ELECTIONS RESULTS
FOR THE WEEK OF WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
Highlander University
Volume 63
PAGE 13
of
C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e
Issue 06
Serving the UCR community since 1954
highlandernews.org
UCR Highlander Newspaper
@UCRHighlander
Food truck takeover
UCRChannelH
Child Development Center mold forces families to evacuate ESTEFANIA ZAVALA Senior Staff Writer
Students crowd around the Bell Tower and Pierce Hall to grab a bite at UCR’s semi-annual Food Truck Festival.
JAMESON ADAME Staff Writer
JASPERY GOH / HIGHLANDER A student excitedly grabs his food at the “pick-up” window.
FEATURES
Dozens to hundreds of people were gathered around the Bell Tower and the accompanying lawns at the Rivera Library to welcome the meals-onwheels of UCR’s semi-annual Food Truck Festival. Last held during spring quarter, the festival came at an earlier date this year, and looked to improve upon the suggestions and complaints that had been generated during ASUCR’s previous two showings. Bringing back the old classics, students were allowed once more to twist up their lunches at the Tornado Potato truck, deliver a delicious punch to the arteries with Baconmania and revel in the taste of Belgium with Waff-n-Roll. Additionally, students were treated
OPINIONS
Breaking boundaries and limitations at the fourth annual Ability Ball. PAGE 9
to an even larger selection of trucks with newcomers Angie’s Wieners, MexiCalbi, Baby’s Badass Burgers, Me So Hungry and more. As the crowds swelled and moved from one truck to the next in an effort to find their exotic mobile lunch, one couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by the sheer plethora of choices. Sporting somewhere around 30 food trucks, the festival managed to mitigate many of the issues with line length that occurred last spring. While not dissipated entirely, the lines at this festival were of a much more manageable length than those of last year, which saw students standing for so long on the grass that some began resembling lawn gnomes. The wait
Fourteen families will be forced to find alternative child care after a mold infestation was discovered in the baseboards of the UCR Child Development Center (CDC) Building A. The building’s closure has also displaced 28 student assistants, who will be forced to find alternative forms of employment until the building is reopened again. According to the director of UCR’s Office of Environmental Health and Safety Russell Vernon, the mold in the CDC is called aspergillus and occurs in the environment wherever there is water. Although not known for causing illnesses, aspergillus may leave someone with a weakened immune system open for infection, said Vernon. “Even if there is a low level risk, it is still best practice not to take any chances. The children and the staff and the parents have the right to expect a safe environment. That’s what we want to provide,” said Kris Lovekin, UCR’s director of media relations, who adds that at this time, no mold trouble is expected in the other CDC building. The 14 affected families are seeking alternative means of child care in the area. However, the CDC is one of only three child care centers in Riverside with accreditation from the National Association for the Education of Young Children. According to Lovekin, some families are choosing to simply rear-
► SEE FESTIVAL, PAGE 7
► SEE MOLD, PAGE 5
JEFFREY CHANG / HIGHLANDER
RADAR
R’ Perspective, a new column, gives helpful information from a fifth-year.
PAGE 18
SPORTS
The Album Leaf brings beautiful ambient music to the Barn.
PAGE 24
Men’s soccer defeats the Matadors to take second place in division.
PAGE 26
2
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
HIGHLANDER
Students “Carry That Weight” against sexual assault AARON GRECH Staff Writer
Last Wednesday, UCR students came together on campus for a “Carry That Weight” event to raise awareness of sexual assault and violence on college campuses. Organized by ASUCR Senator Summer Shafer, the event was one of many others that have occurred in colleges all across the nation in solidarity with Emma Sulkowicz, a student from Columbia University who was raped by a fellow student. In protest of Columbia University’s actions and as a performance art piece, Sulkowicz is carrying her dorm room mattress with her wherever she goes. About 50 students attended with some carrying mattresses or pillows while marching through the HUB and around the Bell Tower to display their support for Sulkowicz. Thirty college campuses last year were accused of mishandling sexual assault cases, including two in the UC system. Shafer has been working across the campus this year with administrators to better the management of sexual assault cases. “I have been working with a lot of our
administration, especially with Susan Allen Ortega, to work towards consent culture on our campus and not rape culture,” Shafer said. Shafer has also taken part with the UC Office of the President’s task force for sexual assault and sexual violence. According to her, some of the solutions which the task force seeks to implement include a one-stop shop for survivors so they are not forced to repeatedly tell their story to police, advisors and health officials as a part of the sexual assault reporting process. “This idea would be that they would only need to tell their story once and that all the people and the resources they would need would be in one place,” Shafer stated. Currently, the gender studies breadth requirement, which ASUCR approved last June, is under academic review. According to Shafer, the goal of the requirement is to help spread knowledge on rape culture, sexism and homophobia that occur throughout society in an effort to address and stop these issues. UCR reported six cases of forcible sex offenses in 2012, five in 2011 and five in 2010, according to a local news
JEFFREY CHANG / HIGHLANDER Students carry a mattress around campus to show their support for the awareness of sexual harrassment and abuse.
report. UCR students attending the event also weighed in on the issue of sexual assault. “I personally believe that UCR does a good job in addressing this issue. I receive a lot of information regarding clubs and events that bring awareness to issues like this,” Eduardo Contreras, a third-year anthropology major stated. Martha Pineda, a thirdyear sociology major, differed and said, “I feel like maybe
Photo of the Week
5
All eyes are on Michael Salazar after Hector Romo crosses the ball to him Wednesday night against California State University, Northridge.
Quotebook “If we’re going to say that something’s transparent, then we need to actually make it transparent.”
Upcoming Events
CAMERON YONG
resource center, the LGBT center are all really great resources which help the ■H students out.”
Correction: An article entitled, “Wilcox talks campus growth, new SRC fees” in Issue 03 of the Highlander incorrectly referred to a speaker as Arturo Gonzalez. The correct name is Arturo Gomez. His question was not about the new Student Recreation Center fee; it was about the pay increase granted to four UC chancellors. Chancellor Wilcox referred to administrative pay cuts as “shortsighted,” not a potential tuition freeze. Rosa Gonzalez’s name was misspelled as Rosa Gonzales. The Highlander regrets the errors.
NOVEMBER Finding an Internship 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. HUB 268
Midterm Nap Session 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. HUB 260
Thursday
City Year: “Give A Year, Change TheWorld” 1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. HUB 268
Stress Relief Campfire 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. Bell Tower
7
Killing California Indian 9 a.m. – 4 p.m HUB 379
Sunset Stroll to the C 3 p.m. – 6 p.m. HUB 268
Wednesday
ASST. PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
professors or mentors or counselors can give out resources — such as the Rape Crisis Center, the Women’s
6
Friday
8
Volleyball: UC Davis 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. SRC Arena
9
No Events
Saturday
Sunday
10
Monday
11
Tuesday
Weekday Carillon Concerts 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Bell Tower
Resume Writing 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. Riverside Metropolitan Museum Photographing Joshua Tree National Park 1 p.m. - 5 p.m. Joshua Tree National Park Association
- ASUCR President Nafi Karim on the operations of ASUCR
Scan this QR code and visit us
at highlandernews.org
NOW HIRING!
JOIN THE 2014-2015 HIGHLANDER STAFF. Become part of a nationally recognized, award-winning journalism team. Art Director Opinions Editor Assistant News Editor Assistant Opinions Editor Assistant Features Editor
Contact Editor-in-Chief Colin Markovich for more information.
4
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
NEWS
HIGHLANDER
ASUCR:
“We are not always transparent ...” - Nafi Karim
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER Tensions rose as the executive cabinet failed to communicate properly during the justice nomination process.
UCR students receive free access to Microsoft programs AMY ZAHN Contributing Writer
Starting mid-October, UCR has begun offering all students free access to Microsoft Office 365 Pro Plus through the Microsoft Student Advantage
program. Begun on Dec. 1, 2013, Microsoft Student Advantage is a program designed to give college students free access to programs Microsoft believes are essential to success and was created as an effort to help
Judicial appointments spark transparency debate MELA MAGAT Contributing Writer
The Judicial Council represents the legal branch of the senate, enforcing the constitutionality of ASUCR’s bylaws and addressing reported complaints, whether in regards to elections or previous pieces of legislation. During the initial nomination process, the senate president is responsible for appointing justices as prescribed in the Judicial Procedures and Constitution — which states that one of the powers of the executive cabinet (ECAB) is to nominate justices by a three-fifths vote with the ratification of senate by a twothirds vote. These procedures came under scrutiny during last week’s senate meeting after it was revealed that two of the five ECAB members — Vice President of Internal Affairs Abraham Galvan and Vice President of External Affairs Fernando Echeverria — were not present during the justice nomination process. “I was under the understanding that the president does nominate the justices but I did meet with (Director of Finance Iris Jiang) and (Executive Vice President Michael Ervin) to consult with them if they were okay with the nominations,” President Nafi Karim said about scheduling the ECAB meeting. “I
did not actually meet with Abraham or Fernando.” Marketing Director Ravin Rathod held the belief that the justice nominations required the presence of all five ECAB members as opposed to the three that were present and further questioned if there was actually a vote between all members of ECAB. In response, Karim stated that three ECAB members present approved of the nomination. Further discussions drew concerns over public transparency within the senate. “I do not believe that transparency is the Holy Grail answer to all situations. Stop giving the public a false sense of reality that we will be always be transparent because that’s not true,” said Karim. “We are not always transparent, but we will disclose full information that pertains to the public.” Karim explained that this view was based on his belief that private brainstorming was crucial before information and decisions are disclosed to public. In an interview with the Highlander, Senator Herman Sangha felt that Karim’s actions of calling the meeting were not consistent with ASUCR’s governing documents. “It was not done in accordance to the Constitution, which therefore compromises the integrity of the
nominations,” he said. “All five Executive Cabinet should have collectively voted, let alone been informed on who he nominated.” Both Galvan and Echeverria heavily disagreed with the process that occurred, especially as members with past ASUCR experience. In the end, Galvan agreed to finding a solution rather than debating over the transparency issue by stating, “We should just move forward and take this as an opportunity to learn,” with Sangha conceding, “Let’s move forward, let’s create a better (Associated Students) AS, uphold the things that were done well (in past government) and try improving them in terms of making it the best possible AS for the students.” In the underlying nomination process for the judicial branch, third-year Gadiel Lopez, fourthyear Daniel Ojo and third-year Raashi Goyal brandished their qualifications, which were further scrutinized by the senate during an open Q-and-A session. Karim motioned for a one-ticket vote which would entail all nominees being voted-on the same. The motion was unsuccessful and instead modified to permit individual votes instead. Through a secret ballot vote, Lopez was approved by 12-2-0; Ojo was approved by 11-3-0; and Goyal was not approved by 6-8-0. ■H
students better prepare for an increasingly competitive job market. “We developed Student Advantage to address the very real needs of our fastchanging global economy,” said Anthony Salcito, vice president of worldwide education at Microsoft in a press release. He believes that the program will give students “the advantage they need to be workforce ready.” According to a study conducted by Microsoft and the International Data Corporation, Microsoft Office skills came in third on a list of the top 20 skills that jobs in the U.S. require, and Microsoft Word and Powerpoint came in 11th and 13th, respectively. Any academic institution that offers Microsoft Office for staff and faculty qualifies for Student Advantage at no additional cost. Over 35,000 institutions currently qualify. Microsoft also announced on Dec. 1 that all staff and faculty of institutions with the Microsoft Campus Agreement (MCCA) will receive free access as well. UCR’s Computing and Communications department first started communicating with Microsoft in the beginning of September and was able to begin the process of testing and implementation in mid-October. They announced the program on Oct. 23 via ScotMail after working with UCR’s campus
Microsoft representative and testing the process with student workers. Phyllis Franco, a manager at Computing and Communications, then scheduled a Microsoft representative to set up a table by the Bell Tower on both the 23rd and the 28th, where students received both T-shirts and information about the program. Franco expressed her enthusiasm about the project’s success thus far. “We are very happy to have found out in our first five days of announcing this, 2,500 UCR students have already activated their free Office 365 software,” she said. She also plans on working with UCR’s Microsoft representative to plan an event where students can receive help with registering and installing Office. UCR waited to implement the program until the UC Office of the President had determined how each campus would manage the process. The UCOP came to an agreement with Microsoft that each UC should individually decide whether or not to have Microsoft manage the setup. At UCR, Microsoft is managing the process by which students sign up by having them register using their UCR email addresses and then clicking a link emailed to them by Microsoft and downloading the program. UCR and UC Davis are the first two UCs to implement their Student Advantage services.
Students will be equipped with the most up-to-date version of Microsoft Office for five computers plus five other devices, such as smartphones or tablets. In addition, students will have one terabyte of storage for OneDrive, a program that allows online photo and document storage, which will become unlimited beginning in 2015. UCR students have been enthusiastic about what the program means for the campus. “I think it’s great,” said Sam Miller, a fourth-year student. “I think it’ll be helpful for everyone. Now students don’t have to stay on campus to do homework.” “Providing UCR students this software at no cost is a part of our efforts to ensure students have a modern, innovative environment for learning,” Franco said. “We are therefore proud that UCR is one of the first UC campuses to make this Microsoft program available to its students.” Other services currently offered to UCR students include mysoftware.ucr.edu, a website that allows students to download educational software for free, such as SPSS, Mathematica, MATLAB, ArcGis and more. Computing also offers Virtual Lab, a new service that allows students to use these programs without having to download them via remote access to a lab from home. ■H
HIGHLANDER
NEWS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
5
► MOLD FROM PAGE 1
range their schedules rather than look at other child care centers. Dana Kerube, a UCR student and parent, was initially told that there would be no more room for her child at the CDC. “I cried for like two hours and begged them to find a solution because I am a funded student and I couldn’t pay for another daycare, and … there are almost no vacancies in other daycares around the area. I wanted to drop the quarter because of that,” she said. The CDC sought to accommodate Kerube by having her son share a spot with another child so that some days Kerube has child care and some days she does not. Kerube also expressed disapproval of the way the news of the mold was distributed. “At first (Executive Director of the CDC Renee Jacobs) sent an email on Sunday night that there will be no daycare tomorrow. Who does that on a Sunday night? What am I supposed to do if, say, I have a midterm the next day and I have no alternative (daycare) for (my child)?” Meanwhile, 28 student assistants have been left to find other job opportunities late into the quarter. Fifth-year business economics student Abigail Menjivar worked in the kitchen, preparing meals for the children. After receiving the mold announcement on Oct. 21, Menjivar reports that she immediately went to SCOTjobs and applied for a job as an English tutor. Nevertheless, Menjivar expressed regret at the loss of her CDC job. “I miss clocking in and working with my coworkers and just associating with other staff members from the CDC,” she said. Information about the Holman Emergency Loan, a UCR loan for students under unanticipated financial duress, was made available for student assistants who were not able to find employment immediately. These students were also encouraged to apply to UCR Dining Services with “CDC” written on their applications so as to receive special consideration. According to Lovekin, the mold clean-up is expected to take about six weeks and a tentative re-opening date is scheduled for Dec. 6. The families of the displaced children will be updated weekly. Kerube is grateful that her child was able to stay at the CDC part-time. “If CDC wasn’t there, I would just drop the quarter. They are funding my son’s daycare, it’s close to the university and the teachers take good care of him so I know that when I leave him there, he gets the best care and I can be more focused in classes,” she said. As for student assistants like Menjivar, she said, “I would be more than glad to return to the CDC as soon as they reopen. It’s the perfect distance from school and (supervisors are) always very understanding of when we have midterms.” ■H
JANINE YBANEZ / HIGHLANDER The South UCR Child Development Building remains closed due to mold contamination. After several months of remediation efforts, the building will be reopened.
6
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
NEWS
HIGHLANDER
UC, College Board work to recruit underrepresented students ANDREW SCHLERF Contributing Writer
The University of California Office of the President (UCOP) announced on Oct. 21 that it will begin a collaboration called the “All In” campaign with the Western Region of the College Board to encourage low-income and minority students to enroll in Advanced Placement (AP) courses. David Coleman, the president of the College Board, said in a press release that his goal is to “dramatically increase the number of African American, Latino and Native American students with AP potential who enroll in AP classes.” The UC is implementing this program via the Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP), which is aimed toward underserved schools to aid their students into higher education. The EAOP will have access to statistics from the PSAT and will work with the College Board to persuade low-income, black, Latino and American Indian high school students to enroll in AP classes and take the SAT. The PSAT functions as an assessment of a student’s critical reading, mathematics and writing skills. Scores from the PSAT are used by the College Board to determine potential for high achievement in AP courses. Under this new program, the University of California will have the ability to share this list of high-achieving potential AP students with high schools and provide the high school the resources to target the students in underrepresented demographics. According to statistics from College Board, over a 10-year period the percentage of African American and Native American students who are taking at least one AP exam has doubled since 2003. Despite this change, the
AP exam registration rate for both groups still falls under 30 percent, compared to both white and Asian American students who rank at 31 percent and 60 percent respectively. Emily Engelschall, the UCR director for undergraduate admissions, believes that AP classes are a great way to become prepared before college. “It is important that students take advantage of every opportunity they have at their schools to ensure they are best prepared to make themselves competitively eligible for admission at the University of California and best prepared to be successful once they get here. That can mean a variety of things, from taking advantage of AP or IB coursework offered at their school.” AP exams are considered to be beneficial for students who are interested in going to college and several states help subsidize the costs of the exams taken. The fee for each AP exam in 2015 is $82 and for each AP exam taken by students from low-income families, the College Board provides a $29 fee reduction per exam. This past year over $10.7 million was granted by the U.S. Department of Education to subsidize the cost of AP exams for low-income students. The goal is to limit the financial impact on potential AP students and to allow the same opportunities for students of all backgrounds. Engelschall added, “I think some students self-select out of applying to the University of California because an assumption is made that they can’t afford to attend.” Kevin Corvacho, a third-year biochemistry major expressed his opinions about taking AP classes in high school. “Taking (AP) courses helped me to consider the possibility of going to a UC,” he said. ■H
HIGHLANDER
. FEATURES .
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
7
FooD TRUCK TAKEOVER
► FESTIVAL FROM PAGE 1
Crowds of students gathered near the Bell Tower to peruse the food selections of 30 food trucks during the third Food Truck Festival.
was further assuaged by the Dia de Los Muertos performances that were going on as part of the Nooner series at the Bell Tower. Playing Mexican-styled music, presenting traditions not as often practiced north of the border and offering calavera face paint, the Food Truck Festival had a truly convivial atmosphere. With the additional trucks for this iteration of the festival, many made a showing closer to the actual HUB, as trucks parked from the edge of the Coffee Bean and ran to one end of the lawn in front of the Rivera Library. (Oddly entertaining, however, were the four outlying trucks on the other end of the lawn, adjacent to Olmsted Hall.) On the lawn itself, students sat in the shade eating their recently purchased food and making general comments that food was nice and made for a nice change from what was presented on a daily basis at the HUB. Jacob Devereux, a fourth-year creative writing major, mentioned that he thought the festival “is very fun,” and stated over his plate that “The sushi from Let’s Roll It was very delicious.” He went on to note how entertaining two newcomer trucks, Angie’s Wieners and Baby’s Badass Burgers, were. On the positive feedback that seemed to be coming out during the event, UCR Dining Services’ Director of Retail Services Duane Gornicki stated that this was the “largest endeavor to date” to bring out food trucks to UCR. Additionally he mentioned that ASUCR — with the support of Dining Services — “took the concerns of students last year, festival number two, that the lines were too long and they couldn’t get the food they wanted to; so, we thought this year by adding more trucks that wouldn’t happen.” I decided to wade into the fray of diesel and fries to taste some of what the food trucks had to offer. First on my list was the truck named Baby’s Badass Burgers, as I hoped to see whether the food quality earned its name, and whether it was worth anybody’s time to make the trek away from the rest of the trucks and to the far side of Rivera Lawn with so few trucks. The triple-
B was quick to make sure everyone knew it was running on a limited menu, covering the regular one with a sign and replacing it with a chalkboard sporting merely four burger options. In an effort to stay healthy and fairly cheap, I ordered one of the least expensive burgers, the $9 Covergirl (a turkey burger to maintain my svelte figure). The festival was quick to deliver on its promise of shorter lines, and I waited a relatively short 10 or 15 minutes to get my burger, treated in the interim to one of the cook’s renditions of Pokemon’s opening theme song (the OG theme song too). Hearing my name called, I grabbed my food and drink and found a spot to eat, enjoying the ever-present music celebrating the Day of the Dead. Finally I looked down at my burger and already knew what to expect. The turkey patty appeared to be the frozen kind you would find at Stater Bros., but I’m no Gordon Ramsay, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt. It was a solid burger, no more, no less. Unfortunately, good isn’t good enough when you have to go out of your way to walk to the truck and pay twice what a burger should be worth. After this came the So Cal New Orleans SnoBalls truck. Aside from its unique choice of name, the New Orleans-style snow balls the truck was selling actually managed to be worth the considerable wait. Ordering the $7 tiger blood snow ball — as it went so well with my Adonis DNA — I found that this food was essentially a snow cone with the added benefits of condensed milk. The effect? A surprisingly creamy dessert food that went great with the hot midday sun. Considering the greatly ameliorated lines and post-order wait times, the question as to whether people enjoyed the food truck festival essentially boils down to whether the novelty is worth the venue’s asking price. With next year promising a slight decrease to something closer to 28 trucks in an effort to recentralize the festival and keep compliance with fire safety mandates, the occasional chance to splurge on something other than the food regularly offered at UCR seems only more and more appealing. ■H
8
FEATURES
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
HIGHLANDER
restaurant review: the savory sizzle of
RATING: ★★★☆☆
A
SAVOR&
By Tiffany Liaw, Contributing Writer // Photos By: Aaron Lai
fter the opening of Glen Mor’s second half, a wellanticipated new market was made available to students living in the area or dorming. Along with the joint eateries called Savor and Sizzle, a new Starbucks is also in progress, making this the future hotspot for residents or even people walking to their houses on Blaine Street or Watkins Drive. The Marketplace is “the perfect combination of the HUB dining experiences and the C-Store!” as third-year dining employee Rachel Baker exclaimed. She was definitely not wrong; upon my arrival, I noticed that it was basically one mini-restaurant divided into Savor (home-cooked meals) and Sizzle (the grill), and both sections were emanating delicious indescribable aromas attempting to lure me in to the rows of ropes marking the maze-like lines. After some contemplation, I made my way through the entrance of the Marketplace to the Savor half, I found myself staring at a vast array of side dishes on one side including antipasti salad with pepperoni and mozzarella cheese, curried cauliflower, potato salad, fresh fruits and kale with couscous. Underneath was a selection of cheesecakes (similar to the ones at Spinelli’s in the Lothian Dining Hall after 9 p.m. — which are amazing by the way), including plain and even Oreo cheesecakes. On the next half, the hot entrees for the day featured teriyaki beef short rib and salmon picatta with the sides including a choice of steamed asparagus, mashed potatoes, pilaf and even cheese pupusas (a Salva-
Name:
Savor and Sizzle
Location:
Glen Mor Marketplace
Price Range:
$
Hours:
(SIZZLE) Mon. - Fri.: 7 a.m. - Midnight, Sat. - Sun.: 9 a.m. - Midnight (SAVOR) Mon. - Thurs. and Sun.: 10:30 a.m. - 9 p.m., Fri.: 10:30 a.m. - 3 p.m., Sat.: Closed
Category:
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Casual/Quick Eating
dorian doughy pancake with cheese inside). Underneath both entree tables were rows and rows of bottled drinks to choose from. It was $9.59 for a Market Combo (one entree, two sides, one drink), $8.49 for a Regular Combo (one entree, one side, one drink) and around $4.50 for a single entree by itself. I opted for the Regular Combo with the salmon picatta, steamed asparagus, a dinner roll, and some Brisk Iced Tea. Bonus tip! You could have a cookie as a side if you use your meal swipe, although sadly those days are gone for me. An upsetlooking lady plopped my food onto a plate and coldly told the guy in front of me that no, there wasn’t gravy for the mashed potatoes. I walked over to Sizzle where my boyfriend had ordered a Philly cheesesteak sandwich and onion rings. Sizzle had sandwiches like crispy chicken sandwiches, salmon melts and tuna melts, chicken nuggets and tenders, quesadillas, burgers and sides like french fries and onion rings. “My favorite meal would have to be the spicy crispy chicken sandwich; it’s so convenient now that I can just pick one up on the way home to study,” ex-
claimed second-year student Hrey Li. On the side, there were soups that rotate by day, a fresh makeyour-own salad bar, and packed sandwiches like the ones in the CStore. There were no combos for Sizzle; however, the sandwiches were fairly priced at about $5 so I can’t complain. As we waited for the freshly made Philly cheesesteak, the bright display of brownies and cookies next to me left my mouth watering for the longest time, so I reassured myself that the fresh food would satisfy. After a gruesome couple of minutes watching the chefs grill sandwiches and the dessert shelf simultaneously, we paid for our meals (no tax!) and went outside to find seating. One immediate downfall I realized was that there was no indoor seating. Given that it can get very hot or drastically rainy here in Riverside and sometimes the patio shade isn’t enough when it gets humid, I hope they consider placing indoor seating once the Starbucks opens. However, thankfully that day was a warm 81 degrees and sitting outside was really pleasant and calm.
Savor and Sizzle, two new cafe-style restaurants opening in the Marketplace at Glen Mor, offer a variety of home-cooked and grilled meals for starving students.
I opened the container of my meal and dug in. After trying one bite of every item on my plate, I concluded that everything tasted a little overdone — the salmon was a bit dry (although I did enjoy the
sauces and the display), the asparagus was more flavorless and dry than I had imagined and the roll was just stale. Overall, it wasn’t a very savory meal. The Philly cheesesteak, on the other hand, was pretty savory. The buns were buttered and grilled to perfection and the melted cheese covering the grilled onions, mushrooms, peppers and beef almost made me regret my salmon. It was a decent size, and even though it wasn’t filling for my boyfriend, it would have been perfect for me. The onion rings didn’t dissatisfy though. Regardless of the fact that I’ve been craving these babies for the past week, it definitely hit the spot and honestly made my day a little better. It was an okay portion, five rings for $3.09, and with the barbecue sauce: mmmm. With the opening of Savor and Sizzle, it makes dining on campus even more convenient. Students can grab a meal that’s home-styled, grilled, or cold within minutes and with a grocery store right next to it, you literally save enough gas and time that I’m a little jealous. Even though I might not have enjoyed my own meal as much, the Savor and Sizzle definitely has potential and I can’t wait to see what else H they have to offer for students. ■
FEATURES
HIGHLANDER
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
9
By Marcy Kuo, Contributing Writer Current Student Disability Union President Kushal Sonawala (left) per formed a trumpet solo to star t off the night’s per formances.
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER
The Ability to Amaze: The Fourth Annual Ability Ball
W
hat started out as a serene kickback soon turned into a lively jam session with over 40 guests attending the fourth Annual Ability Ball. Although attendees didn’t show up in formal attire and glass slippers, they certainly brought their communal enthusiasm as they cheered for the performers onstage. The scent of freshly brewed coffee suffused the Barn as students, parents and faculty eagerly took their seats under the dim but cozy spotlight last Thursday night. For those who haven’t attended the Ability Ball in the past three years, some may not understand the significance of this heartwarming event. I had the privilege of talking with the current president of the Student Disability Union (SDU), Kushal Sonawala, right before he opened the show and revealed the rather underappreciated but venerable society of disabled students at UCR. The SDU, founded in 2008, has always strived to bring awareness to the well-being of disabled students on campus. The yearning for more student participation inspired Terrance Stewart, former president of SDU. He created the first-ever Ability Ball back in 2011 in hopes that this free-form talent show would bring together those with disabilities and those without. As a graduate student studying higher education, Stewart emceed the event with his charismatic charm and spontaneous humor, making the transitions between performances just as exciting as the acts themselves. Sonawala kicked off the ball with his very own solo demonstration on the trumpet. Emotions were hard to ignore, as Sonawala stood on stage and said with an effervescent smile, “it feels like you’re back in the days of high school with the
glory and the limelight. And you look out to the audience and see the people who care for you. Coming into college, it’s difficult to replicate that feeling of appreciation and kindness.” Sonawala undoubtedly replicated that encouraging feeling when the audience members clapped. Shortly after Sonawala’s crowd-pleasing opening act, a series of gifted vocalists, musicians and dancers illuminated the stage. Second-year business student Ethan Chen, along with the a cappella ensemble Not So Sharp both performed original versions of mainstream songs such as Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” and Ed Sheeran’s ballad “You Need Me, I Don’t Need You.” Some eager audience members sang with Chen as if they were backup vocalists echoing his choruses, while others simply bobbed their heads to the beat of the bass. Although the Ability Ball highlights the admirable talents of both disabled and non-disabled students of UCR, the underlying purpose of hosting such an event is much more profound. Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Jim Sandoval sat in the back of the crowd smiling as he watched Adam Daniels perform a captivating glow stick routine. Without any hesitation Sandoval said, “Many people don’t know we have so many students with disabilities and frankly their talent just blows me away. It’s important to welcome these students into the broader campus community, especially those whose disabilities are initially unapparent. We’ve always had a student disabilities program here at UCR and the strength of it is really the strength of our students themselves. It’s great to see them take an initiative to make their mark.” SDU is essentially us-
ing the Ability Ball as a launching pad for the promotion of an all-inclusive campus environment that allows them to reach their maximum potential both academically and socially. The Union’s mission is simple but hard to execute without any additional support from Highlanders themselves. Sonawala’s main goal is to increase the awareness of disabled students both on and off campus. “I try to reach out to as many service, professional and department organizations as I can. The Inland Empire is a vital but underutilized resource and I’m hoping that off-campus businesses can also contribute to the cause. Disability is a problem at any school and at any place,” he said. In addition to the ongoing outreach to off-campus organizations, SDU managed to gain the support and volunteerism of other clubs on campus, such as Circle K International, UTouch and Best Buddies, whose members devoted their time and effort to help set up the Barn for the Ability Ball. Assistant Vice Chancellor Susan Allen Ortega, who has attended two annual Ability Balls said, “It brings together students with disabilities to really celebrate their talent and have us all see students in their complexity and their riches. This year in particular, the network of people beyond the SDU that are here to support is truly amazing.” The ultimate goal to expand SDU and redefine disability is slowly becoming a reality; we are able to see the things disabled students can do and not the things they can’t. As Sonawala put it, “They gave it their all tonight, not only students with disabilities but also their allies.” The all-inclusive environment SDU stands for is already in the works. ■H
10
FEATURES
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
HIGHLANDER
G N I K O O L G N I H T E M O S E R E IS TH N I R E D L U O H S R U OVER YO ? Y R A R B I L A R E V I R
On Halloween night, UCR’s Paranormal Research Society led curious students on a tour of the paranormal places in the Rivera Library.
H
COLIN MARKOVICH, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
alloween is always one of the most fun times of the year. Small children parade about in their costumes, Halloween parties liven up the drudgery of an impending winter and everybody gets an excuse to pig out on candy. And of course, there are the obligatory horror flicks. But some students spent their Halloween the good old-fashioned way: ghost-hunting in Rivera Library. Hosted by the Rivera Library and the Paranormal Research Society (PRS) at UCR, around 40 students took a guided tour of the library and learned about just why so many people believe the Rivera Library is haunted. Krista Ivy, a librarian at Rivera, introduced students to the potential paranormal activity by first giving a history of the building. The library has existed since UCR was founded in 1954, a small one-story affair that you can still see the vestiges of today. As the campus grew, so too did the library, undergoing renovations in 1963, 1968 and most recently 1998. The library doesn’t just have an architectural history — it has a morbid one, too, as PRS founder and fifthyear neuroscience major Sierra Santaella explained. Just three years ago, a student worker on the fourth floor suffered a seizure and passed away. Ernst Ekman was a professor of history at UCR whose office was located in the Rivera Library. At the age of 54, he suddenly died in his office of a heart attack. Even the man for whom the library was named, UCR Chancellor Tomas Rivera, was not immune: His death in 1984 also came from a heart attack. Perhaps the saddest story, however, is that of a woman known only as Carmen. Confirmed by records to have actually worked at the Rivera
Library, Carmen had a troubled life at home. Driven to drink, she often hid out in an elevator shaft during her work hours so she wouldn’t be discovered by her manager to be drinking on the job. As the story goes, one night, after drinking too much, she drove herself home. She wouldn’t come back to work the next day — she died in a car crash. It’s rumored that Carmen’s spirit is still present in the library. The combination of deaths and renovations has led many to speculate that several ghosts still wander the halls of Rivera Library. As we walk through the library, current
PHOTO CREDIT: TIM BACA The members of PRS are careful to point out that it is far more likely that there are physical reasons for some of the phenomena. The refrigerator, for instance, could be explained by it not being level, or something heavy weighing against the door. The rattling door handle could be wind or vibrations in the ground. Hartt admits that even the recording isn’t necessarily evidence that there are ghosts present. “We try to debunk things,” Santaella says. “We welcome any kind of explanation for something. In order to find the truth, we need to examine everything.”
“We welcome any kind of explanation for something. In order to find the truth, we need to examine everything.” PRS president and fourth-year environmental science major Grace Hartt explains some of the strange phenomena students and staff have witnessed in the building. On the fourth floor, she shows us the refrigerator that staff have heard opening and closing by itself. Down in the basement, she points to the place where a night shift worker was rattled by a rattling door handle — with nobody on the other side. Standing on the mezzanine of a brick set of stairs, she talks about the construction workers who heard the tramping of feet on the very same staircase, only to find nobody but themselves. Hartt herself says that during one of the PRS’s investigations into Rivera Library, a recording while walking on the very same staircase shows a faint but audible “hello.”
And yet, the odd occurrences continue. As we walk toward our next destination, Hartt says that during the group’s initial sweep of Rivera, the librarians cautioned them that accessing the fourth floor via elevator would be impossible: The fourth floor closes at 5 p.m., and the elevator is programmed to not go there after that time. They hoped to take the elevator to the basement — but it had other ideas. After a stop and a shudder, the elevator zoomed up, depositing the baffled group on the fourth floor. “We didn’t even press the button,” an amazed Hartt said. A library worker overheard her telling the story and piped up — the same thing happened to him late one night. It’s not just Rivera that’s claimed to be pursued by the paranormal.
PRS has been asked to do investigations of Watkins Hall before, and they note that Glen Mor 2, UCR’s newest apartment complex, was built on the site of a house that the owner claimed was haunted. As we finish up, a staff member comes up to Hartt and asks PRS to look at the Geology Building, which she says experienced several odd events recently. But it certainly seems like Rivera Library has more than its fair share of head-turning events. After most of the group has left to go celebrate the Halloween night, members of PRS stick around: A library worker has promised to let them examine two rooms that are allegedly haunted. The first is a concrete basement filled with humming machinery that makes it difficult to hear one another, and one which a handful of people absolutely refuse to enter. As the lights flicker, Santaella pulls out her electromagnetic frequency (EMF) meter to check for paranormal activity (spirits are said to communicate via fluctuations in EMF, she explains). No dice. The second room is the archive of unused books, the same place where the rattling was once heard. Here, the EMF meter is off the charts. “I’ve never seen it this active,” Santaella exclaims. We huddle excitedly around the detection device — until someone points out that there’s a wireless access terminal a couple of feet above our heads. We turn our cell phones off and move a few feet away, and the reading dissipates. Disappointing to some, perhaps. But not to PRS — it was an answer. Even so, the many legends about Rivera Library will probably persist far into the future. And if you feel a hand on your shoulder while studying one night, it may be Carmen herself ■H paying you a visit.
Be part of the news as it happens.
Meetings on Mondays at 5:15 p.m. at HUB 101 Highlander
Be known.
Talk to newsmakers. Interview performers. Photograph celebrities. Working at the Highlander gives you an opportunity to do all that and more. Come to our meetings every Monday in HUB 101 to find out who you can get to know.
Highlander
2014
MIDTERM ELECTIONS
RESULTS
14
ELECT
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
GOVERNOR
Jerry Brown (D)
Neel Kashkari (R)
41.6%
58.4% REPRESENTATIVE
Mark Takano
(D)
55.5% 44.5% Steve
Adams (R)
ASSEMBLYMEMBER
Jose Medina
(D)
Rudy Aranda (R)
43.2% 56.8%
TIONS
HIGHLANDER
15
Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom (D) 55.6% Ron Nehring (R) 44.4% 55.6% 44.4%
Attorney General Kamala Harris (D) Ronald Gold (R)
Treasurer John Chiang (D) 57.2% Greg Conlon (R) 48.8% 55.7% 44.3%
Insurance Comissioner Dave Jones (D) Ted Gaines (R)
Controller Betty Yee (D) 52.6% Ashley Swearengin (R) 47.4% 52.1% 47.9%
Secretary of State Alex Padilla (D) Pete Peterson (R)
Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson 52.4% Marshall Tuck 47.6%
16
ELECTIONS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
HIGHLANDER
Propositions Breakdown (%)
Impact
1
67.5
32.5 PASSED
Proposition 1 authorizes $7.12 billion in general obligation bonds for state water supply infrastructure projects, such as surface and groundwater storage; ecosystem and watershed protection and restoration; drinking water protection; water supply management; water recycling and advanced water treatment technology; and flood control. It also reallocates $425 million of unused bond authority from prior water bond acts for the same purposes. The proposition also appropriates money from the General Fund to pay off bonds, and requires certain projects to provide matching funds from nonstate sources to receive bond funds.
Prop.
70.2
29.8 PASSED
Proposition 2 requires the annual transfer of 1.5 percent of general fund revenues to the state budget stabilization account, and an additional transfer of personal capital gains tax revenues when they exceed 8 percent of general fund revenues. Half of the budget stabilization account revenues will be used to repay state debts and unfunded liabilities. It allows limited use of funds in case of emergency or if there is a state budget deficit, and caps the budget stabilization account at 10 percent of general fund revenues.
Prop.
2
Prop.
YES
YES
NO
NO
45
39.8 60.2
Prop.
46
32.2 67.8
Prop.
47
59.7
Prop.
40.9
48
YES
YES
YES
YES
failed
NO
failed
NO
42.1 NO
PASSED
59.1 NO
failed
*Results reported as of November 4, 2014 at 11 p.m.
Proposition 45 would have required changes to health insurance rates to be approved by the state’s insurance commissioner before taking effect. Systems for public notice, disclosure, hearings on health insurance rate changes and judicial review would have been implemented. It also would have required a sworn statement by the health insurer as to the accuracy of information submitted to justify rate changes. Health, auto and homeowners insurers would also have been prohibited from determining policy eligibility or rates based on lack of prior coverage or credit history.
Proposition 46 would have increased the state’s cap on medical malpractice lawsuits from $250,000 to $1 million; mandated drug and alcohol testing of doctors; and required positive tests to be reported to the California Medical Board, which is required to pursue disciplinary measures pending an investigation. Doctors would also be required to check a patient’s drug history in CURES, a statewide database of prescribed medication, to prevent substance abuse. The proposition would have created the first law in the nation to enforce random drug and alcohol testing for doctors. Now that the proposition has failed to pass, malpractice settlements will stay at their current, 39-year-old cap of $250,000 and doctors will not be subjected to random drug testing. Proposition 47 reduces the penalties from felonies to misdemeanors for the following crimes: shoplifting, personal drug use, receiving stolen property, writing bad checks, forgery and fraud. It will also permit an inmate to be resentenced if they were convicted on one of these crimes. Approximately 10,000 inmates would be eligible for resentencing. It also creates the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund, which allocates savings from the proposition as follows: 25 percent to the California Department of Education; 10 percent to the Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board; and 65 percent to the Board of State and Community Correction.
Proposition 48 would have ratified two tribal gaming compacts between California and the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians and the Wiyot Tribe that would have permitted the construction of a casino on federal land. Additionally, any state or local governmental agency that would have assisted in the construction of the North Fork casino would have been exempt from some state environmental regulations. Because the proposition did not pass, North Fork cannot proceed with the construction of a casino unless a new compact is approved. The Wiyot Tribe is free to negotiate a new compact with the state for gaming activities on its tribal lands.
. OPINIONS . OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
17
HIGHLANDER HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL EDITORIAL
PAY OUR STUDENT ATHLETES
HIGHLANDER STAFF Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Colin Markovich
Jake Rich
News Editor
Asst. News Editor
Sandy Van
Estefania Zavala
managingeditor @highlandernews.org
editorinchief @highlandernews.org
news@highlandernews.org
Opinions Editor
Jake Rich
opinions@highlandernews.org
Asst. A&E Editor
A&E Editor
Nathan Swift
radar@highlandernews.org
Christal Mims
Features Editor
Maxine Arellano
features@highlandernews.org
Sports Editor
Asst. Sports Editor
Darren Bueno
Cody Nguyen
Photography Editor
Asst. Photo Editor
Vincent Ta
Cameron Yong
sports@highlandernews.org
photo@highlandernews.org Staff Photographers
Jaspery Goh, Aaron Lai, Richard Lin, Laura Nguyen Production Manager
S
amantha Sackos worked at her university’s athletics department for four years. In her position and others like it, people frequently work over 40 hours a week — it’s a full-time job. She is also a student, so she not only worked full-time, but tried to balance it alongside her academic studies. That’s over 8,000 hours of sweat and effort into making her $31.8 million department run well. She was never paid a cent. The reason? She’s a student athlete. Now Sackos is suing the University of Houston for back pay — and she’s not the only one. Student athletes regularly go unpaid for the blood and sweat they give for their sport. Up until now, the justification has been twofold: first, that student athletes are amateurs, and therefore shouldn’t be paid at the same level as professional athletes; and second, that student athletes have a love for their sport and that playing is its own reward. These excuses have always been farcical. But they’re increasingly an outdated perspective. The short answer is that college sports have changed. In 2014, 45 percent of the United States said they followed college sports in 2014. Just under 30 million people, or 10 percent of the country’s population, said they had attended at least one college sport game in 2013. By many metrics, college sports are even more popular than professional sports. Because of those high viewership ratings, college sports are immensely profitable. The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), a nonprofit agency that governs the college sports world, made $871.6 million in the 2011-2012 fiscal year (81 percent of that came from television and marketing fees). The college sports apparel industry is similarly lucrative, with one estimate placing it at $4.3 billion in 2012, not to mention all the revenue that comes from television spots, endorsements and plenty of other
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
sources. Now, college sports are just as profitable as professional sports — if not more so. The only difference is that professional athletes are paid. Student athletes are not. But even if that’s the case, proponents of the status quo say that students just love playing with their teams. “Studentathletes have a passion for their sport and a commitment to their teammates that can’t be equated to punching a time clock,” the NCAA has said. Such a statement isn’t exactly incorrect. Student athletes are enthusiastic about their sports. In fact, they have to be — why else would they be willing to spend countless hours every week training, working, improving and striving to be the best, all for no compensation? Athletic scholarships are provided to students, but that only goes for tuition. There are other living expenses too. It’s great to love what you do. But love for your job doesn’t pay the rent. It doesn’t make the lights turn on or fill your stomach. After all, one of every two students living off campus but not with family live beneath the poverty line. Statistics aren’t kept for students who live in the dorms, but it’s not hard to imagine that their pocketbooks are similarly empty. Food may be provided in the residence halls, but with frequent late-night practices and games, student athletes often come home too late to eat. At the same time, the time commitment for both athletics and academics means student athletes have less time to take on a job. There are only so many hours in a week, and student athletes are already using all of them. By implying that students can make a living off of only their “passion for their sport,” the NCAA only shows its obliviousness to the entire situation. Apparently, time is money — except if you’re a student athlete. But if you’re an athletic director, it is. A lot of money, in fact. In 39 states, the top-paid employees are sports coaches. A private foundation set up to fund the University
of Alabama’s athletics program decided to purchase an 8,759 square-foot house for their football head coach Nick Saban. The pricetag was a mere $3.1 million. (The foundation also pays the property tax.) So the problem isn’t that there isn’t enough money to go around. Even if money was an issue, it shouldn’t be hard for a university to prioritize its students, who are the people the university is intended to serve in the first place. To that end, all universities should pay their students at least the minimum wage. $7.25 an hour isn’t much, but it’s a start so that student athletes get paid for their work. Legislation at the state level should be the long-term solution, but in the meantime individual universities should take the initiative and start granting their student athletes minimum wages. For universities unwilling to take the plunge, the NCAA should leverage its authority over college sports and push the minimum wage for student athletes. It is true that there are some famous student athletes who make significant sums of money. But the vast majority of student athletes work just as hard but get paid a lot less. For students who already make a lot, adding a couple of bucks to the pile doesn’t make too much of a difference. For the students who aren’t that lucky, the minimum wage would be a life raft. Down the line, things like merit-based pay and sponsorships can also be considered. But a basic level of pay needs to be established first, and that’s what the minimum wage is for. Student athletes put just as much effort into their sports as professional athletes do. College sports make just as much money as professional sports do. So why can’t we give student athletes at least a minimum wage? ■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.
Brandy Coats
productionmanager @highlandernews.org Production Assistants
Olivia Bocanegra, Mei Huang, Rain Nambayan, Vicky Nguyen Business Manager
advertising rep.
Erin Mahoney
Breana Ross
highlanderads@ucr.edu Distribution Manager
Oscar Ho
Video Editor
Asst. Video Editor
James Fierro
Oscar Ho
video.highlander@gmail.com
CONTACT US Highlander 101 Highlander Union Building Riverside, CA 92521 www.highlandernews.org editorinchief@highlandernews.org TIP LINE: (951) 827-2105 Help the Highlander stay on top of what is happening on campus and in the general UCR community. Call this number and leave a message for the Editorial Board with your tip. Be sure to include your full name, relation to UCR, and a number or email address where you can be reached for more details. Editorial Office:
Business Office:
(951) 827-3617
(951) 827-3457
Classifieds & Billing:
(951) 827-5039
Fax:
(951) 827-7049
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They must be 600-800 words at length and include the author’s name and contact information. Topics should be UCR-centric and/or pertain to our generation of students. Contact Opinions Editor Jake Rich at opinions@ highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letter can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements.
LEGAL The Highlander is published and copyrighted by the Highlander for the students, faculty and staff of UCR. All rights are reserved. Reprinting of any material in this publication without the written permission of the Highlander is strictly prohibited. Readers are allowed one free copy of the newspaper. For additional copies or for subscription information, please contact the Highlander. The Highlander fully supports the University of California’s policy on nondiscrimination. The student media reserve the right to reject or modify advertising whose content discriminates on the basis of ancestry, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation. The Highlander has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints against it. All inserts that are printed in the Highlander are independently paid publications and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the staff or The University of California or the Associated Students of UCR.
18
OPINIONS
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
HIGHLANDER
Opinion Poll What midterm are you most afraid of and why?
C ompiled
by
O scar H o
Ashley Williams Longoria Anthropology Fifth-year
Brian Diep Theatre Fourth-year
Ines Flores Film Fifth-year
Liliana Garay Spanish First-year
Robert McCreary Pre-Business First-year
Samuel Palacios Sociology First-year
I’m nervous for my Russian midterm. I felt like by week three things really started to snowball and I felt like I fell really far behind.
I’m probably nervous for my religious studies midterm because I actually don’t know what it entails. I don’t know if it’s an essay or a scantron test.
The midterm I am most nervous for is my screenwriting midterm; I don’t have one, but I’m scared for the final.
I am nervous for my cultural antropology class. I think that it’s a really big subject so I don’t know what they’re going to be looking for.
I’m nervous for world history because there is a lot of reading and information to know and remember.
The midterm that I am the most nervous about is my film studies midterm. We have to write a five-page paper and I feel like my teacher hasn’t prepared us for it.
► See more at Youtube.com/UCRChannelH
COURTESY OF NELSON LUU
Introducing R’ Perspectives, where Highlanders from all walks of life share their stories of UCR and life, from their point of view NELSON LUU Contributing Writer
My, how time flies. A part of me doesn’t believe it; but here I am, writing a reflection of my time spent in college. Has it really been four years since I first set foot in my dorm room? I’m in my fifth year and what people say about college being a transformative period for a young adult holds very true for me. While there are times when I wish I can go back to my wide-eyed 18-year-old self, I’m glad that I’m preparing to leave UCR as a more sober, mature and capable adult. So what kind of wisdom, if any, can I impart for the underclassmen? What is the biggest takeaway that I have gained from the short amount of time I spent here on this campus? I’d like to say that it has something do with my academics, but the biggest thing I got from my time here is learning to be open to change. Don’t get me wrong. UCR has provided me with the best educa-
tion I could get, and I adore all of my professors, but one of the motivating factors for going to college was to escape my hometown bubble and open myself up to new experiences. As soon as I stepped into UCR, I began joining student organizations left and right to find out where I fit in. I made countless friends and expanded my social network with a diverse group of people from all walks of life. At the end of it all, I eventually learned how to be comfortable enough in my own skin to come out of the closet to my friends and family. It’s something I never could have imagined doing my freshman year. While this breaches a whole other topic, coming out was possibly one of the most difficult challenges I have ever faced in life, but it has allowed me to redefine myself. So my parting wisdom for those new to UCR is this: Reinvent yourself, grow and know that learning doesn’t just come from professors, but your peers as well. See, the thing I noticed with a
lot of underclassmen is that they’re afraid to step out of their comfort zones. They mingle with the same group of friends, do the same activities they did back in high school, and generally treat college like an extension of their teenage years. And while it’s a great coping mechanism to adjust to the collegiate life, you reach a point where you need to break free and grow. College is the last period in your life where you can be surrounded with people of your own age, make a lot of mistakes and learn from them. As much as you pay for an education here, I feel like a lot of people forget that one must also learn outside of the classroom as well as in it. An education is futile if you come out essentially the same person as you came in. Have your ideas challenged, be open to changing them if the ideas appeal to you and be free to share your thoughts with people. Seize every opportunity you can. Join that club you’ve always wanted, rush
a fraternity or sorority, make art, dance, sing, create! What’s holding you back from doing what you want? Since I became a Highlander, I have been a peer mentor for Asian Pacific Student Programs, been a part of the Asian American Christian Fellowship, joined a fraternity, helped found an art club on campus, started a fashion blog, interned, written for Life at UCR, and now, written and photographed for the Highlander. While I always started my adventures with a little trepidation, I always kept the mindset that in the end, I will learn something new and the excitement allowed me to jump wholeheartedly into these activities. All of these experiences have taught me bits and pieces of myself that I am so grateful to learn. I leave with this quote from Les Miserables: “For a star to be born, there must be one thing that must happen: A gaseous nebula must collapse. So collapse. Crumble. This is not your destruction. This is your birth.” ■H
OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
19
BY COLIN MARKOVICH, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
First Amendment Remedies “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” If you’ve passed your AP government exam, you’ll recognize these words as the first amendment to the Constitution. Essentially, it guarantees many of the central rights we’ve all come to know and love: freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, freedom of religion, freedom of the press. They’re as American as a baseball player setting off a burst of red, white and blue fireworks in the shape of a bald eagle. While eating apple pie. You’ll notice that the right to vote isn’t included. Don’t get me wrong — voting is the bee’s knees. You get to play connect the arrows and get a free sticker afterward. Oh, and you get to hire the people who make decisions about your everyday life. Not a bad deal. But you know what also gives bees their knees? Participating in democracy in the other ways guaranteed to us by the first amendment. Let’s take the freedom of speech. In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe used her freedom
of speech to write “Uncle Tom’s Cabin.” With just one book, Northerners who thought slavery was rainbows and lollipops became aware of the brutal reality, eventually leading to the final end of slavery in the United States. Stowe did that with just her ideals and a pen to write them with. It’s not just historical. People are exercising their free speech to make change today, especially on college campuses. Emma Sulkowicz is speaking out against rape by carrying her mattress with her everywhere she goes until her rapist is brought to justice. The result has been a flurry of activity in California and across the country to fight against the alltoo-common occurrence of rape on college campuses. Petitions, too, have been effective in forcing the government to make policy changes. Much to the surprise of many cynics, including myself, petitions on the White House website have actually resulted in substantial changes. The Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), which would have quashed free speech on the Internet, had priority shipping through Congress. But after a petition gained more than 100,000 signatures, the White House gave it the thumbs-down. The result? SOPA got lost en route, and nobody requested Amazon’s package tracking service. Closer to home, when the UC San Diego administration controversially shut down a student-run cafe, incensed students delivered over 14,000 signatures and open letters to the chancellor in protest. The case is now in the courts,
COURTESY OF OLIVIA BOCANEGRA
Much like the Occupy movement throughout the country, freedom of speech and assembly is often a catalyst for change.
with supporters pledging to fight on until the cafe is restored. What about assembly? Students at the University of California have done their fair share of that too. In the middle of the Civil Rights Movement, UC Berkeley instituted a ban on political activity. A defiant student was arrested and put in a police car. Except the car never made it to the police station: A crowd of 3,000 protesters surrounded the car for 36 hours straight, making it as useful as a rock with wheels, forcing his release and changes to the oppressive policy. Ending slavery, standing up for free speech, supporting local business and resolving rape on college campuses — these didn’t come to pass solely through voting, but through active use of
the freedom granted to us by the first amendment. The elections are over, but we have to follow through with our votes by raising our voices and demanding change, whether by protest, petition or pen. Voting isn’t the end of the story — it’s merely the prologue. The ending is written by those who petition, who assemble and who speak their minds. Only then does action finally occur, and if we want to see it happen, we have to move ourselves to make sure that it does. It’s worth remembering that the United States was once remarkably undemocratic, and the vote was a privilege, not a right. Alexander Hamilton (the recipient of the “most likely to be mistaken for president” award) believed that only property-owners
should vote. John Adams, who actually did become president, similarly sneered at granting the right to vote to — gasp — women! The horror. It took 14 additional amendments and nearly a century before Congress could be bothered to write something that guaranteed the right to vote to American citizens. Even then, it took another half-century to allow women to vote and several additional decades for the government to back up that guarantee with the Voting Rights Act. And yet, somehow, American democracy survived. That’s because there’s more to democracy than checking a few boxes every couple of years. A lot more, actually. You only have to look at the first amendment. ■H
Fall 2015 admissions cycle reignites UC out vs. in-state controversy HONEIAH KARIMIA Contributing Writer
A hot-button topic for the past couple of years has been the increasing population of out-ofstate and international students admitted in the University of California system. The commencement of the fall 2015 admissions cycle revived the controversy, prompting UC President Janet Napolitano to consider putting a cap on nonresident admission rates. Despite Californians approaching this situation with skepticism, admitting more out-of-state students will benefit residents and nonresidents collectively. As a result of the recession, the rates of admitted nonresidents multiplied as the UCs, like other
public institutions, looked for ways to boost revenue by admitting more out-of-state students. Consequently, these booming numbers have waged a war between those who vehemently argue Californians should be prioritized over nonresidents, and those who firmly believe in the diversity that out-of-state students bring to the table and most notably their higher tuition rates — considering nonresidents pay triple what residents pay. State Senator Jean Fuller (RBakersfield) recently said of the UC system: “The university’s job is to educate Californians first, the California taxpayers who pay for it.” For the most part, the sizable increase of nonresidents does not ► SEE ADMISSIONS, PAGE 20
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS UC Berkeley contains the highest percentage of out-of-state students out of the UC sysatem.
20
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER
Why Ebola isn’t as scary as a good Halloween costume QUINN MINTEN Contributing Writer
Ebola — you hear the word and you shudder. The name evokes gruesome images on a level similar to that of the worst horror movies. News comes every day that seems to foretell a massive outbreak close to home. You begin to wonder. “Should I wear a mask to school?” Or worse, “Should I even bother going to school and risking it?” The answer is no to the first, and yes to the second. Contrary to what the media would have you think, Ebola is not that severe a threat. A little research would show you that there is less to fear for your average citizen than you think. For starters, Ebola is a very visible virus. By that, I mean that the symptoms are not quiet, nor are they the sort of thing you want to just muscle through or ignore. Ebola starts with a fever, which perhaps you write off as flu, but when vomiting and bleeding come up — well, those are harder to ignore. If by some chance you do experience these sorts of symptoms, you know to get yourself to a hospital anyway. Part of the panic that goes with this outbreak of Ebola is the misconception that the virus ► ADMISSIONS FROM PAGE 19
bode well with many parents of in-state applicants who fear their children will not have the opportunity to attend a UC, despite their impressive qualifications. The anxiety of these residents primarily centers around whether or not admitting more out-ofstate students will prevent their children from being admitted to their UC school of choice. UC officials guarantee that instate students are not being omitted to make room for outof-state students. In fact, the UC system has increased the overall undergraduate population of their campuses across the board to accommodate both residents and nonresidents. Prior to 1993, the UCs granted in-state residency more abundantly, but since then the qualifications have become considerably stricter. In addition, Stephen Handel, the UC system’s associate vice president for undergraduate admissions, stated that for nonresidents to be admitted, their academic records must be significantly stronger than those of residents. By curtailing the percentage of nonresident enrollment, more competitive nonresidents would potentially be denied admission simply due to their geographic location. Regardless, in-state students are prioritized by default at public universities — even more so within the University of California system, compared
is airborne. Quite the opposite, actually: The disease is only spread by contact with bodily fluids — blood, urine, saliva, what have you — and only if they get into your body via an opening — your mouth, for example, or a cut. You can’t get it by just touching someone with Ebola, which, odds are, you’ll only do if you’re treating an Ebola patient. Even if someone with Ebola sneezed on you — well, let’s hope you’re not walking through people’s sneeze clouds except by accident. Even in a worst-case scenario, where you’ve been infected and you don’t know it right off the bat, it is possible to treat Ebola, albeit in a rather limited fashion. There is no cure for Ebola, but efforts are underway to develop a vaccine. Treatment at this time boils down to catching the virus in time and providing supportive therapy to make sure you survive the symptoms — for example, making sure you don’t dehydrate from the loss of fluids. There is a chance — maybe fiftyfifty — that you would survive a case of Ebola, perhaps better in the United States. But that’s assuming you get it in the first place. And speaking of this outbreak, there have been many diseases to other public institutions such as the University of Michigan or the University of Alabama. By and large, reducing the rate of out-of-state admits cuts a huge chunk of revenue from the UC system that in turn makes it a herculean task to accommodate the same percentage of instate students. Considering the extra $400 million that the outof-state tuition fees provide, downsizing admission rates for nonresidents would suspend necessary dividends. As a matter of fact, these nonresident fees provide about 6 percent of the UC’s core budget. Cutting that off would mean less financial aid in addition to fewer spaces and classes for everyone. In exchange, rising in-state tuition costs would become compulsory. Considering many Californians choose to attend a UC for its lower tuition — that is, compared to private universities — it would defeat the purpose of attending a UC school altogether for some residents. In response, many out-ofstate and international students are cognizant of how their higher tuition costs ultimately fare in the UC’s favor; however, experts say the incoming funds of nonresidents inadvertently results in less support from the state. This subsequently forces the UC to act indistinguishably from private schools by relying on tuition as opposed to tax revenue (although, state support has started to recover as of late). However, it is also important to note that diversity is a valuable asset, one that UC Riverside
that are more virulent and deadly than Ebola probably ever will be. Past epidemics — the Spanish flu, the bubonic plague — have killed many millions each around the world. Right now, Ebola clocks in at less than 5,000 deaths. Furthermore, we know about the disease, how it spreads, how it can be fought, and with coordinated effort, we can contain the disease and prevent further deaths. Of course, one might argue, at some point those epidemics were limited to a few thousand cases, but eventually spread and did far more damage. In response to this, I’d like to advocate what I’ll call a little bit of “cautious paranoia.” This is a somewhat dramatic way of saying that some vigilance on everyone’s part would help to prevent further cases from popping up. It’s simple common sense, really: Avoid people when they sneeze, wash your hands often or at least disinfect them, don’t touch anything at an airport if humanly possible. If you take some easy precautions, or even go all-out to avoid the pathogen (wearing a mask is your choice, I won’t judge), then you ought to be well-off. So go to school — this disease is no excuse to ditch. ■H
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Students can sigh a breath of relief knowing that ebola, although deadly, is hard to spread unlike the obsessive fear that plagues the world today.
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER Although it is important the UC system focuses on educating Californian students, out-of-state students bring diversity and ideas to the table as well.
in particular embraces and a factor that both out-of-state and international students provide. Youlonda Copeland-Morgan, assistant vice chancellor for enrollment management at UCLA, said, “The conversation was propelled by the declining budget situation in California,
but this is a win-win situation,” and added that “students from different geographies have always contributed richly to the classroom environment.” UC Riverside, much like the other UCs, started recruiting heavily in the past three years. This past year, UCR spent
$900,000 on recruitment and brought in approximately $9 million. There is no denying the kind of capital out-of-state and international students are bringing in. In accordance with Copeland-Morgan, the numbers prove this is indeed a “win-win situation.” ■H
The opinions expressed in the Opinions section belong solely to their authors and do not represent the Highlander Editorial Board or the University of California, Riverside.
HIGHLANDER
@highlanderradar
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Events this week Wednesday | 11/5
Thursday | 11/6
Friday | 11/7
Saturday | 11/8
Reverie and Pterodactyl @ The Barn, 8 p.m.
Free movie premiere: “Interstellar” @ University Village, 7 p.m.
Dropkick Murphys @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Shrek the Musical @ Landis Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m.
Jimmy LaValle from The Album Leaf handles electronic beats and melodies at the weekly Barn concert Wednesday night.
TIM BACA / HIGHLANDER
22
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
HIGHLANDER
Ambience in our ears, Heaven on Earth:
Album Leaf at the Barn By Nathan Swift, Senior Staff Writer Photos by Tim Baca
Ambient music filled the Barn last Wednesday as Jimmy LaValle took to his keyboard and guitar to strum melodies for the concert attendees.
I
had never been a fan of the musical genre known as ambient music. It was probably because I had hardly listened to it. That was before Jimmy LaValle appeared at the Barn performing many songs that he recorded as a part of his solo project The Album Leaf. Calling his ambient music “transcendent” or “emotional” doesn’t do it justice — all I can say is, I’m definitely a fan of ambient music now, thanks to Jimmy LaValle. The night started with the audience sitting in chairs and watching a 45-minute-long short film titled “Beyond There.” It was directed by Michael Raines and put together by LaValle and his backing band in 2011. The film highlights the difficulties surrounding their first tour in China and Japan. At one point LaValle points out that they once had to perform at a bar no bigger than half the Barn’s stage with a handful of people for an audience. But he was ultimately happy with the trip, saying that even with the small amount of revenue taken from the tour, traveling and performing for fans was always the greater experience. The film ended with LaValle and his backing band sitting at a bar singing along to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing,” which tied a nice thematic bow onto the film. After the film’s end, LaValle came onstage and answered a few questions from the audience. Somebody asked him if he had any direct musical influences, which he replied with no. And that’s really the heart of ambient music as a whole. Listening to ambient music is like listening to a tone poem or reading “Finnegan’s Wake.” Only the most basic structures of a song are used, such as repeating the few key notes of a melody or chord. But stylistically, an ambient song can go in any direction using any piece of recorded sound known to man, although most songs usually use a few general instruments, such
as a keyboard, guitar and drum machine. Imagine if Albert Einstein or Salvador Dali were given the score of elevator music and told to vastly improve it — that is ambient music. After holding his short Q-and-A, LaValle set up his own one-man show and performed several of his songs for the remainder of the evening. He usually played on a huge keyboard that held varying arrays of buttons, knobs, switches, pedals, levers and blinking lights. It was the most sophisticated, high-tech keyboard I had ever seen in my life. LaValle would spend all of his time standing up there running his fingers through the complicated workings of that keyboard. He’d push something here, and an electronic chord would come to life out of nowhere; he’d twist something there, and a basic beat or drum pattern would appear to give the emergent sound a rhythmic direction. He also occasionally strummed a few understated lines of melody on his guitar with a drum pattern and chord set in place for an entire song. LaValle also incorporated visual art into his set, which is something he says he usually does. Behind him on stage were several different videos of surreal imagery and color that heightened the transcendent nature of his music. Together, it set the overall tone of the Barn. It’s that type of feeling you get when you lay on your back, smeared with dirt and sweat as you look over Riverside atop the C; or when you’re at the beach with a fire going as you watch the ocean stroke the sand. LaValle’s performance was the very thing you’d want to be listening to when you count the stars. The Barn is known for putting on great acts and loud bands, but Jimmy LaValle was something else. It was great to get away from midterms, from school, from the different pains of life and just unwind with something so soothing. His music brought my mind to Heaven. ■H
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
23
VIDEO GAME REVIEW BAYONETTA 2 RATING:
P
★★☆☆☆
latinum Games has finally delivered a sequel to 2010’s character-action game “Bayonetta,” allowing the hungry fanbase to gorge on all the gun kata combos they could possibly want. “Bayonetta 2” arrived on Oct. 24 exclusively to the Wii U — much to the chagrin of a public used to playing the original on XBox 360 and Playstation 3 — and has since been surfing on an ocean of near-perfect reviews ever since. Funded by Nintendo and pushed forward by the sheer will of Team Little Angels, the game is exclusive to what is objectively the weakest console of the current generation. The question is: Does the game manage to hold up in
BY: JAMESON ADAME, STAFF WRITER spite of this? Like its predecessor, “Bayonetta 2” has a storyline that is almost entirely incomprehensible. Following the events of the original in which Bayonetta defeated the godlike Jubileus and recovered her memories, the sequel finds her acclimating to life as an Umbra Witch and readying a Christmas party with fellow witch Jeanne (yes, the plot begins with partyplanning). After a sudden attack by angels, the titular witch finds herself unable to control one of her demonic familiars and Jeanne sacrifices herself to save Bayonetta. From here on out, the goal of the game becomes an effort to save Jeanne from
her damned fate, all the while contending with demons, angels and a mysterious third party, all seemingly intent on stopping her. It is at this point that motivations in the game become muddled to the player, and keeping track of everybody’s character histories and allegiances is a losing battle. It is important to keep in mind that the storyline of “Bayonetta 2” is far from being the focus of the game. As with any characteraction experience, the goal of the game is to master play with Bayonetta’s specific movesets and all of the weapon-based variations she can pick up along the way. Movement from one combo to another is emphasized, as each attack feels wonderfully fluid to execute, stitching together light attacks with heavy ones to keep scores high and earn more halos (used as currency in the demonrun bar Gates of Hell). Without an ability to block, combat makes use of the idea of Witch Time, whereby a dodge at the last minute is rewarded with a burst of magical power, slowing all the action on screen to a near halt for a few seconds, and allowing the player a chance to rack up damage on helpless enemies. New to this battle system
is the touch-based automatic combos and the magical Umbran Climax. If played with the tablet controller that comes with the console, the player is granted the ability to touch enemy models on the secondary screen and combo them automatically, limiting human error. Unfortunately, this same mechanic too easily makes combat in the game trivial and is better left unused (feeling more comfortable on the Pro Controller anyway), challenging the player to learn the systems well. Umbran Climax is a feature that comes as an extension of the Umbra Witch powers used by Bayonetta since the first game. This allows the player to enter a powered-up state where every attack Bayonetta initiates has the strength normally reserved for the coup de grace strikes that end each combo. Running on a Nintendo system had also initially worried the more stalwart fans of the series, threatening not to run at the frame-rate necessary to maintain frame-linked combos and execute the dodges in the split-second timing required. Fortunately, during the entirety of my time with the game, the frame rate only ever dropped twice in moments where the screen was flooded
Courtesy of Nintendo with effects in both fore and background, leaving me with only a momentary distraction and then going right back to normal. As well as running as expected, the game looks great, sporting an art style that is charming and lends itself well to a universe where tearing angels limb from limb is all a part of the daily grind for a witch. Replayability in “Bayonetta 2” is incredibly high, presenting players with a challenging, but still fairly easy game on the basic difficulty of Second Climax, and rating the performances on each stage with a scale of stone medal to pure platinum. Gamers are encouraged to replay levels in which they performed poorly by rewarding them with halos necessary to learning more combat techniques and equippable items. There are also easily missable challenge rooms and collectables that can be found to upgrade Bayonetta with new weapons, enhanced health and magic, lore and accessories. Coupled with Platinum’s previous game “The Wonderful 101,” this game console is well on its way to having some of the best characteraction games available for this ■H generation.
MUSIC REVIEW 1989 // TAYLOR SWIFT RATING:
A
★★☆☆☆
songwriter frequently known for her teenage sentimentalism or specifically providing listeners with new break-up songs, Taylor Swift has often been dubbed as a Southern songbird with a soft voice, safe songs and on a constant journey for her Romeo. (“Love Story,” anyone?) Flying away from her Nashville roots and glitter guitar, Swift welcomes pop music’s synthesizers and keyboards in her newest album, “1989.” While the experimental nature is a departure from her previous album, she still sings out personal musings on love and boys (as always, gossip columns are sleuthing for, this time, Harry Styles allusions). Leaving behind her old teenage, lovey-dovey notions that were possibly penciled with hearts, Swift takes a refreshing outlook on relationships. In “1989,” Swift pops her bubbly persona and demonstrates a matured view on her consistent themes of nostalgic romances, deepened with her use of varying pop influences and electronic instruments. Opening with awkward synthclaps and a bubblegum melody, “Welcome To New York” makes no urge to escape to the concrete jungle of cliched bright lights and crowds. With an overemphasis
BY: JESSICA BAKER, CONTRIBUTING WRITER on a flat, unsyncopated beat with the title repeated 20 times, the opening track is a redundant anthem paling in comparison to other homages to the Big Apple. However, the track introduces listeners to Swift’s new soundtrack that anyone could dance to; she eases her fans into “1989” with lyrics that declare: “like any great love / it keeps you guessing / like any real love / it’s ever changing.” Easily addressing any fan’s concerns on her genre shift, Swift does retain her characteristic themes in her album’s later songs. The blunt focus on love as a game by “Blank Spaces” reassures this. The next three songs outline the slow, confusing degeneration of a relationship, possibly Swift and Styles’ fallout, since “Style” narrates the enticing encounters between a boy with “that James Dean daydream look” and a girl with “red lip classic thing” — both fashion tastes they wear. Disregarding the gossip, the smooth guitar riffs and atmospheric chorus frame the subtle sexual tension of a night scene in “Style” that bleeds into “Out of the Woods” and its steady drumming, despite the clear ambivalence over continuing a relationship voiced in the chorus. Saying “Are we out of the woods yet?” or “Are we in the clear yet?” at
least 30 times each usually gets the message across. The breakup’s finality and could-haveshould-have-but-didn’t solution — “stay” is blared in a high falsetto several times — in “All You Had To Do Was Stay” could have been an acceptable ending track to Swift’s album, yet she continues. The pep and pop led by the saxophones in “Shake It Off” easily brightens “1989.” After years of facing scrutiny for her confessional lyrics or body image or choices (rather, everything really with that persistent sleuthing from the gossip columns), Swift finds her solace in just being herself — and it’s rather fun being yourself. Despite the “haters,” “players,” “fakers,” “heartbreakers” and “liars and the dirty dirty cheats of the world,” she sings out: “But I keep cruising / Can’t stop, won’t stop grooving / It’s like I got this music / In my mind, saying it’s gonna be alright.” The encouraging trumpets and horns, the booming percussion and cowbell, the fitting megaphone and occasional giggle from Swift shows her pride and glory for the album’s true anthem. Addicting and reassuring, “Shake It Off” is there to cheer you on like a high school marching band. Immediately, the moodiness after the celebratory
Courtesy of Big Machine
anthem proves not to detract from Swift’s usual teenage rants, but rather becomes exploration in the many facets faced postbreakup. Even with the positive attitude left by “Shake It Off,” “1989” still has residual feelings of wistful wanting and insecurity with “I Wish You Would,” “Wildest Dreams” and “I Know Places.” However, Swift reaches a resolution in the mellow synthesizer and soft xylophone of “Clean” and a comforting return to acoustic guitar in “This Love.” The ironic imagery of
stormy oceans and pouring rain evoked by her tempered voice mirrors how breakups can be overwhelming yet cleansing. “1989” is Swift’s strong step to other styles of musical expression and does not falter in her high aims. Although it has a lagging start, the album’s ventures into pop are interesting for old and new listeners. She may have forgone her guitar for a synthesizer, but Swift remains lyrically true to her singer-songwriter roots, while realizing that having a Romeo isn’t everything. ■H
24
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
MOVIE REVIEWS COMING OUT SOON:
INTERSTELLAR
BIG HERO 6
THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING
OPEN WINDOWS
ROSEWATER
NIGHTCRAWLER
RATING: ★☆☆☆☆
“N
BY: STASEAN WASHINGTON, STAFF WRITER
ightcrawler” is a crime t h r i l l e r written and directed by Dan Gilroy, telling the story of Louis Bloom (Jake Gyllenhaal), a driven man desperate for work and the desire to make a name for himself by any means necessary. When Bloom witnesses a car crash on the freeway he gets a brief introduction into the world of video journalism. Bloom acquires a camcorder and a radio scanner and slowly begins to muscle his way into the world of freelance crime journalism. The average plot of “Nightcrawler” is augmented by interesting characters and a unique environment, making it a superior piece of entertainment compared to most modern crime dramas. The film’s plot suffers from a severe lack of characters: There are only three characters with enough screen time to be considered main characters, but only one of them has an effect on the plot. Because of this, the plot is simplistic. There is less room for conflict. There are no twists. And the story is moved by the actions of one character. Throughout his journey, Bloom seems to get everything he wants with little or no effort,
so it makes the story seem as if everything is just falling into place. This takes away from the experience because there is no audience involvement in the story. However, the film’s lackluster plot is overshadowed by its lead character and an incredible performance by Gyllenhaal. Bloom is not your average protagonist — he is morally reprehensible. He manipulates crime scenes to get the footage he wants, he withholds information from the police and he makes a living off of people having the worst day of their life. But Bloom’s sociopathic nature make him interesting. He’s charming, charismatic and, although the audience has all the reasons in the world to not root for him, they will be swayed by Gyllenhaal’s silver tongue as if they were a character on screen themselves. The film tackles ethics in the newsroom underneath the surface, which makes it all the more thought-provoking. Television news director Nina Romina (Rene Russo) searches for hard-hitting stories but must also keep her job. She does so by finding certain stories that appeal to suburban families. Top stories follow victims who are “well off, preferably white,” and
perpetrators who are minorities — she dubs it, “urban crime creeping into the suburbs.” The film becomes less of a crime drama and more of a question on the ethics of journalism. The final touch for the film is its setting. First, the audience is taken into the unique world of “night crawling,” listening to police scanners late at night for crimes in the hopes of being the first to get good video footage to sell to news studios. Second, Los Angeles
seems to be a character itself. The idea of Southern California being a cultural melting pot adds to the story as there is a heavy emphasis on race and news coverage. For example, Bloom sells footage of a white family shot in Granada Hills for $15,000 whereas a group of Hispanics killed in a roach coach only sell for $3,000. And the urban LA area where most of the film is shot adds authenticity and style to the film, making it somewhat of a neo-noir, similar
Courtesy of Bold Films to films like “Drive.” Robert Elswit’s cinematography will have audiences marveling at the beautiful LA nightlife. “Nightcrawler” is a film that goes beyond the plot. The film is not another one of your meaningless Hollywood blockbusters. The film aims to make a statement. And Jake Gyllenhaal’s stunning performance along with the innate atmosphere of the LA nightlife make the film a ■H superior piece of work.
territory by practically turning her chronological clock back 20 years prior to the assault. Other actors’ performances, accompanied with a dodgy script, keep this film from reaching its full potential. Some lines seem as if they are taken straight from a high school play. The intensity of the dialogue in certain scenes outweighs the atmosphere of the situation, thus causing a disconnect that detracts from the immersion and authenticity of various scenes. Unnecessary force has been embedded into the movie just to give the impression that it contains some action. Mike (Colin Firth), Kidman’s husband in the movie, is a carbon copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde — this is where the continuity and script become a problem. Christine’s family and close friends don’t care for her enough to actually inquire about her husband? Despite her being sent to a mental hospital, it isn’t far-fetched to assume she has somebody in her corner who is worried about her. Discrepancies like that hurt the movie by insulting the audience’s intelligence. Another hole the film unfortunately falls into is having an unconvincing and
Courtesy of Clarius Entertainment hackneyed soundtrack. These tracks are taken directly from Disney Channel and ABC Family dramas. I don’t need to be hounded by ridiculous background music that often incorporates loud snares and trope mystery music. It’s a mistake to try to craft your own identity as a film with a good plot and then bog that down with an unimpressive score that seldom matches the scene. Oftentimes, I would be invested in a scene, my hair on edge, and I would suddenly get pulled out of the film when the music debuted. “Before I Go to Sleep” falls victim to many mistakes that other films of its genre also try to avoid. Covering psychological topics needs a certain quality of execution to deliver an authentic feel. The script holds your hand for too long and gives you too many facts and soon enough you feel as though you have been lectured. But the basic premise of the movie is interesting and some of the main cast do a great job at delivering a semibelievable experience. It’s a film that casual movie-goers will love, but any film connoisseur, or someone who’s actually seen amazing psychological thrillers, will definitely tear apart. ■H
BEFORE I GO TO SLEEP RATING: ★☆☆☆☆
R
BY: EDWARD DAVE, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
owan Joffe tries his director’s hat at a psychological thriller with “Before I Go to Sleep,” and he half-heartedly hits the mark. The film at first glance seems as if it could have been stripped right from the Lifetime movie network channel. What saves this movie from totally treading down that line is an impressive ensemble cast and production value coupled with a few strong performances from
the cast. If you’re looking for an original take on amnesia and lost memories then you can look elsewhere. But what this movie does provide is a decent look into the thought process of a disillusioned woman with an impaired memory. The plot is actually very interesting and definitely grabs you by the collar as you stumble through the first act of the film. Christine Lucas (Nicole Kidman) has lost all of her memory after
being brutally attacked by an unknown assailant. During the attack she suffered very intensive head trauma which results in a faltering memory that has her forgetting each day’s activities. Christine constantly has to keep documentation of her life via video camera as she puts the pieces of her attack together. Kidman’s performance is outstanding and keeps the film from descending into straight-to-video release
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
25
Awayfrom Make me cry in 3 minutes: the
Sprawl: by Jake Rich, Senior Staff Writer
The beauty of pop songs
Clockwise from top: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, Matador Records and RCA Records
T
here are just a handful of songs that really get to me, almost every time I hear them. “You Can’t Hurry Love,” by the Supremes. “In My Life,” by the Beatles. “Fall On Me,” by R.E.M. “Letter From an Occupant,” by The New Pornographers. And as you could have guessed by the title of this column, “Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains),” by Arcade Fire. There are more that make me feel different things at different times, but these are some of the big ones for me. And what common thread do they have between them? Well, you might see a general 2000s indie rock vibe going on at the end, but other than that, not much. Except for this: They’re all pop songs, with most of them clocking in around or close to the three-minute mark. So how is it possible that such short and seemingly simple songs, coming from such a wide range of genres, can affect your emotions so profoundly? I’m no psychologist, but I can say this: Conveying complex emotions in a compact amount of time is something that takes a lot of skill to do. Now, let’s get the definition of a
pop song straight here: When I say pop, I’m not necessarily talking about everything you hear on your local top 40 station. What I mean by pop song is basically a nonclassical, verse-chorus-verse-bridge-type song, one that almost every artist from Radiohead to the latest overplayed top 40 singer uses at least a variation of. It’s hard to say what exactly the secret ingredient to making these songs stick is. The main genres I listen to are indie rock and indie pop, but I can recognize that not every song by an indie rock artist has this quality. On the flip side, when I occasionally tune in to a more top 40-oriented station, there will randomly be a song that catches my ear and makes me want to hear it over and over. The song that would make most people in my listening circle cringe and avoid it at all costs sometimes makes me sit and think: Why do I like this? I feel like there is an intangible at hand, one that many artists struggle to communicate: a feeling of being genuine through either their lyrics, the way they sing them, or through the music around them. Herein is where the connections between a classic Motown girl group
and a 2010 indie rock song lie. While clocking in at only 2:45, “You Can’t Hurry Love,” uses an utterly infectious bass line combined with Diana Ross’ yearning-yet-powerful vocals to communicate a very simple message: “You can’t hurry love / No, you just have to wait / You got to trust, give it time / No matter how long it takes.” The simple truth of impatient waiting for something that we have long been waiting for is something that most people can relate to. The bass line adds to this sense of urgency we feel. And it doesn’t really matter what you’re waiting for — even if the song is speaking specifically of love, the beauty of a pop song is that it can take on different meaning for different listeners who, even if they can’t relate directly to what is being sung about, can relate to the universality of the sentiment and emotion. But using a classic song as an example is too easy. Take a song like “Breakeven,” by the pop-rock group the Script. In absolutely no way am I saying that this song and something like “You Can’t Hurry Love” are equals, but they both convey emotion effectively. Though “Breakeven” could easily be dismissed as a top 40 throwaway, the lyrics have something else to say. Once again,
they are simple: “They say bad things happen for a reason / But no wise words gonna stop the bleeding / ‘Cause she’s moved on while I’m still grieving / And when a heart breaks no it don’t break even.” Some may call the basicness of the lyrics a fault, but in this case, the feeling of being dumped is nearly perfectly encapsulated. Despite the rhyming lyrics, the singer does not hide what being dumped feels like. An understated guitar, followed by a steady drum beat provides a stable backing for Danny O’Donoghue’s pleading vocals. Once again, listeners can add or subtract their own emotions to the track. Not every great pop song is based around simple lyrics such as the above, but the best ones have a sentiment, whether through music or lyrics that allow the listener to wallow in them, and listen to them over and over again as a healing or support mechanism — or what the heck, just for fun too. And maybe the ones I listed above don’t do anything for you. That’s the beauty of pop music: In its conciseness we can find different meanings for ourselves in an art form that reflects us at our best and worst times — and know that someH one else is experiencing them too. ■
26
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER
CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER Left to Right: Senior Hector Romo (No. 26) quickly kicks the ball toward midfield; Sophomore Romario Lomei (No. 25) skillfully maneuvers around an opponent while the crowd cheers him on.
OCT. 29, 2014
.............................................................................
Highlanders 1 - Matadors 0
Looking to secure a Big West playoff spot as the end of the season approaches, the UCR Highlanders (4-9-3, 3-3-2) scored the only goal of the night 16 seconds into overtime to upend the Cal State Northridge Matadors, 1-0, at the UCR Soccer Stadium. Senior Juan Mendoza Jr. scored the winning goal on the Highlanders’ Senior Night. The match was a defensive showdown as the two squads combined for 12 saves. UC Riverside started the game off aggressively, firing a shot on goal just five seconds after the opening whistle. The Highlanders tallied 11 shots in the first half compared to the Matadors’ five, but neither team was able to find the back of the net. Cal State Northridge’s goalie Adam Hobbs was forced to make four saves while UCR goalie Ashkan Khosravi tal-
lied two. The Matadors started to pick up their offense in the second half. CSUN’s Nicolas Camacho made Khosravi earn a save in the 51st minute and the team continued to fire goals down the field. Neither side could find the breakthrough goal in regulation, and the match went into overtime. It took the Highlanders 16 seconds to cap off a perfect Senior
With this win, UCR moved into second place in the Big West South Division. Night. Highlander Romario Lomeli’s shot was saved by Hobbs but rebounded right back to Mendoza, who headed it into the net. UC Riverside was the most aggressive team, tallying 21 shots (eight on goal) compared to Cal State Northridge’s 12 shots (five on goal). The Highlanders also
edged the Matadors in corner kicks, eight to zero. With the win, UCR moved into second place in the Big West South Division. NOV. 1, 2014
.............................................................................
Highlanders 2 - Titams 2
The Highlanders clinched a Big West playoff spot on Saturday evening with a 2-2 tie against Cal State Fullerton. It didn’t take long for the Titans to get on the board, as less than two minutes into the contest the home team scored, 1-0. UC Riverside responded in the 22nd minute, knotting the game at one apiece behind a Michael Salazar header. Pushing the ball up the field in the 37th minute, Highlander Otis Earle found Juan Mendoza for the second UCR goal in the half, 2-1. The second half was a battle for the Highlanders as they tried to hold on to the lead. In the 67th minute a hard foul by Earle earned him a second yellow card,
so UCR was forced to play one player down. Titan forward Amara Soumah capitalized immediately on this advantage to tie the score 2-2. Highlander Stephen Copley received a red card in the 84th minute, so UCR soldiered on without two players on the field with 10 minutes left in regulation. Physical play continued between the two squads as both tallied a high number of fouls. Cal State Fullerton was called for 31 fouls and UC Riverside, 28. Neither team was able to score in regulation and both overtime periods, ending the game in a 2-2 tie. UCR was outshot 23-7 by the Titans, including 10-3 in shots on goal. The Highlanders next play on Wednesday, Nov. 5 against UC Irvine. The Big West tournament begins on Saturday, Nov. 8, though teams are still jockeying for positioning with several games still on the conference schedule. ■H
WRITE FOR THE HIGHLANDER NEWSPAPER
DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer
MEETINGS ON MONDAYS 5:15PM @ HUB 101
Men’s soccer clinches playoff spot over victorious weekend
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
27
Volleyball falls to Cal Poly, UCSB
Senior Tyler Dorsey (No. 2) keeps a close eye on the ball before setting up for an attack.
ALEXANDER MANZO Contributing Writer OCT. 30, 2014
.............................................................................
Mustangs 3 - Highlanders 2
UC Riverside’s volleyball team was just unable to score its first conference win of the season and lost 3-2 to Cal Poly. The first set was a dominant one as the UCR players came out strong and outhit Cal Poly .297 to .156. After UC Riverside took a lead of 8-2, they cruised to a 25-19 set win with the last points scored by Alex Gresham. The Mustangs were not going to take the loss so easily as they jumped out to a 14-7 advantage. However, the Highlanders still had some strength and came back to win the set, 25-20. The third set was played evenly until the middle of the set, when it was 14-14 and both
teams were not ready to budge. Cal Poly took the lead first to make it 19-15, and despite UCR closing the score to two, 20-18, the Mustangs prevailed, 25-19. In the fourth set, UCR took the lead but the Mustangs came back to lead 24-21. With the game on the line Cal Poly made two errors that the Highlanders tried to capitalize on, but failed and gave up two points for a 26-24 score. With a tied series, both teams entered the final set tiebreaker ready. Cal Poly struck first by taking the first five points, but the two teams went backand-forth in this nail-biting set. The Mustangs took the final lead at 9-6 and scored six straight points to give them the game and series, 15-6. NOV. 1, 2014
.............................................................................
Guachos 3 - Highlanders 0
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER
Unlike Thursday’s game against Cal Poly, the Highlanders were not able to make it to the fourth and fifth sets with a sweep from UC Santa Barbara. Santa Barbara was strong the entire night, out-hitting UCR .333 to .030, en route to a 25-13 first-set win. In the second set, the Highlanders had a lead halfway, but the Gauchos extended a 21-20 score to grab the second set, 25-22. With the game on the line, UCR was able to stick with the Gauchos without anyone taking a strong lead and trading points. The Highlanders saw a glimpse of hope with a 14-13 lead, but once again it was quickly diminished, with Santa Barbara scoring six straight points before winning the final set, 25-19. ■H
28
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2014
. SPORTS .
HIGHLANDER
After seven years at UCR, Athletics Director Jim Wooldridge announced his depature from the university. Janet Lucas will replace him as the interim athletics director.
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER
Athletics Director Jim Wooldridge announces resignation
CODY NGUYEN Senior Staff Writer
In a shocking development Thursday, the UC Riverside Athletics Department announced the resignation of one-year athletics director Jim Wooldridge. In the interim, Janet Lucas will take over as UCR’s athletic director. Taking the helm of UCR’s athletics department in 2013, Wooldridge served as the university’s third athletics director
in just as many years. Before taking the job, Wooldridge had been serving as the head coach of the men’s basketball team since 2007. No specific reason has been given for the departure of Wooldridge; however, in an interview with the Press Enterprise, he stated, “It’s just a collection of things that have come over time. I just know it’s the right thing to do.” Wooldridge’s successor Janet Lucas brings a bevy of experi-
ence to the table as UCR’s interim athletic director. Serving UCR since 2006 as executive associate athletic director and senior woman administrator, Lucas also brings experience as an athletic director to the table — serving as CSU Northridge’s interim athletics director from August 2005 to 2006. Chancellor Kim Wilcox gave a personal endorsement for Lucas as UCR’s interim athletics director. “Janet Lucas knows UCR, the NCAA and the Big
West Conference and she has a breadth of knowledge that makes her the right person to lead our athletics program at this time.” The departure of Wooldridge serves as an alarming omen regarding the true state of UCR athletics. In 2011, 12-year athletics director Stan Morrison announced his retirement, signaling the dawn of the Brian Wickstrom era at UC Riverside, which lasted all of two years. During Wickstrom’s ten-
ure at UCR, he pushed for an on-campus arena known as the C-Center, which has been postponed indefinitely due to funding issues. Wickstrom left UCR in 2013 to the tune of a $54,000 pay cut as athletics director of University of Louisiana-Monroe. Many of UCR’s 15 athletics programs have also struggled mightily in recent years. No timeframe has been announced for the hiring of a permanent replacement for ■H Wooldridge.
Highlanders open preseason with 88-78 win over Cal Baptist DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer NOV. 1, 2014
.............................................................................
Highlanders 88 - Lancers 78
The UC Riverside women’s basketball team continued its longstanding dominance over city rival Cal Baptist University, defeating the Division II school, 88-78. The Highlanders faced a six-point deficit at intermission before exploding for 51 points in the second. Though the Highlanders led the all-time series against Cal Baptist University, 13-2, the Lancers looked prepared to reverse their misfortunes, jumping out to a 47-37 lead at the half. The visiting team shot over 44 percent for the period, compared to 33 percent from UCR. Seven minutes into the second half, the PacWest conference team opened its largest lead of the game at 13 points before UCR generated a comeback. Backed by converting points off turnovers, the Highlanders used a 19-3 run to finally take the lead, 71-69.
UCR never trailed again as the home team secured the win, 88-78. Though UC Riverside left with a victory, the Lancers led for the majority of the game. Out of the total 40 minutes played in the contest, Cal Baptist led for 24 minutes com-
“...Crain was nearly perfect from the stripe...” pared to UCR’s 10 minutes. The Lancers shot better overall, 49 percent to 40 percent, but couldn’t take care of the basketball. UCR only recorded 11 turnovers compared to the visiting team’s 22. The Highlanders converted nearly 30 points off of those 22 turnovers, while getting to the free-throw line seven more times (36-29). Five Highlanders scored in double figures, led by junior all-conference player Brittany Crain, who tallied 21 points. Though she only shot one-for-
seven from beyond the arc, Crain was nearly perfect from the stripe (eight-for-nine) and grabbed 13 rebounds. The junior was the only Highlander selected to the Big West Women’s Basketball Preseason Media All-Conference team earlier this month. Crain ranked 52nd in the nation in scoring last season while leading the league with 19.2 points per game. She also ranked first in the Big West in steals and minutes per game. Annelise Ito chipped in 18 points, shooting six-for-10 from the field while dishing out seven assists. Reigning Big West Conference Freshman of the Year Simone DeCoud was quiet in the game, only recording two points without any field goals in 14 minutes. Kamille Diaz and Courtney Nelson each scored 15 points to lead Cal Baptist. With the victory, UCR extends the head-to-head versus the Lancers, 14-2. The team next plays another exhibition game against Cal Poly Pomona on Nov. 8 at the Student Recreation Center Arena. ■H
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER Simone DeCoud (No. 5) dives to retrieve the ball against a Cal Baptist player.