Latest news with #SanJoseState
San Francisco Chronicle
3 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Why Trump's panic over one trans kid among 1,500 CIF track and field athletes is fake news
Fortunately, the high school transgender athlete competing in the girls' jumping events at the CIF State Track & Field Championships over the weekend in Clovis is not a javelin thrower. Had she been, Donald Trump would have spent last week alarming his followers with ghastly tales of innocent bystanders impaled by the mighty, errant javelin heaves of the teen. When Trump goes on a crusade, all truth, reason and perspective saunter out for a smoke break. When he objected to a San Jose State trans volleyball player, Trump told wild — and wildly untrue — tales of opponents suffering injuries from 80 mph spikes of said Spartan. You can't injure opponents by jumping into a sand pit or high-jumping onto a big air mattress, but from Trump's level of alarm and outrage, you might have thought that the SoCal teenager was planning to compete with a nuclear bomb strapped to her back. Trump has signed an executive order banning trans athletes from competing in girls' and women's sports. When California didn't jump to comply on something that does not, after all, have the force of law, he opened up a can of blowhard. 'Please be hereby advised,' Trump trumpeted on social media, 'that large scale Federal Funding will be held back (from California), maybe permanently, if the Executive Order on this subject matter is not adhered to… I am ordering local authorities, if necessary, to not allow the transitioned person to compete in the State Finals. This is a totally ridiculous situation!!!' The high schooler in question did compete Friday in the preliminaries of her three jumping events, and qualified to compete in Saturday's finals. Look, this is an issue, at least insofar as people have been told that's the case by Trump and his cronies. Seven of ten American adults, according to one poll, say they are opposed to transgender athletes competing in girls' and women's sports. But had a poll been taken before Trump made this a moral crusade, 10 out of 10 adults would have had no idea that this was even a thing, let alone a national crisis. I understand the concept of a 'slippery slope,' but fears of any wholesale invasion and destruction of female sports by trans athletes seems to be not a thing that is happening or ever going to happen. The CIF serves 835,000 California high school athletes, and the CIF has long let trans girls to participate in girls' sports, since 2013 statewide, in some school districts 20 years or more. It was never a problem before Trump. There were 1,533 athletes, boys and girls, competing at the state meet in Clovis. Only one of them was a trans person competing in girls' events. The San Jose State volleyball controversy, remember, was about one athlete among tens of thousands of competitors just in her sport. On a middling team in a second-tier conference. As one of less than 10 trans athletes among more than 500,000 college student-athletes. Trump sees one tortoise creeping out onto the highway and calls it a stampede. The state track meet was such a colossal crisis that about a dozen protestors showed up outside the event. One airplane towed a banner. It was, as Trump might say, a protest like nothing we've ever seen before. It would be cool to be able to write that California and the CIF stood their moral and legal ground and told Trump to pound sand, which conveniently can be found in the jumping pits. Instead, the CIF took a stab at appeasing Trump by cobbling together a new rule. The trans girl could compete, but an extra girl would be allowed into the competition, so that no girl would be 'deprived' of a shot at glory by the lone trans competitor. Any medals or places the trans athlete earned would be shared with the competitor who finished just behind her. Never mind that this 'solution' won't work in any other sport, and that it works — sort of, awkwardly — only in the 'field' half of track & field. The effort, no doubt, was genuine. Recognize that many now see this as a problem, and seek areas of compromise. Buy time for civilized discourse and discussion. Yeah, no. The CIF and the state are dealing with a man who is open to discussion and debate, as long as it ends quickly in supplication, followed by tearful gratitude. Not that it matters. Had the CIF and the state and all those 'local authorities' yielded to Trump and kicked one trans athlete out of the state meet, another villain would have been quickly targeted. The trans athlete 'issue' was never a legitimate crisis, it was a convenient club used by a bully to beat California into submission, to further demonize the heathen state. Maybe the way out of this situation would have been for her parents to buy a couple of tickets to a million-dollars-per-plate Trumpy event. They could have raised the money through GoFundMe or whatever. Then, not only would the athlete in question have been given Trump's blessing to compete, the unprincipled prez would have commissioned a bronze of her for his planned statue garden of athletic heroes. Trump recently issued 60 pardons/commutations — not counting 1,500 or more related to the January 6 insurrection — and at least 10 of those free birds have clear financial or political connections to the Pardoner-in-Chief. Ah, but even if Trump had been briefly distracted from the high school track & field controversy, he quickly would have re-aimed his wack-a-mole club at another random California crime against humanity. The CIF's quick fix will be just that. Eventually, you either bow down in surrender, or stand up for what you believe.
CBS News
3 days ago
- General
- CBS News
Retired teacher continues to give back to Stockton and her Filipino community
STOCKTON – After arriving in the U.S. from the Philippines nearly 60 years ago, Virginia Navarro continues to inspire her community. In 1966, Navarro left the Philippines to continue her education in the U.S. "They say that the United States is the land of opportunity, so I tried my best," Navarro said. "I saw the struggles of my parents making [a] meager salary, my dad. So, I said I have to break this poverty here." She got accepted to San Jose State's graduate program and soon realized her scholarship didn't cover all costs. "I didn't know I was going to be paying my dorm and board and lodging, and my $60 is almost gone," Navarro said. So, she leaned on her faith. "I just took those problems as mere challenges, so I worked harder I found a job in the college library," Navarro said. That summer, Stanford University hired Navarro through its Peace Corps Volunteer Program to teach Philippine culture and the language. This meant moving to Stockton and joining the large Filipino American community. "The vibrant life of the Filipinos in here, and I said, 'This is [the] Philippines, you know in the south side,'" Navarro said. It didn't take long for Navrro to accept a teaching job with the Stockton Unified School District. "My goal of uplifting my family economically is realized because I had money to send them," Navarro said. Navarro eventually moved her entire family to the U.S. She worked as an elementary school teacher during the day, and at night, she taught ESL and Tagalog classes at San Joaquin Delta College. The ambitious educator wanted to do more. "Give them self-confidence and I want them to appreciate their Filipino culture through songs and dances," Navarro said. Navarro started three Filipino folk dance groups for children. It's something she did growing up in Manila, the capital city of the Philippines. "It's not only for them to develop awareness and sensitivity to their culture, and appreciation of their culture, but to disseminate to other ethnicities," Navarro said. After 62 years of teaching, Navarro decided to retire. At 87 years old, she is still giving back. "I love the community, community work, I can't get away from it," Navarro said. With so many awards and accolades to her name, Navarro knows the real reason for her distinguished career. "The most important part of my success is my family," Navarro said. Navarro remains a constant leader in Stockton, advocating for teachers and students and enriching her community with culture and diversity.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
5 things to know about new Rams OT David Quessenberry, who beat cancer early in his career
5 things to know about new Rams OT David Quessenberry, who beat cancer early in his career Quessenberry was drafted in 2013 but didn't make his NFL debut until 4 years later After letting Joe Noteboom walk in free agency, the Los Angeles Rams needed help at the swing tackle position. They appear to have found it during OTAs by signing veteran lineman David Quessenberry to a one-year deal, adding the 34-year-old to their offensive tackle group. Quesenberry will first have to make the 53-man roster but given the lack of depth behind starters Alaric Jackson and Rob Havenstein, he'll have a good chance to stick around on his fifth NFL team. Here are five things to know about the veteran tackle who last played for the Vikings in 2023 and 2024. He didn't have any scholarship offers out of high school Quessenberry went to La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, Calif., so he grew up not too far from Los Angeles. During his time there, he played tight end and wasn't exactly on the radar of colleges. He didn't have a single scholarship offer out of high school, so he walked on at San Jose State in 2008 and eventually earned a scholarship there. He was one of the top non-scholarship players in the FBS in 2012 In 2012, Quessenberry was named a finalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is awarded to the best player in the FBS who began his career as a walk-on. It was given to Matt McGloin that year but simply being one of three finalists for the award was an accomplishment for the San Jose State lineman. He beat cancer early in his NFL career Quessenberry was a sixth-round pick by the Texans in 2013 but he didn't see the field until his fifth season in the NFL. That's because he suffered a season-ending foot injury in September of his rookie year and then in the summer of 2014, he was diagnosed with a "very rare and very aggressive" form of Lymphoma. He began chemotherapy right away and then got radiation treatment for six months. In February of 2015, the cancer went into remission. He finished his treatment in April of 2017, officially winning his battle with cancer. Quessenberry made his NFL debut in December of 2017 after being promoted from the Texans' practice squad, marking his first game as a pro since being drafted four-plus years earlier. He won the 2017 George Halas Award for overcoming adversity After making his way back from months of treatment and a multi-year absence due to Lymphoma, the NFL recognized Quessenberry's perseverance by naming him the George Halas Award recipient, which goes to the player, coach and staff member who overcomes the most adversity in a given year. He's 1 of 3 brothers to make it to the NFL Quessenberry isn't the only member of his family to reach the NFL. His brother Scott was a fifth-round pick in 2018, landing with the Chargers as the 155th overall pick. His other brother, Paul, signed with the Patriots as an undrafted rookie in 2020 after serving five years in the Marine Corps. He also had a stint with the Texans from 2021-2022. Follow Rams Wire on X, Facebook and Threads for more coverage!
Miami Herald
15-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
San Jose State University beats Stanford, Cal in computer coding
San Jose State University has shot past Stanford and UC Berkeley to a top-10 spot in a ranking of U.S. universities based on a standardized computer coding test. The school leapt to the No. 9 spot this year in rankings by CodeSignal, a San Francisco company whose General Coding Assessment is widely used by major technology companies to evaluate potential hires. That position put San Jose State in front of Berkeley at No. 19 and Stanford at No. 25, a giant leap from last year, when the school was ranked 32nd, and from 2023, when it ranked 48th. "This is great news," said San Jose State engineering school dean Sheryl Ehrman, who attributed the result to eager students, talented tenure-track faculty, and part-time instructors with tech industry experience who are "really trying to impart those real-world skills." Whether the university could continue its trajectory to the top of the rankings would require a dramatic upset. This year and last year, Carnegie Mellon took No. 1 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology came in No. 2, while in 2023, MIT came out on top, followed by New York's Stony Brook University, with Carnegie Mellon at No. 3. The downtown San Jose school is an "under-told story" behind Silicon Valley's success, said South Bay Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna. "It's always been such a key component of churning out engineers, churning out people in technology," Khanna said this week. "A lot of headlines go to Stanford and Berkeley. San Jose State and Santa Clara (University) are really important contributors, and San Jose, of course, being a public school, is more accessible for folks that can't afford Stanford or Santa Clara." CodeSignal CEO Tigran Sloyan said the general coding assessment is taken by the vast majority of U.S. computer science students, and is intended to provide a "data-driven view" of people's coding ability. Students generally take it annually starting in their junior year, and can share their results with prospective employers, he said. The 70-minute test includes four questions to measure different coding skills. Launched six years ago, CodeSignal's assessment has become very popular among tech and financial companies, Sloyan said. The test, Sloyan contended, gives prospective employers a much better idea of a software engineering or software development candidate's qualifications than a resume, which may attract an employer's attention for the presence of a particularly prestigious school without any guarantee the student or graduate developed the commensurate skills. Every school has brilliant, average and mediocre students, Sloyan said. "Most companies want to go beyond resumes and find great people regardless of which schools they came from," Sloyan said. Sloyan believes San Jose State's rapid climb toward the top of the university pack in CodeSignal's rankings reflects the effectiveness of the school's faculty and programs. "Clearly San Jose State is doing something right when it comes to tech education," Sloyan said. "So far, the observation is that what they might be doing different from other schools is having a more hands-on approach to education." UC Berkeley and Stanford declined to comment on the rankings. Harshil Vyas, soon to graduate from San Jose State with a master's in software engineering, pointed to the school's tech-veteran instructors as a key benefit, along with large numbers of fellow students like him who have worked in tech and share their varied experiences with each other. The school's location in Silicon Valley is another boon, said Vyas, 25. "It's somewhat a motivation when you see the tech industry around you," Vyas said. "It helps you push to the goal." Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
San Francisco Chronicle
14-05-2025
- Sport
- San Francisco Chronicle
Harry Edwards' indelible impact stretches beyond Bay Area. Who will follow in his footsteps?
Where is the next Harry Edwards? For almost 60 years, Edwards has been a voice of truth, a force for racial and social justice, a provocateur who will challenge and change you, provoke and enlighten you. And in these regressive times, when forces are working to undo decades of the progress and purpose to which he has devoted his life, Edwards — 82 and battling two forms of cancer — is 'just trying to get as much done with the time that I have.' Edwards, who will be inducted into the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday night, was at the forefront of the civil rights movement in the 1960s and has continued his work ever since. Though he is revered around the world, and his influence reaches far beyond the Bay Area, this has been home since 1960, when he ended up at — what he called at the time — 'San Jo-zy.' 'This is my home,' said Edwards, who has lived with his wife in the same home in Fremont for 55 years. 'Any time you are honored at home, it's tremendously humbling.' Who will be the next Edwards? 'Each generation molds and gives voice to the leaders of that era,' Edwards said. 'We've never been able to see these people coming. Nobody saw (Muhammad) Ali coming. Nobody saw Bill Russell coming. Nobody saw Barack Obama coming. 'We can't see these movements, these leaders, coming. But one thing history teaches us emphatically: They are on their way.' No one saw Edwards coming. Raised in East St. Louis, Ill., he came to California in hopes of playing football at USC, inspired because the Trojans had a Black quarterback (Willie Wood), a Jewish lineman (Ron Mix) and an assistant coach (Al Davis) who stood up publicly for them in the face of hate. But Edwards didn't have the grades and had to go to community college. He ended up at Fresno City College but couldn't handle the valley heat. A San Jose State coach also from East St. Louis — boxing legend Julius Menendez — recruited Edwards north. Edwards, figuring the climate would be more temperate, headed to the Bay Area. When he arrived, he met the 1960 Olympic boxing team that Menendez was coaching, which included a brash, trash-talking youngster Edwards' same age named Cassius Clay. 'I thought he was nuts,' Edwards remembers of Clay's animated manner. 'I had no idea the relationship we would have, that we would be involved in this much broader struggle.' Edwards played basketball and ran track for the Spartans and experienced firsthand the racism that Black athletes faced. After completing his degree, Edwards enrolled in a Ph.D. program at Cornell. He headed back to San Jose State to complete his dissertation, and began publishing books and teaching a sport and society class. The course was popular with athletes, including SJSU's famed Speed City track stars. The rest is history. Edwards' imprint is all over the Bay Area. There is a statue at San Jose State depicting John Carlos' and Tommie Smith's Black Power salute at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics, a protest born from Edwards' Olympic Project for Human Rights. Nearby on campus is the Institute for the Study of Sport, Society and Social Change, which Edwards launched, the embodiment of an academic discipline that Edwards single-handedly created. Up the road are the San Francisco 49ers, where Edwards has served as a consultant since he was brought on by Bill Walsh in the mid-1980s. Together he and Walsh created the Bill Walsh Diversity Fellowship coaching program that has mentored many NFL coaches and continues to this day. Edwards has been a confidante of Colin Kaepernick and advised NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. Edwards has consulted with other teams and leagues, including the Golden State Warriors, to advance minority involvement in management. His work with Major League Baseball to increase management opportunities for Black candidates resulted in the San Francisco Giants hiring Dusty Baker. But perhaps Edwards' greatest impact on the Bay Area can't be linked to a specific team or sports moment. It was his 30 years as a sociology professor at UC Berkeley, teaching his extremely popular Sociology of Sport class, which packed students into large lecture halls. There was a saying that if you had gone to Berkeley and hadn't taken Doc Edwards' class, you hadn't really gone to Berkeley. Captivating tens of thousands of students over the decades, he opened eyes and minds, informed and provoked, inspired and ignited. Edwards' lectures poked holes in conventional wisdom, tore down sports iconography and argued forcefully that sports not only reflects what America truly is but is also a powerful force for change. Cal athletes were warned not to take Edwards' class, because 'it will turn your head around,' Edwards remembers. But then he would look up into the lecture hall seats and see Jason Kidd or Ron Rivera or other prominent Cal Bears. Edwards said the university deliberately tried to schedule his class during what were practice windows for athletes, but they still managed to enroll. Would the Trump administration be targeting Edwards' discipline, the very epitome of an argument for diversity, equity and inclusion? 'Oh, I know what they'd think about my class,' Edwards said. 'Because I know what they think about the National Museum of African American History and Culture. They want to shut it down. And the largest exhibit in that museum is the leveling of the sports field.' Edwards' work is featured prominently in that museum, which is part of the Smithsonian Institution. In March, President Donald Trump issued an order targeting funding for programs he claims promote 'divisive narratives' and 'improper ideology' — specifically singling out the acclaimed and popular African American history museum in Washington, D.C. 'We are fighting battles that we thought were won,' Edwards said. 'We're fighting again over terrain we thought was conquered. Like Roe vs. Wade, like voting rights, like justice and equality under the law.' 'I feel extremely positive about this generation,' he said. 'Social media — which has a lot of problems, a lot of false information — is also a tool of organization and mobilization that movements have never had before.' Edwards changed his mind about getting treatment for his cancer, deciding to undergo grueling radiation therapy at the urging of his family. He has completed a documentary series called 'The Last Lectures.' He continues to work with the 49ers regularly. He spends as much time with his grandchildren as possible. 'What do you want to do with the time that you have?' he asks himself. 'Continue to contribute.' We don't know where the next Harry Edwards is. But this one has changed the world.
