Issue20FINAL

SF FOGHORN
EST. 1903
NEWS
03
USF reacts to
Golden Gate
Bridge Protest.
INÉS VENTURA
Staff Writer
Mini skirts, knee-high lace up boots, glittered eyelids and
smiling faces decorated the stairs outside the War Memorial gym
entrance last Friday, Apr. 19, as students waited for the doors to
open to USF’s Campus Activities Board (CAB)’s 2024 annual Donaroo,
featuring DJ Jacki, VarCity SF and headliner Doechii.
Hailing from Tampa, Florida, Doechii is a self proclaimed
“swamp princess” that has amassed nearly 10 million monthly
listeners on Spotify, and has performed alongside stars like SZA
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
SFFOGHORN.COM
SCENE
07
KUSF Fest rocks
09
the Undercaf.
@SFFOGHORN
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024 • VOL. 121, ISSUE 20
OPINION
and Beyonce.
“Finding out in the kitchen, through my friend, that Doechii
was performing, was genuinely the highlight of my year,” said
Sloane Downing, junior art history major and Doechii superfan.
Downing has been listening to Doechii since 2018, when the
name was just another entry on the music platform, Soundcloud.
“I really hope she plays ‘Girls’,” said Downing, to which her
friends Lherylle Bunnao, junior engineering major, and Megan
Ponce, junior design major, agreed. The three of them arrived two
and a half hours early to snag a front row view of the show.
Ponce added, “I literally brought my digital camera just to
FOGPOD
POLL: USF says
“no” to lower weed
age.
SPORTS
10
Dons Tennis plays
last home games.
Doechii’s most popular song “What It Is” just reached platinum status as of February 2024, according to the Recording Industry Association of America,
making it her first platinum hit. Photo by Kaleb Martinez/SF Foghorn
DOECHII DOMINATES
DONAROO

02 03
THURSDAY
APR. 25
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
SHOWING SOLIDARITY WITH PRO-PALESTINIAN
STUDENT ACTIVISTS
Pro-Palestinian protests on college
campuses are not new — in fact,
the Foghorn has previously reported
on demonstrations at USF. Now,
they’re being elevated to another
level. Across the nation, students are
now pitching tents for Gaza. These
“Gaza Solidarity Encampments” have
now become targets at universities.
Students everywhere should be
extremely concerned by crackdowns
on campus pro-Palestinian protests.
If students do not have the right to
peacefully protest mass atrocities,
academia can’t live up to its fullest
potential. The Foghorn stands in solidarity
with pro-Palestinian student
protesters.
Pro-Palestinian students at Columbia
University have faced some of
the most intense opposition to their
demonstrations. In January, protesters
were allegedly attacked with a
chemical weapon — skunk water —
by a counter protester with ties to the
Israeli Defense Forces. Skunk water is
commonly used by Israel against Palestinians
in the West Bank and can
cause intense nausea and vomiting
for days.
On Apr. 17, Columbia University
President Nemat Shafik made the decision
to enlist the New York Police
Department to arrest more than 100
student protesters who had set up a
“Gaza Solidarity” camp, suspending
them.
Afterward, protests at Columbia
only got bigger, and encampments
spread nationwide, reaching as far as
the University of California, Berkeley
on the other side of the country. But
where camps went, so did repression.
Nearly 50 students were arrested at
Yale University, and police also arrested
protestors, including faculty,
at New York University.
Just before Columbia’s arrests,
leadership at the University of Southern
California (USC) announced
that class valedictorian Asna Tabassum
would not be allowed to give
the customary speech at the class of
‘24 graduation ceremony. Tabassum,
a Muslim biomedical engineering
major with a minor in “resistance
to genocide” alledged the university
made the decision to prevent her
from voicing pro-Palestinian sentiments.
USC claimed having Tabassum
speak about Palestine at commencement
would create “substantial
security risks,” Vox reports. While
USC should prioritize the safety of
its students and their loved ones, they
should support Tabassum’s right to
voice her beliefs.
Universities should support student’s
first-amendment rights to
peacefully protest genocide and oppression
in Gaza and the West Bank.
Not allowing them to do so defeats
the very purpose of higher education.
Liberal education, which many American
universities, including USF, base
themselves on, is designed around
creating critically thinking citizens
who can engage ethically with civil
society around them. By shutting
down pro-Palestinian demonstrations,
universities are shutting down
the practical application of the very
lessons they teach students. This repression
threatens not just students,
but the very spirit of academia itself.
Students at New York University protest for Palestine. Photo courtesy of Adam Gray on Instagram
@agrayphot0.
USF REACTS TO GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE SHUTDOWN
PHEBE BRIDGES
Staff Writer
On Monday, Apr. 15, dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters blocked
traffic for more than four hours on the Golden Gate Bridge, beginning
just before 8 a.m. “California Highway Patrol reported that twenty-six
people were arrested for illegally stopping traffic on the Golden Gate
Bridge and were transported via bus to the San Francisco Hall of Justice
for booking,” the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation
District stated on Apr. 17.
The protest was one of three in the Bay Area occurring on Apr.
15, tax day, to protest U.S. tax dollars being spent in support of Israel.
Every year, the U.S. provides Israel “$3.3 billion in foreign military financing
every year,” a Mar. 29 segment from the National Public Radio
found.
More recently, as of Apr. 20, as reported by the Associated Press,
the U.S. approved “about $26 billion for supporting Israel and providing
humanitarian relief for people in Gaza… more than $9 billion of
the total would go toward humanitarian assistance in Gaza.”
Protesters on the Golden Gate Bridge chained themselves to each
other using PVC pipe, a method referred to as the “sleeping dragon”
protest strategy, which aims to make the user’s removal from the
protest site harder. On Oakland’s I-880 highway, protesters chained
themselves to barrels filled with concrete.
As protestors carried a sign calling to “Stop the World for Gaza,”
the bridge shut down garnered international media attention, with articles
being published in the Monaco Matin, Yahoo News UK, and the
Times of India.
As ABC7 reported, commuters were frustrated after being stuck
on the bridge for hours. Some even cited missing medical procedures
like stem cell replacement and colon surgery.
Being that many students on-campus are engaged with pro-Palestinian
activism, as previously reported in this publication, the Foghorn
asked USF students their thoughts on the effectiveness of this
controversial form of protest and the political ramifications around it.
Katie Thurman, a junior politics major said, “I definitely understand
[complaints about the bridge protesters] because… a lot of people
that vote are very reactionary because they don’t know a lot about
a cause. So… seeing [the protests], if they’re being inconvenienced, it’s
going to feel like an attack against them rather than awareness. But I
think ultimately discomfort is the only way to change. And I think if
you don’t [protest like] this, then… it’ll be easier to tune it out essentially.”
Aniya Williams, a sophomore media studies major, said, “I think
[the protests are] allowing us to pay more attention, because I know
there’s a lot of people who would choose to ignore [the movement]. We
are forcing people to look at what our country is doing to the Palestinian
people.”
The 26 arrested protesters are facing a variety of misdemeanor
charges, including “unlawful assembly, remaining at an unlawful assembly,
refusing to comply with a lawful order, unlawful stopping on
a bridge, unlawfully being a pedestrian on a freeway, impeding an officer…
and false imprisonment,” as reported by CBS News Bay Area.
These misdemeanor charges accompany one felony charge of conspiracy.
San Francisco’s District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has since encouraged
people who were affected by the bridge’s shut down to file a
report to Marin County authorities, saying that they “might be entitled
to restitution and have other victims’ rights” in a press conference.
In the Apr. 16 press conference, Jenkins said, “I want to make
clear that San Francisco, as well as myself as the District Attorney,
support free speech. We support those who want to make sure that
their first amendment rights are observed and that their point of views
are heard. But where we must draw the line is when acts of free speech
endanger public safety.”
California Governor Gavin Newsom also spoke out about the protest,
telling reporters, “I certainly respect the cause around the ceasefire…
but I think there’s a better way of expressing it than denying
people the ability to get to work, someone in an emergency that can’t
get to their destination.” He also said that the protesters “need to be
held to account for their actions,” according to the Chronicle.
As of Apr. 17, the 26 arrested protesters were released without
charges, though the California Highway Patrol and District Attorney’s
office are still reportedly pursuing charges against them.
Iman Moaddeli, a sophomore international studies major, said,
“People [should] have the right to organize and assemble and to protest.
[The DA’s announcement is] what will turn people off from the
movement. Like, ‘Oh, if I engage in these activities, I will be charged
as a criminal.’ So it’s really just serving to dissuade people from continuing
to mobilize and speak out against the United States funded
genocide.”
According to the International Court of Justice, the judicial
branch of the United Nations, it was deemed “plausable” that Israel is
committing a genocide in Gaza in a preliminarily ruling.
Moaddeli said, “I think it’s necessary to continue this kind of momentum
because we are… watching a genocide unfold. It should not be
business as usual while there’s genocide happening, especially genocide
that we are paying for. Like there’s blood on all of our hands…
And that is our moral obligation to disrupt and demand divestment
and free Palestine.”
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, News Editor: Niki Sedaghat
Pro-Palestinian protesters also shut down the Golden Gate Bridge on Feb. 14, according to CBS News. Screenshot courtesy of @jersey.noah on Instagram.
NEWS

04 05
THURSDAY
APR. 25
2024
SAN FRANCISCO TOURISM NEWS
PHEBE BRIDGES
Staff Writer
Breed met with Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng on her trip to
China. “We think that with increased flights, business opportunities,
pandas, the economic opportunities for San Francisco will be
significant,” Breed said in her press conference. Photo courtesy of a SF
Government Press Release.
The cable car was invented in San Francisco, and had its first run
on Aug. 2, 1873. Screenshot courtesy of @opvisual on Instagram.
Mayor Breed’s Trip to China:
On Apr. 21, Mayor London Breed returned to San Francisco following a weeklong
trip to China, after getting the country to agree to send two pandas to the San
Francisco Zoo.
Her goals for the trip extended beyond securing new animals for the zoo, however.
In a press conference, Breed declared, “We were truly successful in our trip, we had
meetings with government officials, airlines and business leaders… we held forums
with people interested in doing business in San Francisco.”
Apr. 20 marked the 45th anniversary of the sister-city partnership of San Francisco
and Shanghai. Breed and Shanghai Mayor Gong Zheng met on the anniversary.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the relationship between the two cities is
“the first of its kind” between the U.S. and China.
“Our sister city relationship stands as a bridge between our nations, facilitating
valuable exchanges that drive progress, innovation, and mutual understanding,” said
Breed during the anniversary reception.
Breed hopes the partnership between the cities will foster an increase in tourism
from China to San Francisco. “We know that there is a demand, we heard it from tour
operators who told us that we want more flights,” Breed said in her press conference.
“We heard it from people who said they want to come to San Francisco.”
Cable Car Decline:
Having recovered approximately 58% of their 2019 ridership, San Francisco’s cable
cars have struggled since the pandemic, according to numbers reported by the
Chronicle from the National Transit Database (NTD).
The cable cars have been operating at a loss for years. In 2022, the Federal Transit
Association reported operating costs rising to $74 million, with revenues only at $10.8
million, putting them at a net loss of approximately $63.2 million.
Though ridership has decreased since 2019, the service has steadily gained back
some of its riders since opening back up in 2021. In Sep. 2021, a month after the service
had reopened, 215,416 passenger rides were given. In contrast, 253,762 passenger trips
were given in Feb. of this year. Both statistics come from a chart created by the San
Francisoc Chronicle with data compiled from the NTD.
In a two-year budget approved by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation
Agency (SFMTA)’s board of directors this month, the cable car system will be implementing
a $5 all-day pass, in contrast to the current $8 ticket price per ride.
CONTINUED FROM FRONT PAGE
DANCING THE NIGHT AWAY AT DONAROO
take pictures of [Downing] fangirling over Doechii.”
The group of early-birds busted through the doors once they opened
at 6:30 p.m., and ran towards the stage’s barricade as “Deli” by Ice Spice
blared through the speakers. Neon pink lights and a pulsing green hue
illuminated the crowd as it continued to grow, and people started to dance
to the music, waiting for DJ Jacki to take the stage and get the night going.
“I was ecstatic, and feeling all the support from everyone there was
insane. I’ve never felt that much love [from a crowd] before,” said Jacaleen
Kizo, sophomore international business major known as DJ Jacki, on winning
CAB’s DJ competition back in March, which landed her the glory
of opening for Donaroo. This is the largest event Kizo has ever DJed for,
which made her feel nervous and excited to get the “crowd jumping, dancing
and to have a good time.”
DJ Jacki’s set came out swinging with “Jump Around” by House of
Pain, which was layered with a drum and bass track that you could feel in
your chest. During her 50-minute long set, DJ Jacki’s stage presence was
amplified by the graphic of a dragon flying in and out the letters of her
name on the screen behind her, and her ability to seamlessly mix between
opposing genres, like mixing Tyla’s R&B hit “Water” with Charli XCX’s
hyperpop bop, “Club Classics.”
USF’s hip hop dance team, VarCity SF, followed suit with their performance.
“Seeing all the work that we’ve all been doing this past semester
has been super crazy… I’m really excited,” said Lamiya Cotton, junior
communications major and vice president of VarCity SF. The team danced
to Travis Scott’s “FEIN,” followed by “Idgaf (Remix)” by EliezerDaTruth.
Laura Stevenson, junior media studies major and member of VarCity SF,
let the Foghorn in on the secret that some of the team was going to join
Doechii on stage later in the night.
“It’s really nerve-wracking but really exciting,” said Leah Laford,
first-year marketing major and VarCity SF dancer. “My mom loves [Doechii]
so much, so I was telling her like, ‘Yo mom I’m going to perform with
Doechii,’ she was like freaking out. So I’m excited to be in the presence of
a wonderful artist,” she said.
While waiting for Doechii’s performance, students snapped photos
with posters from past Donaroos that were lined at the back of the War
Memorial gym — the days of Ross Lynch’s abs gracing our campus at Donaroo
2023 seem so far behind.
Doechii hit the stage and the room exploded in a roar of excitement.
“Y’all are so f–ing pretty!,” she screamed in the faces of students in the
front row, as her song “Yucky Blucky Fruitcake” started to play in the
background.
The last time Doechii hit the Bay Area was on Halloween 2023 at the
Chase Center, when she opened for Doja Cat as a guest opener on “The
Scarlett Tour.”
After cycling through her discography and taking the crowd along
for the ride, Doechii finally arrived to play her latest single “Alter Ego ft.
JT,” when she invited VarCity SF members on stage. The group performed
the song together, and busted moves that definitely wouldn’t fly at your
middle school dance.
“It was amazing,” Doechii said to the Foghorn after the performance.
“It was really good. I feel like this school is a vibe… and the crowd was just
amazing.”
After the concert, Doechii mega-fan Downing stood still and starstruck
at the stage’s barricade. On what it was like seeing her favorite artist
perform, she said “Indescribable, amazing. She is so good.” She added
jokingly, “I feel like I’m going to throw up.”
On how USF students could tap into their own “swamp princess”
identity, Doechii said, “Start with a trucker hat.”
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Scene Editor: Inés Ventura
NEWS
Azores Airlines, which flies between Oakland to Terceira Island
in Portugal, has already begun using OAK’s new name. Screenshot
courtesy of @iflyoak on Instagram.
Proposed OAK Airport Name Change:
San Francisco has launched a lawsuit against Oakland following the Port of Oakland’s
Commissioners’ Apr. 11 vote to change Oakland International Airport’s name to
“San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport.” The lawsuit, filed federally on Apr.
18, alleges that the name change would violate San Francisco’s trademark on the title
“San Francisco International Airport.”
While the Oakland International Airport would keep their three-letter codes,
OAK, San Francisco’s suit alleges that the Port of Oakland is “intentionally and knowingly
capitaliz[ing] off of confusion” resulting from the name change, according to
CNN. San Francisco International Airport’s code is SFO.
“There are many, many airports that have a similar or common city or geographic
identification name in their title,” said Danny Wan, executive director for the Port of
Oakland, to CNN.
As reported by Travel Weekly, after the port’s vote to change the name of the airport,
Port Commission President Barbara Leslie stated, “We are standing up for Oakland
and the East Bay. This name will make it clear that OAK is the closest major airport
for 4.1 million people, three national laboratories, the top public university in the
country and California’s Wine Country.”
Final approval on the name will not be granted until the second vote held by the
Port of Oakland’s Board of Commissioners, which is scheduled to take place on May 9.
Leah Possik, vice president of marketing and communications for CAB, revealed to the Foghorn that CAB had secured Doechii as the headliner back in November 2023.
“This is the earliest we ever gotten an artist… Keeping that secret was hard, but I do think it was worth it in the end,” she said. Photo by Kaleb Martinez/SF Foghorn
SCENE

06 07
THURSDAY
APR. 25
2024
SCENE
INÉS VENTURA
Staff Writer
CAN’T STOP THE BLAZE
420 Hippie Hill Celebration Persists Despite Event Cancellation
Despite forecasts for clear skies on Saturday, Apr. 20, a cloudy
haze rolled in on the Sharon Meadows part of Golden Gate Park, better
known as Hippie Hill.
More than 500 people gathered on the hill to celebrate 4/20, an
important date in marijuana partaker’s calendars. 4/20 is celebrated
globally, but is very prominent here in the Bay Area, where it got its
roots.
On Saturday, Haight Street’s many smoke shops were adorned
with 4/20 decor, and people could be seen headed to the park clutching
bags of weed bought from street vendors, and donning marijuana
memorabilia like Santa hats around Christmas.
This year’s cannabis congregation differed from years prior, since
the official city-held event was canceled. According to a Mar. 26 Instagram
post by the organizers, 420 Hippie Hill, the event was canceled
“due to city wide budget cutbacks, the climate of the cannabis
industry & economy we have been unable to secure enough financial
sponsorship to get everything required for a safe, clean, city & state
compliant event.”
Only 15 minutes away from campus, students make the annual
trip to Hippie Hill to partake in 4/20 celebrations. This year, despite
official event cancellations, students stuck to tradition.
Mari Quinton, a senior performing arts and social justice (PASJ)
major at USF, said, “I was really sad that it was canceled this year,
especially because a lot my friends are now 21 and older… and it’s my
last year here in SF, so I really wanted to experience that for my last
4/20.” Her friends decided to go to the hill despite not knowing what
to expect.
Joely Kaatz, who came to Hippie Hill with Quinton, noted how
great of a turn out there was, despite there being no festival. “We were
just talking about… it’s so cute that we don’t actually need an organized
event to still come out into the park and be here together,” said
Kaatz, also a senior PASJ major.
Upon entering Sharon Meadows, park-goers were not greeted
with the previous years fencing and event entrances. Instead, kickball
games and volleyball nets took over the grass area. Volo Sports,
According to a 2023 Gallup poll, 17% of Americans reported they smoke marijuana. Photo by Inés Ventura/SF Foghorn
a nation-wide adult social sports company and the largest of its kind,
was called in by the City to provide some activity in lieu of the usual
festivities being canceled.
Greg Sileo, vice president of Volo Sports said to the Foghorn,
“The city reached out to us and asked us to partner with them, to
activate some of the space here during the 4/20 event. Historically,
obviously, lots of people come to the park on 4/20, and we were just all
about trying to figure out ways to have some fun stuff for people to do
while they’re here…. To celebrate the day in a different way than they
have in the past.”
While people had the option to play, the majority opted to sit on
the hill and partake in something less athletically-demanding.
As the sun beat down on the hill and its inhabitants, people filed
into the few empty spots left on the grass. Quinton said, “I love getting
to just like, lay in the sun and smoke a joint. And like they are passing
out free water and free joints if you show your ID, I’m like ‘that’s so
cool.’”
While people have celebrated unofficially on the hill for years,
the city-sanctioned festival began in 2016 in response to crowd trampling,
drug lacing, overdoses and “several reports of violence & theft,
and tons of trash left behind (literally 22,000 pounds = 11 tons!!),” as
stated on the 420 Hippie Hill page.
Last year’s celebration hosted up to 20,000 attendees, and weed
guru and musician Erykah Badu performed at the festival, and even
led the countdown to 4:20 p.m. Mike Tyson made a guest appearance
on stage, adding to the events’ list of celebrity attendees. Admission to
the festival is usually free with valid 21+ ID, with VIP tickets available
for purchase.
In preparation for this year’s festivities, the San Francisco Police
Department increased patrolling of the park, according to reporting
by the San Francisco Examiner.
To ensure that drug safety remained a part of the celebration,
local organizations like Dance Safe and Mica’s Hugs were set up at the
foot of the hill with free fentanyl test kits, cases of water bottles and
plenty of drug harm prevention resources. Mica Sawyer, president and
founder of Mica’s Hugs, told the Foghorn, “This is the first time we’ve
done the 4/20 thing here… we have plenty of product on hand in case
someone here does overdose, so we can help out in that way.”
The product that Sawyer refers to is naloxone,
more commonly known by its brand
name “Narcan.” The FDA approved it as the
first over-the-counter “medication that rapidly
reverses the effects of opioid overdose.”
Sawyer continued, “Also just to educate
people as much as we can, and try to get the
project out in the community, so even when
people go home from here they will have the
product with them.”
When it got closer to the most anticipated
time of the day, someone announced through
a megaphone, “alright everyone you got five
minutes to 4:20.” People got their supplies
ready, and the clicking sounding of lighters
started to speckle throughout the crowd.
Counting down to the second, just like on
New Year’s Eve, the crowd erupted into cheers
once the time came, and the clear skies quickly
became hazier. And no, it wasn’t the skunks in
the park behind that smell.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief
Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel, Managing Editor:
Jordan Premmer, Scene Editor: Inés Ventura
KUSF FEST TRANSFORMS UNDERCAF
INTO DIY INDIE CONCERT
ANYA JORDAN
Staff Writer
KUSF brought San Francisco’s vibrant “DIY” music scene to campus
with performances by Buddy Junior and Green Cat on Apr. 18 in
the Undercaf. The performances were part of “KUSF Fest,” put on by
USF’s online radio station. The evening featured live music from San
Francisco-based bands, specializing in indie and alternative shoegaze.
Red and orange lighting set the mood for the show as the bands
prepared to play and the Undercaf was transformed into an indie rock
paradise. Completed with a handmade banner, black and red streamers
and KUSF’s #1 fan, Hazel the Skeleton, the usual design of the
Undercaf was uprooted. Tables and chairs were pushed aside, creating
ample space for dancing. Attendees of the show dressed the part, with
unique outfits ranging from cheetah print pants to DIY band merch.
“I’m a pretty big proponent of DIY culture,” said Miranda Morris,
the general manager of KUSF. “This is, to me, where students learn
how to plug in the mics, plug in the speakers, run the mixer, and how
to put on a show all by ourselves…We’re not hiring any production
companies … So every show we kind of try to build on maintaining
our equipment and procuring equipment that we need,” she continued.
The first band to take the stage was Green Cat, a trio composed of
Hailey Girandola and cousin-duo Oskar Veloz and Owen Veloz. After
the first strum of the guitar, heads began to nod and people began to
dance.
Born out of their garage, Green Cat has been playing together for
two years and are signed to Chris Records out of San Francisco. Owen
Veloz, the band’s drummer, spoke about how important it is to support
local bands beyond just paying to watch them perform. “We’re
getting paid for this show,” he said. “It’s not the reason we’re doing it,
it’s the reason we’re able to make merch tonight, which we’ve never
really had official merch before.”
Girandola said, “It’s crazy because you never think something you
like to do will give you something back. You usually just play a show,
JB Lennar (left) and Kiana Endres (right) make up
half of Buddy Junior. Photo by Veston Smith/SF Foghorn
you talk to people and then you just go home… The support did get us
to level up a little bit to where we can say that we will have an album
coming out in the summer and merch.”
As Green Cat wrapped up their set, they let the crowd in on the
exciting news of the release of their upcoming album, set to be recorded
at Hyde Street Studios in May.
Next up was Buddy Junior, a local emo-influenced shoegaze band
signed to Cherub Dream Records based in San Francisco. The band
consists of Cassady Dunn on drums, Kiana Endres on vocals and guitar
and JB Lennar on vocals and guitar. Christina Bussler, USF ‘15,
plays bass and vocals.
“It’s very weird, but oddly comforting, to be back and see there’s
a lot of things that are different about the campus,” Bussler said. “The
Undercaf has stayed the same, and it has the same kind of cozy vibe to
it, so it’s fun to play here.”
Lennar founded Cherub Dream Records, and Buddy Junior was
the first band signed to the label. The group has officially been playing
together for two years, and they plan to add an additional guitarist in
the near future.
Veronica Palmer, senior media studies major and KUSF music director,
was credited by her peers at the station for being the mastermind
behind the whole event. “I grew up around music, and I think
just doing it yourself and putting energy and care into what you’re
doing is really important,” she said. Palmer discovered the two bands
through her passion for the Bay Area music scene, which led to Green
Cat coming up in KUSF station’s currents playlist.
Palmer continued, “KUSF doesn’t have an airwave anymore…and
so it’s, like, screw it. We’ll embrace that kind of DIY… we’ll just put
this s—t together, and we’ll do it ourselves.”
Inés Ventura contributed to the reporting of this story.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Scene Editor: Inés Ventura
Owen Veloz, drummer of Green Cat, is wearing a tee from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
with a handmade “greencat’ patch pinned to it — he thrifted the tee not knowing what SCAD was. Photo by Veston
Smith/SF Foghorn
SCENE

08 09
THURSDAY
APR. 25
2024
OPINION
THE CASE FOR RESISTING ARREST
CHISOM OKORAFOR is a
sophomore politics major.
How do we best protest our Pro-Israel Government?
American politicians like
President Joe Biden have long
supported Israel on the basis of
Western values, claiming it’s the
“only democracy in the Middle East.”
However, their support for Israel is
not just deteriorating democratic
values abroad, but at home as well.
Our government’s allegiance to
Israel isn’t preserving democracy;
it’s violating it. So far, our protests
against this have been insufficient
at creating enough change. We need
to be more serious about how we
approach protesting this support.
On Apr. 21, the U.S. House of
Representatives passed a bill that
would send $26.3 billion to Israel
— $4 billion of which is for Israeli
missile purchases, according to the Associated Press. This bill was
supported for months by President Biden, Al-Jazeera reports. The
Center on American-Islamic Relations described the Israel aid as a
“blank check” with which Israel can buy more weapons to slaughter
Palestinians.
Both legally and morally, directing more aid to Israel is disgusting.
Legally, it violates the Leahy laws to fund military units that have
credible reports of gross human rights violations. This would logically
exclude just about the entire Israeli military from American funding.
Morally, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to end
Israel’s aggression against Palestinians, which includes threatening to
cut off military aid, a tactic that has historically worked to get Israel
to cease-firing.
In an all-too-rare occasion, public opinion and the right thing to
do overlap. A YouGov/Economist poll from this month found that a
majority of Americans don’t support increasing aid to Israel.
Biden has long affirmed his “ironclad” support for the state of
Israel. But he wasn’t elected president to represent the interests of
Israel – he was elected to represent us. When
he ignores calls to end aid to Israel, he is
ignoring his legal, moral, and political duties.
Anyone who does that is not someone who
can be trusted with power.
Again and again, we have witnessed
our government violate the principles of
liberalism and democracy to protect Israel.
When the majority of the world, as well as
a majority of the United Nations Security
Council, recognizes Palestine as a state,
the U.S. blocks it. When we see blatant war
crimes, such as mass executions at hospitals,
committed by Israel, the U.S. insists we
didn’t. When tens of thousands of Democrats
voted “uncommitted” in the primaries to
show Biden that his re-election prospects rest
on changing his policies on Gaza, he ignored
them — throwing away his political future for
the benefit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, who publicly wants him to lose to
former President Donald Trump.
So, what is to be done? Well, one of the
first suggestions you’ll find on any “How
You Can Help Palestinians in Gaza” list is to
“contact your representatives.” Seems easy
Graphic by Delaney Lumpkin/Graphics Center
enough. The only problem is that barely a month into this slaughter, we
learned that our congressional representatives were letting calls about
Gaza go to voicemail, as reported by the New Republic. There’s always
boycotting, but that’s a literal non-action. There must be something
more active we can do.
I, like many of you, have followed and participated in peaceful
protests for Palestine, both on and off campus. I have been lucky
enough to avoid facing direct legal consequences at these protests,
but the same can’t be said for every protester. From the people who
shut down the Golden Gate Bridge to students at Columbia and
Yale Universities, Pro-Palestinian protesters have faced arrests and
brutality, many without any resistance to police efforts.
That needs to change. While the image of protesters singing while
being arrested is certainly romanticized, the truth is there is no honor
in being arrested. It is not only your right, but your duty to resist arrest
when you’re being targeted for denouncing genocide. We need to fight
back against law enforcement shutting down demonstrations.
Some strategies include forcing de-arrests, like surrounding police
vehicles until detained protesters are released. Alternatively, we could
look toward the example set by the 2020 Black Lives Matter protesters,
who kicked tear gas canisters back at police and developed fast-moving
protest structures to avoid mass arrests. Or we could follow the
students at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, who
on Monday barricaded themselves inside rooms and fought riot police.
Of course, the dangers of resisting arrest are not the same for
everyone. Black and brown protestors face significantly more risk
even when they’re not deliberately disobeying law enforcement. But
as someone who also faces this risk, we have to brave it in light of the
repression the pro-Palestinian cause is facing.
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. If all the sanctioned methods
of getting our government to listen to us aren’t working, we need to try
something outside of the accepted methods of protest.
Breaking the law is usually bad. But our government is supporting
atrocities in our name. If they’re going to break the rules, so must we.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Opinion Editor: Chisom Okorafor
POLL: CANNABIS CONSIDERATIONS
ELIZABETH STROUT is a
junior English major.
Marijuana has always
been in the backdrop of my
life. Whenever I would visit
Hilo, the Hawaiian town my
dad grew up in, he would
jokingly play a song called
“Who Is the Lolo Who Stole
My Pakalolo?” for us in
the car, en route to a party
where pakalolo (weed) would
certainly be puffed. At home
in the East Bay, the scent of
cannabis would fill the shed
my cross country team stored
our backpacks in. I distinctly
remember a senior running
his best race after hitting
a blunt. Though I was too
prudish to partake, my personal inhibitions could not prevent
its presence.
Here in the Bay Area, weed is so ingrained in our culture.
This phenomenon is not just in California; the number of states
embracing legal recreational marijuana consumption continues
to grow.
I am speaking from the goody-two-shoes perspective of
the daughter of a high school health teacher — attempting
to prevent impending federal marijuana decriminalization is
pointless. In fact, it might even make sense to lower the legal
age.
Currently, the legal age for marijuana use in California, like
most weed-friendly states, is 21. However, there is logic behind
lowering it. Philosophically, yes, we are morally obligated to
protect children from the harms of drugs and educate them on
how to make healthy decisions.
But from a practical perspective, regulating marijuana is smarter
than banning it.
Under federal law, marijuana is classified as a Schedule I drug —
the most hardcore drug classification. But if the haze surrounding
Hippie Hill on Apr. 20 was any indication, this classification is not
taken seriously.
Do you think the legal age for marijuanna
consumption should be lowered?
YES
NO
Graphic by Anya Jordan/SF Foghorn
41%
59%
821 Votes
1176 Votes
1,997 Total Votes
Graphic by Grace Tawatao/Graphics Center
A University of Florida study found that 54% of Americans will
have used cannabis before age 21. These individuals currently could
face criminal prosecution if caught.
Instead of banning marijuana, the legal age for recreational use
should match the legal age for medical use — 18 years old in California.
High schools and colleges should enforce effective education programs
to raise awareness about the risks of marijuana use. Similar to sex
education, having an honest conversation with young adults about
ways to stay safe is more realistic than expecting them to not
have sex or smoke at all.
Legalizing marijuana for 18-plus crowds would also grant
currently closeted users access to regulated dispensaries.
When pot shops are prohibited, the black market goes boom.
This translates to the risk of buying weed from dealers who
cut their product with lethal drugs such as fentanyl. Amid the
continued allure of cannabis, market regulation makes the
most sense as a solution to keep smokers safe.
Not everyone shares my point of view. The Foghorn
conducted a poll through Fizz, an anonymous college campus
social media app where users must have a “@dons.usfca.edu”
email address to become a member. The Foghorn asked, “Do
you think the legal age for marijuana consumption should be
lowered?” The poll received 1,997 votes, with a margin of error
of +/-2%. 41% of students (821 votes) responded “Yes.” The
majority of respondents (59%, or 1176 votes) did not support
a lower legal age for marijuana. It is worth noting that Fizz
demographics skew young, with most users being freshmen
and sophomores, who are typically under 21. These insights
illustrate that students are somewhat split on this issue.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia
Siegel, Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Opinion Editor: Chisom
Okorafor
OPINION

10 11
THURSDAY
APR. 25
2024
USF SAYS GOODBYE
TO DONS TENNIS
Pictured left to right: Hana Gamracy, Erin Richardson, Qianer Qiu, Simran Chhabra, Julia Visaya, Alicia Yue, Azaria Hayes. Picture by Kaleb Martinez/SF Foghorn.
SPORTS
Pictured left to right: Maria Martinez Vaquero, Rita Colyer, Hana Gamracy, Qianer Qiu, Simran Chhabra. Photo courtesy of Chris M. Leung/Dons Athletics.
AMANDA HERNANDEZ & JOHN LINDROOS
Staff Writers
USF announced the discontinuation of the tennis programs on Apr. 5. Pictured left to right: Julia
Visaya, Simran Chhabra, and Peter Bartlett. Photo by Kaleb Martinez/SF Foghorn.
The USF men’s and women’s tennis teams held their final home
matches last weekend, marking an end to one of the university’s historic
athletic programs, following the Apr. 5 announcement of their
discontinuation. Both the men’s and women’s matches garnered a supportive
turnout from USF fans, alumni and fellow student-athletes.
The men took on the St. Mary’s College Gaels on Apr. 20 at the
California Tennis Club. USF student-athletes from the soccer, golf,
volleyball, cross country and track & field teams gathered around the
courts.
Senior volleyball player Aylen Ayub said her team frequently attends
the tennis team’s home games. “Today was a little extra important
[with] everything that’s going on in the program,” she said. “We
wanted to show them support and how we’re trying to be there for
them.”
Junior cross country and track runner Carter Lewis added, “We
feel for them. As a student-athlete, my sport is everything. We practice
six days a week, and I’ve been doing this sport for eight years, and the
same goes for the tennis team.”
After an emotionally charged game, the Dons lost 4-2 against the
Gaels. The game was followed by a ceremony for senior night and a
commemoration for the program’s end.
Team captain and graduate student Davide Cortimiglia said, “It
was incredible, playing in front of so many people that love the tennis
program and came to support us. It’s unbelievable. It was hard not to
cry during the match, especially the last games because every point
could have been the last one.”
Cortimiglia, who is originally from Genoa, Italy, said, “I
was struggling to understand ‘What is playing for a university?’
‘What is playing U.S. college tennis?’ but now I completely
understand,” he said. “I’m very proud that I’ve been
the captain of this team, helping my teammates during this
tough period, especially when we came to know this tragic
news about cutting the program… It’s an unbelievable path,
and I love my teammates. I love my coaches. I love USF.”
“It’s sad to think that kids…that came to watch us and
support us...they can’t play [tennis] for USF one day,” he
said.
Senior tennis player Moritz Hoffman said, “I feel sad
that this is coming to an end. I’ve been here for two years
now, and this has been an amazing team…that’s what I’m
going to take away from today. The friends and people and
the connections that I made along the way.”
The women’s team played the following day, on Apr. 21,
at the Goldman Tennis Center in Golden Gate Park. USF
student-athletes, alumni and fans rallied for a second day
The women’s tennis team played the LMU Lions on Apr. 21, at the Goldman Tennis
Center in Golden Gate Park. Pictured: Maria Martinez Vaquero. Photo by Kaleb Martinez/SF
Foghorn.
to watch the team’s final match.
The women’s tennis team maintained high spirits despite
losing 0-4 against the Loyola Marymount University Lions. The
team held a ceremony honoring coaches, players and alumni after the
game. Head Coach Peter Bartlett, who has coached both the USF
men’s and women’s teams for 29 years, said, “We appreciate everybody
that came out today. It’s been an absolute joy that I got to live out my
dream which is really to work and inspire and be inspired by [these
players]. To you ladies, I thank you.”
Following his speech, Bartlett called up each women’s tennis player
to present them with a bouquet of flowers, honoring their commitment
to the tennis program. Lined up across the court, many of the
players were visibly emotional. “This is my first year, and I wasn’t expecting
them to cut the program,” said tennis player Julia Vasaya, who
plans to transfer to another program to continue her collegiate athletic
career. “I would love to stay here.”
Athletic Director Larry Williams and Vice President of Business
and Finance Charlie Cross stated in their email announcing the program’s
cancellations that they will support tennis players who chose to
stay at the university. “Whatever they decide, we will stand with them.
We will honor the scholarship commitments impacted student-athletes
were awarded if they remain at USF.”
The alumni were also welcomed to the court to be recognized.
Following group photos with the tennis team, alumni Marisa Louie
Stone, who played for the women’s team from 1976 to 1980, said, “I
came out to celebrate with the team. It’s a shame that it’s their last
match. The coaches are awesome. It’s a good experience for the girls.
It’s such a shame that they had to cancel the team. I’m hoping that at
some point, they’ll figure some way out to turn that around.”
USF Tennis alumni Rita Colyer, who was also present at the women’s
final matches, expressed her discontent with the decision. She
created an online petition in hopes of keeping the program alive. “I
was pretty upset and just kind of… thinking what to do about this
situation,” she said. “As an alumni, I feel like I was in a position where
I could start the movement on getting positive attention to why we
should keep the USF teams, and I really felt I had a plan.” Colyer played
for the team from 2018 until last year.
Colyer said that the petition’s goal was originally 1,500 signatures,
but at the time of print, with the help of other alumni, the petition has
gained just under 2,000 signatures and is on its way to completing its
new goal of 2,500.
“We have a group of 70 former USF tennis players dating back all
the way to the early 2000s. That’s where we’ve been posting updates
about the petition and the next steps,” Colyer said. The next steps include
alumni and supporters directly contacting Cross, Williams, and
USF President Paul Fitzgerald, S.J.
“It affects a lot [of] people,” Colyer said. “It’s not just the team…
the tennis community in SF is impacted by this as well.”
Editor’s Note: Foghorn Sports Editor Chase Darden signed the petition
to help save the USF tennis programs.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Sports Editor: Chase Darden
SPORTS

12
THURSDAY
APR. 25
2024
FRANKIE FERRARI RETURNS
TO THE HILLTOP
CHASE DARDEN
Staff Writer
This year, a familiar face returned to the Hilltop. Former Dons
point guard, Frankie Ferrari, just completed his first season at USF
as the men’s basketball assistant coach and director of player development.
He brings with him his extensive professional experience.
Ferrari played for the Dons from 2014-19 and retired professionally
in 2023, after successful professional stints in the National Basketball
Association (NBA) G-League and Summer League with the Santa
Cruz Warriors, Sacramento Kings, Memphis Grizzlies, Utah Jazz, and
later in Spain and Poland.
In 2022, while with the Kings, Ferrari matched up against his former
teammate and USF legend Jamaree Bouyea, in an NBA Summer
League game against the Miami Heat.
The Burlingame native is fourth all-time, at USF, in free throw
percentage (.821), fifth in assists (396), seventh in three-pointers made
(171) and three-point percentage (.399), eighth in three-pointers attempted
(447), and 38th in scoring (1,027). He is also tied with Jordan
Ratinho and Nate Renfro for the single-season record for games
played (39 in 2017-18).
Ferrari spoke on his return to the Bay Area, “Growing up I always
knew I wanted to be a coach…I knew that I’d have to sit the shoes down
sometime,” he said.
“Unfortunately for me, it ended a little earlier than I had planned
just with injuries and stuff,” he continued. “And for me to start my
coaching career at USF, it was always a place I called home…I was a
ball boy as a kid and then having played [here]... and to come back and
build the program that I feel like I had kind of rejuvenated it’s a special
thing for me.”
As the former point guard took on the role of coach, his impact
was evident through the development of the Dons guards this season.
This season, the Dons had productive breakout years from guards
Malik Thomas, Marcus Williams, and Ryan Beasley. Thomas earned
West Coast Conference (WCC) First Team honors, Beasley won Freshman
of the Year, and Williams was an Honorable Mention.
“I think I can really relate to the players because I was in their
shoes not too long ago,” Ferrari said. “And then having done what
they want to do… playing professionally and being in NBA arenas and
things of that nature. I think that I can give them a good kind of sense
of how it goes,” he added.
Beasley and Ferrari shared a special relationship this season as
Beasley tried to make a name for himself. “Frankie had a great impact
on my development,” Beasley said. “We would watch film after every
game, just on different plays I had, and would break it down.”
He continued, “He’s been more of a mentor [for me], always in my
ear just telling me things I can do to be better, and we would work with
each other almost every day in practice. Overall, I’m not a complete
product, and with the help of Frankie I believe I can get to where I
want to go.”
Though the Dons fell short of their goals this season, Ferrari is
optimistic that there will be more to see from USF next season.
“Just continuing the continuity that we built this year,” Ferrari
said, “there’s a strong foundation…I think that we have a really good
recipe to be an NCAA tournament team, just to kind of work hard and
stay healthy and let the chips fall where they may.”
The Dons will return to War Memorial Gym in November 2024.
Editor-in-Chief: Megan Robertson, Chief Copy Editor: Sophia Siegel,
Managing Editor: Jordan Premmer, Sports Editor: Chase Darden
SPORTS
Frankie Ferrari brings professional experience from the NBA and overseas. Pictured from left to right: Mike Sharavjamts, Frankie Ferrari. Photo courtesy of Chris M. Leung/Dons Athletics.