Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Volume 152 No. 27 SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934
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Professor dives into Silicon Valley culture By Jaileane Aguilar STAFF WRITER
Beginning in 1991, cultural anthropologist Jan English-Lueck studied the broad, diverse culture and life in the high technological region – the Silicon Valley. “There’s something special happening here, but we need to know what it is culturally,” said English-Lueck. Now as an anthropology professor, English-Lueck has started work on the Silicon Valley Cultures Project with now-retired professors Jim Freeman and Chuck Darrah at San Jose State. Recently she was honored with a San Jose State Faculty Award as the President’s Scholar of 2018-19. “At the time [1991], no one was interested in looking at Silicon Valley as sort of a unique cultural phenomena, and so it was quite intriguing,” English-Lueck said. The project has been continuously developed for nearly three decades. EnglishLueck said that the project is not just one study, rather a series of studies completed by a collaborative effort. “We’re seeing how people live, trying to document how people live and understand the larger cultural principles behind it. Silicon Valley is deeply multicultural, that is beyond the obvious,” said English-Lueck. She was able to publish four books, two of which involved research findings in the Silicon
We’re seeing how people live, trying to document how people live and understand the larger cultural principles behind it. Silicon Valley is deeply multicultural, that is beyond the obvious. Jan English-Lueck cultural anthropologist
PHOTO COURTESY OF BOA PHAN
Jan English-Lueck is a cultural anthropologist who started research on Silicon Valley in 1991.
Valley. The first book is titled “Cultures@SiliconValley.” The second edition of the book followed shortly after and has the same title. “Here it runs a little differently because everyone works together, there’s no need to separate into
different communities,” said English-Lueck. She and her students are now doing research and working on another book. The upcoming work will entail studying the development of the particular cultural values in Silicon Valley. “People have to learn how
to be culturally agile and that’s a really interesting social experiment,” she said. English-Lueck said they discovered that 40 percent of the population in Silicon Valley is foreign-born, which makes it a very ethnically diverse place. Andrew Marley, a second-
year student in the master’s of applied anthropology program, is the research assistant for the Silicon Valley Cultures Project. “I came out here to understand why Silicon Valley works and what contributed to the specialty about Silicon Valley that may or may not even be real, but they are at least real in the perception of the wider business world outside of this area,” Marley said. The team received grants from the National Science Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. English-Lueck also spent 1,400 hours observing a family and their everyday life at work, home and school. Along with curiosity, her passion includes taking students on the journey with her. ANTHROPOLOGY | Page 2
Cloudy with a chance of honor Assistant professor at SJSU studies the effects clouds have on climate change. By Cindy Cuellar STAFF WRITER
Minghui Diao, assistant professor of meteorology and climate science at San Jose State, has developed a project that uses aircrafts to collect data on how reflective clouds are in remote areas. The data will show the effects reflective and unreflective clouds could have on the climate. Diao recently received the Early Career Investigator Award after proposing the project in 2018, which focuses on the effects of clouds and aerosols on global climate change and regional air quality. Aerosols are fine particulate matter that are released into the air from things burning, such as coal, according to Diao. Darker clouds absorb more radioactive waves compared to lighter clouds, which reflect the rays of the sun back into the atmosphere. This affects how fast or slow the climate changes depending on what specific kind of cloud it is. “I really want to do something with a bigger picture such as global
JOZY PRABHU | SPARTAN DAILY
DIAO
Jordan Webb, an SJSU student engagement coordinator, speaks at the “Womxn Who Lead” panel about his role as an ally and advocate for the women around him.
climate change and something that would be so impactful and meaningful down the way and do something good for the society,” said Diao. As a woman in the science field, she has been able to watch the progression of more female scientists filtering through the field of atmospheric science and meteorology. “As a first-year graduate, I was actually the only female student in my cohort within my department that year,” said Diao.“But the second and third year there were so many more female students. Probably 40 percent of them are female
Men express support for women
METEOROLOGY | Page 2
ALLY | Page 2
A&E Jordan Peele’s “Us” dominates at the box office Page 3
By Jozy Prabhu STAFF WRITER
The Gender Equity Center hosted a “Women Who Lead” panel on Tuesday in the Student Wellness Lounge at San Jose State. A panel of five sat at the front of the room with three female leaders and two male ally leaders at SJSU. “I believe it’s important for folks with privilege to dismantle systems,” said Chris
Yang, director of the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center. As a cisgendered male, Yang said while it is easy to believe that, it is usually people being oppressed in society who take a stance against the system. He added that those with privilege have a responsibility to help. “I do believe that toxic masculinity is one of the most problematic things in our planet,” said Yang. “It leads to a lot of violence, it leads to a
lot of problematic results.” Yang challenged men, who are looking to be advocates for women, to reflect on themselves and their actions. “Be willing to challenge your own biases. We’ve all been socialized with a patriarchal system, which means we all have preconceived notions about what it means to be a leader,” said Yang. Jordan Webb, student
Sports Russians start slapping contest for cash prize Page 6
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NEWS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019
ALLY Continued from page 1
JOZY PRABHU | SPARTAN DAILY
Chris Yang, director of the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center, speaks about male privilege and allyship at the “Womxn Who Lead” panel on Tuesday at SJSU Student Wellness Lounge.
“I think part of my excitement is listening to my students experiences, especially when they’re doing their research on Silicon Valley, things I never would’ve thought of. I get to play with really bright people,” she said. Jasmine Low, a student in the master’s applied anthropology program, joined the project because of her interest in learning about the topic and the mentorship with English-Lueck. “She’s been doing this for decades and it’s an interesting opportunity to learn how she approaches research, not just by how we learn about research in our textbooks,” said Low. A variety of partners joined the Silicon Valley Cultures Project, including the Santa Clara County Office of Education and CommUniverCity San Jose, an SJSU-based nonprofit organization which partners with the city of San Jose.
Follow Jozy on Twitter @PrabhuJoanna
METEOROLOGY
ANTHROPOLOGY Continued from page 1
engagement coordinator for SJSU, also spoke about his role in being an advocate and supporter for the women around him. “I thought of two different statements as far as being a male advocate: One, knowing that you don’t know, and you can never truly understand the experiences of a woman,” said Webb. Instead, Webb said men need to provide women a platform to share their experiences, so that men’s perspectives can be enhanced. “[The second statement is] knowing there are times you are going to be wrong,” said Webb. “I think the default position is to double down, ignore it or get upset.” Webb explained that patriarchy is deep rooted, so it might not be a conscious decision for a man to do things that are hurtful to the women around them. “But by someone calling you into that c o nv e r s at i o n , as [Associated Students President Ar iadna Manzo] was saying, they’re giving you that chance to take a reflective note,” said Webb.
Webb encouraged men to embrace the confrontation and take it as a vehicle for societal change and personal development. Manzo also commented on bringing more men into the conversation of gender equality. “If we want to call men into the conversation, we need to stop calling them ‘trash,’ ” said Manzo. “We have to have those [meaningful] conversations.” Manzo explained that having men be a part of those conversations includes confronting problematic sexist behavior, which condemns the action, rather than the person. “Maybe it’s explaining to them what trash is, but not calling them ‘trash,’ ” said Manzo. “Because it’s not about the person, it’s about the action. So we need to focus more on the action.” In response to that, Yang said men should respond to being called “trash” by using it as an opportunity for self-reflection. “Think more so along the lines of like, ‘Oh, I screwed up. How can I do better next time?’ ” Yang said.
I may stop studying Silicon Valley, but I don’t have any intention on stopping anthropology in my life. I will continue to do that as long as I can. Along the way, EnglishLueck became affiliated with the Palo Alto-based organization, Institute for the Future. The organization does forecasting work and features ideas about what happens next in society, especially with the impact in today’s technology. English-Lueck and her students have also done different projects with many other organizations, including a Google food lab. “I had a group of students that worked with me with the Google food lab, in the anthropology of food. It’s kind of like a think tank to
Continued from page 1
Jan English-Lueck cultural anthropologist
think about the future of food and how you develop sustainable agriculture and bring it into communities,” said English-Lueck. She believes there is always something to learn and she will continue to work with students and help them make connections that could possibly land them a job. “I may stop studying Silicon Valley, but I don’t have any intention on stopping anthropology in my life. I will continue to do that as long as I can,” said English-Lueck. Follow Jaileane on Twitter @jaileanea
students so it is a good trend.” The meteorology department currently has three female faculty members out of seven, leaving Diao prideful of the amount of women scientists with her. Diao initiated her studies in Beijing, China, which made it difficult for her once she transitioned from studying in Chinese to English. “I felt like I just needed to do the best even if I didn’t come from an English speaking country. That made me feel like I had to work harder. Both because I am a female student to start with and am not a native English speaker,” said Diao. She mentioned the struggles she had reading English textbooks, as she was forced to first translate them before comprehending the material. “When I first read
Science should reflect the society we all come from, so you don’t have to be a white man to do science. textbooks I was thinking, ‘What if one day I could just read so fluently and it won’t have to be so painful reading it’ but as years went by, it got a lot better,” Diao said. Diao has to write a proposal for any projects she wants to be funded in order to be granted money toward the study. “When I first started writing proposals I was more worried if I’d get funded or not,” said Diao. “But now that I write them, I’m going to do this whether I get funded or not. I want to do this even if I don’t get paid to do this.” Getting funded would benefit both
Alison F.C. Bridger professor and chair, Department of Meteorology and Climate Science
her and the students she would be working alongside, allowing them to not stress about their financial stability while collecting and analyzing data. “She’s very enthusiastic about her research and is doing an amazing job in it,” said her colleague Alison F.C. Bridger, professor and chair of the department of meteorology and climate science. “Science should reflect the society we all come from, so you don’t have to be a white man to do science,” said Bridger. Follow Cindy on Twitter @eredetii
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019
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‘Us’ triumphs and terrifies audiences By Caleb Ramos, Staff Writer Starring: Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke Rating:
We are our own worst enemies. And you are definitely the enemy if you disliked this movie. “Us”, starring Lupita Nyong’o and Winston Duke, opened in theaters worldwide this last weekend. According to Box Office Mojo, the film had a huge opening weekend, bringing in $70 million domestically and $87 million worldwide. Directed by Jordan Peele, “Us” follows the Wilson family of four, as they take a trip to Santa Cruz. However, mother Adelaide suffered a traumatic experience when she was a child at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk. Adelaide’s fear of encountering the same figure that scared her many years before, reappears at the Wilson’s vacation home in the form of doppelgangers of her family members. The doppelgangers, who identify themselves as the “Tethered,” plan to kill the Wilson family and take their place. Nyong’o stole the show. Her performance
as Adelaide Wilson was phenomenal. The 2014 Oscar winner fantastically portrayed her character of a frightened mother and valiant hero who fought for her life and protected her family. Because the movie’s main characters have doppelgangers, the actors and actresses have to play polar opposites of their characters. Nyong’o and Duke terrifically embody both the characters of loving parents and the characters of insane maniacs. “Us” has received a lot of attention because this is Peele’s second film he’s written, produced and directed since his Oscarnominated film “Get Out.” In an interview with National Public Radio (NPR), Peele described his intentions with creating the film. “What I’m trying to do is actually make something that feels more realistic than your average genre film, in that there’s a lot of ways we respond.”
Before creating “Get Out” and “Us,” Peele was best known for his comedy sketches on the television show “Key & Peele.” However, since the 40-year-old director began making movies, his name has become more associated with his films. Peele not only created a
horror film in 2019, but he created a horror film in 2019 with an African-American family as the protagonists. He spoke on the importance of casting an African-American family in the centerfold. “Just by putting a black family in the center of this
Directed by: Jordan Peele movie, which is not about race, we see shades of what it means to be AfricanAmerican that aren’t out there,” said Peele to NPR. He also touched on the filming of a black family on a beach and said how its simplicity has a great effect within and outside the African-American community. Peele’s “Get Out” was nominated for best picture at the
2018 Oscars, adding it to the short list of six horror films to be nominated for the prestigious award. “Us” deserves to be the seventh horror film to be nominated for best picture at next year’s Oscars. The film is complete with suspenseful scenes, gory action sequences and a mind-blowing plot twist. With just two films under his belt, Peele has already mastered the horror genre. Fans of horror films should keep an eye out for what he has in store next. Peele’s use of symbolism is terrific in this film. Different viewers can watch “Us” and have their own unique takeaways. The evil counterparts to the Wilson family could represent how we are our own worst enemies. Among other things, the title of the film alone could represent the United States. Whichever takeaway viewers get from seeing this film, I give “Us” a five out of five star rating.
Follow Caleb on Twitter @a1caleb
PHOTO COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
ANALYSIS
‘The Act’ re-enacts and reveals a dark reality By Alyson Chuyang STAFF WRITER
After a horror movie you can let out a big sigh of relief knowing that nothing in it was actually true. However, this new Hulu original series may have you holding your breath. Last week, Hulu premiered the first two episodes of their true crime series, “The Act,” which is based on real events from the 2015 murder of Dee Dee Blanchard by her daughter, Gypsy Rose Blanchard. The mother-daughter duo is played by Patricia Arquette and Joey King, with other young actors including AnnaSophia Robb as Gypsy Rose’s best friend, and Calum Worthy as her internet boyfriend. The premiere of the series also coincides with the real Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s halfway point in her prison sentence. The anticipated series’ trailer spanned social media platforms, shedding light on a peculiar homicide case. The first episode opens up to Gypsy Rose and her mother, Dee Dee, who are being interviewed about a bright pink house they just received from Habitat for Humanity, one of the many foundations that the two benefited from because of Gypsy Rose’s conditions. In the first two minutes
already, you are given signs as to why the series is called “The Act.” After the interview, Gypsy Rose turns to her mother and asks if her answers sounded fine, to which the words, “The Act,” appear behind them. Seen as a doting mother, the community could only describe Dee Dee and Gypsy Rose’s relationship as caring and close, but behind the doors of the pink home, there was a much bigger story. Gypsy Rose was later discovered to have developed Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a particular case where someone is convinced of having an illness because of the treatment by a caregiver or parent, for the purpose of attention and sympathy. This is considered a form of disguised child abuse, which was very apparent in the beginning of the series. The first two episodes don’t hide the fact that something is off with the condition of Gypsy Rose, and the mental stability of her mother Dee Dee. Their broken and twisted relationship is put on display in a scene where Gypsy Rose sneaks out of her bed where her mother lays beside her sleeping, and walks to the kitchen. She opens the fridge to grab a can of whipped cream, something full of sugar and supposedly “lethal” to her diet.
A flashback sequence appears, and it is Gypsy Rose listening in on Dee Dee and a doctor’s conversation which reveals that Gypsy does not have a sugar allergy. Already, the audience learns that Gypsy Rose can walk without the use of a wheelchair, and that she is suspicious of her mother’s claims of her apparent “illnesses.” Joey King does an excellent job in matching Gypsy Rose’s babylike voice, as the real Gypsy Rose sounds like in interviews. Not only that, but King conveys the pain and entrapment that Gypsy Rose feels when she begins discovering her mother’s lies. This series is the first dramatized version of this story, but there are multiple documentaries showing real footage of the house and interviews with everyone involved. Through this series I got very invested in the real story of Gypsy Rose. The show really captures the details, from the clutter of the house to the stacked medicine cabinet Dee Dee locked up every night. I definitely look forward to the rest of the episodes in this season, and for the truth to unfold through the already suspenseful series. Follow Alyson on Twitter @alysonchuyang
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OPINION
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019
COUNTERPOINTS
IMAGES COURTESY OF PIXABAY
Is it the ultimate social taboo to refuse to tip your waiter? Yes, tips are vital to servers Alyson Chuyang STAFF WRITER
When you go to a restaurant and leave the tip for your waiter or waitress, just know you are also paying for their rent, car bill and living expenses. While tipping is a system that is completely flawed and cheats workers out of getting a substantial pay, it’s still important to uphold the practice. According to The Economist, tipping originated in Europe and was practiced in the United States starting in the late 1800s. Employers would
in the two weeks in between paychecks. As a college student, I fortunately only have to pay the bill for my sorority and other outside expenses for myself. However, many servers rely on their income to pay for their groceries, electricity bills and other living essentials. When you add your tip through a card transaction or put cash down on the table before you leave a restaurant, be aware that the whole amount is not going to your waiter directly.
So if you think waiters have nothing to lose if you don’t tip, you’re actually inadvertently robbing them of a sizeable chunk of their income. take advantage of this system by underpaying employees, and this practice persists. Every state in the U.S. has a different minimum wage, but under federal law, minimum wage for tipped employees is about $2.13 per hour. However, there are some states that are turning against that flawed system and paying tipped employees a full state minimum before tips, which is what California does. However, tips are taxable income and waiters must report tips, so it makes their paychecks even slimmer. As a waitress, I rely on my tips to compensate for the money I spend
Many restaurants split tips between cooks, dishwashers, bartenders and bussers. One Fair Wage is a campaign that is working toward getting a full minimum wage for restaurant workers. According to its website, restaurant industry jobs rank No. 7 out of 10 of the lowest paying jobs in the country. It is very difficult for waiters and waitresses to live off of their regular paychecks, especially when it is not sufficient to start. Not only that, but the amount of work and harassment servers deal with on a shift-to-shift basis can be hard to endure. Contrary to popular belief, tips are no
longer an extravagance or a supplement to a waiter’s income. According to The Atlantic, tips make up as much as 40 percent of the income of all waiters and waitresses. So if you think waiters have nothing to lose if you don’t tip, you’re actually inadvertently robbing them of a sizeable chunk of their income. Waiters and waitresses are aware they have to work toward getting a greater tip at the end of a customer’s meal, and that oftentimes includes dealing with unbearable or racially discriminatory customers. According to One Fair Wage, 70 percent of people who work in restaurants are women. As a woman working in the industry, there are times we have to put up with sexual harassment from customers or even management. The amount of work that goes into a server’s job is extensive, and all of that is not reflected in their pay. When people decline to tip, it tends to indicate that the server did not do anything during their time in the restaurant, which is often an untrue narrative. A full-service restaurant, or a sit-down eatery, tasks waiters and waitresses with many duties. Not only do they physically have to be on their feet for their whole shift, but they have to be sociable and interpersonal in order to gain the respect of the customer. Dining patrons should show their servers some respect and gratitude for providing a decent dining experience. We need to recognize the hard work that servers go through for a less-than-average living wage. Follow Alyson on Twitter @alysonchuyang
No, we can’t take tips for granted Adam Yoshikawa STAFF WRITER
“Don’t forget to tip your waiter!” What a joke. Tipping is degrading, bad for restaurants, an extra stress on the customer and arguably illegal. While practiced around the world, tipping assumes a unique role in the United States to which most eating establishments welcomed by offloading the burden of paying workers a fair wage to their customers. Servers have been known to live off their tips, but when it comes to being paid fairly, it’s the tips they receive that is part of the problem. The Atlantic reported that tipping in the U.S. originated during the late nineteenth century as a means for restaurant owners to get away with paying employees less and passing on service charges to the consumer. In nations like Japan, tipping a social taboo because servers are expected to give quality service in return for their set wage. According to federal labor law, establishments are permitted to pay waiters, bartenders and other workers across the country an atypical low wage as long as their total earnings, with tips add up to at least the minimum wage. California is lucky enough to be a state with one of the highest state minimum wages in the U.S. with $12 per hour, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. California’s minimum wage rate is second only to behind Washington D.C., which has a minimum wage that will be raised to $14 by July
2019, according to the same source. But in states with minimum wages of $7.25 such as North Carolina, Pennsylvania and our neighbor Nevada – servers are finding it hard to make a living by surviving off of tips.
Servers have been known to live off their tips, but when it comes to being paid fairly, it’s the tips they receive that is part of the problem. These workers are often being paid as low as 2 to 3 dollars because of tips affecting their hourly wage. Restaurants work daily on a narrow margin due to the large competitive market with other local establishments, keeping their prices low in order to attract customers. When it comes to being paid fairly, a constant hourly wage may be the solution for servers looking for a bigger check, instead of blindly relying on the generosity of customers. As someone who’s been a server for two years in a fast-paced establishment, I understand that there may be days/nights that pay better than others. Friday nights and weekends often yield the highest tips, but what
about slower nights or weekdays? The amount of tips a server receives are constantly fluctuating and never set in stone. That being said, should servers really expect consumers to be consistently generous EVERY time they eat out? While I acknowledge that servers work hard on a daily basis, the fact remains that usually only the servers that get tipped as opposed to the rest of the people working at a restaurant. Cooking is a very specialized skill set that the requires professional training and/or years of experience. Becoming a server takes a normal intelligence and maybe extra “people-skills,” with only maybe a week of training. The process of becoming a server is not necessarily as vigorous as becoming a kitchen chef, after taking years to perfect one’s culinary training. Kitchen staff members make even less money than servers due to the narrow margin that restaurants work under daily. This forces kitchen staff to either find another job or demand for a higher wage. Both being equally stressful on the staff. The U.S. has adopted tipping as a normal means of funding employees in the restaurant industry, leaving the customers and servers split over billing stress. Though most servers do have a highly moneydriven work habit, their lives should not depend on 15 percent of the bill. And customers not leaving the normal 15 percent tip should not be frowned upon. It is the responsibility of the employer to pay employees fairly. A wage is certain, tip amounts are not. Follow Adam on Instagram @yoshi_kawa_
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OPINION
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019
5
FAKE NEWS
Restroom politics disrupt transgender life Kael Austria SENIOR STAFF WRITER
There is an entire community of people whose existence is politicized on a global scale. Every aspect of their lives are discussed, from the type of pronouns they identify with, to what kind of restrooms are allocated for their use. Have you ever feared for your life when entering a public restroom? A majority of people may say they haven’t, but for transgender and/or gender nonconforming students, safely navigating public restrooms is an everyday act of survival. Although we live in an area that is more progressive than most of the country, countless transgender and/ or gender non-conforming students face harassment when it comes to accessing public restrooms. This is a huge problem that an increasing number of San Jose State students have come to address. According to a 2015 survey conducted by
the National Center for Transgender Equality, more than half of those who participated said that they will avoid public restrooms because of fear of assault and/or harassment. The survey consisted of 28,000 participants, which means more than 14,000 individuals said using a public bathroom was challenging because of the risks of being harassed or physically harmed. Throughout the Trump administration, the fatality rate for trans folks reached an all time high. The Human Rights Campaign released a statement on the amount of hate crimes directed toward transgender and/or gender non-conforming communities. The statement lists that, “In 2018, advocates tracked at least 26 deaths of transgender people in the United States due to fatal violence.” These crimes are specifically directed at the transgender community, simply because of the fact that our very existence is politicized and considered a threat.
The solution to this influx in transgender hate crimes is to create more space for trans people, especially accessible bathrooms. On our university campus, there are currently 40 gender-neutral restrooms, and less than half of these restrooms are completely accessible to students. And I say “completely” accessible, because while some of these restrooms are gender-neutral, they are not always easy to access. In order to use the gender-neutral bathrooms located in Clark Hall, students must retrieve an access code. In the library, the single gender-neutral restroom is allocated for staff use only. There are also genderneutral multi-stall restrooms located in the on-campus dorms CV2, Joe West and Washburn Hall, but these are strictly for resident use. This leaves 14 restrooms that are completely accessible to all students. Having 14 gender-neutral restrooms on a college campus of more than 30,000 students is absurd. This is especially true in President Trump’s America where an increasing number of transgender people are being killed. So why are there so
CLASSIFIEDS CROSSWORD PUZZLE
ILLUSTRATION BY MELODY DEL RIO | SPARTAN DAILY
few gender-neutral restrooms on campus? Bonnie Sugiyama, director of SJSU’s Pride Center and Gender Equity Center elaborated that the issue with transgender-friendly restrooms isn’t necessarily that the university doesn’t want to add more restrooms. It’s just complicated navigating the safety codes that are specific to each building on campus. “So what it comes down to is the number of bathrooms in the building. Single stall gender-neutral restrooms do not count toward the to-
tal amount of bathrooms, which is where we run into a problem,” Sugiyama stated. While most buildings on campus may have multiple stalls for men and women available, many university buildings are not required by law to designate a gender-neutral restroom which endangers transgender students. Being assaulted in a public restroom is an incredibly common worry that trans people face every single day. Without space for us, how are we expected to feel comfortable attending a
SUDOKU PUZZLE Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.
university such as San Jose State? Are we supposed to constantly live in fear, running from building to building on campus between classes just to feel safe in a restroom? Because we absolutely shouldn’t have to do such a thing. With businesses such as Target and Starbucks implementing gender-neutral restrooms, it’s appalling that a publicly funded university has very few gender-neutral restrooms. Follow Kael on Twitter @kaelelliot
JOKIN’ AROUND Why does a man twist his wedding ring on his finger?
He’s trying to figure out the combination.
SOLUTIONS
ACROSS 1. Engine 6. Hearing organs 10. Trees of the genus Quercus 14. Give a speech 15. Tidy 16. Algonquian Indian 17. City in France 18. Spanish lady 19. Eatery 20. Powered by electricity 22. Colored part of an eye 23. Not many 24. A type of tree 26. Silly talk 30. Pursue 32. Electronic letters 33. Unoriginality 37. Adjoin 38. Record player 39. Not false 40. Cowards 42. Bet 43. Follow as a result 44. Filamentous 45. Small fatty European fish 47. Grayish brown 48. Defrost
49. Downplay 56. Palm starch 57. Violent disturbance 58. Proprietor 59. Anagram of “Rave” 60. Cap 61. Slogan 62. A musical pause 63. Lascivious look 64. S S S S DOWN 1. Brood 2. By mouth 3. Container weight 4. Ear-related 5. Relaxing 6. Provide with a permanent fund 7. Eternity 8. Hindu princess 9. Separating the notes 10. Not oriental 11. A kind of macaw 12. Liquor from fermented milk 13. Views 21. Regulation (abbrev.)
25. East southeast 26. Pile 27. Part of an ear 28. Mangle 29. Yellow gentian 30. Hag 31. Ancient units of liquid measure 33. You (archaic) 34. Therefore 35. Litigates 36. Arid 38. Relating to posture 41. Ribonucleic acid 42. Attractive 44. Pelt 45. Trim 46. Attendants of knights 47. Discourage 48. Russian emperor 50. Agreeable 51. A hemispherical roof 52. 2 2 2 2 53. Picnic insects 54. French for “Head” 55. God of love
03/26/2019
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SPORTS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 27, 2019
COLUMN
The Gronk says goodbye to football Caleb Ramos STAFF WRITER
Gronk like. Gronk spike. Gronk retire. NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski, who is also known as just “Gronk,” took to Instagram to announce his retirement from the NFL on Sunday. The 29-year-old New England Patriots played for nine seasons in the NFL, all as a Patriot and won 3 Super Bowl rings. Gronkowski tweeted his announcement Monday and expressed his gratitude for football, his teammates and Patriots owner, Robert Kraft. “I am so grateful for the opportunity that Mr. Kraft and Coach Belichick gave to me when drafting my silliness in 2010,” he said in a Tweet. “My life experiences, relationships and championships over the last 9 years have been amazing!” A native of Amherst, New York, the 6-foot-6inch tight end played for two years at the University of Arizona. He was drafted 42nd overall by the New England Patriots in the 2010 NFL Draft. Gronkowski now retires with his name up for debate, as the greatest tight end ever.
I’ll be the first to tell you he is the greatest tight end of all time. Gronkowski’s playmaking ability at his position was better than the likes of Hall of Famers Tony Gonzalez and Shannon Sharpe. Gronkowski has three Lombardi trophies on his resume. He showed up and showed out on the Super Bowl stage, and holds the tight end records for most receptions (23) and most yards (297) in a Super Bowl (XLIX, LI, LIII). In the 2011 season, Gronkowski led the league in receiving touchdowns (17), and he’s the only tight end to lead the league in receiving touchdowns in a single season, according to FiveThirtyEight. Even through suffering devastating injuries to his entire body in 2013, he bounced back and was able to catch balls like a wide receiver. Not only was Gronkowski skillful in receiving the ball, but he was also a premier blocker. He possessed the ability to wield off defenders to make running lanes for the halfback and protect the quarterback from being sacked.
PHOTO COUTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
New England Patriots tight end, Rob Gronkowski, waves and smiles to fans in the crowd after a game.
His versatility is unlike any other tight end in history. Aside from Gronkowski’s dominance on the field, he was a delightful human being off the field. He is like a little kid with a charitable inside a man’s body. He started the Gronk Youth Foundation to help kids reach their maximum potential through sports, education, community and fitness. In a 2018 interview with Nathan Rush of Athlon Sports, Gronkowski spoke
Gronk now retires with his name up for debate as the greatest tight end ever. I’ll be the first to tell you Gronk is the greatest tight end of all time. on the importance of opening his youth foundation. “I had the people around me to play sports. I want to be able to affect kids
out there, in the New England area, the Buffalo area, to help reach their potential on the practice field in the sports world.
And help them to stay out of trouble and be active in the community,” said Gronkowski. At 29 years old, his retirement seems to come earlier than normal. However, Gronkowski gave his all out on the football field, leaving the game as the greatest tight end ever. He will be eligible for the pro football hall of fame in 2024, according to ESPN. Follow Caleb on Twitter @a1caleb
COLUMN
Strong-handed Russians start silly slapping competition Adam Yoshikawa STAFF WRITER
Russia’s fucking crazy for this one. There are plenty of weird competitions out there, but this one seems to have the upper hand on all the others. It is the most bizzare “sport” I have ever seen. Russian slap contest videos from the bodybuilder Syberian Power Show last weekend have surfaced all around the web. They depict large, burley men nearly slapping each other to unconsciousness. The aim of this competition is to see who is the strongest. Or, whose face is the strongest and can take repeated open-handed hammers flying only faster and faster than the previous swing. This contest will leave competitors swollen in both the face and neck with popped blood vessels. Competitors simply swing their hardest until one of the competitors gives in to the pain of being smacked repeatedly or until someone is completely knocked out by a single blow by a heavy hand. Some videos show competitions being only a few rounds in and then deciding a victor by the crowd. The Russian YouTube channel, “Russian Bears,”
published a video of a slapping contest that has over 25 million views. The video titled, “SLAPPING CHAMPIONSHIP SARYCHEV POWER EXPO 2018” shows many contestants taking a beating in the three round competition until their faces were nearly completely swollen and almost bleeding. “It’s funny to watch, but that shit looks like it hurts. Some of the competitor’s arms are huge so you know it’s gonna do some damage,” said criminal justice senior Danny Nguyen. Many of the competitors in the expo are massive bodybuilders. Their sheer size made it a unwinnable match between their oppositions who bravely stepped up to the table. In the video, the slaps reigned down for hours, until one man was pronounced the champion. Yuriy Kuzmin, the winner from Nizhny Novgorod, was declared the “King of the Slappers,” according to The Sun. Kuzmin left the competition with more than 25,000 rubles, which is about $390, and took to social media to say that taking home the trophy was “really hard-hitting,” according to ViceLand. According to CBS,
other videos on YouTube have surfaced. Another video in particular stars a large shirtless man who reigns as king and is named Dumpling. Yeah that’s right, imagine being smacked across the face by a man named Dumpling. Dumpling dominated the competition, nearly knocking out one competitor wearing white with the first slap. His competitor staggered away from the table with medics on scene to catch his unconscious body. The man in white could’ve possibly had whiplash from the size and velocity of Dumpling’s heavy slap. In the videos, the crowd cheers with “oohs and ahhs” as each large swing lands and leaves the athletes with large welts and a urge to fire back with more heat. But believe me, Dumpling came to fucking slap. Smacking his way through the competition, Dumpling pummelled his competition with that iron palm and walked away with 30,000 rubles, about $466 USD, which isn’t bad depending on how much you love your face. Despite the barbarity behind the sport, there is something nice about the simplicity of it. Although this sport may be far away from coming to the U.S., it is nice to have these highlights to watch. Follow Adam on Instagram @yoshi_kawa_