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The new defensive coordinator, hired by San Jose State University, was fired as head coach of the Eastern Michigan University (EMU) football team by Interim President Sue Martin when she was the President of EMU in 2013 after a locker room video of him saying a homophobic slur was released.   Ron English has already been introduced to the team as the new defensive coordinator and replaced Greg Robinson, who retired after the Spartans Bowl game on Dec.19.   “As president at Eastern Michigan University, I hired Ron English to lead the football program.” Martin said. “In November 2013, I fired him.” Martin’s decision to fire English was peculiar because, in college sports, the athletic director is responsible for hiring and firing the athletic staff. English was fired less than 24 hours before EMU’s rivalry game against Western Michigan, after The Detroit News revealed school officials had obtained a tape of English’s tirade from late October 2015. In the video, ...

Opinion From injuries to death, Black Friday is like walking into battle, waiting to see who your enemy will be in line as you hear them say they want the TV that you are after. Consumerism is a problem in this country and instead of spending Thanksgiving with family, we are lining up outside of department stores for sales that are barely worth the hassle. Black Friday is a day that strikes fear in the hearts of retail workers who have to work on Thanksgiving, but also brings excitement for shoppers who are looking for the perfect gifts at a “low” price. Yes, we may all know consumerism is a problem in the U.S., but people are risking their lives for deals and it brings out the worst in people. According to BuzzFeed, in 2011 a woman with two children pepper sprayed fellow shoppers waiting in line for an Xbox 360 and 20 people were treated with minor injuries in the incident. The thought of actually physically harming someone for a measly 50-60 dollars off is wh...

Photos by Jovanni Arroyo-Camberos It’s that time of the year again, from Santa’s little helpers to Santa himself, crowds of Christmas enthusiasts from the community gathered at Santana Row to witness the 12 th annual tree lighting ceremony last Tuesday. With the holiday season now in effect, people not only saw the start of the Christmas season but also watched performances, special guests and the tree lighting ceremony. “Really it’s to kick off the holiday season for our community, we want to invite the community, our family and friends out to Santana Row, to kickoff the holiday season together,” said Santana Row Marketing Director Collette Navarrette. The ceremony began with a moment of silence for those affected by the Paris attacks that occurred Nov. 13. “I enjoyed that (moment of silence) I think that it’s a good thing to do out of respect for other people who are not as fortunate as we are and I’m glad they incorporated that tonight,” attendee Monica...

SJSU called to divest from companies "profiting" from Israeli occupation The Associated Students Board of Directors officially signed the resolution calling for divestment from several companies accused of profiting from Israeli occupation of Palestine on Friday. The passing of the resolution was announced on Nov. 18 and while A.S. voted in favor of divestment, it would still need to be approved by the SJSU Tower Foundation board of directors to actually go into effect. Divestment is the reduction of some kind of asset for financial, ethical or political objectives. According to Abid El-Miaari, president of Students for Justice in Palestine, the resolution was initially pitched on Oct. 21, and that many student groups were involved including the Black Student Union and MEChA. “We first went around to student organizations and explained the situation in Palestine, and why we wanted to pass such a resolution,” El-Miaari said via email. Palestine and Israel...

Jonathan Colunga takes the ball down the field in a home match against the University of Missouri Kansas City on Oct. 23 at the Spartan Soccer field.  Photo by Jovanni Arroyo-Camberos I t’s not every day a teenager is faced to cross the Mexican border with only the clothes on his back and a visa in his pocket to pursue a dream of becoming a professional soccer player. However, for Jonathan Colunga his goal of becoming a professional soccer player meant he needed to come to the United States at 17 years old. Colunga, a midfielder on the San Jose State University men’s soccer team, was born on Oct. 24, 1992 in Leon, Mexico and he came to the U.S. without his family. He is the oldest in his family and has two small brothers. “I grew up in Mexico and when I was 17, I left everything and moved to the U.S. to live the so-called American dream” Colunga said. “ This made me mature a lot and it has certainly affected me because I learned to grow up and be self-...

Opinion The most ridiculous lawsuits to ever reach any court system happen to be in the U.S. and it’s nothing to be proud of. Lawsuits are made up left and right and are made over the stupidest reasons. Americans need to stop, look, and listen to what the world is thinking of us. Last week, an aunt in Connecticut found out the verdict in a lawsuit she made citing her nephew for $127,000 dollars in medical expenses for a hug that went wrong. According to CNN, Jennifer Connell broke her wrist when her nephew jumped into her arms at his eighth birthday party at his family's home in Westport, Connecticut, causing her to fall. Connell’s attorneys said she filed suit after her nephew's parents' insurance company offered her $1 over the accident. This incident is not the only time a lawsuit like this has happened in the U.S. Just last year, the energy drink company Red Bull agreed to a settlement of $13 million for not promising its consumers wings. Th...