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Volume 61 Issue 1
Thursday, September 14, 2023
THE USD VISTA VISTA
The Official Student Newspaper of the University of San Diego since 1968
USD Football accused of hazing Half of the team facing disciplinary actions
LAUREN CEBALLOS SPORTS EDITOR The University of San Diego’s football team is facing the consequences of hazing accusations. Upon the brink of the new season, an investigation was made to look into the allegations, making news headlines in the San Diego Union-Tribune (SDUT). The SDUT shared that on Aug.18, 2023, the newly welcomed USD football coach, Brandon Moore, reported the allegations, which resulted in football activities being suspended within hours of the news. Investigations are being pursued by the school, USD public safety and the police department. In a letter addressed to the faculty and staff, President James Harris III explained that some players will receive indefinite suspensions as part of the “varying degrees of disciplinary actions” that will occur. Senior Director of Media Relations Lissette Martinez shared information with The USD Vista in an email. “It is important to note that in Athletics, coaches have the ability to make disciplinary decisions based on their program, and the preliminary action taken thus far
The USD football team is under scrutiny for alleged hazing.
Photo courtesy of @usdfootball/Instagram
Journey to an artistic oasis Artbuilds’ ‘Unfolding Humanity’ featured at Burning Man 2023 KATIE FOREMAN FEATURE EDITOR Burning Man has been a trending topic in the news for multiple reasons — the death of one attendee, the mud and rainy weather and the unfortunate circumstances that left many attendees stuck in the desert. While the festival was an unpleasant experience for some, for the USD professors and one student that attended with the art collective “Artbuilds,” it was unforgettable. Burning Man is a festival of the arts that takes place every year in Black Rock City, Nevada, to bring people together over their love of art and to connect over creativity. The Burning Man
Dr. Gordon Hoople, Dr. Diane Hoffoss, and Dr. Choi-Fitzpatrick. Photo courtesy of Diane Hoffoss
festival is a part of the Burning Man Project, which is based on 10 core principles that exhibit the
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values of Burning Man and its community; attendees are called “Burners.” The festival went from Sunday Aug. 27 to Monday Sept. 4 and four USD professors and one USD junior had the chance to be there with Artbuilds. Although there were weather challenges, the mud was no match for their spirit of community
and passion for their art. Dr. Diane Hoffoss, the chair of the mathematics department and professor of mathematics, is a core member of the art collective Artbuilds, along with three other USD professors — Dr. Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, Dr. Gordon Hoople and Professor Nate Parde. “The mission of Artbuilds is pretty much to bring joy to people — joy, playfulness and bringing community together,” Dr. Hoffoss said. Dr. Hoffoss helped initiate the art project “Unfolding Humanity” with USD students in 2017, which began as a math class assignment to create a project that represented an unsolved math problem — in this case, an unfolded dodecahedron (a polyhedron with twelve flat faces). Hoffoss then helped build the immersive sculpture that opens up so that people can walk inside of it with students in 2018. “Unfolding Humanity” got renovated this year, before being displayed by Artbuilds
See Burning Man, Page 2
is team-based. Further inquiry is underway, and because this is an ongoing investigation and for privacy reasons, we cannot elaborate further,” Martinez said. Martinez did not specify on the difference between “active” and “passive” hazing among players who received punishments. Further, it is unclear how this differential in alleged involvement in hazing activities factored into the “degrees of disciplinary actions” that the players faced from the team’s leadership. On Aug. 23, the players who were not suspended proceeded with practice. President Harris’ letter claims that “approximately half the football team” is being disciplined. However, the school has not stated the specifics of each player’s disciplinary status. The season still began on its original date of Sept. 2 at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Harris’ letter revealed that some players came forward to share their accounts about the hazing, without listing names or details. President Harris commended the actions of those who came forward with allegations about hazing. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, suspicion arose when a player ceased to
See Hazing, Page 11
MORE STORIES Summer news stories See News, page 3
#GRWM trend See A&C, page 10
Advice for first-years See Feature, page 6
Bike lanes See Opinion, page 4
Loyal leaving See Sports, page 12