FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013
Highlander University
Volume 61
of
C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e
Issue 14
Serving the UCR community since 1954
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Governor and UC regents clash over budget Culprits in campus crime spree arrested in Moreno Valley Matthew Ward
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
S a n dy V a n SENIOR STAFF WRITER
C o u rt e s y
of
Carrie Rosema
Held on the campus of UCR, the January Regents meeting in 2012 occurred in the midst of student protest over state disinvestment.
Sandy Van
SE N IOR STA F F W R I T E R
The UC Board of Regents reconvened for their bi-monthly meeting Jan. 15 to 17 at UCSF Mission Bay. Continuing discussions included the positive trajectory of state funding, degree of systemwide faculty diversity, expansion of online education and student health care. In the week prior to the meeting, Governor Jerry Brown released his proposed 2013-2014
state budget report, which provided the UC with $125 million of additional funds—$10 million of which is designated to the development of new technologies and online courses. The state budget assumes additional state funds of $125 million or a 4 to 5 percent increase over the next four years. Yet, this is less than half of the $265 million that the regents requested in November to forego tuition inREGENTS CONT’D ON PAGE 3
Three Moreno Valley residents were arrested for their connections to six armed robberies that took place Jan. 16 and 17 near campus—five of which occurred within the span of one hour, officials said. University students were held at gunpoint by then-unidentified assailants last Wednesday, which led UCPD and the Riverside Police Department to launch an investigation into the string of burglaries. The following day, a sixth robbery occurred near the streets of Fair Isle and Lochmoor. Matching the listed vehicle and suspect descriptions to the previous crimes, officials arrested Xavier Vining, 20, who was sent to Robert Presley Detention Center on one count of robbery. Associated with a series of robberies occurring in San Bernardino County, Doneal Lewis Cephus, 18, was arrested in Fontana as a person of interest and sent to county jail. Markeith Shavers, 19, was the third suspect interviewed by officials and charged with one count
Mark Yudof to step down as UC president Sandy Van
SE N IOR STA F F W R I T E R
UC President M ark Yudof will resign from his position in August 2013, according to a statement released on Jan. 18. After serving a five-year term, Yudof cited “a spate of taxing health issues,” and a “change in my pro fessional lifestyle” as the reasoning behind his decision. This revelation follows the January regents meeting, which held promise of a multi-year funding agreement between the UC and state. According to the propo sed 2013-2014 state bud get, the UC may receive annual four to five percent increases in funding. Over the last five years, the UC incurred nearly a billion dollars in financial reductions. “Now, it appears the storm has been weathered,” said Yudof in a statement. “We are not fully in the clear, but we are much closer than we were even a few months
ago.” Yudof became the 19th presi dent of the UC, when he took office June 16, 2008. WIth stu dent tuition rising to 32 percent, he faced the travails of leading a struggling UC out of financial angst. In 2009 alone, campuses furloughed 1,900 employees, removed 3,800 positions and deferred filling 1,600 faculty positions. Despite the continuous budget sequestration, Yudof sought to maintain the affordability and accessibility of the UC for low and middle income students by enacting a series of financial aid programs. In 2009, the regents passed the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, which covers UC tuition for eligible households that make less than $80,000 a year. In the same year, the Project You Can program was launched as a systemYUDOF CONT’D ON PAGE 5
of robbery, where he was also placed in the same jail as Vining. Five additional charges of robbery are expected to be filed against Cephus and Shavers, while detectives are still gathering extra evidence against Vining in the Riverside County District Attorney’s office. Prior to the investigation, police suspected the series of robberies to be related due to the one-hour time frame and similar descriptions offered by victims. Between the hours of 8 p.m. to 9 p.m., the first robbery occurred within the close proximity of Linden St. and Rustin Ave.—a street that is prominently known for having high rates of criminal activity. Other instances of theft occurred near Big Springs Rd. and Mt. Vernon Ave., Blaine St. and Rustin Ave., Lot 30, and lastly near Lochmoor Dr. and Fair Isle Dr., where the fifth and sixth crime occurred. The assailants, in all cases, were described as black males in their early 20s and 6 feet tall and above. The suspected vehicle is a four-door Honda, dark gray or silver, with a partially-identified BURGLARIES CONT’D ON PAGE 3
INSIDE: Space exploration does more for our society than we give it credit for.
OPINIONS
PAGE 8
Free Enterprise showcases the relationship between art and space travel. ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
PAGE 14
Tartan Epidemic marketing campaign infects UCR students with school pride. FEATURES
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Women’s basketball earns back-to-back wins against conference rivals
PAGE 26
SPORTS
C o u rt e s y
of
University
of
California
UC President Mark Yudof guided the university system through years of financial reductions.
UPCOMING EVENTS
PAGE 2
STAFF
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