FOGHORN ISSUE 17 FINALpdf

SF FOGHORN
EST. 1903
NEWS
03
Tribute to late
Foghorn alumnus,
Nick Mukhar.
INÉS VENTURA
Staff Writer
“When Gaza is under attack, what do we do? Stand up,
fight back. When Sudan is under attack, what do we do? Stand
up, fight back. When Congo is under attack, what do we do?
Stand up, fight back,” approximately 40 USF students chanted
on Mar. 7 at Gleeson Plaza, the Thursday before students went
on spring break.
After six months of organizing campus demonstrations,
the student activist group USF Students for Palestine was announced
as an official on-campus student organization. This
rally was the group’s first as an official student organization.
This rally differed from previous on-campus demonstrations
held to support the besieged people of Gaza, this time
including students speaking on behalf of the victims of war in
Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This is the
first campus action this semester to bring attention to multiple
countries who are experiencing humanitarian violations.
Sudan
“On Dec. 9 2022, I had the privilege of going back to Sudan
with my family for the first time since COVID…. This trip
was absolutely beautiful…. I hugged all my cousins tight, with
tears in my eyes, and I said, ‘I’ll see you soon. I’ll come in the
CONTINUE ON PAGE 4
SFFOGHORN.COM
SCENE
06
Student DJ’s
compete for coveted
spot as Donaroo
opening act.
@SFFOGHORN
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
THURSDAY, MARCH 28, 2024 • VOL. 121, ISSUE 17
OPINION
08
summer,’” said Rawan Abdalla, a senior media studies major,
who spoke at the rally. “Little did I know… that would not be
the reality anymore, as on April 15, 2023 — probably one of my
worst fears, any Sudanese person’s fear — a war erupted in our
country,” she continued.
Sudan has been in the throes of ethnic conflict for years.
The Darfur region of Sudan was the location of the first genocide
of the 21st century, when state-sponsored Arab militia
groups continuously attacked and expelled ethnically African
people living on the land, according to the research center at
the Holocaust Museum Houston. According to Human Rights
Watch, in line with the goal of ethnic cleansing, the genocide
displaced millions.
In November 2023, the Rapid Support Forces, a formerly
government-operated militia, killed and committed crimes
against humanity towards civilians in Darfur, according to
Human Rights Watch. United Nations (UN) Secretary-General
António Guterres pleaded for international mobilization, on
Feb. 8, to stop the war in Sudan. As of February, approximately
8 million people have been displaced from their homes and
forced to flee to other parts of Sudan and neighboring countries,
according to the UN Refugee Agency.
“Of those million people displaced are my family. I am a
first-generation Sudanese American here in the U.S.. I have the
privilege of being raised and born here, whereas my family has
FOGPOD
POLL: USF says
“No” to TikTok
ban.
SPORTS
12
Letizia Aquilino
channels her
Italian roots.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, whose flag is featured above being held by USF student speaker Lillah-Aaliyah Mbu, is a country whose lucrative
natural resources are a driving force of armed and foreign groups, fighting for the land. Photo by Samantha Avila Griffin / SF Foghorn
USF STUDENTS CONTINUE TO STAND
AGAINST GLOBAL OPPRESSION

02 03
THURSDAY
MAR. 28
2024
STAFF
Editor in Chief
MEGAN ROBERTSON
mrrobertson2@dons.usfca.edu
News Editor
NIKI SEDAGHAT
nisedaghat@dons.usfca.edu
Opinion Editor
CHISOM OKORAFOR
cokorafor@dons.usfca.edu
Scene Editor
INÉS VENTURA
ipventura@dons.usfca.edu
Sports Editor
CHASE DARDEN
cbdarden@dons.usfca.edu
Photography Editor
SAMANTHA AVILA GRIFFIN
svavilagriffin@dons.usfca.edu
General Reporter
PHEBE BRIDGES
pjbridges@dons.usfca.edu
General Reporter
ELINA GRAHAM
emgraham@dons.usfca.edu
415.422.5444
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STAFF EDITORIAL
CORRECTIONS BOX
ROYAL MISHAP
Following months of unusual absence
and media gossip, last Friday
Princess Catherine of Wales, better
known as Kate Middleton, announced
her unfortunate cancer diagnosis. In
Middleton’s time of need, the royal
family seems to have thrown her to
the wolves.
The handling of Kate Middleton’s
cancer announcement exposes a
systemic problem of the royal family
mistreating women who marry in.
Middleton’s last public appearance
before the cancer announcement
was on Christmas Day last year.
She was then taken to the hospital for
a planned abdominal surgery. The
surgery was a success, but the public
noticed her husband, Prince William,
was only seen visiting her in the hospital
once.
On Jan. 26, Kensington Palace,
Middleton’s London residence, announced
that the princess had been
discharged from the hospital, but she
still wasn’t clearly photographed for
more than a month. Then, the princess’
X account posted a photo of
Middleton and her children on Mar.
10 for Mother’s Day in the U.K. The
emerging rumors intensified when
the picture received a “kill order”
from journals like the Associated
Press due to heavy image manipulation.
Internet users speculated about
the princess hiding everything from
a bad haircut to a botched Brazilian
butt lift. More serious accusations
also went viral, such as theories that
Prince William had cheated on Middleton.
If the palace was trying to
avoid public scrutiny, they did the exact
opposite.
The next day, Middleton’s X account
released an apology for the
photoshopped picture. Interestingly,
the statement claims that Middleton
herself edited the photo, a claim
that has come under scrutiny. She is
described as an “amateur photographer,”
but her dissertation at the University
of St. Andrews was on photography.
One would think that in an
institution as powerful and rich as
the British monarchy, there would be
an intern or something to do that job.
By the time the public discovered
Middleton’s cancer, announced
via X on Mar. 22, the well-wishing
was tempered. People wanted to
know why the palace allowed a vulnerable
time for the Princess to be
riddled with scandal. Her extended
disappearance paired with the photoshopped
pictures meant that even
with confirmation of Middleton’s
diagnosis, conspiracies still run rampant.
The royal family’s handling of
the situation was disgraceful. Moreover,
the lack of protection for the
princess is illuminating a disturbing
pattern in British royalty.
Despite the royal family’s lackluster
communication about Middleton’s
situation, many argue Middleton
could have been treated like Meghan
Markle, Duchess of Sussex. Her identity,
as a biracial woman, made her
a target for journalistic racism, the
New York Times found. She and her
children faced alleged racism from
the royal family, possibly including
from Middleton herself, according to
ABC News.
Even someone as popular as the
late Princess Diana Spencer, often
nicknamed “the people’s princess,”
couldn’t escape abuse. Her experiences
with the royal family before she
left led to her developing depression,
bulimia and caused multiple suicide
attempts. Markle also experienced
suicidal thoughts.
From Kate Middleton to Meghan
Markle to Diana Spencer, British royalty
comes off as hostile to women.
It’s no wonder their approval ratings
are dropping. If this aging institution
won’t change, it’ll be left behind.
In our Mar. 7 article, “Update on the Dons Mascot Change Initiative,”
we implied that the working group wanted to make the Don “null and
void” by Aug. 2024, when that statement was the intention of the ASUSF
Senate Resolution, not the working group.
In our Mar. 7 op-ed, “Time Capsule in Empowering Awareness:Bringing the African
National Congress to the University of San Francisco,” our editorial team referred
to the author as “Mr. Joseph Greene,” when we should have inserted the author’s full
name, “Robert Joseph Grenne.”
NICK MUKHAR, USF GRADUATE, FOGHORN
EDITOR, FRIEND, HAS DIED AT 37
ERIKA HEYER-WATTS
Former Sports Editor ‘10
Nick Mukhar, 37, a University of San Francisco graduate class of
‘09 and former Opinion Editor of the San Francisco Foghorn, died on
Friday, Mar. 1.
A natural-born storyteller, Nick gave the Foghorn a unique perspective
from sports, to leading the staff editorial, to even giving firsthand
accounts of different energy drinks letting students know which
one was best to fuel an all-nighter to get ready for midterms. Up until
his death, Nick still found time to write by contributing to NBS Media
as a freelance sports writer.
Losing Nick feels like a chapter that has been torn out of the book
of my life. A chapter that was filled with laughter, friendship, Giants
baseball games and of course countless hours in the Foghorn office.
We grew up together and back then we never thought we’d lose him
so soon.
I remember the first time Nick and I met. He was new to USF as
a transfer student. I received an email from him volunteering to take
one of my assignments to write a 300-500 word article on the women’s
soccer game happening that weekend. “I need it by Monday,” I said.
“No problem,” he said.
Monday came and went and I did not have the article. Tuesday,
still nothing. “Who is this Nick kid?” I remember saying generally
in the direction of other Foghorn staffers. I would soon find out at
our staff meeting that week. After we wrapped up the meeting, Nick
walked up to me and introduced himself. He apologized for missing
my deadline, but asked if I would look at what he started. We finished
the article together and Nick became an official part of the Foghorn
family and one of my best friends.
His dedication was seen by everyone on staff as he volunteered to
help editors with longer pieces and he would even pose for pictures if
they were needed for articles that didn’t have art. Chelsea Sterling, the
Foghorn news editor from 2007-9, remembers taking a photo of Nick
peering over a bathroom stall as a visual to go with her article about
someone peeping on campus. Soon Nick worked his way up and was
named the new opinion editor of the Foghorn.
That was back in 2007. In between then and now we have been to
Nick Mukhar began his career in journalism at the Foghorn. Photo courtesy of Erika
Heyer-Watts.
From left to right, Former Foghorn News Editor Chelsea Sterling, Author Erika Heyer-Watts, Foghorn
Advisor Professor Teresa Moore, and late Nick Mukhar on graduation day in 2009. Photo courtesy of
Erika Heyer-Watts.
many Giants games, 49ers games and study sessions. Back then you
could find us playing pool somewhere on Divisadero Street, talking
about our experiences with new loves and breakups, our plans for the
future, and graduating together in St. Ignatius Church.
In recent years, life took us in different directions. Careers, families,
distance, and a global pandemic meant that we couldn’t spend as
much time together as we once did. But a simple text or
setting aside time for a phone call was enough to help
us bridge the 3,000-mile gap between his home in California
and mine in Connecticut.
Nick’s sudden passing has taken a toll on everyone
who knew him. His smile and laugh were infectious,
making it easy to be his friend but also making it that
much harder to know that he’s gone. In this sense of
loss, I choose to look back on the happy memories we
shared and I am reminded to cherish the bonds we form
with those we care about.
In Nick, I found a true friend during a time when
we were all just trying to find out who we are.
Hyperlinked to the online edition of this article you
will find some of the writing that Nick did for the Foghorn.
On behalf of the entire staff, we’d like to honor his
life and send our condolences to his loved ones during
this time.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Managing Editor:
Jordan Premmer, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel, News
Editor: Niki Sedaghat
TRIBUTE

04 05
THURSDAY
MAR. 28
2024
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
to fight back home,” said Abdalla. “In Sudan, currently, they have not
had any power, any Wi-Fi, any service to connect. I have gone four
weeks without speaking to my grandparents, unknown of where they
are.”
The Democratic Republic of the Congo
Civil war and political instability have ravaged the Democratic
Republic of the Congo. As of this month, approximately 7 million people
have been displaced by widespread violence throughout the Eastern
region, according to AP News.
Another student, Sylvia Rubuye, spoke on behalf of the Congolese
population. “For as long as I can remember, I grew up knowing about
the fighting that was happening in the east of my country… I knew
about the war. I just thought that, ‘it’s a war, it’s going to end eventually,
I will stop hearing about it,’” said Rubuye. “I am about to turn 20,
and things have not gotten better, it has only gotten worse.”
Congolese civilians are fleeing their villages and homes amidst
the crisis, according to AP News. More than 120 armed groups and
foreign groups are fighting for access to the region’s gold and other
natural resources, like diamonds, copper and cobalt. Additionally,
conflict between rebel group, M23 and the government has further
endangered and displaced civilians, leaving many without aid.
In her speech, Rubuye spoke about the detriments of the war on
civilians, including ongoing sexual violence against Congolese women.
“​How am I supposed to celebrate [Women’s History Month] as
a Congolese woman…when I know that rape is just another form of
weapon in my own country,” she said.
War and political instability in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo have plagued the country since the 1990’s, due to the Rwandan
genocide and Congo Wars, according to Al-Jazeera.
“The notion of independence and freedom is really useless for
Congo, because we claimed a so-called independence in 1960. But
today the country is facing a new form of being controlled by Western
powers,” said Rubuye. “Not only Western powers but also Congo’s
own neighboring African countries over the fight for natural resources.
When the Congolese population does not have a single say in the
fight.”
Addressing the crowd, she said, “We cannot, in any good spirit,
appoint principles of justice when those who need it the most cannot
even dream of one day having justice.”
Gaza & USF
Since our most recent reporting on the genocide in Gaza, the
death toll has passed 32,000 Palestinians killed, with an estimated
7,000 trapped under rubble. Both the federal court and the International
Court of Justice agreed that it is “plausible” that Israel is committing
a genocide.
Palestinians in Gaza are suffering rampant rates of famine and
malnutrition as access to food and water have been restricted by Israel
since Oct. 7. Palestinians are reported to be surviving off of weeds,
animal feed and polluted water., according to CNN
There are multiple reported incidents of Palestinians in Gaza being
massacred by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) while gathering at
aid distribution points, according to the UN. This follows the Feb. 29
“Flour Massacre” where 118 Palestinians were killed and more than
750 injured by the IDF while trying to get flour from aid trucks.
On Mar. 26, the UN Security Council passed a resolution for an
immediate ceasefire during the month of Ramadan, nearly halfway
through the religious holiday. The resolution passed with a 14-0 vote,
with the United States as the sole abstention. The resolution also calls
for more aid to pass to Gaza, and the immediate release of hostages.
At the rally, Associated Students of the University of San Francisco
(ASUSF) Senate Vice President of Advocacy Aderet Parrino announced
that ASUSF Senate passed a “Resolution to Divest from Companies
Affiliated with the Israeli Occupation” on Feb. 28.
The resolution calls for USF to “be transparent about the companies
they are investing in by making them publicly accessible to students
and families on the USF website.” As previously reported by the
Foghorn on Nov. 2, 2023, USF is not legally obligated to publish their
investment portfolio. In response to whether USF invests in any entity
financially supporting Israel, Charles Cross, vice president of business
and finance at USF, previously stated to the Foghorn, “We don’t own
any such investments.”
The Foghorn will continue to investigate USF’s investments and
will report on any further developments or uncoverings in their investment
portfolio.
For more information about upcoming demonstrations, follow the @
usfcastudents4palestine Instagram account. The Foghorn will continue to
report on breaking developments in campus response to the Israel-Hamas
War and crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Sudan.
Jordan Premmer, Chisom Okorafor, and Sophia Siegel contributed to
the reporting of this story.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, News Editor: Niki Sedaghat
NEWS UPDATES ON THE HILLTOP
NIKI SEDAGHAT & PHEBE BRIDGES
Staff Writers
Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Supervisor Joel
Engardio, Supervisor Catherine Stefani, and the San Francisco
Republican Party supported Proposition E. Photo courtesy of @sfstandard
on Instagram.
Prior to her role as Provost, Fung served as the Dean of the
College of Arts and Humanities from 2022-2023. Photo by Samantha
Avila Griffin/SF Foghorn.
On Campus Car Chase:
On Mar. 11, a car chase took place at approximately 4:45 a.m. on lower campus.
An alert was sent to the USF community at 5 p.m. later that day, notifying students
of the incident. The San Francisco Police Department chased a suspect who entered
campus off of Golden Gate Avenue, later exiting on Parker Avenue. According to the
campus alert, the entrance gate, which is located between the University Center and
War Memorial Gym, was damaged. The chase comes less than a week after the approval
of Proposition E, which expands the parameters of police chases in San Francisco.
The proposition garnered an overwhelming 60% support among voters, according
to the San Francisco Chronicle. The previous provision required officers to chase
suspects only if they were suspected of a violent felony. Now, officers are allowed to
pursue anyone suspected of any felony. The measure also allows for more extensive
police surveillance, like the use of drones and security cameras on public property.
The measure was heavily supported by Mayor London Breed and met with opposition
by organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California.
Dr. Eileen Fung Appointed to Provost:
Dr. Eileen Chia-Ching Fung was announced as USF’s provost on Mar. 6 after serving
as interim provost since June 2023. “In her interim role as our provost, Eileen has
demonstrated her collaborative leadership, compelling academic vision, and depth of
experience at USF, honed over 25 years of leading and serving our community in many
roles across the university,” said President Father Fitzgerald, S.J. in the email announcing
Fung’s appointment.
In a written statement shared with the Foghorn on Feb. 21, Fung described her
path to provost. “I was fortunate to be offered many leadership opportunities at USF. I
learned a lot from each of these positions; they helped me to become more self-reflective,
resilient and passionate about our USF community.”
Fitzgerald continued, “Please join me in congratulating Eileen. I greatly look forward
to working with her, and I thank all of you — students, faculty, librarians, and
staff alike — for your collaboration, ideas, frank and open conversation, and hard
work, which are critical to the success of our Jesuit educational project in the days,
months, and years ahead.” To learn more about the provost’s achievements, read the
Foghorn’s exclusive Feb. 29 interview with Fung, “Interim Provost Fung’s Influence on
Zoom Bombing at Global Feminist Forum:
NEWS
Speakers announced that rally organizers, USFCAStudents4Palestine, are an official undergraduate student organization as of this month. Photo by Samantha Avila Griffin/SF
Foghorn
The Global Feminist Forum takes place annually during Women’s
History Month. Photo courtesy of @usfcagff on Instagram.
The Global Feminist Forum is an annual series of events and talks at USF every
March dedicated to global women’s rights. On Mar. 6, an event that was part of the
Global Feminist Forum was “Zoom bombed.” A hacker joined the Zoom and subjected
attendees of the event virtually, to racist, anti semitic imagery and audio. Though the
presenters were able to take down the broadcast for those at the event in person, those
attending on Zoom were additionally subjected to pornographic content.President Father
Fitzgerald, S.J stated on Mar. 8, “The ITS team reported on Thursday, March 7, that
the perpetrator was not affiliated with USF, and gained access via a Zoom link that was
posted publicly.”
Ella Brohm, a junior media studies major, was in attendance. After the Zoom
bombing, Brohm said Professor Jane Bleasdale and the presenters facilitated a conversation
about the incident. “I thought [the way they responded] was super admirable.”
In a statement put out on Instagram, the organizers of the forum said, “We want to
thank our School of Education colleagues, who facilitated the panel... who mobilized
immediately to care and support one another...We also know that this is a long-standing
pattern: when we stand up and speak back to oppression and to systems of domination,
we face violence, on- and off-line. This is why we started the Global Feminist Forum,
and why we need to continue to build these spaces.”
NEWS

06 07
THURSDAY
MAR. 28
2024
SCENE
LET THE BEAT DROP: STUDENT DJS COMPETE
ELINA GRAHAM
Staff Writer
Against the San Francisco skyline, approximately
100 Dons danced the night
away last Thursday night at the Campus
Activity Board (CAB)’s DJ Competition,
hosted at Koret Lodge.
DJs Jacki, Carl, Halo Halo and Leakz
took to the flashing jellyfish-adorned booth
to compete for the chance to open at Donaroo,
USF’s annual spring festival that has
previously been headlined by notable artists
like Macklemore, Anderson .Paak, Jhené
Aiko and The Driver Era.
Sophomore psychology major Natalia
Paulik, known to the crowd as DJ Leakz,
shared that her favorite part of the night
was “hearing new music played and mixed
in different ways.” A love for electronic
music inspired Paulik, who is also a DJ on
KUSF.org, to experiment with it on her own,
and she wants to see even more on-campus
opportunities for student DJs. “[I want] more festival events, not competition-based
but parties and raves,” she said.
The competition took a “last man standing” approach with three
rounds and an elimination at the end of each. There were no hard feelings
amongst competitors between rounds, said junior politics major
Maggie Mordecai. “It was nice to see that the competitors were cheering
for each other, all around it was a good time,” she said.
DJ Halo Halo, Logan Kong, said, “[It] was a good experience to
understand what I need to work on.” The sophomore psychology major
continued, “It was nice to see everyone come out to support the
scene.”
The night culminated in a head-to-head match between audience
favorites DJ Jacki and DJ Carl. Winners for each round were determined
both by audience reactions and a judge panel composed of Andrew
Borgelt, Michael Bricker and Sebas Ramirez. All three are established
within the Bay Area music scene. Borgelt is the founder of Blap
Productions, a promotional firm that hosts concerts and festivals,
Bricker is a professional DJ and host of “The Brick House” radio show
and Ramirez is a student DJ at the University of California, Berkeley.
Though the panel had sole voting power, they took into account
which competitors received louder applause. DJ Carl and DJ Jacki went
head to head in the final round, in which they each had five minutes to
garner love from the audience and impress the judges.
Senior accounting and finance major, Carl Benedict Danao,
known as DJ Carl, said, “My favorite part about the event was all my
friends pulling up. I never announced publicly that I even signed up…I
didn’t want them to see me mess up live and embarrass myself,” he
said. “Seeing them smile and dance to what I was doing was definitely
motivating.”
Danao continued, “I was pretty anxious the whole time, but I am
honored to [have been in] the top two! To perform was definitely a
surreal experience. It motivated me to grind harder and really expose
myself more to the DJ scene. It’s a step closer to performing at bars or
clubs or possibly even somewhere bigger than that, [which is] a dream
of mine.”
The champion of the night was DJ Jacki, whose smooth cuts
and incorporations of classic crowd pleasers including Missy Elliot’s
“Work It” and Rihanna’s “Rude Boy” brought most of the audience out
on the floor to chant her name, culminating in a standing ovation.
“I really liked Jacki’s transitions, they were unexpected and clean,
and her vibe got everyone in the room on their feet and dancing,” said
junior marketing major Chloe Peissner.
During his set, DJ Carl (pictured above) faded Alexandra Stan’s “Mr. Saxobeat” into Drake’s “Rich Baby Daddy”, which
pumped up the crowd and eventually got them out of their seats and dancing. Photo by Samantha Avila Griffin/SF Foghorn
Jacaleen Kizo, a sophomore international business major known
as DJ Jacki, said her friends from her home in New Zealand inspired
her to get into DJing. “My favorite part about mixing is being able to
connect with an audience through music and creating such a beautiful
energy within that,” she said. On how it felt to win, Kizo had just one
word — “Insane.”
CAB Vice President of Marketing and Communication Leah Possick,
said, “This is one of our bigger events, it’s my third year doing it
and I feel like it’s grown each time…I love when people get hyped at a
transition or song and they start to sing along — we’re here tonight to
not only support the student DJs, but also to have fun!”
Following tradition, the 2024 Donaroo main act was announced
publicly for the first time at the night’s end. CAB President Jess Crosby
took the stage under the moniker “DJ Jess” to play a mashup of artist
Doechii’s most popular songs, announcing the “What It Is” singer
to be this year’s headliner.
Tickets for Donaroo are $20 for USF students and can be purchased
on the CAB website.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor:Jordan Premmer, Scene Editor: Inés Ventura
The night’s competitors (from left to right) Carl Benedit Danao, Jacaleen Kizo, Logan
Kong, and Natalia Paulik. Photo by Samantha Avila Griffin/SF Foghorn
PRESS
PLAY
PODCASTS
Ever wonder what’s playing through people’s headphones on campus? The Foghorn
asked a few students to share their current favorite podcasts.
LEILAH BROWN
Contributing Writer
1. MURDER, MYSTERY AND MAKEUP
“I’ve always been a big fan of mystery videos and I love makeup so it’s a great
combination for me,” said Kamila Portero, a first-year politics major. “[Host Bailey
Sarian] always picks a super interesting mystery to talk about and
provides really great commentary that I really like. I actually
found it a couple years ago around 2022 as a YouTube
video and got so obsessed with it that I started
listening to the podcast version on the way to my
classes or when I’m doing something and can’t
watch it.”
2. BIT MY TONGUE
“My favorite podcast at the moment
is ‘Bit My Tongue’ by Nailea Devora
on YouTube. It’s my favorite because
I’m biased towards her being
my age, therefore generationally
relevant and a brown woman,” said
the first-year business major. “She
also has a unique sense of humor
that makes the ordinary stories she
entails rather interesting and it resonates with
the target audience. I discovered the podcast from
her original YouTube channel,” continued Sakariya.
“The podcast is about her talking about the changes
in her life and calling guests in to talk about
unserious topics or answer publicly demanded
questions about them with them.”
on Don’s Favorite
3. CASEFILE TRUE
CRIMES
“I discovered ‘Casefile’ when I was on a flight
from New York to Charlottesville,” said Yja Cummings,
a junior philosophy major. “The guy sitting
next to me looked into whatever he was listening to. When
his screen lit up, I saw it was Casefiles…, now it’s my favorite podcast
that I listen to on flights or long trips…The runners of this podcast really
put in a lot of effort when it comes to telling the stories, and they
tell them very well.“they cover various types of crimes, so it’s not just
the same story with different packaging every time.”
Photo by Halley Computesto/SF Foghorn. All
podcast cover photos from their respective podcast
promotional materials.
SCENE

08 09
THURSDAY
MAR. 28
2024
69% OF USF OPPOSES A TIKTOK BAN
FREQUENT FLYERS FREAKING OUT
Boeing’s turbulent year
OPINION
The House of Representatives
passed the Protecting Americans
from Foreign Adversary
Controlled Applications Act
on Mar. 13, which aims to have
apps controlled by a “foreign
adversary” to sell their application
or be banned in the United States.
The bill is primarily aimed at the
popular social media app TikTok,
which is linked to China through
its parent company ByteDance.
If it passes through the Senate, it
could threaten Americans’ access
SARAH STANSFIELD is a sophomore
media studies major. foreign influence, claiming as a
to Tiktok. Legislators worry about
Chinese company, ByteDance
is connected to the Chinese
government.
The government’s bill would do little to address national security
concerns. Instead, it capitalizes on anti-China sentiments to try to
eliminate a threat that isn’t there.
The Biden administration has stated that the bill isn’t aimed at
banning TikTok, but rather at forcing ByteDance to sell. However,
the fact that ByteDance has already signaled that a sale won’t happen,
coupled with how limited the potential buyer pool is, means that the
more than 170 million Americans who use the app are facing a ban.
They would likely no longer be able to download the app, and may
resort to using a VPN to access the social media platform.
TikTok is primarily popular among young people, with nearly half
its user base being under 30 years old. To get a sense of USF’s response
to the bill, the Foghorn conducted a poll on Fizz, an anonymous
Graphic by Delaney Lumpkin/Graphics Center
69%
20%
11%
Yes
Divestment
only
No
Graphic by Halley Compuesto/SF Foghorn
college campus social media app, where users must have a “@dons.
usfca.edu” email address to become a member. The Foghorn asked,
“Do you support the TikTok ban bill?” The poll received 2,076 votes,
with a margin of error of +/-2%. A large majority, 69%, or 1447 votes,
of respondents answered “No”. “Yes” received 20%,407 votes, and
11% of respondents, 222 votes, did not support a ban, but supported
a divestment from ByteDance, a sale of TikTok to another company.
It is important to note that Fizz demographics skew young, with the
majority of users being first-years and sophomores. The results are
a more extreme version of the national trend of falling support for a
TikTok ban.
There are valid concerns about the app, especially with its data
collection. TikTok’s algorithm has been described as eerily accurate
in delivering relatable, personalized content. With each scroll, TikTok
gathers specific and personal information and uses it to ultimately
maximize the amount of time users
spend on the app.
However, TikTok isn’t the
only app to do so. In fact, an
investigation by the Washington
Post found that TikTok’s data
collection practices are industry
standard, gathering about the
same amount of data as American
counterpart Meta’s platforms. If
the government has a problem
with TikTok’s data collection, they
should be passing bills that regulate
privacy across all social media, not
just TikTok. Moreover, allegations
that TikTok exploits this access to
information, especially at the behest
of the Chinese government, have
remained just that —allegations, as
reported by CNN.
Banning TikTok wouldn’t make
us safer. Instead, it just takes a page
out of China’s book and restricts
our ability to practice free speech.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan
Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia
Siegel, Managing Editor: Jordan
Premmer, Opinion Editor: Chisom
Okorafor
CHISOM OKORAFOR is a
sophomore politics major.
I’ve been traveling all my life.
I’ve never had a fear of flying or of
planes — I’ve always known it was an
extremely safe method of travel. The
most safe, in fact, according to the
Boston Globe. But this spring break,
when my plane took off, I was a bit
more nervous than usual. I wasn’t
alone in this feeling. Every time the
plane hit a bit of turbulence, I could
sense my fellow passengers thinking
the same thing as me: were we the
next unlucky plane to be victimized
by mid-air defects?
Airplane manufacturer Boeing
has long been scrutinized for
declining product quality, but after
a series of recent, serious mid-air
malfunctions, the public pressure to crack down on these issues is
growing. What started as an isolated incident in January when the
door of an Alaska Airlines jet blew off midair has become an epidemic,
revealing the downsides of corporate cost-cutting.
Boeing’s prioritization of profit over product quality endangers
lives. The company must face accountability and regulation.
Since January’s door incident, it seems like a week doesn’t go by
without a new plane having a public defect. Two different incidents in
San Francisco alone caused Boeing planes to abort their flights, within
a span of a mere eight days this month. That includes one where a
plane lost a tire during takeoff, which fell and crushed several cars.
Luckily, no one was injured in that instance, but that doesn’t mean
that these are not critical safety issues. Earlier this month, 50 people
were injured flying from Australia to New Zealand when a technical
defect caused a nose dive. The Alaska Airlines incident proved nearfatal
and is now being investigated by the Federal
Bureau of Investigation as a crime. Further, all of
these issues are shadowed by the 2018 fatal 737 Max
crashes that killed a combined 346 people.
Recently, an investigation into Boeing by the
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) found
dozens of manufacturing issues, as well as multiple
times the company deliberately ignored safety and
quality-control regulations. Following the Alaska
Airlines incident, approximately 200 Boeing 737
Max planes nationwide were temporarily grounded
by the FAA for inspection.
With Boeing planes under such scrutiny, some
passengers have begun to boycotting flights that
pose a risk. However, that strategy is harder than
one might initially expect. Boeing is widely regarded
as one-half of a duopoly making up the airplane
manufacturing industry. In 2020, Boeing and its
European rival Airbus made up 91% of the industry,
and over a quarter of all commercial aircraft are
Boeing 737s. At this point, it’s incredibly difficult to
not fly Boeing, especially in the United States, where
the company is based.
In fact, Boeing currently has such a stranglehold
over the aircraft industry that it has been
deemed “too big to fail” by the U.S. Federal Trade
Commission’s Chair. Even if I was only four years
old during the 2008 financial crisis, I know enough
about the economy for those words to send a shiver
down my spine.
Graphic by Sophie Reichert/Graphics Center
An article by Vox details how the company became lax in an
industry with so little competition, and began engaging in cost-cutting
measures to increase profit margins. Instead of putting money into
research and development, the company spent a decade and more
than 40 million dollars on stock buybacks. Executives’ focus on faster
production lines to rush out planes led to poor working conditions and
a lack of quality control.
With all these red flags, it’s clear that the government needs to
implement stricter regulations for Boeing. While there has been
progress made for accountability, such as Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun
announcing Tuesday his plans to resign and the Department of Justice
opening an investigation on the subject, the problems have been glaring
since the beginning. The company should never have been allowed to
control such a large portion of the market, achieved through massive
corporate mergers. Somewhere along the line, antitrust laws should
have kicked in. Further, quality standards should be even higher for
a company with billions of dollars in defense contracts with world
governments.
Increased safety regulation is needed. Part of the problem is that the
FAA, the agency supposedly meant to regulate aircraft manufacturers,
notoriously allows Boeing to perform its own regulation checks —
a clear conflict of interest. Independent, third-party investigators
should be assessing compliance for Boeing, not the company itself.
Boeing is one clear-cut example of how ruthless pursuit of profit
at any cost is a hazard to us all. Our government needs to crack down
harder when the warning signs of corporate irresponsibility appear. It
shouldn’t take a door ripping off 40,000 feet in the air for a company
to face accountability.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia
Siegel, Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Opinion Editor: Chisom
Okorafor
OPINION

10 11
THURSDAY
MAR. 28
2024
PRIMARY CONCERNS
DONS BASKETBALL WRAP-UP
A Conversation with Ewan Barker Plummer, Chair of the SF Youth Commission, on
Adam Schiff’s Win
JAYDEN JOECKEL is a sophomore
politics major.
Following California’s Mar. 5.
primary election for U.S. Senate,
Representative Adam Schiff appears
to have secured the seat of late
Senator Dianne Feinstein.
I spoke with the Chair of the
San Francisco Youth Commission,
Ewan Barker Plummer, a
sophomore politics major at USF,
about the primary results and the
consequences of Schiff’s strategy.
One of Schiff’s Democratic
opponents, Rep. Katie Porter, claims
the election was rigged because
Schiff spent $21 million promoting
Republican candidate Steve
Garvey, according to POLITICO.
A preliminary Berkeley-IGS poll
found that if the November election
was a Porter-Schiff matchup, the race would have been tied, versus a
Schiff-Garvey matchup which forecasts Schiff winning by 15%. This
approach is called the “pied piper” strategy.
Barker Plummer said Porter’s claims of election rigging were
“harmful” and “wrong,” a position held by many other Democrats,
such as Calif. Senator Alex Padilla. Katie Porter herself later stated
that she regrets saying the race was rigged.
“I don’t think that we should have Democrats who are claiming
elections that were perfectly legitimate, especially like they are
here in California, should be using words like rigged. I think that
is problematic,” Barker Plummer continued. The president of the
independent California Voter Foundation concurs that the state has
“one of the most secure voting processes in the country.”
While Barker Plummer disagrees with the notion that the primary
election was “rigged,” he acknowledges some flaws within the election
process. He said, “[there’s] a money problem in our elections…. we
have no limitations on outside spending.”
Candidates play the game dictated by Citizens United v. F.E.C., a
2010 Supreme Court case that allows companies to donate unlimited
amounts to political candidates through political action committees
or “PACs.” Porter’s campaign used the claim of “never [having] taken
corporate PAC money, never traded individual stocks in office, and
reject[ing] donations from federal lobbyists,” as a tenet of her electoral
strategy. Contrary to her claim, OpenSecrets reveals that Porter took
about $5,000 from corporate PACs.
Schiff raised nearly half a million dollars from PACs, according
to OpenSecrets, and turned around and spent $21 million on
advertisements for Garvey. This loaned advertising sum was greater
than the T.V. spending campaigns of both President Joe Biden and
Donald Trump combined in the same time period.
By advertising a dichotomy between the views of Schiff and Garvey
in the primaries, Schiff boxed out his two Democratic opponents,
Porter and Rep. Barbara Lee, while boosting the popularity of a
Republican he will likely defeat in the fall.
Barker Plummer concluded our conversation by acknowledging
the importance of women’s representation, given current attacks on
reproductive rights. “I think it’s really important that we have women in
leadership positions and be advocates. I’m not the right spokesperson...
And neither is Adam Schiff.”
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Opinion Editor: Chisom Okorafor
CHASE DARDEN
Staff Writer
The USF men’s basketball team’s postseason run ended on
Mar. 20, after a 73-72 overtime loss to the University of Cincinnati
Bearcats in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament
(NIT).
The Dons traveled to Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati, OH to take
on the Bearcats. Both teams went back and forth with Cincinnati going
into halftime with a narrow one-point lead. Despite a strong performance
from guard Malik Thomas, who posted a career-high 31 points
on 11-19 shooting, the Dons couldn’t get over the hump. USF and Cincinnati
went into overtime tied at 67 after Thomas made a free throw
followed by a contented three-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation.
Thomas scored nine of the Dons’ last 11 points in regulation.
Thomas’ dominance continued as he scored all of the Dons’ five
points in overtime. Though the Dons held a four-point lead with 2:38
left in overtime, the Bearcats didn’t go down without a fight. Cincinnati
guard Jizzle James led the comeback effort as he brought his team
within two points down the stretch. Following James’ heroics, the Dons
met their fate as Cincinnati’s Simas Lukosius sent the Dons back to
the Bay after coming off a screen and knocking down a game-winning
three-pointer with under four seconds left. The Dons couldn’t get another
shot off, falling to the Bearcats by one point.
Though the Dons’ hoped to make a deeper run in the postseason,
head coach Chris Gerlufsen reflected on the game and the season in
a postgame press conference. “I’m extremely proud of my team,” he
said. “For us to come all the way out here, travel this distance, and play
a really quality Big 12 team. I’m really proud of our group and where
we’re going as a program. Not the result we wanted but there’s a lot to
build on. I love my team and I love our group.”
The Dons finished the season as the third seed in the West Coast
Conference (WCC) with an overall record of 23-11 and a conference
record of 11-5, their best season since the 2021-22 season. This season
was headlined by the arrival of newcomers Thomas, Jonathan Mogbo,
and Ryan Beasley.
Mogbo was named a finalist for the Lou Henson National Player
of the Year award which is awarded to the top mid-major player in
Division I college basketball. Mogbo finished the season leading the
Dons in points, rebounds and steals. He finished in the top 20 in all of
Division I in total rebounds, field goal percentage, double-doubles, average
rebounds, and total offensive rebounds. Mogbo finished the season
shooting 63.6% from the field, which is the second-highest ever in
USF history, only behind three-time National Basketball Association
(NBA) Champion and USF’s all-time leading scorer Bill Cartwright.
Also notable are breakout seasons from Marcus Williams, and
Ndewedo “Chips” Newbury.
Mogbo and Beasley were awarded Newcomer of the Year and
Freshman of the Year from the WCC, while Mogbo and Williams were
also named to the All-WCC First Team. Newbury and Thomas were
Honorable Mentions.
The Dons will potentially be without a familiar face next season as
forward Isaiah Hawthorne announced on Mar. 25 via Instagram that
he will be entering the transfer portal for his graduate year.
The Dons won’t return to War Memorial Gym until November for
the start of the 2024-25 season.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel, Managing
Editor: Jordan Premmer, Sports Editor: Chase Darden
OPINION
Adam Schiff, photo courtesy of Schiff’s campaign for Senate.
Ewan Barker Pulmmer, photo courtesy of the San Francisco Youth Commission
The Dons finished their season as the third seed in the West Coast Conference. Pictured: Ryan Beasley. Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita/Dons Athletics.
SPORTS

12
THURSDAY
MAR. 28
2024
SPORTS
LETIZIA AQUILINO SHINES FOR BEACH VOLLEYBALL
ELIZABETH STROUT
Staff Writer
Born into a sports family in the city of Bergamo, Italy, outside of
Milan, it seems that a destiny for athletic excellence was written in
Letizia “Lety” Aquilino’s DNA. The junior kinesiology major had an
active childhood playing several sports until she found her calling in
volleyball. She first stepped onto a court at age 10 to play with her best
friend in a casual volleyball club. Not long after joining, the coach saw
her potential for more. He recruited Aquilino for a more competitive
club locally, where he trained her to compete at the semi-professional
level in Italy by the time she was in high school. Aquilino cited this
coach as the first core mentor in her volleyball journey, and from him
“learned a lot about sportsmanship, teamwork, humility, and passion…
which has shaped not only my game but who I am now.”
As a teenager, playing volleyball at the
semi-professional level was Aquilino’s passion,
but in Italy it was purely extracurricular, facilitated
by a league separate from the school
system and often presenting schedule conflicts
with her studies. Aquilino recalled that her academic
high school did not value her athletic
achievements the way they might have in the
U.S., where the athletic infrastructure is generally
of a higher tier compared to that in Italy.
This deeper appreciation for sports stateside
is partially what brought Aquilino to San
Francisco. In high school, an older friend of hers
who had played volleyball in the U.S. texted her
asking if playing collegiately was something she
would be interested in.
“Why not? Let me try it,” was Aquilino’s
response. She immediately started researching
and contacting schools, showcasing videos
of her game highlights on YouTube. A coach
from USF encountered her videos and, impressed,
contacted Aquilino to let her know that
USF would be happy to have her. Aquilino was
drawn to USF because it was the best option for
her in terms of athletic opportunities and having
her desired major, kinesiology. In May 2021,
she accepted the offer and that summer left her
comfort zone to go to San Francisco for the first
time.
“It was not easy but I made it,” is how Aquilino
described her first few months in the United
States. International student-athlete life presented
a unique set of pressures Aquilino hadn’t
encountered before. In addition to the everyday
cultural and linguistic challenges of living in a
foreign country, she noted that as a student-athlete
she is treated as a professional. With volleyball
being the reason she was recruited to USF,
the sport has also taken on a sharper centrality
to her daily life. “80% of my days are about volleyball,”
she said.
Aquilino continued, “It’s been intense,
tough but at the same time I’m grateful for the
experience and all the relationships I’ve created.”
Aquilino described volleyball as a “real
passion that fuels my spirit.” She added that the
connection with her teammates inspires her
drive to constantly improve.
In her time as a student-athlete, Aquilino
has been a libero on the indoor volleyball team
and is now a defender on the beach volleyball team, which she shifted
her athletic focus to full-time this year. Aquilino said she enjoys beach
volleyball for its spring tournaments, the joy of being in the sun, and
the connection she feels with her coach. Traveling and playing beach
volleyball around the world is what she would love to do after graduating
next year. An alternate aspiration is to pursue graduate study in
kinesiology. “Life can change at any time,” Aquilino said, expressing
openness to either path.
On what she would say to her younger self and aspiring student-athletes,
Aquilino said, “Never doubt yourself — you are capable
of a lot of things you don’t ever imagine. Stay positive… Being a student-athlete
changes you as a person.”
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel, Managing
Editor: Jordan Premmer, Sports Editor: Chase Darden
Letizia Aquilino is trying to turn her passion into a profession, as she navigates the world of beach volleyball
and kinesiology. Photo courtesy of Letizia Aquilino.