THE HIGHLANDER
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
est. 1954
FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
VOL. 67, ISSUE 17
42nd
Writers Week features literary heavyweights a n n u a l Atwood and Cusk
By: Martha Delgado, Senior Staff Writer and Antonio Velaochaga, Contributing Writer
NEWS
PG. 5 & 6
Concerns over new Title IX regulations raise questions for UC policy Highlander News Referendum seeks increased funding for campus newspaper f UCR Highlander Newspaper @ucrhighlander HighlanderTV NEWS 4
OPINIONS 8
FEATURE 11
RADAR 17
SPORTS 22
KUCR 88.3 FM
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org
HUMANS OF UCR
UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 6
CRISTINA PICENO | BUSINESS | THIRD-YEAR COMPILED BY LYDIA TSOU
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Grand Slam Round IV 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. HUB 367
Bee Safe: Self-Defence Training 2p.m. – 3:30 p.m. HUB 355
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How to Eat a Taco 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Costo Hall 260
ASPB Presents: Isn’t it Romantic 9:45 p.m. – 12 a.m. University Theater
Women’s Basketball vs UC Davis 6 p.m. SRC Arena
Valenclimb 5 p.m. – 8 p.m. SRC, The Rock
Feminist Friday 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Costo Hall 260
Film: Sorry To Bother You 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. UCR ARTS, Culver Center of the Arts
Joshua Tree National Park Hiking and Biking 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. SRC, Outdoors Excursion Shop
Men’s Rugby 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. SRC, Lower Courts
Tuesday
Wednesday
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Thursday
15 Friday
“My mom said, ‘I can’t help you with much, but you have food, a roof and whatever you need here. Work and study. Get as far as you can.’ At the time, I wasn’t a full-time student yet and I was still working, but then I found a job on campus and then, through a program, I was able to get my tuition covered. I guess being the first one in my family to graduate from community college was really big. Not only to graduate from a community college, but also to transfer to a four year university.”
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Saturday
17 Sunday
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Panther’s Roar: Music Inspired by the Revolution 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. City Hall
Monday
MULTIMEDIA CONTACT US
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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They must be 600-800 words at length and include the author’s name and contact information. Topics should be UCR-centric and/or pertain to our generation of students. Contact Opinions Editor Jessica Baker at opinions@highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit the completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letters can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements. LEGAL The Highlander is published and copyrighted by the Highlander for the students, faculty and staff of UCR. All rights are reserved. Reprinting of any material in this publication without the written permission of the Highlander is strictly prohibited. Readers are allowed one free copy of the newspaper. For additional copies or for subscription information, please contact the Highlander. The Highlander fully supports the University of California’s policy on non-discrimination. The student media reserve the right to reject or modify advertising whose content discriminates on the basis of ancestry, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation. The Highlander has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints against it. All inserts that are printed in the Highlander are independently paid publications and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the staff or The University of California or the Associated Students of UCR.
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News
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
ASUCR
STEM high school representative “bewildered and shocked” by Chancellor’s comments on school’s progress
NICHOLAS ROH / HIGHLANDER
MARK BERTUMEN Senior Staff Writer
The ASUCR Senate held their fourth meeting of the winter quarter last Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. During public forum, Rich Davis, representative for the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) high school committee for UCR stepped up to the podium to discuss future plans for UCR’s STEM high school. He previously spoke about the matter in Nov. 2018, where he was “extremely impressed” by student turnout at community meetings for discussion of the school. At this meeting Davis stated that he was “bewildered and
shocked” by what Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox said about the plans for the high school at the previous week’s ASUCR meeting. In response to CHASS Senator Alex Gonzalez’s question about where the STEM school would go, Wilcox said that “the Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) has not yet decided on a site and (that) there is still time for discussion.” Davis agreed that there is still “time for discussion” but countered Wilcox’s statement that no site had been selected: “A site has been decided upon, after the university proposed four possible locations,” Davis said. He then went on to list said locations and why three of them were denied. The first proposed location
was around Box Springs, which Davis says was denied because faculty parked there and did not want to lose the area. The second proposed site was around Martin Luther King Blvd., which was rejected because it was “too far away for high school students to walk to” and also because the nearby fields were being sprayed with pesticides. The third site was located on Blaine St. and Canyon Crest Dr., where the baseball fields are. That site was rejected because “depending on who you talk to” it was too far for students to walk to and was too close to college student dorms, which was considered an unsafe choice. The fourth and accepted site proposal is the intramural fields around Glen Mor. Davis was
“perplexed” because he and his group have “held two public meetings that many UCR students attended and spoke at” which were intended to make plans for the school clear, as well as a board meeting that discussed the topic as well. He also noted that the environmental impact of putting the school on the fourth proposal site is still being looked at for approval: “the district is still marching down that road to build the school there,” Davis said. Another concern Davis voiced on behalf of the surrounding community is that there is currently no parking for either the projected 1,200 students attending the school or the staff that will run it. “So where are the students going to park?
In the neighborhoods,” Davis pointed out. “There’s been talk about bussing kids in, but then there’s the problem of more pollution and traffic in the area,” he added. “Students have expressed concerns about having high school kids on campus; they’ve also taken away that to remanage the fields, things will be paid for by student funds,” Davis later said. “We’ve been told the university will find another place to put the fields but I’ve yet to find out where the new fields will be, or who’s going to pay for it. We appreciate the continued interest in the project, as well as its support and opposition. We look forward to continuing working with you all,” he concluded. ■H
Former UCR employee awaiting sentencing for embezzling money from UCR Brain Game Center
AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer
Lauren Michael Flores, a former UC Riverside employee, is scheduled to be sentenced Nov. 27, after admitting to embezzling money from UCR’s Brain Game Center for Mental Fitness and Well-Being (UCR Brain Game Center), allegedly to support his financially struggling father. Flores pleaded no contest on Nov. 28, 2018 to misdemeanor charges of grand theft from an employer and insurance fraud. According to UCR’s Director of Media Relations John Warren, in Oct. 2017 the University of California Police Department (UCPD) was made aware of a possible embezzlement case involving a lab assistant and staff member in the Office of Research and Economic Development. The amount embezzled was $2,910, which was subsequently reimbursed by Flores according to Warren.
The office discovered the staff member had written multiple unauthorized checks from a bank account used to pay research participants. Following the investigation, the UCPD filed charges of embezzlement against the suspect and his employment with UCR ended in April 2018. On Nov. 20, 2018, Flores, was convicted in the Riverside Superior Court of 487(B)(3) of the Penal Code, misdemeanor grand theft and 550(A)(1) of the Penal Code, misdemeanor insurance fraud. The UCR police investigation began Dec. 1, 2017 when Aaron Seitz, the director of the UCR Brain Game Center, first noticed that a payment was made in Flores’ name out of the Office of Research and Economic Development’s bank account, specifically a payment for an auto loan. In an interview with the Highlander, Seitz stated that when he first confronted Flores, he collected the remaining checks and records of payments and asked Flores for his
explanation of the situation. After admitting to making the payments out of the bank account, Seitz informed Flores that he was required to report the incident and immediately reported the situation to the Office of Research and Economic Development. Seitz stated, “At this time I also asked for advice on best practices to address the situation. I then went with Lauren to the bank to report the issue to them as well.” After that, Seitz stated that the situation was mostly out of his hands as the bank, human resources and the police proceeded to investigate and address the situation. Flores was a research development and operations manager at the Brain Game Center as well as a lab manager in the Department of Psychology at UCR. According to Flores’ LinkedIn profile, he is a graduate student at the University of Redlands. UCR’s Brain Game Center, according to their
website, researches, tests and disseminates game software to optimize human brain processes with an aim to make scientifically principled brain games that translate to performance in real-life activities. “This is simply a sad situation. Lauren has made many positive contributions
JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER
to UCR and the Brain Game Center. He made some very poor decisions in what was for him an extreme circumstance. This cost him his job among many other repercussions,” stated Seitz. Seitz also added that Flores admitted to his wrongdoings and paid back the debt. ■H
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news
NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
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Referendum seeks to address food insecurity and basic needs on campus CAMERON SADEGHI Contributing Writer
On Wednesday Jan. 16th, ASUCR voted and passed the Basic Aids and Needs Referendum (BANR). The BANR’s purpose is to improve the R’Pantry’s ability to combat food insecurity and provide other additional services for students in need. The referendum will appear on the ASUCR Election ballot in April 2019. Vice President of Campus Internal Affairs Jose CortezHernandez unveiled the referendum on Jan. 16 for a vote and believes that UC Riverside’s administration is at fault for the lack of basic needs. “Everyone would have preferred that administration be fronting the cost, however we know that that’s not the case. We have been asking for over four years and nothing has been done,” Hernandez said. R’Pantry funding ends June 2019; in response to this, the referendum requests a student fee increase of $5 for R’Pantry services. Wellness Program Coordinator Daniel LopezSalas finds an issue with the fee; “being the founder of the R’Pantry, as a student, I was opposed to students having to pay for their basic needs considering that 60 percent of our students experience food inse-
curity.” Fifty-three percent of undergraduate students are food insecure, while 37 percent of graduate students are food insecure, according to the most recent study on food insecurity at UC Riverside. The initial 2016 study reported that 62 percent of students were food-insecure. According to The Well, “Students who are food insecure reduce portion sizes and skip meals in order for food to last longer.” The most recent study on food insecurity had a higher response rate according to R’Pantry coordinator Grecia Marquez-Nieblas. More students participated in the recent study than the 2016 study. Lopez-Salas says communication with ASUCR has been limited. “They have been very limited (in reaching out to us); didn’t know that the referendum was being brought up until basically after it was passed. Then, as a staff, we were asked to provide input. We went ahead and provided some of our suggestions and edits to the referendum.” Nieblas echoed similar sentiments. “It’s a student-led effort; ASUCR took the initiative, put this into writing, and put it on the ballot. That’s something that we as a staff have never advocated for. We were actually surprised because we didn’t know that this would be happening.”
After discussing with the R’pantry and The Well, Hernandez said that suggestions were provided to include basic needs as a part of the language in the referendum. Nieblas added that she and her team “know that the R’Pantry is a great service and it is an emergency service. We need additional support services outside of that services.
We are pushing for that basic needs lens where we’re looking at all of those areas that students need support in.” According to Nieblas, food insecurity and housing are two of the most common basic needs that students are asking for. “Students often talk to us about having a safe place to say and know that it’s going to be ongoing and it’s not for
LYDIA TSOU / HIGHLANDER
short term,” Nieblas said. “For me, the way that I envision basic needs in the future is we don’t have a pantry anymore. My hope is that I can be here for the day we close the pantry because we no longer have the need for emergency services,” Salas said. The R’Pantry is located at Costo Hall 110. ■H
Concerns over new Title IX regulations raise questions for UC policy
AIDAN RUTTEN Senior Staff Writer
In November 2018, the Department of Education released new regulatory proposals to Title IX. According to the press release the “proposed rule seeks to ensure that all schools clearly understand their legal obligations under Title IX and that all students clearly understand their options and rights.” However, Betsy DeVos and the department, through notice and comment, (a process by which citizens can voice their opinions or concerns to different departments within
the federal government) have faced immense scrutiny. In response to the changes, 16,376 people submitted comments to the department of education. This past January was the comment filing period, and student advocates for Planned Parenthood went around UCR classrooms to hand out cards to students with information regarding how to comment on the proposed Title IX rule changes, even providing a link that as of the publishing date appears not to work. Planned Parenthood stands in opposition to the proposed rule changes as they feel the changes “eliminate protections for sexual assault survivors.” Similar sentiments are held
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by the UC system, as stated in a letter written to the Department of Education, signed by Janet Napolitano and provided to the Highlander via Brook Chang, director of the Women’s Resource Center, who was unavailable for comment. “UC is deeply troubled that, if issued in their current form, the rules will discourage reporting and participation in the resolution process, and hamper schools’ efforts to prevent, investigate, and redress sexual harassment,” it reads. It goes on to detail the UC’s apprehensions with many of the provisions, including grievance procedures found in section 106.45 of the proposals. “Here, the rules would prohibit schools from
processing complaints under their grievance procedures unless they allege ‘sexual harassment’ in the context of a ‘program or activity’ against a person ‘in the United States.’ This is of significant concern because, as explained above, these requirements are extremely limiting,” the letter reads. In an interview with the Highlander, Karla Aguilar, UCR’s CARE Director and a California certified sexual assault and domestic violence advocate, said, “For us there’s various areas in that policy that we have a lot of concerns about.” As an advocate for survivors of sexual assault, Aguilar sees the proposals as limiting, and may have the potential to affect people’s willingness to come forward about their or others’ situations. “A lot of the time what we find is that folks who come to an office to seek out support or are experiencing danger don’t even define it as sexual harassment; they don’t know the language, if it fits into that policy,” said Aguilar. “So a narrowing of those definitions is problematic because then you have cases where survivors who are experiencing some type of violence maybe don’t meet the threshold for a response or adjudication and that leaves out an entire population of survivors who are trying to seek support on
campus.” Quoted in the Department of Education’s press release, DeVos said, “Far too many students have been forced to go to court to ensure their rights are protected because the Department has not set out legally binding rules that hold schools accountable for responding to allegations of sexual harassment in a supportive, fair manner.” However, Aguilar contests the idea that the new rules would lessen the burden on the justice system, and feels that narrowing the definition of what constitutes sexual harassment would negatively affect people’s ability to go through the Title IX process on campus. “They don’t want to go out into the criminal process because they don’t want to put someone in jail, they just want to feel safe on campus,” said Aguilar. The period to submit notice and comment is now over, but it is unclear whether the historically unprecedented amount of feedback will impact the regulatory proposals. For sexual harassment and sexual violence concerns, UCR’s Title IX Office can be contacted at (951) 8277070 or titleix@ucr.edu, the Women’s Resource Center can be contacted at (951) 827-3337 and the CARE Office can be contacted at (951) 827-6225 or advocate@ucr.edu. ■H
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
NEWS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news
Apple acknowledges UCR grad student for locating flaws in OS security, receives international recognition
MARK BERTUMEN Senior Staff Writer
On Jan. 22, Apple released a security content update for its mac Operating System (macOS) and acknowledged UCR grad student and doctoral candidate Fatemah Alharbi for her contributions to the patch. Alharbi’s contributions are attributed to test attacks on computer operating systems (OS); the tests revealed flaws in many OS types, including Windows, macOS and Ubuntu Linux, that could allow attackers to steal OS caches and the personal information they contain. The full paper explaining the study can be found online, titled “Collaborative Client-Side DNS Cache Poisoning Attack”. Alharbi’s doctoral advisor Nael Abu-Ghazaleh co-authored the study’s paper alongside Zhiyun Qian, both professors of computer science and engineering. The Highlander reached out to all three of them for comments on the acknowledgements, with Qian unavailable to offer response. Ghazaleh wrote that the attacks focused on the Domain Naming System (DNS), elaborating that it is “a critical service on the internet responsible for translating domain names such as ucr.edu to their equivalent IP address which is used in establishing connections.” Alharbi’s studies showed that attackers can inject their own translation, noted by Ghazaleh as a “cache poison attack.” The attack would allow hackers to “hijack connections to any domain and point them at their own webserver (sic), where they can capture passwords
and other critical information.” Ghazaleh pointed out that while poison attacks are not new, the attacks of the study target OS caches on end devices, which send out or receive information in a network, such as computers, phones and tablets. He noted that UCR can benefit from the improved security, referring for example to his lab, which contains macOS and Linuxpowered machines, both of which were found vulnerable during research. Alharbi mentioned that the study was performed as part of her dissertation; “The most difficult part of a Ph.D (sic) study is to find an idea that has never been studied before,” she said. “I have always had a passion for cybersecurity, so I started reading lots of papers related to this field, but this was not enough especially for a student who just started Ph.D.” To better find her research topic she spoke with several students and professors, some of who coauthored the research paper. “Consequently, we found that the client-side DNS cache poisoning attack has never been technically and practically studied before; thus, I decided to choose this project as my first project in my Ph.D (sic) study,” she said. Ghazaleh later called attention to the praise that Alharbi has received in both the U.S. and her home country of Saudi Arabia, as well as across the “Arab World.” Specifically, “she was featured on many major TV channels (including Alarabiya (a popular news channel in the Middle East)) and in print.” Alharbi mentioned that because of her work, she has received job offers both
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various companies, including Facebook, Google, Microsoft and others; she has even heard from companies in Saudi Arabia. When asked about the recognition, she responded that “I think anyone of us hopes to add his (or her) own fingerprint in his (or her) field of specialty. I personally haven’t thought that a big company like Apple would acknowledge by my name as a contributor in one of its security updates. I am very honored for that and this gives me the courage and commitment to continue in this path, the path of scientific and applied research.” Alharbi finds that anyone has the capability to do what she’s done: “No matter if you are a student, professor, or any other person, if you have the passion to do research, you will always
try to make a change that would have an impact,” she said. Ghazaleh also stated that because of Alharbi’s accomplishments, “she is a role model for young women in Saudi Arabia.” With the title in mind Alharbi gave a message to her “Saudi Arabian sisters … the government is moving toward a more modernized society, especially in the technology sector, and this comes after the announcement of the Saudi Vision 2030 in 2016 by the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (colloquially known as MbS). There is tremendous work and effort to empower Saudi women in technology. I think we are capable to be part of this change (sic) that would have a good impact not only to Saudi Arabia but also to the
whole world.” Apple is currently the only one to have addressed Alharbi’s findings, even though vulnerabilities were found in Windows and Linux systems; “there are sometimes reasons such as potential impact of defenses on other software that uses the service which companies weigh against their perception of the threat,” Ghazaleh explained. Alharbi did say that Microsoft and Ubuntu are considering “mitigation strategies.” Alharbi and Ghazaleh wrote that the research and its findings will be presented at the IEEE International Conference on Computer Communications (INFOCOM), called a “top tier conference in computer networks” by Ghazaleh, in Paris this coming May. ■H
Highlander News Referendum seeks increased funding for campus newspaper
LUKAS MASSEY Contributing Writer
UCR student elections are approaching in April, and upcoming referenda were submitted for approval on Jan. 15. Among the approved referenda is the Highlander News Referendum (HNR), which according to the editor-inchief of the Highlander, Andreas Rauch, is a piece of legislation seeking to increase funding for the paper. Currently, $1.50 of every student’s quarterly tuition funds the Highlander: if the referendum passes that number would increase to $3.50. Under current UCR policy, 25 percent of any funding increase must go to financial aid. “Functionally,” as Rauch puts it, “the Highlander is going to be receiving $1.13 extra per student.” When asked why the Highlander is seeking the increase in revenue, Rauch said that the revenue is intended to expand its online presence; “we want to expand our capabilities,”
Rauch said, adding, “we want to expand our capabilities. Having that presence is very important; a majority of news nowadays is consumed online, for obvious reasons, and it’s also cheaper than printing. Seeing as how it’s the most viable option in the future, it’s something we have to invest in now.” The funds would also help deal with rising printing costs. The cost of producing the newspaper is projected to increase by about $18,000 over the next four years, according to the Highlander Newspaper’s five-year budget projections. The rise in printing costs contributes to a large portion of rising operating costs, rising annually by a projected $2,000. In addition to rising costs, the Highlander’s advertising sections, its second largest form of revenue, are becoming increasingly less viable due to advances in digital advertising. This has caused a downward trend in advertising revenues that is expected to continue. To pass the Highlander
Newspaper Referendum and other referenda this coming April, it must receive more “Yes” votes than “No” votes and be voted on by at least 20 percent of the student population. Rauch seemed hopeful that this referendum would pass, stating that last year “there were more “Yes” votes than “No” votes; it was just a matter of not hitting the turnout, which is really sad.” He added that the Highlander is employing a more robust marketing strategy, and is increasing its marketing personnel. “I’m pretty optimistic; I think students know more about the paper this year; I’ve been seeing more papers fly off the rack, so I know that everyone’s more engaged. Rauch pointed out that because UCR doesn’t have a journalism program, the Highlander is vital for students who are interested in journalism, media, graphic design or anything like that, to at least give them the chance to “try their hand.” Rauch also stated that the Highlander aims to “promote accountability
and transparency on campus. Information is a public good;
we’re here to provide that public good.” ■H
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER
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NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
“The Exoplanet Next Door:” UCR’s Dr. Stephen Kane featured in Scientific American
JAKEB TIVEY Contributing Writer
The February issue of the Scientific American, a popular American science magazine, featured an article titled, “The Exoplanet Next Door,” coauthored by Dr. Stephen Kane, an associate professor of planetary astrophysics and an exoplanet researcher at UCR. The article explains Kane’s comparison of Venus and Earth in terms of their development, and why “we have never had better reasons to send a new major mission to the oftignored second planet from the sun.” In an interview with The Highlander, Kane explained why we should land on Venus and the motivations behind his career, which focuses on the detection and evaluation of exoplanets and their habitability. Kane ponders the future of his expanding field, and attributes its growth to an increase in specificity and the new emphasis on interdisciplinary research. Kane expounded upon his interest towards researching the planet, stating that “when it comes to Venus we know very little … we’ve only sent a few landers to the surface and we don’t have good models for the atmosphere.” He goes on to say that “if we had never sent any landers at all to the surface of Venus—and it’s right next door to us—then we’d be completely wrong in our inferences about what the surface conditions are like. This should be a big warning to us when
we’re trying to infer the surface conditions of exoplanets.” Kane believes that expanding our understanding of Venus has far-reaching implications: “I sometimes refer to Venus as a preview into the history of not just Earth’s future, but every habitable planet will eventually end up like Venus … once it loses its liquid water the carbon cycle will break.” To Kane, Venus is “a perfect, ideal case where we can test a lot of our theories, develop new models … in a way we just can’t get anywhere else.” Addressing popular interest in Mars, Kane stated that “Mars is our best chance of finding direct evidence … of past liquid water on the surface. However,” he continued, “for outside the solar system, Venus is far more important than Mars. The reason for that is because whenever we look for planets around a star the focus will always be … on earth sized planets. This means that we should be looking at cases like Venus where it could have been habitable.” Kane affirmed that exoplanet studies must be well-calculated, because even with Mars we still don’t know much: “We know very little about the size of the core of Mars; we’ve thrown billions of dollars worth of spacecraft and landers and rovers and we still don’t know what the interior is like. How could we do this for an exoplanet? We can’t.” Kane grew up with a fascination with space that has stuck with him through the years, as his office prominently features Star
Wars models alongside figures of the very spacecraft he was involved in developing, including NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Kane said that his interests were initiated in his childhood: “I grew up in outback Australia … way out where we had extraordinary views of the sky, it was beautiful. When I was 12, I went to a planetarium that got me really interested … then during the late 1980s there was a spacecraft called Voyager II … we’d never seen pictures of planets like these before, that’s when I realized ‘this is awesome, this is what I want to do.’” Kane stated the he is now looking to “be able to as
accurately as possible infer the surface conditions of exoplanets and it’s pretty obvious to me that the pathway to do that is to be able to understand it for an extreme case, like Venus, because if we can understand a complex atmosphere like Venus has, all the way down to the surface, and if we could deploy something like InSight or a seismograph mission to Venus … we could have two data points instead of the one that we have (earth).” Kane said that the search for exoplanets is growing fast and “one of the ways that you can see growth in the exoplanet field is how topical the meetings have become … one other way
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in which its growing right now is to bridge this gap to other disciplines. We’re seeing a lot more astrobiology meetings or meetings that try to connect exoplanet folks with planetary science, and not just planetary science but geophysicists, climate scientists, people who may be able to provide a lot of their expertise.” Concluding with words of advice for rising scholars, Kane advises an interdisciplinary mindset: “My advice to people who are thinking about this is to keep an open mind about opportunities and synergies of disciplines that could contribute.” ■H
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Opinions TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions
HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL
“Pay to stay” scheme reveals the troubling evolution of immigration law enforcement
T
he Department of Homeland Security recently made public one of their latest sting operations designed to crack down on fraudulent student visas and instigators of illegal immigration: the University of Farmington. The Michigan-based fake university was set up by Homeland Security Investigations, a body within the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and students who enrolled in the university were fully aware that the University of Farmington was not a formal college. Instead of having a curriculum, professors and the typical factors that make up a college environment, the “college” operated by allowing foreigners to pay a certain amount of money to uphold a false student status. Recruiters for the phony university garnered up to $250,000 through the payments of at least 600 people. Although there have been questionable ways in the methods ICE uses to find and arrest illegal immigrants, deportation of the students isn’t an unreasonable penalty when looking at this case specifically. When extending the scope of the way ICE operates beyond this case, however, there does seem to be a fault in the ethical standards the agency holds its workers to. Yet in spite of society’s tendency to villainize ICE and perceive them as a symbol of Trump’s rhetoric towards illegal immigration, the agency still serves an essential role in keeping our country secure, though it wouldn’t be a far-fetched idea to suggest that reformation of the agency is needed if it wishes to gain back trust of the American people. Matthew Schneider, a U.S. attorney for the eastern region of Michigan, stated it best when he said in a news release, “We are all aware that international students can be a valuable asset to our country, but as this case shows, the well-intended … visa program can
JUSTUS ROSS / HIGHLANDER
also be exploited and abused.” Some have taken to social media to express outrage at such an operation, calling it entrapment, and immigration lawyers have voiced disapproval for such a “misleading” operation. However, the fact remains that those who signed up for this scheme knew they were partaking in an illegal pathway to stay in the U.S. Several on social media who decried this sting were most likely under the misconception that the college set up by ICE operated as any other educational institution in the U.S. does, when that was not the case at all. Aside from this story, ICE has faced mounting criticism in recent years for the questionable way the agency carries out its plans to capture and detain illegal immigrants. The most prominent story that gave momentum to the “abolish ICE” movement was the “zero-tolerance” policy that resulted in families getting separated at the border. Though it was Customs and Border Protection, a sister agency of ICE, actually separating the families, ICE director Thomas Homan still announced enforcement of the zerotolerance policy, and reports surfaced of ICE agents trying to coerce families to deportation. In addition to this policy that was later repealed after public pressure, the mother of a child who died in ICE custody made a legal complaint against the U.S. government, and there has been a surge in arrests made by ICE ever since Trump took office. No matter what one’s view on illegal immigration is, it’s hard to deny that there’s a moral standard that needs to be upheld when enforcing the law, especially from an agency that represents the U.S. government. The operation of the fake university wasn’t a blatant breach of ethics given that it simply carried out its task of indicting parties responsible for trying to scam the government and smuggle people into the country. This, however, does not take away from how there are other instances in which ICE should be held
to a higher standard, depicted in their lackluster attempts to reunite families after the ending of the zero-tolerance policy. Many have also connected the growth in ICE’s prominence to President Trump’s rhetoric surrounding illegal immigration. He hasn’t shied away from voicing his opinion on wanting to deport all illegal immigrants in this country, whether it be through speeches or through policy such as his attempt to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. When coupling Trump’s stance towards illegal immigration with the growing trend of ICE arrests being made, this has led to the abolishment of ICE to become an increasingly Democratic stance, with 43 percent of Democrats supporting abolishment of ICE. Often, in the polarizing climate of today’s politics, ICE has seemingly become a scapegoat for those who simply oppose Trump. After all, there wasn’t as much of a public hostility towards ICE when Obama was in office and deported a record amount of people. Still, there are differences in the way Trump and Obama operated around illegal immigration. Perhaps Trump and ICE are more under fire for policy aimed at detaining and deporting illegal immigrants because previous administrations had never enacted policy mandating the separation of families. While it still stands that ICE needs to enforce the law in a more humane way, constantly berating Trump for directing ICE to carry out any type of operation related to capturing illegal immigrants wouldn’t be fair. It’s easy to look at scenarios like the fake university and think such a mission to be malicious and in favor of Trump’s preference to rid the country of all illegal immigrants. However, the University of Farmington scheme was started under the Obama administration and was not the only fake university set up to entrap illegal immigrants in the Obama era.
Protestors on the streets aren’t the only ones calling for an end to ICE, as politicians have joined in on the rallying cry as well. Alexandria-Ocasio Cortez is most well-known for having the abolishment of ICE on her political agenda, amongst other key Democrat Senate and House members. However, to ask for the complete abolishment of such an agency would be a rather faulty decision. ICE was created in the wake of the Sept. 11 attacks and its primary functions encompass a multitude of responsibilities: intelligence gathering, investigation of immigration-related crime and preventing sex and drug trafficking, just to name a few. A more rational approach would be to break down the responsibilities of ICE into more manageable offices. A Homeland Security secretary has claimed that ICE is struggling to balance all of its tasks given how many duties they have. Trying to banish the body altogether would be doing a disservice to the security of the American people. Given how this agency is not too old, however, reforms aren’t a bad solution to begin with. There are varying standards on what it means to properly protect the American people, but it should be agreed upon that trying to put an end to transnational crime, which is a responsibility of ICE, is a useful mechanism. The problems that revolve around the way ICE operates as a law-enforcement body lead us down a rabbit hole into just how faulty our entire immigration system is. However, the solution isn’t to completely rid ourselves of one of the bodies responsible for overseeing the safety of our country. ■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.
OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
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OPINION POLL Compiled by Lydia Tsou, Staff Photographer
“What are your thoughts on the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement?”
Daniela Gomez English First-year
Mohan Dasari Computer Science First-year
Brianna Black Neuroscience Second-year
Noé Torres Philosophy Fifth-year
Zoe Rai Political Science Second-year
Esteban Sanchez Psychology Second-year
“I feel like it’s causing a lot of ruckus. The amount of hurt they’re causing families is not justified.”
“The initial purpose is not what it’s standing for anymore. They need to be put under control.”
“I definitely don’t agree with the separation of kids from their parents. They should be allowed to go with their parents.”
“It’s unnecessary. Rather than enforcing immigration, they’ve just instilled fear in the population. Placing children in the detention centerswasanabuseoftheir power.”
“It’s definitely taken on an extreme. It was focused on security for the nation, but now it’s geared towards hate.”
“I feel like it’s sometimes biased. I’ve seen videos of kids being taken to court, with no one to defend them, and they don’t even know the language.”
Disney lobbies Congress to change copyright laws
ROBERT GOLD Contributing Writer
Disney’s recent lobbying efforts have extended copyright laws far past their original expiration date. As a result, Mickey Mouse will not enter the public domain until 2024, and Star Trek won’t enter the public domain until 2060. In addition to these setbacks, works from 1923 only just recently became public domain as of this year. According to Stanford University Libraries, “the term public domain refers to creative materials that are not protected by intellectual property laws. The public owns these works.” Thusly, property in the public domain can be repurposed, reused and redistributed by anybody and everybody. Some of the greatest books and films of the last century have been adaptations of previously written works. Human history has built itself upon the great works of our ancestors; as a result, placing works into the public domain is not only necessary, it’s natural. Therefore, Disney has prevented hundreds, if not thousands, of adaptive literary and cinematic masterpieces from being remastered. We can, however, prevent further damage if we reinstall the fair system of copyright laws that our Founding Fathers implemented. The first American copyright laws trace all the way back to 1790. The Founding Fathers established a 14 year clause, with the option to renew it once more for an additional 14 years. 180 years later, Disney lobbied Congress to pass the Copyright Act of 1976, which allows owners of the property to have sole rights to it for “either 75 years or the life of the author plus 50 years”. The public domain is a beautiful creative playground, a landscape for artists to reinvent and celebrate the works of the past by bringing them into the modern
age. For example, according to IMDB, Shakespeare has been reinvented 1,095 times in sci-fi, fantasy and crime-dramas with new and unique film and television adaptations; “The Shape of Things,” “As You Like It,” “West Side Story,” “Warm Bodies,” “10 Things I Hate About You,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “Romeo + Juliet,” the list goes on. Additionally, some of the most culturally phenomenal pieces of cinema have come out of public domain novels including “Frankenstein” (1818), “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” (1886) and “Dracula” (1897). We’ve witnessed numerous creative takes on these stories, each having their own sense of uniqueness including eight Universal Studios “Frankenstein” films, 123 film versions of “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde,” and over 200 feature film appearances by Dracula. Without the public domain, a large portion of today’s popular culture would not exist. Before the company was swallowed by Disney in 2013, LucasArts licensed hundreds of comic book artists and novelists to write stories that would take place in the Star Wars universe. This creative playground incarnated beloved characters and storylines that have even made their way into Disney’s new “Star Wars” films. More importantly, these novelists used the creative license given to them by George Lucas to create a whole subculture of over 402 published literary works that “Star Wars” fans across the world can enjoy. In spite of the 1976 Copyright law, imagine all the film franchises with rich science fiction universes that deserve to be explored. Aside from being able to do more culturally up-to-date renditions of past works, the public domain can be used to express the political turmoils of our modern day. “West Bank Story” is a 2005 musical comedy
COURTESY OF MAX PIXEL
about a Palestinian girl and an Israeli boy, from rival families, who fall in love. The Romeo & Juliet-esque film was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival that same year. In 2007, it won the Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film at the 79th Academy Awards. If Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet weren’t in the public domain, there would be no “West Bank Story.” But a story of division, tribalism, family friction and intolerance is a human conflict which speaks to the human condition. And the inner struggles of the IsraeliPalestinian conflict deserve to be told through love, comedy, pain, heartbreak and through all the other things that make it both beautiful and awful to be human. Short independent films like “West Bank Story” enrich our culture by drawing upon works of the past because art is recyclable and a renewable energy source since at the heart of every story is pain. But the film studios are not enriching our culture when they sit on properties for years without ever touching them. Yet they wouldn’t dare put these
properties into the public domain, making these greedy tendencies synonymous to that of a child’s: Even if they’re not using the toys, they still dont want anyone else to play with them. Copyright laws need to be adjusted. It’s time to bring copyright laws back to what our Founding Fathers intended them to be. The reinstatement of a 28 year copyright law is a fair enough time for the artist to capitalize on the commercial success of their creative works. Nate Anderson of Ars Technica agrees that “an optimal copyright term of 14 years, which is designed to encourage the best balance of incentive to create new work and social welfare that comes from having work enter the public domain (where it often inspires new creative acts).” In defense of film companies who benefit from the extension of these copyrights laws, those who wish to use these classical characters (like Mickey Mouse) in their own filmography and creative projects aren’t necessarily noble crusaders trying to bring something new to the genre. One
could argue that instead they are lazy, unoriginal artists trying to exploit the existing popularity and brand recognition of these existing characters instead of bringing something genuinely unique to the genre. Copyright law is a tedious topic but it affects people in their daily lives. As individual members of society and users of the internet, we have to be careful with what music we use and google images we grab or clips we borrow because most everything is copyrighted. As a result, copyright law affects us all. Creative artists should have ownership over their own works. This is an indisputable fact. The fruits of their labors are theirs and theirs alone. But copyright laws are not being executed in this way. Instead, copyright laws have been exploited so that their children and their companies are maintaining unnecessary jurisdiction over those properties. These works should be celebrated by other artists who, almost like philosophers or inventors, want to build on the work of the greats that have come before them. ■H
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COMICS TALL TAILS # 29 BY: JUSTUS ROSS
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FEATURES
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
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Margaret Atwood
RYAN POON / HIGHLANDER
ANTONIO VELAOCHAGA Contributing Writer
Writers Week kicked off Monday night at 7 p.m. with a Q&A by this year’s recipient of the LA Review of BooksUCR Department of Creative Writing Lifetime Achievement Award Honoree Margaret Atwood. Atwood has written a
variety of acclaimed works, most famously, the dystopian fiction novel, “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Writing in a variety of genres, she has garnered dozens of distinguished writing awards and honors. Atwood was received by a crowd of over 100 people who were eager to hear what she had to say. The interview was conducted by UC Riverside’s writer’s week director and Professor of Creative Writing Tom Lutz. He began the event by mentioning Atwood’s childhood in Canada’s Quebec province. Lutz’s question of if writers should be detached or empathize with their story set the tone for much of the Q&A. Atwood said that “both” are important qualities for a writer, explaining that a balance in being able to empathize and be distant in a subject to view anything in different frames. She stated that this balance is what allows a person to write effectively. Lutz asked Atwood’s opinion about the recent popularity of dystopian fiction. She explained that utopias were the main interest in the literary community before World War I, adding that writers would create perfect worlds in their novels where the world’s issues were non-existent. However, the aftermath of World War I changed the frame of the society’s worldview. Atwood responded that with the destruction and chaos that
World War I and the following wars created, people took a greater interest in dystopias and the literary world satisfied those interests. During the Q&A session, Atwood discussed 19th century writing and the influence it had on her. She discussed how worldviews were different than those of today, specifying that the way readers interpret a story is a product of their surroundings, rather than the writer’s era. Atwood used an example of Charles Dickens killing off a beloved character, Nills, which many readers had loved in “The Pickwick Papers” (Dickens’ first serialized novel, originally published monthly). Audiences were so saddened by his death that many of them had worn black as an expression of their mourning. Atwood also mentioned how Irish poet Oscar Wilde, writing in a different time, divorced from this context, had laughed at this act of mourning. Atwood explained how the mindset of someone like Wilde was different due to living in a very different society. Following the Q&A, Atwood signed copies of her works and had her photo taken with fans. As the event ended, the crowd was left pondering the insights that Atwood had provided into her literary philosophy throughout the night.
42nd
Writers Week features literary heavyweights Atwood and Cusk a n n u a l
By: Martha Delgado, Senior Staff Writer and Antonio Velaochaga, Contributing Writer The annual Writers Week conference is a week-long literary event in February that brought in contemporary writers to discuss their latest work. This year’s Writers Week, sponsored by the UCR Creative Writing Department and the Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB) began Feb. 4-5 with award-winning writer Margaret Atwood and keynote speaker Rachel Cusk. The first part of the event happened this week, and will continue from Feb. 11-15 with additional presenters.
Rachel Cusk JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER
MARTHA DELGADO Senior Staff Writer
Canadian-born novelist Rachel Cusk, an award-winning and critically acclaimed author of 13 works of fiction and
nonfiction, was the keynote speaker for Writers Week. Cusk’s first novel, “Saving Agnes,” was published in 1993 and won the Whitbread First Novel Award. Her latest trilogy, consisting of “Outline,” “Transit” and “Kudos,” reflect her experiences during a three-month family visit in Italy. “Outline” has been listed by the New York Times as part of the Top 10 Books of 2015 and has been selected as a finalist for the for the Folio Prize, the Goldsmiths Prize, the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction. Cusk spoke to a crowd of fans in INTS 1128. Associative Professor and Chair for the UCR Creative Writing Department, Andrew Winer, introduced Cusk and led the discussion of “Outline.” Winer began the discussion by quoting Virginia Wolf, saying that female writers have to break norms in novel writing to create their own distinct literature. “Outline,” following this philosophy, is separated into 10 conversations, each with
different characters. In response, Cusk explained the initial difficulties that she faced when writing “Outline,” often scrapping her drafts and restarting the manuscript. Eventually, this led to her considering the final structure of “Outline.” “Maybe one of the reasons why I write is, you always think, when you’re writing you don’t have to be yourself,” Cusk elaborated. Cusk read a section from her book in which a character talked about their feelings on femininity in Poland. “I think my book is much about what you hear and what you listen to,” she explained regarding the section. “What would the form do to describe the loss of personal reality? How can you represent the loss of that?” Cusk then answered questions from the audience and signed copies of her book for attendees. “Kudos,” the third book in her “Outline” trilogy, will be released in April 2019. ■H
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FEATURES
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ASPB’s
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features
selena razo, contributing writer
the W MXN OF TOMORROW brings together activists for a conversation about social justice On Thursday, Jan. 31, the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB), in collaboration with the Women’s Resource Center, LGBTQ Resource Center, The WELL, and African Student Programs, hosted “The Womxn of Tomorrow” in the University Lecture Hall 1000. The program featured a panel of women in the entertainment industry. Kara Brown, one of the featured panelists, is a staff writer for the television series “Grown-ish” and is also a contributor to Shondaland.com. Another featured panelist was public speaker and social justice advocate Whitney Bell. Bell is known for her contributions to Teen Vogue, in which she has discussed mental health activism and abortion. Kat Blaque, a transgender African-American
YouTuber, was also among the panel. Within her platform, Blaque discusses important issues relating to sexual assault, black culture and transphobia. Jacquelynn Thomas, Assistant Director of Engagement in Residential Life at UCR, was the moderator for the discussion. In addition to hosting a panel, free giveaways, including sleep kits with eye masks and ear plugs, were available to spectators as they walked to their seats. Though the turnout was low, the crowd was enthusiastic to be there. When asked to define feminism, Blaque discussed the importance of fighting gender oppression. Bell added on to this point by pointing out the privilege that white women have in terms of feminism and the
THOMAS HOLGUIN / HIGHLANDER
importance of stepping aside for women of color, namely black women, since Bell considers their issues more important. In terms of role models, Brown stated that instead of a particular person, her role models are women in life “getting stuff done.” “I can’t say I have a role model because people are going to disappoint you,” Blaque said. On the topic of learning more about subjects such as feminism and issues concerning the transgender community, Brown pointed out the importance of reading as a basis of knowledge, stating, “You just can’t know things without reading.” She also discussed how many people will claim to be experts or have knowledge about certain topics without actually reading about them. Blaque pointed out the ease of accessibility to the works of advocate and scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, and also critiqued the ways in which intersectionality has been used. Brown discussed how some of the first people to hire her were also women. “If you’re in a position of power to hire women, do it,” Brown said. She highlighted the importance of the imbalance of the power system in multiple industries and how women supporting other women could help make strides in terms of gender equality in the workplace. Blaque pointed out how feminism in academia is not
THOMAS HOLGUIN / HIGHLANDER
available to the average person due to the cost of accessing such scholarly articles. On the importance of standing up for women, Bell answered the question with a captivating sentence: “Because no one else is going to.” Brown pointed out that “you lose nothing by asking for equality.” She used the contract agreement Jessica Chastain has with Octavia Spencer in which it states both women must be paid equally as an example. Blaque emphasized the importance of not letting opponents intimidate students from fighting for what is right. “Just do it because you know that it needs to happen,” Blaque stated. Bell discussed the importance
of using one’s voice to share their perspective and experience and meet each other with compassion, especially coming from a point of privilege. She also said that even though it may be difficult to speak out due to potential harassment and threats, it should still be done. “If I crawl back into a hole and let them stop me, who would that be serving? Nobody,” Bell explained. Brown discussed how she uses her platform for stories that she wants in order to give more representation and to also give a voice to others. After an engaging panel, the first 10 students that were present in the line outside of UNLH were able to end the lecture with a meet-and-greet with the panel. ■H
World Series Champion and LA Dodger JOE KELLY shares journey through baseball, UCR and everything in between JONATHAN FERNANDEZ, SENIOR STAFF writer Around 200-plus excited baseball fans filled the University Lecture Hall on Monday, Feb. 4 for the ASPB sponsored event, Around the Mound with Joe Kelly. Kelly spoke about his experience playing in the World Series, what he enjoys doing in his free time and his time at UCR. Kelly was a vital part in the Boston Red Sox defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in the World Series last year. After winning his first ring, Kelly decided to return to Southern California and play for the Dodgers, the team he just beat in the World Series, which sparked ASPB’s interest in bringing him to campus. Around the Mound with Joe Kelly started with Interim Fraternity and Sorority Coordinator Ekpeju Ed Nunu conducting an interview with Kelly. During said interview, Kelly
described his experience pitching in the World Series, saying, “It was great. The World Series was one of the most peaceful times of my sporting life ever. It’s weird to say because it was the biggest moment, but it was the most relaxing for me.” The newly-crowned World Series champion also explained how it brought him back to the root of sports which made pitching in the World Series seem like a more relatable experience, saying, “It was almost like playing pick-up basketball at the rec. or intramural soccer, whatever you’re doing, it had that feeling of passion and fun.” Kelly also detailed his thought process in his free agency decision. “I had a chance to see the Dodgers throughout my career but especially this year in the World Series,” Kelly explained. “It’s a very talented
THOMAS HOLGUIN / HIGHLANDER
group of guys. They put an emphasis on winning which I can’t say about every team in Major League Baseball. That was big. It’s good to be back home, that was another factor.” Being able to play near home was a huge factor for the newest member of the Dodgers. “It’s the first time in a long time where I can be comfortable,” Kelly said. “Me and my wife live in the Inland Empire, I’m not going to tell you my address but now I’m able to live at home instead of packing for nine months and then leaving.” Kelly also shared what he enjoys doing in his free time and how he stays plugged in. Kelly used to play golf pretty often, but now enjoys playing video games and watching movies at home. “I do dabble with some Fortnite,” Kelly said. “I used to play a lot, but I will play some Fortnite here and there.” “Netflix is good,” Kelly added. “I like watching a lot of movies on illegal apps,” which drew a lot of laughter from the crowd. “I didn’t say the app or what movies so we’re good,” Kelly joked. Kelly also explained why he chose to attend UCR, saying it “was the only school that wanted me,” which drew the biggest laugh of the night from the crowd. After the laughter subsided, the former Highlander answered the question earnestly saying he felt the team was loaded, it was close to home and was one of three
schools that would let him play baseball. Interestingly enough Kelly didn’t start out his career as a pitcher, which is surprising
made the future major leaguer a pitcher. “Hated him for a solid couple months,” Kelly said. “But loved him after that. Kelly also explained why he
LLOYD KAO / HIGHLANDER
because he has spent his sixyear career in the majors in that position. He came into UCR as an outfielder but after the team’s closing pitcher got injured they were in need of a reliever. According to Kelly, pitching coach Andrew Checketts saw him throwing baseballs at his teammates from the outfield and was intrigued by the speed of his throws. Checketts asked Kelly if he could pitch to which Kelly responded “no,” but the pitching coach made him throw some pitches off the mound anyway. After bringing out a radar gun to get a read on how fast Kelly’s pitches were going, Checketts
decided to come back to UCR and be a part of an event like this, saying, “I love this school. I have so many great memories here. I met my wife here. Baseball has given me so much that I love the head coach here, Troy Percival.” The event ended with Kelly answering questions from students that were largely about specific baseball incidents, such as him getting into a fight with a Yankees player and finding out he got traded via social media. Kelly will start his seventh season of his career this upcoming season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. ■H
FEATURES
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12,2019
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CAMPUS How can commuters get involved in school? COPE: Antonio Velaochaga, Contributing writer
Many students at UC Riverside have the benefit of living in the on-campus dorms, apartments and other living spaces near campus. There are many students, however, who commute to campus. Commuters face a greater challenge when attempting to get more involved in the school community. Besides traveling a farther distance to attend their classes, it takes more effort for commuters to spend the rest of their energy on school organizations or programs. Add a job and other responsibilities,and it becomes obvious why commuters often have a hard time joining any one of UCR’s myriad activities. If you are a commuter and are interested in getting more involved with the university’s programs, we have some tips on how to make the most of your college experience.
Athletics and Fitness If you are interested in sports or athletics, you can get involved in a variety of programs that are on campus. A great way to play a sport you love while meeting other like-minded people is participating in UCR’s intramural sports program. Intramural sports are played between students attending UC Riverside, and are gender inclusive. Interested students can create teams to play each other on campus and compete in sports such as basketball, soccer and football. The student-oriented nature of intramural sports also makes it easier for commuters to play, as the lower time commitment fits more easily into a busy schedule. Students can get information about these sports clubs at the Student Recreation Center, which organizes intramural leagues for a variety of sports. An intramural sports team will give commuters the opportunity to participate and get to know other students while participating in a healthy and fun activity. JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER
Ethnic and Gender Programs Another great way to get involved is by finding out about programs or clubs that focus on culture and community. UCR has a variety of student resource centers, mostly located in Costo Hall, which offer students the opportunity to connect with like-minded peers and celebrate their identity. Among these are African Student Programs, Chicano Student Programs, the LGBTQ Resource Center and many more which offer resources and a sense of community that is perfect for commuters. Importantly, these programs offer the chance to get involved with affiliated clubs and learn more about advocacy and social issues. Becoming a part of such organizations is another way to meet people who share your interests, passions and desire to build community. The Ethnic and Gender Programs host social events, organize fundraisers and create community service opportunities. Just walk in, introduce yourself, ask how you can get involved and they’ll give you opportunities to get you involved on campus. JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER
work-study Working on campus through the work-study program is another way to get involved. Although participation is limited to students who applied for workstudy on their FAFSA and later accepted it on their financial aid reward, workstudy allows you the benefit of working for the university and getting paid. There are a plethora of jobs that you can apply to work for at UCR. You can organize books in the library, handle the lab equipment at the science buildings or work in any of the restaurants or stores on campus, to name only a few of the variety of jobs available. If you are interested in applying for work-study, you must talk to the financial aid department that is located at the Student Services Building. In the end, work-study offers you the opportunity to get involved by putting your skills to use. ■H MARTIN LOPEZ/ HIGHLANDER
There’s something for everyone Getting involved at University isn’t always the easiest thing, and can be daunting, especially if you don’t spend all that much time on campus. Look around, however, and try to find out more about the opportunities available to you. UCR prides itself on a vibrant community that offers something for everyone. By exploring organizations, activities, and jobs, even the busiest commuter can find a way to get the most out of their college experience.
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Z e r o X unfortunately sacrifices quality JASMINE YAMANAKA Contributing Writer
Some stick with the classics, others go for something more adventurous. If you’re looking for an exciting new flavor combination that you’ve never tried before, Zero X is the place to visit next. Just as they have a series of drinks with “twist” in the name (Mangonada with Twist, Pink Guava Mojito with Twist, etc.), their items are unexpected takes on a familiar theme: Milk and Cereal Sundae, Berry Milk, Sea Salt Thai Tea Slush, etc. Zero X’s extensive drink menu, which features bubble tea, mojitos, coffee, slushes, milkshakes, sundaes and frappes, fuses the classic with the unconventional to generate items that are entirely their own creations. They even provide the option to invent your own drink through the Split Cup, which would combine two specially marked milk teas of your choice into one cup. The “twist” doesn’t end there: The food makes the visit to Zero X just as worth it. Similar to the drinks’ Mexican culinary influence, such as with their Mangonada, spiced fruit drinks and various horchatainfused drinks, the food combines Asian street food with Mexican street food for a menu a college student could only dream. Featured here are offerings such as XXtra Flamin’ Hot Elotes, Popcorn Chicken and Fries, Chilotes (which are chicharrones with Classic or XXtra Flamin’ Hot Elotes dip) and Fried Chicken Poutine. Could a menu this appealing taste as delicious as it sounds? Zero X says yes. The highlights of what I tried were hands down in the milkshakes. They were creamy and maintained their flavors without being too sweet, which can be hard to find with all of the syrupy, sugary milkshakes out there. The S’more Coffee Milkshake, which blended premium cold brew with chocolate milk ice and was topped with graham crackers and toasted marshmallows, reminded me of taking secret sips of my parents’ mocha drinks as a kid because that was back when coffee still tasted magical. Zero X managed to maintain the sharp, exciting flavor of coffee that, when combined with the right amounts of chocolate, cream and crunchy graham crackers, can taste like something from your childhood. For those who are not fans of coffee drinks, the Ube milkshake is also a strong and delicious option. Unfortunately, the freshness and quality found in Zero X’s milkshakes was lacking in their tea offerings. The Thai milk tea, a boba spot staple, did feature a distinguishable black tea taste, but was too watery with the boba itself being too soft and overcooked. The matcha milk tea also lacked in creaminess and had an odd, slightly fishy taste that I’ve had in other poor matcha milk teas. The Peach Blossom
for innovation
citrus green tea, which comes with chia seeds and fruit bits, smelled and tasted like a fragrant, floral perfume, so it could have been good for someone who likes more muted, earthy flavors. However, this drink was too bitter for me and tasted like flower-infused water. As Zero X’s signature drink, I was excited to try the Mangonada. Containing mangos, chamoy sauce, lime juice, chili powder and a tamarind straw, on paper this is a surefire flavor explosion, and while it didn’t work for me due to personal preference, Mangonada fans will surely be impressed. The food didn’t disappoint either, incorporating Mexican culinary influences that I have always wanted to try. The elotes, XXtra Flamin’ Hot Cheese Fries and popcorn chicken and fries all complemented the establishment’s delicious drink offerings. Often, food is a sideshow to the boba main act, but Zero X delivers on their promise and offers delicious flavorful snacks. The interior of Zero X has an artistic feel with its wall plants, glass jar displays (which you can also purchase your drink in) and black walls that provide a warm, modern ambience. Their angel wing designs, which are seen all over social media, adorn their walls and add a fun aspect to take pictures with. The pretty, unique decorations reflect Zero X’s inventive, unique menu items. However, if you’re looking for a place to study or socialize in as many college students seek in boba stores, you may not find that here: The tables are only two-seaters and they are scattered throughout their thin, hallway-like space. The atmosphere might look pretty at first, but after sitting for more than ten minutes, you realize it’s not very comfortable, similar to the visual appeal contrasting with the actual quality of many of the drinks at Zero X. Having tried a variety of options, I can see why Zero X has the split cup: there might be so many alluring items on the menu that you just can’t settle for one. Unfortunately, Zero X earns a mixed record. Having drunken taro milk tea and Thai milk tea hundreds of times, I would have preferred either one from my favorite boba store over a majority of the drinks I tried at Zero X. No matter how innovative a restaurant may be, what it comes down to is taste, and although an interesting menu might make a customer visit, quality keeps a customer returning. There may be some items at Zero X that you cannot find anywhere else in the world, but after trying most of them, I think I would be OK with never trying them again. I just want good drinks and food, and while Zero X is an interesting concept, its lack of solid tea offerings prevents it from fully realizing its potential. ■H
NICHOLAS ROH / HIGHLANDER
Drinks
6.5/10
Food
8/10
Ambience
6.5/10
NICHOLAS ROH / HIGHLANDER
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features
9TH ANNUAL
FEATURES
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
15
GenerAsian
CONFERENCE EMPOWERS THE FEMME API COMMUNITY Martha Delgado, Senior Staff Writer
On Saturday, Feb. 9, Asian Pacific Student Programs (APSP) held the 9th annual GenerAsian Womxn’s Conference with the theme “Flourishing Femmes!” Over 30 people gathered at HUB 260 to learn about the issues affecting the Asian Pacific Islander (API) community. The conference began with the keynote speaker, Ashley, a UCLA film student and fashion YouTuber known as bestdressed. Ashley started her YouTube channel in 2015 where she would post videos about fashion and beauty. Now, Ashley has reached almost one million subscribers. For Ashley, this milestone has been a surreal experience since she started gaining attention three months ago. Ashley discussed her background coming from a first-generation Asian-American family in suburban Maryland where YouTube was not favorably perceived, and she would have felt embarrassed have her peers found out about it. To this day, her parents are not aware of her Youtube channel. During the first two years of her YouTube career, she would only amass almost a thousand subscribers and 10 views on her videos. “I think that was the hardest part,” explained Ashley, “working so hard every week and then just failing miserably and nobody caring. It was a part of myself that I wanted to express so at the end of the day it didn’t really matter what other people thought of me.” According to Ashley, she has not encountered many challenges as an Asian-American woman on YouTube which is something she credits to the people before her. “I think on social media there have been so many girls before me who had set a precedent that paved the way for me,” Ashley explained. “I grew up watching Jenn
MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER
important to realize that taking time off and taking time to be with friends and family, that’s also productive.” Some of the workshops at the conference were a sexual health
"I THINK ON SOCIAL MEDIA THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY GIRLS BEFORE ME WHO HAD SET A PRECEDENT THAT PAVED THE WAY FOR ME," ASHLEY EXPLAINED. “I GREW UP WATCHING JENN IM AND MICHELLE PHAN, SO IT WAS ACCEPTED THAT PEOPLE WHO LOOKED LIKE ME WERE ALREADY DOMINATING THE SPACE." Im and Michelle Phan, so it was accepted that people who looked like me were already dominating the space.” However, as a film student, she described the prejudice she experienced. “I think writers who are people of color are pigeonholed into writing about a certain type of experience when our writing can be about anything just like anybody else,” Ashley said. Ashley, who is 20 years old, had been chosen as the keynote speaker for her relatability with other college students. Coming from a family affected by mental health issues, Ashley encouraged self-care among attendees. “Growing up, my mom was always like ‘Ashley, what are you going to do that’s productive today?’” Ashley began. “That’s been engraved in my mind like I always need to be productive. It’s so
workshop by The Well, a healthy relationships discussion by the CARE office, a how-to-brand-yourself workshop by Her Campus and a career panel featuring professionals within the industry. Among the workshops was “Not Your Mom’s Cup of Tea” presented by the Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF), a non-profit organization in LA that supports API survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. In the presentation, CPAF discussed topics not commonly talked about within the API community such as domestic/ sexual violence and mental health. For third-year transfer and sociology major, Catherine Marcos, CPAF’s workshop was her favorite part of the conference. “I am a sociology major, so a lot of what (CPAF) discussed really resonated with me,” elaborated Marcos. “It’s stuff that I really care about, as well
as the impact and being an AsianAmerican in this community.” Marcos, a fan of Ashley’s YouTube channel, decided to attend her first GenerAsian conference when she saw the advertisements that Ashley was the keynote speaker. While Marcos came to the conference for bestdressed, she enjoyed the rest of the workshops as well. “It was really cool just to hear everybody talk (about what they) are passionate for,” Marcos said. The first GenerAsian conference was held in 2010. For this year ’s conference, the theme of “Flourishing Femmes!” was chosen to be inclusive to gender nonbinary people within the community. Initially a speaker from the Queer Association of Asian and Pacific Islanders, a LGBTQ
API organization on campus, was meant to hold one of the workshops. Unfortunately, the speaker was unable to attend due to illness. When planning began in October for the conference, APSP Program Coordinator Tia Chea and the planning committee knew they wanted the conference to address issues of mental health and healthy relationships. “It’s definitely something we want to talk about and shine light upon because it definitely is taboo,” Chea explained. “We don’t talk about these certain stigmas all the time.” Upcoming APSP events include APSP Womxn’s Program: Our Dating Life as API Folx Feb. 12 at the APSP office and the APSP Speaker Series Presents: Ryan Potter Feb. 28 at HUB 302. ■H
MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER
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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features
UCR’s newest food truck is a bowl’d and tasty option Andreas Rauch, Senior Staff Writer Martin Lopez, Senior Staff Writer
Buku Bowls, the newest entry in UCR’s food truck lineup, is, to put it simply, the restaurant UCR deserves. Announcing itself with its bold orange and black color scheme in its Bell Tower and Sproul Hall locations, Buku is an exciting take on the campus food truck concept, and its affordable offering of customizable bowls with a veritable selection of tasty toppings is sure to make it a Highlander favorite. The food truck serves a menu consisting of rice, mac and cheese, udon, tater tot and salad bowls, with a large variety of protein toppings such as spam, chicken or (our favorite) crispy steak, all garnished with vegetables and flavorful seasoning. For this review, we tasted the Buku Mac bowl with Grilled Steak and the Spam Musubi Rice bowl (both $7.99).
The steak bowl was a delight from beginning to end. The juicy and tender beef was a far cry from the chewy beef often found in food truck offerings. Spiral pasta covered in cheese formed the “mac” base, with a creamy texture that did not degrade into drippy greasiness. Green onion slices on top added a fresh flavor, and the addition of sriracha (available at Buku’s condiments table) gave the whole bowl an exotic, sour note. Overall, for eight dollars, the Buku Mac with Grilled Steak is a must. Given the perfect delivery of protein topping on a cheesy pasta base, the other mac offerings can only be tasty as well. Unfortunately, this satisfaction doesn’t apply to all of Buku’s offerings. The Spam Musubi Rice Bowl is an interesting take on a Hawaiian favorite, featuring rice,
spam, quinoa and steamed vegetables, all topped with seaweed and seasoning. While an interesting concept, the spam was unfortunately somewhat unpleasantly salty, the quinoa interfered a bit with the taste and the rice base offered little in the way of texture. The veggies were a plus, cooked well and featuring tasty, crispy onion. Unfortunately, the bowl’s inability to combine its constituent ingredients into a delicious meal leaves it at a net zero. Overall, Buku Bowls is a refreshing new addition to campus and providing another outlet for hungry students’ cravings can only be good. Although its menu items may not all be equal in quality, the definite highlights are a compelling reason to be bowl’d and give it a try.
MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER
Be informed.
H
The Highlander Newspaper is a great way to keep up with current events and news around campus. If you are intereseted in the newspaper’s articles or pictures, we offer opportunities in writing. photography and design. Join us every Monday at 5:15 p.m. in HUB 101 to learn more.
RADAR HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
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kingdom Hearts 3 unlocks a satisfying ending to a vunerable series
ADAM ALVERNAZ Contributing Writer
For over 13 years, fans of the Kingdom Hearts series have waited for a true sequel to “Kingdom Hearts 2,” which released in 2005 on the PS2. During this wait, Square Enix has been able to release side games that continue the story indirectly while the main team worked on “Kingdom Hearts 3.” It was revealed to the world at E3 2017 with a release date marked for 2018. However, the game hit a major delay and was pushed back to early 2019, finally releasing on Jan. 19. After 13 years of anticipation, the game bolsters interactive gameplay with tons of features returning which fans and newcomers can enjoy. However, the unfortunate consequence of the 14 years of buildup, is that “Kingdom Hearts 3” fails to completely seal the deal and falls flat in its execution. Square Enix has proven many times over that they know how to make games look amazing. “Kingdom Hearts 3” only furthers this, as it is no slouch when it comes to graphics. The visuals are stunning and definitely treat fans to a true next-generation experience. With all that happens on screen, the framerate of the game does dip under 60 frames per second (FPS), however, these issues are fixed on the PlayStation 4 Pro and Xbox One X versions. Besides that issue, the game looks very stunning and suffers from no real graphical issues. Over the course of the story Sora,
verdict
Donald and Goofy travel to different Disney worlds to explore and to help Sora regain his abilities to aid King Mickey and Riku in the ensuing Keyblade war. There are a total of 10 different areas that can be explored, and each area unlocks two extra party members. In each new world there are a variety of enemy types with a big boss fight at the end. While each one is fun to explore and look at, I found myself racing through the latter half of this game because the later levels felt excessively drawnout. These worlds are also very linear in design, so as soon as you reach a world and complete it, there is very little reason to come back afterwards. Not all worlds drag on of course, and some have interesting and funny bits features that make them enjoyable and exciting. Yet, as the story progresses, you’ll feel an increasing lack of desire to keep exploring since these levels feel rather unnecessary to the main plot. However, this problem is mitigated by the engaging combat elements that make up the majority of the gameplay. The combat system that Square Enix built this sequel around is amazing. In “Kingdom Hearts 3,” many wellknown features from other iterations make a well-deserved return. As always, you control Sora who wields a Keyblade that can be upgraded or switched out to three different other keyblades that Sora collects in his inventory. He also has access to a long list of magic to give his attacks a buff and empower himself and his allies. Drive forms make a comeback, with
the keyblade form changes switching how Sora attacks with his main weapon. The shotlock system, which allows the character to deal quick bursts of damage or rapidly move far distances, also makes a return here. This uses up a focus bar that must be replenished with pickups or items. Alongside these two returning systems are the link abilities that allow Sora to call out for help from past members of the party. The newest addition to combat in “Kingdom Hearts 3” is the attraction system that allows the party to summon a version of a ride that exists in the real life Disneyland and Disney World locations. These attractions are outlets that affect large areas or a controlled space to output ridiculous damage. All of these systems work by doing basic attack combos that fill a gauge which outputs the correct enhanced version of the combos performed. For instance, if a lot of magic has been used, the gauge will fill accordingly and give you an enhanced type of magic to use. One of the better elements in Kingdom Hearts has always been the music. The sound design and soundtrack included is truly a spectacle and quite the upgrade to what has come before. Many of the tracks are masterfully conducted and are sure to become fan favorites. Vocal performances from Utada Hikaru are stunning and bring to life the story in a new way that is unmatched by any of the previous titles. It’s a great reflection and backdrop to the already epic story taking place, and one of the
COURTESY OF SQUARE ENIX
most refined parts of Kingdom Hearts as a whole. The game may look amazing and live up to the standards set by its predecessors, but the story is where the game comes to a halt. The game’s plot is extremely convoluted and cutscene heavy. These cutscenes attempt to spread themselves out by including them as the player progresses, but that doesn’t excuse the hour-long breaks in between gameplay just to explain some plot element that only becomes relevant later in the finale. Due to this game being the conclusion to the 11-game saga, the plot is laid on very heavy and is deep in the lore of Kingdom Hearts as a whole. To new players who want to play the game and be enriched in the story are unfortunately going to be lost in the details and ultimately left out of the major picture. The game tries to rectify this by having some of the characters try to paraphrase major plot points, but the significance is lost unless you understand the underlying lore. Of course, this being the finale of the series, it’s to be expected that it would be story heavy. While the game has its ups and downs, “Kingdom Hearts 3” is a fitting end to the franchise Square Enix has spent the latter half of two decades building up. While it drags on at times, there’s nothing quite like the final hours of this game, which feature satisfying moment after satisfying moment. And when I was finally finished with the game and reached that spectacular finale, the wait was well worth it. ■H
“Kingdom Hearts 3” is a great example of a modern RPG that goes further to make the experience that much more special. Square Enix has definitely found a nice hold on what a true next generation RPG experience should play like. In the future I am excited to see what Square Enix does with the franchise moving forward from this exciting conclusion.
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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts
Less than a month from release,
“
’”s
open demo calls for careful optimism Colin Carney, Contributing Writer COURTESY OF EA
COURTESY OF EA
The beginning of the month brought with it an open demo for BioWare’s “Anthem,” giving players a first-hand impression of the game. The demo itself was small and confined to only one three-part side story, one stronghold and limited access to the open world in freeplay. Furthermore, player customization was limited and hub exploration reduced until the full game launches Feb. 22. This limited preview indicates that “Anthem’”s third-person shooter gameplay was, thus far, a blast to play. Several serious bugs, however, and questionable gameplay mechanics have led to some cautious optimism. “Anthem”’s javelins (mech suits) are fun to play with as you fly across the beautifully designed open world. Players will have access to a total of four javelin types (Ranger, Storm, Interceptor and Colossus), all
of which were playable in the demo, and each unique in their playstyles. All of these classes are equipped with the ability to fly, two weapons slots and three special abilities unique to their class, as well as several tweaks to armor and mobility based on their specialization. Playing as any one of these classes was a thrill, as all four builds felt very fluid in combat and movement. Coupled with the entertaining gameplay of the javelins is the stunning open world. Though only a small portion of the full game world was available, the landscape was gorgeous. Filled with lush jungles, beautiful waterfalls, abandoned villages and makeshift enemy bases, flying from location to location was a blast as there was no lack of enemies to engage. Though limited in variation due to the demo, enemies more or less fell into three categories, each with
their own abilities and tactics which included the natural wildlife, gangs of enemies called scars and javelin-equipped members of the Dominion (the main enemy of the game). Freeplay was entertaining throughout the duration of the three-day demo, but it remains to be seen if the grind of gathering loot and fighting the same enemies lasts long after the game’s release. But for all the positives that came along with gameplay, “Anthem’”s demo was filled with its fair share of shortcomings and red flags. For starters, there were several gameplay mechanics that restricted players ability to adapt to new threats. When engaged with a mission or flying in freeplay, any loot that you acquire is hidden from you, save for its rarity level, until you finish the mission or end your free play session and return to the main
hub. This design choice slows down progression and restricts players ability to change their weapon loadouts on the fly. As a result, each time I entered a free play session I felt like I was just play testing one loadout before I quit, changed my build and demoed that one for a bit. When each step of this cycle is delayed by a tedious loading screen, the effort feels like a grind rather than a fun experience. Additionally, the game is always utilizing matchmaking whenever you enter a story mission or play the free play mode. While not initially a bad thing, when certain story missions require you to solve complex puzzles with a squad of randoms who don’t communicate, the game becomes a hassle to complete and there is no way around it. Finally, the demo was filled with bugs that either kicked me from freeplay servers or
crashed my game entirely. Even when the game didn’t quit on me, I constantly found myself entering a firefight with a gun that wouldn’t fire and abilities that wouldn’t work for some reason. I even found myself entering enemy camps where all hostiles would just disappear once I shot at them. The fact that this is only a demo reduces my overall concern regarding bugs, but knowing that the full game is scheduled to release later this month is cause for concern regarding whether all these bugs will be addressed in time. When the demo worked, “Anthem” was a blast to play. The experience was heightened when I joined a squad of friends but was still enjoyable when I entered a firefight with randoms. However, a glitchy demo and questionable design choices lead to skepticism about the high expectations for this game. ■H
COURTESY OF EA
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
“Russian Doll”
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
19
COURTESY OF NETFLIX
is an exclusive invitation to the world’s longest birthday party
SUMAYA KHANDOKER Contributing Writer
Describing Netflix’s new series, “Russian Doll” as simply “good” would be doing it a huge disservice. Set in New York City, the series begins with software engineer, Nadia Vulvokov, staring at her reflection in the bathroom mirror at her 36th birthday party. Little does she know that she’s about to fall prey to a time loop, which might just be the most practical birthday gift that the chain-smoking, drug-sniffing, psychologically traumatized pessimist is set to receive. Now while the premise of another Groundhog Day-esque time loop may immediately raise some red flags, “Russian Doll”’s plot is seemingly lacking in any sort of pressing questions or plot holes by the end. The architects responsible for pulling off this impressive feat are none other than Amy Poehler (“Parks and Recreation”), Natasha Lyonne (“Orange is the New Black”) and Leslye Headland (“Sleeping with Other People”), all of whom serve as executive producers and writers. Briefly after leaving the party, Vulvokov gets struck by a car, dies and subsequently winds up within the familiar walls of the bathroom at her birthday party. Throughout the span of eight episodes, she routinely encounters death and continues to come back. Feistier with every return, Vulvokov attempts to disentangle the answer to the
ultimate question: Why? On the surface, “Russian Doll” modestly fashions itself as a 30-minute light-hearted dramedy, so it only makes it that more surprising when you find yourself bludgeoned by its metaphorical layers. As the title suggests, the storyline follows the format of Matryoshka nesting dolls, which, in short, must be dismantled and reassembled by size. While Vulvokov runs around the city unravelling the mystery surrounding her deaths, the writers masterfully address themes of existentialism, minimalism and quantum immortality, allowing viewers to experience the perplexity alongside the main character. In addition to the writers, the set and wardrobe designers offer viewers a myriad of openended elements that can connect creatively to posit a variety of complicated theories. One such theory that is subtly hinted at is the video game analogy used in several episodes. Specifically, players that don’t reach the next level have to repeat their current level and navigate through the same obstacles repeatedly, mirroring Vulvokov’s situation. Considering these circumstances, it may not be such a coincidence that she’s a programmer. Adding on to the list of clues are missing fish, disappearing people, mystifying blue glows and, of course, her voluminous red moplike hair, which, to say the very least, needs its own spin-off show. The writers do a magnificent
verdict
job integrating such an abstract concept that still mystifies physicists today with dark humor and emotional relatability. Moreover, the script is tightly packed and sharply written, all while maintaining a balance between joviality and seriousness. This, in turn, reduces the heaviness of the intense themes introduced, which ultimately translates into something comprehensible and still entertaining for the average viewer. While the writers engineered the framework, it is Lyonne’s
chiseled performance as cynical Nadia that makes the script a three-dimensional story. Through Lyonne, we empathize with Vulvokov as she realizes that in order to move forward, she has to confront her past, which includes a disarray of childhood recollections pertaining to her unhinged mother. At the end, whether or not we are left with a favorable impression of the character, it is guaranteed that you will definitely have an opinion of her. At first glance, “Russian Doll”
COURTESY OF NETFLIX
seems as though it could easily be crowded out by more heavily advertised Netflix originals. However, don’t underestimate the power of the underdog. While the series can be binged within a day, you’ll spend at least twice as much time trying to fully comprehend the implications of each marginal detail. Like Vulvokov, the discovery of each detail might change the way you originally viewed everything, and for clarification, you might have to restart the series all over again. ■H
COURTESY OF NETFLIX
Netflix’s black dramedy “Russian Doll” immerses the audience into a time loop and utilizes every minute productively, making for some quality entertainment. Natasha Lyonne flawlessly transforms into the electric Nadia Vulvokov and her passionate performance, along with the exquisite storyline, make this a must-watch.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts
"The LegoMovie2: The part" the Second Part" is a brilliantly constructed sequel
ADAM ALVERNAZ Contributing Writer
When I learned that the original Lego Movie was getting a sequel, I was very excited, considering how fun the first was. In a very unexpected way, Warner Animation Group surprised viewers with one of the most memorable adventure movies of 2014. Riding the coattails of that success, Warner Brothers decided to give a spinoff in the way of the Lego Batman Movie in 2017, which took all the best parts of the first movie and cranked the absurdity to 11, resulting in an even more fervent adventure. Finally, in 2019, we’ve received a direct sequel to the original funfest. While “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” seem to take a more serious approach as a sequel, every essential element from its predecessors are represented diversely in this film. Thanks to the reputation of its predecessors, the film takes no time reintroducing the viewers to the world of Bricksburg right after the events of The Lego Movie. When the city of Bricksburg is quickly turned into a deserted wasteland, we learn of an alien who comes from the Systar System that is made of LEGO DUPLO. It captures
Emmet’s (Chris Pratt) best friends, causing him to set off on a journey to try and save them. Of course, for a film as quirky and interesting as this, the plot is layed very thin and acts as more of a backdrop. The rest of the elements play much larger roles, with the key ones being the unique visual effects style and quip-style comedy. It is most definitely refreshing to see these features come to life in the form of this very erratic movie. “The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” delivers on a fulfilling plot to serve as an element for progression sakes to challenge and move the beloved characters to better and more ludicrous scenarios. Most obviously, where this film excels the most is in the animation department. Every single frame in the film features a wealth of playful humor, to the point that it is hard to find everything in just one viewing. All that is placed in the movie is done so meticulously that it comes from a place of both respect and love for the source material that the animators had to work with. In an obvious turn to capitalizing on the popularity of LEGO, each and every single shot in the film uses LEGO bricks and minifigures to the absolute limit of what is possible with
the toys themselves. One of the best implementations of this philosophy is with the well-animated backgrounds the characters are placed in. For instance, the wasteland Bricksburg is full of places that look like they could realistically be built with real LEGO brick, but of course, in many settings, the team also takes creative liberties with what can feasibly be done with the toys. The style of animation that is used makes the film look like a vintage frame-by-frame stop-motion picture. This unique character is enhanced by the soundtrack, which, although very much in the playful spirit of the film, unfortunately does have its flaws. While some songs fit the theme of the scene that its trying to lay itself into, most of the songs are very forgettable. Tracks which echo the success of the previous movie, such as “Not Evil” and “Super Cool,” are unfortunately far and few inbetween. The music isn’t terrible, but it fails to recapture the energy of the original’s “Everything is Awesome.” What it lacks in music, however, “The Lego Movie 2” makes up for in its cast. Most characters that are included in this new experience bring a whole new dynamic into play. While Emmet is on his journey to rescue
his friends, he meets Rex Dangervest (also Chris Pratt), who acts as both a parallel and mentor to Emmet. He’s one of the most fleshed-out characters, and his arc runs alongside the main plot to fully tie together a fun and interesting character. One other prominent character that shows up is Sweet Mayhem (Stephanie Beatriz) who serves as an antagonist who is more than she initially appears to be. Much like her is Queen Watevera WaNabi (Tiffany Haddish) who acts as the film’s main villain and driving plot device. Her interactions with the cast, as well as the amazing back and forths, make for an enjoyable experience. Much like its precursor, the film’s humor hits the mark every time with its off-the-cuff, energetic humor. Playful quips are liberally used to entertaining effect with new additions such as new characters and settings. Ultimately, the film’s ability to laugh at itself is also a big factor in its humor. This extra bit of character is exactly what makes the humor in the film that much better, as it understands what makes it so comical. The effort the film takes to integrate its humor into the plot makes the comedy that much more hilarious and hits the nail on the head with how on-point and sharp it is. ■H
COURTESY OF WARNER BROS PICTURES
VErdict: Overall, the “Lego Movie 2: The Second Part” is an enjoyable film that plays
on the gold standard that the first film founded and improves it. While it’s not perfect, it still maintains its remarkable charm and characteristic quirky feel.
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
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Cage the Elephant get personal on new single, “Ready To Let Go” Laura Anaya-Morga, Contributing Writer
COURTESY OF RCA RECORDS
After two years since the release of their last album, “Unpeeled,” Cage The Elephant are back with their newest single, “Ready To Let Go.” This single leads up to the band’s long-awaited fifth studio LP, “Social Cues,” set for release April 19. The majority of the album was written after the unraveling of frontman Matt Shultz’s four-year marriage. In “Ready To Let Go,” Shultz paints a heartbreaking picture of the moment he and his wife agreed on a divorce. Shultz sings, “As we slow dance, I became your statue, frozen / ’times I wonder, are we just a puff of smoke,”
hammering home how his relationship dissipated into separation. Although it deals with his heartbreak, the lyrics convey Shultz’s optimism about his future. At first listen, I was excited to hear that the band still carried the signature indie-rock sound they’re known for. The song’s scrappy electric guitar and rhythmic texture make it a catchy tune for anyone to enjoy. As an avid listener, I’m excited to see what Cage The Elephant have in store for the next couple of months. If this first track is any indication, “Social Cues” will be everything fans could hope for. ■H
COURTESY OF RCA RECORDS
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SPORTS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports
Highlander Sports All-Star Draft Jonathan Fernandez, SENIOR STAFF Writer Jaryd Bongcaras, SENIOR STAFF Writer
With the NBA All-Star draft all wrapped up, the Highlander sports team decided to draft our own All-Star teams — without tampering and without free agent implications. We drafted based on who we thought would help us win a single basketball game against the other team.
Team LeJon James:
Team Jarydiannis Antetokounmpo: First Pick: Kevin Durant, Golden State Warriors snake Obviously we couldn’t have James draft the second best player in the world for the second consecutive year. The total wingspan and floor space that needs to be covered between Giannis and Durant is just ridiculous. Besides, in a game where no one plays defense other than the final couple of minutes, who’s really going to stop these two wings together? Second Pick: Kyrie Irving, Boston Celtics point guard Giannis is great in transition, so is Irving. Pair the two together on a fast break and we have a match made in highlightreel heaven. Irving has shown that he’s crafty all around, and him being able to penetrate the defense and hand it off to Giannis underneath is barbecue chicken. Third Pick: James Harden, Houston Rockets shooting guard Regardless if you think he always travels, flops, doesn’t play defense or only scores so many points because of questionable foul calls, Harden is a certified bucketgetter. The probable MVP-candidate is averaging 36.5 points per game. Besides, he’ll get my team that victory off of his 20 free throws alone. Fourth Pick: Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets, point guard It’s like having a second Kyrie without the weird earth theories and ideal retirement situation in a secluded ranch. Anyways, Kemba is going to ball out already more than he has this past season with the All-Star game being in his team’s city. Having three point guards in the starting lineup that can create their own shot off the dribble, along with being able to penetrate and dish the ball out will be a major factor in winning this game. Reserves: Fifth Pick: Anthony Davis, New Orleans Pelicans power forward AD has a ton of energy now that the Pelicans refuse to play him in the fourth quarter, so he’ll be even more geared up for this game. Also, James’ team is at a ridiculous height disadvantage if AD, KD, and Giannis are all on the floor at the same time. Sixth Pick: Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets center Honestly, I might mess around and put in five big men playing on the floor at once. AD, KD, Giannis, Jokic, Blake. Sheesh. The crazy thing is, Jokic is such a good passer that even with all those names on the floor at once, he’s going to be dishing out dimes like there’s no tomorrow. Seventh Pick: Blake Griffin, Detroit Pistons power forward After getting two of his dunks rejected by Jarrett Allen in the beginning of the season, Griffin resorted to playing actually smart basketball. He now has a legit outside game, beyond-the-arc included. Despite this, I want to see some Lob City-esque dunks from him anyways. Eighth Pick: Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers point guard You know your team’s really good when you have Lillard backing up Kyrie and Kemba. If the two latter players get a little tired of their razzle dazzle, Lillard can takeover and put on a show of his own. Ninth Pick: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Take the first sentence I said for Lillard, but include Westbrook too. Tenth Pick: LaMarcus Aldridge, San Antonio Spurs power forward I picked Aldridge because I need solid rebounding underneath. Plus, I now have a plethora of both guards and big men. Eleventh Pick: Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks small forward Honestly, the East is pretty bad if you can have a guy that averages 17.3 points per game make the All-Star team. I’m supposed to say good things about each player, right? Twelfth Pick: Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat shooting guard I couldn’t pick anybody else, and I was cool with breaking up Wade and LeBron throwing alley-oops to each other.
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First Pick: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry is the best shooter in the game and everyone but the Lakers front office knows that to win games with LeBron James you have to surround him with shooters. Curry is currently shooting 45 percent from three on a whopping 11 attempts per game which is a perfect fit next to LeBron. Second Pick: Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Paul George is among the top offensive and defensive players in the league. He can score 40-plus points while making it tough for the opposing team’s top scorer which I’ll need against Jaryds’ team. Third Pick: Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers center There’s no one in this game who can guard Embiid if we’re being real. He’s too big, too strong and he’s been showing it in the regular season. Embiid is breaking career-highs in points (27.4) and rebounds (13.5). Fourth Pick: Kawhi Leonard, Toronto Raptors small forward I’m surprised Leonard lasted this late into the first round and I will gladly take him on my team. Leonard is maybe the best perimeter defender in the game, and with both him and George, my wings will wreak havoc on the opposing offense. On top of the defense Leonard will bring, he is also averaging 27 points per game. Reserves: Fifth Pick: Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors shooting guard As I mentioned earlier, the formula to winning with LeBron is surrounding him with knock down shooters. Klay Thompson is one of the best shooters the league has ever seen, even in one of his worst seasons as a pro. He’s also not too shabby on defense. Sixth Pick: D’Angelo Russell, Brooklyn Nets point guard D’Angelo Russell is having the best season of his young career and would be a perfect fit for a LeBronled team. Russell has shown the ability to make plays and knock down the three point shot which are necessary qualities in a great point guard. D-Lo is averaging career-highs in points (19.8), assists (6.5), three point percentage (38 percent) and field goal percentage (43 percent). The young guard made the All-Star game for the first time this season at only 22 years old. Almost like the Lakers gave up on him too soon, right? Seventh Pick: Ben Simmons, Philadelphia 76ers point forward Simmons is also a first-time AllStar and his versatile skill set will be a welcomed addition to this team. Simmons is already one of the best playmakers in the league and his size and quickness make him great on the boards and in transition. Eighth Pick: Karl Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves center My team needs a backup big and Towns is probably the second best center of the lot after Embiid. Towns can score from the inside and out which will help spread the floor if he’s playing at the same time as Simmons. Ninth Pick: Nikola Vucevic, Orlando Magic center At this point in the draft there are pretty slim pickings and I need another front court player. Vucevic has been having a career year, averaging a career-high 20 points per game on 38 percent shooting from three. Tenth Pick: Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards shooting guard Now that I have my starting five and a back-up five made up of two backcourt and three frontcourt players, I can choose the best player available and right now that’s Bradley Beal. In John Wall’s absence, Beal is averaging career-highs nearly across the board. Beal is scoring 25 points per game while grabbing five rebounds and dishing five assists. Eleventh Pick: Kyle Lowry, Toronto Raptors point guard I had the last pick of the reserves, so I got Kyle Lowry. Lowry is averaging a career-high 9.3 assists which is good I suppose. Twelfth Pick: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks power forward I chose Dirk because I wanted to even out the amount of guards and bigs I had. I definitely felt like my team could use some more size. ■H
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
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Women’s Tennis earns second straight win over Westmont 6-1 JARYD BONGCARAS Senior Staff Writer
The UC Riverside women’s tennis team (2-2) topped Westmont College (0-3) with a 6-1 victory. Play started on court three, as the duo of freshman Lindsey Gelinas and senior Tracy Van won 6-4. Though Westmont would win on court two with a score of 6-3, the undefeated duo of sophomore Tia Elpusan and junior Sara Khattab
continued their streak with a 7-5 victory. After snagging the doubles point, UCR recorded five singles victories to seal the overall match at 6-1. Freshmen Gelinas, Elpusan, Khattab and Mahli Silpachai, all downed their respective opponents in straight sets. The team’s match against the University of Nevada, Reno on Sunday, Feb. 10 was cancelled due to the weather. ■H
SINGLES
DOUBLES
MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER
SET 1
MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER
SET 1 SET 2 SET 3
Lindsey Gelinas (UCR) Cade Pierson
6 4
6 3
Tia Elpusan (UCR) Isabel Lee
6 1
6 1
Mahli Silpachai (UCR) Taylor Cheung- Damonte
6 4
6 0
Tia Elpusan and Sara Khattab (UCR) Cade Pierson and Taylor Cheung- Damonte
7 5
Hanh Pham (UCR) Emily Peterson
6 1
6 2
Emily Peterson and Isabel Lee Mahli Silpachai and Natalie Shamma (UCR)
6 3
Sara Khattab (UCR) Rachel Jackson
7 5
5 7
Lindsey Gelinas and Tracy Van (UCR) Rachel Jackson and Zarina Huber
6 4
Lauren Wolfe (UCR) Zarina Huber
6 1
6 1
6 10
Men’s Basketball blown out yet again vs. Cal State Fullerton RICARDO GARCIA Contributing Writer
It’s been a rough past few games for the UCR Men’s basketball team (8-17, 2-7). The Highlanders have been blown out in three straight games, twice by teams near the bottom of the Big West standings. On Saturday, Feb. 9, the Highlanders hosted the Cal State Fullerton Titans (1013, 6-3), who had won five of their previous six games in an effort to try to return to March Madness. The first half started well for the Highlanders, as junior guard Dikymbe Martin got off to a red-hot start, shooting six-foreleven from the field in the first half for 14 points. However, he was matched by Fullerton’s senior guard Kyle Allman Jr., who scored 20 points on six-of-nine shooting in the first half as well. As red-hot as these two players were, neither team shot very well overall, as the Titans shot under 40 percent for most of the first half and the Highlanders shot below 20 percent from three-point range. “We shot some bad and quick shots,” Head Coach David Patrick said. “These last three games at home, we’ve regressed in moving the ball the way we want.” The Titans soon found a rhythm, ending the first half on a 18-7 run to take a 37-28 lead. It didn’t end there, as the Titans continued their fast pace to build up a 17-point lead in the early part of the second half. The Highlanders continued to struggle with their shot selection, shooting the ball much worse in the second half, dropping percentages to 34 percent for the game and 18 percent from distance.
COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS
“We didn’t get stops in the second half,” Patrick said. “They got fastbreak points on us and we weren’t getting back. You can’t come out of the locker room tired.” The Highlanders did not make many highlight-worthy plays, but the Titans did. With under four minutes left, Cal State Fullerton went on an 8-0 run with spectacular fast-break dunks resulting from Highlander turnovers, pleasing the large Titan contingency that made the trip from Fullerton down to Riverside while
also ending any hopes of a UCR comeback. The Titans defeated the Highlanders 77-54, shooting almost 60 percent in the second half en route to shooting 50 percent for the game. Allman finished with a game-high 30 points for the Titans. Junior guard Austen Awosika finished with a game-high 11 assists, and junior forward Jackson Rowe grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. For UCR, Martin finished with 16 points, shooting one-for-seven in the sec-
ond half. Redshirt sophomore guard Dominick Pickett led the Highlanders with just three assists, and freshman forward Zac Watson grabbed seven rebounds. Up next, the Highlanders host second place UC Santa Barbara (17-5, 6-2) on Valentine’s Day, Thursday, Feb. 14. The Gauchos defeated the Highlanders 72-64 back in January. UCR will also travel to play Hawaii (14-9, 5-4) to kick off President’s Day Weekend. The Highlanders upset the Rainbow Warriors 75-71 to earn H their first conference win last month. ■
Sports 24
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2019
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports
Softball splits doubleheader
JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer
UCR’s softball team started off their season with a doubleheader Friday, Feb. 8 against Marshall University and Portland State. The two games were a part of the University of San Diego (USD) Tournament that is taking place from Feb. 8-10. The Highlanders’ first game was against Marshall University who scored four runs in the first three innings on their way to a 5-2 victory. Although Riverside was able to cut the lead in half with two runs in the bottom of the third, they were not able to fully complete the comeback as Marshall added another run in the top of the fourth. Junior right fielder Danielle Ortega and freshman designated hitter Moana Pisia led UCR with two hits apiece, combining for four of the team’s seven total hits. Senior second baseman Brittney Garcia had the only RBI of the game for the Highlanders which came in the bottom of the third inning. Just two and a half hours later, Riverside faced off and defeated Portland State in a high scoring 9-8 win. Both teams opened the game with huge first innings. Portland State started the top of the first by scoring five runs, but the Highlanders responded in the bottom of the inning with six. The Vikings added a run in the top of the third inning to tie the score at 6-6, but again UCR responded in the bottom of the third with two more runs thanks to a bunt single by Garcia and a sacrifice fly by junior Emma Ramelot. Portland State added runs in both the fifth and sixth innings to tie the game, but the
The Hawks should aim for the playoffs, not the lottery JORDAN HOM Contributing Writer
COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS
Highlanders scored the decisive run in the bottom of the sixth to earn the 9-8 victory. Junior pitcher Melanie Olmos pitched for five innings in her first win of the season against Portland State. Garcia and freshman catcher Jantzen Owen led UCR in RBI with two each. Senior shortstop Hannah Rodriguez, freshman outfielder Haylee Kela and Garcia led the team in hits, with all three of them totaling two each. Ortega and Garcia also led the team in runs scored, with both crossing the plate twice each. On Saturday, Feb. 9, UCR won both games of their doubleheader against the University of San Diego and Marshall University. In the first game against the University of San Diego, junior Jacy Boles threw a complete game and allowed only two runs in the 6-2 win. USD got on the board first, scoring
two runs in the first inning, but the Highlanders were unfazed and scored six unanswered runs. Garcia once again had a big game, totaling a team-high three hits and one RBI. The second game against Marshall University was a lot closer, but Riverside was able to pull out a 5-4 victory. Junior pitcher Haley Marschall earned her first win of the year and pitched a complete game. The Highlanders were up 5-1 after the top of the sixth inning, but Marshall bounced back by scoring three runs and cutting the deficit to only one run. However this was as close as it would get as neither team scored in the final inning. This was an impressive win for UCR considering they only had three hits in the whole game, compared to eight from Marshall University. The Highlander softball team will next play in the Stacy Winsberg Tournament on Friday, Feb. 15-17. ■H
Titans went on a run of their own as UC Riverside went cold in the second quarter, shooting just 25 percent (4for-16). A combination of factors settled in, with CSUF forcing some turnovers with their full court press, Otto being held scoreless in this period and Fullerton’s Daeja Smith giving the Highlanders some trouble down low. CSUF’s center finished the half with 14 points on 7-for-7 shooting. After coming out of halftime, the home team doubled up on Smith, and ended up holding her scoreless for the remainder of regulation. From here, Riverside opened up a 6-0 run, and took their largest lead of the game after senior Malou De Kergret hit a 12-footer to give her team a 47-37 advantage with 3:50 left in the third. However, De Kergret found herself in foul trouble, and eventually fouled out with just over six minutes left
in the fourth quarter. As soon as the Highlander’s team captain sat out the remainder of the game, the Titans tied the contest at 53 points apiece. But sophomore Keilanei Cooper stepped in by knocking down back-to-back threes, one of which happened as the shot clock expired. The Highlanders held a 59-53 lead at this point. But a pair of threes from CSUF’s Raina Perez, and a jumper from Jannon Otto, saw the game score at 61-59 in UCR’s favor. The Titans ran a screen and roll play that gave Smith a wideopen look underneath the basket to tie the game, but she missed it. Fortunately for the visitors, Amiee Book got the rebound and was fouled, giving her an opportunity to tie the game. Fortunately for the home team, Book missed both attempts at the line. Even after all of that, a missed free throw by Otto gave Fullerton yet another opportunity to tie the game with five seconds left. Thompson came off a back screen under the basket to fire a corner three, but was just off the mark as Riverside escaped with a win, 62-59. The Highlanders next face conference-leading UC Davis Thursday, Feb. 14. Riverside looks to avenge their 67-59 loss to the Aggies at home Jan. 5, as well as extend their win streak to five games. ■H
Women’s basketball sneaks past Cal State Fullerton to notch fourth straight win JARYD BONGCARAS Senior Staff Writer
After a tightly contested matchup that had 10 ties and five lead changes, the UC Riverside women’s basketball team (11-11, 5-3) went down to the wire against Cal State Fullerton (1110, 5-3), but came out on top 62-59. “It was a game of runs,” Head Coach John Margaritis said in reaction to the back and forth game, “We just never really generated anything inside. We didn’t get to the free throw line. They stayed in their zone and we didn’t make enough outside shots to pull away.” Big West Player of the Week Jannon Otto had a lot to do with the offensive run the Highlanders had going early on. Otto attributed for 11 of the Highlanders’ 23 points in the first quarter, shooting 5-for-7 from the field in the opening period. Then, like Margaritis hinted at, the
Highlander Hot Take:
MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER
On paper, the Atlanta Hawks don’t appear to be a very talented team. They look like they are one of the worst teams in the league and will likely receive a high lottery pick at the 2019 NBA draft. However, the Hawks surprised many people by not trading veterans Kent Bazemore, Jeremy Lin or Dewayne Dedmon before the NBA trade deadline. Perhaps the Hawks will pursue buyouts with some of the veterans but that idea seems unlikely because they lose value by buying them out. They could have received a draft pick had they just traded the veterans for assets. While it is possible that college phenom Zion Williamson will be an Atlanta Hawk, the likelihood of that becoming a reality will decrease because of the shifted lottery odds this season. Rather than the worst team receiving 25 percent odds of the top pick like in previous seasons, they would only receive a 14 percent chance to snag the top pick. With Zion unlikely to don a red and white jersey, perhaps the Hawks should gear up for a potential playoff push rather than another lottery-bound season. Currently their only recent lottery pick is 2018 fifth overall pick Trae Young, a player they acquired from the Luka Doncic trade. Many media members and fans were criticizing the trade because of Doncic’s stellar season, who is currently averaging around 20.5 points per game, seven rebounds per game, and 5.5 assists per game, numbers comparable to a rookie LeBron James. While Doncic is clearly the number one player in the draft so far, and will likely run away with the rookie of the year award, that isn’t to discount Trae’s rookie season either. Trae is a very talented player in his own right as he is averaging 16.8 points per game and 7.4 assists per game. Beyond Trae, the Hawks also have a talented youngster in John Collins, who is currently averaging a doubledouble on the season with 19.4 points per game and 10 rebounds per game. Collins was not a lottery pick like Trae, but was selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. Atlanta found another potential gem in Kevin Huerter who was a late first round pick in the 2018 NBA draft. While he still has a long way to go in terms of developing into a starting calibre player, he has shown flashes of potential and is averaging just under 10 points per game on 39 percent shooting from three. Many have compared his ceiling to a poor man’s Klay Thompson. The Hawks should win as many games as possible. Doing so would build a winning culture for the young guys and sneaking into the playoffs wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world as the Hawks have shown that they are able to find talent outside of the lottery. ■H
COURTESY OF YOUTUBE