Issuu

THE HIGHLANDER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

est. 1954

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

VOL. 66, ISSUE 19

NO SHIFTING GEARS

UNBL CKED

ASUCR approves $35,000 allocation to continue controversial R’Gear program for fourth consecutive year

UCR research reveals abundance of anti-adblocking software MARK BERTUMEN Contributing Writer

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

EVAN ISMAIL Senior Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Feb. 28, ASUCR senators voted to pass a $35,285.45 expenditure to fund R’Gear by a vote of 9-3-1. Started by 2014-15 ASUCR President Naﬁ Karim, the program is now considered a tradition at UCR which seeks to provide hoodie and crewneck sweatshirts at no up-front cost to students. Though open to all students, the initiative is primarily targeted toward freshmen in an effort to inspire school pride. Discussion on the bill began when Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Cuenca moved to place the allocations discussion before Behind the Lens — Students Voicing Recovery, a research project about UCR students overcoming addiction. Vice President of Finance Jose Cortez-Hernandez, a third-year economics/administrative studies major, presented the allocations, asking the senate to approve the funds and providing a breakdown of the costs. $32,032.60 would go toward purchasing the sweatshirts including $2,032.85 in taxes and $450.00 in shipping. ASUCR plans to purchase 1,620 crewnecks and 2,420 hoodies at a price of $6.77 and $9 per unit, respectively, with the supplier being custom apparel manufacturer CBL. The money will be coming out of ASUCR’s contingency fund

of $84,495 which is replenished every year. Vice Chair of Personnel Andrea Cuevas, a third-year political science and education major, presented her plan for the R’Gear reveal slated for Thursday, April 12 at the SRC North Gym. In collaboration with Green Campus Action Plan, there will be a can drive to donate to the R’Pantry, Cuevas told the senate. Those who bring 10 or more items will be granted access to the “express” lanes and get their sweatshirts faster. Cuevas said, in a later interview, that they will have an exclusive reveal just for freshmen and, later, other classes of students are invited to come during designated time slots according to their last names. Cuevas wrote in an email to The Highlander that she is excited for the event and wants “to utilize this event to create more student involment (sic) in campus activities by creating volunteer opportunities and showcasing some of UCR’s diverse organizations.” Marketing and Promotions Director Connie Wi unveiled the design for the sweatshirts at the meeting. Wi said in a later interview that her team, when designing the sweatshirts, wanted to “be more trendy but still stay true to the aesthetic of not only our university but the city of Riverside.” During the meeting, Wi showed an image of the design consisting of the Box Springs Mountains and a large sun with “UC Riverside” written at the bot-

tom. Due to additional edits to the design, Wi declined to provide a copy of the designs for publication. Wi also expressed her support for R’Gear, stating, “I’m a huge fan of the tradition that R’Gear has created for the students of UCR. School spirit has always been a weakness of ours and it’s amazing to see that R’Gear can be something that uniﬁes all of us.” Executive Vice President Carisha Moore opened up the speaker’s list for questions, allotting three minutes per person. CHASS Senator Mariam Alkhalili was the ﬁrst to speak on the allocations voicing her opposition, calling the initiative “irresponsible” and citing other, more important, needs of students. “There are a lot of people that want these sweaters, but they’re unaware that we’re spending $35,000, they’re unaware that these are not in fact free sweaters because they’re coming out of student fees,” Alkhalili said. Alkhalili feels the UC already commercializes students’ education enough and instead suggested spending the money on lab coats for freshman and providing subsidized access codes. “If you posed options for the students, ‘would you like a lab coat or a sweater,’ I’m pretty sure people would rather save their money instead of wasting their money on a lab coat,” stated Alkhalili.

On Wednesday, Dec. 27, 2017, a UCR research study was published reporting that up to 3,050 of the top 10,000 visited websites use anti-ad blockers. This is up to 52 times more websites than previous research on the matter has suggested. Adblockers are software designed to circumvent online advertisements on websites by blocking advertising scripts. The research paper was authored by assistant UCR Professor Zhiyun Qian and associate UCR Professor Heng Yin, both in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. The abstract reports that the response of websites to adblockers by using anti-adblockers has “prompted an escalating arms race between (the two softwares).” ► SEE UNBLOCKED, PAGE 6

Men’s and women’s basketball both punch their Big West Tournament ticket JON HAMMOND Senior Staff Writer

Both UCR’s men’s and women’s basketball teams have punched their ticket to the Big West Conference Tournament. The ladies kick off their tournament play on Tuesday, March 6 against Long Beach State at Fullerton’s Titan Gym, while the men get things started against UC Davis on Thursday, March 8 at the Honda Center. The Highlander has the complete bracket for both teams ﬁlled out so you can keep up with all the tournament action.

► SEE ASUCR, PAGE 5

► SEE BIG WEST, PAGE 16

Highlander Exclusive: UC Regents Chair George Kieffer EVAN ISMAIL Senior Staff Writer

Kieffer discusses tuition, food insecurity and forecasts a bright future for UCR

Chairman of the University of California Board of Regents George Kieffer spoke to The Highlander on Friday, March 2, discussing issues such as tuition and food insecurity. Kieffer, along with the Board of Regents Vice Chair John A. Perez, who spent Thursday at

UCR, was on a two-day tour of UCR meeting with Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox, community leaders and student groups. Kieffer has been to UCR twice over a period of eight years. Kieffer, an attorney by profession, was appointed as a regent by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009 with his term ending in 2021. The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Evan Ismail: How has your time been here touring UCR? George Kieffer: It’s been great. I’ve been here before but I got a better picture of some of the issues that the university is facing, which I wanted to get, so that’s been really valuable. Then I have seen some fabulous students that I have been really impressed by and that’s been inspiring. What were some of the is-

sues that you noticed while you were here? The campus is undergoing a great deal of growth and change. In that kind of situation, you have disruption, whether it’s trafﬁc, whether it’s buildings, whether it’s support staff to meet the growth. I think that as the chancellor pointed out, we’re a little behind the curve in supporting the kind of growth and activities that are going on. So,

there’s a lot of pressure on the campus and that puts pressure on students, faculty and staff. So, being aware of that, this campus is in need of more resources to support the students that are here and if we’re going to build this campus, which I think is going to happen, it’s going to need more resources to do that and we have to be aware of that. ► SEE GEORGE KIEFFER, PAGE 4

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TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

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HUMANS OF UCR

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 9

REBECA BANUELOS, SOCIOLOGY, SECOND-YEAR

TUESDAY TALK: The Queer Cosmos 5:00 p.m.–6:00 p.m. Costo Hall 245

CSSD Seminar: Aaron Leavy 5:30 p.m.-7:00 p.m. Bourns Technology Center

Study Abroad Information Session 11 a.m.-12:00 p.m. HUB 367

ASPB Presents: R’Cade 4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. HUB 302

UCR Master of Public Policy Info Session 3:40 p.m.-4:30 p.m. CHASS Interdisciplinary South 1109

UCR is Dancing 8:00 p.m.-9:30 p.m. University Theatre, Humanities 400

Footsteps to You: Chattel Slavery exhibition 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Rivera Library, Special Collections Reading Room

Costo Legacy Celebration Pt. 2 11:30 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Rupert Costo Library

Fictive Kin 8:00 a.m. ARTSblock, Culver Center of the Arts 3824 Main St, Riverside, CA 92501

Women’s Leadership Conference 9:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. HUB 302

Tuesday

COMPILED BY JIMMY LAI

Wednesday

Thursday

“My name is Rebeca with one ‘c’. I don’t know, Mexicans are weird like that.”

09 Friday

Saturday

Women’s Tennis vs UC Davis 11:00 a.m. UC Riverside Student Recreation Center

Winter 2018 Carillon Recitals 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m. UCR Bell Tower

Sunday

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Screening: Lessons from Fukushima Nuclear Disaster 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. CHASS Interdisciplinary South 1113

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TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

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News

Highlander Exclusive: UC Regents Chair George Kieffer ► FROM GEORGE KIEFFER, PAGE 1

Have you seen that kind of growth and disruption at other UC campuses too? The word “disruption,” I want to be careful about using that but yes, because since 2000 the university has enrolled more than 75,000 students added to the enrollment. And we have not gotten the support from the state to support that increase. So, you see growth on almost all of the campuses but substantial growth on Riverside, and a projected growth. If the university is going to grow and we have demands to go to the University of California, some of the campuses are landlocked, some of the campuses have grown to their capacity, they could grow more, but probably the greatest opportunity for growth of the university is at Riverside long term. Riverside has the land, it has the community support, it has the ability and desire to grow. But for us to expect it to grow, we need to give it the resources to grow. Has all of this shaped your perspective on your job as chair? Yes, the more that we do, we need to see every campus as different and every campus as having its own issues and own needs and we can’t treat the campuses in any kind of cookie-cutter fashion. So, we need to think about each campus as different, unique and at a different point in time in its history, and keep that in our minds. Still, 99.9 percent of educating and research and fundraising, and all of the things a university gets engaged in, are done at the campus level and so I think it’s a matter of a discussion of how the resources of the university in total are deployed. That’s something I am going to ask a lot of questions about when I get back up to Oakland. In the Los Angeles Times recently, it was reported that the UC has declined in rankings globally. Is that something that alarms you? Absolutely, it’s deeply concerning. Something that we’ve been saying for probably 20 years, but in the last five years in particular, is that that could happen, so I’m sorry to see that kind of report come out. What did you take from the LA Times

article that you want to take back to the Regents? More than to the regents, I want to take back to the legislature. It’s beyond time to reinvest in the university and the legislature has an obligation to reinvest for this generation and the next generation of Californians. And if we don’t do so, we are going to lose what is probably considered the crown jewel of California, and that is the University of California. We are going to lose the reputation and standing and we will not give this generation, and the next generations of Californians, the same opportunities that we gave my generation, and so that’s a call for reinvestment. There is a lot of questions among students about the tuition increases. There was one slated for January, which was postponed until May, though it did not go through. It was postponed with the idea of working with students to ask the legislature to fund that money rather than have tuition. If the legislature stepped up its commitment to the UC, would the tuition probably go down? I don’t think the tuition will go down but we may not see as many increases. But it’s difficult over the long term not to have tuition increases because the state now pays for about 40 percent of the core education budget, the lower forty percent. So if the state increases the budget by three or four percent in good years, four percent becomes 1.6 percent which means you probably lost a point to inflation and if you do that for ten consecutive years, you’re shrinking. So if you look at it that way, then you look at tuition and you say ‘well, if the cost of living is going up when the economy is good,’ then you presume that income is going up so the legislative analyst at the State of California has always proposed that we should be increasing tuition by modest amounts during good economic times and not increasing tuition during recessions or flat times. That’s the long-term policy that the legislative analyst has proposed. And they also proposed regular increases by the state in good economic times because we know

that when recession hits, the university will be hit because so much of the budget is locked in. Prop 98 locks in funding for K-12 and community colleges and there are a series of initiatives that have locked in money for other programs. So, the discretionary money available to the legislature is smaller today than it was 30 to 20 years ago as a percentage. So when you get to that point where you get a recession, and other things are locked in, the legislature tends to cut those things that can pay for themselves and one of them is UC, so they kind of look at it as ‘well, they can always raise tuition.’ So long term, we have to develop a policy on tuition and people are going to have to get used to that in some fashion. At the same time, we’re going to have to provide financial aid so that people who could not afford that are not prevented from attending university. It’s a difficult financial problem we face and at the same time as that, we have to look at the campuses and the faculty whether there are other delivery mechanisms that are coming with the times. How is online education? Is it effective? Is it only partially effective? Is there going to be a disruption of higher education in terms of delivery in ways that there’s been a disruption from everything to taxis and newspapers. No one can see that future, no university has solved this as of yet, so until then, we need to do what we do and fund what we do much more substantially. 62 percent of students at UCR are food insecure so have you, or the UC Regents, done anything to address that problem? First of all, we do understand that’s a problem and it’s one that I think that are not, whether at the campuses, the board or the legislature, when we made a commitment to educate a new type of student, the first in their family to go to college, Pell Grant eligible, less equipped financially than previous generations, I don’t think we recognized fully that would mean beyond the education itself. And that we have taken on a greater obligation than people probably assumed with this generation of students. So we have a program systemwide

that gave additional money for food pantries but that, as I understand it, has a sunset on it, so we’re going to have to review that again. This is a discussion point because it is raised by students at nearly every meeting so that’s something that we’re very much focused on right now and the campuses are focused on but I think it needs more attention than we’ve been able to give. My last question for you, is there something that you want UCR students to know? I think that one thing would be that UC Riverside probably is the next future of the university. A lot of the campuses are built out, a lot of them are trapped by their land size, UCLA is the smallest geographically, so they’re not going to grow as much. Santa Cruz is not going to grow very much. They can all grow, but it is going to be a struggle for them. Riverside has a supportive community, more supportive than any other campus. Riverside has land and Riverside has energy. How the university goes in the next 20 years is going to be largely dependent on how Riverside goes. I think we need to give a lot of attention to Riverside. I don’t think Riverside has gotten the attention it deserves. I think it’s going to get that attention and I think it’s going to be the hot campus going forward. ■H

COURTESY OF THE DAILY CALIFORNIAN

Board of Regents Vice Chair Perez uses town hall to engage with UCR students VIVIAN LEE Staff Writer

Perez discusses tuition increases, Muslim student representation and public transit

On Thursday, March 1, ASUCR hosted a town hall meeting with UC Regent Vice Chair John A. Perez moderated by UC Regent Emeritus and UCR alumna Marcela Ramirez. Perez engaged with UCR students in attendance that afternoon by discussing various student issues and concerns, from tuition increases and specific source funding to lack of representation for the Muslim and African-American student population. Ramirez opened by asking about the Regents’ upcoming vote in May on increased tuition costs for out-of-state and international students. “I don’t think we’ve exhausted all of our alternatives,” Perez said, “but we will continue to get other people to agree with me on that. I’m not going to own on their bad policy.” He shared with the audience that he was strongly opposed to the vote and worked hard to convince others about the decision they were making and how the fee increase will affect students. Perez continued by expressing how important it is to increase efforts and speak with regents on behalf of their concerns, especially those who are ambivalent about the

decisions they are planning to make. He emphasized further, sharing that, as a regent, “I had a vote, (thus) everyone has a voice. So first thing is, don’t give up the tool you have… The students (from UC Berkeley) were effective at convincing the regents that they have done all of the steps necessary to have them go at the last resort and vote.” As the conversation transitioned to speaking about UCwide concerns, David, a thirdyear public policy student, inquired about socioeconomic disparities, especially with students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds preventing students from being successful. Perez referred to UC Santa Barbara’s financial aid program which he believed should be the model for other UC campuses to follow in terms of financial aid distribution. This package promised admitted students four years of covered financial aid for their tuition, including total cost of attendance and other necessities that aren’t covered explicitly by their tuition, such as a laptop or a bike for traveling around a large campus. In addition to that, UC Santa Barbara includes two summer sessions to ensure students can complete their courses on time before graduation as well as a quarter studying abroad. “One of the things I’ve

been fighting for is, when we’re talking about affordability, we’re no longer talking about just tuition, we talk about total cost of attendance … Because when we look at total cost of attendance, we still see students who are food insecure or housing insecure. How much of that (financial disparity) is a gap because we don’t have the right formula to capture the increased cost (of attendance), and how much of that is external forces that aren’t within our control, that are existing in students’ lives?” Perez mentioned further, “Can we look at different ways of distributing our financial aid to smooth it out, to meet costs throughout the year with these major distributions? Are we doing a good enough job at evaluating housing and food costs are in the real world?” Second-year ASUCR CHASS senator Mariam Alkhalili brought up her concerns about the lack of representation and inclusion of Muslim students on campus, suggesting that Middle Eastern and Muslim students experience “Islamophobia and discrimination ... on campus due to the fact that students don’t have faculty members or staff that we can turn to.” She inquired about a proposition to collect disaggregated data that would allow students and faculty members to be clas-

sified as Middle Eastern, as she and other Middle Eastern students are controversially categorized as white. She also proposed an Arab and Muslim task force at a UCOP level to address the concerns throughout all of the 10 UC campuses statewide. Perez suggested a systemwide inquiry with President Napolitano and the chair board, including himself, to follow up and discuss further about implementing the task force and data disaggregation. Later, a student asked Perez about proposing more effective regional transportation that would be convenient for commuter students at UCR. Perez warned about how the effects of implementing a faster transportation system within a dense community such as light-rail in Los

Angeles, has been known to create gentrification. According to an article from the LA Times, homes and residential complexes that are adjacent to these transportation systems are more likely to displace low-income families away from using public transport — the very same population that are most likely using this type of transport. In spite of how useful an improved public transportation system may be for Riverside, Perez says that problem can’t be mitigated by the regents, but rather by the city. After the questions and open forum concluded, Perez closed by reconvening with the audience members directly and providing follow-up information to address their concerns. ■H

COURTESY OF PROJECT MOVING FORWARD

NEWS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

ASUCR approves $35,000 allocation for R’Gear ► FROM ASUCR, PAGE 1

In an interview with The Highlander on Friday, March 2, Alkhalili said that she did not think R’Gear should exist in the first place, arguing that the project, “is supposed to help mimic UCLA with how everyone wears UCLA gear ... I don’t think this is something we should be wasting our time and money on.” Alkhalili continued, “I think there are many unnecessary things students must pay for, namely to even attend the university, to get points in their classes ... we should be working on lessening the cost of this for students instead of working on something as so irrelevant as school spirit.” She explained that with all of the more pressing problems on campus, school spirit should be the last thing student government should be worried about. During the meeting, she also pointed out a discrepancy of $714.80 that she saw as unaccounted for in the total money allocated. Cortez-Hernandez explained that this was an error on the part of UCR’s procurement office in calculating the costs of extra-large and extra-extra large sweaters. Alkhalili moved to table the allocations for next week so that the discrepancy could be rectified but was voted down, 4-9-0. CHASS Senator Roy Tongilava, a thirdyear public policy major, was also a vocal critic of the initiative. “Looking at the number, here we are spending over 40 percent of the contingency budget and only providing for 18 percent of the student body .... we really need to reevaluate the demand for this and then supply for that demand,” stated Tongilava, adding, “looking at the numbers, I’m going to have to disagree with this.” Tongilava expressed his disdain with the project further in an interview. “There’s really no meaning to the project ... it’s really a public incentive for certain candidates who are rerunning in this upcoming election.” Tongilava cited the disbanded [YOUR]Side party who spearheaded the initiative to begin with, Karim being a member. “Their whole thing with R’Gear was using savings from the contingency budget to carry out the project and use it as a huge part of their platform for elections.” Tongilava said that he believes that incumbents “bandwagon” on previously popular ideas. “I can bet that come this election every single person running will have R’Gear on their platform,” stated Tongilava. “This was carried on by previously known [YOUR] Side members, Vice President Cortez (-Hernandez), who was a [YOUR]Side senator, has decided once again that, even though for a re-

duced price, he’s still carrying on this project that was started, coincidentally, by his brothers in the KSig (Kappa Sigma) fraternity.” Since the inception of [YOUR]Side in the 2015 campaign, the party has been closely associated with the fraternity Kappa Sigma. In the 201617 ASUCR administration, overwhelmingly dominated the senate and executive cabinet. Through 2014 to 2017, two of the three ASUCR presidents were members of Kappa Sigma, with Nafi Karim also serving as president of the fraternity. 2015-16 ASUCR President Ashley Harano was dating a Kappa Sigma member during her term and drew controversy when she authored a resolution to call for the Interfraternal Council (IFC) to amend their constitution and recognize Kappa Sigma as part of UCR. It failed to pass with a vote of 0-7-6. The fraternity is currently still unrecognized by the IFC. Tongilava went on to discount the widely held belief that these sweaters are free. “These sweaters are not free because students literally pay ASUCR fees, $12.50 a quarter, the whole year, that’s $37.50, that’s enough to buy a sweater themselves.” He does not feel that this will realistically strengthen school spirit and instead sees it as an issue that divides the campus. The senator expressed a desire to prevent, in his view, this type of wasteful spending, “but the senate disapproved of that.” Nevertheless, the majority of senators approved of the initiative with several voicing their support. CHASS Senator Reginald Wong said that R’Gear “puts ASUCR on the map” and stated that “R’Gear is really winning, especially with the election coming up this big with no parties and a record, correct me if I’m wrong, 78 candidates running, you can do a lot with R’Gear instead of just giving a sweater,” stated Wong (Editor’s note: According to the elections committee, 64 students are running so far, not 78). “This is something that students want ... it’s pretty evident that they want this and are speaking their mind about this.” Offering her perspective as a transfer student, Transfer and Non-Traditional Student Director Maria Chavez also expressed her support for the program. “Coming to this campus, you want to wear UCR gear ... I’ve gone to other campuses, they rep their campus so hard and I wish UCR did that,” stated Chavez. She explained that when she transferred to UCR, she did not have a UCR sweater and, when she found out about the R’Gear program, she was excited to finally “rep” her school and did not mind student fees going toward it. Some freshmen, BCOE Senator Patrick Le said, might feel ambivalent about UCR since it

was most likely, such as in his case, a secondchoice school for students applying to colleges. Le also expressed his disdain of seeing other students wear other universities’ sweaters, stating “Seeing every other universities’ sweaters on campus, it’s kind of like a joke and I’m getting sick of it.” Le also explained that he does not see where else they can spend $35,000 to “help the students,” since, in his view, what ASUCR can spend their money on is limited. BCOE Senator Amanda Xaypraseuth explained that the project was needed to help increase ASUCR’s reputation. “This is one of the only tangible items the student body can see that ASUCR does,” stated Xaypraseuth. “ASUCR has a really bad reputation and to bring out R’Gear and say ‘ASUCR is doing this for you’ is a really good way to bring our reputation up.” She also explained the limited budget senators have to work with to make capital improvements for students, citing the difficulty in a project she worked on with Le to provide outdoor tables for BCOE students. Cortez-Hernandez explained that he wanted to scale back the program and begin to focus more on first-years. In regards to questions on failing to obtain sponsorships like previously promised, Cortez-Hernandez said that he did contact Getaway Cafe but since these sweatshirts are targeted to those under the age of 21, and Getaway serves alcohol, he did not see it as appropriate. He also reassured the senate that there are no other major expenditures planned and, by the end of the school year, there will be around $29,000 remaining that will go into ASUCR’s reserves. The senate’s vote on the R’Gear allocations

carried out in the following order: • CHASS Senator Alkhalili: No • CHASS Senator Chang: Yes • President Pro-Tempore Cuenca: Yes • CHASS Senator Nakaoka: Abstained • CHASS Senator Ornelas: No • CHASS Senator Tongilava: No • CHASS Senator Wong: Yes • CNAS Senator Garg: Yes • CNAS Senator Ng: Yes • CNAS Senator Orozco: Yes • CNAS Senator Shashaty: Yes • BCOE Senator Le: Yes • BCOE Senator Xaypraseuth: Yes •

Highlights Behind the Lens — Students Voicing Recovery, a research project showcasing students recovering from substance abuse issues, was presented by Ann M. Cheney, an expert in substance abuse and an assistant professor in residence in the Department of Social Medicine and Population Health in the Center for Healthy Communities at the School of Medicine. The project chronicled the recovery process of students addicted to drugs and alcohol and existed to shed light on a drug culture that is “glorified and normalized” at universities. UCR Student Ivan Rodriguez also presented with Cheney telling the senate of his struggles with alcohol and how the project helped him through recovery.

ASUCR will hold their next senate meeting this Wednesday, March 7 beginning at 6:30 H p.m. inside the senate chambers (HUB 221).■

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER Vice President of Finance Jose Cortez-Hernandez (above) succeeded in persuading the senate to pass a $35,000 spending measure to fund R’Gear.

UCR professor awarded STEM fellowship to further research on climate change AMANI MAHMOUD Contributing Writer

Sandra Kirtland Turner, an assistant professor of earth sciences at UCR, has been awarded a Sloan Research Fellowship for her work to reconstruct past climate changes along with their causes and consequences. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation provides grants primarily to support original research and education related to science, technology, engineering, mathematics and economics. Their mission reads, “These fields — and the scholars and practitioners who work in them — are chief drivers of the nation’s health and prosperity.” Turner’s discipline focuses on paleoceanography and paleoclimatology. She reconstructs and models episodes of climate change in Earth’s history in order to understand how Earth’s carbon cycle and climate are connected. In order to reconstruct past climate and oceanography, Turner works with deep sea sediment cores, usually those obtained through the International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP), an international ocean marine research collaboration, previously known as the Integrated Ocean Drilling Program. In an interview with The Highlander, Turner stated, “Deep sea sediments are largely made of the remains of microscopic organisms, and the shells of these organisms contain a wealth of information about the environments in which they grew.” In her lab at UCR’s Department of Earth Sciences in the Geology building, Turner is able to measure the ratio of isotopes of carbon and oxygen contained within the shells of these organisms and she can use these measurements to determine factors such as the past water temperature and how carbon was cycling through the oceans and atmosphere. Turner wrote, “To model past climate change, I work with a class of global climate models called Earth system models of intermediate complexity.” These allow Turner to test controls on climate over long intervals of time (thousands to millions of years). She can examine the interplay between the cycling of carbon between the ocean and

atmosphere and consequences for the physical climate system. Turner got into this field because she was concerned about climate change but equally fascinated by how Earth’s climate operates. As an undergraduate, Turner studied science, technology and international affairs in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Turner wrote, “I cared about environmental issues like climate change, but I quickly realized that I really wanted to deeply understand the science.” This led Turner to pursue graduate study in climate science at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, which is where she developed an interest in using Earth’s geologic record to understand how Earth’s climate operates. Turner’s research program is an interplay of generating new data and working with these intermediate complexity climate models. She tries to balance these two directions of her research and feels as if they both coexist really well, writing, “As I generate new data, I end up considering new explanations for those datasets that I can test with models. As I work with models, I realize what data would be ideal to test the model results.” Turner’s goal of her research is to more fully integrate her efforts at paleo-reconstruction and modeling, with a particular focus on understanding causes of climate variability during warm intervals of Earth history, which occurs when the amount of ice on land was significantly lower than today, or even when the Earth was totally ice-free. According to Turner, she believes that her research can help tie together paleoceanographers and paleoclimatologists who focus on data generation with climate and carbon cycle modelers in new ways. She is participating in an upcoming IODP expedition to the South Pacific ocean this fall 2018, and believes this expedition will exemplify how scientists work while focusing on data generation. Turner wrote, “As a shipboard scientist who is also a modeler, I can help design data generation efforts in a way that will encourage wellintegrated data and modeling studies.” In terms of resources, Turner has a lab for preparing

deep sea sediment samples and she co-runs a stable isotope geochemistry facility in the Department of Earth Sciences at UCR. Turner wrote, “I’m very lucky to have a close collaborator in my department, Andy Ridgwell, who is one of the creators of the Earth system model that I use in my research.” Turner stated, “I was very honored to be awarded a Sloan fellowship. I was honored even to be nominated. It’s wonderful to have extra financial support for my research, but it’s also very flattering to have my research recognized in this way.” ■H

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NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

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UNBL CKED UCR research reveals abundance of anti-adblocking software MARK BERTUMEN Contributing Writer

The main reason for the rise of anti-adblockers is websites’ loss of revenue from unseen ads. Pagefair, the “global authority on adblocking,” reports that 11 percent of global internet users use adblockers, according to a 2017 report. This translates into “billions of dollars worth of lost advertising revenue for online publishers,” according to the research paper. Qian remarks that in the place of advertisements, websites can regain lost revenue with alternative sources of income, such as paid subscription fees. “There are definitely alternative revenue models that people are looking at; for instance, the subscription-based model (Youtube Red) that Youtube has been trying,” said Qian, “So you can pay just a small monthly subscription fee to avoid ads.” To gather a rough statistic on what UCR students think of that proposition, we chose 80 students at random and asked them three questions: If they used an adblocker on their personal devices; if they were willing to pay subscription fees for internet services, after being told that adblockers are a revenue-related reason; and if they would still use adblockers after viewing the second question. Of the 52 students that did use adblockers, 42 said they would not pay a subscription fee, yet would continue using the software, despite knowing of the lost revenue. Jennifer Lee, a first-year chemistry major, summarizes the feelings of that majority. “There are certain websites that don’t let you view the page unless you disable the adblocker or pay a fee, but even then, I don’t

want to see ads before Youtube videos,” Lee said. Only eight were persuaded to stop using adblockers, seven of whom would also not want to pay a subscription fee. However, Qian further points out that using an adblocker can result in litigative action by a website, on the grounds of copyright violation within the site scripts. A script is a compilation of coding that a site uses to function, controlling a webpage based on prior actions. Adblockers work by referring to a list of scripts it was programmed to “block,”

and prevents any website scripts on its list from executing. Qian explains that the legal issues occur when blocked scripts are written to enforce copyright laws set up by the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), and when the site can tell that an adblocker is the reason. “The script (of a website) can sometimes do two things together: They detect adblockers, and they could also be enforcing DMCA,” explained Qian. “If you block the script as a whole, which is oftentimes what adblockers do,

then you’re in trouble. Websites are now suing people, suing adblockers on the basis that their DMCA protection is being violated.” Qian and his team have tried working around this problem with the creation of a supplementary adblocker plugin on Chrome that helps avoid blocking an entire script. “The ads are blocked by Chrome, but we’re filtering the virtual actions that are trying to detect and punish users using adblock,” he said. “We’re complementary to adblockers in a sense, trying to protect the in-

tegrity of the adblocker.” Currently, they are working on their own adblocker, one that can better avoid detection. “We’re in the progress of building a better adblocker, one that’s not as easily detectable, so that you can keep it running for as long as you want.” Assistants during the research include UCR graduate student Shitong Zhu, New York’s Syracuse University graduate Xunchao Hu, with a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer engineering and University of Iowa Assistant Profes■H sor Zubair Shafiq.

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UCR researchers take a closer look at drought resistance within the Amazon rainforest ATENAS ODRIOZOLA Contributing Writer

Published in the New Phytologist Trust journal on Feb. 19, a paper titled “Coordination and trade-offs among hydraulic safety, efficiency and drought avoidance traits in Amazonian rainforest canopy tree species” takes a closer look at how Amazonian tropical trees handle droughts. Conducted by a team including UC Riverside Professor of Physiological Ecology Louis S. Santiago and a team including recent Ph.D. student Mark E. De Guzman and recent UCR graduates Jacob E. Vogenberg and Max Brodie, the research revealed that Amazonian trees have a higher drought resistance than previously thought. The Amazon rainforest has recently experienced droughts influenced by El Niño and climate change. The recent changes have caused the Amazonian trees to experience drought stress. Information on drought stress exhibited by the Amazonian tropical trees has not been documented fully, which was an obstacle the researchers faced in the beginning. However, starting in 2013, using grants

from the Center for the Study of Biodiversity in Amazonia and the French government, the five-year research project collected data on the amount of rainfall reduction that causes the mortality of tree specimens, which would be incorporated to create a global circulation model. Taking samples from tropical trees in French Guiana, a French territory in the eastern part of the Amazon rainforest, the research team analyzed the trees’ hydraulic strategies, or the plants ability to handle droughts. Using the xylem vulnerability curves, or studying the plants’ capability to move water within itself, it revealed these trees were fairly vulnerable to drought. However, when analyzing the trees through stem pressure volume curves, or the stems’ ability to retain water, it showed that the trees were more drought resistant. “Tropical trees typically have an axial parenchymal (a long tissue that transports sugar) fraction that is three times higher than temperate trees,” stated the research paper. Though 14 tree specimens were analyzed in the published journal, the project has

continued to study more than 50 tree specimens since the publication. While the Amazon rainforest is located in South America, it “is a major contributor to the global climate cycling … changes in the Amazonian forest can influence rain and snowfall in the west coast,” stated De Guzman.

Though the recent research reveals that the tropical trees in the Amazon rainforest are more drought tolerable than initially thought, the tropical trees are still under threat. “If the planet keeps warming and the weather patterns keep changing, these trees will be in big trouble,” stated Santiago. The research project is

planned to end in 2019 unless further funding is received. The team also included Christopher Baraloto from Florida International University, Bruno Herault from UMR Ecologie des forets de Guyane (UMR EcoFoG) in France, Claire Fortunel from UCLA and Damien Bonal from Universite de Lorraine in France. ■H

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Opinions

OPINIONS

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

The NCAA must recognize student athletes as employees

he question of whether student athletes ought to be paid (and if so, how much) is a continuous source of debate, one which the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recently exacerbated (yet again) by its handling of a recent lawsuit regarding paying their athletes. Last year, Lawrence “Poppy” Livers, a former NCAA athlete, filed a lawsuit against the NCAA which argued that student athletes who receive scholarships also ought to be considered employees and receive payment. Unsurprisingly, the NCAA motioned to dismiss the suit, but as noted by The Intercept, their argument for why the motion should be dismissed was based, in part, on court cases which were in turn informed by precedents set by Vanskike v. Peters. This was a 1992 court case in which Daniel Vanskike, a prisoner at Stateville Correctional Center in Illinois, argued for his right to receive minimumwage pay for his labor as a prisoner. The court ruled against Vanskike, in part because the Thirteenth Amendment, although formally abolishing slavery in the U.S. when it was adopted in 1865, allows for “involuntary servitude … as a punishment whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.” It seems that the NCAA is, perhaps without realizing it, using poor logic to conflate student athletes with prisoners performing involuntary servitude in order to get out of duly compensating said athletes for the billions of dollars in revenue that college sports generate for the NCAA (and all the other companies

JUSTUS ROSS / HIGHLANDER

that profit from college sports) each year. The NCAA’s motion to dismiss Livers’ case demonstrates an utter lack of respect for the athletes whose efforts they continually profit from while giving little in return. Although one might argue that the voluntary nature of participating in college sports keeps athletes from being “employees” of their school, or that the scholarships that some receive are already adequate compensation, it has been clear for years that athletes are getting the short end of the stick in this relationship and ought to be better treated and compensated. However, with paying student athletes comes the logistical problem of figuring out how much to pay them, and how. While it’s easy to point the finger at schools that make millions each year from college sports, it’s important to recognize that not every school makes such a vast profit from their athletics programs, making paying each athlete a financially tricky prospect. Perhaps student athletes could be allowed to earn money through endorsement deals, if the schools they play for cannot adequately foot the bill. This option was floated by NCAA president Mark Emmert to the Associated Press on Friday, March 3, and Emmert said he “would be surprised” if schools approved a model that requires them to pay athletes directly. However, this model threatens to only benefit the very top players, who would typically receive these endorsements at the professional level, and wouldn’t necessarily compensate all student athletes.

A more fair option is to pay the athletes through federal work-study programs, though this would possibly result in players not receiving nearly enough for what the NCAA makes from them, considering the limits on how many hours can be worked under work-study. This, unfortunately, may be one of the only reasonable options for the colleges to pay student athletes, considering the NCAA’s perpetual insistence on not recognizing their athletes as employees, despite the numerous court cases that have been brought to them asserting that they should be treated as such. Then, of course, there’s their lip-service to the value of “amateurism” in college sports, which sounds like little more than a lofty excuse for stringing student athletes along with measly scholarships (very few of which are full ride or even substantial) that don’t even come close to the over $1 billion in ad revenue brought in by the men’s basketball tournament broadcasts, shared between CBS and Turner. This is not to mention the $8.8 billion deal these companies just signed with the NCAA, which is an extension to their 14-year, $10.8 billion deal that runs through 2024. However, even if student athletes have to be under-compensated through work study, it is more than obvious that they deserve some form of compensation, and certainly more than what they have received so far. Although what they do may not appear to be “work” in the traditional sense, student athletes often have to spend time comparable to an average work

week on their respective sports. In the NCAA’s very own “2015 GOALS Study of the Student-Athlete Experience,” Division I, II and III student athletes self-reported spending between 27 and 42 median hours per week on “Athletic Activities In-Season” in 2015. Taking this and the profit that the NCAA makes from these students, from broadcasting deals to ticket sales at games to even using players’ likenesses in video games (which the players weren’t even paid for until EA Sports took issue with not paying them), it’s increasingly difficult to see the validity in the argument that what student athletes do isn’t work and doesn’t deserve pay. The NCAA’s attempt to simply dismiss Livers’ case comes as no surprise, and serves as a reminder that the current relationship between the NCAA and its student athletes puts the profits before the students. It is unacceptable that the amount of time and effort that student athletes spend on their sports is not properly compensated as any other job would be. Perhaps the NCAA will, with enough pressure, recognize this and improve their treatment of their athletes, but the far more likely outcome is that, for now, federal work study will have to do to make sure the student athletes receive at least some of the payment they’ve earned. ■H Highlander editorials reflect the majority view of the Highlander Editorial Board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Associated Students of UCR or the University of California system.

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

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OPINION POLL Compiled by Jordan Hom, Contributing Photographer

“Do you find online ads annoying?” Jamie Huang Pre-Business Second-year

Daniel Lee Biology Second-year

“I find ads extremely annoying! I’m forced to watch an ad between every YouTube video, snap story and even Instagram post I see.”

“I don’t really mind online ads. After all, companies need to make money somehow.”

Angela Tran Psychology Second-year “They’re ok.”

Chelsey Yu Pre-Business Second-year

James Phaphone Creative Writing Second-year

Vanessa Miranda Sustainability Second-year

“As a consumer, no because it sometimes leads into impulsive buying. They’re also distracting and sometimes hard to get rid of.”

“Not really. I’ve just grown accustomed to seeing them so I just block them out.”

“Yes, but not as much when the ads match up to my interests.”

More gridlock persists on gun control, but public opinion is changing MICHAEL BEELI Staff Writer

Teen survivors of the Parkland, Florida high school shooting travelled to the state capitol on Wednesday, Feb. 21 to demand action from lawmakers on guns, and to show support specifically for a proposed assault weapons ban in the the Florida House of Representatives. What these brave students were instead met with, however, was a defeated ban on assault rifles paired with a seemingly urgent desire to brand pornography in the state as a public health crisis. The shameful vote of the Florida House is a disgraceful act of political cowardice that reveals just how fundamentally out of touch Florida Republicans are with fundamental political issues today. America today faces a crisis of public safety. Large crowds of people are predictably centered at particular locations such as schools, concerts and parks, which are easy targets for shooters aiming for as much death

as possible. Meanwhile, firearms designed for operations of war can be legally bought by civilians, and can easily and unjustifiably evade or pass FBI background checks. Despite these glaring deficiencies, little if any gun control legislation has been passed at both the state and federal level in the past 20 years. Readers who are familiar with the Sandy Hook shooting in Newtown, Connecticut probably won’t find this as a surprise, but the Republican Party, at nearly all levels, has adopted a stance of gun-rights absolutism, where the party orthodoxy calls on all Republican leadership to denounce any imposition of gun control legislation as an infringement of Second Amendment rights. This phenomenon is best evidenced by the NRA Vice President Wayne LaPierre’s speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he reframed calls for a more extensive background check system as cultural elites trying to take away guns from the hands of the populace.

Another clear example is the failure to act after the Sandy Hook shooting — a loathsome act of cowardice. However, the offensive vote of the Florida House is even more palpably disgraceful, since these politicians looked survivors of the school shooting in the eye and told them that taking steps to restrict pornography was more important than putting their lives above the politics of gun rights. An assault weapons ban is not a new or untested idea. In 1994, Congress passed a federal assault weapons ban in the United States, which expired in 2004. Although there is limited evidence to suggest that the assault weapons ban reduced overall gun violence, the incidence of mass shootings in the United States did fall by 37 percent during the ban period. Under the 1994 assault weapons ban, the AR-15 rifle used by Parkland shooter Nikolas Cruz would have been unobtainable through the means in which it was purchased.

Something about this latest shooting seems to have stuck in the minds of the nation, however. Politico opinion polling shows that 68 percent of Americans believe gun laws should be made stricter in the country, opposed to just 25 percent who are opposed to strengthening gun laws. More importantly, current polling indicates 53 percent of registered Republicans are now in favor of stricter gun laws, opposed to the mere 37 percent of Republicans who said the same in the wake of Pulse Nightclub shooting in 2016. Despite this momentous shift in bipartisan public opinion, however, the issue has been kept in political gridlock. Republican politicians are still highly beholden to gun rights activists, particularly the National Rifle Association (NRA), for political support. In addition to spending over $54 million during the 2016 election in attempts to lobby officials and influence policy, the NRA’s core strength lies in its ability to galvanize voters and organize resistance to

any politician who gives ground on the gun issue. For the past 20 years, gun rights advocates have wielded greater political power than gun control advocates, hence the gridlock we’ve seen on gun control. In Florida, it is no different. Senator Marco Rubio’s embarrassing town hall performance showed clearly that Rubio was trying as hard as possible to not give an inch on gun rights while angering his constituents as little as possible. The noticeable shift in public opinion, however, is still very encouraging and indicates that perhaps gun control advocates may be gaining ground on gun-rights activists. Although the NRA “buying politicians” is an issue of incredible importance, ultimately votes are the sole vehicle to win elections, and right now it appears to be possible that anti-gun voters have the ability to scare NRA-bought politicians. Let’s hope they go to the polls, for Stoneman Marjory Douglas High School’s sake, and for the sake of our collective public safety. ■H

R’PERSPECTIVE: The struggle of voting with a religious conscience

QUINN MINTEN Senior Staff Writer

From a time before I can remember, I’ve been a Catholic. I was baptized very young, and consequently have been going to church and learning about that faith for more or less my entire life. It is fair to say, then, that being Catholic has always been part of my identity, and influenced many aspects of my life, from determining what time I show up to work on the newspaper on Sundays, to guiding my interactions with my siblings so that I treat them better than I otherwise might. By now, my religious background is thoroughly entrenched, so it rarely poses any “new” challenges, anything I have to seriously reflect on. However, with the approaching ASUCR elections in spring quarter, not to mention the far more significant midterm elections coming later in the year, I’ve started thinking again about what my faith means in a political context. In order to get an idea of what difficulties can arise in reconciling religious and political beliefs, I’ll give an example of what one little religious tenet can do to a ballot. One of the major ideas in Catholicism is the concept of “dignity of life,” which holds that all human life has value, regardless of age, health and other factors. In practice, this means that

a Catholic cannot support abortion (what we believe to be murder of an unborn child), assisted suicide, the death penalty or other legally sanctioned ways of killing people. It also means that Catholics must support efforts that improve the quality of life, such as immigration and health care reform. What you may notice among these policies is that they are split very inconsistently along the political spectrum. Republicans generally oppose abortion, but support the death penalty, and Democrats, the reverse. The reasoning on each side is a mess and obviously hypocritical because it refuses to stick to one side of this belief (especially when Republicans claim to be “pro-life” to fight abortion but then demand deporting millions of a people in what would be a humanitarian disaster — this from people who largely proclaim to be Christians). This mismatch is what ultimately made voting a pain for me in 2016. When it comes to propositions, it’s an easier problem; checking “yes” or “no” for a given prop just requires me to agree or disagree with the prop on a quick mental check of the idea described in it. It didn’t take a complicated debate in my head to decide I’d vote to repeal the death penalty — there was a simple “rule” of sorts in place since my Catholic education taught me not to support

killing people, even awful people. On a practical, secular level, I also disagreed with the death penalty out of the paranoid thought that anyone (including me) could be framed for a crime and executed despite doing nothing wrong. That vote completed, I moved on to the next issue on the ballot. Many of the props required less moralistic thinking, because plastic grocery bags and municipal bonds aren’t exactly issues for which you can ask “What would Jesus do?” I’ll take a moment to note two things: First, that the Catholic Church doesn’t make endorsements during elections, so there’s no checklist where they answer all the moral questions one has to face at the ballot; second, that “separation of church and state” has nothing to do with individuals voting based on a religious agenda, making such votes perfectly valid legally and ethically. Now, I’d considered myself to be basically a Republican through all of college up to the 2016 election, though there were and still are many things I would vote Democrat on; it’s simply impossible in a two-party system to pick one side and satisfy my religious conscience. With Donald Trump as the Republicans’ candidate, I knew I had to distance myself from that party (to the point that when he won, I stopped calling myself a Republican, substituting the term “conservative,” despite believing essentially the same

things as before the election). Practically speaking, I wouldn’t vote for an incompetent man who flip-flops on half his policies and has no political experience; religiously speaking, I couldn’t vote for a man who was and is so obviously hateful and crude. Since I had long ruled out voting for Hillary Clinton as an option for so many reasons that I can’t list them here, and since California is so heavily liberal, I resigned myself to the fact that my presidential vote would be insignificant and mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. Nevertheless, I couldn’t vote for either candidate, even if it would mean nothing, so I voted for Gary Johnson. Did I make the right choice? I’ve wondered that since Trump was inaugurated. Mathematically, I know my vote would make no difference

anyway, as California automatically counted toward Clinton’s electoral vote count and that swing states’ votes were what put Trump in office. In my book, my vote was a sort of protest vote that showed I supported neither Trump’s hate nor Clinton’s everything. In the end, I suppose the mark of a correct choice is that you never feel guilt over it. When one develops a strong religious conscience, and therefore a strong sense of guilt, one knows very quickly when they’ve done something wrong. And since I’ve never felt guilt for my voting in 2016, I’d say that I made the right decision at the polls. At least, I can live with my decision. I just have to hope that, come next election, I put together my politics and my religion the same way I did in 2016 to arrive at ■H another vote I can live with.

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OPINIONS

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

COMICS TALL TAIL #17 BY: JUSTUS ROSS

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The Highlander Newspaper is a great way to keep up with current events and news around campus. If you are interested in the newspaperâ€™s articles or pictures, we offers opportunities in writing, photography, and design. Join us every Monday at 5:15 p.m. in HUB 101 to learn more.

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R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

EVENTS THIS WEEK 03/06

Footsteps to You: Chattel Slavery exhibition @Rivera Library, Special Collections - Reading Room, 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m.

03/07

Wednesday@Noon Lecture by Anna Stirr Singing Across Divides: Music and Intimate Politics in Nepal @Music Rehearsal Hall, ARTS 157, 12:10-1 p.m.

03/08

UCR Jazz Ensemble @Culver Center for the Arts, 7-8:30 p.m.

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TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

Radar

MOVIE REVIEWS

“DEATH WISH” FANS A FLAME THAT NEEDS TO BE DOUSED (IT’S ALSO AN AWFUL MOVIE) JULIAN MEDRANDA Senior Staff Writer

I’ve sat in front of my computer screen for the past 13-and-a-half minutes watching a video on Youtube called “Every gunshot from the Deathwish movies.” In it, Charles Bronson shoots thousands of bullets, a rocket and two rifle-mounted grenades at hundreds of goons in LA and

New York City. With action so comically over-the-top as to erase any recognition of the mountainous body count, the original “Death Wish” series is something glorious if not outright mind-numbingly stupid. Politics aside, there’s something so pure about watching Bronson rain hell on bad guys sans consequence. And no, losing your wife and daughter and countless other

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women to rape and murder are not consequences — maybe in the real world, but in this universe the only thing to mourn over is not being able to kill enough bad guys. “Death Wish” was fun while it lasted, ending in 1995 before being revitalized by MGM Studios 23 years later. The long-winded pre-production period, which lasted a decade, eventually pinned Eli Roth helming direction over a script originally written by Joe Carnahan (“The Grey,” “Stretch”). My own personal disdain for the genre filmmaker aside, his well-established style over a film franchise this poorly aged was an ill-fated recipe for cringe-inducing murder porn. Fortunately for anyone deeply invested in his pulpy oeuvre, “Death Wish” is peak Eli Roth; for anyone else, it’s an insufferable amalgam of everything wrong with revenge thrillers and low-hanging fruit for gun fanatics everywhere. And yes, as reported for the umpteenth time: This movie could not have found a worse time to have been released. Bruce Willis stars as Not Charles Bronson, Paul Kersey, a doctor. First off, kudos to whomever decided it would be a good idea to change Kersey from an architect to a doctor, because seeing Willis play a doctor isn’t quite comedy gold, but it’s just goofy enough

to make you smile. Anyway, his wife gets killed and his daughter comatosed after a home invasion gone wrong. Kersey is sad — we know this because Willis makes a sad face and sheds, like, three tears. Detective Rains (Dean Norris, seemingly reprising his “Breaking Bad” role as Hank Schrader) and Detective Jackson (Kimberly Elise) are assigned to the case, as well as a whole slew of others. “Death Wish” wishes to touch upon Chicago’s very real and very high violent crime rate, but is spineless in its execution, instead preferring to have its protagonist slaughter everyone in his path Travis Bickle-style. Dubbed the Grim Reaper, Kersey embarks on a revenge quest, cleaning the mean streets of Chicago armed with a handgun he looted off a goon who arrived to the hospital suffering gunshot wounds — and, coincidentally, is revealed to be a coordinator of the home invasion. Highly controversial, Kersey’s Grim Reaper vigilante persona receives divisive media attention, with critics like Sway Calloway (of “Sway in the Morning”) questioning the ethics of his so-called “justice.” Throughout the movie, radio hosts like Sway, alongside news anchors and other prolific radio hosts comment on the killings — it’s lazy, it’s intrusive and it’s perhaps the only shot the movie

has at making a statement. Of course, the attempts fall flat. Know what else falls flat? Bodies, lots of ‘em! Only, unlike the Bronson movies of yore, Willis’ rampage is wholly unrewarding and, frankly, like a lot of the violence in Roth’s filmography, pornographic. “Death Wish” is not a good movie. Even if gun control discourse wasn’t igniting flames larger than anyone could have predicted in the ‘70s, this simply comes across too slimy and foul to stomach. Reading comments on the aforementioned video of Bronson mowing down dudes with machine guns and magnums with infinite ammo cheat codes, it’s obvious what brand of politics fans of this movie ascribe to. Let’s just not do this, ok? The world has enough Eli Roth torture porn. Be it intentional or incidental, “Death Wish” is a bid to champion fear-mongering guntoters and those too uninformed to prescribe an alternative worldview. ■H Verdict: As poorly timed as it is poorly constructed, Eli Roth’s latest is a battery of poor taste and vacuous narrative. It may have worked for different reasons with Charles Bronson, but this Bruce Willis reboot is a steaming pile of shit with the poorest of optics.

“RED SPARROW” IS A NOT-SO-THRILLING SPY THRILLER MARCELO GARCIA Senior Staff Writer

A Russian ballerina thrust into the world of spies, an American mole in the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and a secret romance between agents on opposing sides — these are all the components that make a heart-pounding thriller filled with sex, murder, secrets and betrayal (e.g. “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” or “Casino Royale”). And while “Red Sparrow” has an overabundance of these, it’s severely lacking in any tension or meaningful plot that’s engaging enough to deliver as a “heart-pounding thriller.” Its premise is promising enough: Dominika Egorova, a former ballerina played by Jennifer Lawrence, becomes an asset for the SVR to support her bedridden mother (Joely Richardson) following an accident that irreversibly damaged her leg. With the success of the self-aware, meta “Kingsman: The Secret Service,” which poked fun at many of the worn-out tropes of popular spy flicks, “Red Sparrow” offered a backto-basics spy film; if done correctly, a film like “Red Sparrow” could have been a showcase of the timelessness of these tropes which, in spite of how dated they are, can still be solid components of an enjoyable film. Unfortunately, “Red Sparrow” falls short of accomplishing any of this, and instead falls victim to the predictability of so many

of its predecessors. The unconvincing Russian accents, which Lawrence struggles to maintain throughout the film, and unrealistically inhumane Russian politicians who simply hate America, with no clear purpose other than furthering the movie’s Cold War-era anti-Russian sentiments, make this film’s immersive qualities non-existent. And this isn’t even taking the incredibly predictable plot into account. In fact, the story of this film is so uneventful that, in a spy thriller which should be filled with plot twists and surprises, I always felt one step ahead of what happened on screen. Adding on to this, the plot feels unnecessarily complicated. For one, without delving too deeply into spoilers, we witness Egorova commit a very brutal and gruesome act of violence within the first 20 minutes of the film; on its own, this scene is fine because it leaves the viewer with questions regarding Egorova, who up until this point has only been portrayed as a beautiful and innocent dancer. The audience begins to question if her behavior was a result of her desperation following the accident or whether this is simply her true nature, setting Egorova up as dark, damaged and complex character. However, this all goes out the window very quickly when she becomes an SVR asset and carries out her first mission. Egorova, whom we witnessed beating a man half to death no more than 20 minutes ago, is now visibly traumatized and

shaken from the sight of a murder. So, adding on to the fact that the prior incident is never even addressed, it serves no purpose other than to increase the film’s already lengthy runtime of over two hours. The film’s shaky plot and confusing character logic become very apparent in the segment following its character introductions. The segment itself is not without merit, setting Egorova up to go to Russian spy boot camp in order to hone her skills in acting and seduction. Overall, this entire premise is very similar to the training flashbacks experienced by Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys’ characters in FX’s fantastic KGB drama “The Americans.” However, unlike “The Americans,” “Red Sparrow” throws out any insight into the grueling emotional process that is inherent with the training of intelligence officers. What made Russell’s performance in “The Americans” simultaneously enthralling and hard to watch was that it allowed the audience to actively engage with in her experiences and emotions. Russell’s character, who prides herself on her strength and independence, must degrade herself to what is essentially a sex object in order to survive her training and become a stronger person. It’s a striking contradiction but it’s pieced together so well that it really offers an explanation on what formed the mindset of her character.

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This is the exact opposite of what “Red Sparrow” offers in its training segments. Throughout her training, Dominika refuses to bend to the will of any commanding officer, disobeying most of the direct orders given to her. This is the film’s attempt at establishing Dominika’s strength and will, which very quickly falls flat because rather than being a character with incredible resolve, Dominika comes across as someone too prideful to sacrifice dignity in order to survive. Add on top of this the fact that she is approved for field duty despite showing little to no conformity or obedience, and the film becomes even harder to believe. All of “Red Sparrow’”s flaws, from its onedimensional characters to cookie-cutter plot, could have

been forgiven if they were components of a film that was greater than the sum of its parts, a blockbuster flick that, while not being the most intellectual film, was still enjoyable to watch. But what detriments this film the most and really puts the final nail in coffin, is that it’s simply boring. As mentioned previously, the movie is over two hours long, which combined with the film’s incredibly slow pacing, leaves viewers counting every minute that passes by. ■H Verdict: “Red Sparrow” has all the right components of what could be a great movie. However, its predictable writing, mediocre acting and dull pacing make it the film equivalent of a Lego set that was built without reading the instructions.

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

MUSIC REVIEW

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

SOB X RBE DELIVERS A FUN, AGGRESSIVE AND SURPRISINGLY FRESH DEBUT ALBUM, “GANGIN” MARCELO GARCIA Contributing Writer

Coming in hot after their stellar performance on the “Black Panther: The Album” track “Paramedic!” SOB x RBE are back with the release of their debut studio album, “GANGIN.” The album is a follow up to their eponymous 2017 mixtape, a release that showed promise but overall felt riddled with untapped potential. But that’s not the case with “GANGIN,” where it feels like the group has a lockdown on their identity, which results in a hiphop album that isn’t pressured into conforming to the tried-and-true sonics of trap. And while this group is nowhere near the most lyrical or diverse, especially considering the aura of inexperience present throughout this album, each of SOB x RBE’s members pull their own weight on this project with standout performances where their individual strengths really shine through. The tracks on this album are tough and unapologetically reckless. With a great combination of electronic beats and flows that harken back to an earlier time in hip-hop, this album feels like a modern-day fusion of N.W.A and Too $hort. In the modern hip-hop scene where many complain that individuality is in short supply,

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SOB x RBE stands out by striving to be different. Album opener and single “Carpoolin’” also stands out as a unique track. With a prominent keyboard and fast baseline, it’s a throwback to the pop-locking singles of the ‘80s. It also samples the 1983 single “Silent Morning” by Noel, which contributes to the song’s old school aesthetic. From its start, the track’s instrumental has a very rapid and aggressive tone, which is matched by DaBoii’s hectic energy. Compared

to the other members of the group, DaBoii consistently comes in hot with substantial aggression. However, the award for best verse on the track goes to Yhung T.O. While not as loud or in-your-face as DaBoii or Slimmy B, he stands out by providing lyrics that just feel a step above SOB x RBE’s other members. While I wouldn’t go as far as to call Yhung T.O. a wordsmith by any means, his performances give off a laid back aura of musicality that is rarely matched on this album.

“Anti Social” is one cut that matches “Carpoolin’” in quality. With its synthy, electronic, almost trance-like beats and Yhung T.O.’s airy vocals, it’s one of the slower (and catchier) tracks on the entire album. It also features a verse from DaBoii whose abrasive delivery contrasts Yhung T.O.’s performance in a way that compliments the overall vibe of the track for the better. In the latter half of the album we get a surprisingly genuine perspective on the track “God,” a

solo track from Slimmy B. Backed by a beat uncharacteristically somber for the group, Slimmy B delivers what boils down to an introspection of his own life and aspirations. The concept of praying to God for wealth isn’t exactly unique in hip-hop, but what Slimmy B does in this track is delve deep into why he has these desires, and what purpose he believes that wealth would serve. Throughout the track, we get insight into his struggle of growing up without a father, and can recognize that this pursuit of wealth is driven by the obligation he feels to support and provide for his own son. Without a chorus or bridge, the track is as simple and broken down as possible, relying entirely on an excellent twominute verse that works on its own. It’s a unique and fresh take from an album where I would have least expected to find depth. ■H Verdict: “GANGIN” is far from perfect, but considering how young SOB x RBE’s career is, it’s extremely promising and has proven that this group is something to look out for. There is no shortage of talent, especially from Slimmy B and Yhung T.O. If they can build on the good and improve their rough edges, the Bay area group could potentially become something great.

things we enjoyed HUGO CERVANTES Contributing Writer

Janelle Monae returned this week with two new singles, “D’Jango Jane” and “Make Me Feel” off her forthcoming concept album, “Dirty Computer,” an album which is poised to build upon her previous universes with a sharper, more focused and ambitious worldbuilding. On “D’Jango Jane,” Monae reads off her decade-long resume, flexing along the way as she sings, “We ain’t hidden no more, moonlit nigga, lit nigga/ Already got an Oscar for the casa,” in reference to two successful films she’s

acted in, “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight.” Her mainstream success has not erased the memory of her earlier days, quipping, “Remember when they said I looked too manish?” “Make Me Feel,” the better of the two songs, confesses a secret with no need to be said. The opening lines are a flirty taunt, “Baby, don’t make me spell it out for you/ All of the feelings that I’ve got for you.” Endless speculation around Monae’s sexuality has pestered the artist. This feeling of knowing Monae’s sexuality in the video is dramatized, draped in campy glamour as she comedically runs from woman to man, unable to choose. The climax is Monae’s two lovers surrendering to

Monae’s inner feeling. It does not have to be verbalized but felt through color — blue and magenta, colors of the bisexual flag, light Monae throughout the video. The highest priest of neon-lit erotica, Prince, posthumously provides the synth line for the track. The song features a nod to a “Controversy”-era Prince, with its slinky and cool guitar licks soundtracking feelings — like Monae’s — that override logic. The pre-chorus builds and fizzles with anticipation till it spirals into a metronomic glide candied by Monae’s coos. Feeling could be the glitch in the forthcoming visual album, “Dirty Computer.” It is a glitch that need not be corrected but indulged. ■H

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 6, 2018

Highlander World Cup Halftime Group B, Part I The 2018 World Cup in Russia is still months away, and some teams are still being put together. However, that’s not stopping the Highlander from breaking down every group to give you a comprehensive overview leading up to the first kickoff.

HIGHLANDER

HOT TAKES MLB has a new game, and speed is its name

ZIYAYE CHONGWE Contributing Writer

Portugal FIFA Ranking: 3

Spain FIFA Ranking: 6

Coach: Fernando Santos, Portuguese (2014-present). Previously coached the Greek national team (2010-2014).

Coach: Julen Lopetegui, Spaniard, since 2016, formerly coached FC Porto (Portugal)

Players to watch: Cristiano Ronaldo The 6’1” left winger has played for Real Madrid (Spain) since 2009. Since then, he has scored 299 goals in 285 matches meaning he averages 1.04 goals per match. For his national team, the Madeira native is the all-time leading scorer for Portugal and the second all-time top scorer in European history with 79 goals in 146 matches. After winning the UEFA Euro in 2016, Ronaldo will seek to give his nation another trophy to celebrate before retiring.

Players to watch: Isco The former Malaga (Spain) midfielder and Golden Boy Award winner showed a lot of promise after qualifying his team for the Champions League for the first time in its history when he was only 20 years old. In what will most likely be Andres Iniesta’s last World Cup, Isco will seek to prove he is his successor as the creative mastermind behind the Spanish national team.

World Cup Appearances: 6 First Appearance: 1966 Last Appearance: 2014 Best result: 3rd place, 1966

World Cup Appearances: 14 First Appearance: 1934 Last Appearance: 2014 Best result: Champions

Bernardo Silva The 23-year-old midfielder will be playing in his first World Cup since his first call-up to the senior team in 2015. A quick and technical player, Silva will have the chance to solidify his spot in the starting lineup with a solid performance in Russia, and will hope to support Portugal’s attack by providing both assists and goals from deeper in midifield.

Marco Asensio The 22-year-old midfielder has played for Real Madrid (Spain) since 2016 after a bargain €7.2m move from Espanyol (Spain). Since then, Asensio has come off the bench, often proving his talent by scoring in his Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, La Liga, Spanish Super Cup, and Copa del Rey debuts.For Asensio, the World Cup could be the stage in which he breaks the barrier that makes him a promising midfielder to become a world-class star.

Potential lineup: Rui Patricio - Semedo, Pepe, Fonte, Guerreiro - B.Silva, W.Carvalho, J.Moutinho, J.Mario - C.Ronaldo, A.Silva Formation: 4-4-2

Potential lineup: De Gea - Carvajal, Pique, S.Ramos, J.Alba Koke, Busquets, Iniesta - Isco, Morata, Asensio Formation: 4-3-3

Prediction: 2nd in Group, Quarter-final Elimination

Prediction: 1st place in group, Semi-final elimination, 3rd place

Matches: Vs. Spain, 6/15 Vs. Morocco, 6/20 Vs. Iran, 6/25

Matches: Vs. Portugal, 06/15 Vs. Iran, 06/20 Vs. Morocco, 06/25

If there’s one thing I hate about Major League Baseball (MLB), it’s the pace of the game. In the last few years, America’s pastime has dropped from being one of the top major sports to the third. It is common to see an MLB game last over three hours, or even four if numerous pitching changes are made. To improve the speed of games, baseball has decided to implement new rule changes. One of those changes is limiting how many mound visits teams will be allowed to make per game. This season, teams will only be allowed six mound visits a game, and one more if games go into extra innings. As strategic as a mound visit may be, there’s no point in having a plethora of mound visits every game. With the limit on visits, there’s less of an issue I’m all for keeping tradition in sports, but this is something that needed to go. Previously, teams had unlimited mound visits, with some managers calling them one right after the other. I see mound visits as unsportsmanlike because teams use it as a way to cool down opposing teams. Now that may sound like a strategic plan, but does it need to happen in every game? Things like this make it hard to keep invested in the moment. Limiting any further interest in future involvement. More than once, I’ve had to find something else to do while watching baseball because of the amount of game delays. I can rarely sit through a whole game without having to deal with unwanted stops in play. Unlike the other sports, stoppages tend to happen more often in baseball. The game itself already takes too long, and this is just an example of how bad things could be. So if you ask me, good riddance to the old rules, and embrace the new game. ■H

■H

Sof tball dominates Highlander Classic JONATHAN FERNANDEZ

Senior Staff Writer

UCR’s softball team (13-6) hosted The Highlander Classic, a tournament on their home turf, for the third consecutive year, taking place from Friday, March 2 through Sunday, March 4. The Highlanders kicked off the tournament with a 4-1 win against Saint Mary’s College (SMC) (4-15) behind another dominant showing from senior pitcher Tayler Misfeldt. The alltime wins leader in UCR program history threw eight strikeouts in a complete game while giving up zero earned runs. The Gaels got on the board in the top of the first inning due to an error, which did not count against Misfeldt, from sophomore infielder

Brittney Garcia that allowed sophomore infielder Nikki Alexander to score. The Highlanders’ offense came alive in the fifth inning when they were able to score three runs after loading the bases. In the bottom of the sixth, senior outfielder Jenna Curtan added one more run to the lead after hitting a double to get on base before stealing third and eventually scoring off of a Gael error. In the second game of the Highlander Classic, Riverside was once again able to earn a 4-1 victory. Freshman pitcher Hailey Dolcini pitched seven innings, struck out seven batters, and only gave up one earned run while winning her third game of the season. Riverside once again

gave up a run in the first inning, but bounced back almost immediately by scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning. The Highlanders extended their lead by two runs in the fifth inning after freshman outfielder Seanna Garewal scored off of a pop fly from sophomore infielder Emma Ramelot. Games three and four were part of a Sunday afternoon doubleheader where the Highlanders squared off against Brown University and SMC. Both games were lopsided victories in favor of the Highlanders as they beat Brown 12-3 in five innings for Misfeldt’s 10th win of the season and beat the Gaels, 11-0, giving Dolcini her fourth win of the year. The two wins give the Highlanders a perfect 4-0 record

to finish the tournament. UCR is back on the field for the UCR Classic taking place from Thursday, March 8 to Sun■H day, March 11.

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Sports

MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL BOTH PUNCH THEIR BIG WEST TOURNAMENT TICKET 1. UC DAVIS

► FROM BIG WEST, PAGE 1

3. UC IRVINE 5. CAL STATE NORTHRIDGE

2. CAL POLY

8. UCR 4. CAL STATE FULLERTON

5. LONG BEACH STATE 2. UCSB

8. HAWAI’I

6. UCR

7. CAL POLY 3. UC IRVINE

7. LONG BEACH STATE 4. UCSB 6. HAWAI’I

1. UC DAVIS

MEN’S BASKETBALL SEEDING:

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEEDING:

1. UC Davis (21-9, 12-4) 2. UC Santa Barbara (22-8, 11-5) 3. UC Irvine (16-16, 11-5) 4. Cal State Fullerton (17-11, 10-6) 5. Long Beach State (15-17, 9-7) 6. Hawai’i (17-12, 8-8) 7. Cal Poly (9-21, 4-12) 8. UC Riverside (9-21, 4-12)

UC Davis (24-5 ,14-2) Cal Poly (17-11, 11-5) UC Irvine (18-12, 10-6) UC Santa Barbara (12-16, 9-7) Cal State Northridge (15-15, 8-8) UC Riverside (9-21, 6-10) Long Beach State (8-22, 6-10) Hawaii (12-17, 5-11)

How the seeding works: The men’s bracket follows a more traditional matchup setup where the high seeds play the low seeds starting with one vs. eight and so on until the finals. UCR’s first-round matchup: UC Davis may be the Big West Conference leaders, but the Highlanders kept both their season meetings close, with their most recent game on Feb. 24 ending on a buzzer beater. Nobody expected the Highlanders making the tournament after the rough start to their season which included the firing of Head Coach Dennis Cutts, but the team managed to rally under Interim Head Coach Justin Bell. UCR will be led by sophomore point guard Dikymbe Martin who is averaging 13.6 points per game and has been the driving force for his team’s offense when healthy. On the flip side, Davis is led by senior forward Chima Moneke who is averaging 18.4 points per game on 51.5 percent shooting.

How the seeding works: For the women’s bracket the one through four seed have a first round bye, but the five seed plays the eighth seed and the sixth seed plays the seventh seed. In the quarter-finals the winner of the first round games play against the three and four seeds while the first and second seeds have yet another bye. In the semifinals the winners from the quarter-finals play the one and two seed in order to make the finals. UCR’s first-round matchup: The Highlanders will face off against Long Beach State who they just lost to on Thursday by 12, but they did win by 24 on Jan.6. Senior guards Michelle Curry and Lauren Holt have been a powerful 1-2 punch throughout the season, averaging a combined 31 points per game, and will look to have a similar impact in the playoffs. The Highlanders will need to watch out for Long Beach State’s senior guard Cecily Wilson who is a pest on both ends of the floor, averaging 10 points per game while also amassing 65 total steal during the season. ■H

Men’s basketball stumbles into Women’s basketball clinches Big West Conference Tournament Big West Tournament berth for fourth straight season JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

The Highlanders’ men’s basketball team (9-21, 4-12) secured a spot in The Big West Conference Tournament after Cal State Fullerton (17-11, 106) blew out Cal State Northridge (6-24, 3-13) 102-76 on Wednesday night. UCR beating Cal Poly (9-21, 4-12) during the team’s Senior Night on Friday definitely didn’t hurt their chances to make the tournament either. It was only fitting that on the team’s senior night, the Highlanders won their game against Poly behind the effort of seniors Alex Larsson and Chance Murray who scored 16 and 17 points respectively. Not to be outdone by his senior teammates, sophomore Dikymbe Martin added a game-high 20 points in the 72-63 victory. UCR struggled shooting the ball at a high percentage throughout the game against Poly, and shot a putrid 36 percent from the field. The team did have a season-low five turnovers which proved to be key. Cal Poly also shot 36 percent from the field but coughed up the ball 13 times, which allowed the Highlanders to get eight more shot attempts than Poly which was vital to the win because both teams shot the same percentage. The Highlanders did not have the same luck in their final game before the conference tournament which was played at the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach. While Riverside was able to

shoot better from the field than they did in their first game of the week, they weren’t able to outshoot Long Beach State (15-17, 9-7) who shot 46 percent and defeated UCR 77-59. Long Beach was able to dominate UCR in just about every aspect of the game, having the advantage in field goal percentage, shot attempts, turnovers, points off turnovers, three point percentage, steals and just about every statistical category you can think of, plus five more. The leading scorer for the Highlanders was Murray who finished with a game-high 18 points and was one of only two players in double figures for UCR. Riverside will face first-seeded UC Davis (21-9, 12-4) in the first round of The Big West Conference Tournament, who they lost to in both their matchups this season. The game will take place on Thursday, March 8 H at the Honda Center in Anaheim. ■

CODY DAVIS / HIGHLANDER

JARYD BONGCARAS Contributing Writer

The UC Riverside women’s basketball team (8-22, 6-10) clinched a Big West Tournament berth for the fourth consecutive season despite dropping a 70-58 decision in their last away game of the regular season against Long Beach on Thursday, Feb. 1 (9-21, 6-10). The Highlanders only connected on 20 percent (7 for 35) of their shots in the first half, facing 10-point deficits at the end of the first quarter and at halftime. UCR would see their largest deficit of the game when they were down 55-39 with 3:09 left in the third. Most of the Highlanders’ scoring came from the free throw line, where they made 21 of 28 attempts. The 21 free throws matched their secondhighest total of the season, behind only the 24 makes they had in their conference opener versus Cal Poly. Senior guard Michelle Curry finished the game with 24 points and was the only Highlander to reach double-digits in scoring. Curry also added eight boards and two steals to round out her statline. Senior Lauren Holt hit only one three-pointer the entire game (1 for 8), though it was the sixth consecutive game that she’s made at least one. Holt finished the night with five points, snapping her streak of double-digit scoring at 21

games in a row. However, against UC Davis (245, 14-2) Holt had a career night from beyond the arc (5 for 7) in her final home game for a total of 23 points, 5 rebounds and 3 steals. The Highlanders topped the back-to-back regular season champions 76-62 on senior night, shooting 50 percent from the field. Complementing Holt’s stellar night from three-point range, Curry shot 8 of 15 from inside the arc for 20 points on the night. The senior guard also finished with seven rebounds and seven assists, marking the fourth time she’s had a stat line of at least 20-5-5. This is also the fourth time this season that both Curry and Holt scored 20 points in a game. Sophomores Marina Ewodo and Jannon Otto had 11 and 10 points respectively, rounding out the rest of UCR’s double-digit scorers. UCR also had its most efficient three-point shooting night of the year, going 7-for12 from range. The win snapped a six-game winning streak for the Aggies as the Highlanders clinched the sixth seed in next week’s Big West Tournament. It also ends a series of four consecutive losses to the Aggies. The sixth-seed Highlanders will play against seventh-seeded Long Beach State in the Big West Tournament First Round on Tuesday at Cal State Fullerton’s Titan Gym. ■H