Thursday, Volume 156 Feb. 11, 2021 No. 7 SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934 WWW.SJSUNEWS.COM/SPARTAN_DAILY Faculty supports statue removal By Royvi Hernandez STAFF WRITER Some San Jose State professors have different opinions about whether the city should take down a statue of Thomas Fallon after Mayor Sam Liccardo voiced support for its removal in a Feb.1 blog post. “For a significant part of the community the statue has become a deeply painful symbol of racial oppression,” Liccardo wrote in the post. “It’s time to move on.” Fallon was the mayor of San Jose in 1857 and was known for his controversial treatment of Native American and Mexican communities. The Thomas Fallon Statue was first proposed under Mayor Tom McEnery’s administration in the late ’80s. The statue features Fallon riding on a horse and is located on West St. James Street in Downtown San Jose. Gregorio Mora-Torres, a retired SJSU Chicano and Chicana studies lecturer, said he wants the statue completely gone because it’s a reminder of an imperialist war that symbolizes oppression. “[Fallon] is not that significant and he was not a great mayor,” Mora-Torres said in a phone call. He said Fallon took part in a military expedition led by John Fremont, a military officer who mistreated and killed Native Americans and Mexicans. Further after the Mexican-American war, many Mexicans were losing land and immigrants were being killed. BLUE NGUYEN | SPARTAN DAILY ARCHIVES “He is not significant like Abraham Lincoln Protesters set fi re to the Thomas Fallon Statue on West Julian and St. James streets during a protest downtown on Sept. 23. or George Washington, there is no value,” Mora-Torres said. “The statue must go, as he said although he favors the removal of represents conquest.” the statue, he’d rather see it relocated to He said there is a huge population of History of San Jose at Kelley Park, an Latinos in San Jose and the “needs of modern We have an opportunity now to reject those previously outdoor museum three miles away from the California” need to be addressed. statue’s location. “We need to start thinking about role models outmoded and incomplete histories and envison stories of He said in this setting it would better that the Mexican-American community can resistance, struggle and of opportunity. represent how different San Jose communities identify with,” Mora-Torres said. have viewed the statue over time and why it’s SJSU Chicano and Chicana studies lecturer Juan Pablo Mercado no longer appropriate for the city to display Juan Pablo Mercado said statues are symbolic Chicano and Chicana studies lecturer this statue in a place of honor. and agrees with the mayor’s belief. “A museum setting that explains the “Sites of public memory have always had a complex, multiple and changing meanings of significant impact on how we understand and for people to publicly reject an ideology of “We have an opportunity now to reject those the statue is a good way to stop glorifying it often misunderstand this country, its history subjugation and exploitation. previously outmoded and incomplete histories without scraping it altogether,” Gendzel said. and our place within that history,” Mercado “Public art provides a very important and envision stories of resistance, struggle said in an email. opportunity to choose what we will and of opportunity.” Follow Royvi on Twitter He said removing Fallon’s statue is a way collectively remember,” Mercado said. History department chair Glen Gendzel @lesroyvs CSU won’t require COVID-19 vaccine By Christina Casillas Some San Jose State students and Epidemiology, herd immunity STAFF WRITER think the decision to vaccinate is present when a high number should be a personal choice. of individuals become immune Business administration to a disease by either infection The California State University sophomore Balu Peduru said he or vaccination. Chancellor Joseph Castro addressed doesn’t trust the vaccine because of Because of the novelty of whether the coronavirus vaccines its novelty. COVID-19, the Centers for Disease will be required for students, staff Control and Prevention does and faculty during a student media not yet know what percentage Zoom conference Monday. of the population will have to In the conference, Castro said be vaccinated in order to reach CSU campuses will have 50% of They need to be able to herd immunity. classes in person during the Other students said campuses Fall 2021 semester. fi gure out successful won’t return to normal without However, because COVID-19 ways to have students total vaccination. SCREENSHOT BY CHRISTINA CASILLAS guidelines and cases vary across come into the actual In order for campuses to California State University Chancellor Joseph Castro speaks to counties, he said the final decision reopen, “At least majority student media during a student media Zoom conference Monday. regarding the percentage of classroom where they 75% [of people on campus] should in-person classes will be determined be vaccinated,” psychology junior before classes resume, and further equipment and other on a campus-to-campus basis. feel safe. Isabela Paniagua said in a phone call. precautions should be taken to campus-related maintenance. Castro said it’s too early to make “The [remaining] 25% should still ensure the safety of everyone Even though there are details of the a final decision about whether a Christopher Okonji continue to try to get vaccinated so returning to campus. fall semester that remain unknown, COVID-19 vaccine will be required kinesiology senior in the end everyone is vaccinated.” “They [SJSU] need on-campus Castro said each campus will strive to return to campus. He said he’s Paniagua said she believes campus testing,” Okonji said in a phone call. to accommodate its students who focusing on avoiding the legal issues He also believes that a significant community members should not be “They need to be able to figure out wish to stay off campus. of a vaccine mandate, but instead portion of the campus community exempt from a vaccination unless successful ways to have students “It’s a time, as we’ve been encourages students and employees would choose to get the vaccine, they have a medical reason such as come into the actual classroom throughout this pandemic, to to get vaccinated on their own will. allowing a number of people to allergies or a propensity to adverse where they feel safe.” be flexible and reasonable and “There may be some students, remain unvaccinated. reactions. Castro said some CSU campuses compassionate,” Castro said. who for different reasons, decide “I feel like most people are “It’s just leeway for [people] who will most likely follow Cal State “That’s how we’ll proceed for the fall they don’t wish to be vaccinated,” gonna be taking it anyway so herd are uneducated about vaccines,” Los Angeles and become COVID-19 as well.” Castro said in the conference. immunity will probably be there Paniagua said. “We should be past testing sites for their counties in the “I’m going to respect that and really even if it’s not required in school,” [that mentality] by now.” upcoming days. focus on trying to get as many people Peduru said in a phone call. Kinesiology senior Christopher He also said the CSU system vaccinated as possible and to plan According to the Association for Okonji said he believes all SJSU is applying for federal funds Follow Christina on Twitter accordingly for [Fall 2021].” Professionals in Infection Control students should be vaccinated that would provide cleaning @christina_casi Competition will be on Thursday March 18, 6-8pm Zoom and Livestream info TBA.BA. sjsunews.com/spartan_daily 2 THURSDAY, FEB. 11, 2021 ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Serial killers attract U.S. fandom By Shruthi Lakshmanan thing can you do to STAFF WRITER them than murder?” Serial killers are She also said most serial killers are not as known to stalk their interesting as TV makes prey, display dangerous them seem, which fetishes and murder causes an increased innocent people interest in serial killers. yet these notorious “It makes for good individuals sometimes TV,” Juno said. “Media acquire a large doesn’t cause serial fandom of lovers, fans killers but they do give and copycats. them attention.” San Jose State forensic Nick Roland, a science senior Adrianna fi nance junior at Santa Albanez said her interest Clara University, said in serial killers started movies and series in high school from glorify criminals rather crime show portrayals than punish them. detailing the psychology “I don’t understand behind these off enders. the fascination,” Roland “I fi nd it interesting said. “I don’t think we that someone could should play into this kill once, let alone Hollywood monopoly.” more than once,” ILLUSTRATION BY HANZ PACHECO Infatuation with Albanez said. serial killers goes as far She said her curiosity and to women who Killer,” “Don’t Fuck the ’80s. Fans also a fascination because back as the ’60s and this began with Ted fell in love with him With Cats,” and may be interested it’s not you, so it’s was shown in 2017’s Bundy, who murdered during his murder trial. “Confessions with a in the illogical grief by proxy.” true crime thriller 30 women, according Carol Ann Boone is Killer: Th e Ted Bundy actions of serial killers. She used Joseph “Mindhunter,” which to a Jan. 30, 2020, famously known as one Tapes.” SJSU forensics James DeAngelo Jr. as an focused on the birth of ABC News article. of Bundy’s many fans, On Jan. 13, Netfl ix professor and former example, also known as the behavioral science She also said Bundy but she was the only one released the docuseries crime scene investigator, the Golden State Killer.