VOL. 119, Issue 3 - Sept. 23, 2021

EST. 1903SF FOGHORN
03
SFFOGHORN.COM
FOGPOD
NEWS
USF Faculty and students
ask why there are so few
electric vehicle charging
stations on campus.
SCENE OPINION SPORTS
The Met Gala fashions a
Finding one's identity in
08 platform for discrepancies 09 Chicanx literature. 11
between the country’s elite
and the general population.
NEW FACES IN FAMILIAR PLACES
Key positions see new administrative
appointments at the Hilltop
Women’s soccer takes
on competition down
south.
(From left to right): USF’s three new administrators, April Crabtree, Pamela Balls Organista, and Dr. Patricia Pearce, are excited to implement new strategies to tackle the
University’s challenges and recovery efforts post-pandemic. PHOTO COURTESY OF USF OFFICE OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
ZOE BINDER
Staff Writer
@SFFOGHORN
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
THURSDAY, SEPT. 23 2021 • VOL. 119, ISSUE 03
This past summer, USF parted ways
with former administrators and made new
appointments in three key areas: Strategic
Enrollment Management (SEM), the Office
of Diversity Engagement, and Community
Outreach (DECO), and the School of
Nursing and Health Professions (SONHP).
April Crabtree, who was previously
hired in 2015 as the Director of Undergraduate
Admission and Recruitment, took
on the role of interim vice provost for Strategic
Enrollment Management, succeeding
Michael Beseda, who returned to his alma
mater, Saint Mary’s College of California.
Crabtree leads essential divisions for
USF’s enrollment process and financial resources.
“My role is to oversee and help facilitate
decisions to make sure we are meeting
service expectations for students,” she
said.
Under Beseda’s tenure, USF consistently
received high rankings in student
diversity and record admissions for this fall
semester, but the University also faced enrollment
challenges given the COVID-19
pandemic. Crabtree’s plan for this academic
year is to continue where Beseda left off.
“Particularly in the last three years, the
circumstances that we’re trying to work in
have changed,” she said.
One of Crabtree’s key responsibilities
will be to maintain and increase enrollment
of certain student demographics. “We are
super proud that all the work we’ve done
over these years has moved USF to sharing
the title of most diverse institution in the
country,” she said. “It was important for
me in this role that first-generation college
Continued on page 04
students are still a priority, and Pell Grant
students, since those are personal to me.”
Crabtree is also concentrating on increasing
international and transfer student
demographics. “A major interest is regrowing
our international student population,
but that has been made very difficult during
the pandemic,” she said. “Transfer students
are also super important to USF, but we
also know that enrollment is down at community
colleges which has a direct effect on
us.” The pandemic has posed challenges for
the University’s enrollment, but Crabtree
ensured that projects are underway to accelerate
the process.
As an interim vice provost, Crabtree
will hold her position for one year. However,
she said, “This role would be something
that I would probably apply for permanently.”

02
THURSDAY
SEPT. 23,
2021
STAFF
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STAFF EDITORIAL:
RECALL ELECTION AMOUNTS
TO NOTHING
GRAPHIC BY CLARA SNOYER/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
Though it was a foregone conclusion that
he would keep his seat in office, the recent gubernatorial
recall election of Gov. Gavin Newson
was pointless for multiple reasons. The
state wasted taxpayer dollars on an attempted
power grab, but unlike the last recall election
in 2003, which successfully ousted incumbent
Gov. Gray Davis, Republicans were unable
to turn California red. Additionally, the recall
election encapsulated the current state of
American politics as our penchant for culture
wars allowed political figures like Larry Elder
to step onto the scene and sow Trump-like
seeds of political discontent.
While he no longer holds office, the
ways in which Donald Trump overhauled the
Republican party are still being felt in state
politics. Since Trump lost his presidency, the
GOP has played into the idea of rigged elections,
a sentiment that undermines the democratic
process which is supposed to set this
country apart from every other nation in the
world. In other words, elections only count
when the GOP gets its way. Even before the
2020 presidential election votes were certified,
Trump planted mistrust among his supporters
by spewing unfounded claims of a rigged election.
Candidates such as Republican frontrunner
Elder tried emulating these tactics. Long
before the recall, Elder came prepared with
a team of lawyers and a voter fraud website
that would supposedly prove that Democrats
were continuing to steal elections. Regardless
of their political affiliation, party members
cannot cry foul when their candidate does not
win.
The recall election takes on another level
of absurdity when accounting for the approximate
$300 million California spent on the
recall election, an amount reported by the Los
Angeles Times. This money could have been
distributed back to communities that suffer
from lack of housing, little access to healthcare,
and jobs that do not pay enough, especially
as the COVID-19 pandemic continues
ravaging the lower class.
Some Californians tried to justify recalling
Newsom by pointing to his own inactions
toward the pandemic — he had been reckless
in his personal decision of evading his own
state public orders and spent a lavish night
with wealthy donors as opposed to implementing
real action that would exacerbate the
spread of the virus in California. However, Republicans
cannot claim that our current leader
is not doing anything to contain the virus
when their platform routinely downplays the
effects of the pandemic.
To make sure an election like this never
happens again, Californians have to show
up for themselves and, more importantly, for
each other. The thought of California turning
red seems far-fetched, but the state was not always
a democratic safe haven. To keep California
blue, we must vote with the urgency that
all of this could be taken away at any moment.
It is not enough to count on others to do work
for us, especially when they often come from
already disenfranchised communities.
Secondly, the state itself needs to examine
its political practices. While California was
one of the earliest states to modernize government
by establishing the recall election, we
now see it is far too easy to go through the
process and instigate a recall. 19 states allow
recall elections and specific grounds for recall
are required in eight of these states. California
needs to adopt a more concrete plan for what
is grounds for recall as failure to do so will lead
to an abuse of the system. This is why California
voters must not become complacent but
stay in tune with the ways in which they can
change or sustain the systems that govern us.
MIGUEL ARCAYENA
Staff Writer
WHERE TO PLUG? THE SEARCH FOR
ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING STATIONS
According to the Department of Public Safety, there are currently a total
of 814 parking spaces available for the USF community to use on campus,
including the recently added 83 stalls under the new Lone Mountain East
dorms. Unfortunately, electric vehicle (EV) owners will only find three accessible
spaces with charging stations, and these are limited to only a select number
of faculty members.
“Why don’t we have more chargers? There’s clearly demand for them,”
said politics Professor Stephen Zunes. He drives a Chevrolet Volt Plug-In Hybrid
and often commutes from Santa Cruz. When he is unable to charge his
vehicle, Zunes must use gas to drive back home. Though a personal inconvenience,
Zunes says the lack of options to charge his vehicle outlines a bigger
issue of limited EV accommodations offered by the University.
David Philpott, assistant vice president for labor and employee relations,
handles the unofficial EV charging station program for USF. He wrote in an
email that there is actually “no formal policy” in regards to EV charging stations.
“The University established an Electric Vehicle charging station pilot program
in 2017. The first 25 faculty members and staff who signed up were
granted an opportunity to participate. A waitlist was established for other faculty
and staff members who expressed interest in the program,” wrote Philpott.
Since its introduction four years ago, the program has not expanded.
Zunes remains confused as to why station access is still limited to the
same 25 faculty members who signed up in 2017. “The bigger issue for me is
I never see all three spaces full,” said Zunes. “Why not expand it? Why not
have other people use it as well, given that they’re available most of the time?”
Philpott said USF does want to increase accessibility, but the issue has
been tied to recent University financial struggles. According to some estimates,
the current EVlink Charging Station that is used by the University costs from
$2,000-7,000. However, Philpott said “The University has always planned on
expanding the program. The University has applied for several grants to help
fund the expansion, and the budget cuts have prevented internal funding of
the project.”
Though only a few students commute with electric vehicles, some have
still expressed concern over the lack of charging stations on campus. When
transfer student Trevor Gross inquired about using the stations this summer,
he said it was made clear to him that students couldn’t have access and that the
University was working on expanding the program.
Similar to Zunes, Gross observed that the spaces were not often used. “If
there aren’t any faculty using them, I don’t see why they should be sitting there
collecting dust when students can take advantage of it,” said Gross.
Senior nursing student Danielle Hong, who drives a Tesla, agreed that
an expansion on charging stations would provide some relief for students.
Although she understands that it is limited to faculty use, Hong says what
interests her is the University’s discreet way of acknowledging its EV charging
stations. “I feel that there isn’t enough being done to even publicize the availability
of charging stations on campus.”
The issue of charging stations has also become a faculty bargaining issue,
given that its policy is led by a member of the University’s labor negotiating
team. Public Safety, which normally oversees campus parking operations, does
not handle this issue, nor does the Office of Sustainability, which leads the
University’s green and eco-friendly initiatives.
When asked why this issue is under the University’s general counsel’s responsibility,
Philpott clarified that “Labor Relations, which is under the Office
of the General Counsel, was part of the initial rollout and was asked to help
facilitate the communication regarding the program.”
According to Philpott, “In 2016, the topic of EV charging stations was
raised during bargaining with the USFFA.” Subsequently, the pilot program
was then introduced to faculty members in April 2017.
Since then, it has evolved into an issue of expansion. Karen Sawislak, general
counsel for the USF Full-Time Faculty Association (USFFA) said, “We are
hopeful that resources will be identified very soon to create new facilities and
that the University will look at creative solutions and partnerships to carry out
this important project. Most immediately, we are talking with the University
about opening up the existing program to more of our members.”
According to the USF’s Climate Action Plan, the University has a “moral
imperative to act now on climate change” and is currently working towards
a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. Though “driving less” and “reducing
carbon emissions” are some of the key strategies to complete the goal,
Philpott said that the University “has made numerous strides and continues to
implement various initiatives to reduce our carbon footprint.”
With only two charging stations that serve three vehicles, Zunes said,
“With our supposed commitment to reducing carbon emissions, we’re making
it difficult for something that would be so straightforward.”
Given that only a handful of faculty members and students drive electric vehicles, many of them are wondering how often these chargers at the lower level of the Koret Health and Recreation Center
parking lot are used. PHOTO BY MIGUEL ARCAYENA/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
03
NEWS

04 05
THURSDAY
SEPT. 23,
2021
NEW FACES IN FAMILIAR PLACES • Front Page
Newly named senior vice provost for Equity,
Inclusion, and Faculty Excellence, Pamela Balls
Organista, will now oversee the Office of Diversity,
Engagement, and Community Outreach. “I started
here many years ago in the psychology department
and I taught in the ethnic diversities program,” said
Balls Organista. “Having been a faculty member, I
am particularly interested in supporting faculty so
that they are able to provide good service.”
Balls Organista said her responsibility is “overseeing
and coordinating the intersections between
diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as holistic
faculty development.”
She said this “is a newly envisioned position...
there have been people who held different parts of
what I am holding now, but what I bring to the
role is my passion and values. The mission of this
university brought me here.”
Prior to teaching at USF, Balls Organista
worked in internal medicine at the University of
California, San Francisco and said she “spent a lot
of time studying race, ethnicity, and culture, as well
as looking at health issues in underserved populations.”
She wants to incorporate her background
into the work of her new role, working closely with
the McCarthy Center.
In addition to her diversity, equity, and inclusion
(DEI) work, USF’s Institute for Nonviolence
and Social Justice will now be under Balls Organista’s
office. She also will handle academic planning
at Star Route Farms, a property and brand purchased
by USF in 2017 for $10.4 million. “What's
so special about USF is that so much happens on
campus, but so much learning can happen outside
of the classroom,” she said. “Star Route Farms has
a lot of potential for student and staff learning.”
Academic planning in the SONHP will also
see new leadership as Dr. Patricia Pearce was appointed
interim dean of the program. Pearce, who
was a nurse for 40 years, was previously the director
of the School of Nursing at Loyola University New
Orleans and the interim dean of Loyola’s College of
Nursing and Health.
Pearce described her new role as “overseeing
faculty and collaborating with students and administration
on a regular basis.” Pearce is replacing
Margaret Baker, who held the position since 2016
and is now retiring. “We are both very much servant
leaders, so she and I have very similar ways of
thinking about a deanship,” she said.
In her first year of the position, Pearce hopes
to “keep things stable while gearing up to help recruitment
of students and staff.” She also anticipates
challenges that may arise from the pandemic.
“The challenges are always in resources; could be
time, money, human resources, space resources,”
she said. “As we put on new initiatives we have to
tap into new resources and stay close with our collaborators.”
While part of her role will be to help
find a permanent replacement, Pearce says she
would consider staying longer if the search is unsuccessful.
More than anything, Pearce is excited about
returning to campus. “I have really missed this energy,”
she said. “I went to a meeting last week with
nursing students who are getting their white coats,
and I thought, ‘Wow, this energy could just change
the earth.’”
Even as USF has adapted to a modified return,
the University still faces various challenges. Looking
ahead, Balls Organista offered a guideline for
the administration. “Our success will be how well
we are able to share knowledge with each other,”
she said. “To really affect change it has to be a collective
effort. That’s how we move through crises.”
HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEEKLY SENATE MEETING
NEWS
Besides receiving an update from Dan Lawson of Public Safety, Senate is preparing for representative elections this week, including tabling at UC 1st floor.
PHOTO BY MIGUEL ARCAYENA/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
NEWS
As interim administrators, Crabtree and Pearce will be partaking in finding a permanent replacement, however, both are open to staying indefinitely.
PHOTO BY MIGUEL ARCAYENA/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
ANNIKA DAHLBERG
Staff Writer
During last week’s ASUSF Senate weekly meeting, Senate met with Senior
Director of Public Safety Dan Lawson, as well as new candidates for vacant and atlarge
senate positions prior to elections.
Lawson, discussed a few new safety devices to be implemented on campus. He
revealed that Public Safety has been working with the city to install a beacon light.
The new light will serve as a flashing warning to caution vehicles when students are
crossing the street.
Senate agreed that the beacon’s prospective location should be on Turk Street
and Roselyn Terrace, across from the new Lone Mountain dorms. This particular
street has heavy foot traffic, with students going between classes and walking to and
from the dorms. Lawson also mentioned details from a prior conversation about
purchasing and staffing new shuttles. Due to current issues with staffing and budgets,
the Department of Public Safety only has three shuttles in use.
Additionally, Lawson laid out possible future plans for his department’s presence
on campus in reference to the student-led movement to disarm Public Safety
Officers and reduce patrolling of dorm buildings. This issue was addressed by a
Senate resolution in September 2020.
“My vision has been and currently is to listen to the students,” said Lawson.
“We are looking at options currently of having one armed officer on campus but not
visible unless there was an emergency and then having two unarmed officers that
will rotate over 3-4 days.”
Afterwards, ASUSF Vice President of Finance Berklee Jimenez led a discussion
and vote over funding for the Model UN’s trip to Washington D.C. for the NCSC
XLIX Georgetown Model United Nations Conference. The funding would include
travel and boarding costs for 12 Model UN students and will require proof of vaccination.
Senate moved to approve the budget totaling $6,009.
With student representative elections taking place, a few applicants introduced
themselves to Senate. Running for the freshmen class representative position, both
Anagh Shetty, a finance-business analytics double major, and Julia Noel, a entrepreneurship
major, were present at the meeting. Other candidates for the position
include Akhnoor Sidhu and Rahul Pratap.
At-large applicant Jasleen Dhillon introduced herself and her plans as a prospective
Sikh Student Representative for Senate. Dhillon, a biology major, is the
co-founder of the Sikh Student Association on campus. As a Sikh Student Representative,
Dhillon expressed her goals of educating people on everything happening
in the Sikh community. Her initiatives included addressing the prevalence of hate
crime within Sikh and Punjabi communities. She also wants to pass a resolution for
religious accommodation for Sikh students during holidays and standing in solidarity
with Indian farmers during the farmers strike. Senate will vote for approval of
Dhillon’s position at next week's meeting.
Senate concluded their meeting and brainstormed possible topics of discussion
for the first ASUSF Town Hall taking place Oct. 27.
ASUSF Senate holds meetings every Wednesday from 5–7 p.m. via Zoom.

06
THURSDAY
SEPT. 23,
2021
NEWS
AFGHANS IN USF COMMUNITY ADVOCATE FOR CHANGE
MEGAN ROBERTSON
Staff Writer
When the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan Aug. 15, Afghans
around the world felt the shock of the news. This impact stretched over 7,000
miles and was felt right here on the Hilltop.
While born and raised in California, freshman Adah Hakimi’s family still
lives in Afghanistan. “We’re on the phone with them every single night,” Hakimi
said. “And every night they keep saying the same thing, ‘Please get us out of
here.’”
The Taliban’s swift takeover of the country shocked and frightened Hakimi’s
family. “When you see that flag being taken down and replaced, you just feel
numb,” Hakimi said. “For not just my family but for Afghans everywhere, it was
a day of hopelessness.”
The political turmoil quickly initiated an international humanitarian crisis.
One of the largest predicaments for the United States government was to evacuate
nearly 300,000 Afghans who were associated with the American mission. The
U.S. airlifted about 130,000 Afghans to eight processing centers in the U.S., one
of the largest mass evacuations in history. Beginning Oct. 1, the Biden Administration
will raise the refugee admissions cap to 125,000, with 35,000 coming
from near East and South Asia. However these undertakings are only the beginning
of a larger crisis as so few of the 300,000 are able to achieve refugee status.
For those who escaped, “you don’t know where you’re going,” said Hakimi.
“You could be going to Pakistan, Iran - you could be going anywhere.” Once
placed in a country, refugees have no notion of whether they will even be accepted
or how long they will be detained.
USF linguistics professor Dr. Sedique Popal also felt connected to this crisis.
During the Soviet-Afghan War, Popal said he was one of 5 million Afghan refugees
who fled the country. “I didn’t come here looking for a job,” he said. “I was a
professor in Afghanistan; I was very happy. I left the country because of [them].”
Like Hakimi, Dr. Popal has family members in Afghanistan still struggling
to leave. His nieces, now 21, “tried to make it to the Kabul Airport six times,” said
Popal, “and they were beaten by the Taliban six times.”
Under the Taliban’s rule, the lives of women have been threatened. Hakimi’s
college-aged female cousins can no longer attend school. Suddenly, “everything
has just stopped. They cannot go back,” she said.
Unmarried women between the ages of 12 and 40 are being forced into
arranged marriages with Taliban fighters, Popal said. For Popal’s sister-in-law and
nieces, this is a great concern. “They are so scared,” he said. “There’s no tomorrow
for Afghanistan if the Taliban are in power.”
Both Popal and Hakimi have been active in their local communities in response
to the situation. Popal, president of the Noor Islamic Cultural and Community
Center in Concord, Calif., started a relief effort for thousands of Afghan
refugees. His organization creates care packages, including clothing, toiletry, and
houseware items, to distribute to Afghans resettling in the Bay Area. Since July
30, over 200 Afghan refugees have relocated to the Bay Area and hundreds more
are expected to arrive in the coming months.
Over the past month, Popal’s team has received immense support. “People
were so generous,” he said. “We don’t have room for any more [physical]
donations.” However, he said, monetary donations are welcome via the center’s
website.
Hakimi also began taking donations that are rerouted to her aunt’s fiance,
and his efforts to aid displaced Afghan families, providing them with food, tents,
clothing, and other items.
In addition to financial support, Hakimi participated in various political
rallies, such as protests organized by the United Afghan Association. “Lately, I’m
trying to go to every single protest that I can and get as many people to go,”
Hakimi said. She encourages the USF community to march with her and “raise
awareness for the people that are struggling and dying” in Afghanistan.
Popal agreed that civic engagement is an essential tool to help Afghan refugees.
“The biggest help that students could give is to voice concern to politicians
to find a way to get these people out.”
Both Dr. Popal and Hakimi would like to see more student engagement and
discourse on campus regarding the crisis in Afghanistan. USF’s Middle East and
North Africa club recently held a fundraiser outside the John Lo Schiavo, S.J.
Center for Science and Innovation.
Popal and Hakimi strongly encourage the USF community to educate themselves
on the situation, to donate to relief efforts if possible, and to advocate on
behalf of the Afghan people. “We need more than just the Afghan community to
be talking about this,” Hakimi said.
If you would like to contact your U.S. representatives about the situation in
Afghanistan, text the word “CRISIS” to 52886. Message and data rates may apply.
A protest organized by the United Afghan Association. PHOTO COURTESY OF ADAH HAKIMI
Dr. Popal and the Noor Islamic Cultural Center have been making care packages to welcome
resettled Afghan refugees in the Bay Area. PHOTO COURTESY OF SEDIQUE POPAL
CALLIE FAUSEY
Staff Writer
MCCARTHY CENTER MURAL ILLUSTRATES
PATHWAYS TO A BETTER FUTURE
The Leo T. McCarthy Center for Public Service and the Common Good
(LTMC) unveiled a new mural this week that encapsulates the center’s mission
and values by bringing together historical imagery and symbolism alluding to
a brighter future. Although USF and its students are not unfamiliar with some
of the murals decorating the city, the piece will be the first large-scale mural
project seen at USF in several years.
The design committee, which was made up of LTMC students, community
partners, staff and faculty, prompted the question: “Imagine waking up
tomorrow to a re-imagined, just world. What does it look like?”
For senior Priana Aquino, a public service and community engagement
minor through one of the center’s programs, being on the committee was exciting.
“Not only do I enjoy talking about art, I was able to be around a group of
people from USF for the first time in a year and a half,” Aquino said. “The idea
of community, specifically bridging community, was important to me. As we
come into a new kind of pandemic life, I wanted to reflect in our mural how
our concepts of community will remain the same no matter how isolated we
are from each other.”
LTMC partnered with Precita Eyes Muralists, a local mural arts organization
and artist collective, to assist in bringing their ideas to life. After brainstorming
various themes and multiple individual design drafts, the process revealed
a combined “vision of different pathways all leading to a path toward
equity that we are all traveling,” according to the center’s website.
Derick Brown, the senior director of the McCarthy Center, said the mural
captures the LTMC’s primary goal of preparing students for a successful life in
public service and the center’s emphasis on connecting USF to the broader San
Francisco community.
“We’re the heartbeat of USF,” said Brown. “When I look at the mural, it
really showcases the center, and what we stand for, what we believe in, some of
the work that we have been doing but then also what we hope for the future.”
The mural’s narrative according to the LTMC’s Director of External Relations,
Leslie Lombre, begins with “Native Ohlone patterns that point up to
Muralist Francisco Franco repaints the sky around the sun to highlight its rays. PHOTO BY CALLIE FAUSEY / SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
the night sky and the Golden Gate Bridge with an ominous glow of the moon
upon the fog, this representing the unknown or the lack of clarity that we all
have when beginning a journey.”
The viewer’s eye follows this journey from the foggy night sky to the Civic
Center lit up in a rainbow. Pouring out of the building is a peace parade made
up of a “rainbow of people” from all walks of life advocating for revolutionary
love.
The parade was one of muralist Francisco Franco’s favorite components of
the overall design. Franco described his work with Precita Eyes and LTMC as a
collaborative effort. His job was to take inspiration from the committee's ideas,
stitch them into a cohesive story, and make it visual.
“Creating a composition with all their ideas was the hard part,” said Franco
while taking a break from repainting the mural’s sun on Sept. 14. Despite
the challenges that arose, Franco ended up with a final design that he called
“Bay-Area-esque.” Franco said that the Bay Area tradition of making a difference
through grassroots efforts and community education, as depicted in the
mural, relates to how he got to where he is now as a self-taught artist.
The mural’s parade passes by a “tree of wisdom” filled with books and
reaching out in all directions. The tree also features a Black Panther to represent
“the Bay Area’s history of Social Justice movements and its fierce and powerful
influence for change.”
“There's gonna be a lot of roots coming down from the tree, to represent
native roots, and also people who come here and set roots down to make the
Bay a more beautiful and just community,” said Franco.
One of the last additions to the piece were jazz players who represent
the Fillmore’s musical history and invite the crowd to “go off the beaten path,
which is necessary to create change and in discovering new frontiers.” Many
pathways are featured in the mural, all leading into the light of a shining sun.
The sunrays represent enlightenment and success.
“Sometimes you have to go out there to stand for what you believe in, and
that's depicted in the mural, but it's also what we're teaching the students day
in and day out,” said Brown.
Aquino also said that the mural represents everything the McCarthy Center
stands for. “Everything we work for is done for those who came before us
and those who will come after us, fortifying a legacy of love that will pave the
pathway to equality and prosperity.”
07
SCENE

08 09
THURSDAY
SEPT. 23,
2021
THE MET GALA IS A MICROCOSM OF THE UNITED STATES
JAMES SALAZAR
Staff Writer
HOW I FOUND MY IDENTITY THROUGH
CHICANX LITERATURE
SCENE
For the pop culture savvy, the Met Gala is one
of the most publicized parties in America. Thousands
eagerly cycle through their Twitter timelines
and Instagram feeds as celebrities’ extravagant red
carpet looks make their rounds through social media.
However, this year’s gala was memorable for
all the wrong reasons: it highlighted the growing
dissonance between America’s elite and the rest of
the general population.
The event itself, which is a fundraiser for the
Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute,
has been referred to as “the party of the year” and
“the Oscars of the East Coast.” Designers, models,
and other Hollywood elite grace the red carpet
with over-the-top looks to celebrate the opening
of the Costume Institute’s annual fashion exhibit.
According to the Met’s website, this year’s exhibit,
“In America: A Lexicon of Fashion” is a “two-part
exploration of fashion in the United States in the
Anna Wintour Costume Center. It establishes a
modern vocabulary of American fashion based on
its expressive qualities.”
The gala is normally held on the first Monday
of May, but the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic
forced the cancellation of last year’s event. This
year, organizers enforced COVID-19 protocols
such as a smaller guest list and requiring all attendees
to provide proof of full vaccination and remain
masked indoors unless eating or drinking.
Most pictures from the event showed celebrities
sans masks, but gala organizers justified this
by saying that the attendees were posing outside
on the steps of the famed Met Museum. Historically,
photography from inside the event had been
banned, as had social media for a brief period of
time. However, Anna Wintour, the head of the
event, changed the ban to only limiting selfies.
Essentially, once the celebrities make their way inside,
the party is over for the general public.
Many red carpet looks were the highlight
of the gala. Gemma Chan partnered with Nepalese-American
designer Prabal Gurung to put
together a strapless, black and silver sequin minidress
with a ruffled lime train, a nod to Anna May
Wong. In an Instagram caption, Chan wrote that
“this year we wanted to give a nod to and pay
tribute” to a person considered “the first Chinese-American
film star of Hollywood’s golden
era.”
Lupita Nyong’o dazzled in a Versace navy
and denim dress. Her makeup artist, Nick Barose,
spoke to Vogue and said, “I was so inspired by the
supermodels of the ’90s and Versace, so it’s something
that’s second nature to me. But we didn’t
want to do anything too on the nose. It's a different
spin.”
CL, a South Korean singer, songwriter, and
rapper, also appeared in a denim gown designed by
Alexander Wang. The gown was tied with a traditional
Korean Hanbok knot in the front, and CL’s
hair was inspired by a traditional Korean headpiece
worn by queens.
Other celebrities like Jennifer Lopez and Kim
Petras embraced the Wild West and its pinnacles
of American fashion. Lopez rocked a Ralph Lauren
gown with a wide-brimmed hat, faux fur cape,
and leather belt. Petras used her Met Gala debut
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (“the Met”), located in New York City, traditionally hosts the Met Gala. PHOTO COURTESY OF
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
to make a case for horse girls. She walked the red
carpet in a Collina Strada dress which featured a
3D horse head bustier.
Model and activist Quannah Chasinghorse
turned heads with a tribute to her Indigineous
American culture. She wore a Navajo turquoise
necklace and silver jewelry while also showcasing
her traditional tattoos. In an interview with Vogue,
the 19-year-old model said, “Reclaiming our culture
is key—we need to show the world that we are
still here, and that the land that everyone occupies
is stolen Native land.”
While the event’s looks should be acknowledged
and celebrated, the elitism of the gala cannot
not be ignored. Steps away from the event, a racial
and social justice protest took place and resulted
in some protesters being arrested by the New York
Police Department (NYPD).
A flyer from the protest referred to the group,
called #FireThemAll on Twitter, as an “autonomous
group of NYC abolitionists who believe that
policing does not protect and serve communities.”
The protesters’ objective was to interrogate why the
NYPD is being allotted $11 billion in resources
rather than distributed to Black and brown communities.
In a video on Twitter, a protester says, “Black
and brown people are on the brink of houselessness.
We cannot go back to normal. Where was
your rage last year?” The protester, later identified
as Ella, was one of the at least nine people who
were arrested. Ella continued by saying, “We demand
free housing, we demand all political prisoners
to be freed, we demand justice for our people.”
Attendees such as “Pose” actress Indya Moore
expressed regret over attending the event. On Instagram
Moore wrote, “Being at the Met this year
was cognitive dissonance. I entered and left feeling
confused. But before that I felt clear. Grounded.
People were protesting and arrested in the name
of what so many of us who attended, care deeply
about.”
Additionally, hosts like Naomi Osaka and
Amanda Gorman, two advocates for social equality,
were selected by Vogue to anchor the event for
their fashion contributions rather than their professional
work. Vogue touted both hosts as women
who made “their mark in fashion” through the embrace
of their individual styles.
This year’s Met Gala perfectly encapsulated
the United States, where the elite were rubbing elbows
and partaking in glitz and glamor, while the
country’s middle class was being punished steps
away in asking for a better and more equitable life.
MELITZA ORTEGA is a
sophomore English major
and Chicanx studies minor
Growing up Latina-American in the United
States was always challenging for me because
I did not know how to find my place in my
community. I often felt the pressure to choose to
identify as Mexican or American, even though
I had never felt that I strongly represented either
group. The root of this hardship often came
from where I was located at a specific moment.
If I went twenty minutes south of my home, I
was stared at and scolded for speaking English.
If I went only twenty minutes north, deeper
into Arizona, the same would happen if I spoke
Spanish. Sometimes I would be gawked at for
being too pale, and other times, depending on
where I was, people would glare at me for being
too dark. As a child, having to change my language and the way I carried myself
was confusing and frustrating.
While I was born and raised in Nogales, a small town in southern Arizona
bordering Mexico, where the majority of my community was Latinx, I had to
travel almost 1000 miles to USF to finally learn more about the culture I had
grown up with my whole life to find and embrace this part of my identity. The
public education system in Arizona did not find room in their whitewashed
curriculum to dedicate any time to Hispanic and Latinx history. Although my
family did the best they could to teach me what they knew about my culture,
learning how to simply survive in the United States was my family’s top priority.
For a long time, I had been unaware of the historical prevalence of the
Chicanx community. Because of this, I realized that it takes privilege for BI-
POC individuals to find fields like USF’s English department and Chicanx
studies program, both of which highlight their culture and include writers
from their community in the curriculum. For the first time in my life, I was
introduced to Chicanx history and powerful written works by members of my
community. As a freshman in the honors college, I took a popular rhetoric
course titled Rhetoric Across Borders, where our main objective was to learn
GRAPHIC BY SAMANTHA BERLANGA/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
how rhetoric works at the borders of cultures, values, and experiences as well
as age, race, gender, and ideology. The class was designed to explore and evaluate
“border-crossing” rhetoric, something that resonated deeply with me. In
Nogales, I was quite literally living in a world where I was constantly having
to cross the border.
Rhetoric Across Borders, taught by Professor Michael Rozendal, initially
introduced me to Gloria Anzaldua’s writing as we analyzed excerpts from her
famous book “Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza.” This is also what
first sparked my fascination with the Chicanx community. As the year went
on, I was excited to see Anzaldua’s work reappear in my syllabus for my Literature
of Social Justice class taught by Professor Christina Garcia Lopez.
This class introduced me to various Chicanx literary writers who used
their words as a way to address various social inequality issues within the
community. From here, my fascination grew and I then discovered that USF
offered an entire minor dedicated to Chicanx Latinx studies. As I slowly discovered
Chicanx women activist writers such as Anzaldua and Cherrie Moraga
through my classes, I learned that Latinx literature and performance are
accessible and meaningful devices to connect my community. Through the
substance of these courses, instead of feeling oppressed by having to identify
with only one nationality, I have learned to embrace my mixed heritage and
appreciate the freedom of my cultural identity.
Today, I feel great pride in being able to honor my culture after discovering
Chicanx literature and the powerful narratives my people share. I feel
driven to share my culture and my story with all who will listen so that generations
after me will know their heritage and be able to actively embrace their
roots. This is what inspired me to dive into this field of study. Not only is this
something that I wish someone would have done for me, but I now realize that
as part of the community, it is my active duty. We owe it to the generations
who come after us to keep the culture alive through stories, values, and activism.
This is what it means to me to be a member of my Chicanx community.
Fellow members of the Latinx community: as we celebrate National Hispanic-Latino
History Month, I urge you all to channel your roots and reimagine
what your identity and heritage mean to you.
OPINION

10
THURSDAY
SEPT. 23,
2021
DONS CRANK UP THE HEAT DOWN SOUTH
DONS WEEKLY ROUNDUP
11
SPORTS
JAMES SALAZAR
Staff Writer
USF women’s volleyball sought to end a seven-game losing streak
while the USF men’s and women’s tennis teams hosted twenty-three Division
I schools in their annual Battle in the Bay Classic. Here is your recap
of the week in Dons’ sports.
USF women’s volleyball welcomed the University of California, San
Diego (UCSD) Tritons to the Hilltop Sept. 17. Though the team battled
until the very end, the Dons fell to the Tritons by a score of 2-3.
The Tritons took control of the first set, but a kill from right side
Taylor Schein brought the Dons within four points (11-15). UCSD responded
with a 10-3 run, and the Dons dropped the first set by a score
of 14-25. Both sides traded points in the second set, but USF was on the
wrong end of another run that had the team staring at an 8-16 deficit. The
Tritons gradually secured another victory (19-25), and the Dons were on
the verge of being swept by their opponents.
Feeling the pressure, the Dons recorded five unanswered points in the
third set, including an ace by outside hitter Lana Kutakhina. In the closing
moments of the third set, Schein delivered yet another kill to finally put
the Dons on the board (25-12) and keep the team from being swept. Midway
through the fourth set, USF went on a 6-2 run that helped them win
the set (25-20) and tie the game at two sets each. Unfortunately for the
Dons, the Tritons found their offensive groove in the last set and downed
the Dons by a score of 8-15, putting a stop to USF’s momentum.
Looking ahead, the Dons will begin West Coast Conference play Sept.
23 when they host the Pepperdine University Waves.
USF men’s and women’s tennis hosted and competed in the Battle
in the Bay Classic Sept. 16-19. In the men’s singles main draw, Mitch
Johnson was eliminated in the round of 32 by Timothy Sah of the Stanford
University Cardinal. Phuc Huynh also made his exit in the round of
32 when he was defeated by Andrew Rogers of the Pepperdine University
Waves (5-7, 2-6).
In the men’s doubles main draw, Huynh and Nil Giraldez were eliminated
in the round of 16 by the Texas Christian University Horned Frogs,
losing to the tune of 2-8. Johnson and sophomore Stevie Gould were also
sent packing in the round of 16, losing to the University of California,
Berkeley Golden Bears (1-8).
In the women’s singles main draw, Chiho Mushika was eliminated in
the round of 32 after she lost to Maria Campos of the University of Colorado
Boulder Buffaloes (3-6, 1-6). Maria Martinez Vaquero advanced to
the round of 16 with a straight set victory over Roxana Manu of the University
of Kansas Jayhawks (6-1, 7-5). Rita Colyer also punched her ticket
to the round of 16 with an epic three-set victory against Isabelle Lee of
the University of Southern California Trojans (6-3, 4-6, 10-5). Martinez
Vaquero lost in the round of 16 to Abigail Desiatnikov of the University of
San Diego Toreros (2-6, 3-6), Colyer was also eliminated in the round of
16 after a straight-set defeat at the hands of the Toreros’ Victoria Kalaitzis
(2-6, 0-6).
In the women’s doubles main draw, Mushika and Martinez Vaquero
made it through the round of 16, beating the University of the Pacific
Tigers (8-7), while Colyer and Arianna Capogrosso routed the Trojans
(8-4). Mushika and Martinez were quickly eliminated by the University of
Georgia Bulldogs (0-8), and Colyer and Capogrosso also exited the quarterfinals
after being beaten by the Waves (2-8).
SPORTS
The Dons made their way down to Dallas and Waco, Texas to match up against the Southern Methodist University Mustangs and Baylor University Bears. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS M.
LEUNG/DONS ATHLETICS
MAGGIE ALDRICH
Staff Writer
While San Francisco is seeing warmer
weather due to change in season, the city’s
temperatures came nowhere near the heat the
women’s soccer team faced on their two-game
Texas road trip. The Dons first travelled to
Dallas to play the nationally-ranked No.
24 Southern Methodist University (SMU)
Mustangs Sept. 16.
The Mustangs carried the advantage in this
first-ever match up due to a free kick around
midfield within the first 20 minutes of the game
courtesy of sophomore Jasmine Vilgrain, which
put SMU on the board first. The Dons brought
the tempo up in the second half, where they had
ten shot attempts in comparison to their lone
attempt at scoring in the first half. Despite the
work put in by the Dons, the Mustangs came
out victorious by a score of 0-1, with their five
saves leaving the scoreline stagnant throughout
the remainder of the match.
Three days after acquainting themselves
with SMU, the Dons made their way out of
Dallas and into Betty Lou Mays Field in Waco,
Texas to test their fate Sept. 19 against the
Baylor University Bears.
Despite six attempted shots from the Bears
in the first half, the opposition was unable to
break through the Dons’ defense. USF took the
lead when sophomore Jamesen Ward assisted a
clean shot by senior Sydney Cooper. Within the
first four minutes of the second half, the Bears
connected with the back of the net and tied the
game at one goal each.
With a high game-time temperature of
almost 100 degrees, the tied game came to a close
due to a heat advisory. Regardless, the 1-1 score
will count towards both team’s overall win-loss
records since they fell within the 70 minute time
mark.
The Dons return home to Negoesco Stadium
Sept. 25 to face the Santa Clara University
Broncos.
Senior Caragh Courtney prepares to return a shot during the Battle in the Bay Classic. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS M. LEUNG/DONS ATHLETICS

12
THURSDAY
SEPT. 23,
2021
DONS' ROAD TRIP ENDS IN DEFEAT
SPORTS
(From left to right): Nik Kizerian (#19), Elias Thomas (#5), and Dominic Valdivia crowd in a huddle to raise the energy before their match.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS M. LEUNG/DONS ATHLETICS
JASON TITUS
Contributing Writer
In search of their first away win of the season,
USF men’s soccer came up short Sept. 17
against the California State University, Fullerton
Titans losing by a score of 0-1.
USF played defensively to open up the
game as the Titans tallied the first two shots of
the game. Freshman forward Nonso Adimabua
took the Dons’ first shot at the twentieth minute
of the contest, but he was unable to sink the ball
into the back of the Titans’ net.
Freshmen midfielders Ferdy Ghafury and
Rodrigo Bueno also fired off their own shots but
neither player was able to put USF on the board,
and the contest remained scoreless heading into
halftime.
Coming out of the first half, Bueno and Adimabua
did their best to string an attack together,
but their efforts were once again stopped by
Jose Espino, the Titans’ goalie. Bueno gave his
third shot of the night in the closing minutes
of the game, but he missed the go-ahead goal.
Freshman defender Filip Kanold took the last
and final shot of the evening for the Dons but
was unable to break the scoreless affair.
With less than a minute left in regulation
time, junior defender Kevyn Lo was charged
with a foul that awarded the Titans a penalty
kick. The Titans slipped a shot by freshman
goalie CJ Pycior and took the lead. The Dons
searched for an equalizer to no avail, and the Titans
hung onto their lead and victory.
On the pitch, Bueno recorded a game-high
three shots for the Dons, marking the third time
in his career he has recorded three-plus shots in
a single game. This match also marked the third
consecutive contest in which Adimabua recorded
at least two shots. He leads the Dons with 12
shots this season. Pycior also made his collegiate
debut as goalie and collected four saves on the
night.
USF’s losing-streak continued Sept. 19
against the University of California, Riverside
Highlanders. The Highlanders scored two unanswered
goals within the first fifteen minutes
to put themselves on the board. However, the
Dons responded in rapid-fire succession with a
goal of their own to trim the deficit back down
to one point. The Highlanders shuttered USF’s
comeback in the last three minutes of regulation
with another goal, and the Dons would lose by
a score of 1-3.
Looking ahead, the Dons begin West Coast
Conference play Oct. 2 against the Santa Clara
University Broncos.