Voting Begins CSU System Faces Threat of Faculty Strike As Polls Open
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Serving San Jose State University since 1934 Volume 145 • Issue 24 Tuesday, October 20, 2015 A&E OPINION SPORTS Mascot mayhem Dakotah Zabroski Superbowl takes over on the four-year trophies visit San Pedro college myth p.4 Spartan Stadium YouTube.com/SpartanDailyYT Square p.3 YouTube.com/SpartanDailyYT p.6 FIGHT FOR FIVE Voting begins CSU system faces threat of faculty strike as polls open By Matthew Dziak that will look over the facts and @bigmattitude come up with a report some- time in December.” Th e California Faculty As- Th e vote to authorize the strike sociation opened voting on a is open at all 23 CSU campuses strike authorization for Califor- and is available online as well. nia State Universities yesterday SJSU and Cal Poly San Luis that will run until Oct. 28. Obispo are the only two cam- Th e CFA is seeking a 5 percent puses off ering in-person voting increase in salary for its esti- on each day leading up to the 5 mated 25,000 CSU employees p.m. deadline on Oct. 28 (ex- and are moving forward to the cluding Saturday and Sunday). next phase. In its attempt to increase pay for “We are at fact-fi nding stage faculty, the CFA has gained sup- which is the last step in the bar- porters in Sacramento as well. gaining process,” said San Jose “Th e 5 percent increase would | Spartan Daily State University CFA President acknowledge that the faculty is Matthew Dziak and sociology professor Preston valued by the state of California,” SJSU California Faculty Association President Preston Rudy leads a rally for Fight For Rudy. “Th ere is going to Five, a push for a 5 percent raise in faculty salaries, in front of Tower Hall yesterday. be a panel of three people see STRIKE on page 2 TWO OF A KIND Two queens crowned at Fire on the Fountain By Andrew Cypert science senior Diana Garcia stepped forward to exchange campus and off -campus volunteering, heading greek fra- @audaciousgreen her candidate sash for a royal sash and was given fl owers ternities and sororities and excelling in their academics. and a scepter. Garcia and Warmsley said they were excited and honored Excitement and screams were heard from across campus A few moments of tension built up before the next royal to be part of this new experience. as San Jose State University history was made at the Home- member was named. “When I got nominated to be part of Homecoming court coming Fire on the Fountain event Th ursday night. A second queen was named for the fi rst time at SJSU and I already felt like a winner, so today’s kind of like the cherry At any school, Homecoming royalty is traditionally business management senior Drew Warmsley stepped for- on top,” Garcia said. “I feel so honored to be with Drew, you comprised of a male king and a female queen. Th is year’s ward to accept the title and make history. know, to be part of history. Times are changing and if we’re Homecoming court at SJSU was diff erent. A total of six students were eligible to potentially be named both deserving of it, why not?” Aft er she was announced Homecoming queen, political winners. Each candidate met qualifi cations including on- During the beginning of the event, students lined up to get T-shirts and enjoyed complimentary cotton candy, popcorn, hot dogs and water. Lines were long, but they cycled through quickly. Games at the event encouraged competitive energy to prepare for the Homecoming football game against San Diego State University. Tower Lawn was fi lled with stu- dents and booths put on by student organizations. Clubs set out to inform students of their causes and spread awareness. One of the groups, Academic Leaders and Men- tors Aiming for Success, promoted Dia de los Muertos. “What Dia de los Muertos is, is a Mexican celebra- tion for the dead,” said electrical engineering junior and A.L.M.A.S. member Mauricio Alvarado. “We do not grieve our passed away family. Instead we celebrate that they’re in a better place and do that in the form of face painting.” Alvarado said A.L.M.A.S. is a multicultural club that helps students become successful through volunteering and help with academics. Th e Spartan Fencing Guild and Juggle at SJSU enter- tained attendees with their skills and tricks. Student dance | Spartan Daily Photos by Randy Vazquez groups also performed on stage, entertaining hundreds of Political science senior Diana Garcia (left) and business management senior Drew Warmsley (right) were both chosen as Homecoming queens at Fire on the Fountain Thursday night. see HOMECOMING on page 2 STAND UP, SPEAK OUT Rally celebrates SJSU’s legacy of student activism By Kavin Mistry this campus,” Valdez said. “It gave us the @kavinm95 courage, the enthusiasm and the confi dence that we could go out and change the world.” People may have strong opinions, but it is People walking past the event stopped the ones who have the guts to stand up for when Valdez spoke to listen to what he had what they believe in who create the most to say. change. “He was so passionate with what he “I grabbed a chair from the cafeteria said—that is what is important about and dragged it out to Seventh Street and when you hear a person like that speak. If we had a rally. We stopped the traffi c un- he has that passion, it makes you appreci- til the campus police came and forced us ate it more,” said political science senior off ,” said San Jose State alumnus Luis Val- Alexander Donald. “You want to use what dez. “We did it again and again until aft er he said and bring it into your own life and a week (when) they closed Seventh Street apply it to situations that you are in.” and it became the Seventh Street forum.” Th e Legacy Rally was organized to in- Valdez, a leader in the Chicano movement crease student awareness about the rich and an American playwright, shared his history of SJSU and how important it is experience of standing up for what he be- that it stays alive. lieved in when times were tough at the Leg- Legacy Week began on Monday with two Kavin Mistry | Spartan Daily acy Rally in front of the Tommie Smith and outdoor movies, both depicting stories John Carlos Statue on Th ursday aft ernoon. Luis Valdez tells an anecdote at the Legacy Rally about his time at San Jose “We learned that it was possible to change see LEGACY on page 2 State to emphasize the importance of student activism on Thursday. 2NEWS Tuesday, October 20, 2015 Andrew Cypert | Spartan Daily A burst of fi re engulfs the air as Erin St. Blaine of the Fire Pixies puts on a performance for the crowd during the Fire on the Fountain event. Andrew Cypert | Spartan Daily Fire Pixie Darryl St. Blaine swallows fi re at San Jose State’s Fire on the Fountain at Tower Lawn for the Homecoming event last Thursday. HOMECOMING Th e SJSU marching band came out to from page 1 perform with the Spartan cheerleaders af- ter the fi re dancers’ fi nale. Th e drums were students who came to watch the excitment. loud and bright as the cheerleaders fl ipped From Bollywood, hip-hop fusion danc- through the air. ing to break dancing and stepping, the Fire on the Fountain was one of many crowd went nuts. Th e dancers were on fi re. events held to raise school spirit before the But they were not literally on fi re. Th at Homecoming game against the SDSU Az- was the job of the Fire Pixies, a fi re danc- tecs, which SJSU lost. ing group that has performed at Fire on the Fountain for years. Andrew Cypert is a | Contributing Photographer Th e Fire Pixies performance included fi re Spartan Daily staff writer. Ramon Farrier whips, fi re hula hoops and fi re eating. In the Phi Beta Sigma dancers perform for the audience at Fire on the Fountain center of the fountain, fi re shot up high into See video coverage at on Thursday night. the air and surprised the audience. YouTube.com/SpartanDailyYT STRIKE If the vote is approved the call for action from page 1 includes a potential strike which is a part of the bargaining process according to Rudy. said California Assembly Member Evan “Th e CSU is bargaining with the faculty, Low. “Th e value that they provide is by far which has been going on since June,” Rudy the greatest return on investment.” said. “Th e strike vote, if approved, gives us Low, who is also an SJSU alumnus and bargaining position with the CSU.” part-time faculty member at De Anza Col- On Nov. 17, 2011, a one-day strike and the lege, indicated that purchasing a single- fi rst in the history of the CFA, took place family home in the Silicon Valley requires at Cal State East Bay and Dominguez Hills. an annual salary of $170,000. According “Th e last thing we want is to harm our to a report from the CFA, the average full- students and disrupt our classes. I do not time salary for a CSU faculty member was want to go out on strike,” said SJSU CFA $64,479 in 2014. Vice President Alison McKee. “Will I if I “Many of us are living paycheck to pay- have to? Damn straight.” check and even worse some are living in their cars and in garages,” said Vice Presi- dent of CFA Kim Geron.