SJSU Uplifts Veterans Network at Cultural Event 1
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Volume 149, Issue 34 www.sjsunews.com/spartan_daily Thursday, November 9, 2017 SPARTAN DAILY SERVING SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY SINCE 1934 FOLLOW US! /spartandaily @SpartanDaily @spartandaily /spartandailyYT ADMITTED #spartanpolls SECCIÓN DE STEROID USER ESPANOL RECEIVES Is mental illness the primary LOCAL HONOR Vean la sección cause of gun violence? completa en página 4 See full story 24% Yes 76% No on page 8 Votes: 263 DIVERSITY HONOR SJSU clubs SJSU uplifts veterans network at cultural event 1 BY KAYLEE LAWLER Staff Writer As part of Nuestra Cultura Week, students stopped by the A.S. lawn to participate in Wednesday’s theme “Ni de Aqui Ni de Alla” or “Neither here nor there.” Nuestra Cultura Week is a three-day event that started Tuesday with the theme of “Paises Unidos” or “United Countries” and will conclude Thursday with “Dia de la Gente Unida” or “Day of the United People.” The event is a chance for clubs to network with other clubs and students on campus and meet different Latinx/ Chicanx organizations. The event is put on by Associated Students and Gente Unida. Each day the event runs from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. on the A.S. lawn. On Wednesday there was a wall made of boxes from a local taqueria where 2 3 students came and wrote down negative stereotypes that they have heard about themselves. At the end of the event the wall was torn down when students ran into the wall with force. Throughout the event, handfuls of students stopped by to write on the wall. Members of Gente Unida stood on the sidewalk with markers in hand to ask students if they wanted to contribute to the wall. Gente Unida is an organization that creates unity among Latino organizations on campus. Tuesday, the fi rst day of Nuestra Cultura Week, brought awareness of Latin American countries to students. Some of those countries include Mexico, Bolivia BY WILLIAM YAP expire. There’s no expiration date on and Venezuela. Staff Writer swearing to defend the Constitution and “Today, we’re focusing on the social the United States.” issues and political issues that affect A crowd of veterans and military San Jose State’s Veterans Resource the Latin community so there are many students saluted the fl ag as music junior Center (VRC), which is located on different things that we want to speak Angelique Lucero sang the national the fi rst fl oor of the Student Union, about,” history senior and Gente Unida anthem in front of the Tommie Smith organized the event. The center is a co-chair Sofi a Hernandez said. and John Carlos lawn. Despite a cloudy place for student veterans to relax and forecast, Spartans celebrated Veterans do homework in between classes. Day on Wednesday. VRC Director Maggie Morales said According to the Department of the goal of the event was to show “There is so much Veteran Affairs, Nov. 11 is a day appreciation to military members on negativity in our honoring those who have served. History campus, especially military students. WILLIAM YAP | SPARTAN DAILY senior Jayson Jacobo, who served in the “[A] big part of the transition piece is country right now.” (1) Civil engineering senior Bardia Farhoomand United States Marine Corps from 2002 coming out of the military and fi nding competes in a pull-up competition next to to 2012, attended the event to enjoy the the camaraderie and feeling like the United States Marine Corps table on the camaraderie among fellow veterans. they can fi t back in civilian lifestyle,” Jose Gonzalez (2) Tommie Smith and John Carlos lawn. A kind “Veterans Day is honoring those who Morales said. Civil engineering major message dedicated to a veteran hangs on a makeshift American fl ag. (3) SJSU students, served and are still able to function in After Lucero concluded her performance, community and veterans salute during the society but also give back,” Jacobo said. National Anthem. “We signed an oath and that oath doesn’t SALUTE | Page 2 Hernandez and other chairs of Gente Unida were out Wednesday afternoon POLITICS putting the wall together for the event. “Even if they [students] don’t want to talk we’re giving them the opportunity to leave Trump administration hits one year mark a [note] or something that they want to talk about [on the wall],” Hernandez said. “It’s something a little different. We took BY JONAS ELAM “I have friends that rely on DACA to go here [SJSU],” a different route. We were looking into Staff Writer engineering sophomore Marisol Garcia said. “I can’t believe of ‘what was our mission,’ which we started all the things to follow through on, he chose that.” [to] bring awareness to our cultures.” Yesterday marked one year since the election of Donald Trump promised not to take a salary as president, and has not. Students found it hard to think of a Trump as president. He donated his fi rst quarterly wage to the National Park Service stereotype they could contribute to the wall. President Trump made a number of promises during his and his second to the Department of Education. “It was challenging to think of something campaign, but only followed through with some. “I think it’s great Trump isn’t taking a salary,” history to write,” English sophomore Oners Silva “We will immediately terminate President Obama’s two freshman Joshua Williams said. “I’m not a huge fan of the said. “There are so many stereotypes that illegal executive amnesties, in which he defi ed federal law and guy, but it’s good he isn’t taking the money and putting it we often encounter.” the Constitution to give amnesty to approximately fi ve million somewhere useful.” Students contemplated for a couple illegal immigrants,” President Trump said in August 2016 Another promise was to not make cuts to Social Security, minutes what they were going to write during a campaign rally. Medicare or Medicaid. His May budget proposal had a $600 on the wall. Some stereotypes related to Trump promised to end Deferred Action for Childhood billion Medicaid budget decrease in ten years, according to the political issues and how they are affected. Arrivals (DACA), which Time reports protects 800,000 White House Offi ce of Management and Budget. “There is so much negativity in our undocumented immigrants. In September of this year he did Trump promised to also increase the size of the of the military. country right now,” civil engineering so. Attorney General Jeff Sessions referred to DACA as an The approved 2018 federal budget includes a $52 billion – or freshman Jose Gonzalez said. “It [my unconstitutional exercise of authority by the executive branch. nine percent increase – in defense spending. If Congress doesn’t take action by early March, 2018, DACA UNITY | Page 2 recipients will begin to lose their protection. PROMISES | Page 2 2 NEWS Thursday, November 9, 2017 WILLIAM YAP | SPARTAN DAILY A military uniform is displayed at the Veterans Day Celebration event. Gente Unida put up a wall that will be torn down after the event. Students covered it with SALUTE their stories through creative writing. negative stereotypes they faced once in their lives. Gallegos said he used writing as a form of Continued from page 1 therapy. In 2008, Gallegos drove over an improvised explosive device in Iraq that blew his truck in half. Oakland resident Michael Andrews sang “For a while, I was handling [stress] a Native American World War II veteran unproductively such as drinking and song while banging a hand drum. trying to keep myself busy so I wouldn’t Morales said the Native American feel those anxieties,” Gallegos said. Student Organization reached out to “Sometimes when I get into [writing], it’ll partake in the event because of Native emotionally take me back to Iraq. I like Americans’ vast history with the military. start to smell Iraq when I’m at home. It According to the Department of Defense, takes me awhile to decompress and come American Indians and Native Alaskans back to this reality.” are highly represented in the U.S. military. Three military vehicles, also known as Members from the Veterans Student Humvees, were parked beside Clark Hall. Organization assisted in coordinating Representatives from the Military Vehicle the event. Military members and Collectors of California gave people an KAYLEE LAWLER | SPARTAN DAILY supporters set up alongside the lawn to inside look through an M997, a two-man English sophomore Oners Silva writes down his negative stereotype on a temporary wall chat with students. ambulance and two Vietnam War era during Nuestra Cultura Week. Students had the opportunity to speak M151, a military utility truck. campus,” said Diana Espino Figueroa, with representatives from the United “It feels really good to have a good UNITY applied mathematics junior and Gente States Marine Corps. Marines challenged support system of veterans,” Jacobo said. Unida publicity chair said. people walking by to participate in a pull- “We all banter back and forth — different Continued from page 1 On the third day, all the Latin American up contest. branches and one superior than the other. organizations on campus will come English junior Emilio Gallegos, who It’s just some good old fashioned ribbing stereotype] was empowering in some way.” together on the A.S. Lawn served in the U.S. Marine Corps from that we do with each other but in the end, On day three, “Dia de la Gente Unida,” 1999 to 2010, advertised an open writing we’re all brother and sisters in arms.” students can pick up free tamales while session called VeteransWrite at Martin learning about Latinx culture.