starkel led the charge during his SJSU debut.
Starkel completed 22 of 29 passes and threw a total of 226 yards with two touchdowns, both to tight end Derrick Deese Jr., who said he was just thinking about keeping his feet inbounds on both catches. One of the touchdowns was a spectacular athletic catch by Deese, who kept one foot inbound as an Air Force
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University of Arkansas over the summer. “I definitely feel like the speed of the game was a little fast at first, but as the game progressed I went back to my habits,” Starkel said. “I just went back to what we’ve been preparing and doing in practice.” But the real star of the game was the Spartan defensive line, which held the Falcons to six points after beating the Navy Midshipmen 40-7 in their last game. “It’s difficult to defend, but stopping the fullback was our main focus,” linebacker Kyle Harmon said. “I think we did a good job which led to success all four quarters.” Harmon said the team kept playing hard and as points were put on the scoreboard
the Spartans kept putting pressure on the Falcons offense, which led them to make mistakes. Brennan said he felt proud of what his team accomplished and how special a win like this is for the team moving forward. “It tells our team that we’re on the right path,” Brennan said. “It feels great to win a game against a really good team like that. Now we’re gonna sleep, wake up and get ready for New Mexico.” Next up, SJSU hosts New Mexico at CEFCU Stadium after the game was moved from Albuquerque because of a high number of COVID-19 cases in Bernalillo County. Follow Lexie on Twitter @lexie4real
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defender was draped all over him. “It was great to put some more numbers on the board and get my name out there and prove I’m going to be a real threat for the Spartans,” Deese said during the post-game news conference. Receiver Bailey Gaither also played an integral part in changing the momentum of the game for the SJSU offense in the second half. Starkel threw a 52-yard completion to him which led to the first score of the game by SJSU in the third quarter. Starkel said after the game that he was adjusting during the game, but soon became comfortable with the Spartans’ offensive schemes after transferring from the
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