Highlander University
Volume 63
of
C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e
Serving the UCR community since 1954
Issue 12
FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
State sexual assault law goes into effect
Driver licenses available for undocumented Californians Due to AB 60, millions can now apply for driver licenses.
AARON GRECH Senior Staff Writer
may benefit from this recent state law. “About time!” was UCR alumni Jorge Ascencio’s first reaction to the law. “I say this because it’s common sense to give undocumented people licenses. Why? Because they will still drive no matter what. And now that they have to go through the same test (as) any citizen … there will be a greater sense of security knowing they had to pass a driving test.” In addition to the sense of safety the law will provide, Ascencio added that it makes financial sense to provide undocumented immigrants with licenses because it will provide additional funds into state coffers. ASUCR Vice President of External Affairs and formerly undocumented UCR student Abraham Galvan also feels the recent law is beneficial because it enables undocumented immigrants to travel safely and legally. At the same time, Galvan addressed the challenges that still face many individuals who are still seeking citizenship in the United States.
State law SB 967, meant to address issues of sexual assault and violence, has gone into effect at the beginning of 2015. Commonly called “Yes means yes,” the bill was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown in September 2014 and requires new policies on consent across all public and private universities. The most prominent feature of the legislation is an affirmative consent standard, which defines consent as “conscious and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity.” This requires all parties to give mutual consent that can be revoked at any time. Many campuses have come under fire in recent years for their alleged mishandlings of sexual assault cases. In response, many students across college campuses have rallied for improvements on existing sexual assault legislation, including a better definition of sexual consent in the law. UCR students have also expressed their desire for policy changes by taking action on a campus level. In late October 2014, UCR students joined campuses across the country in the “Carry That Weight” campaign against sexual assault and violence. In addition, a gender studies requirement which was passed by the ASUCR senate last May is currently going through the administrative academic approval process. In the most recent crime statistics of 2013, UCR recorded six sexual assaults, which is lower than many other campuses in the UC system. However, the reports may be inaccurate as survivors of assaults are less likely to file complaints, according to a recent White House report. ASUCR Senator Summer Shafer expressed her support for the law “because of the clarity it brings to what consent is,” she said. “UCR and college campuses need a more long-term and sustainable solution, like this law, to make sure that we are constantly encouraging consent culture.” Currently, the campus offers many resources about preventing sexual assault. All registered student organizations are required to attend a retreat each year in the HUB, where they are given a presentation about sexual assault. In addition, the Women’s Resource Center provides other resources such as through Sexual Assault and Violence Education, a peer mentor group that aims to prevent
► SEE DRIVER LICENSE, PAGE 5
► SEE ASSAULT LAW, PAGE 5
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER In an effort to increase road safety, a law recently went into affect that allows undocumented immigrants to apply for California driver licenses.
SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer
A
landmark state law went into effect on Jan. 2, 2014, permitting millions of undocumented immigrants in California to apply for their driver licenses after being banned for more than two decades. In 2013, Gov. Jerry Brown signed Assembly Bill 60 (AB 60) into law as a way of increasing road safety by providing more individuals with licenses. According to a DMV report on 23 years of crash data, unlicensed drivers were more likely to cause fatal collisions than drivers with licenses. In turn, the implementation of AB 60 also reversed a 1993 state ban, which prevented immigrants from applying for a driver license without proof of legal U.S. residency. This year, California has become the 10th state to dole out licenses to undocumented immigrants. To accompany AB 60, another state law also went into effect under the California Low Cost Auto Insurance Pro-
gram through which undocumented Californians will, for the first time, be able to obtain affordable car insurance. “DMV is committed to successfully implementing this new law to increase safety on California roads by putting licensed drivers behind the steering wheel,” DMV Director Jean Shiomoto said in a press release.
residency and identity. Undocumented immigrants can obtain their driver license by showing proof of identity and California residency, passing a vision and driver test, providing a thumbprint, getting their picture taken, passing a road sign test and behind-the-wheel driving test and paying a $33 fee. The new driver licenses
“... it’s common sense to give undocumented people licenses.” - UCR alumni Jorge Ascencio In anticipation of the large influx of applicants, the DMV has extended the appointment system from 45 to 90 days in advance and now offers Saturday hours at 60 different locations. DMV Media Spokesperson Jaime Garza said 900 more employees were also hired and an AB 60 website was also created as a one-stop shop for applicants to learn more about the application process and required documentation about
AWAY a look at the FROM Take best albums and THE songs of 2014 SPRAWL
Page 17
will include the words “federal limits apply,” prohibiting undocumented immigrants from using the card to establish eligibility for employment, registering to vote and applying for public benefits. “It’s your license to drive on the roads of California, but you can’t use it to board a plane (or) to enter a federal building,” said Garza. There are approximately 300 undocumented students enrolled at UC Riverside who
EDITORIAL
RINGING in the NEW YEAR with a RESOLUTION? We have some advice on how to follow through
NEWS 1 • OPINIONS 6 • FEATURES 9 • A&E 13 • SPORTS 20
Private funding is only a shortterm stop-gap in the bigger fight to secure funding from the state Page 9
Page 6
PLEASE RECYCLE
2
NEWS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
UC receives $1.9M in funding for climate change research AMY ZAHN Senior Staff Writer
The University of California has received $1.9 million in funding to establish the Institute for the Study of Ecological and Evolutionary Climate Impacts (ISEECI), an institute that will study the ecological effects of climate change across many kinds of ecosystems. The research will be conducted on three UCR reserves and will include biology professors Kimberly Hammond, Michael Allen and David Reznick. Researchers from the eight other undergraduate UCs will also be involved. The project is being funded by UC President Janet Napolitano’s new President’s Research Catalyst award, an initiative that will channel $10 million over three years to projects in several areas, including sustainability and climate in addition to health care. The UCR reserves that will be used are part of the UC Natural Reserve System (NRS), a system of over 40 reserves that make up the largest university-administered natural reserve system in the world. Reznick says that the NRS is ideal for this research because there is a large distribution of reserves at different altitudes and all reserves have been previously monitored. The three sites were chosen to host the project because of the kinds of ecosystems they represent. Two of the reserves
JANINE YBANEZ / HIGHLANDER
UCR’s newly openned solar farm is one of the many ways the campus is trying to be more environmentally friendly.
are in high and low desert regions, “which are arguably the best places where the effects of climate change will be seen both earliest and most acutely,” Hammond, who is also director of the Natural Reserve System, told UCR Today. The third reserve “represents one of the southernmost higher-elevation forested habitats of all the reserves in the state,” she continued. The project aims to unify UC researchers in their study of climate change, according to Reznick. He added, “There re-
main many open questions about how climate change will affect natural communities.” While research of this type has been conducted in the past, Allen explained that such projects tend to be “short-term, and widely scattered” and “suffer from different methods, goals and emphases,” making it difficult to get a comprehensive view of the state of the environment. This project will unify different research and allow UC scientists to share their resources, according to Reznick.
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Led by UC Santa Cruz (UCSC) researchers, the ISEECI will seek to “test the feasibility of novel approaches for discovering ecosystem-wide responses to climate change” and determine how information collected can be used to minimize the environmental impact of climate change, according to the ISEECI website, demonstrating the relevance of this project on a global scale. “A new approach to research is needed to … advise policymakers and the public on how to adapt to and mitigate potential
threats to natural ecosystems, agriculture, water resources, and sustainable development,” Barry Sinervo, a UCSC biology professor and leader of the ISEECI told the UCSC Newscenter. Reznick hopes that this project will lead to more research in this area. “My hope is … that this grant will become seed money for a diversity of successful projects” that will facilitate a better understanding of the types of changes that occur as a result of climate change, Reznick expressed. ■H
QUOTEBOOK “But I also hope that students understand that it is also on us. There may be a law in place, but the effect one person can have by intervening is immeasurable ...” - ASUCR Senator Summer Shafer, regarding the “Yes means yes” law
MULTIMEDIA
f
UCR Highlander Newspaper @ucrhighlander UCRChannelH
JASPERY GOH
KUCR 88.3 FM, Wednesdays @ 9 a.m.
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Trees stand tall at Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park, set atop a hill overlooking the cities of Riverside and Moreno Valley.
UPCOMING EVENTS
WINTER 2015, WEEK 1
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
1/6
1/7
1/8
1/9
1/10
1/11
1/12
Meeting: Dr. Kyle Struab, Tulane 4 p.m. - 5 p.m. Chung Hall 205/206
Career Station 11 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. HUB Mall
Interview Skills 11 a.m. - Noon HUB 268
No Events
Seminar: Escape 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. HUB 302
No Events
How Not to Get Fired: Professional Etiquette 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. HUB 268
Seniors: Land a Job for When you Graduate Now (OCI) 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. HUB 379
Boyd Deep Canyon Lecture Series 6 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. UCR Palm Desert
How to Make a Great First Impression at a Career Fair 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. HUB 260
4
NEWS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
$500,000 grant to create undergraduate fellowship AARON GRECH Senior Staff Writer
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded UCR a $500,000 grant to create an undergraduate research and mentoring program entitled the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship (MMUF), which will focus on preparing promising undergraduates for academic careers and graduate school. The program will begin in the summer of 2015, and will have five spots open for current sophomores who meet the requirements. To be eligible, applicants must have at least a 3.3 GPA, completed 90 units by the end of spring 2015 and have applied to at least two summer research programs. Due to the limited amount of space available, there is a strict application process which requires three letters of recommendation, a writing sample from a college course and a three-page essay. Those who enter the program will have a university faculty member guide them in creating a research project, receive training in applying to graduate schools and preparation for the GRE. The program offers 22 fields of graduate study mostly centered on the humanities, as it is the focus of the foundation. However, studies in fields such as mathematics and ecology are also available. The MMUF aims to promote diversity among faculty in higher education, and is directed at stu-
dents who are part of groups that are underrepresented in university faculty, such as ethnic minorities and those from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. While UCR is ranked 12th among the nation in terms of economic and ethnic diversity among undergraduate university students, the faculty is much less diverse. Statistics show that 68.6 percent of the faculty in the university identify as white, and 68.3 percent identify as male. These statistics demonstrate a lack of diversity among university faculty in higher education, which the MMUF hopes to improve. One-third of students who previously received the fellowship have either finished or are currently in Ph.D. programs. Dr. Georgia Warnke, one of the main investigators for the grant, discussed the benefits that the additional funding will have on the campus. “Given the diversity of the student body at UCR, the campus is a prime pipeline for increasing diversity in the faculty ranks of the United States,” Warnke said. “I think the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship will help us realize our potential in doing so.” Ava Hosseini, a third-year anthropology major, gave her opinion on the program and its impact on the campus community. “It’s crazy to think that a school which takes so much pride for its diversity among students fails to account for its professors. Hopefully this program will be able to help improve it on this campus too,” Hosseini said. ■H
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS The MMUF will accept five students into a specialized faculty mentorship that will guide the students in creating a unique research program and help them prepare for graduate school opportunities.
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
NEWS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
5
► ASSAULT LAW FROM PAGE 1
sexual violence. The university has also responded to student concerns about the portrayal of women, who are often victims of sexual assault. Last year, university officials rebranded the women’s studies department the gender and sexuality studies department in a move to create a more inclusive atmosphere for discussions about sexuality and feminism. The department will also expand in the areas of sustainability, health studies and trans studies. Dr. Marguerite Waller, a chair for the UCR gender and sexuality studies department, said outreach representatives from the Riverside Rape Crisis Center regularly present in WMST 001 as a way of bringing up discussions about sexual assault. In addition, Waller also described the importance of creating more awareness of sexual assault. “We make available to all students as much information as possible about resources both on and off campus, but it is important to address the systems and forces that underlie sexual assault,” she said. ■H ► DRIVER LICENSE FROM PAGE 1
JEFFREY CHANG / HIGHLANDER Students carry a mattress around campus to show their support and advocacy for the awareness of sexual harassment and abuse across college campuses.
CLASSIFIEDS
Advertising Information
Please submit Classifed ads by calling (951) 827-5039 or by emailing HighlanderClassified@ucr.edu
Payment
Visa and Mastercard Make checks payable to The Highlander Newspaper No refunds
Rates
-Classified: $2 per line; 17 characters (spaces, dashes, etc.)
EMPLOYMENT Want 250? Help us create study guides for courses you are taking. Contact Marie@nuacademic.com -----------------------------------
meetings on mondays, 5:15 p.m. @ hub 101
for the highlander newspaper
write. shoot. design.
NOW HIRING Apply to be a part of the timehonored Highlander staff! Come to our meetings every Monday at 5:15 in HUB 101 to become involved in UCR’s student newspaper
“Undocumented students will continue face many struggles until the federal government acts on immigration reform that provides a quick and reliable pathway to citizenship for these students and their families so that they receive the same rights and benefits that all others do,” he expressed. ■H
6
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
Opinions HIGHLANDER HIGHLANDEREDITORIAL EDITORIAL HIGHLANDER STAFF
PRIVATE FUNDING ONLY PART OF A LONG-TERM SOLUTION
Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Colin Markovich
Jake Rich
News Editor
Asst. News Editors
Sandy Van
news@highlandernews.org
Aaron Grech, Amy Zahn
Opinions Editor
Asst. Opinions Editor
managingeditor @highlandernews.org
editorinchief @highlandernews.org
Jameson Adame
Honeiah Karimi
A&E Editor
Asst. A&E Editor
opinions@highlandernews.org
Nathan Swift
radar@highlandernews.org
Features Editor
Christal Mims
Asst. Features Editor
Maxine Arellano
Tiffany Liaw
Sports Editor
Asst. Sports Editor
Darren Bueno
Cody Nguyen
Photography Editor
Asst. Photo Editor
Vincent Ta
Cameron Yong
features@highlandernews.org
sports@highlandernews.org
photo@highlandernews.org Staff Photographers
Jaspery Goh, Aaron Lai, Richard Lin, Laura Nguyen Production Manager
Art Director
Brandy Coats
Andrew Golden
productionmanager @highlandernews.org
artdirector. highlander@gmail.com
Production Assistants
Olivia Bocanegra, Amy Chen, Mei Huang, Rain Nambayan, Vicky Nguyen Business Manager
advertising rep.
Erin Mahoney
Breana Ross
highlanderads@ucr.edu
H
ere we are, back again from another winter break and about to begin another quarter. While the schoolwork went on a two-week hiatus, the rest of the world continued to turn, and while everyone from first-years to super seniors were allowed a vacation from professors and their assignments, the issues of funding remained, even as students left. The tuition increase continues to loom, but UCR is not without efforts to alleviate the costs of attending college for members of certain colleges. Issues of money flow have yet to be fixed and students coming back from one less week of break are likely to be suffering from a degree of fatigue over the rapidfire series of protests that occurred all throughout the previous quarter. In an effort to alleviate the stresses of high tuition, the School of Public Policy now offers students in good standing full scholarships for the Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.). These funds come from alumni donations and others who wish to see the School of Public Policy succeed. This same sentiment echoes an earlier donation by the First 5/Riverside County Children and Families Commission of a $5 million grant to the still relatively new UCR School of Medicine, which was in turn used to fund the program and offer two students scholarships. The difference comes from the emphasis on the private donations given to the M.P.P. program. Donations of this magnitude dredge up the ever-present worries of a privatized UC system, which, considering the recent power play by UC President Janet Napolitano, seems to be more and more viable as a solution to financial worries. All that remains is an introspective eye to the situation in which students ask themselves and the system which they attend: Is privately funded education a stable resolution to the tumultuous
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER
monetary woes of public colleges, or does that create more problems, defeating the purpose of public higher education altogether? Private donations are currently responsible for $1.64 billion systemwide out of $6.2 billion total core funds, spread among organized efforts to donate through charitable institutions and unique individuals pledging money to the futures of higher education. The sheer amount of money given to the system coupled with the welcome support for UCR’s own schools of medicine and public policy would lend credence to a drive for privatization, lifting the back-breaking burden of covering the costs of higher education from the government as well as from the students. Should the goal for the School of Medicine be an eventual buyout, it would lead to a private ownership of the school and allow for growth entirely through private funding. In such an instance, surely the school would benefit from the marketing of its assets to private sources, enabling the school to grow without needing to shift the costs to the government, taxpayers or students. It is at this point however that the nature of privatized funding and private ownership of UC assets must be truly examined for feasibility. Though in years of plenty private money may fall with greater consistency than Californian rainfall, the macroeconomic state of the country is ever-shifting, and as soon as people are left without the means to make a meaningful donation, it’s not impossible to see the $1.64 billion of recent years plummet to a much less supportive number. Private donations have worked as a source of revenue for the two newer colleges on UCR’s campus, but those programs remain small for the time being, and do not necessarily represent an
example to be extrapolated and applied to a larger environment in dire need of an injection of money. Within the School of Medicine, the scholarships offered only have room for two students, and the School of Public Policy only has money enough to support 20 students, and — though this may seem substantial — is still just a slight number when considering the number of students who attend UCR annually. Purchase and privatization of UC assets should also be kept at arm’s length, which would leave the system wide open for private interests in exchange for services rendered. Like human donors, companies are also likely to renege on regularly expected sums of philanthropically offered money if the economy is tough and the tax benefits don’t justify the means. Even contractual purchases can be escaped or worked around when the means of following them through don’t exist. When times are lean for the UC, donors can generally be relied upon to assist with the aggressive costs that higher education entails, but that relationship between donor and regularly acquired funds should not be expected to go beyond the peripheral, or non-necessary. UCR should continue to pursue relations with alumni and the surrounding community for monetary support, but these funds should be allocated to nonessential aspects of the college, supporting the periphery while the student body continues to rally around increased funding for the UC and fairer regulation of tuition costs. ■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.
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 Jameson Adame 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.
OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
7
BY COLIN MARKOVICH, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Giving doesn’t end with the holiday season If you’ve spent any time watching television during the holidays, odds are you’ve seen at least one advertisement within the past few weeks about donating to a charity of some sort. There are, of course, the commercials that plead for starving children in Africa. Then there are the adorably cuddly puppies. Or the commercials that advocate donations to help old Jewish women living in Russia — my personal nominee this year for the Least Stereotypically Pity-Inducing Award. The reason why these ads pop up now (or at least, why they were popping up a week ago) is because there has historically been a brief surge of giving around the holiday months. In one survey, 52 percent of surveyed charities reported that they received more than a quarter of their annual contributions during the last three months of the year. That means that a disproportionate share of a charity’s income comes during the months of October, November and December.
Many of these donations are driven by the sense of giving inspired by the holiday season. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and the other holidays that occupy these months feature charity and generosity as significant parts of their identities. This spurs people to think about giving, which may not have ordinarily crossed their mind. When people do so, they find out that making a donation leaves them with a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, like being surrounded by purring (but hypoallergenic!) kittens. This feeling of contentedness is one that many people experience and numerous studies have documented. After the holidays, though, charitable giving declines, and we forget about why we felt that contentment in the first place. We think about how much time that shift at the community garden takes, worry about whether we have the money to give another donation to the fight against hunger and throw up walls that prevent us from feeling happy and explain away why we can’t possibly be bothered to donate again, or at least until the next holiday season. If we think that giving back is going to be more effort than it’s worth, then we simply don’t do it. So instead of throwing up those walls, make like Mikhail Gorbachev and tear them down. Charity should be enjoyable and something to look forward to, and it’s up to you to make it so. Here are easy ways to make donating — well, easier.
Chivalry is dead … and it should stay dead HONEIAH KARIMI Senior Staff Writer
The phrase “chivalry is dead” is often said to mean romance is dead, whereas the term chivalry has much darker, complex overtones than that. Chivalry is not a synonym for romance. In actuality, it refers to “the medieval knightly system with its religious, moral, and social code.” Out of this knight’s code, the genre of chivalric romance was born. This is where the associations between chivalry and romance were conceived. Stories of a noble knight coming to rescue the damsel in distress are unfortunately still in existence despite medieval times being long gone. In sociology, chivalry has come to represent the ways in which men offer protection to save women from harmful or dangerous situations. It’s important to note protection of women is an essential part of chivalric code. Though the benefits of being male in our society far outweigh the benefits of being female, there are certainly times when
being a woman has its perks — that is, for traditionally feminine, cissexual women — however, these perks are more baneful than meets the eye. Receiving special treatment for being a woman is not something we should accept if we seek equality as a goal. If a heterosexual couple is on a date, having the man pay may seem customary and “chivalrous,” but if the two parties in the relationship want to be equal partners then it cannot be the job of the man to take care of the woman. That is to say, modern dating does not bode well with the outdated concept of chivalry. So what is wrong with men helping women? Inherently, nothing; however, helping a woman simply by virtue of her being a woman perpetuates the notion that women are always in dire need of saving and that men are disposable, harboring no emotions or qualms of their own. Chivalry benefits no one. Take the example of a man holding the door open for a woman: Some believe it’s an obligation and others find it insulting. Perhaps what is needed is a
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Charities receive significantly more donations during the holiday season, but that declines rapidly after the new year.
Be flexible Charitable contributions don’t exist in only one form. If you’ve just taken on a second job in addition to being a full-time student and you find your time spent volunteering at a community garden is more stressful than relaxing, then you may want to consider dialing it back in some fashion. That doesn’t mean you can’t help in other ways. If the volunteer work you do is extremely tiring — say, piloting a wheelbarrow filled with heavy equipment up and down a slope the size of Mt. Everest — try to see if there’s a different opportunity at the same place available to you. Or volunteer at the same time as your friends to divvy up some of the labor and take your mind off the hard stuff. As a last option, you could consider replacing your donations of time with donations of money. Charity organizations need both to do their job effectively, and you can always switch back to volunteering once the stress dies down. Find your passions It’s a lot more exciting to get involved when the issue paradigm shift. We should hold doors open for people to be kind — not because we are obliged or on the hook somehow. With this in mind, helping someone carry heavy boxes is great. Being courteous should be encouraged as long as it is not gender-specific. We need to think about why a man is expected to pull out a chair for a woman. If the immediate response is “Oh, that’s just the way things are done,” then that’s not good enough. We must reexamine the implications behind these expectations and assess whether or not they still have a place in our society. Conversations that utter the words “Where have all the good men gone?” or “A real man would do this,” are not healthy attitudes to hold — just as men viewing women as delicate, submissive beings that need to be protected is erroneous. Chivalry in many ways paints men as one-dimensional caricatures of what it means to be a “real man.” Comparatively, women who accept chivalry are seen as demure and ladylike while women who do not subscribe to the concept are seen as “ungrateful bitches.” Either way, chivalry limits us as individuals. Politeness and kindness are rare these days, but we should practice them to be decent human beings — not solely for it being
is something you care about, whether it’s ending cancer, donating blood, fighting hunger, increasing sustainability, reading to children, comforting animals or anything else you can think of. Fortunately, there are a ton of official organizations, student organizations, official student organizations and everything in between. Unfortunately, sometimes it’s hard to know that they exist. Highlander Link has a full list of officially registered clubs on campus, and is one place you can go to get basic details about clubs. On a national and international level, a good place to start is Charity Navigator. The site contains information on a number of charities interested in all sorts of areas, and even ranks them. If you want to get into more detail, a useful source is Guide Star, through which you can view tax information of charities for free (you do need to register an account, though). Whether you go local or global, it’s best to pick a handful of organizations whose goals you’re interested in and you can get really familiar with.
Expand your definition of charity Charity doesn’t have to be through an official organization. There are really simple things you can do in your everyday life to help people out. For instance, the food service industry is one of the most stressful and worst-paying jobs in the country — so if you go out to eat, consider tipping your server an extra dollar or two than you ordinarily would if he or she does a good job. It may be only a dollar to you, but you’ll certainly make that person’s day. If you have the resources and tools, you can help someone whose car broke down, or buy them a gallon of gas so they can at least get to a gas station. However you decide to do it, don’t make it a one-time deal. Make giving, whether it’s a trip to a blood drive or simply giving your spare change to the person ringing the Salvation Army bell, part of your routine. Charity isn’t just for the holidays, and no matter how you decide to help, you’ll feel better — and so will the people you’re helping out. ■H
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS The term chivalry has been overly romanticized throughout history.
written somewhere. In essence, morality and civility should not be limited to a knight’s code from the Middle Ages. Showing courtesy toward your fellow hu-
man beings is not exclusively a task for “gentlemen.” We should respect one another despite gender, for civility transcends gender. ■H
8
OPINIONS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
R’ PERSPECTIVE:
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
COURTESY OF NATHAN SWIFT, RYAN VARGAS, ARIEL DE LEON AND JENNIFER ALCALDE
R’ PERSPECTIVE:
The Weight of Memory NATHAN SWIFT Senior Staff Writer
What a mixed year 2014 was. There were a lot of ups and downs on a global scale … almost too many to count. 2014 was the year that mankind landed a spacecraft on an asteroid flying through space, but it was also the year that the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) came to prominence. 2014 was the year that gave us the ALS ice bucket challenge, where the structures of social media and the simple power of goodwill came together, but it was also the year of the Ebola outbreak (and the media hysteria that followed). It was the year where a woman was lauded as a feminist icon for winning the Nobel Peace Prize while another was threatened after giving a moving speech to the U.N. For many, it could’ve gone great up to a certain point, followed by a sudden turn of events that did nothing but darken their mood and mindset. Out of the seven billion people occupying this planet, surely there must’ve been some people who looked back at 2014 and thought to themselves, “What a painful year.” 2014 was the year we lost beloved people such as Robin Williams, who passed away on August 11 from self-inflicted injuries. It can be pretty hard to imagine just how Zelda Williams, daughter of the late actor, has felt since her father’s passing. Saying that the loss of a loved one is devastating doesn’t do justice to the feeling. A person’s identity never comes from one single source.
We’re defined not just by our inherent traits and personal qualities, but also by who we interact with, and how we see ourselves in the eyes of others. This is why people often remark that the loss of a loved one is akin to losing a piece of themselves, because it’s true. Losing a loved one is like losing a tire on a car or a support beam to a house. There will always be days when you wake up, ready to begin your routine and, without warning, a sinking sensation will flow through your chest, sapping you of your physical and mental energy. “Oh no,” you’ll say, “not again. I already dragged myself through yesterday feeling like this. I can’t do it again.” I speak of this from personal experience. 2014 had been an alright year for me, but I held high hopes for fall. I was starting my junior year of college, was living in a better apartment than the one I lived in last year and it was my first full quarter as an editor on the Highlander, so I definitely wanted to end 2014 with a bang. On Oct. 4, I received a phone call from my best friend. A phone call that told me four of our friends were killed in a car crash the previous night. There are days when I think to myself, “OK guys, I know I’m pretty gullible, but the joke’s over. You four can come out right now.” And then I’m reminded that it’s not a joke. Their absence was the cloud hanging over my head when week one of the fall quarter started. It’s never really left, and it never will. Grieving is a process with no time limit, nor
the “right way” to go through it. There were days when the smallest change of plans or differences in daily routines resulted in an eruption of anger. Some things that I love to do, like reading and writing or listening to and playing music, would seem to suddenly turn off in my brain, and I’d perform those tasks feeling numbness in place of the joy. My attempts to make small talk with friends (so that I could be open and normal, like I had nothing to hide) could go smoothly. Sometimes, though, it felt like watching a leaf cling to a tree branch against a strong wind — cold, fleeting and futile. So to everybody out there who thought that 2014 was a pretty decent year, I agree. As previously noted, some pretty neat things went down. And for those who were having a good year up to a certain point followed by tragedy and personal loss, you should know that I’m right there with you. To those people, I’ll try to say this: 2014 hit us pretty damn hard in the gut, hard enough to the point where you’d want to drink your troubles away and forget that 2014 ever existed. But as much as we want to, let us not forget 2014. To forget that last year existed is to deny yourself the last memories you have of the loved one, and thus deny a part of who you are. Don’t do that. Remember those you’ve lost, and remember the pain that 2014 brought in order to look forward to 2015, to a better year. You have to live with your pain in order to grow, as do I. As Shakespeare put it, “So foul a sky clears not without a storm.” ■H
2014 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.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6. 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
9
Features YEAR RESOLUTIONS
A
CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER
Tiffany Liaw, Senior Staff Writer
2 0 1 5
midst the lights, fireworks, bubbly champagne and glittery outfits welcoming a New Year, it’s also the time for a new set of resolutions! Not accounting for the fact that some resolutions will most likely die within the next week (or even the next day), the mere conjuring of a resolution is serious business. After all, a new year means a new you, right? In my personal experience, I’ve heard the same few resolutions screamed out loud next to me among the New Year’s Eve celebration madness in Downtown Los Angeles, and I shamelessly agree that my list includes the most commonly broken resolutions: from losing weight to spending less money. (None of which have actually been followed through on my behalf in the past …) Nonetheless, promises of eating healthy, improving grades, increasing money flow and finding romance have been unsurprisingly the most popular goals for the year. So how many of these reso-
lutions are actually kept as the year passes? Honestly, I’ve never successfully kept a resolution, and as a result, I rarely make them. Of all the people I have asked, none of them have truly committed to one either and it’s sad to say that more often than not resolutions falter as the year drags on. Instead of committing to something that is beyond your power, such as finding that significant other, aim to strengthen your ties with people in your life and attempt to get to know more people. Resolutions involving romance are iffy since these things can’t exactly be predicted to happen within a year, let alone this year in particular, and that doesn’t mean you should feel desperate to keep the resolution from failing. A close friend of mine decided to take a more economical approach to 2015, resolving to save half of each paycheck to go toward a trip to South Korea in the near future and to expand her personal business. Traveling is also a common resolution, es-
pecially among college students like ourselves. Whether it’s for volunteer work, studying abroad or recreation, traveling can be a fulfilling resolution for many. Despite the more common resolutions, some like to dig a little deeper and use the opportunity to better themselves. “I want to find a way to stay genuinely happy; a keystone if you will,” confessed my friend Joyce Lee. “Wow, that’s pretty deep … ” we exclaimed in awe. Even if your resolution isn’t quite as complex as Joyce’s, you can still strive to be more optimistic to start off the new year in a positive way. By doing something as simple as saying hello to a stranger or complimenting one random person a day, you can easily master the New Year’s resolution while simultaneously making someone’s day! You never know, you could gain a new friend (or even meet that special someone) with such an easy and kind gesture that doubles as something meaningful. Even the concept of creating
a blog and updating it daily can be seen as a resolution; nearly anything can be one as long as you set your mind to it and truly commit. Take some time to think it through and with adequate planning, you will most likely be able to accomplish your goals. Some more achievable resolutions include striving to improve your grades, going to every class, cut down on sweets when you can and even to cook more meals at home. It might not be easy at first, but with some time and dedication, it’ll get easier as the year progresses. Don’t let laziness get the best of you (that could be a resolution as well). The key to keeping a resolution is to make one that is realistic enough to be achieved with some effort, but also challenging enough to motivate you to complete it. Being consistent with your goal helps in the long run, and just think of how good it will feel knowing that you are part of the rare minority who actually follows through with a resolution! ■H
10
FEATURES
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
You do you, and I’ma do me by Maxine Arellano, Senior Staff Writer
W
e made it, we made it through the New Year’s kiss, the awkward questionnaire with family and basically anything the holiday can romanticize. Whereas some plan on spending the rest of the year with the person they spent the first minute of it with, others hope to find that person. Some people tried that for 2014 and, well, it didn’t really work out as planned. It’s weird that “finding someone” is a resolution, but rarely is “ … and be happy with them.” Some settled for the dirtbag because they gave him the benefit of the the doubt. Others got their heart smashed on the curb when he left them forever alone. Then there are those who say to hell with the heartbreak, it’s just sex. Most ended 2014 differently than when it began. But how do you start 2015? “I’m gonna do me.” “I always thought that maybe I was over reacting because
that’s what he told me,” a Riverside resident who wants to go by Joy Clark says. Joy exclaims a statement that many can identify with and reveals the harsh reality about a guy she dated after being best friends with him for many years. She began 2014 hand-inhand with him, believing this is how the rest of her life would be. However, it got harder to believe that as the year went on. “He once said ‘can you look a little better next time I see you’ and I had been sick at home with the flu,” Joy says. Going into the year, many believe that they need someone … and this person made Joy feel that exact way for a good portion of 2014: that she needed him. Whether it was her blood boiling over the edge or a craving for change, Joy told herself, and him, that this was not okay. And despite the “If you want to judge me by my mistakes then fine,” excuse he fed her, she real-
ized she not only deserves better, but she does not need anyone to make her complete. “I’m just gonna do me in 2015!” Dillon Clarkson says, after he realized the “forever alone” mentality seemed too negative. Like others, one of Dillon’s resolutions for last year was to find someone. He went on dates, got attached and was inevitably left back at square one. “He was like, ‘I have other priorities: school, fraternity … and you are not one of them,” Dillon reveals about someone he thought was serious. But Dillon kept going back for more. Was it because “forever alone” was still “too negative?” Lots of people say that they are going to work on themselves and focus on their needs — and then that goes out the door when they see a happy couple. As Dillon went weak for the first guy that showed interest and kindness, he forgot about the person who actually matters: himself. He wanted
to find someone to love him and want to be with him, but what he didn’t already understand was that he already had people on his side that did just that. He just needed to join them. “No one plans to be a hoe,” Mark Meza explains when he shares his story of three rounds in one night. When a hangout with someone turns a little too steamy, it may result in a battle of “Who Removes Clothes Faster.” And then when both parties are cleaned up, buttoned up and saying goodbye, the phone rings. “I was like, ‘why not’?” Mark laughs. All cares went out the window when he went for round two. Both experiences were good times, mentally high-fiving himself for fulfilling his needs before putting his heart out on the line. And then the one he really longed for calls. Do you shake your head to the offer or jump on the opportunity? If a person you have been
wanting to see again gives you an opening, why wouldn’t you jump on it? Mark, though, is not looking for a relationship. As dating may be on the back burner, that doesn’t mean sexual desires should be too. And with that, he jumped on the chance and the man. He keeps it safe, as his partners do as well, and everyone leaves happy. “I get what I need, so does he,” he said. You have the fierce one who will not settle for anything less than deserved, the noble one who will no longer search for what he already has and the brave one who will get what he wants and take no prisoners. Three people, three situations that many can relate to going into 2015. A new year does not mean you need a new person by your side. Unless, however, that new person is yourself. Staying true to yourself and not worrying about anyone else, you just have to say, “I’ma do me.” ■H
FEATURES
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
11
campus cope: Winter Storm is upon us Maxine Arellano, Senior Staff Writer // Tiffany Liaw, Senior Staff Writer
Maintaining both your GPA and your sanity is a delicate balancing skill that is difficult to switch on at an instant. Study early and study effectively if what your desire the most is an A, or even just a passing grade.
Say your goodbyes to the mountains of holiday food and take a deep breath, because we’re in for another year and most importantly, a new quarter. What does this mean (aside from the sad return to workload)? For some, it could be a wake-up call for poor work ethic in the previous year, and for some lucky others, it could be the start of something great. Regardless, 2015 brings us a new academic slate that can either help or hurt us in the long run.
Maintaining
So you wrapped up last quarter with grades you are satisfied with — congrats! It’s definitely not easy and it’s reassuring to know that all the hard work has finally paid off. Try to remember your most effective study methods and apply them again. Now that you’ve got the hang of it, the days of trial and error are gone for the most part. Despite your recent success, however, it’s definitely not an excuse to get lazy, even just a little. New classes mean different professors and different grading methods, so it’s important to update your studying tactics to suit each criteria and look up your professors on ratemyprofessor. com (with a grain of salt of course) to
Recovery Plan
And if you just read the above paragraph with a scowl and inked palms from clutching onto the paper so hard, then maybe fall 2014 was not your quarter after all. Many say that the fall quarter is always the worst: Vacation mode doesn’t wear off until midterm time and the mindset of “Oh I don’t need to write that down,” still lingers. Then we are stuck with the mediocre grades we earned until the end. And if you have one of those grading systems where it’s 50 percent midterm, 50 percent final, you’re toast. Crack your knuckles and warm up those limbs, because winter 2015 will not go down without a fight. First thing to remember is read the syllabus. Most professors will send them the week prior to the first class so students are well-acquainted with the curriculum and what the class has in store for the next 10 weeks. Do not be that student who looks around blankly when the professor asks everyone to take out the syllabus. Be prepared to order books, get all materials needed, and (if the professor means business) start on the required work ahead of time, instead of scrambling before the first meeting — because fumbling with papers and scribbling gibber-
ish does not make a good impression. Which brings up the next step to recovery: a good impression with the professor and TA. It can’t be said how much it helps to create a great rapport with the person who decides your fate in the class. Now, you don’t have to be that person who runs to shake the hand of the professor and be a brown-noser, but taking the time to stop by office hours to get a full grasp on the material and earn a chance for them to really get to know you helps. As recent UCR graduate Conor Jones explained, after his very last class, that the one thing that has gotten him the grades he earned was knowing professors and TA’s at an almost-personal level. It is always better for the professor to put a friendly face to the name when they input final grades, rather than just another meaningless grade. Remember: Stay on top of your business and never take on too much that you cannot handle. You need a job, divide your time accordingly to fit your already-packed schedule. Just took on a second responsibility without knowing? Take a step back and put priorities into place. Chin up, we are almost halfway done. ■H
see what you might be in for. Let your previous beautiful grades page on Growl motivate you for the quarter and if you are ever tempted to slack, keep that rewarding feeling in mind and stay focused. Those grades are from hard work and dedication and nothing less so don’t let your efforts go to waste. We’re only one-third of the way done with the year and the sad truth is one golden quarter will not compensate for two less-than-mediocre ones (darn quarter system) and oftentimes that realization occurs when it’s almost too late. Raising your GPA takes steady success, so if this is your first time tasting the glory, do not make it your last.
If you didn’t do too well with fall quarter there’s still time this year to save your GPA. It will definitely be easier said than done, but after a relaxing winter break you owe it to yourself to work hard and stick it through for at least one more quarter.
Be there.
When news happens, be the first to get the story. Then tell the world, whether it’s a protest or a concert. Learn how you can be on the scene by coming to the Highlander’s meetings every Monday at 5:15 p.m. in HUB 101.
Highlander
ONLINE: “BROOKLYN NINE-NINE” REVIEW
R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT TUESDAY, JANUARY 6. 2015
EVENTS THIS WEEK 1/8
“Taken 3” ticket giveaway @ HUB, 3:00 p.m.
1/9
Asante Children’s Choir Concert @ Trinity Lutheran Church, 7:00 p.m.
1/9
Concert @ Blood Orange Infoshop, 7:00 p.m.
COURTESY OF HAMMER FILMS
14
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
MOVIE REVIEWS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org COMING OUT SOON: TAKEN 3
BLACK NOVEMBER PREDESTINATION
MATCH HUMAN CAPITAL
THE WOMAN IN BLACK 2: ANGEL OF DEATH // RATING: ★☆☆☆☆ STASEAN WASHINGTON Staff Writer
I
f you are an Internet-savvy youngster, then you’ve probably come across what is known as a “screamer.” Your friends showed you a video or had you play a flash game that was seemingly innocent until a scary image suddenly pops onto the screen accompanied by a loud scream that nearly scared the crap out of you. You got scared and your friends had a good laugh. Now imagine watching a feature length film with this type of cheap scare tactic. If you can, you’ve pretty much experienced all “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” has to offer. “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” is a horror film directed by Tom Harper. It tells the tale of Eve Parkins (Phoebe Fox), a young schoolteacher facing the blitz of World War II. Eve accompanies a group of schoolchildren during an evacuation to an old, empty estate known as the Eel Marsh House. One by one, the children begin
to go missing and Eve must battle against a dark force within the estate to save the children and survive. The No. 1 thing that makes a horror film is how it chooses to instill fear into its audience. There are many ways to do this, but the most uncreative is that of jump scares. This film relies heavily on these to try and create fear, but fails to do so because the scares are both cheap and predictable. In any scene in the movie, when the dramatic score or ambience comes to a halt, it’s a dead giveaway that something is coming. And the few jump scares that aren’t as predictable come at moments of no importance, and just exist because they can. The film also suffers from poor handling of its story elements. Film is a visual medium that boasts the phrase “show, don’t tell,” but generously plotted exposition can help enhance the audience’s understanding of the story as a whole. The plot of “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death” is incredibly difficult to follow because it confuses generous exposition for no ex-
“The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death,” comes off as just a visual heart attack for audiences, rather than an actual film.
COURTESY OF HAMMER FILMS
position or exposition that has no severe impact on the story. The characters are haunted by a mysterious antagonist constantly referred to as “she,” whose reasoning or background the audience will know nothing about. The film would rather emphasize military commander Harry Burnstows’ (Jeremy Irvine) fear of water, which the entire film can do without, than the motives and reasoning of its title character. This could be due to the fact that the film is a sequel, but there are no references to the first film and it can easily act as
a standalone. But even though it doesn’t mention the previous events in the Eel Marsh House, it assumes the audience knows. The one saving grace that this film has is its production design. Jacqueline Abrahams manages to make the Eel Marsh estate a gothic masterpiece. Abrahams creates a unique identity to the estate that is both dreamlike and fantastical. However, Abrahams’ environment is tarnished by the director’s lack of imagination and use of cheap jump scares. “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death,” lacks depth
in both its story and horror elements. Much like the shock of viewing a screamer, the audience will easily recover and forget what they’ve seen, rather than have a meaningful or deep reflection of the film. When one compares this film to the likes of “The Babadook” or “Honeymoon,” two films that understand that atmosphere and story is more effective than tossing scary images on the screen, “The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death,” comes off as just a visual heart attack for audiences, rather than an actual film. ■H
NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB // RATING: ★★☆☆☆ KELLY DUARTE Contributing Writer
I
n another installment no one saw coming or particularly demanded, “Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb” seems to be the final movie in the franchise. The premise that’s given in this movie is very different from the previous films and shows promise of being fresh, original content but what is given to us is the same slapstick, history-based humor and even a new location like the sequel. “Night at the Museum” is clumsy and very lacking in new ideas, choosing to rely on the past successes of the series rather than coming up with anything new, which is fitting for a movie relying on the past for its source of humor. The movie focuses on the tablet of Ahkmenrah, the source of what causes everything to come to life, and its seemingly diminishing power. What gives the promise of a new take on the franchise is the movie opening on a flashback. It has a very Indiana Jones-feel as it reveals the discovery of Ahkmenrah’s tomb and what seems to be a curse that’s been unleashed. Cut to present day, when everyone in the museum begins to lose control of their movements and start to revert to wax. The only solution is for Larry Daley (Ben Stiller) and friends to journey to London to find Ahkmenrah’s parents. And that’s pretty much it. There are a couple of subplots featuring Larry having to deal with his son growing up and Sir Lancelot, but most of the movie is the same backand-forth humor that was entertaining in the first movie and okay in the second, but at this point is bland in its own cliched way. At one point, it
could be forgotten that this is even a comedy, as the laughs are sparse throughout the movie. We’ve seen it before (even twice) and the comedy feels dry. Another problem is that the movie tries to both include a lot of a new setting and clumsily spreads out screen time among these new and secondary characters. The problem is the movie is very self-aware that this is the last installment and tries to mix in the elements of what worked in the first movie (characters) and the second (action in a new location) just to remind people why the movie was so likeable in the first place. When the film chooses to focus on London, it pushes the supporting characters to the side, and when it does put focus on them it feels rushed, just serving as a quick refresher of what makes them likable as characters. But for most of the movie, they are just there as background, running from danger and doing almost nothing to move the plot forward, as little of it as there is. It is touching at the end of the movie that there’s a nice sendoff to both Mickey Rooney, who has a brief cameo, and Robin Williams. Knowing that this is Williams’ final role does make watching the few scenes he actually has dialogue in a little bittersweet. Although unplanned, the written final scene with him also feels like a proper send-off. Although it has its quiet, touching moments, that is not enough to carry the movie, particularly one that is supposed to be a comedy adventure. Overall, the film attempts to tackle too much material and it creates an unfocused, cluttered mess. It tries to be too many things and in the end H just manages to be “okay.” ■
COURTESY OF 21 LAPS ENTERTAINMENT
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6. 2015
15
TV REVIEW MOZART IN THE JUNGLE // RATING: ★★★★☆ HONEIAH KARIMI Senior Staff Writer
ist, but upon discovering her ingenue ways, Rodrigo takes her on as his go-to girl while helpust in time for the holiday ing her improve along the way. season, Amazon released Though Rodrigo’s methods are season one of “Mozart in a bit unorthodox, he, too, grows the Jungle” on their Prime as a person, for his selfishness streaming service. Though Net- and impulsivity were only disflix is still top dog, Amazon serving him. Prime’s Instant Video service The first season consists has been moving up the ranks of 10 half-hour episodes that ever since striking a deal with are practically begging to be HBO for streaming their clas- watched within a day — in fact, sics, such as “The Sopranos,” you can binge-watch the entire “Oz” and “The Wire.” With series in five hours. Netflix’s success A weakness of in producing the show would Whether you consider original content, certainly be its Amazon fol- yourself a classical music title. The name lowed suit with aficionado or someone of the show was “Alpha House,” enough to sway “ Tr a n s p a r e n t ” who can’t tell the difference me from watchand most re- between an arpeggio and ing it as I figcently, “Mozart ured it would be an archipelago, this In The Jungle.” Amazon original dramedy a trite modernWhether you day rendition of will be a treat. consider yourthe film, “Amaself a classical deus”; however, music aficionado or someone the quality of “Transparent” who can’t tell the difference convinced me that Amazon may between an arpeggio and an ar- be onto something with its origchipelago, this Amazon original inal content. The series is more dramedy will be a treat. accurately a mesh of HBO’s The series was created “Girls” and NBC’s “Smash” if by Roman Coppola, Jason they were actually any good and Schwartzman (who even guest centered around classical music. stars in two episodes) and Alex “Mozart in the Jungle” calls Timbers. The show was inspired into question stereotypes about by Blair Tindall’s memoir, “Mo- classical musicians and shows zart in the Jungle: Sex, Drugs the darker, seedier side of this and Classical Music.” While gifted orchestra. Its ensemble “Mozart in the Jungle” is no cast with impeccable comedic “Orange is the New Black,” the timing and fast-paced storylines mixture of comedy and drama are most definitely the series’ are reminiscent of the Netf- strengths. lix dramedy for sure. “Mozart The show only grows stronin the Jungle” is funny as hell ger as it progresses, so while with quippy dialogue delivered the pilot may only be slightly by a phenomenal cast, starring above-average, keep with it. Bernadette Peters, Gael Garcia The next episode will have you Bernal, Malcolm McDowell and hooked. The series’ strongest epLola Kirke. isodes are episode seven (“You “Mozart in the Jungle” Go To My Head”) and episode chronicles the trials and tribula- 10, the season finale (“Opentions of 26-year-old oboist Hai- ing Night”). Upon finishing the ley, played by Kirke, and Ber- finale, I found myself googling nal as Rodrigo, the newly hired whether or not the show had — not to mention hilarious — been renewed for a second seaconductor of the New York Phil- son, which there is still no comharmonic Symphony Orchestra. ment on — though I am confiRodrigo hires Hailey as an obo- dent will be the case. ■H
J
COURTESY OF AMAZON STUDIOS
MUSIC REVIEW STARBOMB: “PLAYER SELECT” // RATING: ★★★★☆ JAMESON ADAME Senior Staff Writer
S
tarbomb seemed to appear out of nowhere last year, releasing a selftitled comedy album that quickly rose the charts on iTunes, and hitting the No. 1 spot on the comedy chart. After a year or so of waiting, the second album for Starbomb has come out, entitled “Player Select”; it is the brainchild of animator and let’s-player Egoraptor (Arin Hansen) and Ninja Sex Party band members Danny Sexbang (Dan Avidan) and Ninja Brian (Brian Wecht). A result of American Fair Use laws, this album acts as Starbomb’s second celebration of video games and nerd culture in general, parodying video games old and new, as well as characters belonging to toy brands of old. As with their first album, Starbomb doesn’t fail to include a breadth of generic themes and stylistic motifs. Music in “Player Select” is composed of synthesized beats, echoing eight- and 16-bit midi files that used to score games in the Super Ninten-
do era. These synthetic tunes are strung throughout the album and made into beats typical of rock, rap and even the faux-broadway “Inky’s Lament.” With all the thematic variety, however, enjoyment of the songs certainly hinges upon the ability to enjoy the sounds of Ninja Brian’s keyboard-based music, as every single track is written with this style in mind. Keeping that in mind, “Player Select” is nothing if not inventive with how to keep the sounds of 16-bit music fresh. Contributing all of the rapping in the album, Egoraptor keeps a good rhythm going, never letting up the energy, and sounding clear enough in his delivery that any listener who desired to do so could rap along with the tracks in the album. Likewise, Sexbang’s singing is better than his absurd stage name might imply, displaying a voice that is not autotuned at all, but instead layered to achieve different effects. Together, the raps and singing come together well, often conversing with each other in songs like “New Pokerap,” where Brock attempts to fill Ash in on the new Pokemon that ex-
ist since he was hospitalized in Starbomb’s first album. “Player Select” covers the gamut of video game humor, going back to a stylistic radio drama in “Atari Mystery Hour” and then quickly turning around to parody the seemingly innocent nature of Minecraft in “Minecraft is for Everyone.” The songs are short and punchy, usually focusing on a single punchline and ending before the joke can wear thin on the listener. As a parody album though, the minimum requirement to fully experience the joking nature of the songs is an understanding of the topics being covered, enhancing the enjoyment of songs such as “Smash!” when a listener hears Markiplier playing the announcer. Coming as the second album for a band who bases their music on jokes surrounding video games also presents a few barriers for new listeners. Several songs like the previously mentioned “New Pokerap,” “The Hero of Rhyme” and “The Simple Plot of Metal Gear Solid” are based around running jokes that were established in “Starbomb.” In an effort to lift these prereq-
COURTESY OF STARBOMB
uisites though, the entire first album can be found for free on YouTube. The album clocks in at around a half-hour, though costs the usual $9.99, which may act as a further deterrent for listeners, though the comedic nature of the album manages to keep it from
overstaying its welcome. If you are a part of the intended audience for “Player Select” then you are sure to enjoy it for the expansion of the original album that it is. If you are new to the band or are a gamer looking to laugh, sample the original album and make a decision from there. ■H
16
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
Nelson Luu, Staff Writer
N
COURTESY OF NELSON LUU
ew year, new quarter! I hope everyone had a great winter break this year! For the first installment of The Cytherial Factor in 2015, I thought I’d answer one of the biggest questions I’ve been getting from friends and readers, which is how I got my start in fashion. I didn’t really become interested in fashion until really late in college. While I enjoyed trying to dress well, fashion as a hobby or a career choice wasn’t on my radar until 2014 rolled around. I’ll admit, I started on my path after watching a YouTube video of Jen Im (of clothesencounters). I was instantly hooked — she made talking about style and fashion so easy and fun. While I obviously couldn’t dress like her, it was her personality that drove me to explore my own sense of style. By the time summer rolled around, I was exploring possible careers in fashion and style. One of the best ways, I learned, to explore career interests was to look for internships. Luckily, I happened to have a friend from back home that I was able to request an internship from. She was the head designer for a relatively new high-end women’s clothing brand and gladly took me on as her assistant for the summer. Since the company was relatively small, I was able to start assisting
many of her co-workers from other departments as the summer went on. From sales, to production, design, photography and marketing, I got to experience almost every aspect of the company and got to see what it takes to prepare a line during a season. Throughout the course of about two and a half months my bosses allowed me to attend a multitude of events. Within the first week of working, I was able to attend a model casting where some of the most beautiful women I have ever met came in from a variety of agencies to get a spot as our campaign model. From there, I was able to assist in a photoshoot for the campaign, which taught me what really goes on during a professional photoshoot as well as influenced the way I currently work with models in my own photography. In the weeks that passed, I attended meetings with industry professionals where I learned how to speak and act professionally. I got heavily involved with our company’s marketing team and began to work with a PR company as well as fashion bloggers and influencers in the fashion world. Halfway through the internship, I decided to take what I learned and apply it by starting up my own fashion blog. I got a lot of support from the people that I’ve worked with and my new friends in the industry were more than willing to help mentor me as my blog began to grow.
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
By the time I was preparing to end my internship and return to UCR in the fall, I had gained substantial knowledge about the fashion industry in the few weeks that I had to immerse myself in my work. I loved what I did, and even though I made a ton of mistakes and had a difficult time trying to cram all of this information, my bosses were extremely patient and willing to teach me as much as they could. This doesn’t have to apply to just fashion. An internship is an invaluable resource that we college students should use to our advantage. There are few moments in our lives that allow us this kind of opportunity to grow and learn from hands-on experience. The ability to make mistakes and learn from them, the chances to explore different possible career paths, as well as the networking opportunities when one is starting their career more than makes up for the low pay, long hours and often stressful situations that come with being new to an industry. With winter quarter starting, and summer internship opportunities beginning to open up, I really encourage you to start looking into companies that offer internships to college students that allow you to explore different departments in the company. Who knows, you might discover that you have an interest in a field that’s completely different from what you’re currently studying! ■H
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
Awayfrom
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
17
LISTEN NOW ON HIGHLANDERNEWS.ORG
the
Sprawl: BEST OF 2014 by Jake Rich, Senior Staff Writer
1 T
“ST. VINCENT”
ST. VINCENT In my original review of this album, I quoted an interview
with Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) about this album where she said, “I think I’ve always tried to live at the intersection between accessibility and lunatic-fringe.” To date, this is the best description I’ve heard of St. Vincent as an artist, and never has she walked that line as well as on her self-titled fourth album. Clark seamlessly tackles topics ranging from mundane days (“Birth in Reverse”) to insecurities about the digital age (“Digital Witness,” “Huey Newton”) to severe self-doubt and depression and relationships (“Psychopath,” “Every Tear Disappears,” “Severed Crossed Fingers”). Clark’s striking, masterful guitar playing, combined with vivid, idiosyncratic lyricism and fantastic production help her capture the many different facets of lives of millennials better than any other artist this year.
2
“LOST IN THE DREAM” THE WAR ON DRUGS
From the opening stuttering of the drum machine and dreamy guitar at the beginning of album-opener “Under the Pressure,” it is clear we are headed into the mind of a man who is anxious and unsure of himself. But on “Lost In The Dream,” the fourth album from the War on Drugs, frontman Adam Granduciel has never been so assured in expressing and exposing his innermost thoughts. The Petty and Springsteen influences are all over the album, but to call it an homage would be severely underestimating the intricacies of the album, as spacey, dreamy synths are permeated by sometimes floating, sometimes piercing guitar to explore depths of emotion that lyrics cannot convey. And while the lyrics are above average, it’s the entire production that elevates them, and proves Granduciel as one of the most intricate and interesting producers and songwriters today.
“HERE AND NOWHERE ELSE” CLOUD NOTHINGS
3
On Cloud Nothings’ fourth full-length, “Here and Nowhere Else,” nothing is drastically different. But why change a winning formula when it worked so well last time? With an almost effortless, potent blend of punk and garage rock, the band doesn’t let up for all of the LP’s eight songs and 31 minutes, with lyricist and frontman Dylan Baldi facing his problems in an admittedly more positive light than 2012’s “Attack on Memory” over chugging guitar and explosive drumming from Jayson Gerycz. The pre-chorus of closing track “I’m Not Part of Me,” — “I’m learning how to be here and nowhere else / how to focus on what I can do myself,” — is self-help rock at its finest.
“LP1” FKA TWIGS
— and how it will happen — next.
4
Easily the best debut album of the year, FKA Twigs, also known as Tahliah Barnett, combines confessions about her insecurities and triumphs in romance, public perception and everything else into one of the most haunting, yet mesmerizing and sensual releases this year. Barnett’s vocals combine a distinct earnestness with an eerie high-pitched tone to convey self-doubt and self-confidence simultaneously, but it’s the songs’ stunning artsy R&B-via-electronic production that lend the album its true weight, as the space between the beats leaves the listener breathless and wondering what will happen
“BRILL BRUISERS” THE NEW PORNOGRAPHERS
5
“Bo-ba-bo-bo-ba-bo!” If there’s a musical equivalent of going zero to 60, the New Pornographers do so in about two seconds on their bombastic sixth LP. After the utterly consistent power-pop mainstay’s last two albums took on a slightly more somber tone, “Brill Bruisers” aimed to return to their joyous work of old. Mixing in a bit of electronic production for the first time, the group effortlessly manages their multitude of singers. Highlight track “War on the East Coast,” comes from the eccentric Dan Bejar, while the best on the album, and namely, one of the slowest songs, “Champions of Red Wine,” written by bandleader A.C. Newman, is sung with a wistful nostalgia by powerhouse vocalist Neko Case, with dreamy backup vocals from Newman and Kathryn Calder.
his is the year things got personal. Maybe it’s my perception, (that’s what a column is supposed to be anyway, right? Right.) but more than any year in my recent memory, the best of music in 2014 was the most honest and personal. With all the world has gone through this year, it’s easy to understand the idea of artists turning inward to escape the turmoil of the outside world, or to reflect on how it has affected them. Heck, one of the most moving personal songs of the year came as a surprise release in the wee hours of Dec. 31 in the form of a Kanye West and Paul McCartney collaboration! I know that on a personal level for me, 2014 has presented some of the biggest changes and challenges in my life in recent memory. Putting that perspective onto
a list like this inherently forms some sense of bias from the moment I write it. And truly, ranking 10 vastly different but great albums is the same as some cliche about apples and oranges. The only way to separate them, then, is to use your own personal perceptions and apply them in a way that you think adequately spaces your favorites from the best — if there even is a difference. What I’m trying to say is, no list is the right list — and that what makes them great. With that said, here are my top albums and songs for 2014. These albums moved me, made me think, challenged my listening ideas and were also just a good time to listen to. As for the new year, Cloud Nothings gives us an apt line to find a new start: “It starts right now, there’s a way I was before / But I can’t recall how I was those days anymore.” ■H
18
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
“YOU’RE DEAD!” FLYING LOTUS
69
Easily one of the most ambitious albums of the year, Flying Lotus’ fifth album finds the producer blurring genre lines constantly while exploring what death and life mean. The most talked about, and standout track on the album, a Kendrick Lamar collaboration entitled, “Never Catch Me,” easily earns its reputation. Lamar, who has a yet-to-be-titled album likely coming out this year, spits his verses with an anxious fury, saying, “Step inside of my mind and you’ll find / Curiosity, animosity, high philosophy like the prophesized meditation.” Flying Lotus set out to show all these facets of his mind, and his evocative jazz and hip-hop production and collaborations show he’s more than up to the task.
“ARE WE THERE”
“SEEDS” TV ON THE RADIO
BEST SONGS OF 2014
meetings on mondays, 5:15 p.m. @ hub 101
for the highlander newspaper
write. shoot. design.
PERFECT PUSSY
“EVERYTHING WILL BE ALRIGHT IN THE END”
WEEZER
This album is easily the happiest that I am happiest to be able to include in my top 10. Though I believe some of the scrutiny of the group’s efforts of the past 10 years is too harsh, it’s not a stretch to say Weezer hasn’t put together an album as good as this in quite a while. Filled with the dorkiness and introspection of classic Weezer, and a sense of self-awareness of their mixed past, Weezer proves they have something good left in the tank.
8 HONORABLE MENTIONS
When TV on the Radio lost bassist Gerard Smith in 2011 to lung cancer just days after the release of “Nine Types of Light,” the band’s future suddenly had a large question mark thrown over it. Not only did 2014’s “Seeds” show the band wasn’t done yet, but it showcased a ferocious resiliency that had the band publicly grieving and letting out their inner thoughts with a group of 12 cathartic songs about love and loss.
25. “Summer Noon” – Tweedy 24. “Leave the Door Wide Open” – Black English 23. “Rescue Song” – Mr Little Jeans 22. “Happy Idiot” – TV on the Radio 21. “War on the East Coast” – The New Pornographers 20. “Real Thing” – Tune-Yards 19. “Careful You” – TV on the Radio 18. “Caaalifornia (feat. Ghost Beach)” – French Horn Rebellion 17. “Dead Air” – CHVRCHES 16. “Content Nausea” – Parquet Courts
“SAY YES TO LOVE”
Throughout the entirety of this album (all of 23 minutes long), few phrases coming from singer Merideth Grave’s mouth are understandable over tracks drenched in feedback. But even on first listen, one line, from highlight track “Interference Fits,” is loud and clear: “Since when do we say yes to love?” Actually glancing at the lyric sheet, the album is filled with confusion and desperation about relationships of life, but this clear cry in the middle of the manic noise-punk chaos captures a zeitgeist of confusion about nearly everything for millennials.
7 10
SHARON VAN ETTEN
You know that an album is a bit of a downer when a line in one of its most optimistic sounding songs says, “Every time the sun comes up / I’m in trouble.” But isn’t it in sadness that we find much of our catharsis? On “Are We There,” singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten puts all her emotions, ugly or not, on full display for all to hear. Lush piano ballads and range of voice used to maximum effectiveness throughout, Van Etten shows her all-around capabilities on her first time alone in the producer’s chair.
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
“STRANGE DESIRE” -- BLEACHERS “NIKKI NAK” -- TUNE-YARDS “THEY WANT MY SOUL” -- SPOON
“EL PINTOR” -- INTERPOL “MANIPULATOR” -- TY SEGALL “SUKIERAE” -- TWEEDY
15. “Don’t Wanna Dance” – MO 14. “Severed Crossed Fingers” – St. Vincent 13. “Red Eyes” – The War On Drugs 12. “Afraid of Nothing” – Sharon Van Etten 11. “Champions Of Red Wine” – The New Pornographers 10. “Interference Fits” – Perfect Pussy 9. “Two Weeks” – FKA Twigs 8. “Birth In Reverse” – St. Vincent 7. “All The Rage Back Home” – Interpol 6. “I Wanna Get Better” – Bleachers 5. “Seasons (Waiting On You)” – Future Islands 4. “Only One (feat. Paul McCartney)” – Kanye West 3. “I’m Not Part of Me” – Cloud Nothings 2. “Under The Pressure” – The War On Drugs 1. “Never Catch Me (feat. Kendrick Lamar)” – Flying Lotus
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
19
UCR finishes non-conference play with 81-38 win over UMKC JASON AHN Contributing Writer DEC 30, 2014
............................................................................
Cyclones 71 - Highlanders 54
On the night before New Year’s Eve, UCR’s women’s basketball team faced Iowa State in the Cyclone Challenge in Ames, Iowa. After advancing with a first-round victory over Brown University, the Highlanders lost against the Cyclones, 71-54. UCR’s Brittany Crain leads the Big West in scoring with 23.1 points per game, Simone DeCoud is at number nine and Annelise Ito is close behind at number 13. Crain and Ito are both in the top ten in rebounds, and the three-point duo of DeCoud and Crain take the number two and three
spots in three-point percentage. Crain also ranks number one in steals with 2.6 per game. The Highlanders had a rocky start, as the Cyclones scored eight unanswered points. The Highlanders got to within three points after a jumper from Annelise Ito, but would stay put for the next seven points, bringing the score to 18-8. Crain made a jumper with 11:00 remaining, 18-10, but UCR remained down throughout the first half. The score was 36-24 at the end of the first half. Both teams were almost even except in a few categories. Three-point percentage was where UCR struggled, making only two of 16 attempts, while Iowa State converted on 11 of 30. UCR was
also out-rebounded, 34-46. Iowa State maintained their lead through the opening minutes of the second half. Crain and Ito scored consecutive jumpers to cut the deficit 3928 with about 18 minutes remaining. The Highlanders would not knock down a field goal for the next four minutes, until Ito’s offensive rebound and jumper with 14:12 remaining, 45-31. Unfortunately the Highlanders would not be able to get enough defensive stops for the rest of the game as Iowa State maintained their double-digit lead en route to a 71-54 victory. JAN 3 , 2015
............................................................................
Highlanders 81 - Roos 38
UCR
women’s
basket-
ball started the New Year off strong with a 81-38 victory over Missouri-Kansas City. Four Highlanders scored double figures in the lopsided victory. Brittany Crain scored 25 points, Dynese Adams 15, Michelle Curry 14 and Akilah Martin had 10. Curry also recorded a double-double with 10 assists. The Roos scored first with a jumper from Grace Mitchell, but the Highlanders immediately countered with nine unanswered points. The Roos’ Samantha Waldron ended their short drought with a three-pointer, but Crain answered with a three-pointer with 15:06 remaining in the first half, 12-5. Starting from Crain’s last three-pointer, until the 10th minute, UCR held the Roos to eight points, while adding six
points themselves. Crain, Adams, Curry and Martin combined for 31 out of UCR’s 45 first-half points as the Highlanders led 45-19. UC Riverside shot 55.6 percent from the field while tallying 12 assists for the period. To start the second half, Adams bolted out of the gates with a steal and lay-up to add two points to the scoreboard, 47-19. By the 19th minute, UCR would lead by 31 points, 50-19. An incredible 14 unanswered points would ensue, further increasing their lead to 45 points. UCR kept pounding their way to 81 points, allowing UMKC to score only 19 points for the period. With the win, UCR now moves into conference play as they travel to face off against Cal State FulH lerton on Thursday, Jan. 8. ■
20
TUESDAY, JANUARY 6, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
Sports
Brittany Crain CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER
Brittany Crain (No. 23) goes for a three-point shot. Crain was named player of the week by the Big West Conference.
wins third conference award
DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer
Women’s basketball guard Brittany Crain continues to shine for the university. With the team 9-5 heading into conference play, the Big West Conference named the Moreno Valley native the player of the week for the third time this season. The Big West and College Sports Madness announced Crain as the best player for the week of Dec. 22-28. The junior poured in 31 points in UCR’s 64-54 victory against San Diego State. Shooting 11 of 18 from the field, Crain knocked down four three-pointers and five free throws to eclipse the 30-point plateau for the fourth time this season. She scored 11 of the team’s last 19 points to help the Highlanders secure their seventh win. Currently, the junior ranks 10th in the nation in scoring (23 ppg) and firmly holds the top scoring position in the Big West conference. She also leads the Highlanders in points,
rebounds, steals, minutes, field goal percentage (45.9 percent), free throw percentage (79.2 percent) and threepointers made (31). “I put in a lot of work behind the scenes,” Crain said in an interview with the Highlander. “It’s not just practice, it’s me coming in on the weekend, or during the nighttime when everyone’s sleeping. I’m in the gym shooting or doing something different like that.” Crain is joined by Taylor Johns as the only UC Riverside basketball players to earn the honor for the 20142015 season. Johns was named player of the week earlier in December for games played from Dec. 1-7. The forward was the first men’s basketball player to receive the recognition since Phil Martin in 2012. The men’s and women’s basketball teams begin their Big West Conference play on Thursday, Jan. 8. The men will play host to Cal State Fullerton while the women will travel to play against the Titans. ■H
Brittany Crain (No. 23) leads the Big West Conference and Highlanders in total points scored.
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER
Men’s basketball falls in overtime vs. Northern Illinois
MELISSA FUENTES Contributing Writer
DEC 30, 2014
............................................................................
Highlanders 68 - Bears 63
Days before bringing in the New Year, the men’s basketball team recovered from a 17-point first-half deficit to dispatch the Morgan State Bears, 68-63. UCR’s Taylor Johns tied his career high with 31 points while grabbing 13 rebounds. Morgan State started out of the gate on fire, scoring the first 11 points of the contest. The Highlanders’ offensive output was nearly nonexistent outside of Johns, who scored 18 of the team’s first 21
points. The Bears kept their lead, despite Johns’ efforts, leading at intermission 37-24. UC Riverside started to find their range in the second half, shooting 62 percent from the field and cutting Morgan State’s advantage to four points, 44-40. Behind Jaylen Bland’s 13 points and Steven Thornton’s 12, the Highlanders continued their second-half surge. The team tied the score at 57-57 before stealing the win behind timely layups and crunchtime free throws, 6863. The Highlanders shot 62.5 percent in the period while outmuscling their opponents in the paint, 36-22.
JAN 2 , 2015
............................................................................
Huskies 72 - Highlanders 67
On Friday evening, men’s basketball began the New Year by hitting the road to face Northern Illinois University. With both teams having comparable records, Riverside being 7-5 and Illinois being 5-5, it was set to be a challenging and evenly contested game. Despite turning the ball over 24 times, the Highlanders managed to force overtime, but fell to the Huskies 72-67. In the first half, the Huskies opened the contest with a three-pointer from Johnson Anthony, who gave the Highlanders trouble all night, scoring 18 points for the contest.
Following Anthony’s lead, Northern Illinois continued to pile on points as the home team extended their lead to 12 points midway through the half, 20-8, and led 30-21 heading into intermission. Similar to their contest versus Morgan State, the Highlanders started to pick up their intensity in the second half. It was Nick Gruninger’s threepointer, with 6:33 remaining, that finally put the Highlanders in the lead, 47-46. As the minutes ticked away, UCR seemed close to a second consecutive victory, leading by four points, 56-52, with two minutes remaining. NIU, however, responded with back-to-back three-point-
ers that put them back in the lead, 58-56. Johns scored a layup with just 33 seconds remaining that forced the game into overtime. The intensity grew even stronger as the five minutes of overtime began. For the first three minutes both teams alternated in the scoring board. The Huskies separated themselves with a layup scored by Keith Gray. A few free throws later, the whistle blew and the Huskies took home the victory with a final score of 72-67. Johns was UCR’s leading scorer, posting 19 points, seven rebounds and seven turnovers. Steven Jones tallied 14 points while Bland scored 13 ■H points.