Campus Update
Luke Garrett / News Editor / The USD Vista
Suspicious person on campus
A suspicious man, estimated to be 40, ran around campus Oct. 2 asking for women’s social media information, according to USD DPS.
Public Safety received reports of suspicious activity at 5:25 p.m. outside of the Pardee Legal Research Center (PLRC), known by undergraduates as the Law Library, although it is unclear if this is the only location of the man’s activity.
The subject fled the scene before USD DPS arrived, but Public Safety is working to ensure the subject does not return to campus in the future.
No crime was committed, but Public Safety found it appropriate to report suspicious activity, according to the campus-advisory email.
According to Public Safety, the subject was described as a Hispanic 40-year-old man wearing a grey shirt and dark basketball shorts and drove a green Ford Escape with the license plate number 7TYW797.
USD DPS requested university members to call its emergency number at (619) 260-2222 if the individual’s car is seen.
Linda Vista drive-by shooting
Two teenagers were targeted in a drive-by shooting on Oct. 3 in Linda Vista, according to the San Diego Police Department (SDPD).
A bullet grazed an 18-year-old man’s stomach, who was taken to a local hospital for non-life-threatening injuries, according to The San Diego Union-Tribune. The teenage girl he was with did not suffer injury from the drive-by.
Officers received reports of the shooting around 12:30 p.m. Thursday and heard six shots fired. The shooting occurred at the intersection of Ulrich and Morley streets near a strip of grass that runs along Morley Street — six blocks away from the USD campus.
Students, faculty, and staff received a push notification from USD’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) around 35 minutes after SDPD tweeted their investigation of the incident and advisement that San Diegans should avoid the area.
The email and text notification assured those at the University of San Diego, “No danger reported to USD campus,” and echoed SDPD’s message to avoid the area.
San Diego police reported that the 18-year-old man injured in the incident refused to cooperate with officers when questioned about the event, The San Diego Union Tribune said. The incident is being investigated by the San Diego Police Department’s Special Operations unit.
ASG senate overview
Confirmations
Associated Student Government (ASG) Speaker of the Senate Carolina Moreno Armenta presented Daniella Walter, Jesse Magaña, and Mary-Logan Miske as committee chair appointees of Academics; Inclusion, Diversity and Equity; and Wellness. The senate confirmed them all without individual discussion. Following Magaña’s appointment, he presented three initiatives he hopes to complete this year: improving retention rates of minority groups on campus, better gluten-free options at the Student Life Pavilion (SLP), and increased cooperation between student organizations on campus.
Following these confirmations, another four were made to new student organizations: Association of Chicanx Activists (A.Ch.A), Guerilla Service Club, Blended, and Genetic Counseling Students Interest Group.
A.Ch.A was active on campus three years ago, according to the Chair of Student Organization Fanisee Bias. The group’s aim is to “empower Chicanx/Latinx students in higher education,” according to their mission statement. The Guerilla Service Club hopes to “host speakers at club meetings, attend protests, and host volunteer opportunities,” their mission statement said. The third new organization, Blended, started as a bi-racial club, but has developed into an organization that works on “creating community just beyond identities.” The final new organization is intent on bringing together those students interested in Genetic Counseling, a new and developing branch within healthcare.
All other returning student organizations that completed the student organization training were also confirmed.
Mata’yuum dedication ceremony
The funding of a Mata’yuum ceremony was added to Thursday’s agenda early on in the meeting. Mata’yuum Crossroads, formerly named Missions Crossroads, is the first building on campus to hold a Kumeyaay name, meaning “gathering place.” The name change honors USD’s location on originally Kumeyaay land, according to USD officials.
Senator Rhonda Papp and a member of the American Indian Student Organization (AISO) presented the ceremony to the senate, and initially requested $661 of funding to the commemoration event that is set to include bird singers, games, and food.
ASG President Marion Chavarria Rivera agreed to fund the entire event from her presidential budget if the senate did not, but encouraged senators to fund the $661, if not the entire event at $1,322.
Upon the request, Associate Director of Student Activities and Involvement Manda Sayegh reminded the ASG senate that Student Government Budget Committee (ASGBC) has $1oo,ooo reserved for student organization event funding, while the senate itself only has $10,000 in event spending.
Rivera then clarified that this event could not be funded through ASGBC because the event would be run by ASG, not the student organization partner AISO.
“AISO worked very hard last year to get this name change to happen last year and ASG played an integral role in that,” Rivera said. “It would be really great if the entire ASG team supported AISO in this event.”
The senate then motioned to fund $1,000 to the event — 10 percent of their senate funding — leaving $322 to be funded by Rivera’s budget. The Mata’yuum Crossroads Dedication ceremony is set for 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14.