ISSUE 18 ACTUAL FINAL

SF FOGHORN
EST. 1903
NEWS
03
USF Debate hosts
Senator Weiner at
AI forum.
PHEBE BRIDGES
Staff Writer
Throughout the past seven weeks, full-time faculty and
librarians have had the option to sign an anonymous letter titled
“A Petition of No Confidence: The Narcissism and Incompetence
of President Paul J. Fitzgerald.” This letter arrived in
full-time faculty and librarian mailboxes, and the Foghorn’s
newsroom, on Feb. 22.
The authors of the letter self-identify as “seven faculty
members and librarians at the University of San Francisco who
are gravely concerned about the future of this university.”
The six-page letter presents 13 reasons why they are petitioning
for a vote of no confidence against President Paul Fitzgerald,
S.J. The letter states that “[a] review of President Fitzgerald’s
performance over the past decade strongly suggests he
ought to retire or step down from his position.”
USF spokesperson, Kellie Samson, stated on Mar. 25 that
Fitzgerald “supports the right of the members of the faculty
and librarians to express their opinion, to raise questions and
concerns about university operations, and to engage with the
SFFOGHORN.COM
SCENE
07
Style meets taste
at KUSF’S annual
Rock ‘N Swap.
@SFFOGHORN
OPINION
08
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
THURSDAY, APRIL 11, 2024 • VOL. 121, ISSUE 18
university leadership on productive solutions to challenges.”
The Foghorn reached out to Fitzgerald on Apr. 1 and Apr.
4 for direct comments on each of the following accusations
covered in this article. He did not respond to these emails,
and on Apr. 5, Samson contacted the Foghorn confirming that
Fitzgerald had received the requests for comment. She referred
to her earlier statement, noting there was “nothing further to
add at this point.”
The authors of the petition worked independently from
the USF Faculty Association (USFFA), but adhere to the
union’s protocol. A petition like this is the first step in the process
of removing a university administrator at USF. According
to the Procedure for Vote of Confidence/No Confidence from
the USFFA, for a vote to occur, 15% of USFFA members would
need to sign the petition.
The period to submit signatures ended on Apr. 1. “Petitions
were counted on Tuesday [Apr. 2],” said Michael Webber,
USFFA president and sociology professor. He confirmed
that they received 43 out of the 65 petition signatures needed
to reach 15%. Though this petition cannot move forward into
vote, there is still a possibility that a full-time faculty member
FOGPOD
Embracing culture
as a Lebanese
American.
SPORTS
President Paul Fitzgerald, S.J. was elected to his role in Apr. 2014, and began his tenure in Aug. of that year. Photo courtesy of USF’s Flickr.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
11
Goodbye to USF
Tennis.
INVESTIGATING ANONYMOUS PETITION OF NO
CONFIDENCE AGAINST PRESIDENT FITZGERALD
Petition Fails to Gather Signatures Needed to Pass

02 03
THURSDAY
APR. 11
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
Arab American heritage Month
BLACK, WHITE, AND WORN ALL OVER;
THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE KEFFIYEH
This week marks six months
of mass violence against Palestinians
in Gaza by Israel. Six months
of bombing, man-made famine, and
siege. However, it has also been six
months of global mass mobilization
and protest for the Palestinian cause.
The Foghorn has reported on such
demonstrations on USF’s campus.
Among the crowds of protestors, it’s
not uncommon to spot the black-andwhite
patterned keffiyehs: headdresses
that have become representative of
standing with the Palestinian people.
During Arab American Heritage
Month, the Foghorn wants to spread
awareness about the keffiyeh, worn
around our campus. The keffiyeh
has become an international symbol
of Palestinian resistance, and a good
way to express solidarity even thousands
of miles away. Supporters need
to be aware of its significance when
they wear it.
As described by Handmade
Palestine, a keffiyeh factory in Ramallah,
Occupied Palestine, a close
inspection of a keffiyeh will reveal
three design elements. Over time,
they’ve been linked with elements of
Palestinian life. The first portion is
a fishnet pattern, a reference to the
long history of Palestinian fishermen
and freedom found on the sea. The
second element is a pattern of waves:
sometimes described as waves of the
sea, other times described as olive
leaves, as olive trees have long been
a symbol of significance to Palestinians.
The two patterns are separated
by bold lines, which represent the
trade routes across historic Palestine.
The keffiyeh wasn’t always a symbol
of resistance. The headdress was
Photo Illustration by Jordan Premmer/SF Foghorn.
first worn by nomadic Bedouin men,
in historic Palestine, functioning as
both protective wear against the environment
and a symbol of identity.
In the 1930s, the keffiyeh found another
practical use — as a way for
fighters to conceal their identities
during the Arab Revolt against British
colonizers. Palestinian civilians
then began to wear it in widespread
fashion to show solidarity with the
militants.
In the ‘60s, the keffiyeh became
closely associated with Palestine Liberation
Organization leader Yasser
Arafat, who popularized it internationally
as an emblem of resistance
to Israeli occupation. According to
Hirbawi Kufiya, when Israel banned
the Palestinian flag for 26 years, the
white-and-black keffiyeh became a
substitute symbol of Palestinian nationalism.
In recent months, both demand
and repression of the keffiyeh have
increased. The remaining keffiyeh
factories in Occupied Palestine have
a backlog of thousands of orders. At
the same time, there have been multiple
instances of people wearing keffiyehs
being targeted for violence.
Internationally, the keffiyeh is
being promoted as a symbol for people
to show solidarity with Palestinians
under siege. The California
Council on American-Islamic Relations
recommended wearing the keffiyeh
to raise awareness for Gaza.
Crucially, the symbolism of the
keffiyeh can only be fully understood
once one knows about its cultural
and historic significance. When worn
with care and respect, the keffiyeh is
a beautiful symbol of solidarity.
SOPHIA MCCRACKIN
Staff Writer
DEBATE TEAM TAKES ON SENATOR
WEINER’S AI LEGISLATION
On Friday, Apr. 5, the USF Debate Team hosted California State
Senator Scott Weiner in a forum to discuss SB 1047, a new bill in the
state legislature to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) models. Five
members of the debate team delivered speeches explaining and critiquing
the bill before Weiner answered audience questions. Weiner
introduced the bill on Feb. 7, and it passed the California Senate Judiciary
Committee on Apr. 2.
“Whenever we talk about anything policy related in debate,
it always follows with what regulation should be put into place for
that particular policy,” said first-year English major and debate team
member, Mariah Moore. “Scott Wiener’s newly introduced legislation
on developing safe large scale AI caught the attention of the team with
the bill being the first of its kind.”
Senior philosophy major Kendrick Lacerda presented “three existential
risks” that artificial intelligence poses to society: the degradation
of democracy, supercharged totalitarianism and engineered
pandemics.
Lacerda explained that AI models can determine a user’s political
preferences by analyzing the language used to ask the model political
questions, and then cater to that preference. Lacerda argued that AI
can drive a wedge into politics and benefit authoritarian regimes by
manufacturing propaganda. He further argued, AI is capable of synthesizing
new information, information that humans have not fed it.
This means that there is a concern about an AI with an understanding
of biochemistry manufacturing a contagion the likes of which humans
have not yet invented.
Beyond existentialism, many argued that AI poses immediate
inconveniences to society. “I’m having to consistently explain to my
grandmother that Donald Trump is not trying to sell her hair products,”
Moore told the forum.
Elise Green, a first-year economics major on the debate team,
condensed the bill into a few points, including the safety framework
of the bill and the creation of a public cloud. This public cloud enables
comprehensive AI regulation of each developer who uploads
an AI model.
“Most bills that are actively being passed or have been passed
are about dealing with the issues that have already come up and [SB
1047] is to get ahead of new technology, and it would be the first in
the U.S. to do this,” Green said.
Chisom Okorafor, a sophomore politics major and the Foghorn’s
opinion editor, offered Weiner feedback on the legislation
from the debate team. The team’s reaction to the bill was mostly
favorable, but, on the whole, they called for the bill to be more comprehensive.
Camila Ayala Hurtado, a sophomore politics and psychology
major on the debate team, proposed several amendments to the
bill. “I partially support it. I think it has great potential, but cannot
regulate anything due to the extremely high threshold. This
bill needs to regulate current AI systems that are causing problems
right now,” she said.
This hesitation stems from the size of the AI models covered
in this legislation. The bill regulates AI models “Trained using a
quantity of computing power greater than 10^26 integer or floating-point
operations in 2024, or a model that could reasonably be
expected to have similar performance.” Popular AI models, like
ChatGPT, are too small to be affected by the passage of the bill.
Another concern for the debate team was the environmental
impact of retraining large AI models. Okorafor said, “According to
Facebook’s head of AI, training a large model once can cost ‘millions
of dollars’ in electricity consumption. Training a language model like
ChatGPT-3, for example, is estimated to use just under 1,300 megawatt
hours of electricity; researchers estimate just one training of the
model is the equivalent of powering the average American’s home for
120 years.”
Attendee Julia Olsen, a sophomore sociology major, said, “I really
like how many facts the debaters brought to the table.” Piper Sparano,
a sophomore psychology major said, “The more I understand why it’s
scary, the less scared I am.”
Weiner said, “I think what keeps me up at night is what we know
AI is doing right now,” he said, echoing the debate team’s concerns.
Weiner explained that his main concern was the polarizing effect of
artificial intelligence models and their potential political impact.
Weiner is running for re-election to the state senate in 2024, and
CalMatters predicts that Weiner has a high likelihood of rewinning
the seat. “We don’t want innovation for the sake of innovation,” he
noted.
When asked about the enforcement scheme of the bill, the Senator
produced a response about private citizens being unable to sue
AI companies under this legislation, leaving the responsibility of enforcement
up to the California State Attorney General.
Robert Boller, a USF Rhetoric Professor and the coach of the debate
team, said, “The more students are involved with experiential
education, internships, and anything that makes what you are talking
about in classes more real, the better.”
Editor’s Note: Interviewee and USF Debate Team member Chisom
Okorafor is the Foghorn’s opinion editor and Elise Green is one of the
Foghorn’s deputy writers.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, News Editor: Niki Sedaghat
Foghorn Opinion Editor Chisom Okorafor, pictured above, shared the debate team’s
feedback on the legislation with Senator Weiner, who represents District 11, which
includes all of San Francisco. Photo by Kaleb Martinez/SF Foghorn.
NEWS

04 05
THURSDAY
APR. 11
2024
NEWS
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
CONTENTS OF THE LETTER
could draw up another petition of no confidence, which could then
result in a vote if it reached the 15% threshold.
On Apr. 8, Webber provided the Foghorn with a statement from
the minutes of USFFA’s Apr. 4 Policy Board meeting: “A motion was
made to form a subcommittee… to seek feedback from members on
the University President and the issues raised in the petition with the
task of… determining appropriate next steps based on this feedback.
Anyone who wants to be on the committee can write to the USFFA
Secretary by the end of next week.”
This is the second time in recent years that the USFFA has enacted
a petition of no confidence regarding a member of the university’s
administration. In 2019, history professor Mike Stanfield was one of
the organizers behind a petition of no confidence against then Provost
Donald Heller. Those petition organizers were on the record and the
union held a vote which resulted in Heller stepping back from the Provost
position. “I said publicly that we need to go after Heller, because
if we don’t, the future of the faculty and of the university will be damaged.
I put a public face on it, and I wasn’t afraid to do so,” Stanfield
said.
Unlike the 2019 petition of no confidence, this petition against
Fitzgerald was sent anonymously. The Foghorn was unable to confirm
the authors’ identities. There is no confirmation that any petition
writers were members of the USFFA. To proceed with a vote, the union
would need to confirm the petition was drafted by a full-time faculty
member.
“It would [have been] really useful if some of [the anonymous authors]
went privately to union leadership and said, ‘We drafted this
petition, you can be assured that we are members of the USF Faculty
Association,” said Stanfield. “Some people were worried that, if we
don’t have that assurance, how can we get behind this petition?”
Many allegations in the letter use anonymous sources to comment
on personal and professional accounts of negative experiences
with Fitzgerald. As these cannot be verified by the Foghorn, focus will
be given to claims with a public record. This article examines four
claims: “Minimal enrollment management skills,” “A poor record of
strategic investments,” “Deteriorating facilities,” and low faculty and
The authors stated that there has been “poor prioritization” when dealing with facilities around
campus, which the university denies. Harney Science Center, pictured above, is mentioned by
name in the letter. Photo courtesy of USF’s website.
staff morale.
In response to concerns highlighted in the letter, Samson wrote,
“The Board of Trustees and senior university leadership take concerns
like those expressed in the letter very seriously. The factual and operational
matters outlined in the anonymous letter were all known to
the university leadership, including members of the Board of Trustees,
before the letter was circulated. These operational matters were also
presented to and discussed with the university community in many
formats (town halls, emails, meetings, etc.) in our ongoing efforts to
communicate in a timely and transparent way. Matters of opinion are
those of the anonymous writer or writers.”
Michael Hammond, President of USF’s Part-Time Faculty Association
and an adjunct rhetoric professor, stated “regardless of where
the petition leads, it is my hope that the questions raised inspire a
renewed conversation on the need for transparent and participatory
governance that includes all faculty, staff, and students.”
The Foghorn contacted Provost Eileen Chia-Ching Fung on Apr.
1 regarding the petition, but she declined to comment.
“Minimal enrollment management skills.”
To reify declining enrollment claims, the authors compare the
percentages of 2017 and 2021 enrollment at 11 universities they believe
“operate in a similar space as the University of San Francisco.”
Within these cited universities, Golden Gate University has had
the largest decrease in students, at -6.5%, and Chapman University
has reported the largest increase, at 6.4%. In contrast, USF has suffered
an enrollment decline of 9.4% from 2017 to 2021. Between 2017
and 2023, USF suffered an enrollment decline of 16.9%. In 2017, USF’s
population consisted of 11,080 students. In 2023, there were 9,212 students.
USF’s Strategic Plan for Academic Years 2022 - 2027 lists the enrollment
goal as 11,000. Reaching this number requires an increase of
19.4% by 2027. Since 2017, however, enrollment at USF has decreased
by approximately 3% annually.
In an effort to resolve the decline in enrollment, the Strategic Enrollment
Division alongside the academic deans constructed strategies
involving “expanding digital marketing, providing additional
scholarships, and enhancing yield efforts for admitted
students,” according to Samson in a written statement. “Longer
term, academic units are working to reinvigorate degree
programs and certificates in areas that prepare students for
professional success, including in healthcare and wellbeing;
climate, energy and sustainability; and AI and technology.”
The Foghorn reached out to Fitzgerald regarding university
enrollment rates on Apr. 1, but he declined to comment.
“A poor record of strategic investments.”
The authors of the petition complained about the budgeting
and investment of the university’s finances. “Faculty
have been told, time and time again, that the university’s
balance sheet is severely constrained,” the authors alleged,
questioning such expenditures as the blood bank purchased
in 2022, Star Route Farms acquired in 2017, and the Innovation
Hive in the Harney Science Center that opened in 2022.
The letter also criticizes USF’s attempted acquisition of the
San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) in 2022. Ultimately, the
university backed out of that deal.
The petition alleges that USF lent “6 million [dollars] to
the San Francisco Art Institute, which then promptly went
bankrupt and defaulted on USF’s generous loan.”
On Apr. 1 and Apr. 4, the Foghorn reached out to Fitz-
gerald regarding the investment record of the university, and he
did not respond. On Fitzgerald’s behalf, Samson referred us to her
earlier statement that prior to backing out of the deal “USF had
loaned funds to SFAI for its operation,” and that “the loan is secured.”
While the Foghorn can find no external confirmation that
SFAI defaulted on the loan, the secured status of the loan means
it is backed up by some form of collateral. This means USF would
receive assets from SFAI should they not pay back the loan.
Charlie Cross, USF’s vice president of Business and Finance,
declined to comment regarding the loan.
In regards to progress on renovations on the former blood
bank, within her written response, Samson stated, “architects are
working with USF to finalize design details” for turning the former
blood bank into “what is envisioned as a Life and Health Sciences
Campus.”
Samson stated “The Office of Development is working to secure
philanthropy to fund” renovations to the former blood bank.
This clarification means that the money used to renovate the
building will not come from tuition funds, but rather from donations.
Michael London, the associate vice president of facilities management,
stated that the new Life and Health Sciences Campus is
anticipating “opening fall 2027.”
The writers criticized expenditures like the purchase of the blood bank, which is slated to
open as the Life and Health Sciences Campus in Fall 2027. Photo by Beau Tattersall/SF Foghorn.
“Deteriorating facilities.”
The authors allege “student complaints about black mold in residence
halls and faculty complaints about leaky ceilings and pipes in
Harney [Science Center] are commonplace.” They argue that because
of “poor prioritization,” the university lacks money to address these
problems.
On Apr. 1 and Apr. 4, the Foghorn reached out to Fitzgerald regarding
the alleged issues with facilities. He did not respond. On Fitzgerald’s
behalf, Samson referred us to her earlier statement.
“During the last 10 years, USF has spent in excess of $95 million
on major maintenance projects and another $110 million in the decade
prior,” Samson stated. “Additionally, in the last 10 years, USF has
spent more than $200 million on new construction. USF has prioritized
maintenance projects, which are funded through philanthropy,
debt and operating budgets. The University has identified approximately
$80 million in upcoming maintenance projects, as well as approximately
$10 million in digital infrastructure work that will be
undertaken in the next five to seven years.”
The Foghorn reached out to Cross regarding the backlog of maintenance.
He declined to comment.
In London’s written response, “Facilities has a recurring, but
limited, annual budget to cover maintenance. Larger maintenance
needs… are covered out of other university funds which [are] handled
when those funds are available.”
Regarding the specific critiques of Harney Science Center and
residence halls, London confirmed, “from time to time Facilities receives
work orders to investigate perceived mold issues. Most of these
requests are localized and related to specific incidents like a plumbing
leak, windows being left open, or other window issues. Occasionally
we receive reports of mold or mildew that are related to poor housekeeping
habits of the occupants.”
London continued, confirming “there have not been any lab results
indicating toxic mold conditions. Facilities partners with Housing
to help educate students, and staff, on ways to eliminate or reduce
mold or mildew in their spaces.”
Fromm Hall, a dorm that has previously had mold issues, underwent
a roof replacement that began on Aug. 22, 2022 according to
Facilities’ Construction Updates page. According to London, Fromm
will have its windows replaced this summer to “improve the weather
tightness of the window system.” This replacement is intended to aid
Facilities’ “efforts to reduce the risk of mold due to exterior moisture
intrusion,” he said.
Regarding Harney Science Center, London said, “last summer,
USF replaced the roof of Harney at a cost in excess of $1,000,000.
Though the roof replacement resolved most of the water intrusion issues,
several additional locations with leaks unrelated to the roof were
identified over this extremely wet winter.”
These additional water intrusions are slated to be addressed this
upcoming summer. London continued, describing having “experienced
at least two significant and unforeseen pipe failures which have
been resolved.”
According to USF’s Construction Updates page, the most recent
construction on Harney took place on Jan. 19, where contractors repaired
a leak that was reported on Dec. 1, 2023.
“Morale that continues to decline, with no end in
sight.”
A decline in faculty and staff morale was another point cited.
While the letter used anonymous sources from representatives within
the University Budget Advisory Committee, Staff Advisory Council,
the President’s Leadership Team, as well as term faculty and program
assistants, we will not be publishing these claims as they could not be
properly vetted by the Foghorn.
However, the topic was brought up during interviews with faculty
and staff members. Stanfield said, “…our sense of being an academic
community has severely eroded since Father Privett left in 2015. Many
of these people are my friends, and I respect them. It hurts me when
they get hurt, so I feel like I have to speak up and embrace faith, not
succumb to fear.”
Hwaji Shin, an associate sociology professor, said, “We’ve been
asked to do less with less, but students deserve more. It’s demoralizing
for us to work less… when the demand for the students is far more
than years ago…yes, we have fewer students, but that doesn’t mean the
amount of work and care that each student deserves today is less than
it used to be.”
According to the USFFA’s “2023 State of the Faculty and Librarians
Survey,” disclosed to the Foghorn by an anonymous union
member, 44% of those surveyed reported their workload to be unsustainable.
Additionally, 25% said they disagree with the statement that
“they feel supported by the USF administration.” 33% of full-time faculty
and librarians responded to the 2023 survey, which “was lower
than in previous years, approximately 50% in 2022 and 2011.”
On Apr. 1 and Apr. 4, the Foghorn reached out to Fitzgerald regarding
concerns with low faculty morale. Fitzgerald did not respond
and Samson declined to comment.
The Foghorn will continue to report on breaking updates to the
petition of no-confidence.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, News Editor: Niki Sedaghat
NEWS

06 07
THURSDAY
APR. 11
2024
ROCKIN’ RAGS
The styles and sounds of KUSF’s Rock ‘n’ Swap
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE
GRACES THE SKY
INÉS VENTURA, ANYA JORDAN, & CHASE DARDEN
Staff Writers
Out of all the weeks to say “I hate Mondays,” this is not the one!
On Monday, Apr. 8, a total solar eclipse graced North America’s sky,
the first since 2017. People across the continent took to the streets
with protective glasses in hand to catch a glimpse of the shining phenomenon.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
stated, “A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between
the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky
will darken as if it were dawn or dusk.”
Andrew Franknoi, a professor of astronomy at the Fromm Institute
here at USF, said to ABC7 last week, “We call eclipses the Super
Bowl of sky spectacles. And I think it justly deserves that name, at
least a total eclipse does.”
Alyssa Flores, sophomore fine arts major
Graphic by Anya Jordan/SF Foghorn
The last total solar eclipse happened in 2017, with the path of totality
spanning across North America from Oregon to South Carolina,
making it the “first eclipse in 99 years visible across the country,” according
to CBS News.
This year, 15 U.S. states got a full view of the eclipse, as they fell
within the 100-mile wide “path of totality” spanning from Mexico’s
Pacific coast, across Texas to Maine, and into Canada as well.
The view from Lone Mountain was not as spectacular as many
had hoped. Here in San Francisco, we got a “partial view,” since the
moon only covered 45% of the sun’s surface, according to NASA. The
eclipse started at 10:14 a.m. and peaked at 11:13 a.m., when the crescent-
shaped sun was most visible.
The Foghorn asked a few students their thoughts about the eclipse
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Scene Editor: Inés Ventura
“I read somewhere that this eclipse is supposed to trigger a positive transformation, so I’m hoping that means I’ll pass my finals this
semester.”
Luminate, an entertainment data company, found that record vinyl sales in the U.S. increased by 21.7% for the first half of 2023. Photo by Samantha Avila Griffin/SF Foghorn
REMI BRANDLI
Staff Writer
Channeling Haight-Ashbury in the ‘70s and the grunge movement
of the ‘90s, Rock ‘N Swap is a runway for vendors and students alike.
KUSF’s annual event took place this Sunday, Apr. 7 in the McLaren
Complex, and reigns as “Northern California’s largest record fair,” according
to KUSF, USF’s radio station.
Within the first hour of the event, I counted a tally of at least 10
flannels, five Carhartt or bomber jackets, two floral button ups and
about five beanies, one being worn including by the head and heart of
KUSF herself, General Manager Miranda Morris.
“This swap feels closer to pre-pandemic,” said Morris, reflecting
on the past two and a half years when the swap was trying to regain
its footing as a major event for the station. “We’re selling out of vendor
tables pretty consistently,” she said.
Next to the rock-pop stand lived a $5 clothing rack, run by vendor
Greg Martinez, with a wide variety from Bob Marley to Biggie, Nirvana
to Led Zeppelin, Prince to The Beatles, even including a Lizzo
shirt. I was able to snag a Nirvana and AC/DC T-shirt — please do not
ask me to name five songs.
Vinyls at the event ranged from ‘90s alternative rock to the classics
of the ‘80s, and all the way back to pre-‘30s jazz. Many tables had
a stockpile of Black music, including some of the founders of the rock
genre, Ray Charles and Prince. Alongside these were the vinyl recordings
of soul music legends like Bessie Smith, The Temptations and The
Supremes.
Across the way sat two USF professors, not to teach but to sell.
Spanish professor David Mendez-Alvarez sold classical vinyls and
CD’s. Next to Mendez-Alvarez was Giacomo Fiore, a professor in the
music department, selling not records he had collected, but rather vinyl
records he had recorded himself and released in 2014 and 2022. “I
think I’m one of the only ones that does this,” said Fiore.
Stationed towards the entrance was Thomas Navarro, a collector
of Latin-American music. Dressed in Columbian leather and jeans, he
looked like a true rockin’ biker from the “Grease” era. Navarro’s collection
dates all the way back to the band Los Dug Dug’s self-titled
release in 1971, to Shakira’s most recent release “Las Mujeres Ya No
Lloran,” once again showing the variety of styles in the music collector
scene.
The Rock ‘N Swap has “always been a fundraiser… The money
that we generate from this goes to support the program,” Morris
said. And the Swap is not just for the DJ’s, collectors and sellers, it is
purposefully accessible for college students to engage with the music
scene for under $25. When you’re in college and start discovering new
music, especially in SF – it’s a good crossroads whether you’re a new DJ
or an experienced mixer or producer in the music scene.”
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Scene Editor: Inés Ventura
SCENE
Julianna Sangalang, sophomore design major
“I didn’t take out time of my day to see a partial eclipse…. I can see it on TikTok instead. I used to look at the sun all the time as a kid and I
think that’s why I have such bad eyesight now.”
Gabriela Marcucci, sophomore museum studies major
“I heard you have to wear red during an eclipse to call in good health, so I called my dad back home and told him to put something red
on our dog.”
USF students get free entry to the Rock ‘N Swap while visitors pay $3. (Left to right,
Yan Chen, Georgia Engle) Photo illustration by Samantha Avila Griffin/SF Foghorn
Clare Henry, Kasey Chesnutt, and Lillian Thomas (shown above) coordinated with
classic Coogi-esque sweaters. Photo illustration by Samantha Avila Griffin/SF Foghorn
SCENE

08 09
THURSDAY
APR. 11
2024
Arab American
heritage Month
MY LEBANESE CULTURE: WHERE I ALWAYS FIND A HOME
OPINION
MICHELLE DAHER YAACOUB
is a sophomore media studies
major.
It’s not just about hummus. It’s
not all chicken shawarma wraps,
grilled to perfection, with a side of
hummus and fresh, soft pita bread.
It’s not only about a finjein of Turkish
coffee to start every morning, or
about the nature of our shareable
meals. Lebanese cuisine is one of
life’s greatest pleasures to me, so I
understand why everyone loves it.
Food is a massive part of our culture.
However, there’s so much more
than cuisine to love about Lebanese
and Middle Eastern culture that I
wish was more understood in the
United States. Connecting with my
culture means connecting to my
home, family and land. Finding that
connection in the U.S. tends to be
difficult for me because of the ways we are minimally represented, so
I cherish every bit of culture I find.
If I’m going to tell you some cultural story involving food, I don’t
want to only tell you our recipes and food traditions. I also want to
tell you how, as a little girl, my dad’s mom would show my cousins
and I how to spin bread dough and use the saj for fresh saj bread. The
smell would fill the basement of our home in the southern Lebanon
mountains. I want you to hear about the way my mom’s mother always
asks me what I want to eat, and will forcefully serve me a five-course
meal even if I say I’m not hungry.
I want to tell you how Lebanese culture to me is the generosity
of our people. It’s the feeling of being back in that land – whether in
the bustling capital city of Beirut or up in the tight roads of the small
mountain villages. It’s the feeling of the warm, welcoming love from
jido and teta who cook their best recipes just for me when I’m home
for the summer. I want you to know how strong our connection is
to extended family, and the way we find family wherever we are in
Lebanon, blood-related or not. I can tell you how little of that homey,
comforting warmth I feel in the U.S.
Photo courtesy of Michelle Daher Yaacoub
Aside from the obvious cultural differences between the U.S. and
Lebanon, there’s so much I wish I could share about Lebanese and
Middle Eastern culture. Many people don’t realize how little correct
language there is to describe us. We’re “Arab,” but many Lebanese
people such as my dad assert that we’re Phoenician instead. I’m “Middle
Eastern,” but that term comes from the Western perspective. Until
this year, the U.S. census considered us to be white but that doesn’t
explain why many of us don’t look white and aren’t treated as white.
Regardless, I am 100% Lebanese, even without the proper American
categories to describe me.
The Lebanese experience in America is the way my head snaps
around any time I hear Arabic speech or music anywhere. I’m grasping
for crumbs of anything from my culture, and that tiny crumb will
spark joy in me as if I haven’t eaten in days. I would feel so excited
if I saw a fellow Middle Eastern person in the media, even if they’re
from opposite sides of the region and we don’t speak the same Arabic
dialect. It’s as if anything counts, even things far removed from my
Lebanese heritage. But this is hypothetical, because I cannot think
of any prominent Middle Eastern figure in U.S. media off the top of
my head. A study from Nielsen found that Middle Eastern/North
African (MENA) people make up only 2.5% of on-screen characters.
The statistics are even worse for representation of the array of
intersectional identities in our community.
But in everything, we find pockets of joy. One of those moments
for me was discovering Abu Salim’s Middle Eastern Grill on Haight
Street, just a 15-minute walk from USF. I was hooked my freshman
year when I first walked in to find the familiar art style on the walls,
the TVs playing Arabic hits and music videos, and the instant smell
of home in a restaurant 3,000 miles from my parents and 7,000 miles
from Lebanon. I eat at Abu Salim’s so often that the waiters know to
include extra pita bread in my order.
I guess my sense of culture did come back to food. At least for now,
I hope people begin to see that there is much more depth to Middle
Eastern culture beyond the stereotypes we’re made out to be.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Opinion Editor: Chisom Okorafor
POLL: BREAKING DOWN BDS
It’s important for anyone
invested in social justice to be
informed about the Boycott,
Divestment and Sanctions
(BDS) movement against Israel.
In a time when social media
spreads conflicting information,
clarity is needed about what the
organization actually targets.
Founded by Palestinian
civil society representatives, the
objective of the BDS movement
is to put economic pressure on
Israel until it complies with
ELIZABETH STROUT is a
international law and recognizes
junior English major.
Palestinians’ inalienable right to
self-determination.
BDS advocates for boycotting
a select number of companies, rather than a laundry list of no-no’s.
The targets are divided into four categories. The first is consumer
boycott targets, which are products that BDS calls for the everyday
consumer not to buy. Examples of companies under this category
include HP, Chevron, and Puma. The second group is divestment
and exclusion targets. These are targets that activists on the ground
aren’t directly involved with, but institutions — like universities
— may invest in. BDS asks activists to call for these institutions to
cut financial ties. For example, BDS calls for divestment from Elbit
Systems, Israel’s largest arms manufacturer.
Next, pressure targets like Google are companies that BDS calls
for supporters to use more than economic forms of influence to end
their complicity in war crimes.
Organic boycott targets were not on original BDS lists, but have
been integrated into the movement. Companies like McDonald’s
faced highly publicized backlash for public support of Israel, and were
later added to the list.
However, some popular targets for boycotts aren’t actually
endorsed by the movement. For instance, Starbucks sued its union
10%
26%
Unaware of BDS
Graphic by Halley Compuesto/SF Foghorn
Aware but
NOT boycotting
64%
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80
Graphic by Madi Reyes/Graphics Center
over a pro-Palestine post on X, sparking intense social media backlash
and calls for boycotts. Despite this, Starbucks is not a BDS target.
BDS is a strategic movement. The digital delusion surrounding
the campaigns may be undermining BDS’s precise, peaceful aspiration
to promote a permanent cease-fire.
Though misinformation surrounds the
movement, general awareness of BDS is incredibly
Aware &
boycotting
high. The Foghorn polled undergraduates through
Fizz, asking, “Are you aware of/participating in
Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions against Israel?”
The poll received 1,402 votes, with a margin of error
of +/-2%. The results revealed that 64% (898 votes)
of students are aware of BDS and boycotting. 26%
(361 votes) are aware but not boycotting, and 10%
(143 votes) are unaware of BDS. It is important to
note that Fizz demographics skew young, with the
majority of users being freshmen and sophomores.
However, these findings show that 90% of USF
students are aware of BDS, a majority of which claim
active participation in boycott efforts.
Providing clarity on the BDS movement is
essential to understand the context of the current
political climate.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy
Editor: Sophia Siegel, Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer,
Opinion Editor: Chisom Okorafor
OPINION

10 11
THURSDAY
APR. 11
2024
OPINION
BIDEN STAFFERS: QUIT YOUR JOBS
CHISOM OKORAFOR is a
sophomore politics major.
We’ve all had bad bosses who
make us want to quit. But those
bosses typically aren’t the leader of
the free world. President Joe Biden’s
staff works every day to carry out his
policies, but when those policies lead
to death and suffering, his staffers
are culpable as well.
The time for harm reduction is
over. We keep hearing about dissent
of staff in the Biden administration,
but if people working within the
Biden administration object to the
president’s policies, they need to
stop helping him carry them out.
Biden’s handling of the Israeli
aggressions in Gaza have been
a disaster. Under his watch, the
United States is now being accused
of complicity in crimes against humanity and genocide.
Both the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California,
based in Oakland, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) agreed
that it is “plausible” that Israel is committing a genocide.
The South African legal team is preparing to take the U.S. to the
ICJ for selling arms to Israel and cutting aid to the United Nations
Relief and Works Agency, following in the footsteps of Nicaragua’s case
against Germany. The federal Northern California district court even
put the Biden administration on notice on Jan. 31 that their support for
Israel is likely breaking international and domestic law.
At this point, if the administration gets convicted of these crimes,
they have nothing to blame but the President’s passivity. He has the
unique power to stop the genocide in Gaza, yet chooses not to use the
leverage he has.
After the Apr. 1 Israeli Defense Forces’ targeted killing of six
foreign aid workers from the World Central Kitchen in Gaza, Biden
reportedly placed a simple phone call to Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, and like magic,
more aid corridors opened up. Of course,
anything that gets food into the hands of
the Palestinians in Gaza is crucial, but
one has to wonder why that phone call
only happened now, rather than months
ago, during the initial stages of the manmade
famine. Is there a reason Biden
seems less moved by the deaths of tens of
thousands of Palestinians than he does at
the six foreigners’?
Apparently, yes. Aaron David Miller,
a former State Department official who
specialized in Arab-Israeli negotiations,
recently gave an interview to the New
Yorker where he said what we’ve all been
thinking. “Do I think that Joe Biden has
the same depth of feeling and empathy
for the Palestinians of Gaza as he does
for the Israelis? No, he doesn’t, nor does
he convey it.”
Well, there it is, the crux of the Biden
problem. It explains why any attempt to
get Biden to reconsider his position on
the slaughter is doomed for failure — you
can’t fix a lack of empathy.
Nonetheless, every month or so, a
leak will give the public a glimpse into
Graphic by Liana Mendoza/Graphics Center
the internal “turmoil” of the Biden administration. The private conflict
in the State Department is being described as worse than during the
Iraq war, as reported by the Independent. The president has reportedly
received several memos of internal dissent from officials and staffers.
In November, more than a thousand U.S. Agency for International
Development employees signed a letter accusing the U.S. of being
complicit in violations of international law, and hundreds of U.S.
officials signed a letter sent on Nov. 14, 2023, objecting to Biden’s
Israel policy. In December, administration staffers made the rare
move of publicly protesting their boss when they held a vigil for
those killed in the slaughter in Gaza, calling for a cease-fire. By the
next month, federal staffers escalated to a walkout. A group of Biden
campaign employees wrote another letter, public this time, to Biden,
asking for, among other things, a permanent cease-fire and an end to
unconditional aid to Israel. Their efforts have so far proved fruitless.
Some people working under Biden have taken their dissent further.
In October, senior State Department Official Josh Paul, who spent
more than a decade supervising arms transfers, publicly resigned. In
a letter published on LinkedIn, Paul said the administration’s “blind
support” for Israel ran counter to his morals.
In January, Tariq Habash, a Palestinian-American appointee in
the Education Department, quit his job because he believed Biden was
aiding in the collective punishment of Palestinians. Most recently,
Annelle Sheline, a State Department official who worked on democracy
in the Middle East, resigned on Mar. 29 because she believed the U.S.
was enabling a genocide.
We need more resignations. If executive branch staffers and
officials are morally opposed to the president’s actions, they need to
stop clocking in every day to help him. If the president won’t listen to
his employees, he can see how he likes the White House without them.
Biden staffers quitting may ruin their career prospects, but history
will look favorably on their commitment to principles. No resume
entry is worth being complicit in genocide.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Opinion Editor: Chisom Okorafor
USF DISCONTINUES TENNIS
PROGRAMS
The tennis programs consist of 16 players and four coaches total. Pictured left to right:
Azaria Hayes, Julia Visaya. Photo courtesy of Chris M. Leung/Dons Athletics.
The men’s tennis team captured an NCAA championship in 1949. Pictured from left to
right: Asaf Friedler, Roman Lafond. Photo courtesy of Chris M. Leung/Dons Athletics.
Pictured from left to right: Maria Martinez Vaquero, Katerina Filip. Photo courtesy of Chris M.
Leung/Dons Athletics.
CHASE DARDEN
Staff Writer
On Friday, Apr. 9 in an email addressed to the USF community,
university administration announced the discontinuation of
the Dons men’s and women’s tennis programs, effective at the end
of this season, on Apr. 27.
The letter was sent by both Vice President of Business and Finance
Charlie Cross and Athletic Director Larry Williams. The
email cited “taking steps to become more efficient and implement
cost savings due to enrollment shortfalls” and “the significantly
expanded support services required for NCAA Division I competition”
for the programs’ discontinuation.
The tennis programs consist of 16 players and four coaches
total, and for those players who are on scholarship, Cross and Williams
stated that their scholarships will be honored if they decide
to stay at USF.
Cross and Williams stated, “USF’s tennis programs have represented
the university exceedingly well over many decades. Our
campus community and alumni are proud of the current teams
and their hard work, commitment and achievements in Division I
and West Coast Conference (WCC) competition.”
Tennis has had a lengthy history on the Hilltop. The men’s
tennis program won one of USF’s 10 NCAA championships in
1949, and the women’s tennis team has been competing since 1987.
From 2008 to 2010 the women’s team featured three-time consecutive
WCC Champion Jennifer Heinsner.
Today, according to Williams and Cross, it costs more than
$1 million annually to operate the programs. They stated that the
money saved from the programs’ discontinuation will be put back
into the university’s general fund, and the university “does not anticipate
discontinuing any other Division I sports at this time.”
In an interview with the Foghorn, Williams spoke on the process
of deciding which program would be cut, without disclosing
which programs were being considered.
“You have to play basketball to be a Division I school so you
can’t look at that one if you’re still committed to Division I,” he
said. “But some of the other [teams] did make it on the list for consideration
and we looked at a large number of different factors.”
USF does not have adequate on-campus facilities for tennis
which results in the tennis programs having to practice and compete
off-campus, usually at Golden Gate Park or the California
Tennis Club.
“On-campus facilities and interaction with the campus life…
that’s one of [the factors] and the fact that we are paying for transportation
to another spot that we have to rent, you know, makes
some of the programs… have less of a connection,” Williams said.
“So, ultimately tennis emerged as the sport that probably had the
least fit in all of our array. And, unfortunately, it was the one that
was selected.”
As for the coaches, Williams added, “I will say that the university
is being very fair with [the coaches] in helping them with the
transition.”
The women’s team is led by Head Coach Peter Bartlett who
is currently in his 26th season, and the men are led by third-year
Head Coach JT Sundling. Bartlett also served as the men’s coach
from 1997 to 2013.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
SPORTS

12
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11
THURSDAY
APR. 11
2024
“Much like we have honored the scholarship commitments, for
the student-athletes, we will honor the contractual obligations that we
have to [the coaches],” Williams said.
Senior tennis player, Moritz Hoffmann, recounted the events
leading up to his notification of the programs’ discontinuation.
“We got an invoice at 7 p.m. on Thursday, that we should all show
up in the media room, but the reason why was not said,” Hoffmann
said. “Then we showed up the next day at 8:30 a.m.… and then they let
us know that the program was going to be discontinued.”
Hoffmann said that the email to the USF community was sent just
30 minutes after the team’s meeting.
Regarding the announcement’s timing, Williams said, “I made the
decision to announce it now before the end of the season so that players
that desire to transfer to another school, have an opportunity to
get in the portal now and start examining other options. I didn’t want
to make commitments to incoming recruits, and I didn’t want to harm
the current students who might want to transfer out.”
The WCC Championships are quickly approaching on Apr. 25,
and the men’s tennis team is leaning on each other for support.
“Right now, the locker room feeling is – I mean, we’re all down,”
Hoffmann said. “It’s sad to see that we aren’t gonna be able to continue
but at the same time, I feel like as a team, we came closer together to
get over this hump together. We try to…make the last few weeks memorable
for all of us. That’s the main goal that we have.”
On Apr. 6, a day after the discontinuation was announced, the
men’s team swept the University of California, Santa Cruz Banana
Slugs 7-0 in Santa Cruz. On the same day, the women’s team lost to the
Santa Clara University Broncos 4-3 in Santa Clara. The men’s team
currently holds a conference record of 0-5 and an overall record of
6-11, while the women’s team is 0-3 in WCC play and 3-11 overall.
Hoffmann said, “I think it is sad to see that there was such little
communication and that…we weren’t really given a chance… to prove
ourselves to show that we can, for example, lower the costs, because
that’s always a possibility.”
He continued, “[I wish we were] given a chance to show that we’re
valuable assets to the community…because I think everybody that ever
came out to a tennis match knows the environment and knows that it’s
just fun to be there.”
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Sports Editor: Chase Darden
SPORTS
Dons tennis players’ scholarships will still be honored if they elect to stay at USF. Pictured: Moritz Hoffmann. Photo courtesy of Chris M. Leung/Dons Athletics.