VOL 119, Issue 7—Oct. 28, 2021

SF FOGHORN
EST. 1903
03
SFFOGHORN.COM
FOGPOD
NEWS
University administration
responds to the demands
of the organization It’s On
USFCA.
MIGUEL ARCAYENA & JAMES SALAZAR
Staff Writers
@SFFOGHORN
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
THURSDAY, OCT. 28 2021 • VOL. 119, ISSUE 07
SCENE OPINION SPORTS
Ohlone activists are
Filipino American History
decolonizing themselves
Month gives community
06 09 12
through the restoration of
traditional diets.
This weekend, the Bay Area was hit with its strongest storm
in years. According to the National Weather Service (NWS) Bay
Area, on Sunday Oct. 24, more than four inches of rain fell in San
Francisco and wind gusts peaked at 50 miles per hour. USF could
not escape the impact of the wild weather, with a total of four fallen
Monterey Cypress trees at Lone Mountain, behind the University
Center, and along Masonic Avenue.
On Sunday at 1:55 p.m., an email alert from Public Safety was
sent to the University that two trees had fallen at Lone Mountain.
An hour later, an updated alert was sent that the trees had blocked
the ramp heading down to Turk Boulevard, causing the closure of
all vehicle access to Lone Mountain campus. However, by Monday
evening, Public Safety provided an update that the ramps up to
Lone Mountain and down Lone Mountain East residence hall had
reopened. The middle exit where the two trees had fallen remained
closed.
Junior psychology major Bella Hartley lives across from Lone
Mountain, and she and her roommate “couldn’t help but notice
the downed trees from our front window. With the howling of the
wind, we had not heard them fall. It was shocking and saddening
to see such large, old trees fall,” says Hartley. “Their height, and the
time for recollection and
appreciation.
The Silk Speaker Series
hosts Kristi Yamaguchi
and Michelle Wie West.
HISTORIC STORM HITS BAY AREA;
SEVERAL TREES DOWN ON CAMPUS
Several fallen trees were found across campus, including two massive trees blocking the Lone Mountain ramp. PHOTO BY JAMES SALAZAR/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
CONTINUE ON PAGE 03
moss covering them, showed they had been there for many years.”
Hartley pointed to California’s lack of rain as an inevitability
“that storms will bring down trees like this.” She also thinks that
with such extreme weather conditions becoming more common, a
safety concern exists. “I believe it is important to have protocols to
address the damage quickly and accommodate any students with
disabilities who may need aid accessing their dorms with the ramp
blockage,” said Hartley. “It was USF’s calls and emails that notified
us, so there appears to be quickly updating protocols in place.”
A third tree behind the University Center fell into the parking
lot where University facilities’ vehicles are usually parked and acts
as a major delivery loading zone for the University Center.
The downed trees at Lone Mountain and University Center
did not cause any damage. A fourth tree had fallen onto a moving
vehicle along Masonic Avenue according to USF Public Safety Director
Dan Lawson, though he clarified that no one was hurt and
the damage was done only to the back end of the car.
The last time trees on campus grounds had come down due to
heavy rain and wind was back in January 2019. However, that incident
was shrouded in controversy. As reported in the Foghorn, San
Francisco Public Works denied USF’s request to remove the tree.
Nearly a month later, another tree had fallen between the Gillson
and Hayes-Healy residence halls with “high winds plus extended
rain after years of drought” being cited as a factor.

02
THURSDAY
OCT. 28,
2021
STAFF
SUBMISSION POLICY
The San Francisco Foghorn is the
official student newspaper of the
University of San Francisco and is
sponsored by the Associated Students
of the University of San Francisco
(ASUSF).
The thoughts and opinions expressed
herein are those of the individual writers
and do not necessarily reflect those
of the Foghorn staff, the administration,
the faculty, staff or the students
of the University of San Francisco.
Contents of each issue are the sole
responsibilities of the editors.
An All-American
Publication
ad maiorem dei
gloriam
The San Francisco Foghorn is free of
charge, one copy per reader. To purchase
additional copies for $1, please
visit our office.
Advertising matter printed herein is
solely for informational purposes.
Such printing is not to be construed
as written or implied sponsorship
or endorsement of such commercial
enterprises or ventures by the San
Francisco Foghorn.
©MMIV-MMV, San Francisco Foghorn.
All rights reserved. No material
SAN FRANCISCO
FOGHORN
Freedom and Fairness
415.422.5444
sffoghorn.com
Editor in Chief
LUCIA VERZOLA
editorinchief@sffoghorn.com
News Editor
MIGUEL ARCAYENA
news@sffoghorn.com
Opinion Editor
ZOE BINDER
opinion@sffoghorn.com
Scene Editor
CALLIE FAUSEY
scene@sffoghorn.com
Sports Editor
MAGGIE ALDRICH
sports@sffoghorn.com
Photography Editor
BEAU TATTERSALL
photo@sffoghorn.com
General Reporter
ANNIKA DAHLBERG
reporter1@sffoghorn.com
Managing Editor
JAMES SALAZAR
managing@sffoghorn.com
Copy Editor
NORA WARD
copy@sffoghorn.com
Layout Editor
DOMINIQUE CADENAS CALVO
layout@sffoghorn.com
Layout Editor
LOUISE DE OLIVEIRA
layout2@sffoghorn.com
Social Media Manager
SAMANTHA BERLANGA
socialmedia@sffoghorn.com
Online Editor
CLAIRE JACOBS
online@sffoghorn.com
Advisor
TERESA MOORE
2130 FULTON STREET, UC #417
SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94117
printed herein may be reproduced
without prior permission of the Editor
in Chief.
Columns for the Opinion section
and Letters to the Editor are gladly
accepted from students, faculty, staff
and alumni.
All materials must be signed and
include your printed name, university
status (class standing or title), address,
and telephone number for verification.
Anonymous submissions are not
published.
We reserve the right to edit materials
submitted. All submissions become the
property of the San Francisco Foghorn.
Columns of not more than 900 words
should be submitted by 5 p.m. on the
Wednesday before publication.
Letters of 500 words or less should
be submitted by 5 p.m. on the Friday
before publication.
Staff editorials are written by the
Foghorn editorial staff and represent a
group consensus.
The San Francisco Foghorn Opinion
page is a forum for the free, fair and
civil exchange of ideas. Contributors’
opinions are not meant to reflect
the views of the Foghorn staff or the
University of San Francisco.
STAFF EDITORIAL
UNIVERSITY PROVIDES INSUFFICIENT TESTING
IN LIGHT OF RELAXED MASK MANDATE
Though COVID-19 cases in San Francisco
have been on the decline since early August, the
University is still not offering students enough
opportunities to exert caution and get tested for
the virus.
Having just returned from fall break, we at
the Foghorn felt it was necessary to discuss the
possibility of a rise in COVID-19 cases at USF.
Coming into this school year, we knew that
certain practices would need to be enforced by
the University to allow us to attend in-person
classes. Prior to the semester starting, faculty
and students knew that there would be a mix of
in-person, remote, and hybrid classes.
As we have navigated through the semester,
the absence of testing became noticeable to our
staff. After a few weeks on campus, as of Sept.
22 there is now weekly testing administered in
the McLaren Center. Additionally, we are glad to
see that the completion of the daily Dons Health
Check is now enforced by a tie to one’s access to
buildings on campus.
San Francisco eased its mask mandate in
certain indoor spaces, such as college classes who
meet regularly and do not exceed 100 people, on
Oct. 15. While the student body has shown that
we can band together and mask up to ensure a
safe return to campus, this change could affect
our community. If we keep acting responsibly,
we can finish the semester strong. However, this
goal could be made even more of a possibility if
the University continues enforcing policies with
the goal of mitigating the effects of the pandemic.
More than halfway through the semester,
we generally agree with the measures the University
has taken to keep faculty and students
safe and commend them for making adequate
changes as needed. However, we also feel that the
University has left too much responsibility in the
hands of students.
While it is necessary for us, as students, to
behave responsibly in regard to the pandemic,
following proper health and safety guidelines
and recognizing when we are putting our community
at risk, the University must provide better
guidance to us.
Thus far, students have not had many opportunities
to travel outside of California, with
the exception of Labor Day, since August. However,
fall break gave many students the chance to
visit other parts of the country, and while some
students are proactive in getting tested to make
sure they are not putting others at risk, it is not
guaranteed that everyone will be.
The only testing available on campus is the
testing site in McLaren which operates Wednesdays
from 1-3 p.m. For some students, including
our staff, the hours of operation clash with school
and work, forcing students to turn to testing sites
offered by the city at large. Additionally, USF’s
testing site is only open for two hours, leaving us
to wonder how the site accommodates appointments.
With such a short window, it seems likely
that the test site could become overwhelmed
with students trying to get tested, especially after
they have traveled.
The school's promotion of the McLaren test
site has been scarce, and we believe this is doing a
disservice to the USF community as many might
not know about this resource or the extent to
which it is accessible to us.
For some students, it is hard to believe the
University has made it this far into the semester
without a spike in COVID-19 cases. Aside from
San Francisco having high vaccination rates,
we feel like the University might have had asymptomatic
cases where people felt nothing at
all and assumed it was okay to go out into the
community.
The University needs to do better and not
just settle for the bare minimum when it comes
to our health and safety. Students who lived in
essential housing last semester when campus was
shut down were tested on a monthly basis, and
we believe measures like this should be enforced
for the entire community on a larger scale.
With Thanksgiving approaching and
students beginning to plan trips back home,
the school needs to continue to adapt their
COVID-19 testing protocols. Even quarantining
needs to be evaluated to make sure that regardless
of whether or not a person lives on campus,
they are not putting themselves or others at risk.
PHOTO OF TEST CENTER ON CAMPUS PHOTO BY BEAU TATTERSALL/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
HISTORIC STORM HITS BAY AREA; SEVERAL TREES DOWN ON CAMPUS • Front Page
The third downed tree fell into the lot behind the University Center, near the walkway between Harney Science Center and
the University Center. PHOTO BY MIGUEL ARCAYENA/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
The Foghorn reached out to USF Facilities Management, the department
that operates and manages all buildings and grounds under the University,
regarding the situation with the new fallen trees. However, Facilities was not
able to provide a comment at the time of this writing.
NWS Bay Area noted that the 4.02 inches of rain on Oct. 24 was the
wettest October day in San Francisco history and the fourth heaviest day of
precipitation in the city since rainfall records started being kept in 1849. According
to Jan Null, a Bay Area meteorologist and NWS forecaster, the “storm
across the SF Bay Area is, so far, tied as the third strongest since 1950 on the
Bay Area Storm Index (BASI)” and the strongest in 26 years.
Just a week ago, the LA Times reported that California recorded its driest
water year in a century. The water year, which ended Sept. 30, accumulated
11.87 inches of rain and snow. This amount was calculated by the Western
Regional Climate Center, who used data from each of its stations, and the
MIGUEL ARCAYENA
Staff Writer
total was less than half of what experts deem average during a typical water
year: about 23.58 inches.
The storm created havoc across the Bay Area with flooding, storm debris,
evacuation orders, and power outages to nearly 130,000 PG&E customers at
one point.
In its aftermath, residents, such as Hartley, are questioning if the city’s
infrastructure was “slightly unprepared for this storm.” On Sunday afternoon,
Hartley said, “Flooding began in the walls of our rented, three-story apartment.
We slowly noticed rainwater discoloring the paint of the wall in the
hallway.” Hartley continued by saying, “The severe weather was also enough to
litter our small backyard with tree branches and debris, as well as wake us all
up during the night, as living on the second story places you among the trees,
which shook violently in the heavy winds.”
UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION RESPONDS TO
PROTESTS AND REFORM DEMANDS
Three weeks ago, in conjunction with their student
speakout event and vigil on campus, the advocacy
group It’s On USFCA released a list of demands
pushing President Paul J. Fitzgerald S.J., University
administration, and other campus stakeholders to
enact institutional changes at USF amid the aftermath
of the Sports Illustrated (SI) article. The University
and Fitzgerald officially issued responses to
these demands last Friday, Oct. 22.
In a statement titled “Rebuilding Trust and
Community,” Fitzgerald acknowledged the growing
and intensified backlash the University has faced
since the SI story. “I am committed to improve upon
all of the work done in the past to prevent sexual
violence, to promote respect, and to bring restorative
justice when our community standards are violated,”
wrote Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald revealed that his office and leadership
team had been working with the Office of Student
Life, Title IX, and the athletics department since the
demands from It’s On USFCA were publicized, as
well as other pushes for accountability and change
from the community.
Senior politics major Alana Beltran-Balagso,
one of the student organizers from It’s On USFCA,
said she was “glad the school finally addressed the
Sports Illustrated article, however, that email should
not have required student activism to produce.”
Though she said she understood institutional changes
will take time, “until we see tangible action, the
emails are just nice sentiments.”
In Fitzgerald’s statement, he referenced another
response led by the Title IX office, which was released
that same day. This was the University’s official response
to each specific demand that It’s On USFCA
listed. Initially, the University thanked the advocacy
Crews from facilities and a service contractor began to clean up pieces of the fallen tree at
Lone Mountain Monday morning. PHOTO BY BEAU TATTERSALL/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
group for their work and said it “hopes [it] will serve
as a pathway for continuing work together.”
The following is the list of demands from It’s On
USFCA and a summary of the University’s responses.
The first demand listed is for a personal apology
from Fitzgerald “for the University’s failures in addressing
sexual violence” and a request to meet with
him as well as other student organizations. The University
responded by releasing a part of Fitzgerald’s
message to the group’s organizers on Oct. 15. Sharing
the same apology he had previously expressed, Fitzgerald
acknowledged that additional actions must be
taken and that he is “working with students, faculty,
and leaders of divisions...to ensure that our policies
and protocols are clear, accessible, and focused on the
survivor-centered approach that we prioritize.” The
response also highlighted the president’s appearance
before ASUSF Senate, which was covered by the Foghorn,
and a commitment to meet with “other student
and administrative groups.”
03
NEWS

04 05
THURSDAY
OCT. 28,
2021
NEWS
Second is a call to instill and implement “survivor-centered
Title IX policies,” which the group
claims are shaped by a Trump-era Title IX rule. The
University explained that USF policies are changed
in compliance with state and federal laws but said
that “there is intentional use of protocols that prioritize
survivors’ rights, needs, and wishes.” Title IX
added that USF does respond to off-campus incidents,
though they aren’t mandated by federal law.
However, USF policies will continue to be updated
as they are “always under review.”
The third demand by the group is a “creation
of a student and survivor Sexual Violence Taskforce.”
The University replied that it had instituted
a committee, the Resources, Education, Prevention
and Support (REPS) group which includes a total
of 12 student representatives and aims to end sexual
violence on campus. In addition, USF said it had
created a “Sexual Violence Resource Advocate” role
in CAPS as well as other programs under the Title
IX office.
The fourth listed request is a “required course
and/or training for ALL community members (students,
faculty, staff, coaches, etc.) at least quarterly.”
The University admitted that this area of education
needed to be increased. Though the new hiring of a
Title IX Deputy Coordinator has increased the office’s
capabilities and online trainings for students
and faculty and staff are mandatory, USF said “Human
Resources will explore educational programming
and awareness to be incorporated in division
and department meetings and will collaborate with
the Title IX Office to identify best ways to expand
courses and trainings for all community members.”
The last demand is an “increased funding for
sexual violence prevention and awareness programming
year-round, including more transparent and
comprehensive Title IX messaging.” The University
said it will review its current budget and funding for
programming around this issue. Additionally, the
REPS committee will be assisting Title IX “in understanding
ways to increase transparent and comprehensive
messaging.” Among the listed improvements
in communication methods by USF are greater usage
of social media, in-person programs, and better accessibility
to materials.
Facing pressure, President Fitzgerald and the University responded to demands made by It’s On USFCA and other campus community
members. PHOTO COURTESY OF NATALYA BOMANI/IT’S ON USFCA
In his message to the community, Fitzgerald said
that the University is building on the action items
that the community has called for, in addition to the
steps it already took after the allegations were publicized
in July 2020 and when the Hulst & Handler
report came out earlier this year.
Devi Jags, one of the organizers of It’s On USF-
CA, spoke with the Foghorn three weeks ago and said
that it was time for federal authorities to step in and
investigate USF. Subsequently, Fitzgerald’s statement
also included that an announcement will come soon
on “how USF will participate in delivering messages
to the U.S. Department of Education about the need
for new policies and guidelines on preventing sexual
assault on campuses and supporting survivors.”
It’s On USFCA was not able to provide an immediate
reaction but said their group will come out
with an official statement soon. However, for Beltran-Balagso,
she said moving forward with this issue
will require “a more inclusive dialogue where the
administration is willing to listen to students’ constructive
criticism regarding campus sexual assaults
and where the University is willing to actually make
changes that go beyond email inboxes.”
The Foghorn will continue its coverage on the
issues raised by Sports Illustrated’s article and anything
related to this subject in the coming weeks.
Reach out to tips@sffoghorn.com or our news editor
at marcayena@sffoghorn.com.
Macias, testing at McLaren Conference Center began Sept. 22. In partnership
with Dignity Health Urgent Care, the testing site is “geared towards all USF
students but if faculty and staff needed a test they are able to get tested as well,”
said Macias. With an average of about 30-60 students coming to the testing site
per week, Macias noted that “As of right now this is being offered through the
fall 2021 semester” and USF “will have to work with Dignity Health Urgent
Care regarding the spring 2022 semester.”
An important update within the announcement was the University’s decision
to return to its policy of tying campus building access with a completion
of the Dons Health Check. Prior to the start of the semester, individuals had to
complete the same online form in order to activate their One Card. The Dons
Health Check serves as a contract tracing tool to understand which students
and staff may have come in contact with or been infected with COVID-19.
On-campus resident Cameron (a pseudonym to protect his privacy) recounted
his experience of a four-day quarantine in a USF residence hall. “When
the head of SHaRE came to my room, he told me that this quarantine is 24
hours, I cannot leave the room.” The junior finance major found out he had
firsthand contact with the virus Sept. 22 via email. He took a COVID-19 test
with the University the same day and tested negative. The next day, he took and
received a second negative test. Despite these test results, the University still
decided to quarantine him on Saturday, Sep. 25.
Cameron was informed that he needed to bring enough clothes and toiletries
to last through his quarantine, as well as school supplies to keep him on
track. However, in a statement to the Foghorn, Student Housing Director Torry
Brouillard-Bruce clarified the process. “Quarantine and Isolation Rooms [Q/I
rooms] have been created using vacant one-bedroom and studio units in Loyola
Village. Each Q/I room comes with a linen set so students do not have to bring
their own bedding. They are also provided a towel, soap, and toilet paper. Students
in Q/I rooms are provided access to online meal delivery ordering which
will be delivered to their room.” Online meal delivery is performed by on duty
residential advisors (RAs), in partnership with Bon Appetite and One Card.
Other than his brief interactions with the RAs delivering his meals, Cameron’s
contact with the outside world while in quarantine was extremely limited.
Although most Q/I rooms are located in Loyola Village, Cameron stayed
in a Q/I room in Lone Mountain North. His room had a single twin XL bed,
a desk tucked away in the corner, and an attached bathroom. Cameron’s Q/I
room also had a standard microwave, a minifridge, and a dresser for his clothes.
“When you’re quarantined, it’s going to feel like a large pause button but
do not worry about the life that you’re missing outside of quarantine,” Cameron
said. “Take a few days and recharge yourself. We often wish for life to slow
down and in quarantine, life slows down and it slows drastically.”
Brouillard-Bruce added that students do have a choice for their Q/I room.
“When more convenient for the student, a student may be assigned to a quarantine/isolation
room held offline in another residence hall,” he said. He also
added that, should there be a large-scale spread of the virus, “there is a collection
of rooms available in Lone Mountain Pacific Wing which currently is not
occupied.”
According to the “Cases Dashboard” on the USF Together webpage, since
Aug. 1 2021, there have been a total of 40 confirmed positive cases within USF.
Of the total 687 tests that have been provided by the University, 98.3% were
negative, 0.3% were positive and 1.3% were inconclusive.
At the time of this publication, two students living on campus tested positive
and are currently in isolation.
For all the latest official University information and updates about campus
COVID-19 guidelines, visit USF Together.
Miguel Arcayena contributed to the reporting of this story.
NEWS
UPDATED COVID-19 PROTOCOLS, ON-CAMPUS
TESTS, AND MANDATORY QUARANTINES
Student Housing says it has set aside vacant rooms such as these in the Pacific Wing at Lone Mountain North and Loyola Village for quarantining on-campus students who test positive for COVID-19. PHOTOS COURTESY OF TORRY
BROUILLARD-BRUCE/STUDENT HOUSING AND RESIDENTIAL EDUCATION
TALEAH JOHNSON
Contributing Writer
As USF went into fall break, San Francisco officially updated its indoor
masking requirements Oct. 15. The change in policy affected regularly meeting
groups such as offices, gyms, and college classrooms whose capacities do not
exceed 100 fully vaccinated people.
The mayor and Department of Public Health (DPH) cited the decline of
positive cases and hospitalization rates as reasons for the change. According to
the release, San Francisco is averaging 77 positive cases a day, compared to the
309 daily cases during the summer surge. Mayor Breed said, “We have one of
the highest vaccination rates in the country, our cases have fallen, and our residents
have done their part to keep themselves and those around safe.”
USF, however, has not eased their restrictions and mandates. Even though
classes fall within the examples of regularly meeting groups, the University decided
to maintain its mask-wearing policy in all campus buildings and outdoor
events. On Oct. 20, the University released a “COVID Protocol Reminder” to
address the new changes in the city’s mask mandate.
The announcement came from Director of Campus Resilience Eric Giadrini,
Assistant Vice President of Human Resources Diane Nelson, and Vice President
of Student Life Julie Orio.
The statement reinforced existing policies that the University had implemented
at the start of the academic year. Although USF is “reviewing San
Francisco's latest Safer Return Together Order, which outlines the full set of
requirements to allow for mask removal,” they clarified that face coverings
will continue to be a requirement in all campus buildings and outdoor events,
calling this effort a “very important preventive measure.” Additionally, the announcement
also included updates about the availability of vaccine boosters
and a reminder for the community to receive their yearly flu shots.
Weekly COVID-19 testing is now also available to all campus community
members. According to Health Promotion Services (HPS) Director Natalia
Although San Francisco and other Bay Area counties have eased mask mandates, USF says it will continue to implement protocols created in the summer. PHOTO BY BEAU TATTERSALL/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN

06
THURSDAY
OCT. 28,
2021
INDIGENOUS FOODWAYS:
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CULINARY ARTS AND
AND INDIGENOUS CULTURE
Vincent Medina and Louis Trevino, the presenters for the Indigenous
Foodways event on Oct. 13, speak at their restaurant, Cafe
Ohlone. PHOTO COURTESY OF MAYO BUENAFE-ZE
07
SCENE
CALLIE FAUSEY
Staff Writer
Food is much more than what is on our plates, it is a type of knowledge that
canFood is much more than what is on our plates, it is a type of knowledge that can
be passed down from generation to generation. On Oct. 13, two days after Indigenous
Peoples’ Day, the online event, “Indigenous Foodways,” showcased the idea of
food as a pathway to ancestral knowledge and shared culture.
The event featured a conversation and cooking demonstration with Vincent
Medina and Louis Trevino, the founders of mak-'amham: Contemporary Ohlone
Cuisine and Cafe Ohlone. According to their website, mak-'amham (mahk-amhaam)
means “our food” in the Chochenyo Ohlone language, which is the Indigenous
language of the East Bay. Trevino and Medina are both Ohlone people who are,
as noted on their webpage, “working towards a full revival of Ohlone Indian food
traditions as a part of the larger, ongoing cultural restoration that empowers Ohlone
people to decolonize ourselves of layers of forcibly imposed identity and return to an
identity that is aligned with that of our ancestors.”
Thacher Gallery led the initiative to get the grant that made this event possible,
in conjunction with its current exhibition, “All that you touch: art and ecology.”
Thacher Gallery director Glori Simmons brainstormed with Professor Mayo
Buenafe-Ze, the director of the Cultural Anthropology program, and the idea for
the event began to coalesce. Included in the exhibition is a zine created by Buenafe-
Ze’s Anthropology of Food class from Spring 2020, which is an autoethnography
zine about “connecting to nature,” and includes “recipes and ways to heal and care
for yourself.”
“We wanted the exhibition to center Indigenous identity, culture, and art,” said
Simmons. “For example, at the center of this exhibition is Linda Yamane’s work, who
is an Ohlone basket weaver. All of the artists interact with nature as a part of their art
practice. Food is also an art form and a piece of culture, and obviously comes from
nature, which was how we began thinking about the event.”
Buenafe-Ze, a multiethnic Indigenous Filipina, educator and activist, led the
efforts to organize and facilitate the event. “Something that I learned from community
organizers, and I tried to incorporate, is let's not just have this event,” said
Buenafe-Ze. “Let's have a very intentional action to help people think through, okay,
now that you met these people and heard their story and witnessed their brilliance,
what are you going to do with it?”
As attendees trickled into the Zoom meeting, they were greeted with the music
video for “Land Back Loops,” a song by Apsáalooke rapper Christian Parrish Takes
the Gun, known professionally as Supaman, with one of the main messages of the
song being that “every day is Indigenous Peoples’ Day.” Following the song, Buenafe-
Ze presented a land and labor acknowledgement which said that USF is “located in
the territory of the Yelamu and part of the unceded and occupied land of the Ramaytush
and Muwekma (Ohlone) peoples.”
Buenafe-Ze also shared her poem, “Kapwa-tid/Tribal Conversations,” featuring
three sections about what she learned from elders and leaders of various Indigenous
communities she has visited, including the T’wali Ifugao people of her homeland in
Northern Luzon, Philippines. She called the poem an offering, in lieu of not being
able to taste and share the food prepared in the cooking demonstration.
Part of the poem, from the second section about what she learned from the
Omaha tribe in Macy, Nebraska, reads, “Keep a place / For all people to come and
/ Take their rest / And go on again. / Let them know / That they can come in / And
eat some leftovers. / There is no need / to ask for anything, / Everything here / Is
handed-down.”
The poem introduced Medina and Trevino’s conversation, which was formatted
as an interview facilitated by Quinn Ruggiero and Cole Habeck, Buenafe-Ze’s
teacher’s aides and students in her course titled “Special Topics in Decolonization
and Indigeneity.”
“The main themes that we wanted the conversation to focus on were the complexities
of decolonization through the diet, revitalization of ancestral knowledge
and practices, and how non-Indigenous people can work in solidarity with Ohlone
communities,” said Ruggiero. “I hope everyone was listening when Vincent was
talking about how non-Indigenous people need to be centering Indigenous peoples
and lands in conversations. They are not just some part of history, they’re a living
culture and their presence should not be ignored.”
One of the questions that Habeck asked during the interview was what Medina
and Trevino would suggest as a call to action for the allies of Indigenous people.
Medina responded that we should talk to our elders, “keep an ear open,” and educate
and correct people when they refer to Indigenous people and traditions in the past
tense, and to make sure that visibility around Indigenous people is never tokenized
or performative. To present an example of the ongoing revival of the Bay Area’s
Indigenous languages, Medina shared a video of his niece reading from a children’s
book in Chochenyo.
“Louis and Vincent were sharing that Ohlone people are still here, and they’re
doing amazing things in their community,” said Buenafe-Ze. “If you’re in a space
where you’re hearing people talk about Indigenous peoples, make sure they’re talking
about us in the present tense. Their presence and what the whole event was about is
also such a powerful way to show representation, you now get to meet someone who
not only is Ohlone, but knows how to cook Ohlone food, is learning the Chochenyo
language, learning the Rumsen language, so you have very visceral examples of who
Indigenous people are.”
Another part of the discussion revolved around acorns and acorn soup. Medina
mentioned that acorns are the centerpiece of their traditional diet and can be traced
back through generations.
“I think acorns also really are a metaphor for the resilience of our community,”
Medina said. “Our elders today still make acorn soup in the old way. Those are
things that we value in our culture, being intentional and being rooted in where we
come from. Specific to our traditions, acorn soup is a comfort food.”
The topic of traditional ingredients in Ohlone meals coincides with the concept
of decolonization through our diets, which Buenafe-Ze described as a journey that
looks different depending on one’s individual identity and heritage. “Decolonization
does not look the same for everybody. We’ve all been colonized in different ways,”
said Buenafe-Ze. “And with decolonizing our food, in the context Louis and Vincent
were coming from, was how it was a reclamation of their ancestral knowledge that
had been violently wiped out from the consciousness or memory of their communities.
Reintroducing those foods to their community is that decolonizing act for
them, because decolonization is an action to dismantle forms of colonialism.”
For the cooking demonstration, Trevino and Medina made chia seed porridge,
or “pattih,” an old time food in California. Medina mentioned that, “in the old
days,” chia and other ingredients were gathered “primarily by women going out
with beautiful burden baskets.” Trevino held each component of the dish up to the
camera before returning it to his preparation table as he and Medina narrated the
process. To accompany the porridge, they put together a blackberry and bay laurel
sauce and made rose hip tea. Most of the ingredients they used, such as candied
mushrooms and dried fruit, like chia, are native to California. “Our food, it looks
like the land,” said Medina.
Professor Mayo Buenafe-Ze, the
director of USF’s Cultural Anthropology
program, organized and
hosted the Indigenous Foodways
event online on Oct. 13
PHOTO COURTESY OF MAYO
BUENAFE-ZE.
“A big takeaway for me was just how significant the process of obtaining ingredients
and cooking food is, it’s just as important as actually eating food,” said Ruggiero.
“That’s something I think we tend to forget in such a consumerist society, that
our food actually came from somewhere, that every ingredient has a story behind it.”
Many of the questions in the following Q&A had to do with sourcing ingredients,
which, as emphasized by Buenafe-Ze, is “not gonna be as convenient as hitting
up your local Whole Foods.”
Medina explained that when gathering ingredients, such as acorns in the East
Bay, the first drop has to be left for other life. He said that Ohlone people have “no
word for famine because we always have enough,” but do have a word for having too
much. They find ways to source ingredients that do not put stress on the land, and
in order to be respectful of their homeland, sometimes substitute traditional Indigenous
ingredients with more sustainable alternatives similar in taste.
“As far as where we source our ingredients, we have to be innovative, because
we can’t gather everything in the traditional way,” due to the colonial degradation of
their homeland, Medina said. He continued that they source ingredients from places
such as student organic gardening associations, grown by allies of their community
and in home gardens, and develop relationships with local farmers. They also offered
suggestions about modifications to the recipe for those without access to harder-tofind
ingredients.
“I felt really honored, like you’re being invited to somebody’s table,” Simmons
said about the demonstration. “If I do and when I make it, I will be thinking about
Vincent and Louis, their community, and the culture they shared.”
Buenafe-Ze praised the cooking demonstrations' simultaneous simplicity and
complexity, and said that it is a form of “Indigenous pedagogy.” She said that the
intergenerational transfer of knowledge is a healing tool for their communities.
“If you’re learning this stuff from Indigenous people, acknowledge who
you got it from, and use that knowledge for the way it was intended,” said Buenafe-
Ze. “Cooking is an experiential form of learning. It sits with you and it makes you
kind of expand. What is your relationship with food, with the environment and
with other people? It makes you think about all of those things at once. And that is
inherently an Indigenous way of teaching and learning.”
Cafe Ohlone is planned to reopen as a full-fledged restaurant in the courtyard
of the Hearst Museum of Anthropology on the University of California, Berkeley
campus by 2022.
SCENE

08 09
THURSDAY
OCT. 28,
2021
SCENE
BEFORE
AFTER
WHO HASN’T BEEN AT THE TABLE?
New Monuments Taskforce led by women of color
re-evaluates 83 city monuments and the racist history
they symbolize in The Relic Report
In 2019, the statue of Christopher Columbus at Coit Tower was
vandalized in red paint to symbolize spilt blood and then restored
at the price of $70,000, only to be removed by the San Francisco
Art Commission on June 18, 2020. The images show the view of
the tower before and after the statue’s removal. PHOTOS COUR-
TESY OF /WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
SARA AHMED
Staff Writer
Prior to last summer’s social justice reckoning, the
historical context behind Bay Area monuments were
largely unrecognized. The national shift in consciousness
regarding racial injustice in the United States
sparked a wave of public conversation about the truths
of these monuments.
The Relic Report, a record evaluating the city’s
monuments and their racially motivated and colonial
values, was given a formal presentation Oct. 20. The
event was hosted by Litquake, San Francisco’s literary
festival, at the California Historical Society. It
was co-presented by the New Monuments Taskforce
(NMT) and Goethe-Institut SF and was led by the
NMT’s Artistic Director Cheyenne Concepcion and
Development Director Anna Lisa Escobedo.
The NMT is a newly established group of artists
and cultural workers who have taken on the responsibility
of designing and developing new monuments in
the Bay Area. However, before these new developments
can occur, the NMT must evaluate the outcomes of
The Relic Report and surveys with SF residents. The
taskforce’s first initiative, as stated in the NMT report,
was to “broaden understanding of our inherited monuments
and memorials...and create space for critical
conversations.”
Concepcion, a multidisciplinary artist, SF activist,
and author of The Relic Report, said that her joint interest
in art and cities led her to the idea of monument
examination. “What really got me interested in them
was growing up in San Diego, and being right at the
border because the most interesting thing about San
Diego is that it’s half the city and half Tijuana,” said
Concepcion. She explained that living in San Diego
caused her to develop an interest in border urbanism.
The border wall was the main influence in her love
of monuments. “The thing that brought me to monuments
is the wall, because I feel like the wall is such
a monument. Things pass it every day: it’s completely
arbitrary and yet it’s a symbol,” Concepcion said.
The NMT categorized the monuments they evaluated
into different categories. The first was called “The
Boys Club”: a collection consisting of 53 memorialized
men and three women. The NMT stated that many of
the monuments are for “SF government bureaucrats
and national heroes.” Of the 56 statues, only one memorialized
a Black man (Mayor Willie Brown) and
three memorialized women, revealing an imbalance in
representation.
The next category titled “The OGs” or “The Original
Gentrifiers” consists of 15 monuments of notorious
male figures in the colonialism and settlement of the
United States. The collection begins with figures from
the early Spanish expeditions in 1770, the Pioneers 150
years after, and American-Dreamers: wealthy, white
landowners who possessed power in SF. “A former
mayor, James D. Phelan, is responsible for quite a few
of the monuments in the civic collection today,” the
NMT stated in the report. They went on to describe
how Phelan had run for Senate on the campaign, “Keep
California White.” Toler Hall on USF’s main campus
was previously named after Phelan, but the building
was renamed after Burl Toler, the co-captain of USF's
famous 1951 football team and the first African American
official in a major American professional sports
league, in the wake of student action in 2017. “[Phelan’s]
visions for San Francisco were grand… and they
built monuments only for wealthy, white people,” the
NMT concluded.
The report included more categories of monuments
throughout its account, all of which were rooted
in misogyny, racism, exclusivity, and ultimately, white
supremacy. As part of their initiative, Concepcion and
the NMT surveyed Bay Area residents and collected
their responses regarding the monumental relic collection.
One resident stated that “the monuments only
honor achievements of white males and reflect a certain
hierarchy of who and what deserves to be honored
by the collective.” Another stated, “My relationship to
monuments is one of fear and or disgust. I want monuments
who wouldn’t spit on me as I pass them.”
Many of the responses the NMT received were
veracious critiques of the monuments, with some even
calling for the termination of the representations of
white supremacist figures such as Christopher Columbus
or King Carlos III, two colonizers who directly
instituted and engaged in the genocide of Indigenous
people in the Americas. On June 18, 2020, SF residents’
disapproval and vandalization of colonial monuments
led to the removal of a statue of Christopher Columbus
at Coit Tower that had been installed in 1957.
Towards the end of the event, Concepcion reflected
on her time as a leader of the NMT and The Relic
Report, and the role her identity played in its conception.
“In almost every other avenue of life it’s been a
hindrance to be a woman of color, or at least you feel
the weight of that,” Concepcion said. She continued to
emphasize how her identity as a woman of color became
a strength while conducting The Relic Report.
“The fact that I'm telling you how I see the world, and
other people resonate with it, it’s like this is really what
our monuments are saying to us.”
Concepcion said she realized that although it’s difficult
to feel seen and represented, experiences can never
be “wrong,” and are valid despite any lack of external
validation. “You can own a hundred percent of that and
fight on it,” said Concepcion. “That is a strength that
women of color have and I've learned to live in.”
Concepcion mentioned that this lesson was new
to her and connected it to her work with monuments.
“What I experienced from 2020 is that now is the time
to take up space and be unapologetic and live in your
experience because no one can ever take that away from
you. I always come from a very personal place when it
comes to monuments because I think that I'm entitled
to that and I'm gonna fight for that opinion to be heard
too.”
For more insight and a deeper look into The Relic Report,
visit the website at newmonumentstaskforce.org and
IG @newmonumentstaskforce.
HOW USF’S COMMUNITY HELPED ME TAKE
PRIDE IN MY FILIPINA IDENTITY
JADE PEÑAFORT is a
senior sociology major.
Before October
ends, I want to recognize
Filipino American
History Month, which
celebrates the accomplishments,
history, and
legacy of Filipinos in
the United States. But
first, it’s important to
acknowledge colonialism
and the effect it still
has on our people today.
During the Spanish colonial
era, Filipinos were
stripped of their language,
traditions, and
identities. Years later, under U.S. imperialism, Filipinos
became a laundry list for Uncle Sam to exploit
as the demand for cheap labor increased. Because
of this, Filipinos eventually came to make up the
third-largest Asian American population in the country.
Despite having widespread Filipinx communities
throughout the states, there is still a large lack of representation
in what it means to be Asian American.
As a child, I was always aware that I came
from a Filipino background. Both my parents were
born in Quezon City and came to California as teenagers.
I knew a good amount of Filipino dishes and
could sing a few Filipino songs. I knew that I was
Filipino, but it would be years before I understood
what it actually meant to be a Filipina woman.
In elementary and middle school, I was always
embarrassed to bring food from home because it
smelled different. I hated my last name because it
PHOTOS BY JADE PEÑAFORT/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
didn’t fit in among my nonethnic classmates. I was
even taught to pinch my nose when I was younger
so that it wouldn’t be as flat. I learned from a very
young age that being a person of color in the United
States was deemed undesirable. I tried so carefully to
distance myself from my Filipina identity because I
was always surrounded by my white friends.
Attending predominantly white schools in Redwood
City my whole life made me realize how much
I wanted to conform to white culture. I couldn’t comprehend
that by ignoring my culture, I was erasing a
part of myself that helped me identify with my roots
and why I am the way I am.
It wasn’t until college that I began to interact with
and embrace my Filipina identity. In Professor Evelyn
Rodriguez’s class, Filipinx for Black Lives, I learned to
embrace the true history of Filipinos outside of the
biases of Eurocentric ideology. We explored our own
family trees and the traditions we may or may not
continue to uphold in the states. Furthermore, we
learned about our roles as allies and where we stand
as people of color under white supremacy, and how
we are linked to other marginalized communities.
I was able to immerse myself in communities
that understand my culture and upbringing. I’ve
learned how important it is to surround myself with
people who recognize who I am, where I come from,
and the things I am capable of. The small community
we built taught me to feel empowered by my culture
and have pride in the stories and traditions that
shape my identity. I was even taught to appreciate the
uniqueness of my last name and the importance of
pronouncing a Spanish name correctly.
In Rabbi Camille Angel’s class, Queering Religion,
I learned what it meant to be a woman and a
sister and how I can use my privilege to uplift those
around me. In Professor Marco Durazo’s class, Latinx
& Chicanx Culture and Society, I am learning about
the experiences we share with other ethnic groups under
the system of white supremacy.
In each of these classes, I met amazing people
and was able to immerse myself in a culture that
wasn’t present in my youth. We understood each others’
struggles and pressures to assimilate to white culture
as a people of color. We were able to debunk the
myths that prevented us from fully accepting our Filipino
identities and allowed us to create a safe space
for learning, experimentation, and exploration.
Navigating our identities is never easy. It takes
personal effort to really learn about your background
and heritage. To me, being Filipina means carrying
on the stories and traditions that have been passed
on throughout our history. It means carrying myself
with confidence and resilience, the skills that our ancestors
carried with them. It means decolonizing my
mind, unlearning history, and reclaiming my Filipino
roots. It means sharing perspectives and forming a
deeper understanding of your place in the world as a
Filipinx individual in a way that makes sense to you.
As this month comes to an end, it’s important
to acknowledge your family roots and the personal
narratives that don’t get to be heard. It’s important
to take pride in your family name, the shape of your
nose, or the smell of a yummy traditional dish. For
centuries, Filipinos have been stripped of their ability
to create their own narratives. As the younger generation,
it’s our responsibility to preserve the narratives
of our ancestors and those to come.
OPINION

10
THURSDAY
OCT. 28,
2021
LETTER TO THE EDITOR:
CAMPUS CULTURE REPRESENTED IN OUR MASCOT
DONS WEEKLY
ROUNDUP
11
OPINION
Dear USF Foghorn and members of our USF Community,
As a content warning, the following letter includes reference to recent events
and coverage of sexual assault and harassment on campus. I thank the Foghorn
for their reporting and the many students who have contributed to the recent
coverage in the interest of creating a better USF.
When the Sports Illustrated article “A Predatory Culture, a Viral Reckoning—and
Now What?” broke, my phone—like those of so many in the USF
Community—lit up with messages as the story spread across social media and
local news outlets. When I sat down to read the full article I felt a range of emotions.
In some regards, nothing surprised me; there was nothing necessarily new
in the article, which compiled together years of stories and evidence into one expanded
and very public story. As I read the powerful testimonies of numerous students
reporting incidents only to then be ignored, I couldn’t help but think of all
of the stories this article did not mention. As a female faculty member at USF for
the past 12 years, I’ve witnessed
numerous students struggle with
reporting sexual assault, sexual
harassment, and other inappropriate
behavior only to experience
the same tepid responses
and lack of resolution outlined
in the recent article.
I applaud Lili Makensie’s
recent op-ed in the Foghorn
that expands the conversation
of survivors to include other
gender identities and traumatic
situations. In addition to the
female-identifiying students
whose stories I’ve heard, and
whom I assisted with reporting
and providing crisis resources,
I’ve also had queer male-identifying
students share stories of
being assulted and harassed as
well. As Makensie points out,
the issue goes beyond the soccer
team, beyond cis-gender female-identifying
students, and
even beyond students.
I too, as a faculty member, have experienced inappropriate harassment on
campus. These issues, of course, extend far beyond USF and are rooted in patriarchal
systems of oppression in our larger culture. These systems continue in part
because of prevalent stereotypes, including that of our own “Don.”
One of the main problems the recent Sports Illustrated article highlights is
that the third-party investigation found “the number of sexual misconduct incidents
within the men’s soccer program over a decade does not represent a pervasive
culture.” I’m left asking then, if it’s not “a pervasive culture,” what kind of culture
does it represent? And what kind of culture does USF as a whole represent?
In a recent meeting, the USFFA (the full-time faculty union at USF) had
with our new Provost Chinyere Oparah, she called for a cultural reset.
After the many tragedies, mishaps, frustrations, pandemics, and issues USF
has experienced in the past several years, I couldn’t agree more. I truly appreciate
the many listening sessions Provost Oparah has had to listen to the voices of the
USF community beyond those in administration. I am eager to work with her
and with others to co-design a new USF. To help precipitate this cultural reset
then, I cannot help but call out a need to examine the USF mascot.
The Don, according to the USF website, was “once used as a fancy way to
address Spanish nobles,” and has evolved to mean “a distinguished gentleman.
You know the type.” But I’m not sure: do I know the type? Many other common
GRAPHIC BY JAMES SALAZAR/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
definitions refer to a Don as a leader of an organized crime family. The Urban
Dictionary refers to a Don as “a man who is very sexy and powerful. This man
can control the hearts of all women, while being caring and still sexy.” Beyond the
inherent sexism in this image, I also have questions about the use of this "highly
stylized version of an old-school Spanish look” as mascot.
As a Design Professor who teaches visual communication and idenitity, I
can’t help but see the connection between a masked male mascot—known for
controlling women, organized crime, Spanish colonization, unapologetically lassoing
and sword fighting, and riding off on his high horse—and the culture that
has allowed the many accounts of chauvinistic behavior, sexual harassment and
assult to occur at USF. The images and symbols we choose to surround ourselves
with have an impact on how we perceive ourselves, and in the case of schools, can
affect students' self-esteem and overall climate.
In the summer of 2020, in the midst of the racial reckoning in the U.S. that
followed the murder of Geroge Floyd, many corporations took up re-branding
inativies to reassess their image. Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, Eskimo Pies, Land
O’Lakes, Mrs. Butterworth’s, and many more brands took on new more inclusive
identities. Many pro sports
teams also began renaming and
rebranding initiatives including
the Washington Football Team,
the Cleveland Indians, and Kansas
City Chiefs. Many colleges
have also changed mascots for a
variety of reasons.
In some of my classes, I teach
about how we communicate with
images, colors, symbols and words
in visual literacy. I’ve presented
many of these branding case studies
to students and analyzed what
is being represented, to whom,
by whom, and how. I tell my students
that as designers, we do not
just make pretty pictures. There is
inherent meaning behind whatever
we create, and it is our job as
designers to be sensitive to what
we communicate and how. What
does it mean that we put masks
and mustaches on people in our
community?
The images and symbols we choose to surround ourselves with and represent
ourselves with have an impact on our collective well-being. I know that many
other students, faculty, and staff agree that a university which defines itself by its
social justice mission should not be represented by a Don.
I am not suggesting that simply changing our mascot will magically make
the sexist and traumatic experiences on campus go away. There’s a lot of work to
be done. I understand and support the students' demands for an apology from
the administration and to take accountability for the harm that has been caused
not only for those named and recognized in the case against the men's soccer
team, but for all of the incidents that have occured at USF and in support of all
survivors in our community.
As we move forward in what I hope will be a true cultural reset, in what I
hope will be an open dialogue on campus about supporting survivors and inclusive
intersectional change on campus, we need to ask: what kind of culture do we
represent? And what might that culture look like in a mascot? When we cheer on
not only our sports teams, but our entire USF community, I’d like to cheer for a
mascot that represents an inclusive, progressive community.
Rachel Beth Egenhoefer
Professor, Design, USF
Freshman Elle Soleau dribbles before sending a pass. PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS M. LEUNG/DONS ATHLETICS
JASON TITUS
Contributing Writer
USF soccer had a strong week on the pitch
as the men’s and women’s teams came away with
wins in their respective matches. Elsewhere,
USF women’s volleyball could not put a stop to
their losing skid. Here is your recap of the week
in Dons' sports.
USF men's soccer hit the road to face the
University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks
Oct. 19. The game remained scoreless until the
39th minute when Ferdy Ghafury found Bracken
Serra who fired a shot at the back of the net.
The goal went down as Serra’s second of the season,
and it proved to be the game-winner of the
contest as the Dons kept their opposition from
putting any points on the board. The victory was
USF’s first road win and first shutout of the season.
The Dons returned to Negoesco Stadium
Oct. 23 and hosted the Gonzaga University
Bulldogs in rainy conditions. USF’s Elias Thomas
earned a red card in the 21st minute of play,
and the Dons had to play the rest of the game
down a player. Nonso Adimabua got the Dons
on the board in the 55th minute, and Shayan
Charalaghi tied the game 2-2 in the 78th minute.
The Bulldogs squeaked by in overtime, and
USF lost by a score of 2-3.
Looking ahead, the Dons embark on a twogame
road trip against the University of the
Pacific Tigers and the University of San Diego
(USD) Toreros.
USF women's soccer hosted the Brigham
Young University (BYU) Cougars Oct. 20 in
wet and rainy weather. The Cougars scored three
goals before the Dons got on the board in the
45th minute courtesy of Marissa Vasquez. In
the end, the nationally-ranked No. 12 Cougars
came away with a 1-3 win.
The Dons reversed their fortunes Oct. 23
when they shut out the University of the Pacific
Tigers by a score of 1-0. Elle Soleau netted
the lone goal in the 44th minute of the contest.
Elsewhere, Megan Nail made her first start as
goalkeeper.
The Dons return to the pitch Oct. 30 when
they host the Pepperdine University Waves.
USF women's volleyball were swept in their
homestand at the Sobrato Center. The Dons fell
to the Saint Mary’s College of California Gaels
Oct. 21 by a score of 0-3. The Dons also could
not find their groove against the University of
the Pacific Tigers Oct. 23, falling to their opposition
in a closely contested affair by a score
of 0-3.
Looking ahead, the Dons will go on a twogame
road trip against the BYU Cougars and the
USD Toreros.
SPORTS

12
THURSDAY
OCT. 28,
2021
ONE SPACE, TWO FORMS OF TALENT
SPORTS
MAGGIE ALDRICH
Staff Writer
Though they come from different sports, former professional figure
skater Kristi Yamaguchi and professional golfer Michelle Wie West have
more in common than one might think. On Oct. 17, the Silk Speaker
Series hosted the decorated duo. An in-person audience of 200 and an
online audience of 5,300 listened to Yamaguchi and Wie West discuss,
among other topics, motherhood and womanhood, mental health, and
their Asian American identities. Vicki Nguyen, an NBC News reporter
and USF alumna, served as the event’s moderator.
Nguyen opened the conversation by asking Yamaguchi and West
about their identity through sports and the importance of representation.
Nguyen mentioned that she grew up watching Yamaguchi on television
winning gold at the 1992 Winter Olympics when women’s figure skating
was the pinnacle of the games. West said, “It wasn't up until Se-ri Pak won
the US Open 1988 that it clicked for me that I can actually play this [golf]
professionally.”
Yamaguchi said her identity was not a primary focus as skating became
central to her life, but the support from the Asian American community
following the Olympics led her to understand what her win truly
represented. “I really feel that the generations before me had really paved
the way to be able to live the American dream, and ultimately I got to do
that,” Yamaguchi said. “I think at that point, I was always very conscious
and proud of my heritage.”
Both athletes also spoke about the importance of mental health, especially
in regards to the rise of social media and the internet. Yamaguchi
said, “I think as women especially, we want to take things on ourselves,
or we think we have to, but what I think I’ve learned through the years is
that having mentors having idols, even, is great to have,” Yamaguchi said.
“I think [when] you surround yourself with a great team of people and
people that have the same values as you [it] is always something to hold
on to.”
Wie West defined how social media played into her role as a new
mother with a 1-year-old daughter, where she felt a similar pressure to
that in her career; “It's a transition and much like kind of mental health
and being an athlete, in a lot of times, it's the stigma where you have to be
tough,” Wie West said. She also discussed the importance of compassion
towards mental health where a lot of mothers from all walks of life can
experience guilt within the balancing act, something she also experienced
as a mother who decided to continue playing golf; “Every week I got “oh
who's watching the baby or who's home with the baby?” and it just kind
of annoyed me because I knew that male athletes never get asked this question,”
Wie West said as the audience applauded in collective agreement.
When asked about her two older daughters and their paths, Yamaguchi
explained the importance of letting them pave their own way,
“You're going to go through some really challenging tough times when
you hate your sport, but if there's a love under there you're not going to
get through it,” Yamaguchi said. Although her youngest is still discovering
her path, her eighteen year old found her passion within the theater arts,
something Yamaguchi sees as a perfect fit for the storyteller within her.
West shared her methods of dealing with the pressures of life, especially
those that come with professional sports. “Athletes [are] very metric
driven; it's how you do a tournament, how many times you win. But for
me, I think when I went down that path, I struggled mentally and emotionally.
I think the things that really helped me were little attainable
goals,” West said. “One mentor said to me, think of what you really want
to do, like your big, big dream. It doesn't have to be something specific
but a big dream. Now, everything you do in your life has to be working
towards that.”
Yamaguchi spoke about some of what she considers professional
shortcomings. Specifically, she referenced the US Figure Skating Championships
before the 1992 Winter Olympics where she came in second
place for the third year in a row. Yamaguchi’s performance made her believe
that she had a low chance at the world championships, and she questioned
her passion and ability. External pressures led her to bouts of unhappiness,
but she still felt inspired to find her turn around. “When I thought about
what drew me to skating, [I had] to begin with that love and try to find
that again,” Yamaguchi said. “When I kind of shut out everything else, I
was determined to actually smile and have fun even in training, because
apparently before, I wasn't. And I had the best competition of my life.”
Yamaguchi won her first world title within a month and eventually
received her first perfect score from a judge after questioning herself and
persisting. “I think if I didn't change my perspective of why I was doing
what I was doing and really take ownership of it again, I wouldn't have
won the Olympics,” she said.
Vicky Nguyen holds a discussion with Kristi Yamaguchi and Michelle Wie West in the Sobrato Center at War Memorial Gymnasium. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS