VOL 119, Issue 8—Nov. 4, 2021

SF FOGHORN
EST. 1903
04
SFFOGHORN.COM
FOGPOD
NEWS
Title IX administrators
speak at Senate fall
town hall.
@SFFOGHORN
THE UNIVERSITY OF SAN FRANCISCO
THURSDAY, NOV. 4 2021 • VOL. 119, ISSUE 08
SCENE OPINION SPORTS
USF hosts haunts and
Learning a new language
08 horrors in celebration 09 can inspire creativity 12
of Halloween.
and tolerance.
Men's golf takes to the
Bahamas for the White
Sands Invitational.
USF SUES SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF
EDUCATION OVER UNPAID REIMBURSEMENT
MIGUEL ARCAYENA
Staff Writer
University claims it is owed almost $300,000
SFUSD rejected the University’s claim that it had denied its reimbursement invoice. PHOTO BY MIGUEL ARCAYENA/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
USF recently filed a lawsuit for damages and declaratory relief
against the San Francisco Board of Education, which represents the
San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD). The lawsuit claims
that the board and school district have not fulfilled their agreement to
reimburse the University $297,998.68 after it provided “emergency
temporary funding” for the San Francisco Teacher Residency Program
(SFTRP) back in 2017.
According to San Francisco Superior Court filings, which are
available online in the court’s docket finder webpage, the University
filed its lawsuit back on Aug. 17. In the complaint, USF identified
three claims: breach of contract, common count, and misrepresentation
(Case No.CGC-21-594564).
The two other defendants named in the case are the SFUSD and
Superintendent Vincent Matthews. The case is still pending, with
the court having issued summons to the board, school district, and
CONTINUED ON PAGE 03
Matthews on Sept. 10. This is
the most recent online file on the
docket webpage at the time of
publication.
When asked for a comment
from the University, Kellie Samson,
head of media relations,
said in an email to the Foghorn,
“USF essentially advanced
SFUSD the money to pay for the
program teachers' stipends when
the district asked us to.” She added,
“Despite its commitment to
do so, and after several requests
by us, the district has evaded its
obligations to repay USF, which
has left us no choice but to pursue
litigation for repayment.”
San Francisco school superintendent Vincent
Matthews. PHOTO COURTESY OF SAN
FRANCISCO UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

02
THURSDAY
NOV. 01
2021
STAFF
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STAFF EDITORIAL
UNIVERSITY NEEDS TO ADJUST ITS
POLICIES AROUND MENTAL HEALTH
The start of November marks the
end of midterms for many students and
the beginning of finals-induced stress
for the next month. Our staff reflected
on the toll that the intensity of this semester’s
exam season took on our mental
health and our ability to maintain a
healthy school-life balance.
Coming into this semester, we
were aware that we would have to readjust
our work habits to accommodate
in-person classes and a more lively social
life. However, this adjustment is
ongoing and many of us are still learning
how to schedule ourselves in order
to be fully present for every aspect of
our lives.
As we split our time between
schoolwork, studying for exams, dedicating
ourselves to extracurriculars,
and working one or multiple jobs, our
staff found themselves feeling burnt out and overwhelmed.
In a city as expensive as San Francisco,
it is hard to find moments of rest as our time is
spent making sure we can afford the cost of living
while simultaneously keeping up with the rigors
of higher education to the best of our abilities.
For some, a factor that contributed to
our sense of exhaustion was the return to living
off-campus or out of the city. The commute to
campus cut into valuable study time, as their
schedules could no longer be planned around
a two-minute walk to the library. Additionally,
some of us lost the possibility of being on campus
for a late-night study session. We had to factor in
getting home while buses were still running or
while it was safe enough to walk unless we could
afford the cost of ride-booking services.
While we as a staff are overwhelmingly happy
to be back on campus for in-person classes, we
feel that the community should continue being
conscious of the pandemic. If being away from
the Hilltop taught us anything, it is that sometimes
all of us require much-needed mental health
breaks, no matter the cost. Our goals and objectives
lose meaning when we cannot show up to
them with the utmost commitment.
For some of us, professors have offered the
option of not coming to class at all, or attending
virtually through a hybrid system during stressful
periods like exam week. These practices should not
be seen as something reserved for the pandemic,
and they should be kept when this turbulent period
of time has passed. With the right support,
students can continue meeting class expectations
without having to be in a physical space.
Additionally, we are continuously disappointed
with the lack of support given to the University’s
Counseling and Psychological Services
(CAPS). While we appreciate having a psychological
resource available to us and included in our
tuition, we feel that these benefits are a missed
opportunity. Due to a limited staff, CAPS is
PHOTO BY ZOE BINDER/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
largely unavailable in times of high stress or crisis.
This short staffing issue creates conflict between
students and workers who are already spread entirely
too thin.
More attention needs to be given to mental
health resources, and the University needs to plan
for high-capacity weeks in accordance with exam
schedules to be able to accommodate the volume
of students in need of psychological assistance and
mental health resources.
While the University routinely promotes
itself as one of the most diverse in the country,
that label needs to be present in the faculty and
staff as well as the opportunities created for Black
people and people of color. Currently, nine of 14
CAPS staff members are white. We feel this is a
disservice to Black students and students of color
as predominantly white groups cannot relate or be
cognizant of the lived experiences that come with
being from a marginalized community. This could
be an issue as the department is at risk of treating
everyone with a one-size-fits-all approach.
In general, we feel that CAPS should be advertised
more openly and made more widely available
to students. Neither students nor staff should
suffer due to circumstances out of their control.
The supply has to match the demand for CAPS
to be a truly meaningful resource. In addition to
counseling through CAPS, the University could
improve on its promotion of mental health related
socials, activities, and workshops, especially
around exam weeks.
Since the CAPS staff is relatively small for
a university with a student population of over
11,000 students, we also feel that the University
could improve on providing professors and other
university mentors with the resources to aid
students with their mental health. Having an informed
faculty would help us as students to reach
out to mentors that we trust. With the proper
channels, we can ensure that students have the
opportunity to tend to their mental health and
avoid burnout.
USF SUES SAN FRANCISCO BOARD OF EDUCATION OVER UNPAID REIMBURSEMENT • Front Page
The central issue between the University and
the city revolves around the SFTRP. Created back in
2010, the training program was founded as an answer
to the shortage of educators in San Francisco.
Alongside USF, Stanford University also took part
in the program. As consortium members, SFTR
participants or “Residents” earned their credential
requirements at both respective institutions, serving
as a “staffing pipeline for SFUSD to employ qualified
Residents as full-time SFUSD teachers after their
graduation,” said the complaint.
USF claims that during the 2016-17 academic
year, the program had sent out admission letters
to prospective participants which included benefits
from the federal agency, AmeriCorps. The said aid
consists of a “living expense monetary stipend of
at least $12,000 and an education award of at least
$5,500.” Those who accepted the letter took graduate
classes at the University’s School of Education
and USF additionally “would provide 40% tuition
remission.”
However, in April 2017, both the University and
SFUSD chose to eliminate the AmeriCorps financial
aid. Still, both parties agreed to continue funding the
program for the rest of the year.
The University claims that between April
and May 2017, USF provided a total stipend of
$105,103.68 to 33 Residents. In addition, it had also
given out a total of $191,895 in education awards, as
part of the admission letter SFUSD sent out.
The University is chasing the school district
for the combined total of $297,998.68 in stipend
grants and awards it provided. In 2017, USF claimed
that when SFUSD asked the University to “provide
emergency temporary funding to cover SFTR payment
obligations,” then-SFUSD Executive Director
of Professional Learning and Leadership Chris
Canelake wrote in an email that SFUSD “would fully
reimburse the University if [USF] did so.”
The school district’s Chief Financial Officer
Reeta Madhavan also reassured the University in an
email, which is included in the complaint, that they
would present “an MOU [memorandum of understanding]
to the Board of Education at the next available
opportunity which sets forth the District's commitment
to transferring approximately $297,000 to
USF.”
In May 2019, when Dominic Daher, the USF
associate vice president of tax compliance and internal
audit, sent a request for reimbursement to
SFUSD, the University claims the school district “did
not pay the invoice.”
Further, in November of last year, USF said it
directly presented its claim to SFUSD, but on Jan.
6, 2021, the school district “denied the University's
claim.”
The University says in the complaint that the
MOU between them and the city included “indemnification,”
a clause in which a party will compensate
for any “liability, loss, expense.” The MOU between
the SFUSD, USF, and Stanford was originally entered
on Sept. 19, 2011, and subsequently renewed
each year following it.
Samson clarified that there are no precedents for
a situation like this where the University had to sue
but that “USF has made every attempt to avoid litigation,
and it is our last recourse.”
The first claim USF identified in the lawsuit is a
breach of contract. Because of the MOU, USF claims
the document “provides for SFUSD's responsibility
to indemnify the University for any losses suffered
by the University for SFUSD's acts and omissions
(and those of SFUSD's employees) in relation to the
SFTR MOU.”
By failing to compensate them, USF claims
SFUSD breached its contract as the University suffered
compensatory damages.
The second claim the University has is common
count. USF claims that the school district “became
indebted to the University when [USF] distributed
payments to Residents from April to June 2017.” Additionally,
USF highlighted that the funds provided
by them were “upon SFUSD’s special request.”
The third claim USF alleges is that SFUSD
misrepresented its statements and “omitted material
information that if known to the University, would
have caused the University to behave differently,
namely, that SFUSD did not intend to make the payment
as represented.”
When asked to comment on this lawsuit,
SFUSD’s spokesperson, Laura Dudnick, repeated
the Madhavan quote that the school district would
present “an MOU to the Board of Education at the
next available opportunity,” in an email statement to
the Foghorn.
She further refuted USF’s claim that the school
district is denying the University payment and “in
fact, the District presented an MOU to USF on several
occasions but USF declined to execute it. The
MOU would have enabled the District to seek Board
approval to pay the requested amount.”
The Vartain Law Group, which represents USF
in the lawsuit, did not provide any comment when
reached out to by the Foghorn.
This pending lawsuit is not the first time USF’s
relation to the SFTR program has been contentious.
In May 2020, the University agreed in settlement
to pay $2.5 million for claims that the “director of
USF’s teacher residency program falsified more than
1,500 timesheets and illegally certified approximately
61 education awards from 2014 to 2016 to acquire
more than $1.7 million in federal grants,” reported
by the San Francisco Chronicle last year.
The San Francisco Examiner noted back in April
that “USF has called for SFUSD to pay for a portion
of the settlement.” Around that time, it was revealed
that the University had ended its partnership with
SFUSD for the teaching program.
Samson later confirmed that since March 2021,
USF no longer participates in the program. Despite
the lawsuit, the University said it continues “to be
engaged in constructive and reciprocal relationships
with the district,” including the Our Educational
Talent Search grant, a program that helps SFUSD
middle and high school students for greater college
accessibility.
03
NEWS
This is not the first time USF has been involved in a lawsuit related to the San Francisco Teaching Residency program. PHOTO BY MIGUEL ARCAYENA/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN

04 05
THURSDAY
NOV. 01
2021
ASUSF SENATE HOLDS FALL TOWN HALL,
TITLE IX REPS FEATURED AS SPEAKERS
COLLEGE PLAYERS’ ROCKY HORROR TELLS
AUDIENCE: ‘IT’S OKAY TO BE WHOEVER YOU ARE’
NEWS
JORDAN DELFIUGO
Staff Writer
Last week, ASUSF Senate hosted
its annual fall town hall. The Oct. 27
event invited Jess Varga, the University’s
Title IX coordinator, Katrina Garry,
deputy Title IX coordinator, and Lisa
Quach, the sexual violence and resource
advocate, for a discussion and Q&A
regarding ongoing efforts in preventing
sexual violence and ensuring safety
within the USF community.
Elizabeth Velez, vice president of
public relations, estimated that the attendance
was about 55 people, which
is slightly less than what typical ASUSF
meetings average. However, she said
this was to be expected due to overlap
with other organizations’ events on the
same day.
The meeting began with an update
on resolutions and initiatives passed by
ASUSF in the last year. Senate’s efforts
in fostering a more inclusive community
were highlighted, with each student
representative detailing their progress.
Muslim Student Representative
Fiza Shaikh discussed her work in cultivating
a more religiously tolerant environment
on campus. Shaikh said her
aim is for “USF to explore a broader and
more encompassing religious exemption
policy to provide an inclusive community
for students of all religions.” As
a result of her efforts, practicing Muslim
students are now allowed to be excused from
class at least 15 minutes early if it conflicts with
prayer time.
The event shifted to a discussion with the Title
IX panelists as attendees wondered if the Sept.
30 Sports Illustrated article, which detailed a
longstanding history of sexual misconduct among
the USF men’s soccer team, would be brought up.
Vargas assured attendees that she and her colleagues
have been working to address the demands
made by both It’s On USFCA and the Rebuild
and Trust Community Working Group, which is
a group of students and teachers who advocate for
victims of sexual violence prevention on campus.
Additionally, Vargas informed attendees about the
90-minute sexual violence prevention workshops
that were presented to the 15 different athletic
programs on campus within the first four weeks of
the semester, as well the variety of workshops that
are available upon request via the Title IX website.
Additionally, the Title IX task force for sexual
misconduct prevention and education commitment
has been renamed to REPS, which stands
for resources, education, prevention, and support.
With this rebranding has come the development
of several subcommittees and increased collaboration
with different groups. Garry said, “There is
a regular collaboration with cultural centers and
About a month after the Sports Illustrated article, Title IX representatives Jess Varga and Katrina Garry were invited by Senate as guest
speakers at this fall semester’s town hall event. PHOTO COURTESY OF ELIZABETH VELEZ/ASUSF SENATE
sexual violence resource advocates to foster inclusive
and intersectional programming and events.
It is really important to acknowledge the role of
privilege when it comes to confronting sexual violence.”
As the Foghorn reported last week, there
are 12 student representatives on this committee.
Afterward, Quach organized attendees into
six different groups for conversations about the social
and sexual norms at USF, and this was led by
students on the REPS committee. Student leaders
assured the group members that they could speak
honestly so that the conversations could be productive
and engaging.
The attendees sat in circles and shared personal
stories and engaged in candid conversations
about their experiences at USF. Students praised
the tight-knit student community but suggested
that the lack of campus social event options can
push students to look for fun in dangerous places.
Title IX representatives then opened up the
final 15 minutes of the Town Hall for a Q&A
panel. Despite initial hesitancy from the audience,
an ASUSF representative began the proceedings
by asking whether Title IX planned to instill mandated
sexual violence education.
Vargas explained that Title IX is currently
hosting workshops upon request and is exploring
the potential of implementing a mandatory sexual
violence prevention Canvas module. As of now,
Title IX educates around 2,000 students a year
between orientation, mandatory reporting, and
NCAA athlete training.
Quach answered the question of whether Title
IX could provide safe sex education and free
contraceptives. Though not something they were
considering at the moment, Quach said it was a
potential idea to collaborate with other organizations
in the future.
When reflecting on the meeting, freshman
psychology major Sindey Tran said, “The event
was really informative and gave me a lot of information
about how to reach Title IX and other
resources.” Tran felt that these were especially
important resources to highlight in light of the
Sports Illustrated article, which she was surprised
was not a more focal point of the meeting, “I was
hoping that there would be more follow up,” said
Tran.
Likewise, senior entrepreneurship major, Julia
Naing, gave props to both Senate and guest
speakers for the amount of information they were
able to provide and the conversations they started.“I
appreciated how we discussed some topics I
hadn’t considered. It was obvious the amount of
work and research the students leading the discussions
had gone through.”
MEGAN ROBERTSON
Staff Writer
The College Players transformed the McLaren Center into a theater on Saturday,
Oct. 30, as approximately 200 students gathered to see their first production of
the school year, “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
This production combined various mediums, having student actors lip-sync and
dance while the 1975 cult classic film played behind them on a large screen. As the
show progressed, cast members planted in the audience called out to these performers,
creating an atmosphere where the viewers were just as involved in the production
as the performers.
In attempts to bring comradery and high energy to the group, the evening began
with games such as charades and a dance competition between audience members.
Being the day before Halloween, the crowd was dressed in costumes, and audience
members mirrored the excitement the cast had toward the revival of the College
Players’ performances on campus.
Fen Wright, a sophomore psychology major, directed the show and said, “There
is an air of excitement. This is the first production we’re doing, so people really want
to make a splash, to bring College Players a revival.”
Maggs Zuniga, a freshman performing arts and social justice major, played the
role of Magenta. They said they were very excited to be acting again. “It feels like
we’re stepping back into something. It’s like we just pressed pause, and now we’re
back,” Zuniga said.
Certain precautions were enacted to keep the event safe. Audience members
were required to be masked and vaccinated against COVID-19, and performers had
to keep their masks on while backstage.
Sadiya Kazani, a sophomore history major, said she had come out to support
her friends who were involved in the production. “I have been hearing a lot about
it, seeing little sneak peeks of the dress rehearsals, so I am excited for sure,” she said
prior to the performance.
The classic shadow cast style of performance has served as the College Players’
first show of the year for over a decade. It is seen as a fun way to acknowledge the
history and livelihood of the LGBTQ+ community, which is a reason they come back
to it year after year.
“It’s important to look back on one of the first big movies that had any queer
representation,” Wirght said. “We might consider it bad queer representation today,
but it’s a really good glimpse into queer culture in a time where it has been covered
up.”
In addition to the LGBTQ+ representation in this show, the production team
prioritized safety and trust when handling the sexual content of the piece. Prior to the
Maggs Zuniga acts as Magenta from the “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” as the film plays
in the background in McLaren Hall. PHOTO BY MEGAN ROBERTSON / SAN FRANCISCO
FOGHORN
blocking of any of these scenes, College Players Executive Producer Bex Brzostoski
led consent in theatre workshops following guidelines from Intimacy Directors and
Coordinators, a UK based organization leading training on intimacy and consent
in the performing arts. “We wanted to prioritize each actor’s control over their own
body and autonomy,” Brzostoski said.
The group begins each run of the show with what they call “tapping in,” a process
where they stand in a circle, take meditative breaths, and tap each others’ palms,
signifying that they are “tapping in” to their character and letting their personal
relationships with one another “tap out” until the show’s end.
While the production team was intentional with many aspects of the show, like
LGBTQ+ representation and intimacy work, one of the major challenges was something
out of their control: the show’s location.
With the Presentation Theater still under repair and the Lone Mountain Blackbox
Theater occupied, the cast planned on performing in the Koret Swig Gym. However,
the venue brought complications
with lighting and sound.
Brzostoski said McLaren was
perfect for this show. “I hope that
we can continue to use that space
every year until the Presentation
Theater is finally fixed,” they said.
The production ended with
standing ovation as Jasmine Bost,
a junior playing the role of Frank
N. Furter, ended her song with a
pride flag draped across her shoulders.
“By producing a queer show
as the very first show, we’re saying:
it’s okay to be whoever you
are and be proud about it,” Brzostoski
said.
The College Players will be
producing Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer
Night’s Dream” to be
performed in December. More
information can be found @collegeplayers1863
on Instagram or at
collegeplayers1863@gmail.com.
The College Players’ shadow cast perform as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” plays on the screen behind them in McLaren Hall.. PHOTO BY MEGAN
ROBERTSON / SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
SCENE

06
THURSDAY
NOV. 01
2021
CLASS PROJECT BRINGS LIVE MUSIC
TO PRIVETT PLAZA
07
SCENE
JAMES SALAZAR
Staff Writer
The whistles of a $60 flute, the hefty thumps of a bass guitar, and the
humming motor of a bubble machine. These were just a few of the sounds that
filled Privett Plaza as media studies Professor Dorothy Kidd and her Popular
Music and Communications class hosted a free concert on Oct. 28. The concert
featured Uncle Chris, a three-piece student band formed at USF. The event
was sponsored by the media studies department, while KUSF, the University’s
online radio station, provided both the stage and equipment.
Prior to introducing Uncle Chris, the event’s emcee, Sammy Berlanga,
warmed the crowd up by inviting them to do the wave. Berlanga noted that the
event allowed the USF community to come together and share their love for
music, and her words were met with rounds of cheers and applause.
Uncle Chris, which is composed of vocalist Sue-Ling Kaiser, guitarist Patrick
Madden, and bassist Alex Wolfert, serenaded audiences for an hour with
their own hits and even a cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love.”
Wolfert said it “was cool to reconstruct a song [like that] and play it differently.”
Madden and Wolfert channeled their Halloween spirit by performing
parts of their set in a horse mask and a swamp monster mask. Wolfert’s mask
“was hiding a little bit of the fright” that came with returning to the stage, and
he jokingly told the audience that he was rethinking his fashion choices as he
was sweating profusely under his headgear.
This gig was the latest in the band’s return to in-person performances, as
their first comeback show was a jam session in Golden Gate Park. “We got a
generator, got together with other bands we’ve played with, and set up in the
middle of Golden Gate Park and just put on a little show,” said Kaiser. She noted
that this performance was the band’s third time playing on campus.
The group occasionally traded the role of lead vocalist among its members.
Wolfert said that the group’s new stripped back, acoustic sound is “quite nerve
wracking, I’m not gonna lie. Not having a big, rhythmic beast to be pumping
you along behind you is definitely daunting.” He continued by saying, “Aside
from that, it’s been fun. It’s been really intimate, and it’s been cool. We just
have a lot of songs that we’re performing that have a bunch of weird tuning, so
there’s a new kind of development we have to learn in terms of how we make
transitions a little cleaner and stronger.”
In between songs, audience members were invited to a table in the back
where they could make buttons with members of KUSF. Other tables had flyers
which promoted the various minors and organizations offered within the
department. Sophomore media studies major Ava Klubberud enjoyed the festivities
and said, “I feel like USF doesn’t really have a lot of on-campus things
during the day, so it’s cool to have one and actually be a part of it. I like music,
and I’m having a good time. Plus there’s bubbles.”
As dead hour wound down, Uncle Chris thanked those in attendance for
taking a break from their school day to come out and listen to their songs. Guitarist
Madden, sans the horse mask, said, “I always like playing these kinds of
free shows because it’s always kind of low stakes, and you get better by playing
live.” He continued by saying, “It would be fun to see more of a music scene at
USF.”
Kidd echoed this sentiment and said, “I hope we can do more. KUSF does
a lot of concerts, but it would be good to synergize our energies and bring it
together. Also, it’s just a good learning experience for students to see how something
like this is set up.”
According to Kidd, the concert allowed students in her class to understand
media by becoming their own producers, and it also gave student musicians an
opportunity to showcase their talents. Kidd also said that the event was simply
“a good thing to do during the day. To do something joyful and realize that
what we’re doing, making culture, actually brings people together.”
Editor’s note: James Salazar and Sammy Berlanga are students in Professor
Kidd’s Popular Music and Communications class.
PHOTO BY JAMES SALAZAR/ SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
SCENE
The members of Uncle Chris perform in Privett Plaza on Oct. 28. PHOTO BY JAMES SALAZAR/ SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
KUSF had a button making station at the event in Privett Plaza on Oct. 28. PHOTO BY JAMES SALAZAR/ SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN

08 09
THURSDAY
NOV. 01
2021
Gleeson Plaza was decorated with skeletons, lights, and pumpkins, and was shrouded in fog for Fright Night. PHOTOS BY BEAU TATTERSALL / SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
A DEEP DIVE INTO BILINGUALISM
SCENE
CAB HOSTS A
FRIGHTENINGLY FUN
HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION
Students paint pumpkins in Gleeson Plaza during Fright Night.
PHOTO BY BEAU TATTERSALL / SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
JORDAN DELFIUGO
Staff Writer
CAB got USF students in the Halloween spirit by hosting the annual
Fright Night event in Gleeson Plaza on Wednesday, Oct. 27. Whether it
was the themed desserts table, the haunted house, or the pumpkin painting
station, students could be seen anxiously waiting for their turn to join in on
the festivities.
Nika Bresker, a freshman psychology major, said that the event has been
her favorite since the semester started. “I went to a few of the other events
in the year, like the lip-sync battle and Dons Night [Out], which were great,
but this was definitely the one where I felt the most comfortable and had the
most fun,” said Bresker.
The haunted house, held inside of an inflatable structure, was filled with
flashing, colorful strobe lights that made it difficult to see what was lurking
behind the next corner. Actors wearing scary, zombie-like masks jumped out
at their victims and followed students while mumbling and groaning to further
disorient and spook those who dared to enter. Shrieks and giggles from
inside the haunted house could be heard by those waiting outside.
Bresker waited in line for over 20 minutes, but she said, “It was totally
worth it. I didn’t even realize there was going to be actors in there, I was
pleasantly surprised by how scary it was.”
Over at the pumpkin decorating station, students had access to a multitude
of different art supplies and were able to create their own souvenirs
from the night to take home. Many students showed off their creative sides
at this table, such as senior nursing major Daisy Ho, who coordinated her
pumpkin decorating with her roommate to paint matching SpongeBob and
Patrick pumpkins for their apartment.
Another popular station was the Tarot table, where students were given
a glimpse into what the future might hold. Those brave enough to approach
the candle-lit table were read their cards by an experienced reader, who gave
them some insight into how to interpret the cards and their messages.
Eugenie Turner, a sophomore environmental science major, said, “The
event helped me get into the Halloween spirit because of the haunted house
and clever foods which were made to look like pumpkins, mummies, and
other spooky stuff.”
The food table attracted long lines for the majority of the evening and
the
Turner and her friend, junior computer science major Angel Ramos also
entered the costume contest together dressed as jellyfish. “Dressing up for
the contest definitely gave me a good start on Halloween.” Said Ramos.
CAB special events director, Kaylee Gwilliam, said that the main goal of
Fright Night has been and continues to be “providing students at USF with
a fun, free opportunity to be able to participate in some Halloween-themed
activities in a safe space.”
NIVEDITA GHOSH is
a junior biology major.
Mother -“Ma” Father - “Baba.”
Home - “Bari.” Throughout my life,
these words have existed for me in
dual forms. Born in the US to Bengali
immigrant parents, English was
the first language I learned in nursery
rhymes, billboards, and in every
encounter that my parents had outside
in shops, offices, and meetings
with friends from different ethnicities.
And then my mother introduced
me to Bengali, my mother
tongue, a language spoken by people
living in West Bengal and neighboring country Bangladesh.
Sitting on the wooden floor of our dining room, my mother
taught me the alphabets of Bengali, holding my hand, and giving
instructions as the pencil tip glided over the page and formed
letters with beautiful and curious shapes, opening a new world of
expression for me.
Short poems, known as “chchara,” rolled over my tongue like
music, bringing joy and unconsciously instilling in me a life-long
love for language. I soon realized the diverse ways that the world
can be conveyed through different languages. Discovering a new
way to express myself brought a different kind of joy, something
that perhaps even words cannot fully articulate. A new language
gave wings to my creativity.
When I was six, my father’s work took us to Kolkata, a city
in West Bengal, and I enrolled in a high school in the city. School
gave me the best opportunity to fully explore Bengali through
reading books, watching plays and movies, participating in debates,
and becoming a member of the Bengali cultural club. I also
formed a small group with a few like-minded classmates and together
we composed short poetry, read and wrote plays, and pondered
over synonyms which were very different from one another
in terms of one or two syllables but carried the same meaning.
The exploration of a different language gave enormous wings
to my imagination. It helped me to fly to unknown wonderlands
where I could form new words by just changing a syllable within
a word or combining two words.
Gradually, I ventured out and studied other languages such
as Hindi and Urdu, incorporating them into my forms of communication.
Pouring over dictionaries, dog-eared books with yellowed pages,
and small black prints gave me immense satisfaction. It gave me something
very elastic, peaceful, and mentally stimulating to pursue besides my love for
biological and mathematical sciences. After reading a chapter on the central
nervous system or successfully mastering a mathematical theorem, my hands
went towards a Bengali novel or collection of poems and letters, whose magical
spell took me to a wonderland of lyrical dance and a well-coordinated orchestra
of grammatical twists and turns.
Come 2019 and I entered USF as a biology major. Initially, I was
excited by the new environment and cultural setting, and the joy of new surroundings
swept me off my feet. However, this new environment made me
temporarily forget the joy of looking at the syllables of my mother tongue or
reading its lyrical beauty. It was almost as if I had forgotten my mother.
Speaking in English everywhere, I was unaware where those beautiful syllables
had gone. It was only during video calls with my parents that I used “Ma,”
“ Baba,” and “Kemon acho” (“How are you” in Bengali). The language that had
been one of my vehicles of creative expression was on the verge of drying up.
GRAPHIC BY SABRINA LABADLABAD/SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN
But then came the pandemic.
During the period of uncertainty, hopelessness, grief, and anguish, a popular
Bengali poem by Rabindranath Tagore came to me- “Where the mind is
without fear and the head is held high….”. Soon, I dug up my old chest of
forgotten treasures of Bengali literature. The poems and short stories I revisited
boosted my morale and reminded me of a very simple fact—no matter how
dark the night is, there will always be a morning.
Languages bring us close to our roots and also help us branch out. They
help us to understand different cultures and become tolerant towards new ideas
from diverse cultures. It opens new perspectives and helps us to make sense of
uncertainties. Being multilingual also gives us the opportunity to read literature
from different countries and be introduced to new ideas. Nowadays, I try to
read Bengali dailies to keep up with my vocabulary and am also making plans
to learn Farsi, Chinese and Latin. Learning these new languages will broaden
my intellectual horizon and help me overcome limitations in terms of cultural
knowledge. That is an ambitious list, but learning languages has given me the
determination and courage to be ambitious.
OPINION

10
THURSDAY
NOV. 01
2021
LARGE GATHERINGS SHOULD MANDATE
DONS PLAYER PROFILE: SOREN LIND
11
OPINION
COVID-19 BOOSTER SHOTS IN THE FUTURE
LUCIA VERZOLA & ZOE BINDER
Staff Writers
For the first time in over two years, thousands
of people flocked to Golden Gate Park for
three consecutive days of performances and celebration
at the Outside Lands Music and Arts Festival.
More than 75,000 people attended the festival,
not including the over 60 musical acts that
performed over the course of the weekend, leaving
many to feel that pre-pandemic normalcy has returned.
Music festivals of this size returned across the
U.S. earlier this summer, with festivals like Bottlerock
NapaValley and Rolling Loud attracting
120,000 and 80,000 people respectively. For us,
the event marked the first time since the start of
the pandemic that we were exposed to enormous
groups of largely unmasked people.
While the festival’s website encouraged attendees
to wear masks regardless of their vaccination
status, it was not enforced as a policy, leading
most people to remove their masks after having entered
the festival grounds. However, attendees were
required to either provide proof of vaccination or
a negative test result within 72 hours of the event
to gain entrance.
Knowing that everyone at the festival was legitimately
checked for COVID-19 brought some
peace of mind when standing shoulder to shoulder
with people in the middle of crowds. Yet, we can’t
help but wonder how many COVID-19 cases will
arise from this event, with the likelihood of infection
being much higher in crowds of unmasked
people.
Since the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine
booster shot was approved in late September
and Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen
boosters were approved just at the end of last
month, federal regulators have recommended it for
the elderly, those with underlying conditions, and
those at high risk of contracting the virus. Vaccine
administration sites are not exclusive to these
groups, however; anyone can attest to their own
need for the booster shot in San Francisco.
With the return of large gatherings like festivals,
booster shots seem like a logical precaution
for those who plan to attend such events. Though
it is unrealistic to assume that all people have access
to getting their booster shot now, it is not out
of reach for events to require proof of both vaccination
and a booster shot once it becomes more
widely available.
According to the CDC, those who received
the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine should
get their booster at least six months after their second
shot. With proven lower effectiveness, those
who received the J&J/Janssen vaccine should get
their booster two months after receiving their initial
vaccine. Individuals do not need to get the
same booster as their initial vaccine; instead, they
can “mix and match” between vaccines. However,
there are caveats that come with each initial vaccine
that should be considered when choosing
which booster to get.
For those who received the Pfizer vaccine,
the first and second shot were spaced three weeks
apart. Both the initial vaccine shots and its booster
contain 30 micrograms of the vaccine. Moderna’s
initial shots contain 100 micrograms, while the
booster is approved at a half dose. According to
Reuters, “a U.S.-government study of mixed booster
shots found that people who followed a J&J shot
with an mRNA booster had significantly higher
levels of protective neutralizing antibodies.”
As we each make our decision regarding boosters,
Californians can receive their vaccine booster
by making an appointment or finding a walk-in
clinic through My Turn. One doesn’t have to receive
their shot in the county where they work or
live and might be recommended to get their shot
elsewhere. If one is unable to travel for health reasons
or lack of transportation, the California Department
of Health will call you to set up transportation
or an in-home appointment.
Though it is unknown when COVID-19
booster shots will become readily available to all,
we must consider what it means to return to huge
crowds like that at Outside Lands. USF students
already have the opportunity to receive the booster
with a simple explanation, and students who work
for the university are eligible regardless.
While standing in crowds felt relatively comfortable
at Outside Lands because of the imposed
safety guidelines, we cannot deny the increased
chances of infection at the event. Receiving the
booster shot will provide additional safety as large
events like this continue to take place in the future.
Considering the booster shot is essential as
we continue to do our part to navigate the ongoing
presence of COVID-19 in San Francisco.
MAGGIE ALDRICH
Staff Writer
What Soren Lind calls a coincidence, others may call fate. Lind committed
to playing on the USF men’s golf team only two weeks after being
followed by a scout while playing on the Danish? national golf team for
a tournament in Austria during his senior year of high school. Though he
had never visited the HilltopUSF, Lind had the chance to check out the
city with his older brother who came to the West Coast in his personal
college golf search. Though he didn’t know it at the time, Lind’shis interest
in the city would inform his future decision of committing to USF.
“It's just so different.
tThere are so many
small neighborhoods
all around., I mean,
you can walk two
blocks, and you will be
at Haight Street, and
then two more blocks,
and you will be in a
family neighborhood.
sSo, there are so many
cities within the city,”
said Lind said, in describing
his favorite
aspect of San Francisco.
“This is my fifth
year, and I still have so
many spots that I still
need to discover. aAnd
again, it's just such a
melting pot of different
nationalities, so I
don't feel that different,
because there are
so many different nationalities.”
Following his decision
to commit to
USF, Lind moved from
Denmark to California
and accomplished
a range of achievements—,
from seven
top-10 finishes in his
career on the men’s
golf team andto a first
place win at the Seattle
University Redhawk
Invitational his senior
year. As a current graduate
student, he was
recently named to the
2021-22 Preseason All-
West Coast Conference
Team.
Lind’s interest in
golf began at eight
years old, as when he
watched his grandparents
take his older
brother out to the
course when he was
eight and found himself
longing to play at
home. He would notwouldn’t
start to take
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRIS M. LEUNG/DONS ATHLETICS
the sport more seriously until five years later. Together, he and his older
brother foundwould find their shared passion on the links., where Lind’s
brother would also committed to a university in the SouthU.S. university,
Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia, Kentucky.
“Sometimes I forget when I was a kid and I was just running around
on the course and just playing around having fun, and sometimes when
we were playing tournaments now if you shoot a bad route you're like
‘This is the worst,’ [but] I get to be out here doing what I enjoy,” Lind said.
“Don't take [life] too seriously, you know, you've got to wake up every day
and have fun with what you do.”
Though studying across the world would become one of Lind’s greatest
personal accomplishments, the transition from studying English in school
to speaking it in an
everyday context
was a strain. “All of
a sudden, I couldn’t
say the things I had
on my mind, like I
really had to construct
a sentence,”
Lind said. While
the language barrier
and the cultural
differences of the
West Coast posed as
an initial obstacle,
Lind found that the
openness of Americans
to engage in
conversation and
talking to his roommate
helped in his
transition to San
Francisco. “[It’s]
just a melting pot of
different nationalities,
so I don't feel
that different,” Lind
said. “As kind of
like when I learned
the language, there's
still a lot of social
norms that are different,
the way you
interact over here
compared to my
culture, which I
think is great. I always
think it's great
seeing different cultures
and how people
communicate,
but in the first couple
months it was at
first a bit to take in.”
In the 4 +
1 program as an
economics major,
Lind is expected to
graduate inpending
graduation in 2022.
From there, on he
plans to play golf
professionally and is
open to moving internationally
if need
be.
SPORTS
The band Soul Rebels perform at Outside Lands. PHOTO BY BEAU TATTERSALL/ SAN FRANCISCO FOGHORN

12
THURSDAY
NOV. 01
2021
USF MEN'S GOLF BATTLES STRONG
IN THE BAHAMAS
SPORTS
Graduate student Alex Chin delivers a full swing shot. PHOTO COURTESY OF THERESA TRAN/THE OFFENSE
JASON TITUS
Staff Writer
The University of San Francisco men’s golf team returned to the green for
the White Sands Bahamas Invitational which was held in Nassau, Bahamas
on Oct. 29-31. The event featured 11 other Division I schools competing
alongside USF, with the Dons finishing third overall by the tournament’s end.
Jeff Raedle, founder of Global Golf Management and coordinator of the
invitational, spoke with the Foghorn about his hopes for the event. “Sport is
ingrained in the culture and the more we can provide a window to the Bahamas
[through] the culture, the gastronomy, the lifestyle, what an incredible
touristic destination it is through sport, that's our goal and the teams and the
players and the parents and coaches that come down by their experiences here
become great cultural ambassadors for the islands.”
The Dons ended day one of the tournament in a three-way tie for third
place with a score of 288, which was par for the course. Individually, Soren
Lind led the Dons with a score of 71, and he ended the day in a 12-way tie
for 11th place. Matthew Anderson and Toby Briggs tied for 23rd place with
a score of 72. Alex Chin tied for 28th place with a score of 73, and Harry
Brown rounded out the Dons in 36th place with a score of 74.
Day two of the invitational was favorable for the Dons as they jumped
to third place in the rankings with a score of 282. Lind earned a second place
finish with a score of 68, moving up nine spots from the previous day’s finish.
Briggs also made strides up the field as he ended the day in a tie for fifth place
with a score of 69. Chin churned out an improved performance, as he finished
in 15th place with a score of 70.
USF closed out the tournament by tying for third place with the
University of Arkansas at Little Rock Trojans, the host of the event. Both
schools finished with an overall score of 851. Briggs finished in second place
with an overall score of 206. Lind ended the tournament with a score of 212,
and his performance secured him a seventh place finish. Further down the
rankings, Chin maintained his tie for 15th place with a score of 214. This was
the third time this season that the Dons have finished in the top three of any
tournament.
Maggie Aldrich contributed to the reporting of this article.