DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN
Take a peek at Del’s performance at the Barn.
Highlander University
Volume 63
of
16
C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e
Serving the UCR community since 1954
Issue 18
FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
UC to require measles, other vaccinations AARON GRECH Senior Staff Writer
In light of the recent measles outbreak at Disneyland, the UC has announced that it will now require screening for tuberculosis and vaccination for measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, meningococcus, tetanus and whooping cough by 2017 for enrolled students. Currently, the UC only requires students to be vaccinated for hepatitis B. According to UC Office of the President Media Specialist Shelly Meron, the plan has been in progress for almost a year and the system will begin an awareness campaign for the vaccination requirements in fall 2015. During this campaign, the UC will notify students about the vaccines and will implement policies in a couple of stages. By 2016, students will be expected but not required to submit their vaccination information to the university’s electronic medical records. By fall 2017, the UC will place a hold on students’ registration if they do not meet the vaccination requirements. Brandon Prell, a thirdyear cellular and molecular biology major, gave his opinion on the process. “While everyone should get vaccinated
HEAT TICKET SCALPING SCORCHES CONCERT ATTENDEES
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER Underneath an added “sold out” sign on top of a Heat advertisement reads a HUB warning: “Tickets will sell out!”
SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer
UCR Free and For Sale and UCR Craigslist are some of the few Facebook groups UCR students might turn to sell merchan-
dise — particularly Heat Music Festival 2015 tickets, which are often resold at a higher-than-usual price. Though the Highlander Union Building (HUB) currently does not have any regulatory powers when it comes to ticket
scalping, some question whether or not there should be greater HUB oversight over this illegal act. With Chance the Rapper and
Representing 240,000 students from across the UC system, the UC student regents held an open forum on Feb. 11 in HUB 367 to present their main initiatives for the year and to recruit students who will fill their shoes in the future. 2014-15 UC Student Regent Sadia Saifuddin has voting power on the UC Board of Regents. UCLA senior Abraham “Avi” Oved, student regentdesignate, sits on the board meetings without voting power and will take over Saifuddin’s position next year. The student regent works with the student regent-designate as a mentor to prepare them for the student regent position. “At the end of the day, there is no prescription. There is no cookie-cutter trajectory to become Student Regent,” Oved said. The student regent position is a two-year term with the first year starting as a student regent-designate. Students are required to fill out an application and list three references from within or outside the UC system. “Just three people that can vouch for who you are, your character, your integrity and your work ethic,” Oved said. ► SEE REGENTS, PAGE 4
CLUB
M E AS UR E M E AS UR E
SPOTLIGHT
for
NEWS 1 • OPINIONS 5 • FEATURES 9 • A&E 13 • SPORTS 24
SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer
► SEE HEAT, PAGE 4
► SEE MEASLES, PAGE 4
Shakespeare play “Measure for Measure,” produced by the department of theatre, film and digital production, is acted by many of UCR’s student talent.
UC student regents present projects, recruit students
K A R AT E CLUB
TRISH CARAGAN, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
I 14
admit I know little of karate. Thinking of people in white uniforms and black belts, I was introduced to Narine Karapetyan, Karate Club president and third-year neuroscience major, and Kevin Gomez, a Karate Club member and fourthyear economics and political science double-major. As I examine the logo on the Narine’s jacket, two words catch my attention: “Karate Club.” Karate began on the island of Okinawa. All weapons, including swords, were banned
throughout the island. Since the inhabitants did not have any weapons, they secretly trained in empty-hand techniques to defend themselves. These techniques would later become known as karate. The UCR club began around the 1960s when the physical education department had its own karate program under instructor Ray Dalke, who was certified by the Japanese Karate Association and shared his lessons with the ► SEE KARATE CLUB, PAGE 12
PLEASE RECYCLE
2
NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
NEWS IN BRIEF COMPILED BY AMY ZAHN, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Riverside boosts funding for arts and libraries
COURTESY OF UCR SCHOOL OF PUBLIC POLICY
Donations to help school of public policy research poverty
COURTESY OF UCR NEWSROOM
The Riverside City Council voted on Feb. 10 to increase funding for library materials and the Riverside School of the Arts by $50,000 each this year as part of several supplemental appropriations from the city’s general fund, totaling just over $4 million. Members of the council and public alike showed support for
the funding boost. “Two-hundred-some thousand people like me who have a library card will be appreciative of continuing investment in materials available to the library,” said Tom Evans, Riverside resident and member of the Board of Library Trustees. “I, too, am glad to see that we’re putting some money into
library resources and the school for the arts,” echoed Councilman Mike Gardner. The Riverside School of Arts provides free and low-cost arts classes to children across the city, and Riverside’s eight public libraries offer story times, crafts and other afterschool programs for the community.
The UC Riverside School of Public Policy will launch an initiative in fall 2015 that will educate about poverty-related issues globally and in Riverside and San Bernardino counties. The Blum Initiative on Global and Regional Poverty is possible thanks to a $250,000 donation from former UC Board of Regents chair Richard Blum, and matching donations from both the UC Office of the President and Chancellor Kim Wilcox. “The mission of the Blum Poverty Initiative resonates well
with the overall mission of UC Riverside,” Wilcox told UCR Today. “We work hard to ensure that the world-class education we offer is accessible to all, including those from povertystricken areas.” The initiative will allow the establishment of an undergraduate poverty minor, as well as a lower-division class on poverty and a poverty specialization for the Master of Public Policy program. Internships, a monthly seminar series and an annual poverty policy forum will also be established. ■H
ONLINE IN NEWS 2/19: “More information on Blum poverty initiative PHOTO OF THE WEEK
QUOTEBOOK “To see their perpetrator again and again is a very traumatic experience.” - UC Student Regent Sadia Saifuddin on victims of sexual assault
MULTIMEDIA
f
UCR Highlander Newspaper @ucrhighlander UCRChannelH
TIM BACA
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Wide Open Spaces. The 2015 GLUCK ensemble during the finale of their piece “Morph n Mix” at the Culver Center.
KUCR 88.3 FM, Wednesdays @ 9 a.m.
UPCOMING EVENTS
WINTER 2015, WEEK 6
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Monday
2/17
2/18
2/19
2/20
2/21
2/22
2/23
Marine Corps Leadership Workshop 11 a.m. - 1 p.m. HUB 269
Film Screening: “Dear White People” 5 - 8 p.m. HUB 302 North
Winter Soulstice 7- 10 p.m. HUB Plaza
27th Annual Tomas Rivera Conference 10 - 5 p.m. HUB 302
Bike with the Mayor 8 - 11 a.m. Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park
Riverside Dickens Festival 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Downtown Riverside
Walk and Talk with Leadership Series 2015 12:15 - 12:45 p.m. Outside HUB
10-Minute Chair Massage FREE! 5 - 8 p.m. Student Recreation Center Second Floor
Outpost Concert Series: Meerenai Shim 8 - 9:30 p.m. Culver Center of the Arts
Policy Challenges of Health Insurance Expansion in California 12:30 - 2 p.m. University Village
Encuentros/Encounters: Art Songs of Colombia 8 - 9:30 p.m. ARTS 116
“Measure for Measure,” a play by William Shakespeare 8 - 10 p.m. ARTS 113
Tour of UCR Botanical Gardens 12 - 1 p.m. UCR Botanical Gardens
Where are the Jobs? The Hidden Job Market 1 - 2 p.m. HUB 268
4
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
NEWS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER Heat tickets sold out less than a week after they were made available to students.
► HEAT FROM PAGE 1
Panic! at the Disco expected to perform at the upcoming Heat Festival, some students are capitalizing on big-name artists by selling their own tickets for as high as $60 apiece — more than double the going price for a guest ticket — as shown by various Facebook posts. Currently, UCR students, staff or faculty members may obtain one free ticket with the option of buying a maximum of two additional guest tickets at $28.50 apiece. Currently, California law prohibits selling tickets at a higher price than its face value without the consent of the event sponsor. Though the HUB has provided specific terms and conditions, forbidding the resale of tickets, the board lacks enforcement powers to prevent students from selling tickets. Further input could not be obtained by the HUB as of press time. First-year biology major Daniel Tran felt the two-ticket limit for guests was enough to hinder the effects of ticket scalping, but the overall number of Heat tickets being distributed was not enough. “I think the university needs to increase tickets given out in relation to increasing student population,” he said. Heat has a maximum capacity of around 12,700 people — a number which has not fluctuated very much since the festival first started back in 2007, despite the steady increase in the student population, which has reached 21,297 this academic year. On UCR Free and For Sale, third-year economics administration major Erick Campos posted, “Selling 2 Heat guest tickets for 25$ each. They’re from last year,” knowing that Heat 2015 tickets would eventually be resold. “I also thought it would be a bit comical, considering that last year’s heat was rained out,” he explained in an interview with the Highlander. Campos felt that the HUB should require a student ticket to match the name of the student receiving it by checking their student ID. As of now, Heat officials ► MEASLES FROM PAGE 1
regardless, it’ll probably get annoying that students will now have to take another step in order to register for classes,” Prell stated. Paul Lyons, physician and senior associate dean of the UCR School of Medicine, stated on the KVCR radio station that, “Measles is probably the most contagious disease we’re aware … it can last in the air, it can last up to several hours later … a very small amount of that virus is necessary for you to get infected.” The last major measles outbreak in California occurred in 2008, which affected 12 children who were unvaccinated — 9 of whom were intentionally unvaccinated — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). According to the CDC report, the outbreak cost $176,980 to contain and was caused by a seven-year-old boy travelling abroad from Europe with his family. Lyons believes that this outbreak was caused by someone travelling abroad as well. “In
allow UCR students to use any student ticket to enter the festival. Though the HUB elaborates that there are no ticket refunds or exchanges in the event of an artist cancellation, many tickets were refunded after last year’s Heat festival, which was cancelled due to poor weather conditions. Director of the HUB Todd Wingate expects to be within the $500,000 budget this year. “This is $100,000 less than the budget for 2014 and the savings were realized by eliminating the third stage which is traditionally on the Rivera Lawn and which the exception of a couple of artists a few years back, has never drawn much of a crowd,” Wingate explained. Wingate adds that ticket distribution has been a great success. Guest tickets were sold out on Feb. 10 — the day after distribution began — and free student tickets were all handed out by Feb. 12. Purchased Heat guest tickets can be obtained from the HUB information desk by March 6. Guest tickets that have not been claimed by March 6 will be transferred to another office in front of the Student Services Building. Students must bring their UCR ID to pick up their guest tickets. UCR students who have not picked up their student ticket may sign up on an online waitlist to be eligible for one. Students will still have a chance to win one of 25 guest tickets by entering an Instagram contest, with winners being announced on March 2. Even though UCR student Jae Yoo was unable to obtain his ticket in time, he had planned on selling it anyway. “I don’t really go to concerts,” he said. “I think that all UCR students should get at least one though. The fact that they ran out was kinda wack.” Students like fourth-year media and cultural studies major Kenneth Lau chose not to get a Heat ticket because he wasn’t familiar with the artists on the lineup. In regards to the resale of Heat tickets, he said, “I have mixed feelings about it,” but reasoned that, “College students are doing it cause, you know, UC tuition is expensive.” ■H places like Disney where people come all over the world, it’s not so surprising it did occur,” Lyons told KVCR. Under each UC health insurance plan, vaccinations are covered for enrolled students. However, without the plan, the vaccination series of three shots for hepatitis B costs $174. According to the CDC, in the U.S. the adult measles vaccines amounts to approximately $60. Despite this cost, Patrick Pan, a doctor at the student health services center, stated that those who are part of low-income households should not worry about the costs of vaccinations due to the current federal health care law. “Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), these vaccines should be covered by all insurance plans at no additional cost to the patient as part of preventative services,” Pan explained. In addition, he further stressed the importance of vaccines. “All of the diseases can be eradicated with a strong vaccination program. That was how we were able to eradicate small-pox and nearly eradicate polio.” ■H
SAMUEL CANTRELL / HIGHLANDER
UC Student Regent Sadia Saifuddin addresses the audience during her visit to UCR. ► REGENTS FROM PAGE 1
The application process also requires a five- to six-page narrative essay and is followed by a series of interviews that can take up to four to five months. All UC students with a minimum of two years left in their graduate or undergraduate term at a UC campus are eligible to apply. The deadline to apply to be the 2016-17 student regent is Feb. 22. Other perks of being a student regent include: free UC tuition for two years, a free parking pass valid on any UC campus (with the exception of Nobel Laureate spots) and a small travel budget. Topics discussed at the event
include: food security, mental health and sexual assault policies. Saifuddin, who sits on a task force that aims to prevent and respond to sexual assault, says one of their goals is to equalize sexual assault services so that students can get the same kind of help on any UC campus. Fourth-year media and cultural studies major Sarinah Simons asked how the UC plans to deal with students accused of sexual assault. Saifuddin said that the task force is working on creating services to help those accused of sexual assault, which are expected to be finished by July. Saifuddin also touched upon the $16 quarterly fee that will go to support mental health next year. With a typical wait time
of four to six weeks, Saifuddin says such late appointments at UC counseling centers can be detrimental for students seeking immediate help. “That’s a problem because if you’re dealing with something like depression or if you’re borderline suicidal, you don’t want to be waiting four to six weeks to be seen,” she said. Saifuddin is also working on a systemwide food security model by creating a food pantry on each UC campus and seeing how food budgets are determined through financial aid. “You could be full, but you could be full off of McDonald’s and Burger King, and not be getting the daily vitamins, minerals and nourishment that you need to be functioning,” she elaborated. ■H
Correction: In the Feb. 3 article entitled, “UC doctors’ strike has little impact at UCR,” the Highlander incorrectly reported that picket lines were held at four UC campuses. Pickets were held at six UC campuses. Additional updates have been made online. The Highlander regrets the error.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
Opinions
5
HIGHLANDER HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL EDITORIAL HIGHLANDER STAFF
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T
he California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) is a test that most students at UCR are likely familiar with. During their sophomore year, students take the exam to test their knowledge of the curriculum and gauge whether they are ready to leave high school as a learned member of society in the realms of the basic arts and sciences, regardless of whether they continue their schooling or not. Currently, the exam has a 95.5 percent pass rate overall, including those students who must retake it in their junior or senior years. As such, the California state government is now considering suspending the use of the exam until a new alternative can be implemented, feeling that the standards being tested do not necessarily produce college or workforce-ready individuals. What comes out of this proposal to suspend the exam is the question as to whether the test is effective in measuring students’ critical thinking skills, and whether it should be kept in the coming years of high school education standards. Can a test with such a high pass rate actually be counted upon to challenge students and produce critically thinking people? However, instead of suspending the test, the CAHSEE should be kept, as well as becoming the new litmus test for increasing the standards of education in California. Considering that, as of the 2011-12 school year, 31 states implemented exit exams, it is unlikely that this trend will do anything but continue on to other states. California should take this opportunity to create new standards in education, increasing the value of the high school diploma that counts for less and less every year. Instead of ridding the state of the CAHSEE, it should be reexamined and improved as a way of bettering every class of high schoolers about to enter society. While science, technology, engineering and math are currently the areas in
CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER
school in which students underperform, raising the standard and increasing the value placed on the ability to perform in these areas is essential to the bettering of the post-high school populace. The newly established California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CASPP) is already underway in acclimating students to the increasing need for computer competency in contemporary society by testing that very skill. To make sure the CAHSEE can affect the same changes in standards the CASPP hopes to, it must first be determined how the test can be changed for the benefit of future generations of students. The way to do this is to add a portion of questions that represent the most difficult instances of the standards currently held for students in their sophomore years of education. Adding a section to the CAHSEE would not only solve the issue of the test’s inability to keep standards for students high enough in STEM subjects in particular, but could be used to increase academic standards across the board within California’s education system. The CAHSEE could be used as a place to seed specific questions throughout random portions of the exam as the hardest examples of the current curriculum, testing how well students critically engage the material they were given until that point. In doing this, the state could use the results of these specific questions to see how well students grasp the upper tier of the materials they are meant to know. When the harder portions of the standards become basic enough for the majority of the student population, then the state can adjust them, making the curriculum more rigorous and having students learn the more engaging material that would have been normally reserved for the later stages of their education. Doing this would not only make California’s high school diploma more valuable, but would produce more college and workforce-ready students who have a greater
understanding of how to engage the world around them critically. On a macro level, the value of this system would be felt as high school graduates from California become inherently more valuable to colleges and employers, showing that they are able to withstand a state education dedicated to continuously challenging students. Additionally, this advantage on the interstate competition would then motivate other states to implement similar systems. California schools themselves would want students to succeed in this system as well, as their funding is dependent on student evaluations through the CASPP that is gradually replacing the Standardized Testing and Reporting system (STAR) we are all so familiar with. Additionally, to cater to those students who are unable to initially grasp the heightened rigor, multiple levels of electronic tutoring can be made available, especially when considering how easy it is to disseminate knowledge with access to the Internet at schools. The system would also manage to account for the years or generations in which standards were not met, focusing on meeting active standards, rather than further increasing them. As such, the difficulty of material would only ever increase or plateau, but never become less intensive or difficult, ensuring that our education system is never regressive. While this theoretical add-on to the CAHSEE would be anything but cheap due to the research dollars necessary before implementation, the creation of computerized tutoring and the actual continued printing of the test, the value in the long run is astronomical, allowing for the continued development of high schoolers and the nation itself. ■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.
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6
OPINIONS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
Opinion Poll What is your favorite Girl Scout cookie and why?
C ompiled
by
L aura N guyen
Christopher Fierros Cultural Studies Third-year
Jessie Kuo Sociology Third-year
Zavig Mkrdech Political Science Third-year
Citlali Araujo Sociology Second-year
Kaitlin Wong English Third-year
Stelle Andrande Sociology Second-year
“I can’t decide between Thin Mints and Caramel deLites. Thin Mints because I never feel guilty after I eat them ... but Caramel deLites are just good!”
“I like Thin Mints because it gives you a bit of minty freshness and you can never go wrong with chocolate.”
“I need Thin Mints because they exemplify friendship.”
“I’m addicted to Shortbread Cookies.”
“Caramel deLites are my favorite because they taste like childhood and hugs.”
“Samoas and Tagalongs because I would always buy them when I was growing up.”
► See more at Youtube.com/UCRChannelH
In the Feb. 10 opinion poll entitled, “Should children be vaccinated for measles?” the Highlander mistakenly added a question mark to a quote by student Megan Kieu. The Highlander apologizes for the mistake.
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Brian Williams has taken a temporary leave of absence from his job as anchor and managing editor for NBC after revelations that his helicopter was not shot down during his 2003 coverage of the Iraqi conflict.
Hypocrisy, thy name is news DANIEL KELLEY Contributing Writer
Recently, “Nightly News” anchor Brian Williams announced he would be stepping down from his program for a temporary leave of absence. This comes after revelations that Williams, the 10-year managing editor for NBC, lied about his experience covering the Iraqi conflict in 2003, in which Williams claims that a helicopter he and his crew were on was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade fired by Hezbollah insurgents.
Our mainstream media, quick to capitalize on such a story, asked, “What does this mean for Brian Williams? Will he be able to remake his image? Will NBC find a new host?” In this circumstance, what is not said tells more than what is. Take note of the rhetoric propagated on any one of our major media platforms. CNN studies how NBC can deal with Williams. Fox News, eager to diminish the legitimacy of a competitor, asks if NBC has “learned anything” about journalistic embellishment. Twitter sees #BrianWilliamsMisremembers explode. But instead of prompting a dialogue in America over dishonesty in our media, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News keep the conversation focused squarely on one man. Herein lies the real issue. Our media isn’t simply the representation of public opinion; it is a mechanism to create and maintain
public perception. What we forget is that our mainstream news contributors lay the boundaries and terminology of the national conversation. Following the disappearance of Malaysia Airliner 370 in March, we became desensitized to two words: “Breaking news.” Last year, Russia invaded a sovereign state, Ebola ravaged West Africa and ISIS further destabilized the Middle East. But like kids with laser pointers, our main news contributors used those two eye-grabbing, trend-setting words to keep dredging up an interesting but unchanging story in Southeast Asia for the cat-like viewers, while the political and social landscape of the world change dramatically. Now, while the mainstream media drags Williams’ reputation through talk shows and op-ed columns, Greece experiences radical political change, ISIS executes an American aid
worker and Ukraine fractures in full-blown civil war. If we’re going to have a conversation about journalistic integrity, the conversation we should be having is the influence our news contributors have on public opinion, and their irresponsible management of that influence. In media, as it is in politics, money is the corrupting influence. Breaking news headlines, overblown stories of heroism in Iraq, and critical analyses of erotic novels sell. News contributors and pundits alike have no incentive to change their tune when they consistently rake in millions of viewers a night. And like politics, the American people act as voters every time they turn on the “Nightly News” or the “Kelly File.” For our media institutions to change, it is a matter of public demand. Media reform to more closely resemble Walter Cronkite’s honest 19-year residency at CBS’s nighttime news
desk will require a change in the attention the public gives to the modern broadcast media. Until we stop casting our viewing votes to keep yellow journalism on the air, we can’t expect our media institutions to fulfill their duty to inform the American people. Through the protraction of “ConflateGate,” Williams has been made into a scapegoat by media entities in an attempt to claim innocence from the same irresponsible news coverage that they themselves perpetuate. So whether or not NBC will need to find a new host, the better conversation might be whether or not NBC needs to find a new act. If Williams indeed loses his chair at the “Nightly News” desk, so too should our media enterprise as a whole, for ignoring the real issues in our world, and limiting the public discourse to a vocabulary of only two words. ■H
OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
7
R’Perspective: Why being well-rounded can be dumb JESSICA BAKER Contributing Writer
ture of students seeking to stand out not only to college applicant reviewers, but also to each other. wonder what spurred me on to Sucked in, I felt inadequate bebecome a well-rounded student. ing in a rudimentary math class or Perhaps it was Rory of “Gilm- spending my time not volunteerore Girls” with her impeccable ing at a hospital. My drive to learn academics, respectable extracur- morphed into wanting to prove to riculars, devoted interests and her others I was not dumb. For most repetitive drama that infatuated of high school, I convinced myme? Or maybe it was the Japanese self I took that hated AP biology environment of my youth, where class or I volunteered at that fight my classmates would often go to cancer rally because I wanted to cram school, or “kumon,” to learn attend an Ivy League. I was shapa second language or, possibly, to ing and molding myself as that construct fighting robots on the well-rounded student I thought my side. Whatever peers would adthe influences, I mire and colleges feverishly sought Upon high school would accept. this perfect status graduation, I snapped And I am not in high school. the only one who Yet, as a col- out of my sugar-fueled has done this. lege student, I daze. I realized I did Have you ever find myself calm- not know myself. I was asked yourself ly walking to- some odd stranger what your dream ward this status, graduate school while adhering to who did not read the would like to see a different notion latest Harry Potter on your applicaof a well-rounded installment ... tion? Have you student. A differhad an odd oblient notion that gation that you happily inspires me to pursue what should be doing more than just I love, rather than oppressively in- studying for your classes? Usufluencing me. ally, these questions are asked with Picture this: a frowning student an insecurity: that you are not the in high school shuffling around best that you can be. This insecuwith a crammed messenger satchel rity is only problematic when you and heavy bags under her eyes that compare yourself to others or try to could act as additional storage for meet another’s standards, because her pesky statistics textbooks. Her it just motivates you to become thoughts reduced to a daily planner. someone you are not. And it’s tirHer breakfast possibly the leftover ing to be someone else. chow mein from a four-hour shift Upon high school graduation, the night before. In a disturbed nut- I snapped out of my sugar-fueled shell powered by Starbucks Frap- daze. I realized I did not know mypuccinos and milk tea bobas, this self. I was some odd stranger who was high school me. did not read the latest Harry Potter Attending a rich high school installment (a high sin) in favor of associated with Ivy League uni- doing biology homework. I hate versities (and, unfortunately, Ryan biology, yet I wasted away in a Sheckler) seemed to induce a cul- zero period class due to thinking
I
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS. TELEVISION Rory Gilmore of “Gilmore Girls” is one example of a stereotypical well-rounded student, but it is important that we reconsider what it is to be well-rounded.
it upped my resume game. Being a well-rounded student was a goal I could never accomplish. Now, I am not saying it’s impossible or even a stupid goal. I have an awestruck respect for anyone who loves to engage with everything. During my first year at UCR, I met numerous students, like my friend who double-majored and led an education organization. He, and other students, taught me my first major life lesson in college: Well-rounded doesn’t mean you do a bunch of stuff to be outstanding to others. You do a bunch of stuff because you’re passionate about it. I can never be a typical well-rounded student, because I
don’t love everything. So I took on a different workload. I gave up my apron at a Chinese restaurant to try my hand at tutoring. I left the beakers in favor of penning essays. I indulged in Faulkner and Nabokov, leaving my copies of Greek epics to die with dust. I still have nights when I mirror my old high school self (yet I have matured from sugar high to caffeine high) due to engaging with various activities. However, pursuing what I enjoy has led me to know myself better than I have in years. I understand that our early 20s are meant to be this sort of lost period, where we ask existential questions like, “What am I doing
with my life,” or “Who am I?” By pursuing what I love to do instead of stressing over what I should do, I’ve thus been able to avert myself from this internal crisis. I confidently know I wish to teach after college. Beyond cliche musings on life, being passionately well-rounded should be the essence of a college education. Getting your degree should not merely be a sign that you are ready for employment. It should be a testament to your dedication to better yourself in what you love. I did not go to college to build up a resume. I came to be a well-rounded me. And I hope you do too. ■H
Video game analysis should be offered in college
JAMESON ADAME Senior Staff Writer
“Video games can never be art.” This was a quote by the late, great Roger Ebert on the validity of video games being considered exactly that: art. However, as great as Ebert was in the realm of film and other aspects of visual study (“Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” needs to be seen by more people), he was categorically mistaken in the ways in which video games should be received by an audience. Video games are art, and have always been such. They may even be the best example of reflexive art with the potential to critique the viewer’s method of viewing. As an easy example, look at the term “ludonarrative dissonance.” The term itself applies to the dissonant manner in which some games’ gameplay contradicts the narrative of the game it supports, otherwise counteracting the raison d’etre (or “reason for being”) of the player character. One instance of this comes out of the oft-maligned “Grand Theft Auto” series of games. While the main character of the fourth installment narratively wants to live a normal life away from his violent past, player agency enables him to go on a citywide rampage, spawning tanks from the ether to blow up hospitals. This isn’t to say that the game is malicious in giving players the option to do so, it simply leaves the choice up to the player themselves. This same term is scoffed at by most players, however, as it is used in arguments about violence
in video games and how disconnects between story and gameplay are harmful to consumers. Without the ability to truly grasp the term for themselves and use the rhetoric in defense of the medium, players become unable to create a basis for critique and discussion as to the artistic and cultural value of video games. If understood as a tool for the critique of culture, then ludonarrative dissonance could become the groundwork for the ways in which video games are used in the artistic critique of culture, and the way in which we consume as viewers. Though it came about after Ebert’s unfortunate passing, the indie game “The Stanley Parable” shows a magnificent stride toward the creation of video games as intrinsically artistic, and not only critiques the game industry as a whole, but questions the player agency that games like the aforementioned “Grand Theft Auto” are so well known for. Players are kept constantly aware of their inability to break out of a series of narrative cycles allowed by the coding of the game, humorously encouraged to think critically about the range of choice they actually have when engaging the work. Without the proper education in the reading of these texts as potentially groundbreaking interactive artistic mediums, though, the conversation is likely to become another flame war on the infinite message boards of the Internet. Offering classes dedicated to understanding the video game medium will engage future and current generations in discussions as to the real cultural value of these
JAMESON ADAME / HIGHLANDER
texts, and expand the viability they already possess as art. Schools like MIT already offer such courses; however, it must fall to large and highly respected institutions outside the Ivy League to make these a standard in majors such as media and cultural studies. Therefore, why not UCR? As a pioneer in offering majors nonnative to the UC system (think
creative writing), then why should we not also offer the first series of courses on the analytical study of video games? Funding for this could come almost entirely out of the budget that is already allotted to arts education and research in the UC, simply changing the focus of the wealth of filmic and static visual art study to focus on video games.
Additionally, research grants for those first few brave souls to take the plunge into a relatively unexplored medium could help to buoy funds. Given time to create the coursework and refine the techniques, video game analysis could easily become this generation’s film critique. All it needs is a nudge in the scholastic direction. ■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.
Be viewed.
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Features MOBILE LOVE ASHLEY CHUNG Contributing Writer EDWARD DAVE Contributing Writer
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alentine’s Day has passed and some of us have not found a partner to share this spectacular day of love with — again. A great majority of us probably just ended up sharing a romantic candlelit dinner with our flawless smartphones. Why not put them to better use next Valentine’s Day instead by seeing how Highlanders have responded to a variety of promising dating apps to help you find your right one, or at least your right now. Swipe left, left, left — “Oooh, definitely a right!” Many of us Highlanders have at least heard of, if not tried for ourselves, the dating app Tinder. Tinder allows you to simply browse through a catalog of people by swiping
right to like them and left to reject them, generally judging them on their attractiveness. First-year undeclared student Catherine Hang excitedly exclaimed how addictive Tinder is by allowing users to play a game of hot-ornot while getting a “major thumb workout.” An informal poll for this article shows that seven out of 10 UCR students use Tinder as a confidence-booster to acknowledge how many people find them physically attractive, not to actually seek romance. As many students have found Facebook to be one of the first online dating segways — next to Myspace — another option has opened for them. Hinge, a dating app that connects you with your mutual friends, uses your Facebook friends to create a comprehensive list of matches and specifically links you to people of the same profession and education. Some students may reveal a relationship is not what they seek, but some students have
used Hinge to meet up and hook up without feeling like they’ll mess up. From self-experience, the app, however, assumes you want to date someone who is on the same side of the spectrum in education and ambition. Despite this advanced matching technique, for some this may not work; pairing people based on institutional levels and fields is not necessarily a measure of compatibility since other factors must be taken into account like personality. Besides, it gets monotonous talking about GPAs and study habits. Hinge takes the notion that birds of a feather flock together and completely runs with it. Whatever happened to opposites attract? Still, some dating apps just don’t seem to reveal enough about a person. How About We, another mobile date seeker, matches people (for a monthly fee of $24 a month) depending on how adventurous the participant is, with dates ranging from tree-
hugging while discussing politics to racing off toward the sunset in hot air balloons. The monthly fee may correlate with the lack of Highlander participation, however. Cheaper well-known alternatives such as Match and OkCupid have now found their way to our mobile devices as well and strive to help users find the best matches using calculated algorithms. Both allow users to upload pictures of themselves, although these apps also have their fair share of failures. Second-year political science student Elias Fakhoury reflects that “several dates (from Match) have ended tragically.” Perhaps their guarantee for “perfect matches” is just a tiny bit far-fetched. We see these love-seeking apps almost everywhere — on constant replay on television commercials, peeking up in the corner of a website as an advertisement and tacked upon towering billboards. Surely it could be a sign that we need to burst out of
our far too-comfortable singles’ cocoon and flutter into the world of dating. However, keep in mind that caution must be exercised when dating online (as seen on “Catfish” episodes). Following your heart works in Disney movies and sappy love stories — in real life however, the mind needs to be a salient force in decisionmaking. But as you are parading through these apps with your heart on your sleeve, and possibly chocolates nearby, realize that all your ailments won’t be remedied by an app. Most of these apps utilize aptitude and personality quizzes to gauge someone’s romantic factors, although aptitude isn’t comprehensive enough to measure someone’s inherent desires because everything comes from a “what-if” standpoint. Even personality tests can never truly be appraised as accurate because people can project their ideal self onto these profiles and say what’s most appealing to hear. ■H
THE VALENTINE’S DATING GAME MAXINE ARELLANO Senior Staff Writer TIFFANY LIAW Senior Staff Writer
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“So you win some, you lose some, that is just the name of the game. But dates, both good and bad, will always end up in a good story — some are just more juicy than others.”
ftentimes dating makes us feel like we’re participants on random dating shows, testing out each contestant and trying to find a match. Valentine’s Day is one day of the year that couples can rejoice or possible new couples are able to test the waters. For those who are happily bound in a relationship, this day becomes an elaborate competition between couples for who has the biggest bouquet or who can cook the most extravagant meal. “You made her pasta? Well I made her some New York strip steak, with some Stella Rosa wine and chocolate-dipped strawberries, so I’m more romantic.” I’d be lying if I said my Instagram feed wasn’t blown up with pictures of heavily filtered bouquets and fancy-looking food taken at artistic angles. “Couples’ Day,” as some would call it, serves as a break from the everyday stress of school and work. Although this day shouldn’t be an excuse to show your loved one how you feel (you should probably do that every day), it’s a great time to wear that nice dress that’s been sitting in your closet for half a year and eat something other than Top Ramen for the first time after midterms. Amid the romantic displays (flowers and those PDA ones), there is also the group of people who are taking their chances and putting themselves out there for a day to find their Mr. or Ms. Right. As a result of the rise in demand
for a partner around this time of year, multiple blind dates and hopeful prayers ensue. One friend recalls, “I once met up with a guy and he basically just kept ranting about different things throughout the date like Cuba in the 1960’s.” As she zoned in and out of the one-sided conversation and accepted his invitation to watch a movie, the only thought that kept occupying her mind was how different he turned out to be from their previous conversations. “He kept laughing obnoxiously throughout the movie and poking me throughout the date … it was very uncomfortable,” she exclaimed with partial disgust. The rest of the date went just as awkwardly as it had already been going and they parted ways at the end of the night with no guarantee of a second date. Although that date wasn’t downright horrible, it’s safe to say they were not compatible at all. Then there is the group that may look at these couples from afar in envy — not realizing a train wreck could be happening before them. And that group is the singles. When singles see couples walk hand-in-hand, oftentimes they either sigh and head to the market for the pint of Chunky Monkey, or believe they don’t need anyone and sneak off to the market for the pint all incognito. Many people may have bad date stories to bring to the table, but often singles don’t realize they may witness it unfold right in front of them. A few years ago on Valentine’s Day, going out to dinner with a date was the thing — so dinner was at Chipotle with the dog. In the patio, we enjoyed barbacoa for the big day and watched the
many couples walk out of the restaurant right next to us. Whether it was the dog’s cuteness or the billboard above, it seemed like everyone pointed our way. It did not matter the age, each person shot pity eyes and a frowning smile. But once someone said, “Oh my gosh, that is so sad … happy Valentine’s, babe,” it was time to dip. In the parking lot, a couple swung their interlocked hands front to back, but did not exchange any words. It sounded like comfortable silence, but it was soon broken with: “So I have to get up early tomorrow, we should just cut it short,” said the young man. Their hands ceased in midair as the young woman scoffed at his statement, “It’s only 7 o’clock … I thought we were going to the movies?” The only options were to cut and run or grab some popcorn for the show. “Listen, I could barely get through two hours of dinner, I don’t think I can last two more,” he said. And that was the end of act one: Their hands exploded apart as she blew up in belligerent nonsense. Much of the argument was lost in between frantic scurrying away, other than he chewed like a cow chewing cud. Returning to the car, the dog jumped excitedly into her seat, with many kisses to follow. Alone, maybe … but at least dates with the dog didn’t end in World War III. So you win some, you lose some, that is just the name of the game. But dates, both good and bad, will always end up in a good story — some are just more juicy than others. In the words of Effie Trinket, “May the odds be ever in your favor” this dating season. And if not, that pint of ice cream will always be there. ■H
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
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MELISSA FUENTES Contributing Writer
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riday the 13th, and what may have been a terrifying night for those who are superstitious, was an incredible night of celebration of Latino cultures. People of all ages gathered at the University Theater — not to hear scary stories but to hear genres of music from Latin America. Though doors opened at 6:30 p.m., many were lined up ahead of time, anticipating the show. The speakers of the night were fifth-year students Cynthia Chavez and Jorge de los Santos, who initiated the night with hilarious introductions. The first act was first-place champion Ballet Folklorico from Moreno Valley High School. Following was the band that had the crowd wiggling their toes from song to song, Raices Peruanas. Representing Los Angeles, the goal of the nonprofit group founded in 1989 is to share the traditions of Peru. The group played “El Pio Pio,” or the chicken dance, and had the crowd swaying left and right in their seats. Soon after, the talented Luz and Gustavo Romero took the stage. The duet sang ranchera songs that had the audience blissfully singing along. In between songs, they would joke about love and marriage and kept the audience laughing. As soon as they finished their last song, the crowd yelled “otra,” meaning “an-
ANNUAL NOCHE CULTURAL The celebration of Latino roots
other one.” It was not enough and the audience wanted more, but unfortunately there was not enough time for the Romero duo. After sitting for so long it was time for the audience to get up and get their blood running, or better yet their stomachs running — who could resist fresh pan dulce (sweet bread) and hot chocolate? It was the perfect combination for a cold night. Back in the theater, it was time for the most anticipated band, La Santa Cecilia. This group shared their love and pride for their Latino roots. Their songs told stories of immigration-related hardships that millions of people in the U.S. identify with and were therefore nicknamed “the voice of immigrants.” In 2014, the group won a Grammy for Best Latin Rock, Urban, or Alternative Album. I was fortunate enough to meet bassist Alex Bendana, who was extremely talented and very down-to-earth. After chatting with him for a bit I learned many of the songs are based on reallife experiences from the band. “El Hielo” describes a situation of what it is like to work while undocumented. Back when the band was slowly starting to become known, the band’s accordionist Jose “Pepe” Carlos did not have documents to be able to work and had to overcome many obstacles. Their music serves to inspire those who find themselves in similar situations. Being able to share their stories through music is what the
band feels most proud of. “We didn’t know how people were going to react with our music and just finding that identity and connection with people that have a similar story as us is our biggest accomplishment,” Bendana shared joyfully. The band is consistently hitting the studio as they are currently working on a new album that is said to be released in May. Meanwhile, they are off performing from the West Coast to the East Coast in March. From the get-go the band stirred up the crowd. They began with cumbia which got the crowd’s adrenaline going. They continued to sing many of their heartfelt songs, but just as lead singer Marisol Hernandez and the others were jamming out, the microphones went out. However, the band yelled, “Y le vamos a seguir,” meaning “we will keep going,” and they did so acappella. There was no music, but the beautiful voice of Hernandez did not require any background music or microphones. After a few minutes, the technical difficulties were resolved and the band resumed with more energy. Each song only drew the crowd wilder. At first only a handful were brave enough to get up and dance in the aisles, but slowly every row got up and there was no stopping after that. Time was up and the band waved goodbye, or so everyone thought. Completely lost in the music, the audience was not yet ready to go home
TIM BACA / HIGHLANDER Ballet Folklorico de Moreno Valley High School starts off the Noche Cultural.
and wanted more, pleading them to return and play at least one more song. The band could not refuse and played a handful more. Sadly all good things must come to an end, and the show came to a finish. But on the bright side, from the youngest to the oldest, everyone left the theater bubbly and groovy. It took the help of many to make this show possible. One who contributed to the success of the event was Social and Cultural Programmer of Chicano Student Programs (CSP) Arlene M. Cano. CSP offers resources
for Latino students and organizes events to help maintain the Latino culture alive and make students feel welcomed. “The process to bring this together takes a lot of time, a lot of passion, a lot of energy, but it is well worth it,” shared Cano cheerfully. With events such as these, Cano hopes students learn that their identity matters no matter the race or culture. “One day the children (at Noche Cultural) will see themselves here and remember that one day they sang mariachi at UC Riverside, and I hope they remember our office,” said Cano. ■H
restaurant review:
ZiZi BBQ House Robert Lees,Staff writer
W
ith midterms in full swing, most of the food I eat either comes out of a microwave or is delivered to my door. Still, I celebrated my possible success on this week’s round of tests by visiting ZiZi BBQ House, a barbecue restaurant that recently opened at the University Village. With images of ribs, corn and the possibility of a juicy steak dancing in front of my eyes, I headed to the University Village to satisfy my craving. As I walked in from the cold night air and grabbed a menu, I realized that ZiZi’s was not a steakhouse. The menu was written in both Chinese and English, and most of the entrees were standard American-style Asian cuisine: orange chicken, black pepper beef and honey walnut chicken. While slightly disappointed that my presupposition was incorrect, I switched gears and sat myself at one of the dozen tables situated in the restaurant’s foyer. Our server was kind and eager, and quickly swooped over to our table to take the drink
RATING ★★★☆☆ LOCATION 3740 IOWA AVENUE , RIVERSIDE, CA 92507 PRICE $$ HOURS DAILY: 10:30 A.M. - 9 P.M. CATEGORY BARBECUE, CHINESE CREDIT YES WEBSITE http://www.yelp.com/biz/zizi-bbq-house riverside-2 orders. Deciding against soft drinks and lamenting the fact that they didn’t serve alcohol, I chose the citron honey tea while my girlfriend ordered the jujube honey tea. The drinks were delivered promptly in paper coffee cups, but the tea itself did not disappoint. The tea was obviously freshly prepared, with bits of citron pulp floating inside while the jujube tea had a cache of diced, dried plums sitting in the bottom of the cup. As we sipped
our tea and flipped through the menu, I looked around to gauge my surroundings. ZiZi’s most apparent flaw is its lack of decorum and atmosphere. Aside from some red trim along the top of the wall, the entire restaurant is painted a dull off-white, which glows ghastily in the cold, fluorescent lighting. There is also a LAURA NGUYEN / HIGHLANDER ► SEE ZIZI BBQ HOUSE, PAGE 11 At Zizi BBQ, customers are able to view their food being prepared by the chef on the grill.
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► ZIZI BBQ HOUSE FROM PAGE 10
dichotomy between upscale and dive-y with some of the interior design. The chairs and floor are made of quality hardwood, while the run-of-the-mill tables are labelled with tacky sheets of paper with scribbled-on numbers. The food service area features a display of their specialty desserts next to a stack of bottled sodas, and the quality entrees listed in the menu clash with its lackluster printing style. There are almost no decorations in the entirety of the restaurant, except for a solitary painting mounted on the wall. The stereo was turned down much too low for anyone to hear the music, and except for the sound of chewing or the occasional bout of arguing from inside the kitchen, the restaurant was as quiet and lifeless as a crypt, despite the moderate crowd of people eating. For the entrees, we decided to order the hibachi New York steak and the honey walnut chicken. The food is served tapas-style, with the entrees arriving immediately and shared among the group. The steak came with steamed rice, a house salad with freshly made dressing and egg drop soup. The soup was nice and fresh, and the salad was unlike any I had tried before, as I was unable to identify the ingredients that went into the dressing. The steak was served first, and unlike traditional New York steak, it was cut into strips and served with caramelized onions and mushrooms, with a side of fried noodles and ginger sauce. It tasted wonderful, and I was amazed at how the chef managed to cook the steak medium rare while it was cut into strips. ZiZi’s made up for some of its poor design choices with the presentation of the steak entree,
which was served on a metal skillet inside a wooden cradle, still steaming. The chicken was not bad either, with the chicken tempura and candied walnuts accenting nicely with the clean, white china it was served upon.
The portion sizes were immense, and we had quite a bit of leftovers after we had finished eating. We opted to not order dessert, partly because we were full to bursting after we had finished, and also because the desserts only included
pre-made macaroons and cheesecake, which wouldn’t have paired well with our entrees’ hand-crafted charm. While not spectacularly noteworthy, ZiZi BBQ House has pretty good food at an affordable
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price. Though lacking in atmosphere, its food will likely appeal to many UCR students. While I may not go to ZiZi BBQ House for a meal again, I would suggest giving it a try. If not for anything, go for the tea, it’s the bomb. ■H
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COURTESY OF UCR KARATE CLUB
► KARATE CLUB FROM PAGE 1
community. In the early 2000s, it ended due to low funding. However, in 2012, the Karate Club became a student-run organization taught by an NKF (National Karate Association) certified instructor. During practice, the club performs kihon (basic punch and kick), kata (forms) and kumite (sparring). They must first learn the kihon before moving on to kata and kumite. “If you don’t have any concentration, it looks terrible and obvious,” emphasized Narine. “Anybody can kick and punch, but you need enough concentration to control yourself.” The members are ranked based on the kyu system, which includes 10 tiers and belts. It begins with the rankings of 10th-kyu yellow belt and ends with the first-kyu brown belt and black stripe. The students must be able to perform kihon, kata and kumite at their re-
spective levels. Students earn the black belt by testing through the dan (degree) examination, which tests to see if they have physically and mentally mastered all their techniques and concentration. During the two-hour long examination, the examiner selects which kata, kihon and kumite that the student must perform. The club’s basic rules are included in the dojo-kun: “To be sincere and honest, to have a strong spirit, to respect others and to refrain from violent behavior.” Narine stated, “It really describes our whole purpose of doing karate. It’s about learning skills to protect yourself and not bully others.” Improving camaraderie among UCR students and sharing the karate world with UCR are the goals of the karate club. The karate club of UCR does not “have our own dojo, parents volunteering or resources that bigger organizations have. But we represent UCR and
the love we have for karate,” Narine passionately explained. Their biggest fundraiser is their own UCR Highlander Karate Cup in spring quarter. Admission is open to everyone, including students and staff. The tournament is divided into three sections: kobudo (weapons), kata and kumite. Teams and individual students compete against one another and are judged by black belt senseis. This hardworking team puts their skills to the test by competing in tournaments such as the Ozawa Tournament. In preparation, they have practices based on the tournament’s format. Narine excitedly stated, “The best part about competing is when you’re not thinking about what’s going on around you. You concentrate on your moves and your breathing.” The peak of their accomplishments was second place in a collegiate tournament last year, despite
competing against five colleges. Narine happily explained, “It was very satisfying. We’ve been competing with those schools for quite awhile.” Additionally, the Karate Club members have achieved their own individual goals. Kevin said, “They can handle responsibilities and have improved.” The club members have also benefitted from their practices and competitions. Karate has allowed Kevin to push himself over the limit. The club wants their members to not only improve their skills to their best potential but also have fun. Whether it’s getting fit, destressing, teaching self-defense or just learning about karate, the club hopes to help members achieve those goals. Narine relates, “Our members are special. We encourage them in anything they need.” Even when they lose a tournament, the team does their best to help their members. They advise each other on what can be
improved. The most special tournaments for Narine were last year’s Las Vegas tournaments: Ozawa and the U.S. Open, the biggest tournament. Narine switched between tournaments to watch everyone. The members grouped up to support their seniors, who were competing in a high-level division and placed. She stated, “This was special because it was one of the many times where our members came together and supported each other, which we encourage.” For Narine and Kevin, karate is an activity that they want to continue. Narine said, “Practically my whole world revolves around karate.” Narine is trying to find graduate schools with karate programs, adding that she has worked hard for her belt, and does not want her karate journey to end. Narine and Kevin both hope that the club will expand in members and keep standards from the dojo-kun. ■H
ONLINE: “BROOKLYN NINE-NINE” REVIEW
R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
EVENTS THIS WEEK 2/18
Outpost Concert Series: Meerenai Shim @ Culver Center of the Arts, 8 p.m.
2/19
Winter Soulstice @ HUB Plaza
2/20
Encuentros/Encounters: Art Songs of Columbia @ ARTS Performance Lab, 8 p.m.
2/20
El Tri @ Riverside Municipal Auditorium, 8 p.m. TIM BACA / HIGHLANDER
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
MEASURE MEASURE for
An adaptation of Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” set in Mexico in the early 1900s is being performed by a cast of UCR students.
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Jessica Baker, ContributingWriter // Photos Courtesy of Alan Call
n contrast to the tragic “Hamlet” or the comedic “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” William Shakespeare’s “Measure for Measure” is hard to pin down to a specific genre other than a “problem play” — an ambiguous work that is mutually fraught with violence and brimming with laughter. It is often the hardest play to perform due to the nuanced nature of its characters and themes. Yet on Feb. 12, students beautifully conducted the problem play within a setting more familiar to UCR’s audience — Mexico at the turn of the 19th century. Now I know what you are thinking: Mexico? Isn’t this Shakespeare? Shouldn’t this be in some stuffy, British castle? Often people stray away from Shakespeare because his work does not seem relatable to the present. Yet, his work is relevant, such as how “Measure for Measure” questions what is proper and just authority via its characters, Angelo and Duke Vincentio. Recognizing the daunting play, veteran of the Royal Shakespeare Company and director Miles Anderson muses: “I wanted to take it from an Elizabethan setting, because it doesn’t mean much to people. So, where could I set it where religion and death plays a really important part in the community. So, I thought … I’m gonna set it in Mexico.” And it was a decision done right. Set in Vienna, the play tells the hardships that a nun, Isabella, endures when trying to save her brother, Claudio, from a death sentence decided by Judge Angelo, who is overseeing the city while the Duke Vincentio is on a diplomatic mission. Not wanting to lose her virginity to the Judge for her brother’s freedom, Isabella is assisted by the Friar, or the Duke in disguise, who manipulates a plot that binds the Judge in an unwanted marriage and saves her brother. Yet the controversial plot brings up questions and conflicts on justice and death that are discussed throughout the play. Waiting for the play to begin was no boring feat, since the detailed set design enraptured my attention the entire time. The stage’s overall pale brown palette, empha-
sized by tattered furniture and dry plants, was adorned with sudden pops of color from the carefully placed flowers. Props hinted at the Mexican town’s character, such as the table displaying bright chili peppers (later used as a gag) next to the forlorn prison bars that cage Claudio. Against the imposing cross that dominates the stage, the student actors and actresses further carried out the ambiguous themes of justice and religion by performing their characters as convincingly relatable via implied actions. Khalif Gillet recounts how he prepared for his part as Duke Vincentio: “He’s a really ambiguous character … (yet) the most subtle details and lines can tell you like the biggest things of a character.” This attention to
“I wanted to take it from an Elizabethan setting, because it doesn’t mean much to people.” - Director Miles Anderson detail by the cast and stage members honed in on the play’s enigmatic themes regarding religion and justice. Introduced with ominous yet over-the-top fog, Natalie Zufferey performed the executioner, Abhorsen, as a menacing figure, with dead stares and a police baton she banged against the prison bars, while Eli Reich’s Pompey tinked at the bars with a chili; Ludicrous Lucio, acted by Sam Li, vulgarly pelvis-thrusted the air during his funny yet dense dialogue between the Friar, whose insulted expressions foreshadow his later actions for revenge. While the acting hiccuped every now and then when a cast member stumbled on some words, the overall performance had a nice
buildup to the ending scene, yet I want to applaud Victoria Ringo for conveying Isabella’s silent reply to the Duke with evocative gesture and facial expression under a spotlight. Kudos to you — that light must have been intensely bright on your face. Their actions also successfully set the late seventeenth century play to Mexico in the 1910s. All of the cast members took up speaking the dialogue in a Mexican accent speckled with Spanish words. Bryant Glover, Hyuk Kim and Ephraim Eshete played their guardsmen roles as trained military officers with rigid posture and calculated movement — reminiscent of the then-heavy military presence in Mexico. Personally, I was impressed by the creativity behind the execution of the transitions between scenes. It was moments like Glover moving furniture like he was following orders, or Aniella Fields, Gema Trujillo and Dana Pierce serenely singing in Spanish that created a flow during the whole play that I hardly noticed that time went by. This is vital, because UCR has a strong connection to Hispanic culture. Many UCR students are of Hispanic descent or have lived in Southern California for years, which allows students to feel that the conflicts in “Measure for Measure” are more relatable. By establishing a familiar setting, the audience could understand the early Modern English dialogue and sympathize with the characters’ struggles with seemingly old social norms, such as Isabella’s concerns over her virginity. As Kim puts it: “(this Measure for Measure production) is kinda of a mixture of Shakespeare and … Mexican culture. There aren’t many chances to see this mix up.” UCR’s “Measure for Measure” production is a fresh interpretation that is accessible to anyone due to the artists — because this crew and cast are indeed such — and their constant efforts to detail. UCR, you are in for a treat. ■H
Contributions by Christal Mims
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
15
Swift Musings
Unfinished games, finished business COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
2014 was called many different things, but for entertainment, it may as well be called the year of the unfinished game. “Minecraft” popularized the idea of adding content to a game well after its release. With its open-world map, lack of a linear plot and successful add-ons to its limited, retro style of gaming, it allowed for fan-created mods and downloadable content (or DLC) to enrich each and every gaming experience within “Minecraft.” Fast-forward several years to 2014, and much of the gaming industry has turned a blind eye to the quality of games produced and sold. Granted, the majority of video games are largely completed with little complaints, but some of the most popular titles of last year were far, far from complete. Take the “Assassin’s Creed” franchise, for instance. I’ve loved “Assassin’s Creed” ever since it debuted. I counted myself among the most enlightened 10th graders back in 2009 learning Renaissance history in “Assassin’s
Creed II.” Who cares if the history lessons probably weren’t on point? (I’d assume they weren’t, given the historical revisionist vibe the game emits.) There were few, if any glitches, in that game, which is arguably the best one in the series. It was great to become immersed in that game simply because it was easy to. Then the oatmeal raisin cookie of a game, “Assassin’s Creed III,” came out in 2011. My dear god, the glitches in that game were just horrific. You’d be running up buildings when you didn’t mean to, and jump off of ledges when you ordered your character to do anything but. The game’s nauseating framerate would make the quality of your old, dusty collection of straight-to-VHS ‘90s Disney films seem like gold. 2014 saw the two hugely popular franchises of “Assassin’s Creed” and “Sonic the Hedgehog” release their worst, glitchiest and most incomplete games they have ever produced in “Assassin’s Creed: Unity” and “Sonic Boom.” The infamous glitches
that make up “Unity” are now immortalized all over the Internet; “Sonic Boom’s” glitches simply made it unplayable. This is no exaggeration: Sega produced a Sonic game full of glitches that’d
You can label me old-fashioned for believing in this but there should be a point where principle rules over profiteering. make you want to rip your eyes out of their sockets like Oedipus. One glitch involves using Sonic’s friend Knuckles’ jump ability over and over again as long as you press the jump button after
Nathan Swift, Senior Staff Writer pausing the game. People reported using this technicality to beat the game in an hour. When games are rushed for profit (both “Unity” and “Sonic Boom” were released during the holiday season), it can really hurt gamers’ trust in the industry as a whole, aside from devoted fanbases. It’s also easy to look at circumstances where a company won’t allow reviews until after a game is released. “The Order: 1886” (due for Feb. 20) is a recent example of this, where rumors flying about state the game is only four hours long. Publishers and gaming sites would be able to warn consumers about this if Ready at Dawn studios allowed pre-release reviews, and their inability to do so hurts consumer confidence in the industry as a whole. Watching a gaming company take this stance is akin to listening to your grandmother’s outdated offensive language during Thanksgiving dinner: There’s nothing you can really do about it no matter how awkwardly painful it is
Then there’s downloadable content (DLC) and upgrades. This is the epitome surrounding this crisis of the unfinished game. So many games fall into the dark, evil pit of being released incomplete to make a profit so that the developers can continually add on DLC and upgrades. It almost feels as though developers are excused from this behavior because of the amount of buffer the Internet and the age of social media provide. Just imagine any other type of product, such as a book, a bicycle or even an airplane being bought and put to use, only to find out that it’s incomplete. OK, so the last example may seem a tad hyperbolic, but the point still stands. Video games are a huge and ever-growing industry, and it’s just really strange that many developers and CEOs can get away making millions by creating imperfect and incomplete products for consumers. You can label me old-fashioned for believing in this, but there should be a point where principle rules over profiteering. ■H
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
DEL PILOTS THE
BARN TO
3030 BY: ROBERT LEES, STAFF WRITER
PHOTOS BY: TIM BACA
O
n Wednesday, the Barn was the sight of a massive time travel; an expedition to faraway times and galaxies, led by Okira Myth and Del the Funky Homosapien. A line of people was forming outside the doors to the Barn well before 7:30 p.m., and the stage was instantly thronged with people as soon as the doors were opened. I found a spot for myself wedged between a speaker tower and the stage, and listened to the mix the KUCR DJs were playing while I waited for the show to begin. The DJs played a large variety of hiphop, ranging from the Beastie Boys to Gang Starr, while the DJs for Okira Myth set up their turntables and laptop. The stage was set up oddly, with metal girders supporting several red lights and a laser machine, while two fog machines sprayed hazy white smoke around the stage. A few minutes past 8:30 p.m., Okira Myth took the stage as the lights around the stage dimmed. He was dressed the part as an auteur, independent rapper, wearing a flannel shirt, a fedora and hemp sunglasses with beaded spider webs in place of lenses. Announcing that he had traveled
to the Barn all the way from the Inland Empire, the DJ jumped into his set, mixing traditional hip-hop beats with fantastical lyrics describing spaceships, alternate dimensions and a mythological creature he dubbed the “Microphone Colossus.” Many of the people speckled around the audience seemed familiar with Okira Myth’s music, and exchanged various in-jokes and song suggestions with him. Okira Myth was a fitting opener for Del, as their lyrics shared a consistent theme and tone, choosing to rap about good vibes and metaphysics instead of the booties, blunts and Mercedes Benzes that are endemic to mainstream hip-hop. As Okira Myth finished his set, the lights onstage grew even dimmer as the crowd worked themselves into a frenzy, yelling and clamoring for a closer view. The fog machines started pumping at a faster rate, while Del’s DJ, Domino, began setting up his equipment, his movements obscured by the fog. After what felt like an eternity, the lights came on again and Del the Funky Homosapien took to the stage, his relaxed demeanor and casual walk in sharp contrast with the noise and frenzy of the crowd. He
made his way to the microphone, set down his skateboard and camouflage-print windbreaker, and coolly announced, “Hey, I’m Del,” before beginning his set. While starting with much of his own material, Del continued his set by performing some songs from his time with Hieroglyphics and Deltron 3030, including a stellar rendition of “Virus,” occasionally pausing at several breaks in the song to jokingly tell the audience to “chill,” as the crowd showed great enthusiasm for his older material. Between songs, he told stories about growing up and performing with Ice Cube, as well as mentioning African hygienic customs, saying that if you come home stinking, it means you’ve been doing something, before launching into a performance of his hit song “If You Must,” which garnered him mainstream success after it was prominently featured in the video game “Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3.” Much of the crowd was impressed with Del showcasing his entire body of work, as many people I had talked to expressed a worry that Del wouldn’t perform any of his old material. After the song, Del took a moment to remind the crowd the importance
of self-respect, saying, “Remember when we were young, and we would be proud of anything we did, like building a tower of wooden blocks as high as we could? We need to stay like that.” He performed more old material, including his first single “Mistadobalina,” which garnered cheers and claps from the already-excited throng of people near the stage. He also performed an improvised freestyle, while Domino mixed an impromptu beat, promising the crowd that they would probably make a song out of it when they got to the studio after the show. Before the last song of the night, Del promised to “take us back to ‘3030’,” performing his seven-minute long jam of the same name. After displaying a peace sign and thanking everyone in attendance, Del left the stage, skateboard in hand. True to his word, there was no encore, and the horde of people made their way to the Barn patio as the house lights came back on. My position next to the speakers made my ears numb, and I headed for my car. Smiling, I put in my Deltron 3030 CD as I drove away, trying to hear over the whine in my ears. ■H
Del the Funky Homosapien performs a variety of songs including “Virus” from his project Deltron 3030, and “If You Must,” a classic, crowd favorite.
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
MOVIE REVIEWS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT COMING OUT SOON: HOT TUB TIME MACHINE 2
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015 THE DUFF MCFARLAND, USA
17
WILD TALES GLORIA
50 SHADES OF GREY // RATING: ☆☆☆☆☆ JAMESON ADAME Senior Staff Writer
I
t has been done. I went and saw “50 Shades of Grey” in a crowded room and didn’t get up to leave partway through. Let me preface the review by saying that none of that would have happened were I not responsible for this review. I fully expected this film to be so bad that I would laugh my way through the screening, earning the ire of every woman in the theater and entertaining the three boyfriends who were treating their significant others to an early Valentine’s Day present (I’m not even lying, this was the demographic of the room). Unfortunately, the flick didn’t manage to entertain me with its awfulness or pleasantly surprise me at all. On to the movie itself though. “50 Shades of Grey” tells the story of the ridiculously named Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and her relationship with the equally preposterously named Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). This is pretty much everything there is to the film as far as plot, and anything else that appears
on screen is either to complicate their relationship or set up the next scene between just the two of them. For what it’s worth, the plot is hardly the focus of the film and mostly just serves as a tool to get the audience from one sex scene to the next. This brings me to our bread and butter for the flick: the sex scenes. “50 Shades of Grey” is, at best, an aspiring sexploitation movie. Though initially a slow burn to the first time you see the two main characters nude, the sex scenes hardly stop for more than 10 minutes before the next one begins. On the whole, these scenes aren’t poorly directed either. Shots are kept interesting and seem to skirt skillfully around showing either actors’ genetalia (so kudos to the movie’s cinematographer Seamus McGarvey). As it is, the ratio of plot-to-sex in the film is about 2:1 respectively, functioning as a vehicle for director Sam Taylor-Johnson to keep his actors nude. Unfortunately, this isn’t nearly as engaging as it would seem. The acting in the film is neither good enough nor bad enough across the board to make this as good as “The Secretary” or as entertainingly
... It stands as the perfect example of how not to make a movie.
COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES
bad as “Twilight.” Jamie Dornan acts as though he is attempting to portray the world’s most eligible billionaire piece of wood, hardly ever seeming more involved in the events of the movie than the extras paid to look away from the camera. God help me, here comes the one saving grace of the film: Dakota Johnson is a more-thancompetent actress. There, I said it. I gave the movie a bit of praise. Johnson gives the film much more effort than her counterpart ever seems to have deserved, acting her way through scenes of seriousness and comedy alike with a skill that only accentuates Dornan’s complete lack of effort. With the praise out of the way,
let me tell you the ways in which it fails catastrophically. Johnson acts so well, that by comparison, Dornan’s character Christian Grey seems sociopathic if not borderline psychotic. Moments in which Anastasia shows a genuinely charming show of humor and comedic timing are immediately followed by Grey delivering the most serial-killery lines I’ve heard since “Psycho.” As the two come closer, Grey’s way of distancing himself ends up boiling down to lines like, “I don’t make love to anybody, I fuck them.” Given a charismatic actor, this could have been delightfully stupid (the same with a bad enough actor too), but as it stands, these scenes are just a soundtrack away from becoming the most prolonged slasher flick ever. The sex scenes in the movie aren’t exactly well acted either, which is ridiculous considering that both actors are so pretty I shouldn’t have even been paying attention to how well they acted. However, Dornan didn’t fail to fail, and seemed out of place during the entirety of all the intimate moments, looking like he was just bored as he rubbed ice on Anastasia’s nipples (so I noticed some of the content). He doesn’t even look aggressive and scary enough when he is supposed to, showing himself to be the least invested “Dominant” that the world has ever known when he portrays the
sadomasochistic relationship the movie is about. “50 Shades of Grey” could easily have benefitted from a writer who understood the genre of sexploitation as well, as the majority of the movie is written just poorly enough that it is in no way entertaining, where it could be either absurdist or hyper-surrealist in its seriousness. Instead of going for Tinto Brass’ “Caligula,” the scenes seem like watching paint dry until the next time you can see attractive people without clothes. Even then, one of the attractive people looks like he’s watching paint dry. Anybody who wants to see two perfect examples of the directions this film could have gone should either enjoy the excellence of James Spader in “The Secretary,” or the pure decadent overkill in “Caligula.” Either way, you’ll be more enthralled than you would be watching this. I can’t recommend “50 Shades of Grey” in the least. It not only fails to be a character study of people engaged in a sadomasochistic relationship, but isn’t even bad enough to be entertaining like the “Twilight” movies before it. It stands as the perfect example of how not to make a movie: Bore the audience, and intercut sex scenes that are aesthetically pleasing but are still mostly banal (especially considering the way the movie treats them as being so scandalous). ■H
ter the actual plot until the third act. Although the film is a litany of action sequences, it does it in style. Unlike most spy action films, this movie doesn’t take itself too seriously. Vaughn chooses to have fun with his spy movie. For example, the film opens up with agents storming a base in the Middle East using a rocket launcher
at point-blank range as it were a game of “Team Fortress 2.” And only in this film can you experience a highly trained secret agent murdering an entire building full of members of a hate group, as well as Samuel L. Jackson talking with an extreme lisp. “Kingsman: The Secret Service” is not a movie for those looking to see a traditional spy
movie. This film is as if you took a James Bond movie and made it more quirky and over the top. In a sense, the film parodies the spy movie genre almost in the same way that “Scream” did for slasher films in the ‘90s. The only thing separating it from being a cult classic is that it doesn’t take its parodying beyond explosions and jokes. ■H
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE // RATING: ★★★☆☆ STASEAN WASHINGTON Staff Writer
“K
ingsman: The Secret Service” is a spy-action comedy film directed by Matthew Vaughn based on the comic book “The Secret Service,” created by Dave Gibbons and Mark Millar. The film tells the tale of Gary “Eggsy” Unwin (Taron Egerton), son of a deceased secret agent who is part of an organization known as the Kingsmen, an order of secret agents who dub themselves the “modern knights of the round table.” When one of their agents is killed on a mission, they must find a replacement. Harry Hart (Colin Firth), codenamed Galahad, an agent who feels responsible for the death of Eggsy’s father, seeks out Eggsy, a young man brooding with wasted potential, as his proposed applicant. As Eggsy goes through training to become the next Kingsman, Internet billionaire Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson), plots to cull the Earth’s human population. The film is a jumbled bunch of cliches and storylines, but the action and the comedy make it
fun to watch. Producers love to make films about the British secret service so it’s no surprise that what the audience sees isn’t something they have never seen before. Obviously, the organization known as the Kingsmen is another way of saying MI6; code names like “Galahad” and “Merlin” are substitutes for “007” and “Q.” The film borrows everything from the enhanced gadgetry and mountain bases to the suave personality associated with Bond films. Along with its cliches, the storyline runs longer than it should have. The films’ runtime is 129 minutes; however, a good portion of the film tries to pad its runtime with action sequences that go nowhere in particular. The first 45 minutes deal with the kidnapping of a professor who’s insignificant to the plot, as he dies within the only two scenes he’s in. And for a good portion of the film it’s hard to state who the actual protagonist is. The story centers on both Galahad and Eggsy. Although Eggsy’s pinned to be the main character, Galahad has more of an impact on the story than our supposed main character, who doesn’t en-
COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX
18
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
MUSIC REVIEW FATHER JOHN MISTY: “I LOVE YOU, HONEYBEAR” // RATING: ★★★★☆ JAKE RICH Senior Staff Writer
I
like to think that when I look back at writing for this newspaper years from now, some of my articles, even written through the constraints of a music or film review, will reflect somewhat what state of mind I was in. After all, even behind this faceless writing you see on the page or screen, I’m sitting here with my word document open (hello!) trying to come up with something that conveys how I feel about this album — Father John Misty’s, “I Love You, Honeybear.” I — as are many others — am often cynical and sentimental at the same time. It’s an unavoidable object that many of us grapple with in our own minds all the time. It’s cliche to even talk about the cliche that we are supposed to, at least on the outside, conform our emotions in certain ways
at certain times. It is even more difficult then, to accept our own flaws, put them on public display, accept them and try to move on. “I Love You, Honeybear” finds Father John Misty (aka J. Tillman, formerly of Fleet Foxes) putting all his dirty laundry, cynical feelings and sentiments on the table, and allowing us to judge or relate to them. His honesty and sincerity on extremely difficult personal topics, combined with simultaneously lush and provocative folk and folk-rock arrangements make for one of the best albums of not only the year, but of the decade so far. A look into the title track reveals Misty’s brutal honesty and sincerity. “I’ve brought my mother’s depression / You’ve got your father’s scorn and a wayward aunt’s schizophrenia / But everything is fine,” he sings unflinchingly over a plodding beat and sleek guitar. As in this song, most of the album is
It is even more difficult then, to accept our own flaws, put them on public display, accept them and try to move on.
centered around his relationship with his wife Emma, and a handful of women who came before her, for whom his sentiments are not usually great. The sincerity of the love for Emma is just as potent as the hate for other women, as Misty sings on “The Night Josh Tillman Came To Our Apt.,” “She says, like literally, music is the air she breathes / And the malaprops make me want to fucking scream / I wonder if she even knows what that word means / Well, it’s literally not that.” Accompanied by a contrastingly pleasant guitar, Misty’s sarcasm shines through as a hilarious coping mechanism. Misty continues this alternating love and hate, hating himself while loving Emma (“When You’re Smiling Astride Me”), scathingly critiquing middleclass consumer culture (“Bored In The USA”) and confronting guys hitting on his wife while he was on tour (“Nothing Good Ever Happens at the Goddamn Thirsty Crow”). Stuck at an intersection of selfdoubt, pride, self-confidence, sarcasm and empathy, we all want attention, satisfaction and a feel-
COURTESY OF SUB POP
ing that we’re doing something right. “I Love You, Honeybear,” walks through that intersection bloodied and bruised, crashing cars surrounding it, mocking the very scene it created and yet still feels guilty about. Everything may not be easy, but in truth, we at least can see clearly. And in love, we have someone who
accepts riding in your passenger seat without an airbag. As Misty sings on album highlight “Chateau Lobby #4 (in C for Two Virgins),” “I haven’t hated all the same things / As somebody else / Since I remember / What’s going on for? / What are you doing with your whole life?/ How about forever?” ■H
STAFF PICKS
What is your favorite Valentine’s Day movie?
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind Jake Rich, Managing Editor
Ghost
Wall-E
Like Crazy Nathan Swift, A&E Editor
Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Cameron Yong, Asst. Photo Editor
Knocked Up Sandy Van, News Editor
Christal Mims, Asst. A&E Editor
(500) Days of Summer Andrew Golden, Art Director
Maxine Arellano, Features Editor
Love
Hitch Darren Bueno, Sports Editor
The Aristocats
Jameson Adame, Opinons Editor
An Education Vincent Ta, Photo Editor
Brandy Coats, Prod. Manager
Hospital Massacre Colin Markovich, Editor-in-Chief
20
SPORTS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
UCR golf begins spring schedule strong MELISSA FUENTES Contributing Writer
Women’s golf On Monday, Feb. 9, the women’s golf team began their spring season with their first tournament at the Long Beach Gold Rush. On the first day, the Highlanders fired the fourthlowest score of the day. After the first two rounds, the Highlanders shot a total of 605. Savannah Vilaubi shot a 74 and a 71 in the first two rounds, which was one over par, placing her in a three-way tie for third. Haley Wian shot a 71 and an 81 and finished in a fourway tie for 22nd. The team moved up two spots the following day. After all three rounds, the Highlanders shot the third-lowest score with a total of 907. The team ended tied for third place with Brigham Young University. Wian shot a 76 in the final round, ending with a total of 277 while finishing the tournament 11 over par, tied for 14th place. In addition, Highlanders Hannah Facchini, Brittani Ferraro and Vilaubi all finished in the top 20. Each concluded the tournament tied for 16th place with a total score of 228. The Highlanders are off to a good start as they ended ahead of Big West members Hawaii, UC Irvine and Cal State Fullerton in the tournament. The Highlanders now prepare to hit the road on Feb. 23-25 for their next competition in the Grand Canyon Invitational in Litchfield Park, Ariz.
Men’s golf On a sunny Monday morning, the men’s golf team initiated their spring season with a fourth-place finish at the Barona Collegiate Cup, hosted by San Diego State from Feb. 9-10. On the first day the Highlanders fired the third-lowest score after round one. After the second round, the team finished with a total score of 292. Sam Gillis and Matt Lutz both shot under-par scores; Gillis shot a 64 and Lutz shot a 67. The Highlanders were one of three teams able to finish both rounds on the first day before there was a stop in the play due to darkness. On day two, the Highlanders moved up one spot. They shot a total score of 857 and fired the fourth-lowest score, finishing in a tie with UC Irvine for second. Gillis shot a 70 in the final round and finished with a total score of 207, placing him in a tie for fourth place and nine under par. In addition, David Gazzolo was the second Highlander who placed in the top 20. Gazzolo shot 69s in the first two rounds and finished only a stroke behind Gillis with a total score of 208. He finished in sixth place tied with PJ Samiere from San Diego State University. It was a good start to the season for UCR as they finished ahead of fellow Big West member UC Santa Barbara. The Highlanders now prepare for their next competition in the Wyoming Desert Classic, which will be held Feb. 20-22 in Palm Desert, Calif. ■H
Senior David Gazzolo plans his next move wtih great care and precision.
COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
21
CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER
UCR men’s rugby team perform drills at the Riverside Sports Complex with the assistance of volunteer UCR alumni coaches.
MEN’S RUGBY AT UCR:
A hooligan’s sport played by UCR gentlemen
I
Jason Ahn, Contributing Writer f someone asked most UCR men’s rugby players why they joined the club, they would declare it’s about earning your stripes, getting in the best shape of your life and joining an eternal broth-
erhood. Many of the players can be seen on campus in limited-edition shirts that read “UCR Rugby” and travel in packs. They practice and play with their hearts on their sleeves. Currently, the team is 3-0 and hope to repeat an USA College Rugby championship this spring. And they have done this without much help from the school, overcoming obstacles such as low membership and a shortage of finances. Yet every Tuesday and Thursday night, the men’s rugby team comes out and practices in a way that reflects UCR’s Division I sports. The club has its roots deep in UCR’s history, being born in 1964. The club hasn’t always been around, due to funding problems, but found its way back in 1991 and then again in 2006, growing in participants and name recognition. Rugby is a sport like no other, but if it were comparable, the players themselves say it shares similarities with soccer, American football, wrestling and even cheerleading. It is a physical sport that involves quick
sprints, hand-eye coordination and ing back. It may be the bonds these bone-crushing tackles. players share, which are even stronJavi Carlos, a fourth-year political ger than the stitching on their uniscience major and the club president, forms. “When you’re on campus and does not expect prospective members see someone else in a rugby shirt, to be built like Marshawn Lynch. we nod,” Waldon explained. “It’s a Instead, he likes to see an athlete’s mutual understanding and it’s a nice ability to be coached. “I like to see a bond.” drive, a willingness to learn because Vice President Turner Bradshaw, it’s a brand new game,” he said. a third-year mechanical engineering “Most players major, added never played how trusting one rugby, or even another is the heard of it.” ...the men’s rugby team glue that keeps Most playthe team togethers share the comes out and practices er. “In rugby, commonality of you have to rely in a way that reflects sports passion on everybody UCR’s Division I sports. a little more,” and curiosity, which have kept he said. “Even them coming more than footback for more. ball.” Andres Ludena, a fourth-year Game day is an experience in itanthropology major, is a swimmer- self. The athletes come out together at turned-rugby player. “I was fresh and 11 a.m. to set up the field themselves, new, but the older guys and coaches cracking jokes and lining up the cones helped me out,” he said. “Their pas- with pride. At 1 p.m. before kickoff, sion for rugby kept me coming out.” the UCR sideline is filled with friends “I came out of curiosity and ended and family, the very loyal supporters up staying after the first practice,” of the club. says Brandon Waldon, a transfer “We have some families come business and economics major, who from Los Angeles County, San Diwas formerly a football player and ego and even San Francisco,” Presitrack and field athlete. dent Carlos said. “Some of our team It seems like there is another fac- members are in fraternities, so their tor besides the aggressive nature of brothers come out, and some sororithe sport that keeps members com- ties come out to support us.”
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The rugby team may play like hooligans during the game, but are quite the gentlemen after the game. “We trickle down like a snake, and thank every fan for coming out,” Waldon said. “Even the other team, win or lose. It’s a gentleman’s sport.” Junior Rodrigo Otero, sociology major, had a few preliminary workouts to suggest for any possible members for the club. “Power cleans, squats and sprints,” he said. “Cleans give you massive explosive power because you start low and drive up. Squats, you have a huge load of weight on you.” Otero went on to passionately describe seeing videos of professional rugby players squatting upward of 600 pounds. “I’m in the best shape of my life after two years of rugby,” Otero said. Although the team spends hours in the gym and on the field, their success may have not occurred if it weren’t for their coaches. UCR alumni volunteer, teach, mentor and spend time with the players. Having a coach to direct the team’s energy may have been the x-factor in their championship season. The UCR men’s rugby team continues to push their physical and mental limitations as they strive to become the best in the West. The team practices every Tuesday and Thursday at the Riverside Sports Complex. ■H
EMPLOYMENT
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 --------------------------------Part Time Driver Needed Driving, load and unload helium tanks. Must have CA
DL & Clean driving record. If interested call 951-742-8183
MISC.
Campus 12-step meetings Tuesday – Step Study Wednesday – Meditation Thursday – Discussion St. Andrew Newman Center 105 W Big Springs Rd, 92507 Noon-1 p.m.
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SPORTS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
► W. BASKETBALL FROM PAGE 24
regulation. With a 10-point cushion coming out of the locker room, the Highlanders maintained a relaxing lead, continuing to trade short runs with the Anteaters over the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Anteaters, in front of their home fans, stayed calm and motivated, keeping themselves in the game and eventually striking with a 20-10 run over seven minutes that tied the game at 59 with 2:25 to play. The Anteater defense was stifling during this run, forcing the normally efficient Highlander offense into turnover after turnover and slowly clawing at the once-convincing advantage, taking the lead, 61-59, with 1:47 to play. The two teams traded baskets from here, until a clutch basket from Dynese Adams with three seconds to play tied the contest at 63-63, forcing the game into overtime. The overtime period was a back-and-forth affair, with the game boiling down to the final possession, and the jumper by Onogomuho gave the Anteaters a 74-72 lead with seven seconds to play. The contest was sealed by a last-second miss by the Highlanders. The women’s basketball team visits UC Santa Barbara on Thursday, Feb. 19, the second matchup of a three-game road trip. ■H
MATT HONG / HIGHLANDER Steven Jones (No. 10) looks for an opening to take a shot.
► M. BASKETBALL FROM PAGE 24
JANELLE SOTO / HIGHLANDER Annelise Ito (No. 3) elevates for a jump shot against her opponent.
Highlanders. Though UC Irvine led at halftime, 34-32, Highlander momentum was already brewing inside the SRC Arena. The Anteaters scored the first possession of the second half, but UCR used an electric 11-0 run to recapture the lead, 43-37. Riverside continued to orchestrate a brilliant strategic performance as the Anteaters, who were dominating inside the paint during the first half, relied solely on backup point guard Jaron ► BASEBALL FROM PAGE 24
and Joe Simpson singled to put runners on first and second base. Marc Contreras would get a wild pitch that moved the runners and then with the help of his single and a Pilot throwing error, the Highlanders took a 3-1 lead in the game. Portland tried to strike again in the eighth after a single by Geoffrey Lee, which ended Sprague’s time on the mound. Once Jordan Kron came out as relief he gave up another single by Caleb Whalen to put runners on first and second. Michael Lucarelli would use a sacrifice bunt to put them in scoring position. Yet Kron kept his composure and closed out the inning and game to record his first save of the season. FEB. 14, 2015
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Highlanders 6 - Pilots 1 Left-handed pitcher Kevin Sprague (No. 35) opens the Friday game with a strikeout.
MATT HONG / HIGHLANDER
UCR came out strong in the first
Martin’s 13 second-half points for offensive production. The Anteaters closed to within four points on several occasions but the Highlanders held on to give UC Irvine its first road loss of the season. UC Riverside outscored the Anteaters 32-18 in the paint while attempting 27 free throws compared to UC Irvine’s 16. UCR has five more conference games remaining in the regular season, starting with a Thursday home game against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos on Feb. 19. ■H game of a doubleheader on Saturday with a 6-1 win over the Pilots. The second inning saw the Highlanders start with a triple to left field from Marc Contreras. UCR’s Alex Rubanowitz then followed with an RBI-double to put the Highlanders on the board, 1-0. He would then be sent home off of a hit by Joe Chavez a few batters later. In the fifth inning, the Highlanders created a cushioned lead with three runs. Edgar Morales, Robby Witt and Chavez hit singles to load the bases and with the help of Vince Fernandez, UC Riverside sent two home with a double to right field. Drake Zarate assisted with an RBIsingle of his own and gave the Highlanders a 5-0 lead. Portland was able to avoid the shutout with an RBI from Davis Tominaga to send home Cody Lenahan, who hit a double with two outs. UCR pitcher Angel Landazuri ended the night with the victory after going 6.2 innings. Rubanowitz gave the Highlanders their final run with an RBI to send home Contreras, 6-1. FEB. 14, 2015
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Highlanders 8 - Pilots 4
After trailing 3-2 through the first six innings, the UCR baseball team had a strong comeback with three runs in the seventh and eighth innings of the game to take the victory, 8-4. Highlander Vince Fernandez came out in the seventh inning to bring home two runners on base to give the Highlanders the first lead of the game, 5-3. Dante Chupek, Casey Henderson and Mark Contreras were each able to score the insurance RBIs for the game and give UCR an 8-3 lead. Portland tried to spark a comeback with an RBI from Davis Tominaga to make it an 8-4 game but Jared Morton got his first save of the season by getting the next batter out and ending the doubleheader for UCR, 8-4. UCR reliever Keaton Leach tallied a win after going 5.2 innings. The team next plays at San Diego State, beginning on Thursday, Feb. 19. ■H
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 17, 2015
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Track and field opens season at Husky Classic RILEY MACK Contributing Writer
After record-breaking performances at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Wash., over the weekend, UC Riverside’s track and field program continued to set the tone for a solid 2015 season. The Valentine’s Day meet commenced with the jumping events. Danielle Littleton had a big day with a final fourth-place mark of 5.67m in the women’s long jump. Breana Jemison threw a solid fifth-place distance of 14.81m in the shot put, beating her previous school record of 14.78m. Littleton continued to dominate for the Highlanders with a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles, putting up a final time of 8.39. Following close behind Littleton in the preliminary heat, freshman Taylor Fleming earned her first collegiate marks with a 9.02. Amber Wright took a humble top 20 spot in the women’s 400 with a 56.64, just shy of her 2014 indoor school
record. Noelle Abboud followed Wright with a 56.72. Michael Koger ran a 48.76, taking eighth in the men’s 400, 0.3 seconds off his 2014 school record of 48.44. Freshman Justin Parker came out of the blocks hot with a 49.22 in his first collegiate indoor race. Asha Giles had another powerful day on the track running a 7.73 in the women’s 60. Camille Deadwiler came in just before Abboud’s 7.80 finish with a 7.75. Closing the eventful weekend off, the Highlanders performed well in the crowd favorite 4x400 relay. The men’s team was three seconds off the 3:13.01 school record set in 2012 as they took fourth this year at 3:16.78 with a team made up of Dylan Gates, Michael Pare, Parker and Koger. The women’s relay squad placed in seventh at 3:50.30 with Regina Bowman, Jazmine Harper, Abboud and Wright. Next up, the team is back in Flagstaff, Ariz. for the Northern Arizona University Last Chance meet on Feb. 20. ■H
COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS
Senior Danielle Littleton earned a first-place finish in the 60-meter hurdles with a time of 8.39.
COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS
UCR’s softball team won their first three games against Fresno State, Santa Clara and Sacremento State during the Fresno State Kickoff tournament.
Softball continues conference warmup at Fresno State DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer
The UC Riverside softball team made a winning return to the Fresno State Kickoff tournament as Head Coach Linda Garza’s club won its first three games of the warmup event. FEB. 13, 2015
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Highlanders 4 - Bulldogs 2
Heading into Friday’s contest on a three-game winning streak, the Highlanders dispatched the hosting Fresno State Bulldogs, 4-2. Fresno State jumped out to an early two-run lead, taking advantage of three wild pitches in the opening inning and Bulldog Kierra Willis’ third-inning score on a walk. The Highlanders took control of the contest soon after, highlighted by a stellar seventh inning. Leadoff hitter Chelsey Holley singled up the middle, followed by a walk and fielding error that placed runners
in scoring position and started a three-run rally for the Highlanders. The Bulldogs had no answer for UCR as the Highlanders recorded their first win of the tournament. UCR’s Chelsea Ponce pitched six innings, tallying four strikeouts. FEB. 13, 2015
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Highlanders 4 - Broncos 3
In the second game of the evening, the Highlanders downed the Santa Clara Broncos to move to 2-0 at the tournament and 5-2 on the 2015 season. After beginning with three scoreless innings, UC Riverside was the first team to scratch in the game as Haley Harris smacked a lead-off triple in the fourth inning before scoring on a fly ball hit to center field by teammate Rebecca Faulkner. Both squads scored two runs in the fifth inning before sophomore transfer Madeline
Richard hit the first home run of the season for the Highlanders, 4-2, in the sixth inning. The Broncos scored once more in the following inning, but UCR escaped with a 4-3 win. Freshman Marcilena Valenzuela pitched for three innings for the Highlanders before Kaylyn Pierce and Alyssa Razo each threw for two innings. FEB. 14, 2015
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Highlanders 7 - Hornets 6
Playing in their third game of the weekend, the Highlanders received an early test of mental fortitude and physical condition as both teams battled in a contest that lasted over four hours and 13 innings, which UCR ultimately won 7-6. Facing a 3-0 deficit in the bottom of the fifth inning, UC Riverside started to mount a comeback. The Highlanders scored three runs across the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game, 3-3, and force extra in-
nings. Sacramento State scored in the top of the eighth, 10th and 12th innings; however, UCR responded, matching every score in the bottom of each respective inning. It wasn’t until the 13th in-
ning where an empty trip for the Hornets turned into a scoring opportunity for the Highlanders. Madeline Richard’s RBI put Haley Harris across the plate, 7-6, ending the fourhour marathon in favor of the ■H Highlanders.
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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
Sports
BRI CHEW / HIGHLANDER
Once the Highlanders gained possession of the ball, Simone DeCoud (No. 14) drives it down the court to score.
Women’s basketball drops nail biters versus Hawaii, Irvine CHRISTIAN MAY-SUZUKI Contributing Writer FEB. 12, 2015
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Rainbow Wahine 72 - Highlanders 69
Simone DeCoud scored a season-high 22 points, but the women’s basketball team fell to Hawaii, 72-69. The Riverside native shot 47 percent from the field and converted on all six of her free throws. The Highlanders could not overcome an off-shooting night overall despite forcing 16 Hawaii turnovers while limiting themselves to just three. Hawaii used its superior size and height to domi-
nate the paint, out-rebounding the Highlanders 47-25 and outscoring them in the paint 36-18. Michelle Curry dropped 17 points and Brittany Crain added 16 points on a night where the bucket seemed like a mouse hole for the Highlanders. The Highlanders shot only 38 percent from the field in the first half, as a long Hawaii defense forced them into long jumpers throughout the first period. Hawaii had multiple platoon swaps, constantly rotating players in and out, and having four-person substitutions on two occasions. This was a contrast to the Highlanders, who only subbed five players out and were mostly
Men’s basketball upsets second-ranked UC Irvine DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer FEB. 12, 2015
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Rainbow Warrios 73 - Highlanders 52
Thursday night’s showdown against one of the best teams in the Big West was forgettable for the UC Riverside men’s basketball team. The Highlanders shot 27 percent from the field in a 73-52 defeat to the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. UC Riverside scored on three of the first four possessions of the contest to lead 8-4 with under two minutes expired. Then UCR lost the script as the Rainbow Warriors scored 21 straight points while the Highlanders missed their next 13 shots. Steven Thorton knocked down a three-pointer with 3:23 left to end the drought but Hawaii had already established a doubledigit lead they would never relinquish. The lead swelled to as many as 21 points in the second half as the Rainbow Warriors won 73-52 at the final buzzer. Jaylen Bland led UCR with 13 points while Taylor Johns
chipped in 10. The Hawaii reserves outscored the Highlanders 43-15 in bench production. FEB. 14, 2015
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Highlanders 70 - Anteaters 63
represented by the starters. However, the Highlanders held a 34-31 lead heading into halftime, out-attempting the Rainbow Wahine 37-28 in field goal attempts, but only converting on one more field goal than Hawaii before the break. The second half was hotly contested throughout, with no team building a lead greater than two possessions through the first 10 minutes of the half. Baskets were traded back and forth as time ticked on. However, Hawaii established a seven-point lead with 9:16 remaining, forcing the Highlanders to play from behind. The Highlanders always stayed in range, not allowing Hawaii to extend their lead until it grew to eight with 3:40 to play. Scores from DeCoud and Curry brought the game to one with 1:03 to play, but made free throws and a last-second miss sealed the three-point win for Hawaii. The loss is only the team’s second of the year at the Student Recreation Center Arena and ninth overall on the year. Connie Morris scored 12 and
Ashleigh Karaitiana dropped 10 for Hawaii’s offense, whose bench led by Megan Huff’s 12 and Briana Harris’ 11 outscored the Highlander reserves 32-0. FEB. 14, 2015
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Anteaters 76 - Highlanders 72
UC Irvine forward Methlyn Onogomuho hit a jumper with seven seconds left to play in the first overtime period, and the women’s basketball team fell in heartbreaking fashion to the hosting UC Irvine Anteaters, 76-72. Visiting the Bren Events Center in Irvine, Calif., the Highlanders were led by a solid effort from Annelise Ito, whose 22 points and 12 rebounds helped keep the team energized against a persistent UC Irvine squad. Guard Brittany Crain, the Big West’s leading scorer, added 19 points but struggled from beyond the arc, converting only two of her 12 attempts from downtown. Forward Mokun Fajemisin led the Anteaters with 21 points and added 13 rebounds in a game
where her Anteaters had nine more free throws than UCR, leading to 10 more conversions from the line. In a game where every point counted, this discrepancy proved crucial. The first half saw the Highlanders keep control of the pace of the game, maintaining a lead, albeit a small one, throughout the opening 20 minutes of regulation. This effort was kicked off by a solid 13-6 advantage for the Highlanders with 13:18 remaining in the first. The Highlanders used this lead to dictate the game, allowing the Anteaters to tie the contest, but never giving them the edge. This trend continued and was seemingly going to end the first half tight, but the Highlander offense erupted. Over the final 2:58 of the first half, the Highlanders went on an 11-2 run to close the first half with a comfortable 32-22 lead. Annelise Ito was making her mark early, shooting six of eight and scoring 12 points to lead the Highlander offense in the opening period of ► SEE W. BASKETBALL, PAGE 22
Baseball, Percival open season with sweep over Portland ALEXANDER MANZO Contributing Writer FEB. 13, 2015
Reserve Austin Quick dunked a one-handed slam as the final buzzer rang in the Student Recreation Center Arena on Saturday night. The energetic Quick yelled to the crowd, and the engaged and standing audience all rejoiced as the scoreboard projected a 70-63 win in favor of the Highlanders. Taylor Johns and Jaylen Bland each scored 21 points as UC Riverside downed the UC Irvine Anteaters, who are ranked second in the Big West standings. The Anteaters lead by 10 points in the first half as the Riverside defense saw a steady diet of post-ups by the UC Irvine big men. UCR Head Coach Dennis Cutts made adjustments, however, as pressure defense on the Anteaters produced several scoring opportunities for the
The Highlanders made a winning start to their 2015 campaign as they took the opening game 3-1 over the Portland Pilots. Last season’s closer Kevin Sprague went seven full innings to help UCR secure the first victory for head coach and former MLB pitcher Troy Percival. The Pilots struck first in the second inning when Cody Lenahan, after reaching second from a wild pitch, was sent home with a single by Davis Tominaga. UCR would be stopped in the second but responded in the third as Dante Chupek sent Matt Ellis home with a single to even up the score, 1-1. The game remained tied up until the sixth inning when, after two batters retired, Drake Zarate
► SEE M. BASKETBALL, PAGE 22
► SEE BASEBALL, PAGE 22
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Highlanders 3 - Pilots 1
MATT HONG / HIGHLANDER Outfielder Robby Witt (No. 4) is nearly tagged out after attempting to lead off of first base.