TheUSDVISTA
Volume 56 Issue 10
Thursday, November 15, 2018
On Newsstands Weekly
◆ The Official Student Newspaper of the University of San Diego since 1968 ◆
Representing Islam in MSA Paulina Sierra Opinion Editor Sophomore Nadine Achkar, vice president of Muslim Student Association (MSA), learned about USD via an alumni as a place that is respectful toward those of all religions, even though it is a predominantly Catholic university. “He kept talking about how it’s a Catholic university, it’s kind of expensive, but during 9/11 when the attacks happened, (the Vice President of Student affairs) said, ‘Here’s my personal phone number, know that we don’t tolerate any hate, discrimination, anything,’” Achkar said. “They invited him to lead mass for the following week, and he was talking about it with the biggest smile on his face, and he said (it was the) best experience of his life. He got accepted to Harvard, MIT, Stanford, but no one, when he visited, had as much respect for religions as USD.” The reality of it, however, was far from ideal. While Achkar sees the university itself as being supportive of her Muslim faith, the student body is often confused by her presence on campus. “It’s a little different because I wear my faith so openly, but I am also not like most girls who wear the hijab who wear long, baggy
See Islam, Page 6
Toreros take a stand
Students gather to combat the presence of Trump supporters on campus
On Thursday, Nov. 8, a group of USD student activists reacted to the presence of Trump supporters on campus with high emotions and obscene gestures. (The USD Vista editorial staff chose to blur out these obscene guestures) Photo courtesy of Stephen Jordan
Amy Inkrott News Editor
Under the streetlights of the juncture between Linda Vista avenue and the University of San Diego main driveway, a group
of 30 USD students engaged in an intense protest against a pair of Trump supporters. Carrying banners streaked with red lettering, the students shouted out various chants, calling for justice and an end to hateful language and actions.
In the evening on Thursday, Nov. 8, a man and woman came to campus, donned in “Make America Great Again” hats and holding a banner that read “Americanos for Trump.” Neither the man nor the woman were members of the
USD community. However, the pair sought to recruit some of USD’s Latino students for a San Diego Trump rally spoken entirely in Spanish. The pair had already recruited individuals from Pacific
See Demonstration, Page 4
Toreros win Pioneer League
USD clinches FCS playoffs spot in remarkable 56-52 win Anderson Haigler Sports Editor
USD’s win last Saturday marked their fifth consecutive PFL championship. Thomas Christensen/The USD Vista
The Lorax of USD
See News, page 3
When Anthony Lawrence fired a touchdown pass to Michael Bandy with 14:05 to play in the first quarter, it appeared that it was business as usual for the Toreros. With Lawrence connecting with his favorite receiver early on, USD looked to be well on their way to their 34th consecutive home conference victory on a sunny Saturday afternoon at Torero Stadium. However, the remaining 44 minutes and five seconds of USD’s matchup against Davidson University — who USD defeated by more than 50 points last season — were anything but routine. What followed the Toreros’ early score marked the most absurd, entertaining, and gritty football that USD has played so far this season. But perhaps most importantly, when the dust settled on a wild game that featured nearly 1,500 yards of total offense, the Toreros were 56-52 winners, and champions of the Pioneer Football League for
the fifth consecutive season. The madness began on the Wildcats’ second possession. After receiving the Torero punt that pinned them on their own six yard line, Davidson needed precisely one play to tie the game, with sophomore running back Wesley Dugger dashing 94 yards for a touchdown to even the score at seven. Just over a minute later, Davidson’s William Wicks followed up with a 90-yard rushing score of his own. Five minutes and a Wildcat field goal later, Keylan Brown put Davidson on the scoreboard once again in hauntingly similar fashion, sprinting 80 yards to the end zone to extend his team’s advantage. All of a sudden, the Wildcats had more than tripled their seven total points against the Toreros last season, and led 24-7 on the backs of three dramatic, breakout running plays. Though each of the first three scores were by different players, the rushes were so similar both in length and play design that they resembled carbon copies of each other. At the conclusion of the first half, one thing
became abundantly clear: USD was not going to be able to stop the Davidson run game. While the Wildcats were busy taking the lead over the Toreros in the first period, the USD offense was completely unable to get going beyond their first-minute score. After their first drive, the Toreros next six drives ended in either a punt, turnover on downs, or an interception. During their cold spell, the Davidson defense emphatically shut down all facets of the USD offense, holding them to just 112 total yards. Their run game got them nowhere, and Lawrence struggled to get much of anything done, watching countless passes get broken up by an unusually effective Wildcat secondary. Things looked most grim for the Toreros near the beginning of the second quarter. Yet another rushing touchdown from Davidson, this time a two-yard effort, gave the Wildcats a commanding 31-7 lead that was as impressive as it was
See Football, Page 15
Serra Hall situation
Women PeaceMakers
Camp Flog Gnaw
Senior Day victory for USD volleyball
See Opinion, page 5
See Feature, pages 8-9
See A&C, page 11
See Sports, page 13
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The USD Vista
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November 15, 2018
NEWS
AS senate tables confirmations Debate over representation versus process continues within Associated Students
Luke Garrett Editor in Chief Four newly-appointed senators – Wendy Martinez, Alanah Winston, MarGhece Barns, and Janelle Seguin – sat in the back row of AS Senate on Thursday, Nov. 8 with the expectation of being confirmed after four senators resigned from their positions. AS President Natasha Salgado nominated the students – all of whom are women of color – via email days earlier. Despite the By-Laws and Constitution permitting Salgado to do so, and previous senatorial nominees being confirmed with little discussion, the AS senate
four appointed senators from the Nov. 8 agenda. “Under of senate By-Laws it says that any seat that is open can be appointed by the president and confirmed by the senate,” Young said. “However, in our constitution it has the exact same phrase except it adds ‘elected senator.’ Therefore, we have senators to be replaced today that were not elected by students in the spring, but were appointed by this body this year.” Speaker of the Senate Tyler Warren denied the motion, an act that is similar in form to a veto that can be overridden by a two-thirds majority vote. With the AS meeting agenda confirmed, the senate ran its
“The decision we are going to be making as a body is a decision we should be cautious in how quickly we just accept this in the way that we do.” -Dean Lockwood held the confirmation of Martinez, Winston, Barns, and Seguin until next week – the reason being to review a disparity within the ByLaws and Constitution concerning senate appointment. At the outset of the AS meeting, AS Student Orgs Chair Charles Young, was quick to point out the disparity between the By-Laws and Constitution after motioning to remove the confirmation vote of the
usual course until the confirmation of the four appointees came to the AS senate floor. Following brief introductions from the appointees, Young motioned a second time to hold off on their confirmation until the judiciary committee meets and addresses the disparity within the By-Laws and Constitution. The motion failed and discussion concerning the appointment
continued. Senator Dean Lockwood voiced his concerns over the confirmation of the appointees. “This represents a large shift in the balance of power,” Lockwood said. “The decision we are going to be making as a body is a decision we should be cautious in how quickly we just accept this in the way that we do.” This mention of quickness coaxed a number of senators to voice their own thoughts in support of Young’s previous motions to halt the confirmation. At this point Young spoke up again. “If there is a difference between what our By-law is saying and our constitution is saying we should be taking a look at that … that’s our duty,” Young said. No further discussion was had and the vote to confirm the four appointees failed. Soon after, Young – for a third time – motioned to table the appointment until next week for the judiciary committee’s review of the By-Laws and Constitution. The motion passed, but the meeting was far from over. During final business, AS Chair of Inclusion and Diversity Vayunamu Bawa, who entered the meeting late after hearing that the confirmation was put on hold, asked clarifying questions about the denied senate confirmation and presented the senate with her critical thoughts.
CORRECTIONS FROM 11/8 Listed below are the errors made in the previous issue of The USD Vista. News: • In “Nu Alpha Kappa” from page 2, Christiano Medrano’s name was misspelled (Merano). Spread: • Scott Hering’s name was misspelled (Herrings) and is not the individal in the picture.
The USD Vista Luke Garrett - Editor in Chief Kaia Hubbard - Associate Editor Hannah Sonberg - Managing Editor Kathryn Querner - Copy Editor Monica Millan- Art Director Lexi Crea - Assistant Art Director Amy Inkrott - News Editor Paulina Sierra - Opinion Editor Jennifer Mossuto - Feature Editor Dorothy Dark - Arts & Culture Editor
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Anderson Haigler - Sports Editor Thomas Christensen - Photography Editor Zoé Morales - Photo Assistant Richard Benson - Distribution Editor Elizabeth Brunelli - Finance Manager Rachel Steinheimer - Advertising Manager Gina Lew - Student Media Advisor Marie Minnick - Operations Advisor
The USD Vista publication is written and edited by USD students and funded by revenues generated by advertising and a student fee. Advertising material published is for information purposes only and is not to be construed as an expressed or implied endorsement or verification of such commercial venues by the staff or University. The USD Vista office is located on the fourth floor of the Student Life Pavilion in room 403B. All inquiries should be sent to: The USD Vista 5998 Alcala Park San Diego, CA 92110 Opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego or of its student body. Letters to the Editor can be submitted to The USD Vista office. Letters should be limited to 300 words and must be signed. For identification purposes, USD identification numbers and writer’s year must be included in the letter. The USD Vista reserves the right to edit published letters. Any content sent to the editor will be considered for publication unless otherwise stated.
“You got all these potential senators to come in, expecting to be sworn in, and not be sworn in,” Bawa said. “I have never seen this happen.” AS Senator Jordan Rodriguez then spoke about her concerns of pushing back the confirmation of four women of color appointees. “There are a lot of people that are concerned about (the senate suddenly denying confirmation of four women of color) and it’s not going to look good on the senate,” Rodriguez said. To this, Young was eager to
ensued. The former was voted for, which allowed for the senate to simply delete “elected” from the constitution – allowing for the confirmation of the appointees to assuredly occur next week. The AS senate then adjourned. One of the four appointees, Martinez, shared her take on the AS meeting. “Being a part of senate for me was bringing a different voice, a different demographic, into that room that I don’t feel is being represented enough,” Martinez said.
“Being a part of senate for me was bringing a different voice, a different demographic, into that room that I don’t feel is being represented enough.” -Wendy Martinez respond. “I am in no way against bringing senators into this body,” Young said. “I think we need more senators. I just want to make sure that we are following all of our procedures – crossing our t’s dotting our i’s.” The debate over procedure versus representation, which has consistently faced AS this semester, continued until senators concerned the tabling of the appointee’s confirmation motioned for the senate to interpret the By-laws and Constitution then and there. Debate over the elected disparity being grammatical or meaning-based
“For me, being there and pushing to be a part of senate is definitely important. I think me showing up and me coming back next Thursday after this bit of a humiliating meeting is important. It does show my commitment to this.” Martinez’s sentiment concerning the meetings was shared by the three other appointees, all of whom intend to go back to the senate for their confirmation. As of now, the confirmation of the appointees is set for Thursday, Nov. 15 and the four expect to be confirmed with the disparity between By-Laws and Constitution settled.
Volume 56 Issue 10
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NEWS
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The USD Vista
Spaces for studious students
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USD announces plans for a building on the field behind Copley library
Amy Inkrott News Editor As the second round of midterms approaches, some students at the University of San Diego scramble to find a quiet place to study, only to discover that nearly every spot is already occupied. The tables in Copley Library are full, seats at Aromas and outside Tu Merc seem to be rarely vacant, and many of the classrooms are locked. On Sept. 21, the USD administration held a forum to announce their plan to construct a new Learning Commons building in place of the field behind Copley Library as an effort to provide more study spaces for students. This new building promises 12 additional classrooms and a variety of lounges and study spaces for students. Vice Provost Thomas Herrinton hopes that the Learning Commons will become a popular space for both students and faculty. “This is a building for students to have a place where they can study or hang out in between classes or in the evenings,” Herrinton said. “We know that students want more academic spaces... I hope this is where people want to be teaching and learning.” The Learning Commons will provide the school with a unique space for the first-year Living Learning Community (LLC) themes.
A double classroom with 80 seats will be available for joint sessions of the LLC classes, allowing both students and faculty to further explore an integration between their disciplines. Another part of the building will be reservable for large events. Herrinton hopes that this space will be used for LLC-wide events, such as guest speakers. The administration intends that the features of the Learning Commons will be home to the Writing Center and Honors Program. Since many of the courses taught in
this building will be core curriculum, Herrinton believes it is important to have these resources in an easily accessible location for students to utilize. Additionally, an outdoor plaza space is included in the plans. In the past, outside seating and tables have been widely popular among students. However, the planned Learning Commons’ plaza has caused some controversy among the community. The podocarpus tree that currently occupies the Copley field cuts
significantly into the plaza’s available space. The administration proposed three different plans for the space, two of which include the preservation of the tree. The building is expected to be open 24 hours a day, giving students unlimited access to the available study spaces. Although it will be locked at 11 p.m., students will be able to key into the building with their Torero ID card. The building’s construction alone is expected to cost $17 million, funded with the money left over from the university’s
The Learning Commons building is expected to have large amounts of study space for students to use.
current operations. However, the administration hopes that the school’s donors will contribute to the overall cost of the Learning Commons. This new space is intended to provide students with additional places to study in order to further their academic success. USD will break ground on the Learning Commons in May of 2019. The administration hopes the project will be complete and available to students by the fall semester of 2020.
Photo courtesy of Thomas Herrinton
The Lorax of USD speaks for the tree New Learning Commons building poses threat to 65-year-old podocarpus tree Amy Inkrott News Editor Hidden behind the walls of Copley Library, the podocarpus tree stands tall offering shade to all those nearby. Originally planted near Camino Hall, this tree has been a part of the USD campus for the past 65 years. Throughout its time on campus, it has become an important aspect of the university to many students, faculty members, and alumni. Senior Zach Telles has formed
many fond memories of this tree throughout his time at USD. “I’ve been in the visual arts department for the past five years and I have walked past this tree every single day,” Telles said. “It has become such an integral part of the community. It’s almost a cornerstone of our art department, and Camino and Founders.” When he learned about USD’s plans to remove the tree to build a new plaza alongside the Learning Commons, Telles was very upset. “The building is not going to
The podocarpus tree has lived behind Camino Hall for the past 65 years.
be impacted by the presence of the tree,” Telles said. “I think it’s ironic. Their whole plan is to create a new learning space, but the tree has already created that. There are so many students who have studied by this tree or eaten lunch under the tree.” The USD administration believes that the tree will become a safety hazard within the next 10 years. However, the tree is expected to live for another 20 to 30 years, and has no visible signs of being unhealthy. Upon learning about the
Photo courtesy of Eleanor Vanden Busch
school’s plan to remove the tree, junior Eleanor Vanden Busch started a petition to save the podocarpus tree. “Over the summer they cut down the two 80-year-old trees next to Founders,” Vanden Busch said. “I was shocked when I got back to campus because no one really knew that was happening. We want this tree to be a symbol of a new process of construction on campus where you really get to know the heart of the space, with a consideration for the wants of the students impacted by it.” Vanden Busch vehemently rejected the administration’s claim that the tree will eventually die. “That’s just the nature of any tree,” Vanden Busch said. “It’s just inconvenient for them to keep it alive and have to worry about it. It’s easier for them to cut down the tree now when there’s only a field there rather than in 30 years when there is a building. But with a little care, it can be done.” By reaching out to the larger USD community, Vanden Busch’s petition to save the podocarpus tree received over 700 signatures. Students, AS senators, faculty, and alumni all reached out in support of her petition. While Telles and Vanden Busch do not object to the construction of the Learning Commons, they believe the university should make an effort to preserve the history associated with the podocarpus tree. Upon
seeing the mass response from the community, Vice Provost Thomas Herrinton held a meeting of the Learning Commons Stakeholders Group on Nov. 8 to decide the fate of the podocarpus tree. Herrinton released the group’s decision in an email to the USD community. “Although the Stakeholders Group agreed that there were issues involved with keeping the podocarpus tree, they also considered the substantial feedback on the proposed removal,” Herrinton said. “It was determined that removing the tree is not essential to the building project. Given the community response, the Stakeholder Group voted to recommend keeping the podocarpus tree.” This decision showed the administration’s willingness to listen to the voice of its students. Vanden Busch was excited about the committee’s final decision. “We had planned a rally on Tuesday, but we are replacing it with a celebration,” Vanden Busch said. “We thank administration for taking our feedback into account.” Although construction on the Learning Commons will begin at the end of this academic year, the podocarpus tree will not be impacted. Thanks to the efforts of the community, both the building and the tree will be valuable elements of the USD community for the decades to come.
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The USD Vista
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Nobember 15, 2018
Toreros react to Trump supporters USD student activists respond to the presence of two Latino Trump supporters on campus
Standing on the corner of Linda Vista Avenue and Torero Way, sophomore Alanah Winston passionately responds to the male Trump supporter.
Demonstration from Page 1
Beach, La Jolla, Downtown, and UCSD. When the pair was found stationed in front of the Student Life Pavilion, a text was sent to a group of student leaders and activists from across the USD community. Many of these students participated in the protests against the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on campus. Instantaneously, the group retrieved their banners and signs, and moved to confront the pair. Junior Carolina Moreno was one of the first students to react against the Trump supporters. “These are not the ideals of our USD students,” Moreno said. “These are not the values and beliefs that we hold.” When students became disgruntled with the presence of the Trump supporters on campus, Public Safety officers moved them just beyond the campus boundaries. Standing on the street corner in front of the USD main entrance, the man and woman continued to promote their political beliefs.
Estudiantíl Chicanx de Azatlan (MEChA), American Indian Student Organization (AISO), Black Student Resource Center (BSRC), and PRIDE, the protesters sought to demonstrate the power of minority voices. The protests carried on for nearly two hours as both sides argued the topics of education, deportation, and justice. Neither side was willing to concede on any of the issues, causing the demonstration to become increasingly hostile. Junior bystander Brett Rovnick was frustrated with the protest. “You come out here and argue and there’s just no result,” Rovnick said. “It causes hate and it causes controversy. There really is no point.” However, the protest did attract students from both sides of the political spectrum. Junior Kelsey Fernando expressed her sympathies with the Trump supporters. “I know it’s an unpopular opinion,” Fernando said. “But my parents are immigrants and worked really hard to become something in this country. They have been
about undocumenteds. He only loves his money and his wall.” The intense political divide between the two groups, junior Stephen Jordan sought to put an end to the hatred and put an
Photo courtesy of Stephen Jordan
students and the Trump supporters began to throw personal jabs at their opponents. PRIDE president Imari Clement was determined to stand up for the people around her.
“I stand in solidarity with all of my brothers, sisters, and siblings across USD and the world, and will always fight and stand with them until everyone has the justice and reparations they deserve.” -Sam Stringer emphasis on love. Jordan was passing out wooden hearts with “Love trumps Hate” and “One Love” written on them. As the protest went on, both the
“The people were being dehumanizing to trans people,” Clement said. “They were defending it and being very disrespectful. It’s important that we don’t allow hate
speech on this campus.” Eventually, the demonstration ended when the pair decided to leave. However, emotions continued to run high. Many students took to social media to further voice their opinions. Sophomore Sam Stringer posted about the protest on his Instagram. “I stand in solidarity with all of my brothers, sisters, and siblings across USD and the world, and will always fight and stand with them until everyone has the justice and reparations they deserve,” Stringer said. The students present at the demonstration saw it as part of their role as Changemakers at USD.
“I have seen from personal experience that Trump aligns more with my family, my beliefs, and my values. And that’s not respected today, unfortunately.” -Kelsey Fernando “You have a problem with me being here,” the woman said. “This is the street and I love Trump. Whether I stand here or here or here, I am going to love Trump. And no matter what you say, I am still going to love Trump.” The group of student protesters grew steadily larger, causing their rallying cries to drown out the voices of the two Trump supporters. Drawing from the Movimiento
through so much and started with basically nothing. I have seen from personal experience that Trump aligns more with my family, my beliefs, and my values. And that’s not respected today, unfortunately.” Despite this, the student protesters were very vocal about their disapproval of the president. “Donald Trump does not love you,” a student shouted. “He doesn’t love immigrants. He doesn’t care
Students gather in front of the USD main entrance to counter the presence of Trump supporters.
Photo courtesy of Stephen Jordan
Volume 56 Issue 10
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OPINION
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The USD Vista
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OP I N ION
Students speak on Serra
Students gather to further the discussion on Serra Hall and its potential renaming Paulina Sierra Opinion Editor On Tuesday, Nov. 6, the United Front Multicultural Commons (UFMC) was full of around 50 people gathered to discuss one of USD’s hot-button topics: the controversiality behind the namesake of Serra Hall. Led by the American Indian Student Organization (AISO), this next installment of the “Speak on It!” series aimed to foster conversation on the impact of having a building named after Serra, and the possibility of having it renamed. The event began with an acknowledgement that this meeting was taking place on colonized Kumeyaay land, and then transitioned to the greater discussion of who Father Junipero Serra was. Father Junipero Serra was a Catholic priest who started the construction of the California missions, a system of establishments that aimed to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism, often via violent means, and claim the land on behalf of Spain. Senior PJ Murphy, president of AISO, discussed the harm that the mission system did to the indigenous people of California. “With the mission system, they forced Natives into it to convert (them),” Murphy said. “The image
Students gathered in the United Front Multicultural Commons for the “Speak On It!” series.
of him is of a man who brought a genocide onto the Native people.”
A flyer for the “Speak On It!” event. Photo courtesy of the UFMC
Junior Gabe Fallis, a student leader in AISO, discussed the impact of memorializing such a figure as Serra on campus. “It serves as a symbol to current Native students that the ethnic genocide that happened, the mission system (that) was built on the backs of Native people doesn’t matter,” Fallis said. Some of those in support of Serra remaining on campus argue that while Serra initiated the missions, he did not run them, and is therefore not to blame for the specific injustices that occurred at the individual missions. Fallis, however, is not convinced. “He had the power, and he didn’t use it to stop,” Fallis said. “He saw the rapes and brutality in San Diego, and he went all the way up to San Francisco. He saw there was a problem, and he did nothing to stop them. It didn’t matter how many lives were lost.” Discussion soon rose regarding why the university has not moved to remove Serra. Stanford University, which renamed their bicycle mall, dormitories, and a small academic building, but chose to keep Serra Street, back in September did it with little backlash from the community. Students like sophomore Alanah Winston, an attendee, brought up the fact that Serra Hall was funded by donors who specified their desire to have the hall named after Serra, and specified in the contract that the university could not change the
name in the future. Other students, like junior Carolina Moreno, discussed the fact that changing the name of the hall would require the university to take a definitive stance on an issue, which it is prone not to do so as to not alienate donors or students on either side of the spectrum. “It’s really hard for us as students to get a stance from USD, and it’s really hard to see that transparency,” Moreno said. “I wish and hope that USD will do better.” After discussions with the larger group, the room was divided
Paulina Sierra/The USD Vista
changing the name of Serra Hall to Kateri Hall, and erecting a statue of her would not only mean something to the indigenous students on campus, but to the women on campus as well. “Women of color are not represented on this campus,” Fallis said. “This change would fall under the mission of diversity the university claims to have.” Murphy, discussing the way this impacts culture, emphasized the fact that this move is not meant to try to ignore the prominent figures of the past, but
It’s really hard for us as students to get a stance from USD, and it’s really hard to see that transparency. I wish and hope that USD will do better. -Carolina Moreno
into three groups, all discussing the issue from different angles: the way it impacts culture, the way it impacts gender, and the way it impacts race. In the conversation surrounding gender, AISO discussed the impact of their plans on the representation of women on campus. Their goal is to rename Serra Hall to Kateri Hall. St. Kateri is an indigenous Catholic saint who was canonized in 2012, three years before Serra was canonized. Gabe Fallis noted the fact that most of the visible statues on campus are of men, and that
to acknowledge those who merit acknowledgement. “We’re not trying to change the past, we’re trying to move forward from it,” Murphy said. While the conversation was full of vocal opinions, there was a notable lack of voices who opposed the move. While no vocal comments were made, several students who had not spoken, at a particular shift in the event, walked out. The vocal part of the room was in support, but not all of campus is- signaling that the conversation around Serra Hall is far from over.
The USD Vista
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November 15, 2018
MSA seeks representation
Muslim Student Association aims to give Muslim students on campus a place to call home Paulina Sierra Opinion Section
From Islam page 1
clothes,” Achkar said. “That’s not my style. I dress very modern or ‘normal,’ so for me it’s like I see the stares, but it’s not really a bad thing. It’s more out of curiosity, with this being a Catholic school, you don’t think that an openly practicing Muslim would want to come to a Catholic school. I haven’t had any negative experiences, per se. I’ve had people who are very ignorant, and you can’t blame someone for their ignorance, so for me it’s always an opportunity to educate people.” Even with her personal experience, Achkar finds it is even worse for those who do not look like her. “The only difference between me and these women is the fact that their complexion and skin color is darker, and they dress a little bit more conservatively than I do,” Achkar said. “And this just brings in race, now race is a huge component. It also has to do with the whole ‘terrorist (perception).’ You’re seen as a terrorist; this is what it looks to be oppressed. This is the look of someone being oppressed when they’re wearing the full loose clothing, darker complexion automatically screams ‘Middle Eastern,’ and that’s the only difference between us. I’ve never had a negative experience, but I’ve had a friend be completely driven out of her job. Switching federal work study positions on campus, tried to take it to someone higher up, (they) disregarded it completely, and she transferred. It was that bad.” Aware of the issues Muslim students face on campus, Achkar, along with Rameen Javadian and Nadia Al-Faraje, decided to restart MSA, which had been inactive for over four years. “MSA is essentially (an opportunity) for us to have representation, because we do have a significant Muslim population,” Achkar said. “A lot of them are international students, so for it to be a voice, just like every other underrepresented group on campus needs an organization that has their back to support them and to speak on issues that affect Muslims and other students as well. For a lot of international students and Muslim students, we find comfort within familiarity and commonalities. For a lot of students, especially the international students, they don’t have a lot of commonalities with students here, so this is something where they can make new friends, feel comfortable.” MSA aims to also bring forward issues on campus and make it easier for Muslim students to comfortably attend USD. “So, one of them is upkeep of the prayer room,” Achkar said. “For example, they currently have an ofrenda there, which is completely fine, obviously, but also there is little to no room for students to pray. We love that it’s there, and we love that people have found it
as an area of peace, but because when we pray we have to stand in a certain direction, and with the ofrenda there is no room. A lot of the time, they don’t keep it clean.” A lot of the issues Muslim students have, Achkar asserts, are things that affect other students, like the issue of crosscontamination of food. “For me, especially my sect of Islam, we can’t eat meat unless it’s properly prepared,” Achkar said. “There’s another sect of Islam that is fine with taking food from the SLP, praying over it, and eat(ing) it, but I can’t. So, I’m either pescatarian or vegetarian, so, being that, there’s so much crosscontamination with the placement of the food… I’ve gotten pasta where, because he uses the same gloves, or maybe when they’re not being super careful, something may fall in, and I end up with pasta with chicken in it. I have spoken to a few people, and I’ve said ‘I don’t expect you to find halal meat for me; that’s a hassle, and halal meat is very expensive; I’m not going to ask for specific preparation’… I’m not going to ask for that much, because if I’m ignoring the meat, I’m not the only one. There are pescatarian, vegetarian, (and) vegan students who need accommodations too.” From Nov. 13 through 16, MSA is putting on Muslim Awareness Week, the organization’s first event since its reinstatement on campus. “It is Islamophobia Awareness
Month, but we want to try, since we haven’t been active for five years, we wanted to (take) little steps regarding our message,” Achkar said. “Bringing awareness, educating people, exposing people to what would be a genuine representation of actual practicing Muslims, as opposed to what people see in the media.” Rameen Javadian, sophomore and co-president of MSA, echoed the sentiment of the media’s harmful portrayal of Islam. “Growing up, I’ve felt that a lot,” Javadian said. “I lived in New York for a couple of year and I was definitely called a couple of names and I think the media and students’ parents helped exacerbate that. However, I had issues in California in high school. In news programs, I remember I was 14 or 15 I was watching CNN and they were doing a segment on the extremist terrorist organizations and I remember CNN portrayed Arabic words, a Quranic verse in the background while talking about terrorists and these horrible crimes they had committed and stuff like that is really hurtful… Islam has no correlation to what these terrorists are doing because Islam does not condone murder, Islam does not condone torture, Islam does not condone rape, and it’s so sad because that’s something people don’t understand.” Javadian also believes this has affected the way that American youth consider Islam, which is evident through social media.
“When you go on social media, you go on even things like memes and they’ll have the phrase ‘God is great,’ (or) allahu akbar, and right next to that a bomb will go off or something horrible like that,” Javadian said. “Which is so hurtful because number one, that is so false and so contradictory to what Islam portrays and it also just shows students on social mediayoung people who believe what they see- that, ‘oh if they have a turban or a hijab on, they’re a terrorist.’” MSA plans to use Islam Awareness Week to challenge many of the ideas about Islam on campus that they find to be untrue. Through their event on Thursday, Scarves and Solidarity, MSA aims to destigmatize the hijab, and emphasize it as a choice. “One thing with the hijabs is where (people believe) it’s forced, it’s oppressive,” Achkar said. “My mom didn’t want me to put it on. She grew up in a village where you’re expected to put it on, and she was like, ‘Wait until you’re 18 and more aware when you put it on,’ and I was this little stubborn girl, still am, and wanted to put it on like, ‘no, I’m turning nine tomorrow, which means the day after, I’m putting my scarf on. I’m officially nine.’ And I put it on and I’ve never regretted my choice. People ask, ‘Isn’t it oppressive?’ No; this is my security blanket. This is what makes me happy, empowered, comfortable. I could not imagine being without it.”
MSA hopes this will be an opportunity for non-Muslim students to learn about Islam, both to spread accurate information about the faith and also to emphasize learning about unfamiliar religions, which Javadian says is an important part of the Muslim faith, and a huge reason why he chose to attend USD. “I didn’t have any reservations because I’m always open to learning more,” Javadian said. “And actually, one of the things that at least I was brought up upon in Islam principle, was to learn about all religions so I actually want to learn more about Judaism and I want to learn more about Catholicism and I want to learn more about so many religions. So actually that was something I was really excited for, because again, as a Muslim, we are taught to learn and respect other religions and I thought what better way to do that go to a Catholic institution. What better way where I can learn authentic Catholic teachings and I thought gaining that perspective on this campus would be beneficial to me as a Muslim as well because I would be able to understand faith in a new perspective.” With Islam Awareness Week in full swing as of the publication of this periodical, readers have two events to look forward to: Thursday’s Scarves and Solidarity event on Colachis Plaza at noon, and Friday’s Jum’ah Prayer in UC Room 128 at 12:30 p.m.
A list of the events that are part of the Islam Awareness Week festivities. Photo courtesy of @usd_msa
Volume 56 Issue 10
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OP-ED
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The USD Vista
Steering the ship of capitalism
Jake McFarland USD Junior
Elections have consequences. After elections people often feel powerless. They feel that they cannot do anything besides wait for the next opportunity to vote in the subsequent election to create the change they want to see in their country. But there are more ways to vote than just in the ballot box. We can also vote with our dollars in our economy. Today we live in a country guided by the invisible hands of the capitalist free market. Whether you agree with the system or not, it’s the one we live in. Millions of people influence this market every day without even realizing it. Every time you brush your teeth with toothpaste you support that toothpaste company and every time you purchase a new car you are supporting that automaker. What you are doing
Evelyn Kirkley, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, Director of Women’s and Gender Studies Program Kate Boersma, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Biology In this issue of The USD Vista, there is a statement of support by USD staff, administrators, and faculty for trans and non-genderbinary (TNGB) individuals in the University community and beyond. You may wonder why this statement is important and how you can be an ally to TGNB friends, family, and other students. Last month the Department of Health and Human Services proposed a revision of the definition of sex under Title IX, the civil rights legislation that prohibits gender discrimination in educational institutions that
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in these situations is voting with money to keep that company in business. Most of the small purchases we make on things like toothpaste and food are relatively mindless. For example, the average consumer in a grocery store spends less than 15 seconds deciding which milk to buy. Why is this? Because we are not taught to consider what we buy, we are just taught to buy. What many people don’t realize is that the average American isn’t just a passenger on the ship of capitalism, but the captain. We have the power to influence which companies will still be around in the future. Today, we can create the future we want by taking the time to be more aware of which companies fit our various beliefs and contribute to the causes that we feel most passionate about. In the United States, companies are beginning to wake up to their societal responsibilities and are
giving back to communities more than ever, largely because people have been demanding it. Companies like Coca-Cola are seeking to clean up their supply chain by auditing them and making sure each person involved is treated with dignity and is not being taken advantage of by lax labor laws in other countries. Tom’s shoes donate to children who don’t have them. Even Domino’s is involved and will fix potholes in areas that their drivers deliver to. Our dynamic economy allows us to make changes to our society without the assistance of the government. When we live in a country where half the time the party we don’t like is in power, we need a way to make change without the government. Many companies publish corporate social responsibility reports about how they give back to the community and how they tackle current issues like their
environmental impact, diversity, and inclusion. One must be wary of their own reports, though, as they tend to show the company in a favorable light. I would recommend looking at how external sites and reporters rate the companies on these issues. For example, on Yahoo Finance companies are ranked for their sustainability; the Dow Jones sustainability index is another great place to look at which companies are environmentally conscious. For diversity analysis, CEOAction provides info as to which CEOs are committed to implementing diversity and inclusion into their company. These resources as well as others can help the average consumer make more informed decisions as to which companies they want to support based on their espoused and practiced values. We can use our money to
guide the ship of capitalism in the direction that matches our values. We can use capitalism to empower us instead of disenfranchising us so long as we are active and thinking consumers. Often companies respond to issues faster than the government does because they are profit-driven and seek to follow public opinion and improve long term profit. An example of this would be when Hurricane Harvey struck Houston, Budweiser was among the first to respond and retrofitted one of their factories to produce water instead of beer to aid the victims. We as consumers need to encourage more companies to operate like this and create a better relationship between business and the people. In the geopolitical storm of today’s global economy, we often forget that we have the power to steer the ship through the chaos to the calm waters of a brighter future.
receive federal aid. The proposal would redefine sex as immutable, either male or female, determined by one’s genitalia. The sex listed on an individual’s birth certificate would be unchangeable except by genetic testing. This narrow, binary definition is not accepted by the scientific community, which posits a broader spectrum of gender and sex differences. Moreover, this proposal, if accepted by the federal government, would invalidate the lived experiences of 1 - 2 percent of the U.S. population that identifies as transgender, intersex, non-gender-binary, genderfluid, agender, bigender, trigender, and other gender identities. It would essentially erase 1.4 million Americans and bar them from civil rights protection, including health, military, and educational services. For a community that already experiences harassment and violence at a far higher proportion than average, this proposal
would directly impact TNGB USD students, staff, administrators, and faculty. Please join us on Tuesday, Nov. 20 for a vigil for Transgender Day of Remembrance at 6 p.m. outside the SLP dining hall. Here are some ways you can join the fight against trans erasure and increase support and visibility of TNGB people. We encourage you to print this list, post it somewhere visible, and act on it! • Listen to and value the experiences of TNGB people. Acknowledge that gender permeates all of our social interactions and that TNGB people must navigate these interactions in professional and personal contexts day after day. • Support your peers, friends, and family to take action to support LGBTQ+ students, and TNGB students in particular. • Educate yourself and your
peers on how to respect pronouns in your classes, workplace, and residence. Assume that TNGB students are in your classes, student organizations, and residence halls, whether you know who they are or not. Invite USD’s Rainbow Educators to present to your class or student organization. They offer workshops on many topics associated with identities, including sexual orientation, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and class. They will tailor workshops to meet specific group needs. https:// www.sandiego.edu/unitedfront/leadership/rainboweducators/ Know the resources available at USD (www.sandiego.edu/ lgbtq/): LGBTQ+ and Allies Commons in Student Life Pavilion, Room 424. Undergraduate student
groups: PRIDE, LGBTQ+ Womxn of USD, Gender Friends, and Queer and Trans People of Color (QTPOC) at USD. Graduate student groups: USD PRIDE Law (Law School), USD Unity in LGBT (Business School), and USD Graduate and Alumni Rainbow Connection. LGBTQ+ Rainbow Processing Group at the USD Counseling Center. Visibly affirm your stance as an active ally who stands with transgender and non-binary people via social media badges, displays in your office/classroom/residence, or pins/ribbons on your jacket or bag. Your visibility matters. Donate time or money to programs that support transgender and non-binary communities, such as the San Diego LGBT Community Center (http://www.
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Ad USD Statement Against Trans Erasure This statement is in response to recent actions undertaken by the federal government that invalidate the existence of transgender and non-gender-binary individuals. As faculty, staff, and administrators of the University of San Diego, we affirm our support for our transgender and non-gender-binary students, colleagues, friends, and community members. The broad scientific consensus is that gender is not binary. Governments and medical professionals assign a legal sex category at birth as male or female, usually based on anatomical characteristics, but this practice does not acknowledge the reality of a spectrum of gender identities. No other conclusion about the nature of sex and gender is morally or scientifically valid: transgender and non-gender-binary people exist and deserve our respect, love, support, and protection. This fall, the University of San Diego took a big step to support our transgender and non-gender-binary students by forming the LGBTQ+ and Allies Commons. But current events remind us of just how much work we still have to do on our campus and across our country. Spreading misinformation about gender is harmful, and silence on this matter is irresponsible. Transgender Day of Remembrance is on November 20th. We use this moment to commit to fight hate and erasure by creating safer facilities and learning environments, educating ourselves and our colleagues, and practicing critical self-reflection and active allyship. We strongly, explicitly, and publicly stand with transgender and non-gender-binary people. We see you. We recognize you. We support you. We, as faculty, staff, and administrators of USD, commit to take action in support of our trans and non-genderbinary community. Signed, Amanda Ruiz, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Kate S. Boersma, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Biology Stacey Williams, Associate Director, The Commons Erin Lovette-Colyer, Director, Gender Identity Resources
Ashley C. Barton, EDD, Director, Black Student Resource Commons
Carmen M. Vazquez, Vice President for Student Affairs Drew M. Talley, Associate Professor, Environmental and Ocean Sciences Marlene Brito-Millán, Ph.D., Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow, Environmental & Ocean Sciences Jena Hales, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Psychological Sciences Hugh Ellis, Professor, Biology Rev. Christopher Carter, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Theology and Religious Studies Dovi Kacev, Ph.D., Adjunct Lecturer, Biology Dr. Candice Price, Assistant Professor, Mathematics Divya Sitaraman, Assistant Professor, Psychological Sciences Sue Lowery, Ph.D., Professor, Biology Dr. Rebekah Wanic, Benefits-Based Lecturer, Psychological Sciences Amy Besnoy, Associate Professor, Copley Library Jennifer Lee, Director of Student Activities and Involvement Tess Nunn Eves, Associate Director of Learning Communities, MEd ‘17 Scott Ripley. Associate Professor and Chair, Theatre Evelyn Diaz Cruz, M.F.A., Professor, Theatre Perla Myers, Professor, Mathematics
Evelyn Kirkley, Associate Professor, Theology and Religious Studies Mayté Pérez-Franco, Ph.D., Director, United Front Multicultural Commons Esteban del Rio, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Communication Studies Adan Sanchez, Center for Student Success, MA ‘06, BA ‘04 Annie Waring, PsyD, Clinical Psychologist, Center for Health and Wellness Promotion
Kristen Nichols, MA, LMFT, Mental Health Counselor, Counseling Center
Luke L. LaCroix, EdD, Director of Residential Administration Paul William Bradley, Ph.D., Teaching Professor, Biology Jennifer Prairie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Environmental and Ocean Sciences Dana McNeal, Executive Assistant, Theatre Nate Parde, Assistant Professor, Theatre Corey Johnston, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Theatre Robin Sanford Roberts, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Theatre Sarah Pike, Executive Assistant, Kroc School of Peace Studies Corey L. Barnes, PhD, Assistant Professor, Philosophy Russell Harrel, Lab Technician, Environmental and Ocean Sciences Marie Minnick, Assistant Dean of Students Susan Lord, Professor and Chair of Integrated Engineering Rick Olson, Associate Dean and Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering Veronica Galvan, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Psychological Sciences
Annie Guanciale, Program Coordinator, The Commons Mariann Sanchez, Assistant Director, Graduate Student Life, MA ‘08, BA ‘04 Annie Guanciale, Program Coordinator, The Commons, MA ‘16 Kathleen Winfrey, Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Thomas Reifer, Professor & Chair, Sociology Melissa Halter, AVP Student Wellness Emily Reimer-Barry, Associate Professor, Theology and Religious Studies Amber McDonough, Hospitality Sales Manager, Auxiliary Services Amanda Luckett, Prevention & Education Coordinator, Center for Health and Wellness Kristen Reynolds, Graduate Assistant for Fraternity and Sorority Life Serena Gandara, Director of Campus Recreation
Alec Parks, Business Services Coordinator, Campus Recreation Mayra Villa-Perez, Graduate Assistant for Residential Life Mariana Ortega, Community Director, 2nd year graduate student in Higher Ed program (SOLES) Katie Freedman, Assistant Director College of Arts and Sciences, Career Development Center Lisa M. Baird, Ph.D., Professor, Biology Kelly Sloan, Program Coordinator, Outdoor Adventures Sandra Sgoutas-Emch, Professor, Psychological Sciences Katie Freedman, Assistant Director College of Arts & Sciences, Career Development Center
Rhonda Harley, Career Development Center, Leadership Studies Ph.D. student
Tara Murphy, JD, Director, Paralegal Program
Monique Aguirre, Executive Assistant, Psychological Sciences Jacob Bruce, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Theatre Elisa Lurkis, Director of Development and Alumni Relations, Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering Jillian A. Tullis, PhD, Associate Professor, Communication Studies; & Rainbow Educator Kristen McCabe, Professor, Psychological Sciences Anne Koenig, Professor & Chair, Psychological Sciences Deisy Rodriguez, Career Development Center Odesma Dalrymple, Associate Professor, Shiley Marcos School of Engineering Maya Sykes, Career Development Center Sam Przywitowski, Academic Advisor, Shiley-Marcos School of Engineering Abbey Racelis, Career Development Center Julia Miller Cantzler, Associate Professor, Sociology Lisa M. Nunn, Associate Professor, Sociology Isela Reyes, Career Development Center Michelle M. Camacho, Ph.D., Professor, Sociology Philip Garland, Senior Director, Annual Giving and Stewardship Judith Liu, Ph.D, Professor, Sociology Timothy Novara, Career Development Center Greg Prieto, Assistant Professor, Sociology Persephone Lewis, Tribal Liaison/Professor of Practice, Ethnic Studies Beth O’Shea, Associate Professor, Environmental & Ocean Sciences Diana Chen, Assistant Professor, Integrated Engineering Robin Darmon, Career Development Center Joel Alejandro Mejia, Assistant Professor, Integrated Engineering Josen Masangkay Diaz, Assistant Professor, Ethnic Studies Eva Sanchez, Adjunct Faculty, Biology Kaylan Flaherty Cynthia Avery, Ed.D. Assistant Vice President, Student Affairs Benn Joyce, Program Assistant, Paralegal Program, Professional and Continuing Education Lance Nelson, Professor, Theology and Religious Studies Michèle Magnin, Professor, Languages, Cultures and Literatures Diane Keeling, Assistant Professor, Communication Studies Channon S. Miller, PhD, Diversity Post-Doctoral Fellow, History Janet Nguyen, Candidate, MA in Peace and Justice ‘20, USD Arthur L. Atkinson Jan Gist, Professor of Voice, Speech, Dialects, Department of Theatre and Old Globe/USD Shiley Graduate Theatre Program Adam Haberman, Assistant Professor, Biology Dr. Victoria C. Rodriguez, Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow, Psychological Sciences Alec Parks, Business Services Coordinator, Campus Recreation Soroya Rowley, Executive Assistant, Environmental and Ocean Sciences Janel L. Ortiz, Ph.D., Diversity Postdoctoral Fellow, Biology Aarti Ivanic, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Marketing James Weyant, Ph.D., Professor, Psychological Sciences Hannah Gray-Chambers, Graduate Assistant of the Black Student Resource Commons, MA in Higher Education and Leadership Studies Candidate 20’ April Cash, Career Development Manager, Graduate Business Career Services Joe Lasley, Community Director, Instructor, Doctoral Student Mayra Villa-Perez, Graduate Assistant for Residential Life Lauren Lukens, Director Graduate Business Career Services, School of Business, MA ‘09 Stephanie Lynch, Director for Health Promotion, MA ‘12 Irma Gonzalez, Executive Assistant, Student Affairs, MA Candidate, Higher Education Leadership ‘19 Sarah Trowbridge, Head Coach, Women’s Rowing Claire Gosen, Executive Assistant, Center for Health and Wellness Promotion, MA ‘18 Cheryl Getz, Associate Professor, Leadership Studies Stefanie Jordao, CARE Graduate Assistant at the Women’s Commons, MA Candidate in Clinical Mental Health Counseling ‘20 Jennifer Castro Garcia, Graduate Assistant for Student Organizations and Involvement, BA ‘18, MA in Higher Education and Leadership Studies Candidate ‘20
Chris-Marcus Kitchings, Graduate Assistant for Community & Leadership Development MA Higher Education Leadership Candidate ‘19
Gianna Metz, Graduate Assistant for Ethical Development and Restorative Practices, MA Candidate in Higher Education Leadership ‘20, BA ‘18 Gabriella Sardina, Learning Communities Program Coordinator, BA ‘18 Andrea Aduna, Graduate Assistant at the Center for Student Success, MA Candidate in Higher Education Leadership ‘20, BA ‘16
Mariana Ortega, Community Director
Steven W. Sumner, PhD, Professor, Economics Susie Paulik Babka, PhD, Associate Professor, Theology and Religious Studies Peter Mena, PhD, Assistant Professor, Theology and Religious Studies Rico G. Monge, PhD, Assistant Professor, Theology and Religious Studies Aundrey M Jones, M.A., Adjunct Professor, Sociology Irene Williams, Ph.D, Professor, English Mary Doak, Ph.D. Professor, Theology and Religious Studies Orlando Espin, Ph.D., Professor, Theology and Religious Studies Andre Der-Avakian, Ph.D., Adjunct Lecturer, Psychological Sciences Meagan Trudeau, M.A., Career Development Center, USD Sara Hasselbach, Ph.D., Post-Doctoral Fellow, English and Humanities Center Emily Baxt, M.A., NCC, Assistant Director, Career Development Center Leah Mikulsky Clara Oberle, Ph.D, Associate Professor, History Lauren Wong, MA in Higher Education Leadership Candidate ‘19 Rana Salimi, PhD, Lecturer, Theatre Manda Sayegh, Assistant Director of Student Organizations and Involvement James Deavenport, Ph.D., Adjunct Lecturer, Sociology Shannon Franklin, PsyD, Staff Psychologist, Counseling Center Terry Bird, Associate Professor, Biology alejandrx cervantes, MA, Executive Assistant to the Assistant Vice President for Student Wellness Barbara Baurmann, Residential Life Desk Jocelyn Killmer, Lecturer, Anthropology T.J. Tallie, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, History Valerie S. Hohman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Biology Zhi-Yong Yin, Ph.D., Professor, Environmental and Ocean Sciences Laura Jordan-Smith, Ph.D., Lecturer, Biology Indrani Ganguly-Fitzgerald, Ph.D., Adjunct Lecturer, Biology Candace Torrey, Placement & Billing Coordinator, Residential Administration Samantha Beilhart, Program Coordinator, Center for Educational Excellence Brianna DuPlessis, Administrative Assistant, Center for Educational Excellence Marjorie Patrick Ph.D, Associate Professor of Biology Jenna Nyholt de Prada Ph.D, Teaching Professor, Biology Jessie Szumski, Associate Director of Annual Giving, MA in Leadership Studies Candidate ‘19 Catherine Northcutt, Sr. Coordinator, Graduate Business Admissions, School of Business and MA in Higher Education Leadership candidate ‘19 Bridget Breitenberg, Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, MA in Nonprofit Leadership and Management candidate ‘19 Lizzy Davis Hynd, Budget and Data Manager Alumni Relations, KIPJ Masters Student Patrick Martin, Candidate MS in Conflict Management and Resolution ‘19 Amanda Ramey, MS in Conflict Management and Resolution Candidate ‘19 Sandra Flores Uslander, Masters Student, Joan Kroc School of Peace Studies Ami C Carpenter, Associate Professor, Kroc School of Peace Studies Heather Broccard-Bell, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Psychological Sciences Suzanne Walther, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Environmental and Ocean Sciences Nicki Schuessler Veloz, PhD, Director of Title IX, EEO and Employee Relations in Human Resources Jelitsa Fonseca, MA, Executive Assistant, Vice President of Student Affairs Cassandra Pentzien, Doctoral Psychology Intern, Counseling Center Taylor Avery, Program Coordinator, Center for Student Success Ariela Canizal, Academic Coordinator, TRiO Student Support Services, MA ‘17 Bernadette Smith, Community Director Carlos Cortés, STEP Coordinator, MA in Higher Education Leadership Candidate ‘19 Kathleen Grassetti, MA, LCSW, Mental Health Counselor, Student Health Center Kimberly King, Executive Assistant, The Commons Breana Clark, Graduate Assistant to the Tribal Liaison Koua Thao, Graduate Assistant for Fraternity & Sorority Life
Mandy Mekhail, MA in Higher Education and Leadership Studies Candidate ‘19, Graduate Assistant for Center for Health and Wellness Promotion Allie Ross, Interim New Student Orientation Coordinator, BA ‘17 Melissa Sheil, Community Director Daniela Saldana Gurgol, Graduate Student at the United Front Multicultural Commons, MA Candidate in Higher Education Leadership ‘19 Sabrina Nelson, Assistant Director, Residential Education Bryan Teague, Senior Web Administrator Catherine Chavez Appel, Interim Executive Assistant, Office of Ethical Development and Restorative Practices David Miller, Ph.D., Lecturer, History
Mariann Sanchez, Assistant Director, Graduate Student Life
The University of San Diego does not share the views presented within the opinion section.
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THE USD VISTA
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NOVEMBER 15, 2018
WOMEN PEACEMAKERS
Amira Abdulrahman Hussein Timan is currently the Humanitarian Affairs officer with UN /AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur (UNAMID). During her work in Sudan, she was the Focal Point for civil society and communitybased organizations, and helped to mobilize these groups to participate in the Doha peace negotiations between the Government of Sudan and the Darfur Armed Groups. During this work she served as a lead on women issues in UNAMID’s Humanitarian Liaison Section and was responsible for engaging women IDPs to participate in camp peace and security committees.
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It is difficult of course, not easy, if you believe in something and have passion, it will give you enough strength to overcome all that exists.”
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It’s all about the commitment. I have to do something.”
Roxana Cristescu
originally from Romania, holds the position of Head of Crisis Management Initiative Programme in Eurasia, specifically working in mediation Cristescu also works as a member of the United Nations Mediation Roster and part of the UN Women, Central and Southeastern Europe Subregional Roster of Experts. Her work has taken her to many areas experiencing conflict. Namely, Ethiopia, Sudan, Moldova/ Transdniestria, Ukraine, and Lebanon before her time with the Crisis Management Initiative.
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Peace is about sharing something; it’s about sharing a moment, a relationship, something in common. It’s something you commit to and you feel that you own together.”
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You don’t bring people in a room to sit at a table, you connect at an individual level, you talk to people. People don’t focus that much on the relationship, the individual, the various identities, and individual holds.”
Volume 56 Issue 10
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FEATURE
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9
THE USD VISTA
“We are more than just virgins and wives,” sang the opening song for the 2018 Women Peacemakers Panel at the Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice. And the women Peacemakers selected for 2018 advocated for women who are much more than that. These women, Rosa Emilia Salamanca, Roxana Cristescu, Amira Abdulrahman Hussein Timan, and Mariam Yazdani, are four dynamic individuals who have negotiated for peace in some of the most difficult situations and have connected with people around the world to foster positive change. These women are leaders in historic movements in the process toward peace, and each woman shared her perspective on different issues and shared their experiences and strategies used to end conflict between groups, governments, and diverse communities.
Rosa Emilia Salamanca one of the key women involved in the Colombian peace negotiations in Havana, which resulted in the signing of a groundbreaking and gender-inclusive peace agreement, She is from Colombia and Salamanca serves as the Executive Director of Corporación de Investigación y Acción Social y Económica and Salamanca is also a member of the Women, Peace, and Security Collective for Reflection and Action. She plays a role in advocating for a Colombian National Action Plan for Women, Peace, and Security.
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I really honor WE because with ME, here today, are seated thousands of women back at home that have worked together. I am just one of the thousand that are sitting here to represent us today.”
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You cannot have good input for peace if you have one point of view, you need to have many points of view.”
Mariam Yazdani
is Senior Advisor for Programs and Partnerships at Viva Rio, a Brazilian NGO working in and with impoverished communities in countries experiencing violence. including Haiti and Brazil. Originally from Pakistan, Mariam has developed numerous programs related to peace-building and community policing. She collaborates closely with communitybased organizations, international organizations, and local government representatives in order to implement violence reduction strategies and foster improved coordination between
community members and state agents to promote long-term sustainable peace. Yazdani strives to be a bridge between diverse groups and to identify the varied perspectives and needs of stakeholders, incorporating and magnifying the voices of those who are most often marginalized.
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There is a tendency in U.S. politics to do things in black and white, and there is a strong movement and message being
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I first realized what it mean to be Pakistani during 9/11.”
Spread by Monica Millan/ The USD Vista; Photos courtesy of Zoé Morales/ The USD Vista; Content by Emma Goodman Fish/Asst. Feature Editor
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The USD Vista
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November 15, 2018
F E AT U R E
USD takes away plastic straws
January 2019 will begin with a California plastic-straw ban for all sit-down eateries, USD responds Jennifer Mossuto Feature Editor As of January 2019, the use of straws at sit-down eateries will be banned. At the University of San Diego, changes can already be seen in any eatery on campus. At Aromas, La Paloma, and the rest of campus eateries, signs have been displayed stating that customers need to request a straw in order to receive one. In the Student Life Pavillion (SLP) to-go cups are now placed next to the register, providing less easy access to the paper cups. Some would say this ban on straws across campus has been an inconvenience for customers and employees, but others claim the positive effect this will have on the environment outweighs any inconvenience. Sophomore Lauren Pohs believes no student or customer should put convenience above helping the planet. “It is just one simple thing we can do that will have a major positive effect on the environment,” Pohs said. La Paloma employee Marie Lawson explains the new protocol and agrees with Pohs’ opinion. “The new protocol is putting up posters that ask customers to request a straw,” Lawson said. “Straws are not put out at the register or
coffee stations but instead behind the reach of the counter. I look at the new policy as a simple change in protocol rather than a distraction and can do my job successfully with the change implemented.” Lawson even argues the question of convenience. “It is not an inconvenience for me since many customers use reusable straws and support the cause for lessening the environmental impact of straws,” Lawson said. On the other hand, Aromas employee Maggie O’Keeffe found it difficult at first to adapt to this new change. “While you are making five drinks at the same time, you have customers asking for straws every second,” O’Keeffe said. “Now that the new paper straws are being used, we don’t have to do this anymore, but that being said, they aren’t very durable straws, especially for coffee. Maybe making an alternative biodegradable straw would be a better solution to use with drinks.” California is the first U.S. state to pass this law, but it comes at no surprise that they are the first state to do so. They set the path for reducing our carbon footprint in 2016 when California was the first state to ban many stores from providing customers with singleuse plastic bags. Although the California ban does not apply to
The sign displayed in all campus eateries that requests customers to ask for straws.
to-go cups, California is starting an anti-plastic movement where the goal is to use the least amount of plastic as possible in everyday lives. On Sept. 20, California Governor Jerry Brown signed this bill into law, which “prohibits dine-in restaurants from automatically providing straws.” If a restaurant violates this law, there is a $25 fine every day straws are being automatically provided. “It’s not really about picking on straws, it’s just that straws are a form of single use plastic,” Plastic Pollution Coalition CEO Dianna Cohen said. “They’ve been designed
to be used for a very short amount of time, and then be tossed away. And there is no ‘away.’” As for the rest of the country, Seattle already banned plastic utensils overall this past summer. San Francisco has plans in place to ban straws as early as next year. Starbucks, Hyatt, Hilton, Marriott UK, American Airlines, Alaskan Airlines, SeaWorld Entertainment, and the Royal Caribbean have all released statements saying they will soon be replacing their use of straws. These changes will be made by making recyclable plastics lids and straws made from other materials such as
Anderson Haigler/The USD Vista
paper or a biodegradable option. Seventy-nine percent of plastic ends up thrown away or in the ocean. Twelve percent is burned in incinerators, adding to our carbon footprint and adding chemicals to the atmosphere. Only nine percent of the plastic we use ends up being recycled and reused. Changes are being made all around the country, but California has made the straw-ban a popular movement. The University of San Diego implementing this rule proves its focus on being a sustainable campus and shows how simple it can be to take care of the planet.
Volume 56 Issue 10
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ARTS & CULTURE
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The USD Vista
A RT S & C U LT U R E
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Camp Flog Gnaw goes off
Tyler, The Creator’s fourth annual music festival generates attention in L.A.
Flatbush Zombies perform at the Flog Stage for a packed crowd at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Calif.
Dorothy Dark A&C Editor Last weekend at Dodger Stadium Tyler, The Creator showed Los Angeles, Calif. a good time. The fourth annual Camp Flog Gnaw brought thousands to the city with the promise of carnival fun and live entertainment from noteworthy performers in the Hip-Hop industry and beyond. His festival has a reputation for bringing together big names and lesser-known talents to create an experience that only Tyler, the Creator can make happen. There was no shortage of quality music and fun at Camp Flog Gnaw. The biggest issues that arose for those in attendance branched from questions of what performances should be prioritized over others. That, and the lengthy lines to be anticipated at any popular event in Los Angeles. There was undoubtedly a lack of organization on the part of the festival’s management, which meant long waits for entry into the festival and even longer lines for attractions once inside. The waits could last for hours, but they somehow did nothing to diminish the positivity which radiated throughout the festival. The first day began with hoards of people being guided into the main entrance like cattle, while collectively complaining about the disarray. This is nothing unfamiliar to advocates and attendees of music festivals, but the crowds seemed to reach endlessly in every direction. The atmosphere while waiting for entry was noticeably tense and with good reason. The length of the lines cost many the chance to see notable performances. Most shows required
arriving at least two hours in advance to guarantee viewing. From the first day, it was apparent that the full Camp Flog Gnaw experience required thorough planning. After about an hour-and-a-half wait, attendees arrived at security booths to undergo searches just before scanning their wristbands and stepping foot inside. Once through, a wide road led to the festival’s center. The stadium stretched far to better accommodate the number of people in attendance. This seemed to melt away any former frustrations as the anticipation took over the crowds. Junior Grace Getchell described her experience of the festival and noted the convenience of the chosen location. “I’ve only been to two other music festivals, but Camp Flog Gnaw has been the most enjoyable yet,” Getchell said. “The venue was large enough to not feel squished, but small enough that it was possible to get form one stage to another in between set times.” A few feet down the main road, stores and booths for merchandise occupied the space to the left. “GOLF” was lit up in multicolor above the entrance to the baseball stadium, advertising the Tyler, the Creator’s line of apparel and accessories. After walking further past the merch stalls, another lot opened up. The Gnaw stage was nestled into a semi-circle, surrounded by neon carnival rides and games. Though this stage was the smallest, songs played from the speakers whether a performer was present or not. Small groups of eager attendees would gather around to continue their celebrations while waiting for upcoming acts.
Beyond these lots, the main road curved downward and eventually led to an even larger expanse of festival-goers, carnival attractions, and vendors, all stationed in between the Camp and Flog stages. The Flog stage was tucked away on the right and it hosted a number of remarkable performances. Kali Uchis, Playboi Carti, and Pusha T played later in the evening, after earlier sets from groups like Little Dragon. Their appearances provided tempting alternatives to the Camp stage lineup. At the base of the main road, the massive Camp stage was situated on the left and featured some of the festival’s most anticipated performers. Saturday afternoon it hosted performances from Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers, followed by Rex Orange County. After the sun went down, there were scheduled appearances from The Internet, A$AP Rocky, Tyler the Creator, and SZA, which drew in the majority of the festival’s attendees. On Sunday, the stage was set for acts including Men I Trust, Jorja Smith, Post Malone, and Kids See Ghosts. Ms. Lauryn Hill, Kid Cudi, and Kanye West, all of whom were set to appear on the Camp stage, drew significant attention from music enthusiasts both young and old. Crowds were consistently gathered,
as the stage almost always provided a memorable festival experience. On Sunday evening, the festival was blessed by the musical genius of Ms. Lauryn Hill, who took the stage with expected force. The 20th anniversary of her album “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” called for the revival of her masterpiece, which was performed with as much passion and lyrical precision as her tour for her 1998 album. The adornments of silver over her hair and face only added to the mysticism of her performance, as her eyeshadow and headdress caught the light even when projected on the big screen. Her presence seemed to travel beyond the stage and pulled at the hearts of each person in the audience. Her intimate engagement with the crowd and resounding voice created a maternal energy which carried across the festival grounds. She took on the image of something divine, and the passage of time took nothing from her capability as a rapper and musician. Ms. Lauryn Hill gave an incredible performance, and introduced a younger generation to an album that transformed her followers 20 years ago. The female DJ who opened for her introduced her in asking, “Are y’all ready for class to be back in session?” She took attendees back to
People scattered across the festival grounds with surrounding carnival attractions.
Dorothy Dark/The USD Vista
school, which was incredibly special to witness in Los Angeles, Calif., especially at this point in U.S. history. In the wake of political tensions and national crises such as the recent mass shooting at Thousand Oaks and the wildfires still raging through Southern California, the time for relaxation and renewal feels especially limited, perhaps even inappropriate. It often seems there is little room for joy in this time of grief and reflection. Camp Flog Gnaw took place in the aftermath of these horrors and offered a moment of celebration, but did not ignore the significance of these events on the collective conscience of the people in Los Angeles. “Thank you for the memories Mac Miller” was projected on every stage throughout the day, and most artists at some point noted the strength with which communities have rallied in the face of recent strife. The entire festival called for a self-awareness that made the gathering feel all the more necessary. The artists gave phenomenal performances, but they also energized the audiences in a deeply spiritual sense. The outpour of artistic expression is as important now as ever, and Camp Flog Gnaw amplified the artistry of musicians to offer more hope in trying times.
Dorothy Dark/The USD Vista
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November 15, 2018
O R E R O
A L K S
BY USD TV
Toreros, we know you have something to say. “Torero Talks” is the place where your student voice is heard. College is full of ups and downs, and while we’re all unique in the challenges we face, we’re also all on this journey together. In an age where we often turn to our phones, we’re taking a moment to open up the dialogue and have meaningful conversation right here on campus. Let’s learn and laugh with each other. Change starts with conversation. Let your voice be heard.
“OH MY GOD…Are you from Tennessee because you’re the only ten I see.” -Jessica Dilberto, Junior
“I’ve been told, it’s a good thing I brought my library cards because I’m checking you out.” -Daphine Ngyuen, First Year
Cuffing season has arrived, and along with it this year’s pick-up lines.
“Hey did you get your license taken away? I just assumed because you’re driving all the boys crazy.” -Ryan Nett, First Year
“ I’m a pilot so one time I told a girl, hey you’re pretty fly, but I actually fly... because I’m a pilot.” -Chasen Mariano, Senior
Make sure to check out the full interview at https://vimeo.com/usdtv
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The USD Vista
SP ORT S
A Senior Day win for volleyball With a strong performance from their seniors, the Toreros cruise to 3-1 victory over Santa Clara
The Toreros’ win against the Broncos moves them to 15-10 overall this season, and 12-3 in the WCC. If they are to qualify for the NCAA tournament, they will likely need to win out the remainder of their schedule. Zoé Morales/The USD Vista
Eric Boose Asst. Sports Editor First-year outside hitter Katie Lukes hammered down her 16th kill of the afternoon to end the fourth set and seal a 3-1 victory for the Toreros against the Santa Clara Broncos last Saturday. Lukes racked up a team-leading 19 points for the Toreros, who earned their 15th win of the season and their 12th in the West Coast Conference. Despite being heavy underdogs, with a 1-14 record in West Coast Conference (WCC) play going into the game, the Broncos started strong in the first set, at one point leading 11-8. The Toreros finally pulled away from the visitors, scoring nine of the next 12 points to take a 17-14 lead. San Diego led from that point on and won the first set 25-20. The second set began much like
the first, with both teams trading points, and neither establishing a strong lead. The Toreros were hurt by some attacking mistakes, as net serves and errant attacks kept the Broncos close. The Toreros led 12-10 when senior Addie Picha slammed the ball down, bringing the crowd inside the Jenny Craig Pavilion to their feet. After the match, Picha said that moments like that had extra meaning for the team on Senior Day. “If that happened in any other game, it would still be really exciting,” Picha said. “But you could just tell because it was Senior Day and you get kills like that, or make plays like that, or even my teammates get really big plays it’s just, that was for Senior Day, that was leaving your mark on the program, on the court, on the fans, everything.” The Toreros took control
Senior middle blocker Addie Picha earned 10 kills for the Toreros on Saturday. Zoé Morales/The USD Vista
of theAsecond set, with Picha slamming home two more emphatic kills, one of which set up game point for the Toreros. Fellow senior Lauren Fuller, whose entry into the game moments earlier was greeted with applause from fans and teammates, aced the serve for game point and the Toreros took the second set by a score of 25-19. Coming into the third set, the Toreros looked primed to sweeten their Senior Day with a sweep over the Broncos. However, the visitors out-played San Diego in the third set, going up 3-0 early. The Broncos played the entire set without trailing, and despite the Toreros’ best efforts, they could not come within three points of Santa Clara and lost the set 25-18. Before the fourth set, head coach Jennifer Petrie talked to her team about their mindset and competing in every set. “We talked about the fact that you have to be 100 percent at the beginning of the game, you can’t sort of ease your way in,” Petrie said. “That’s what we did in the fourth game, we came out a lot stronger, had a lot more energy, a sense of urgency from the beginning instead of trying to get it going in the middle of the game.” After the match, Picha noted that the team’s demeanor after the surprising third-set loss was different than normal. “Usually after we drop sets like that to teams we shouldn’t, it’s sort of a tense feeling, and usually myself, I tend to get pretty worked up, but it was different, after that game it was really loose,” Picha said. “I told the team ‘I really appreciate everyone wanting to
give us a fourth set and give us more time to play on our Senior Day, but we’re good here, this is it, one more set and we’re good.’ But it was really, everyone was really relaxed and it was a calm vibe.” San Diego began the fourth set stronger than any other set, jumping out to a 7-3 lead. The Broncos fought back to come within one point, but Lukes registered a strong kill to set off a 9-3 scoring run for the Toreros. Picha led the team in the final stages of the set, the Toreros rallying around their seniors. Picha registered four consecutive points before Lukes’ kill won the fourth set, 25-19. Despite dropping a set, coach Petrie was pleased with her team’s performance. “I thought that defensively we did a good job today,” Petrie said. “We had a lot of opportunities to take swings in the middle of rallies, our passers hung in there and created some opportunities, so it was nice to see them get to a point and then sort of surge forward.” For Picha, the whole day was a wonderful finale to her career at USD, and the win was a wonderful way to cap it off. “I mean, everyone dreams of winning, not only winning on their Senior Day, you just look forward to your Senior Day throughout the four years and you never think it’s going to come, and last night it was surreal, because it was like, it’s here, it’s tomorrow,” Picha said. “To win on Senior Day, I can’t explain how good of a feeling it is. I know they played extra hard, even though we dropped the third set, they played extra hard, and I know they wanted to get this
win not only for me, but for all of our seniors, and it’s an incredible feeling.” Picha and Fuller were honored before the game, along with seniors Kaity Edwards and Ally Eylers. While the game was their last in the Jenny Craig Pavilion, the Torero seniors still have something to play for. Currently in second place in the West Coast Conference, the Toreros must win their final three games on the road to keep their hopes of playing in the NCAA Championship Tournament alive. Two of those games are against third-place Pepperdine and fourth-place St. Mary’s. Knowing what the team needs to do, Picha prefers the pressure. “I would much rather be in a situation where you have to win than be in a situation where you’re not playing for anything,” Picha said. “It would be really easy for us to just kind of give up and not want to work hard in these matches coming up, but I would hate that. I would much rather be in a situation where you have to win this, you have to play for something, and I would much rather play for something than play for nothing.” USD plays Pacific on the road in their next game, before paying visits to St. Mary’s and Pepperdine. None of the games will be televised or streamed, though live statistics and tweets will be available on the USD volleyball Twitter account and website. USD will discover their postseason fate on Sunday, Nov. 25, when the NCAA Tournament bracket will be announced at 5:30 p.m. The selection show will be televised on ESPNU.
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November 15, 2018
Senior Night stalemate for USD
A clutch goal from senior Allen Luhrs isn’t enough as USD can’t break through in 1-1 tie versus Broncos
Senior Allen Luhrs (left) celebrates after scoring the Toreros’ lone goal of their 1-1 tie against Santa Clara University. Luhrs’ goal on Friday was his first of the season. Thomas Christensen/The USD Vista
Eric Boose Asst. Sports Editor Senior forward Allen Luhrs scored his first goal of the season in his final game and senior defender Josiah Benjamin led a nearly unbreakable defense as the Torero men’s soccer team earned a 1-1 tie against the visiting Santa Clara Broncos on Friday night. Eighteen minutes into the game, Luhrs deflected defender Chase Van Wey’s cross toward the far post of the Santa Clara goal. Bronco goalkeeper Dakota Havlick
Robinson slipped through the Toreros defense. After allowing the early goal, the Torero defense looked unbreakable. Benjamin won every aerial pass that came near him, leading a defense that blocked six of Santa Clara’s nine shots. Thanks to Luhrs’ goal, the Toreros managed to find their footing offensively as well, and the home team had multiple chances to grab a second goal. Only a few minutes after Luhrs scored, Benjamin found forward Miguel Berry with a long pass, but
“We left it all on the table, and that’s all I can ask of the guys for Senior Night, and we gave them one hell of a game.” -Allen Luhrs managed to get his hands on the shot, but could not keep the ball out of the back of the net, and Luhrs had his first goal of the season. The goal tied the game for the Toreros, but it meant much more to Luhrs. “There are a couple other goals out there that I thought were number one, but this one was up there for sure,” Luhrs said. “You know, this was my last time playing competitive soccer, collegiate soccer for sure, and I actually started tearing up after I scored because that was probably the last one.” The visitors had taken the lead only six minutes after the start of the match, as Bronco forward Andres Jimenez, also a senior, tapped the ball into the net after a pass from midfielder Miles
Berry’s shot was right at Havlick. Ten minutes later, the Toreros got another chance from a long pass, as defender Henry Lander sent a floating pass nearly 50 yards to midfielder Jimmy Ryan, but Ryan was unable to generate a shot on goal. While the Toreros had momentum, the Broncos had a couple chances to score again in the first half as well, but San Diego goalkeeper Matt Wiher did well to deny Bronco midfielder Javier Ruiz Duran after a breakaway. The Broncos best chance for a second goal came just before the hour mark, as Wiher charged out of his goal but could not get his hands on the ball. Fortunately for the Toreros, Robinson’s shot flew high and wide of the empty net. With the score still 1-1 after
90 minutes of soccer, the teams headed into overtime, the eighth overtime of the season for each team. The Toreros had three golden opportunities to win the game in the first overtime period, including a chance for Luhrs to grab his second goal of the night. Luhrs got a chance one-on-one against Havlick, but his shot was poor and went straight to the Bronco goalkeeper. Neither team had a better chance to score, and the game finished as a 1-1 tie after two overtime periods. Toreros head coach Brian Quinn felt that his team was the better of the two for much of the game, but that Santa Clara was a strong opponent. “I felt we started off slow at the beginning of the game, and Santa Clara took advantage of our slackness at the start of the game, but from then on after that, the other 80 minutes in regulation I thought we were the better team,” Quinn said. “Not by much, but we were the better team and then when we got to overtime we had the best three chances in the first 10 minutes of overtime where Ross Meldrum played a nice little one-two, had a chance but the goalkeeper saved it, and then Allen Luhrs had a breakaway, just a missed touch, another chance, and then Meldrum had another chance, so that first part of overtime we were on the ascendency and just didn’t get the goal we needed to end it.” Despite not getting a win, Luhrs appreciated the energy of the whole team during his final game in a San Diego uniform. “The entire day, everybody
was banging on the lockers, we were all pumped up,” Luhrs said. ”We came out here to fight, and that’s what we did. We left it all on the table, and that’s all I can ask of the guys for Senior Night, and we gave them one hell of a game.” The game was not only senior night, but the season finale, Coach Quinn’s first as the man in charge of the team after 11 years as an assistant coach. After the game, Quinn reflected on what he learned over his first year as head coach. “Every single game is on the edge to be won or lost, irrespective
way through. What’s pleasing for me is when you see their families and how much they have put in to the last four years for kids here at USD, but probably the last 14 years for these kids playing soccer and reaching Division I status.” Quinn went so far as to pick this game as the best moment of his team’s season. “I think the first time when you honor the seniors and you see how much this university means to them, how much it has meant to them over the last four years, three years, two years depending on how long they’ve been here,”
“In any sport, Senior Night never gets old. I think it’s a testament to what kids go through in regards to being a Division I athlete, putting in the time.” -Coach Brian Quinn of who you’re playing,” Quinn said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s a top-10 team in the country, like a St. Mary’s or a Portland who we battled to ties. Or we go to Lipscomb and Belmont were difficult, difficult games, so that’s what I learned, number one. The second thing is, if I was trying to encapsulate how I personally feel, it was, in one word, enjoyable.” Quinn also mentioned how special Senior Night was for the team. “In any sport, Senior Night never gets old,” Quinn said. “I think it’s a testament to what kids go through in regards to being a Divison I athlete, putting in the time. They know what’s required, there’s ups and there’s downs, there’s no smooth sailing all the
Quinn said. “And then their families have traveled from different parts of the world to be here. Mr. Brandt, from Sweden; Mr. Benjamin and his wife from London; and then also the Kennedys from Ireland. So, that’s what it means to me, and I thought that was one of my most enjoyable moments, today.” With the tie, USD men’s soccer finishes the season with a 3-1-3 record in the West Coast Conference, good for fourth place. Their final overall record stands at 7-7-5.
FINAL: USD: 1 SANTA CLARA: 1
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Toreros escape with victory
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Despite setting the NCAA FCS record for rushing yards allowed in a game, USD rallies for 56-52 win
Throughout the game, USD demonstrated a consistent inability to stop Davidson’s rushing efforts. They allowed an NCAA FCS-record 789 rushing yards in the contest, over than 100 yards more than the 30-year-old record. Thomas Christensen/The USD Vista
Football From Page 1
shocking. As the stunned Torero bench attempted to collect themselves and prepare to mount a comeback, just how much was on the line for USD became clear: a chance at winning the PFL outright. A 33-game streak of home wins against PFL opponents. A 27-game overall PFL winning streak. And an FCS-leading 20game home-win streak. All in significant jeopardy against a Davidson team that the Toreros beat by a score of 63-7 last season. As has been evident in many
25-point play,” Lawrence said. “So we knew we had to chip away at it, we couldn’t get it all back at once, so we had to keep pushing and stay persistent and keep grinding.” Persistence, indeed. What began at the top of the second quarter was an offensive tour de force for the redshirt senior, jumpstarting his team’s comeback effort with a masterful 30yard pass to Bandy. A Davidson touchdown later, Lawrence and the Toreros wasted no time in responding, this time hitting sophomore running back Emilio Martinez for a 71-yard touchdown
“I wouldn’t have wanted to go out any other way, I couldn’t imagine going out any other way. You know, I’m crushed that it’s over here, but we got a lot of big things to do this postseason.” -Anthony Lawrence of the final scores this year, USD’s season thus far has been characterized by high-octane efforts on offense, and at times weak efforts on defense. Their first quarter of play certainly demonstrated their frequently futile defensive efforts, but their high-flying offense was nowhere to be found. Staring down a 24-point deficit, the Toreros knew they had to change something to climb their way back into the game, but the question was how? For veteran quarterback Anthony Lawrence, it was a matter of taking things one play at a time. “We knew we couldn’t get a
strike. Slowly but surely, the Toreros were clawing their way back into the game on the back of an outstanding performance from the most prolific passer in USD history. Lawrence, however, was far from finished. The La Mesa, Calif. native continued to light up the scoreboard, twice targeting first-year tight end Dalton Kincaid for touchdown passes, the final of which brought the Toreros within three points of the Wildcats with just seconds remaining in the first half. When time expired on a sensational first half of play, the Toreros trailed by just a 3835 margin, nearly completing
an improbable comeback in one quarter alone. Equally as striking as the scoreboard was the stat sheet on both sides. Davidson’s offense put up a ridiculous 551 rushing yards in the first half alone, while USD mustered 320 first-half passing yards in their near-complete comeback effort. The Toreros entered the locker room after the first half with a score that was a testament to both their utter failure on defense and their astonishing effort on offense. Bandy spoke about what USD football head coach Dale Lindsey’s message was to his team at the half. “It wasn’t the best message, he kinda scared us a little bit, but he definitely told us what we had to do, and then we figured it out,” Bandy said. Lindsey explained his halftime message to his team. “We’re always talking about how it’s a 60-minute game,” Lindsey said. “At that point there were still 30 minutes left. It didn’t look real good, but I just told them we gotta keep playing, figure out a way to get it done. So what we’re down, keep playing, we still have a chance to win.” When USD took the field for the second half, their problems on defense remained. Davidson wasted no time in attempting to extend their now-slim lead, adding on with yet another rushing touchdown, making the score 45-35 in favor of the Wildcats. While the majority of the Toreros’ points last Saturday came via lengthy passes from
Lawrence, it would be a rushing touchdown that would keep USD in the game early in the third quarter. As he did the last time the Toreros were at home, junior wide receiver Michael Armstead sprinted 98 yards for a spectacular touchdown on a kickoff return, making the score 45-35 Davidson. As the game entered its final
same spot, essentially working out of their own endzone. On second down and 10, Lawrence dumped off a quick pass to Bandy, who outmaneuvered the lone defender near him, shedding a tackle and breaking free for a 99-yard touchdown completion that gave the Toreros their first lead since the first minute of the first quarter
“We’re lucky as hell. We didn’t play that well. I thought we played a ... Davidson team who probably was the best team today, we just came out on the high end of the score, that’s all.” -Coach Dale Lindsey quarter, the feel of the contest was as dramatic as any USD home game this season. With darkness setting in and the lights at Torero Stadium turned on, the stage was set both literally and metaphorically for USD to attempt to complete an unbelievable comeback. A crowd of 3,115 fans were on the edges of their seats, the Toreros’ largest of the season by more than 100 people. Though at least a third of them were Davidson fans, who as a whole traveled exceptionally well, the late-game drama had Torero Stadium alive in a way that the venue had not yet seen this season, creating a high-stakes atmosphere as the Toreros battled with Davidson late in the game. After a dramatic goal line stand that saw the Torero defense stop the Wildcats on fourth down on their own one yard line, the Torero offense took over at the
of the game. Bandy spoke about his lengthy, go-ahead touchdown. “It felt great,” Bandy said. “(Lawrence) tossed me the ball and I was able to slip a tackle and get loose, for the long touchdown. It was awesome.” Now ahead 49-45 with just 9:30 left in the game, USD would now attempt to cling to their threepoint lead as they resumed play on defense. Somehow, however, their slim lead did not feel like enough, and the Torero faithfuls’ collective breaths remained held as the USD defensive unit took the field. A shared hunch doubting the USD defense would prove to be accurate. The last of many Davidson touchdown runs put the Wildcats back on top 52-49, leaving just 2:38 for the Toreros’ last chance at a comeback. Two minutes and 38
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November 15, 2018
Lawrence sets records in win
Torero quarterback sets all-time USD passing records for both touchdowns and yardage in 56-52 victory
Left: Junior wide receiver Michael Bandy evades a Davidson defender. Middle: The Toreros pose with the PFL trophy following their 56-52 win against the Wildcats. Right: Redshirt senior Michael Bandy takes the field.
Football From Page 15 seconds for the best quarterback in USD history to attempt to lead his team to victory one last time at home. The redshirt senior would need only a fraction of that time to put his team back on top. As he has done so many times this season, as he had done so many times in the game last Saturday, as has become a staple at Torero Stadium and around the PFL, Lawrence sent a 46-yard pass to Michael Bandy that brought the Toreros to the Davidson 20-yard line, setting the table for the final step in the Toreros’ comeback. With 1:54 remaining in the Toreros’ final home game of the season, Lawrence targeted Bandy one last time, firing a 20-yard completion to the junior that gave the Toreros a 56-52 lead. Anthony Lawrence and Michael Bandy: a quarterback/wide receiver pairing for the ages. Lawrence spoke about his connection with his star wide receiver, adding in that an unconventional method of preparation earlier in the day may have foreshadowed their collective success. “We worked together all offseason,” Lawrence said. “We actually played Fortnite duos this morning and got the win, so we knew we were locked in.” Bandy described his relationship with his quarterback on Senior Day. “I think we’re both still speechless,” Bandy said. “He’s one of my best friends, and it was awesome to play that last home game with him.”
After taking a four-point lead with 1:43 remaining in the game, the Toreros were able to successfully hang on for the win, stopping the Wildcats on defense, proceeding to run down the clock in their ensuing possession. When time expired on what proved to be the most wild game in recent memory at Torero Stadium, USD football were 5652 victors, and PFL Champions. A raucous on-field celebration unfolded after the final seconds ticked off the clock, with the Torero bench excitedly storming the field as the win became final to pose for pictures with the PFL trophy. Lawrence, who had a school-record 556 passing yards in the game, described the win. “Oh man, it was an electric game the whole way through,” Lawrence said. “Being down 31-7 in the second quarter, it was not where you wanted to be, it’s not where we wanted to put ourselves. The offense didn’t execute in the first quarter but we had a lot of guys make a lot of plays, and that’s what you need to be successful. We’re gonna tighten it up next week, and hopefully not make it that close.” Despite the wild nature of the win, Lawrence said he was glad to win the conference outright. “It’s incredible,” Lawrence said. “When I got here, that’s what they preached, ‘we win the PFL,’ and being able to continue that is everything I could ask for.” Bandy offered his assessment of the game. “It was awesome; I’m still speechless,” Bandy said. “It was
a crazy game, high scoring, we definitely had to pick up our defense and we definitely did so today.” As Bandy mentioned, the Toreros’ dramatic victory came in the face of a horrible defensive performance. So horrible, in fact, that the Toreros earned the dubious distinction of setting the record for most rushing yards allowed in a single NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) game, with their 789 yards shattering the 30-year-old record of 681. USD football head coach Dale Lindsey discussed his team’s performance. “We’re lucky as hell,” Lindsey said. “We didn’t play that well. I thought we played an excellentlycoached and prepared Davidson team who probably was the best team today, we just came out on the high end of the score, that’s all.” Though he said that he didn’t want to discredit the Wildcats’ performance, Lindsey stated that their success may have been a result of self-inflicted errors on the Toreros’ part. “They ran some stuff that we haven’t seen, that we haven’t practiced,” Lindsey said. “It’s still no excuse. We had some guys that just didn’t do what the defense asked them to do. Basically those 28 points in the first half rest solely on poor execution of defense, and just not doing what they’re doing.” The Toreros’ record of rushing yards allowed was far from the only record they set on Saturday, however. Lawrence set a myriad of records in his final home game; he became the PFL’s all-time leader in
career passing yards with 12,017, tied Josh Johnson for most career touchdown passes in USD football history with 113, tied the program record with seven touchdowns in a single game, set USD record for most passing yards in a single season (3,496), became USD’s alltime leader in career total offense with 12,061 yards, and he now has a career-high 3,496 passing yards in single season, eclipsing his previous season high of 3,131. Lawrence spoke about the record-breaking aspect of his huge day. “I’ve never had a game quite like that,” Lawrence said. “It’s awesome, the coaches putting us in good situations and we got a lot of guys making plays. To be able to do that is awesome.” Lindsey praised his quarterback after the game, expressing appreciation for all Lawrence has done for the program. “What he did today is what we expect all the time,” Lindsey said. “This guy has been fantastic since he walked on campus. We’re gonna miss him dearly. I think he is the one driving factor behind the success in this program the last four years.” Though the game as a whole had more than its fair share of ups and downs, Lawrence said he wouldn’t have wanted to finish his home career as a Torero any other way. “I wouldn’t have wanted to go out any other way,” Lawrence said. “I couldn’t imagine going out any other way. It hasn’t hit me that that was my last game on that field, my last game wearing the
Torero blue out there. It’s tough, but it’s exciting, it’s a great way to go out. You know, I’m crushed that it’s over here, but we got a lot of big things to do this postseason.” The Toreros’ 56-52 win over Davidson moves them to 8-2 (7-0 PFL) on the season, and earned them their seventh PFL title in the last eight years, as well as their fifth consecutive. In addition, the conference championship earns USD an automatic bid to the FCS Playoffs, and they will find out who they play in the first round during the FCS selection show this Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Next week they will travel to Marist College in New York for their final game of the season at 9 a.m. PST. The game will be broadcast on ESPN radio on 1700 AM., and live statistics and tweets will be available on both the USD football website and Twitter account.
RECAP: USD: 56 DAVIDSON: 52 USD: A. LAWRENCE: -556 PASSING YARDS -7 TOUCHDOWNS -NOW PFL ALL-TIME LEADER IN PASSING YARDS -SETS USD RECORD FOR CAREER TD PASSES (116) -NOW USD ALL-TIME LEADER IN TOTAL OFFENSE (12,061 YARDS) M. BANDY: -324 RECEIVING YARDS -4 TOUCHDOWNS