Issuu

The Highlander

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

est. 1954

For the week of Tuesday, April 23, 2019

VOL. 67, ISSUE 25

check out

the Election Endorsements

pg. 7 & 8

VOTE !

jj vote from APRIL 22 TO APRIL 26

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

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HUMANS OF UCR

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 4

CRESCENT ROSE | LINGUISTICS | THIRD-YEAR TRANSFER COMPILED BY ALEJANDRO MEZA-AGUILAR

Office of Sustainability - Earth Week Green Labs Workshop 10:00am to 11:00am Genomics Auditorium

Tuesday Talk - QPOC Talk 5:00pm to 6:00pm Costo Hall , 245

Creating a Trans-Inclusive Work Environment 2:00pm to 4:00pm HUB 268

ASPB & HUB Programs presents: Silent Disglo 7:00pm to 10:00pm Hub Plaza

Campus Safety Walk 7:00pm to 8:30pm The Facilities Services Tent at the Scotty Statue

ASPB Presents: Free Film Premiere Avengers Endgame 10:00pm to 12:00am University Village Theater

UCR Dance: Inland Empire’s Ultimate Doundounba Festival 2019 6:00pm to 9:00pm Arts Building, UCR ARTS in Downtown Riverside, ARTS 100, ATHD 102

UCR Theatre: FILMWORKS 2019 featuring IT’S NOT FOR YOU written by Priya Garcia 8:00pm to 10:00pm Arts Building, Screening Room, ARTS 335

American Musicological Society: Pacific-Southwest and Northern California Chapters 8:30am to 5:00pm INTS 1128

Visit UCR Day 9:00am to 1:00pm Student Services Building, various

Film: Mirai 1:00pm to 2:30pm UCR ARTS, Culver Center of the Arts

Dig n’ Dance at the R’ Garden 3:00pm to 7:00pm UCR Community Garden -R’Garden

Big West Conference Championship Lihue, HI

Meatless Monday 3:00pm to 5:00pm Student Recreation Center (SRC), classroom kitchen

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

26 Friday

“Drag is every color Drag is every sound A mask I wear to hide my fears

Scholar, Advocate, Artist, Innovator

Saturday

Living with HIV; I’m still free. Know your status and get tested often. You always have the option to be yourself ”

Sunday

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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 Michael Beeli 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 4

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

ASPB explains reasoning behind controversial 2019 Spring Splash changes

ANDREAS RAUCH Senior Staff Writer

Following an April 9 Instagram post detailing a series of changes to the format and rules of the annual Spring Splash festival, the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB) received considerable backlash. This reaction was due to students’ frustration at these changes which included an elimination of guest tickets (meaning only UCR students can attend the event), mandatory completion of a safety module online and scheduling of the concert between 2-7 p.m. on May 4. In response to these concerns, ASPB Chairperson Anahi Cruz offered the Highlander insight into the rationale behind these changes, and emphasized the increased quality she hopes to add to the event in its new format and policies. Interview questions and responses have been lightly edited for clarity. Highlander: What are the changes being made to this year’s Spring Splash event? Where did they originate? Anahi Cruz: The past couple of years, we have noticed a negative shift in the environment at our large scale events. At our concerts, more and more students are showing up highly intoxicated and are engaging in dangerous behaviors, creating

an unsafe environment for everyone. With that being said, we felt that it was our responsibility to change the operations of how we execute our shows. This year for Spring Splash, the safety of UCR students is our top priority. Therefore, we have decided to forgo

What is the rationale behind these changes? We understand that students are wondering why these changes are happening. In terms of the guest tickets, we have noticed a pattern of guests utilizing vital resources intended for the UCR

ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER

guest tickets sales. Along with that, all UCR students are required to take a safety module intended to bring awareness to the dangers of alcohol and drugs which are prohibited at Spring Splash.

population. We have medical resources and a significant police and security presence that is all paid for by students. If those resources are used up by non-UCR guests, we worry that is taking away from UCR

students who these concerts are intended for in the first place. As for the safety module, that is a common UC practice that we decided to adopt as an extra measure for safety. Other schools such as UCSD have required their students to take a safety module before entering their concert. We hope that this module reminds students to refrain from the dangerous drug and alcohol usage and from behaviors that can cause harm to others and themselves. We want students to remember: Don’t be a bystander, be a Highlander! What do you want students to take away from this year’s new procedures? We understand that these changes may come as a shock to students. However, we hope that they support us in our efforts to make our large scale events safer for everyone. Our concerts are some of the most fun and exciting events on campus and if we do not make an active effort to improve and change them, we are afraid this privilege can be revoked at any time. How can students learn more about these changes? For any further questions about the module, please contact us at springsplashucr@gmail.com. For more information about Spring Splash, please H visit our website springsplash.ucr.edu. ■

UCR undergoing major housing expansion with Dundee-Glasgow and North District Development

AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

The Dundee Student Housing and Glasgow Dining Project (DundeeGlasgow Project) and the North District Project are two major new undertakings that UCR is planning in its move to keep up with a rapidly growing student population. According to UCR Real Estate Services, the North District Project is intended to provide residence hall housing for first year students and apartment housing for second year students, transfer students, upper division undergraduate students and graduate students. The project also intends to supply new dining facilities to serve the increasing student population at UCR. It will also include: multi-functional rooms which their website describes as spaces that can alternate from classroom, meeting space and study areas, student support amenities, a mix of retail services, functional open spaces, adequate utility capacity and supporting infrastructure to support all phases of the project. In an interview with the Highlander, Andy Plumley, the assistant vice chancellor of auxiliary services, stated that the Dundee-Glasgow project is a pre-phase to the North District Development, being built just south of the North District east of Aberdeen-Inverness Residence Hall. The first phase of the North District will consist of 1,500 apartment beds. The final build out will have 5,000 to 6,000 beds. According to Plumley, the primary target population for

the North District Development Project are continuing students (nonfreshmen) and they are also looking into including some graduate student housing. The Dundee-Glasgow Dining Project is the next phase of this housing expansion. Freshmen are the primary target audience for the Dundee Residence Hall but Plumley

towards for first year students and the dining will replace the outdated dining facilities at the existing Aberdeen-Inverness residence hall.” The website also states that the Dundee-Glasgow Project will create a distinctive living-learning, mixeduse community that “intentionally creates a sense of place with new student housing being aligned with

RYAN POON / HIGHLANDER

stated that they hope to also include some returning students and transfer students. Dundee Residence Hall will provide 820 new beds and is being built between Aberdeen-Inverness and Pentland Hills. Plumley stated that this new residence hall is essential “as our freshmen (sic) class grows.” UCR Real Estate’s website states that the Dundee-Glasgow Project “will provide much needed residence hall housing which is targeted primarily

appropriate residential life programs that provide a balance of privacy and community to enhance the overall academic experience for UC Riverside students.” Glasgow Dining will also be located between Aberdeen-Inverness and Pentland Hills. It will be a 830seat facility and replaces the 500seat Aberdeen-Inverness Dining facility, which will later be used for residential programs and catering

and conference events. Glasgow will feature an exhibition bakery, a demonstration cooking platform and a modern residential dining program. It will be a two-story facility, with a patio terrace and a private dining room. Plumley stated, “this facility will also be home to our catering operation and provide service to our food trucks.” Dundee Residence Hall consists of two seven-story towers, with each tower featuring a large community living space on the ground floor. This space will provide study, social and computer spaces. “We will have spaces designed to serve as classrooms during the day and program space at night,” stated Plumley. Between the two towers will be an outdoor space for students to socialize. The Dundee Residence Halls will have traditional style corridors with central bathrooms and a lounge. This style provides for better community development and is a more affordable design. Plumley believes that these new housing projects are important for UCR because they currently experience large waiting lists, so the new beds of Dundee and the North District Phase one are needed now. “The beds beyond these two projects will help us keep pace with the student enrollment growth,” stated Plumley. Dundee-Glasgow costs approximately $150 million while the North District Project will cost approximately $220 million. Dundee-Glasgow is expected to open in Fall 2020 and the North District Project is expected to be open in Fall 2021. ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

ASUCR

ASUCR fails to meet their own bylaw for tabling

CAMERON SADEGHI Contributing Writer

According to Chapter 20 of the Senate Accessibility and Transparency Act, ASUCR is required to table every Wednesday at the Bell Tower. ASUCR, however, has not tabled every Wednesday. The ASUCR bylaw states that each senator is supposed to table at least once per quarter from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Justin Domecillo, a fourth-year English major, mentioned ASUCR’s tabling issues in relation to the bylaw during the April 10 ASUCR meeting. Domecillo stated, “I really encourage you guys to be better coordinated about your schedules and enforcing this section of the bylaws.” In an interview with the Highlander, CHASS senator Julian Gonzalez stated that he takes personal responsibility for ASUCR’s tabling dilemma, stating, “I don’t know why anyone hasn’t done it. For me personally, I feel responsible for not being out there especially since it is a requirement.” Gonzalez points to what he sees as a recurring theme with ASUCR officials, stating, “Every

year we get a new set of elected officials. There’s been a precedent where elected officials do not table.” Gonzalez is running for ASUCR president in the upcoming election. ASUCR Outreach Director Carolyn Chang did not respond to the Highlander’s request for comment. Chang is running unopposed for Vice President of Finance in the upcoming election. Andrea Cuevas, ASUCR executive vice president, was not available for comment. Besides Domecillo, other UCR students are concerned about ASUCR’s inability to fulfill its commitment. Freshman biochemistry major Isabella Espinoza was unaware of ASUCR’s existence: “These freshmen coming in, like myself, have no clue as to what ASUCR is. If I see a table somewhere with people, I am more likely to go up to it. You see all of these posters everywhere with faces but your not really sure what it is for.” Second-year electrical engineering student Nathaniel Ortiz believes ASUCR’s promises are not matching their actions, “Lately, I feel that ASUCR does not fulfill a lot of their obligations to the student

body. They make a lot of promises and commitments, but they do not necessarily deliver on them.” According to Ortiz, campus funding is not allocated efficiently and programs such as R’Gear are inefficient ways to spend money because they do not reach all students.

“ASUCR has good intentions but they really fail to have a coherent plan of action. They are not really following the steps that they are going to take. It all seems improvised to me,” said Ortiz. ASUCR bylaws can be found on the ASUCR website. ■H

JORDAN HUANG / HIGHLANDER

ASUCR passes UCLA Bribery Scandal Resolution and UCR Glen Mor WiFi Reimbursement Resolution

AMANI MAHMOUD Contributing Writer

The third ASUCR meeting of the spring quarter took place on April 17 and was called to order at 6:40 p.m. The meeting then moved onto committee reports. CHASS Senator Julian Gonzalez discussed the Green Campus Action Plan (GCAP) meeting minutes from April 10 and April 17. On April 10 GCAP passed an allocation of $4,000 to provide food for a sustainability fair. The vote passed 6-0-1. They also allocated money to the Zero Waste Club at UCR in the form of a grant for $2,445. It passed 4-0-3. The GCAP meeting minutes from April 10 were approved by the Senate 9-0-0. On April 17, GCAP approved a grant of $300 for the Literacy Page Master Club at UCR which is a club that meets to regularly talk about literature while also promoting sustainability. The GCAP meeting minutes from April 10 were approved by the Senate 9-0-0. Gonzalez stated that during this meeting, GCAP decided that they wished to move $100,000 away from a large-scale initiative budget and instead focus on an approach that creates more opportunities for students on campus to apply for grants

to create sustainable projects. The budget transfer passed 10-0-0. April 17 meeting minutes were passed by the Senate 10-00 as CHASS Senator Chelsea Davenport showed up to the meeting late. During Legislative Review Committee (LRC) SR-S19-001 UCLA Bribery Scandal Resolution was discussed. CHASS Senator Alyssa Tocker discussed this resolution, referencing the recent college bribery scandal and how UCLA is allegedly involved in the scandal. The resolution calls on the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) to open a public investigation on all UC campuses to see if any other campuses are involved in the scandal. The resolution passed 10-0-0. SR-S19-002, the UCR Glen Mor WiFi Reimbursement Resolution was also discussed. Tocker stated that this resolution calls on UCR Housing Services to reimburse students living in Glen Mor because they were paying for WiFi fees while WiFi was not available in their housing. Glen Mor had previously acknowledged that they realized that the WiFi connections were not working. The resolution passed 10-0-0. The meeting was adjourned at 7:05 p.m. ■H

JORDAN HUANG / HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

Arts sculpture to be the first major art installation on UCR’s campus

DEREK LAI / HIGHLANDER

SILVIA FERRER Contributing Writer

The passage between Interdisciplinary North and the Arts Building has recently been fenced off. An art sculpture is being built by artist Roy McMakin, overseen by the department of Architects and Engineers and spearheaded by the Advisory Committee on Campus Art (ACCA). The piece will include concrete bench seating and a turbine with the message “Change Things” or “Things Change,” depending on the perspective of the viewer. The shifting message, which Jacqueline Norman, UCR campus architect, explained to the Highlander would change on the physical and intellectual space of the pedestrian, will be the first major art installation at UC Riverside. Student, faculty and staff will be able to walk through and around the installment as they head to different parts of campus. “It’s exciting because it is such a heavily trafficked pedestrian area that may awaken people to the possibility and impact art can have on campus,” said Norman. The art sculpture is expected to have a greater impact when the UCR Mobility Hub is completed, as it is located at a “major gateway,” stated Norman. According to UCR’s Architects and Engineers page, the Mobility Hub will be placed in between Skye Hall and CHASS’ Interdisciplinary North. The art piece will be “one of their first

experiences (students) have at UCR,” says Norman, “people will engage with it every day just by simply walking through the area.” The project has been long in the works — the artist was actually selected back in 2009, but energy stalled until the ACCA resurrected the proposal in 2014. While the chairs of the committee, CHASS Dean Milagros Pena and Vice Chancellor Peter Hayashida, did not respond to the Highlander’s request for comment, Norman noted how the ACCA first “identified a desire to have outdoor art on campus.” In addition, the ACCA and the department of Architects and Engineers have been in contact with other UCs that feature works of art on their campuses in hopes that the art sculpture will serve as momentum for more art pieces on campus. “San Diego has a vibrant exterior art program and we’ve been consulting with them on just how they managed that and on how to make art more prosperous,” said Norman. Leonardo Kim, a third-year business major, says “it will add more culture to the school … this sort of thing is what makes the campus feel like UCR.” Jason Espinosa, project manager with the department of Architects and Engineers, could not be reached for comment on the specific completion date of the project, but it is expected to be finished by the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. ■H

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

Opinions

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

2019

asucr election

Endorsements

With the advent of the 2019 ASUCR Elections, the Highlander Newspaper Editorial Board is announcing its endorsements of certain candidates. The endorsements listed below are the result of majority editorial board votes, and do not cover all contests. Instead, an attempt has been made at assessing the student body’s needs and welfare going into the next year, and providing an educated opinion on which candidates will best promote the student body’s interests in the 2019-2020 academic year.

President: No Endorsement

The primary leadership position of ASUCR has long stood as a reflection of the ambitions of both the student government and student body. In past years, UCR has seen a fair sequence of presidential candidates and winners, contesting the position in tight races that have often resulted in major consequences for campus. Despite recent presidential races drawing criticism for shady practices, or for a lack of quality candidates making an endorsement impossible, 2019’s contest for the ASUCR presidency is a much-needed

breath of fresh air. The Highlander’s appraisal of both candidates is optimistic, as, although no endorsement was made, both candidates represent viable steps in the right direction. Senate Pro Tempore Julian Gonzalez has shown himself to be an effective legislator, proactively pushing for legislation and cooperating with his peers to properly represent the Highlander student body. A veteran of ASUCR’s finance, legislative review, GCAP, marketing and outreach committees, Gonzalez has proven his dedication to student well-being and

aptitude at navigating a variety of political hurdles and paths. Gonzalez’ platform of unity, action and transformation is a laudable goal, and as an experienced ASUCR member, he is well-positioned to put these goals into practice. CHASS Senator Mehvish Ali enters the presidential race well-versed in communication and deeply connected to the pulse of the campus. As member of several on-campus organizations, both professionally and academically, Ali is well-placed to read the needs of students and respond to their concerns. Having

reached out to myriad organizations both before and during her campaign, she seems a natural choice for a position that has often been distanced and disconnected from students. Ali has proven time and time again that her commitment to listening to students and their concerns is more than a talking point, and seems able and willing to put these ideals into practice. The Highlander suggests that students look into both candidates’ statements in the Highlander’s ASUCR Elections Guide for further information on who to choose.

Executive Vice President: Abigail Cortes In a change from last year ’s contest, this year ’s race for Executive Vice President features current CNAS Senator Abigail Cortes running unopposed. Despite a lack of another candidate, the Highlander has chosen to endorse Cortes. Cortes, in her time on the senate horseshoe, has been a strident advocate for inclusion, particularly for women’s issues. Her work at the

Women’s Resource Center has placed her in a unique position to interact with the Ethnic and Gender Programs at Costo Hall. Beyond this position, Cortes has advanced initiatives that help students, such as promoting feminine hygiene product campaigns, representing the student body in administration meetings on long-term campus development and crafting various resources to help students

during finals week. In addition, Cortes has shown herself eager to promote ASUCR to the student body, an area which has long lacked the appropriate attention on ASUCR’s end. In short, Cortes is an exciting choice for ASUCR legislative leadership, and earns the Highlander ’s endorsement in expectation of her efforts to advance students’ best interests in the following year.

Vice President of Campus External Affairs: Lennin Kuri The Vice President of External Affairs position is one of increasing importance as UCR continues to rise in prominence as a valuable UC campus. As a result, ASUCR’s representative to the outside world must be an individual with considerable experience and the passion and integrity to promote student interests by all means.

The Highlander endorses Lennin Kuri for this position. In his time with ASUCR, Kuri, the current Government Relations Director, has advocated in a variety of student activist campaigns. His extensive work with government agencies has resulted in an intimate understanding of how outside forces affect students, and

gives him an edge over most students through his connection to the political process. Although opponent Luis Huerta represents another strong candidate with laudable ideals, Kuri has actively walked the path of student advocacy and is uniquely poised to represent UCR students at the local and statewide levels.

Transfer/Non-traditional Director: Eric E. Calderon In a crucial position that advocates for an often-overlooked portion of the student body, the candidate for Transfer/Nontraditional Director must be someone who is directly linked to the needs of these students while also demonstrating a commitment to increase awareness of these specific issues. The Highlander finds no alternative but to endorse Eric E. Calderon for this position.

Having transferred from East Los Angeles Community College and boasting registrar work experience at Pasadena City College, Calderon is highly qualified for this position. His work allows him an insight into the significant hurdles that transfer students face, and his compassionate approach to helping his peers succeed is exactly what this position requires. His

commitment is further highlighted by his active participation in the campaign process, especially when compared to his opponent, Juandi Riley, who failed to submit a candidate bio, photo or participate in the candidate debate. The Highlander is therefore confident in Calderon’s ability to succeed in integration for transfer and nontraditional students.

GCAP Director: Olenka Graham Castaneda Running unopposed, Olenka Graham Castaneda is sure to win the race for GCAP Director. The Highlander, however, feels a responsibility to endorse a candidate so qualified to oversee ASUCR’s sustainability programs. Graham Castaneda’s ability to administer GCAP’s crucial efforts is evident from her position as GCAP Vice Director in the past year. In this role, she has worked with both Facilities Services and the Office of Sustainability to promote campus-wide environmental and recycling initiatives. These ties, along with her commitment to GCAP, means Graham Castaneda will make a fine Director in the following year.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

CHASS Senator: Preeti Juturu

Tyaira Gonzalez

Juturu’s experience working in the current office of Internal Affairs and handling legislation ensures that she is well-positioned to address her realistic goals, such as promoting student nutrition through the R’Pantry.

Gonzalez’ experiences as an undeclared student, and the associated challenges, give her a unique insight into an often overlooked and disadvantaged group on campus. She is sure to successfully promote undeclared students’ issues.

Aaron Sanchez

Kyle Stafford

Sanchez’ firm commitment to student representation and experience working with his hometown government and within ASUCR represent his ability to succeed as senator.

Stafford’s experiences as treasurer for a campus organization and working with former President Aram Ayra demonstrate his ability to represent students effectively.

Kiley Atwood

William Wang

Atwood’s participation in UCR’s track team and her experience working with athleticoriented committees make her an obvious choice to represent UCR’s body of student athletes.

Wang’s platform, focused around improving internet connectivity for students, marks him out as a candidate with concrete goals and the drive to achieve them.

Miguel Ramirez

Angel Cuevas

Ramirez’ platform of voter registration efforts, as well as his extensive experience with UCR’s CALPIRG chapter, place him in a unique position to advocate for students’ needs.

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

Cuevas’ resume boasts an impressive array of involvement with various business, community outreach and professional organizations. His wide experience can only be an asset to the ASUCR Senate.

Evelin Castaneda

Castaneda promises to be a passionate advocate for bridging the gap between ASUCR and students, as well as ensuring the inclusiveness and continued support for Costo Hall offices.

CNAS Senator: Phoebe Ly

Danielle Velarde

Ly’s realistic platform seeks to address salient issues such as affordability, access to support services and reduction of food waste on campus. Her focus on concrete and specific issues is surely an asset to the ASUCR Senate.

Velarde’s experience as a fellow in ASUCR has given her unique insight and solidified her commitment to be an approachable representative for CNAS students.

Luv Amin

Matthew Nguyen

Amin is excited to serve the CNAS community by promoting student voices and responding to student concerns. His commitment to student representation is an asset to the ASUCR Senate.

As an orientation leader and current campus tour guide, Nguyen has an intimate knowledge of campus happenings and culture. His platform’s focus on communication and accountability is a welcome addition to ASUCR.

Britney Huynh

Huynh is an ardent advocate for environmentally sustainable initiatives. As CNAS Senator, she would improve the campus through realistic and concrete projects.

Referenda:

Highlander Newspaper Referendum In an era where the media have come under attack like never before, and in which free and honest press is a valuable commodity, the Highlander Newspaper is a beacon of journalistic opportunity and integrity on a campus with little to no support for journalism. The Highlander’s mission of ensuring accountability, transparency and offering opportunities for students is an important goal, but one that is under threat due to a lack of funding and support from the administration. The Highlander Newspaper Referendum will allow this mission to continue by providing essential resources for the promotion of quality journalism. We endorse the referendum as it is integral to a transparent and free campus. Highlander Empowerment Referendum The Ethnic and Gender Programs at Costo Hall are unique in the scope and success of their mission, offering thousands of UCR students a home away from home and a chance to explore their background, gender or sexual orientation. The administration’s inability and unwillingness to fund these programs unfortunately hinders these organizations in their laudable goals, and threatens, in some cases, their very existence. We fully endorse the Highlander Empowerment Referendum, as it would allow these programs to continue to provide support and a space for Highlanders to explore themselves and the world around them while becoming effective leaders to tackle tomorrow’s issues.

BCOE Senator: Maurice Armstrong

Armstrong’s impressive resume features a variety of leadership positions within engineering organizations, as well as an intricate knowledge of ASUCR. Armstrong is a natural candidate who seems sure to bridge the divide between BCOE’s H administration and student body. ■

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

WikiLeaks’ struggle with the government highlights the balance between transparency and privacy in a healthy democracy

t feels like people have forgotten the events of 2010-11 when an international outcry was sparked by the release of top secret American government documents through WikiLeaks, a platform which hackers all over the world contributed to. These documents and secret footage revealed troubling behavior on the part of the American military including the bombing of civilians during the war in Iraq. WikiLeaks became divisive, with many

COURTESY OF PEXELS

this apathy is not the media and the internet, as the information overload we are experiencing as a society undoubtedly hampers our capacity for critical thinking, and we continue to scroll past what could be vital information about how our government operates. While it is easy to forego contemplating the ramifications of classifying vital government documents as top secret, the consequences for society are too great to not have the difficult conversation about freedom of information and government accountability.

to a tenuous balance between the power of public opinion concerning journalistic ethics and the extent of a government’s power to prosecute. It is important to keep in mind, however, that the indictment under which the United States is seeking Assange’s extradition from the United Kingdom is for hacking and only hacking, which is the cyber equivalent of burglary. He is not, so far, being charged under the much broader and far more problematic Espionage Act, which would involve

“WHILE IT IS EASY TO FOREGO CONTEMPLATING THE RAMIFICATIONS OF CLASSIFYING VITAL GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTS AS TOP SECRET, THE CONSEQUENCES FOR SOCIETY ARE TOO GREAT TO NOT HAVE THE DIFFICULT CONVERSATION ABOUT FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY.” arguing that it was irresponsible to release this information, as adversarial foreign powers could utilize it to foster antiAmerican sentiments or even gather military information like tactics and plans. Others argued that WikiLeaks was a bastion of free speech and that it provided a service, as that information belonged to the citizens as much as it did to their government. In the wake of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange’s arrest, the debate around the limits of government’s power has failed to garner the appropriate amount of attention. It is hard to imagine that the culprit behind

There are several factors at play with regard to WikiLeaks and the uncertain future of its founder. Many have posited that indicting Assange is tricky, as the charge, if broadened, could potentially compromise the very foundations of free expression. People have argued that Assange’s conviction could pave the way for the increased criminalization of the publishing of classified documents, something that for decades has been protected and standardized within the field of journalism. It also raises serious questions about how authorities should handle whistleblowers, giving rise

publication of leaked material. That would, indeed, raise profound First Amendment questions, but as of yet, the government has not opened that door. The dangerous precedent of restricting speech is one factor to be considered when prosecuting Assange. However, the situation is complicated, and the other side of the coin in this case is that the careless release of hacked information could lead to enemy powers getting hold of sensitive information regarding tactics, or even the personal information of private citizens. The argument for justification

of WikiLeaks in this case would likely be a moral equivocation between the loss of innocent life that demonstrably resulted from American military action and the mere potential for misuse of the released information by America’s enemies. In fact, the bulk of the information WikiLeaks obtained from Chelsea Manning, and which Assange disseminated, was simply embarrassing diplomatic communication that admittedly embarrassed the United States abroad. After Edward Snowden’s revelations concerning the National Security Association’s (NSA) technocratic and opaque surveillance of the American populace, however, it is clear that the citizenry continues to be largely complacent, despite initial outrage. We do not need to sacrifice privacy for security. The ability of the American government to surveil overseas was also demonstrated through WikiLeaks, and if it is possible to locate terrorists hiding in a cave in Afghanistan, then it is reasonable to assume that the NSA does not need to tap the phones of every American citizen. It is difficult to find a solution for this, as spying en masse is effectively casting a wider net, but fishermen continue to successfully catch fish one at a time with a single targeted fishing line. Moreover, privacy protections are written in the constitution which require the government to obtain a warrant to search a private citizen, and it is only reasonable to extend those protections to the online data profiles of people as well as their physical persons, as the FISA statute with its secret warrant courts already does. The operative word there

is secrecy, and yet without it there can be no effective counterintelligence, which is vital to national security. While this may not constitute a complete solution, it is clear that some form of civilian oversight or accountability system is needed to ensure that people have access to important information about their government’s actions both overseas and domestically. It is understandable that not all information needs to be public, as there are legitimate reasons for any government to hold onto sensitive information regarding personnel files, tactics and the like. But voters do deserve to know if their government is bombing innocent civilians abroad, and while that information should be handled with care and given proper context, it is necessary to maintain a transparent democracy. It can very well be argued that a politically illiterate and largely uninformed citizenry may not handle the truth of the American government’s classified actions in the most reasonable or understanding of ways, and they may not be the best judge as to what should be done about those actions or the person or people who released the sensitive information. An informed citizenry must have the truth at their disposal, and this, despite all the misgivings and concerns about Assange’s motive or involvement with foreign adversaries, is the reason people deserve the truth. ■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.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

OPINION POLL Compiled by Lydia Tsou, Staff Photographer

“Is WikiLeaks a good thing or a bad thing?” Lucero Parra Biology Third-year

Marichel Alvarez CMDB Third-year

Andrew Munoz Computer Science Fourth-year

Philip Kawada Computer Science Fourth-year

Joseph Park Computer Science Fourth-year

Yema Conteh Psychology Third-year

“I think it’s a good thing because you inform others about things people don’t usually know about.”

“I think it’s half and half. If the intent is to help inform others, then that’s good. If they slander individuals and reveal private information, then that could be dangerous.”

“It’s bad. They’re 100 percent partisan.”

“I think the internet should be an open platform for the little guy, so I think the existence of WikiLeaks is good.”

“No, it’s not good.”

“I think it’s good to have a place people can share about scandals and corruption and bring it to light to bring change. However, a con, is the lack of privacy for individuals at times.”

Former Pope Benedict ignores institutional reasons for sexual abuse in the Catholic Church, instead blames the 1960s

SAMUEL HARRISON Contributing Writer

Pope emeritus Benedict XVI is looking to the 1960s sexual revolution in search of a scapegoat for the sexual abuse prevalent amongst the Catholic clergy. In a recent letter, Benedict cited the 1960s sexual revolution as the reason for the recent history of sexual abuse in the Church, suggesting that the solution to the issue is “obedience and love for our Lord Jesus Christ.” Unfortunately, Benedict’s letter fails to touch on any tangible issue. The question is not whether the Church is being secularized by the lascivious happenings of the outside world. Instead, the Church needs to examine options at the institutional level to ensure that this abuse isn’t allowed to continue. The letter fails to suggest any such option. There is no acknowledgment of the accusations of cover-ups that have been flooding the Church since the 1980s, and Benedict’s insistence that the Church resolves to be more obedient is not actionable enough. Trying to pin the blame on the rest of society serves only as an exercise in pointless moral relativism, and it distracts the Church from addressing the causes for the abuse. Some supporters of the Church may

argue that the prevalence of porn and other examples of sexual liberation during the 1960s brought about an overall degradation of society’s values as a whole, so it stands to reason that the Church was also impacted. One need only consider, however, the fact that the Catholic Church is one of the groups most often cited as having sexual abuse problems. Other similar religious groups do not face the same scandals. The Catholic Church has been facing accusations since as early as the 1950s, a decade prior to the cited sexual revolution, before the scandals achieved media attention in the 1980s with the accusations leveled against Gilbert Gauthe. This suggests that the sexual abuse scandals are not brought on by the degradation of religious morals, but instead by a failure on an institutional level to properly address instances of abuse. Pope Francis, Benedict’s successor, holds a drastically different view on the causes for the scandal, and he seems interested in addressing the institutional corruption that supported the predators amongst the clergy. The Vatican held a summit of bishops around the world last February that focused on the topic of sexual abuse in the Church. This is significant, as it is a public admission that the Church not only has an ongoing issue with sexual

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

abuse of children within its walls but that it has been actively trying to cover up those crimes. The summit sought to discuss methods for both preventing further abuse, as well as increasing transparency around the issue. German Cardinal Reinhard Marx went as far as to admit that records documenting the abuse had been destroyed. There is an argument to be made that Pope Francis’ plans have their shortcomings (as thorough of a discussion the summit involved, the specifics for handling instances of

abuse still aren’t quite clear), but his acknowledgment that the abuse is a failure on the part of the Church is a step towards a solution that Benedict seems uninterested in taking. Trying to provide excuses for sexual abuse is frivolous — the victims deserve better than that. The Church needs to turn its collective eye towards establishing safeguards that will prevent potential abusers from preying on minors. One can only hope that the intense pressure the current pope is under will give rise to a viable solution. ■H

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service should be recommending more, not less news

JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

The Army and Air Force Exchange Service, a major retailer which operates as one of the largest general convenience stores and food courts on military bases in 34 countries, recently sent out a memo to their different locations recommending they change their television sets from “divisive” news channels to the less-controversial sports channels. The memo obtained by NPR said, “News channels should not be shown on common area TVs due to their divisive political nature.” This request is problematic in that it can directly impact how informed soldiers are on current events. Army veteran Ric Chavez told NPR that while he is conflicted about the memo, he feels that news “shouldn’t be blocked because it can be viewed as a form of censorship.” Staff Sergeant Manuel Cardona echoed this sentiment when he told Stars and Stripes that he disagreed with the Army and Air Force Exchange Service memo

because the news broadcasts were “informative” and one of the only ways he could keep up with what is going on around the world. Being able to choose what is on the television set is a form of free speech that the Army and Air Force Exchange Service is attempting to breach. There are nine forms of speech that aren’t protected under the First Amendment: Obscenity, fighting words, defamation, child pornography, perjury, blackmail, incitement to imminent lawless actions, true threats and solicitations to commit crimes. Public broadcasting of news in work environments, or anywhere else for that matter, is not on that list and thus this right should be protected under the First Amendment. Ignoring the memo and continuing to play news broadcasts could lead to persistent complaints or awkward confrontations, and it’s happened before. Chris Ward, who serves as the senior public affairs manager for The Army and Air Force Exchange Service admitted that the choice in what

channel to televise has led to questions, saying, “We’ve gotten comments from customers, ‘Why is this TV on Fox?’ ‘Why is this TV on CNN?’ You’re never going to appeal to everyone.” There is also the argument that “Politics doesn’t have a place in the work environment,” as Private First Class Tyler White told Stars and Stripes. However, all Americans have a right to information and a right to stay informed. The easiest way to appeal to everyone is to invest in more televisions. The resolution to this dilemma isn’t to stop showing news in the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, but instead to show more of it and to make sure everyone’s political ideology is accounted for in the news that is being televised. Making the news channels that are televised as inclusive as possible to everyone’s political views would decrease the questions or comments about why certain TVs are on certain channels because there would be an even distribution throughout. The Army and Air Force Exchange Service may need to put up a

COURTESY OF AIR FORCE AND ARMY EXCHANGE

lot more TVs to make this happen, but it would be worth it in the long run. Cutting off news entirely in a place that is so central to military morale and efficiency would be an infringement on the manager’s right to show what they want, as well as a disservice to soldiers who want to stay informed. ■H

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OPINIONS

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

As a group, let us promote women leadership and roles in the journalism industry

ESTHER CHOI Contributing Writer

In an era when promoting social equality and justice is of paramount importance, much focus has been placed on equal gender representation in the workplace. Unfortunately, this is an area which has not seen enough progress. Studies have shown women comprise 25 percent or less of workers in industries like finance, technology, law and politics. This statistic shows an overview of possible gender bias in our country. We can also witness this statistic in our society because, for instance, most of our members of Congress are male, reporters on the news are frequently male and we have seen only male presidents so far. The journalism industry also underrepresents women, and we should make efforts to change this. This is an extremely important point because the composition and diversity of the media can have a critical impact on our society. Our future generations will have the current inequality ingrained in their mind and will think that this is the way it should work. This can lead to consequences that may be hard to reverse. A lot of females will not even try to challenge this stereotypical idea because they may think that they are going against the norms of the society, which could potentially lead to a decline of females in these maledominated industries. The journalism industry experiences similar levels of gender imbalance, with men supplying more news content than women. The government as well as media companies need to come up with feasible solutions to address gender imbalances in the journalism industry. The underrepresentation of women in professional journalism is pervasive and persistent. A study has shown that

men report three times as much as their female counterparts at ABC, CBS and NBC combined. This study went on for three months and saw similar patterns in traditional newspapers, online news, wire services and TV news. It is evident here that female journalists and females in the media industry have limited opportunities to be heard in the media. Other research has found that male journalists tend to dominate online political discussion. This leaves little room for female journalists to interact and engage with the discussions associated with politics. Female journalists do not have enough support, and often find themselves in male-dominated spaces where men get most of the credit for work. Research has found that men received 62 percent of bylines and other credits and have won 84 percent of Pulitzer Prizes. This data certainly shows us that men are given more roles and credits than their female counterparts. It is important for us to leave a society that truly promotes equality to our future generations. Equality needs to be imbedded in society as a whole, but this can only be done if we make a concerted effort to do so. An expert in the journalism industry, Susanne Klingner, has said that women do not have the same advocates in the industry. This tells us that the journalism industry in general, are not really caring and taking this matter into great consideration, which is not how a “sector” of our country should be. Our country was originally built on equality and so we should all make an effort to push this idea. The disparities in specialization are also problematic. In journalism, women are mostly the ones writing on “soft” topics such as lifestyle, health and education news. On the other hand, male journalists tend to cover topics that include sports,

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

weather and crime and justice, which are all highly popularized among all groups of people because they contain information that is highly discussed whereas the “soft” topics covered by females are not as frequently discussed among all groups of people. Future journalists need to see that there is an even distribution between male and female journalists in all areas, so that when they become journalists, they do not fall victim to existing stereotypes and gender roles. Also, it is very important to make a society for future female journalists to feel comfortable and safe to write about the topic they want. Even though this reinforcement of gender roles is not explicit, the

predominance of male journalists in usually attention-grabbing fields is evident and contributes to less exposure and readership for their female counterparts. It is important for us to be aware of the uneven distribution of male and female journalists in the industry. Journalists play a significant role in swaying people’s opinions from one end of the spectrum to another in politics, and really play a huge role in shaping our views.Having a balanced amount of male and female journalists will certainly keep people’s opinion from being biased and swaying to just one side. Women need their voices to be heard as often as those of their male counterparts.

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Features TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

FEATURES

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Sixth Annual Middle Eastern Week 2019 showcases the diversity and beauty of Middle Eastern culture By: Highlander Staff From April 15-20, the Middle Eastern Student Center (MESC) celebrated the sixth annual Middle Eastern (ME) Week. Students took part in the activities to learn and celebrate Middle Eastern culture.

COURTESY OF PXHERE

ASHLEY PEREZ Contributing Writer

Sobhiyeh brings together the community in a traditional Middle Eastern breakfast setting

The first event of this week was Sobhiyeh, which was held on Monday, April 15, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. Walking into room HUB 355, the room was slowly filling up with energy and people. Tables were covered by a dark red cloth, rustic styled lanterns and plastic gems were the centerpieces, but the main attraction weren’t the shiny jewels, instead, it was the makeshift stage, which was composed of a rug and multiple pillows with intricate designs. In the back of the room, the aroma of vegetables, falafel and manakeesh with meat among other delicacies began to attract

passersby. Music gently played, but the chatter of guests delighted by the food and atmosphere soon overpowered the music as seats quickly filled up. Art covered a corner of the room, many of them prints found online, but four pieces were originals created by MESC students. This was the start of Sobhiyeh, the kickoff event for ME Week, through different breakfast foods found throughout the Middle East. With a warm welcome, Ali Saadat, MESC’s program coordinator, proceeded to give the background of the event, its meaning to MESC and then introduced two performers to the middle of the room, where the stage laid. Mehron Kazemi (‘16) played the tabla, a pair of drums, while Ali Arsala played

the rubab, a lute-like instrument originating in Afghanistan. The audience were seated around the tables as the performers began to play their music, some grabbing more food from the back to better enjoy the show. The music created a welcoming environment, as the performers in front of the room continued to play for almost half an hour. People came in and out of HUB 355, but the room was never empty as the tables remained full of visitors enjoying the traditional cuisine. Neeran Aranki, a secondyear creative writing major and artist who had created two of the featured paintings, explained why she chose to feature women in her pieces. Of the first painting, which featured a mother, a

son and an oud (a traditional pear-shaped, ukulele-like instrument), Aranki said, “This instrument between them served to show how music joins people together.” Her second painting featured a woman surrounded by bright colors, facing away from the people with a Middle Eastern scarf called a keffiyeh which, according to Aranki, represents “resilience, resistance and the struggle of the Palestinian people and they wear it as a badge of honor.” Aranki added, “I wanted to add a splash of color because back home sometimes, it’s easy to see just darkness, but there’s also beauty within chaos and you can find your strength there.” Meri Mkrtchyan, a thirdyear art history major, was the artist behind the “Evil Eye”

and “Coffee” pieces, which were displayed next to Aranki’s painting. When asked about the painting referring to coffee, Mkrtchyan responded, ”It’s something culturally shared through the Middle East, it brings people closer together.” The second original piece featured a design that’s popular throughout social media, small shops or airports, the hamsa hand with multiple evil eyes hanging from the hand. “It deflects evil...any jealousy thrown your away from others is stopped,” explained Mkrtchyan, “it’s a symbol of good luck.” Through art, music and food of the event, MESC was able to educate UCR on the distinct cultures of the Middle East and bring its people together. ■H

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FEATURES

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

Fly with M.E. features renowned kite-maker showing his traditional craft MARTHA DELGADO Senior Staff Writer

COURTESY OF UCLA NEWSROOM

This year’s M.E. week also featured the center’s first kitemaking workshop with Afghan kite master Basir Beria. The walls of HUB 269 were decorated with Beria’s original kite designs. Beria has created around 30,000 kites in his lifetime and designed the kites for the movie “The Kite Runner.” Beria informed the attendees about the history of kites and shared how he achieved his dream in 2006 of flying a kite on top of the Great Wall of China. “I eat kite. I drink kite. I sleep kite. I fly kite,” he said.

During the workshop, Beria passed out partly completed kites so attendees could focus on the last steps in setting up their kites. The event ended with attendees heading out to the HUB Lawn to fly their kites. “We always want to do different things,” said MESC program coordinator Ali Saadat on MESC’s first kite-making workshop. Saadat had personally always wanted to try kite making. “If we can do something new, we can do it.” “Flying is our real game. It’s Afghan,” Beria told the Highlander. “You have to have the passion for it.”

MESC Nooner livens up a Wednesday afternoon

MARTHA DELGADO Senior Staff Writer

Many students gathered at the Bell Tower for the MESC Nooner on Wednesday, April 17. After a welcome by MESC program coordinator Ali Saadat and MESC social media manager Ali Crawford, the nooner began with a performance by the Lebanese Social Club. The featured act for the nooner was Al Salam Dabke, a traditional Palestinian dance team from Chicago, Illinois. Throughout their performance, students joined in the dabke on the stage with the group and off stage on the sides of the Bell Tower. “It’s a lot of work and a lot of time on our hands but at the same time once we see everyone here and showcasing our culture, it becomes worth it,” said Yasmeen Dabbas a fifth-year and MESC program coordinator who was part of the planning process. “We always see different spaces but once we see our own culture showcased it means a lot.”

LYDIA TSOU / HIGHLANDER

Dine with M.E. successfully displays the richness of Middle Eastern cuisine EVAN ISMAIL Senior Staff Writer

DEREK LAI / HIGHLANDER

Dine with M.E. was the penultimate event of the week, displaying a variety of Middle Eastern dishes in the Aberdeen and Inverness Residential Restaurant on Thursday, April 18. The menu prominently featured Afghan dishes such as Afghan Kofta Kabobs on rice and Afghan Salata, or salad. The chefs at the World’s Fare station also cooked falafel, tabouleh and to top it off, halal chicken shawarma. I had a little bit of everything, and though some things could have used more garlic (everything can use more garlic), it was an excellent starter for anyone who may be unfamiliar with the richness of Middle Eastern food. My favorite was the salata — its cool, refreshing crunch and strong use of lemon was as enjoyable as it sounds.

For dessert, the Dining Hall served baklava, a popular Middle Eastern pastry, featuring layers of filo filled with nuts and sweetened with honey or syrup. Served in a large, triangular slice, it was yet another good introduction for those learning about the culture. “I sincerely believe knowing the food is knowing the culture,” said Samir Al-Alami, a thirdyear political science major. AlAlami enjoyed the event, stating “I loved it,” and adding, “it’s important to see that your culture means something, that it matters to people.” He went on to express the importance of explaining to people the importance of a culture different to their own and finding common ground with others. The festivities closed with the Remembering the Refugees event held on Saturday, April 20 by the Epsilon Alpha Sigma sorority, also known as the Empowered Arab Sisterhood, to raise money for the education of Syrian H refugee children in Lebanon. ■

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

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A diverse array of food trucks came to the HUB Plaza and Bell Tower area on Thursday, April 18 for UCR Dining’s R’Chella Food Truck Festival. Long lines and hungry students filled the area as students enjoyed some new and more familiar food trucks. With so many choices this year, the Highlander staff tried out some of the many options with an eye on quality, taste and price.

R’Chella Food Truck Festival

brings an affordable and exciting range of dining options to campus By: Highlander Staff

Bollywood Bites Martha Delgado, Senior Staff Writer Bollywood Bites, an Indian food truck, had a long line surrounding it which made me hopeful that the food would be promising especially after waiting more than 10 minutes in the line. Friends had recommended I try the Bhel Puri, a rice based side dish consisting of lemony tamarind sauce with cucumbers, tomatoes and chips. At the price of $10, this side dish was already just as expensive as their meal options, such as the naan wrap. The lemon and cucumber in the Bhel

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Puri gave the dish a citrusy kick that made me like the dish at first. The crunch from the chips in the dish was fun, but after a while it began to hurt my teeth making this meal not enjoyable. As a meal, the Bhel Puri was not filling as I was still hungry after finishing the dish. The mango lassi was delicious, but $6 for the small cup was not worth the price. While the flavor was okay, the hefty price and the lack of satisfaction made Bollywood Bites a food truck I would not visit again.

Mango Lassi: $6 Bhel Puri: $10

Go Fusion Aidan Rutten, Senior Staff Writer During the food truck festival, Go Fusion offered a variety of Mexican and Asian fusion food options, including burgers and burritos. The asada fries were $12, and definitely enough to constitute a meal. On top of the fries came carne asada, shredded cheese, avocado, cilantro, aioli and a spicy chili sauce. The main positive about the dish was the size. While it was a little pricey, as all food truck items tend to be, the fries came piled high with plenty of asada and various accoutrements. Unfortunately the quality of the dish left

something to be desired. The asada was a little chewy, perhaps overcooked, and the fries quickly became soggy beneath the sauce and grease atop. There was not enough avocado, but that is usually the case with food trucks. Unfortunately, there was also not enough cheese, and what little there was became lost among the other ingredients. The aioli clashed with the other flavors, providing a taste that wasn’t quite authentically Mexican or Asian. Overall the asada fries from the Go Fusion truck were passable, but I’ll be sure to try something else next time.

Carne Asada Fries: $12

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

Rice Balls of Fire Jessica Schneider, Senior Staff Writer Rice Balls of Fire offers a unique fusion of Korean and Japanese food items. The food truck had an extensive menu that would please everyone including spicy lovers, sushi enthusiasts and smaller snacks for people on the go. The prices for the food ranged from $6-15 depending on the quantity. I was immediately drawn to the Belly Kimchi Tots, which were vibrantly depicted on the food truck’s menu. The tater tots were covered in a classic melted nacho-like cheese and were covered by the savory Kimchi and juicy pork belly. As I took my first bite, I was overwhelmed with the multitude of flavors and textures. The tater tots were a perfect amount of crunchy that went well with the lightly

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coated cheese and spicy Kimchi. The only disappointing part of the dish was the fatty pork belly that was slightly too chewy and lacked flavor. The food truck also provided spicy mayo, eel sauce and sriracha on the side. The extra sauces were a perfect addition to the dish. For a pricy $12, I was afraid that I would not be satisfied or full by the seemingly small dish; however, I was greatly mistaken. I was pleasantly surprised at how much food came on the surprisingly small plate. This is the perfect dish to share with a friend, and will leave all of you stuffed. Overall, I would order the dish again but would skip the additional pork belly. The meal was satisfying and hit all the notes I would expect from a fusion food truck.

Belly Kimchi Tots: $13.14

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TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

YALLA Truck Evan Ismail, Senior Staff Writer The YALLA food truck served a build-your-own style take on a popular Middle Eastern dish, shawarma. I had a pita wrap with falafel, Greek sauce (“Grigora,” as they called it) and a side of hummus inside the wrap. Upon first bite, there was an impressive medley of flavor, particularly from the onions and the Grigora sauce. The falafel was also very good and carried a spicy kick which added a very desirable spice to the rest of the meal. The pepperoncinis accompanied the spice of the falafel and, though at times a bit overwhelming, generously

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complemented the falafel. The lettuce, onions, cucumbers and olives all worked together to form a crunch that contrasted well with the softness of the pita. When I finished the wrap, I felt light and energetic rather than the lethargy that accompanies most fast food meals. YALLA was an excellent addition to the food truck festival and an option I will definitely consider returning to next time. Priced at $10 or lower, the truck provided an excellent meal that was not only fairly priced but a decent take on a popular Eastern Mediterranean dish.

Pita Sandwich with Falafel: $9 Hummus: $1

Hungry Belly Kerry Mulia, Senior Staff Writer Hungry Belly provides huge portions, but lacks in the taste department. The truck offers a menu of Thai Asian fusion food items. The menu did not display their prices on the truck, which caught me off guard when I heard that the Pad Thai was $13. However, the gigantic portion definitely made up for the price point. The Pad Thai was overall very dry and was a bit too sweet for my taste. The noodles were stuck together, making it

hard to mix with the toppings, and the whole dish was overcooked. The chicken was cut into large chunks and was the best part of the meal. It was pleasantly juicy and tender, which helped combat the dryness of the noodles. The Thai Tea Boba, however, was definitely not worth the $6.50. The drink was very watered down and the boba had a slimy texture to it. Overall, the dish was a decent meal but I would try a different truck next time.

Pad Thai with Chicken: $13 Thai Tea w/ Boba: $6.50

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

BrewWings Amani Mahmoud, Senior Staff Writer As a lover of wings and comfort foods, I immediately flocked to the BrewWings food truck in the hopes of a promising and fulfilling appetizer. BrewWings claims to sell gourmet style chicken wings, and was founded in 2013 in upstate New York. Their website claims that their menu items are the definition of delicious. I ordered the Kickin’ Tots, which are tater tots covered in a shredded and melted three cheese blend, seasoned grilled chicken, bacon and fresh jalapeno. I opted to not add the bacon to the tots.

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

I ordered the tots with the hope that it would be a delicious comfort appetizer; however, after receiving my order I was slightly disappointed. The three cheese blend was not melted and was very chewy. While the menu claimed that the chicken was seasoned, it was dry, tasteless and too chewy. The tots on their own, however, were delicious and maintained a perfect crisp without eventually becoming soggy. Overall, I was underwhelmed by the Kickin’ Chicken Tots and was expecting an appetizer that was full of flavor and a spicy kick but received something that was bland and underwhelming.

Kickin Chicken Tots: $10.98

Okamoto Kitchen Andreas Rauch, Senior Staff Writer Okamoto Kitchen’s long line and half hour-long wait are a testament to the anime-themed Japanese food truck’s popularity. Sporting a bright red paint job adorned with a variety of anime characters, this truck boasted a considerable lineup of modern, fusion takes on popular Japanese snacks. From curry rice to burgers, and offering poke bowls, tea and loaded tater tots, Okamoto’s menu is a colorful menagerie of comforting flavors at relatively low (for a food truck) prices. We tried the Nom Bomb Sandwich with chicken ($8.00) and the Okonomi Fries ($5.00). The Nom Bomb featured a sweetand-sour chicken patty garnished with teriyaki glaze, tartar sauce, cabbage and jalapeno. While the toppings combined for a delicious taste, the chicken patty was unfortunately dry. Although this was partially offset by the sauce, the relative thickness of the patty left some portions tough and unsatisfying. Altogether, this was a shame given the quality of the fluffy brioche bun used, and the overall verdict on this sandwich is disappointment at the wasted potential. The Okonomi fries, which Okamoto

boasts are “here to stay” on their blog, were a pleasant surprise. Topped Okonomiyakistyle with Kewpie mayonnaise, bonito flakes, aonori, onions and red ginger, the fries hit all of the notes expected from this traditional Japanese dish. Overall, this side was a refreshing take, and served as a delicious side to the aforementioned sandwich. The only drawback was the somewhat steep pricing; $4 for fries seems a bit much, especially when the portion was not the biggest and the Okonomi toppings that added all the flavor were $1 extra. Okamoto Kitchen featured by far the longest line, and for good reason; whether it is due to the anime theme or the fanfavorite menu offerings, this truck is a success. For under $15, one can get a sandwich and a side of topped fries. While these items may have been individually overpriced, especially when compared to restaurant or take-out menus, they still remain decently affordable as far as food trucks go. Okamoto Kitchen is definitely worth a try, and won’t disappoint anyone looking for a creative take on Japanese snack favorites. ■H

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

Nom Bomb Sandwich: $8 Okonomi Fries: $5

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

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Youtuber

Cody Ko

opens up about his career and past collaborations Daniel Tsai, Contributing Writer

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

On April 13, from 8:30-9:30 p.m., the UC Riverside Associated Student Programs Board (ASPB) invited YouTuber Cody Ko for a one-hour hangout with ecstatic UC Riverside students in a packed UNLH 1000. ASPB alumnus Oscar Gaxiola moderated the event and Leah Duque and Muhammad Shamim hosted a Q&A where students asked about his previous videos and podcast collaborations. Ko started his career as a software engineer performing comedy on the side before he switched full-time to Vine. He collaborated quite frequently with Noel Miller, who was also on Vine, whom Ko was hesitant to work with at first. Ko jokes, “(Noel) had hit me up because he knew I lived in LA … and I was like, yeah I’m going to be sick that day.” Coincidentally, on his first day as a software engineer, “(Ko’s) boss lead (him) to his desk and (Noel) was literally sitting at the desk combined to (his).” Eventually, Ko warmed up to his coworker and they began making s ketches and starting a podcast. Initially, Ko didn’t see himself in the entertainment industry. He commented, “the thing with making videos and with editing is that it is pretty similar to programming, as nerdy as that sounds … being able to edit and creat e a piece of entertainment with my computer was a good segue in terms of patterns and stuff like that.” And it appeared that Ko’s editing did well for him considering the packed crowd of fans. For students inspired to pursue a YouTube career, Ko detailed the process of making three vlogs a

week, scrolling through YouTube “for hours and hours” until he found the “the right weird” for his cringe videos and using clickbait terms like the trending “Old Town Road” to attract fans. Despite the intense pressure to make every cringe video better than the last, he still quite enjoys the process. Ko also explained his desire to jumpstart his acting career and how he met Kelsi over “wholefoods,” which is a YouTube reference about an overly dramatic couple that romantically obsessed over celery and rose wine. Jokes aside, the “first time (Ko and Kelsi) met, (Ko’s) friend was dating (Kelsi’s) roommate … and (Ko and Kelsi) met by Kelsi’s spice rack and they did the cinnamon challenge together … classic love story.” Aside from his YouTube career, Ko is also part of his comedic podcast “Tiny Meat Gang” and his TV show “Real Bros of Simi Valley.” He described his inspirations for his past “latest cringe” videos such as “Vape Hotbox” or “You” and the positive DM responses from his previous roasts like fan-favorites Matty Smokes and Dre-Drexler. He also described his volleyball and surfing moments, drinking out with Post Malone and accidentally walking in on Elon Musk and Grimes’ passionate wet kisses. Overall, the event was filled with laughter and the excitement of Ko’s devoted fans. Although Ko declined students’ requests to go back to the dorm halls and play Smash Ultimate, the audience was still enthusiastic and engaged. Information about upcoming ASPB events is available on their website. ■H

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Radar TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

Shoot-and-loot dungeon crawler

“RISK OF RAIN 2” shines bright in the sea of mixed early-access titles

ADAM ALVERNAZ Contributing Writer

Dungeon crawler-type games have always been popular and developer Hopoo Games created a great entry to the genre called “Risk of Rain.” Released in 2013, the second dungeon crawler was different every single playthrough. This trend continues in the sequel, “Risk of Rain 2,” which plays very similarly to the original but with noticeable upgrades in both quality and gameplay. The game is also noticeably bigger than the original, with full 3D graphics and enhanced gameplay mechanics that makes the title feel like a definitive remake of the first game. While the game looks promising, its early access title and $20 price tag definitely turns people away from trying it. However, I feel that the game boasts some unique elements and interesting ideas that really make it a standout amongst the crowded early-access class. Starting with gameplay, “Risk of Rain 2” benefits from a fully explorable 3D setting. One of the key aspects of gameplay is the crisp control the player has over characters. With responsive and impactful attacks, the player always feels in control. Settings are distinct with themes and color palettes being unique to each area. These worlds all act as the spawning grounds for a wide variety of monsters that can be killed. The game’s core mechanic is a run-andgun style of gameplay where the player traverses the vast world killing enemies. The player can also use upgrades and items they buy to enhance their character. These perks can also change aspects of the gameplay. For instance, items can increase damage to bosses or add a double jump. The unique part of these upgrades is their stackability as each upgrade can be obtained more than once and have their ability increased further. With each upgrade changing aspects of gameplay, players are encouraged to experiment with upgrade combinations. These combinations are the main allure of collecting more upgrades to continuously enhance players’ power. With each of the six characters having a unique gameplay style, the game stays very fresh with every playthrough due to the randomness of upgrade selection. The enemies players face can range from gigantic fire wisps to enraged buffalos. Faced with multiple, damaging attacks, the player is constantly attacking to fend them off. As the player moves from world to world by defeating bosses, the difficulty continues to increase. This continuously buffs enemies, which keeps gameplay balanced to account for players collecting items and upgrades for their characters. This increase in difficulty never feels unfair and can infinitely progress into absolute

chaos. Reaching that point is the best part of the gameplay as players’ strengths are always increasing. With a maximum party count of four players, the game’s ludicrous levels of fun are multiplied as friends can join in on the mayhem. The game’s graphics are another point of interest, due to their simplicity and uniqueness. Each individual area is differentiated by a simple artstyle. This acts as a great contrast to the host of enemies in the game, as each one is detailed with various animations for each action they can take. Bosses in particular take advantage of this, as the developers ensure that they pop against the duller background settings. The cell-shaded art helps establish atmosphere, and each environment the player traverses never feels overbearing or confusing because of how detailed characters, enemies and upgrades are against the simplistic backdrop. Besides gameplay, the soundtrack is the best part of the entire experience. The music uses a unique techno, lo-fi style that fits the game quite well. The

game will often tailor the music to the current situation the player faces, kicking the music into high gear when the player faces various bosses and bringing it down to soft tones when the environment is at peace. This tailoring immerses the player by drawing them into the action alongside the absurdity of the experience. The sound design is also very on point as it hits all the marks that you would normally want when you fire a giant missile or swing an energy sword. The sounds are crisp, expertly crafted bites to keep players in the moment without having a break from the action. While “Risk of Rain 2” is clearly a great game with a lot of really interesting and fun mechanics, there are several issues that the game faces because of how earlyaccess titles are released. The game can get repetitive because of its expectedness and predictability. While this only happens after extended hours of play, this is the main issue with the game. It feels very limited with what is currently available, as it is a fairly short experience. When playing the game for hours on end, the experience can start to fall apart due to seeing the same

COURTESY OF GEARBOX PUBLISHING

areas and enemies. I also have some issues with the balancing of certain upgrade combinations due to the ridiculous nature of the game. Some combinations can completely get rid of any sort of challenge because of how powerful they are. We have already seen Hopoo take some steps to mitigating this by releasing balance patches that remove or mitigate these issues. I hope to see more of this done by the development team because of how quickly they plan to be releasing content for the title. Fortunately, due to “Risk of Rain 2” being early-access, the developers are constantly looking to fans for feedback and are always adding to the game to change it for the better. I have quite a bit of faith for what the team can do and what they plan to do in the future with the game, as they are sure to release more content in the near future. For now, “Risk of Rain 2” looks like a promising title, and the minor issues detailed here can still be ironed out. If Hopoo’s development team listen to fans and fix these changes, this title is sure to be a hit. ■H

VERDICT: “Risk of Rain 2” features fun gameplay, an appealing art style, good sound design and engaging enemies. It’s a title with a lot of promise, and Hopoo Games will have a winner on their hands if they can iron out minor issues pre-release.

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

“The Perfect Date”

is a messy and unsatisfying addition to the rom-com genre SILVIA FERRER Staff Writer

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Verdict:

Noah Centineo has reprised his role as romantic lead once again, this time in “The Perfect Date,” another Netflixreleased teen romantic comedy. While critics speculated that Netflix may be ushering in a new era for the romantic comedy genre with the wildly popular “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” and “Set it Up,” a positively received rom-com for older audiences, “The Perfect Date” falls drastically below the standard both films set. The movie certainly cements Centineo’s status as a teenage heartthrob, this time starring as Brooks Rattigan, a high school senior yearning for the best things in life: the Ivy Leagues, the newest cars and a popular girlfriend. The feel-good plot and Centineo’s star appeal meant that the movie had the potential to be entertaining at the very least, but the heavily predictable storyline full of poorly thrown together tropes, unspectacular acting and irritating characters rendered it inconsistent and frustrating. Centineo has previously played variations of the same sweet boyfriend, his first lead role as Brooks is the first to come close to being unlikable. To his credit, Centineo’s puppy-dog eyes and goofy smile have proven too endearing to be cast in anything but the (eventually redeemed) rom-com protagonist, but many of Brooks’ lines are self-centered, materialistic and bratty. Brooks is not content with his life; he wants a new, fancy car, to go to Yale over public college and for his washed-up father to pull himself together so they can have enough money for Brooks to pursue his goals. His father doesn’t approve and insists that he take up the full ride a public college offers instead. Naturally, the hero decides to take matters into his own hands and asks his best friend, Murph, to build him an app for rich girls in desperate need of dates — Brooks will be the perfect date, whether that means going to a rodeo, listening to a girl vent for hours or competing in a tennis tournament. There’s a lot of dissonance between Centineo’s relaxed, charming performance and the intense writing (he repeats how nothing is good enough for him unless it’s the best name brand throughout the film). Maybe the writers decided on this characterization

to add depth, but the movie is too cutand-dry to really develop Brooks as a three-dimensional character. At one point, Brooks’s absent mother is blamed for his misguided worldview, but that aspect isn’t developed at all besides a couple of passing mentions. Brooks’ contrived characterization ends up feeling like a stain on Centineo’s otherwise wholesome performance record. Besides Brooks’ distinct characterization, there is nothing new about the plot. The flawed protagonist meets a girl, the snarky Celia, who changes him for the better. As it goes with this particular rom-com trope, Brooks doesn’t realize that Celia is what he wants or needs until the latter part of the film. While Centineo worked some of his charm into his unpleasant character, Celia’s unfailing contempt for everyone around her makes her character irritating. She fills the trope of the “quirky” love interest, but the trope is so poorly put together and the chemistry between the two leads is so lacking that the finale is disappointing. The film follows such a formulaic structure that the plot is completely predictable. However, the predictability is not what makes the movie so frustrating to watch — instead, it’s the inconsistencies and lazy writing that go along with it. The movie is so dead-set on moving through the motions of a rom-com — cute meeting, falling out, redemption — that it sets aside realism and character development. Murph and Celia eventually decide to cut Brooks out of their lives, but their reasons for doing so are less than believable. The montages and dance scenes that are all too common in teen rom-coms are fun at first, but after the third dance scene, it starts becoming a running gag among characters and an annoyance for the viewer. It’s unfortunate that the movie skimped out more scenes with Murph, the one likable character. The film focused on the mediocre love story between the two leads instead of progressing the interesting, cute storyline of the snappy sidekick. Murph’s sexual orientation also wasn’t paraded as a signifier of how diverse the casting was; instead, Murph’s identity was taken as a simple fact of life. His unique storyline, coupled with the decent acting from Odiseas Georgiadis, could have revived an otherwise dull movie. ■H

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

“The Perfect Date” had the potential to be a feel-good teen romantic comedy, but it falls victim to the genre’s endless tropes and predictable plot line. While the supporting cast is entertaining, the unremarkable performances and weak writing make for a thoroughly unsatisfying watch.

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

EXCITMENT AND CONCERN:

the big news of

B Y : A D A M A L V E R N A Z , C W A N D C O L I N C A R N E Y, S W With the end of 2019’s iteration of the annual Star Wars Celebration, new details about upcoming Star Wars content has been revealed. As Star Wars fanatics, we sat down to discuss all different topics and certain viewpoints that we had following all of the news.

Adam A lve r n az

Star Wars Celebration was this past weekend and from that we received a new trailer for “Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker”. What were your initial thoughts from the trailer alone?

Colin Car ney

First, I definitely had a fanboy moment from seeing the Death Star and then the now infamous Palpatine cackle. That was the best moment in the trailer by far.

Adam A lve r n az

Yeah, hearing Palpatine back was great but I also had some reservations. Mainly because the sequel trilogy lacks a main villain and I feel that Disney is using him as a stand-in antagonist. I hope they present him well.

Colin Car ney

I also had reservations but my excitement from hearing his laugh and seeing the fallen Death Star overshadowed all of that. We still don’t know what role Palpatine will play in Episode IX, but it’s safe to say that since he’s in the first reveal trailer that he’ll have a significant role in this final installment. With that said, it does come down to how they reintroduce him into the series. Depending on what avenue they decide to pursue, Palpatine’s addition could end up creating more problems than answers which will be crucial to justifying his return.

Adam A lve r n az

I don’t have an issue with him being in the film and I feel that they could easily write him in as the big villain and redeem Kylo Ren. I feel like there are multiple scenarios Disney could use Palpatine in, especially after Episode VIII. With the fanbase being so fractured and torn, it’s hard to see a scenario where Palpatine’s inclusion will appease everyone.

Colin Car ney

Disney stated that it was their plan all along to have Palpatine appear in Episode IX. So I hope that they have a strategy with Palpatine putting him into the film rather than just using him to appease the fans. Since their acquisition of Lucasfilm, Disney has continually explored how Palpatine had several contingency plans following his death and even hinted at his influence on the creation of the First Order. All this combined with the reveal that he’s returning to Episode IX makes me believe Disney’s statement regarding their plan for Palpatine as opposed to his addition being purely done to appease fans.

Adam A lve r n az

While I don’t disagree with Disney’s decision, I don’t know if there’s going to be a very justifiable answer to have him be a threat or a danger to the rebellion. Whichever avenue Disney does decide to follow, I hope that they have material prepared to support it and keep it plausible. The trailer also featured some other great moments showing Rey fighting a TIE Fighter and Lando back in the Millenium Falcon.

Colin Car ney

Agreed, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of story since it is only a teaser and our first look, but it still hit most of what fans wanted to see. Especially with the wide shot of the cast before the Palpatine reveal. And with regards to Lando, it was nearly impossible for me not to smile when I saw him piloting the Millenium Falcon alongside Chewie.

Adam A lve r n az

I absolutely agree, Lando’s return will definitely have some great potential for good character moments and could even add to his exact whereabouts between the original trilogy and the sequels. After “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” I don’t think I would have expected them to go with a main villain from the past, especially with all the risks Rian Johnson took with that film.

Colin Car ney

I have faith that JJ Abrams will play it a lot safer with “Rise of Skywalker” and deliver on a great end to the sequel trilogy while still paying homage to the past films like he did with Episode VII. Throughout the panel, JJ and Kathleen Kennedy repeatedly stated that Episode IX was not only the end of the sequel trilogy, but also the end of the entire Skywalker saga spanning all three trilogies. With that in mind, the idea that they are bringing back the emperor, who fans know was the big bad for the first two trilogies, further indicates that Episode IX will tie in all the films and offer what will hopefully be a meaningful end to the entire saga. Palpatine’s addition will hopefully tie the sequel trilogies plot to the past films in a way that will provide a meaningful end to the entire saga.

Adam A lve r n az

I do want that meaningful, definitive end point for the saga as well. I just hope that the emperor being a part of that means we get more than just a one-note explanation and subsequent death. Going beyond that, we also saw “The Mandalorian” panel that brought new and exciting details about the first live-action Star Wars show.

Colin Car ney

It was probably the thing I was most excited for in terms of Celebration content. Episode VIII divided the fans, but I feel that this relatively unexplored aspect of Star Wars, the underworld post-Episode VI, will rope in all Star Wars fans. They didn’t show the full trailer, unfortunately, but I am excited to see this western-style Star Wars show.

Adam A lve r n az

It’s definitely an area that Star Wars has yet to travel to in terms of high-budget TV, so it will be an interesting watch to see what they can do with that idea driving the show.

Colin Car ney

They are definitely trying to invoke that mature audience to explore some themes that we haven’t seen yet. It’s exciting to see that they are embracing the underground element that is very present in Star Wars lore.

Adam A lve r n az

You mentioned in the past that the creative team behind the project is very promising, can you elaborate on that a bit?

Colin Car ney

Seeing that Jon Favreau is the show runner, producer and writer helps give me hope for “The Mandalorian.” His work on the first two Iron Man films and the live action remake of “The Jungle Book” prove to me that Favreau is talented behind the camera. Combined with the fact that he’s also behind the new “Lion King” live action remake, this shows that Disney trusts him with big properties. Alongside him, we also have Dave Filoni who was also behind “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and was instrumental in making that show a hit and redeeming the prequel era of Star Wars. Hardcore fans are already aware of Favreau and Filoni’s fandom, but it was immediately evident during the livestream that these two are genuinely thrilled to work together on this show as they could hardly hide their excitement for the project. Favreau was thrilled to announce that the show will feature state-of-the-art effects while also utilizing practical effects that are beloved in Star Wars, and spoke about how he had been working on this script for years with help from Filoni. That being said, the show is filled with talent beyond these two, both in front and behind the camera, with directors like Taika Waititi and Bryce Dallas Howard signed on to direct episodes. With regards to actors, everyone on the panel expressed their excitement and lead actor Pedro Pascal’s comments describing his titular Mandalorian as Clint Eastwood in space only heightened my enthusiasm.

COURTESY OF LUCASFILM

star wars

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

celebration 2019

Adam A lve r n az

I’m glad that the show is coming along well and that the creative team behind the scenes is also really committed to making this happen in the best way it can. It’s always a great sign when fans of a brand are the ones committed to making the next big project. I feel that the creative team behind the project has a lot going for them, and I hope that working with Disney to create the show didn’t create any roadblocks in terms of what they could and couldn’t do. Mainly, I’m looking forward to the originality it can bring to the Star Wars franchise as a whole. As you said before, the show has a lot of potential and I would love to see that realized in full. It also was revealed to us that the show will premiere on Disney’s new streaming service, what were your thoughts on that as a whole?

Colin Car ney

Yea, the service is called Disney Plus and will open November 12 of this year. It will feature both “The Mandalorian” and “Clone Wars” season 7. It will open with a price of $6.99 a month or $69.99 a year, and will bundle Hulu and ESPN.

Adam A lve r n az

I feel that this could be a great competitor to other streaming services, especially with Netflix raising its prices. The bundle with both Hulu and ESPN is a great way to get new subscribers, especially with “Clone Wars” premiering on the service.

Colin Car ney Yes, and judging from what we saw at Celebration, I think that “Clone Wars” season 7 is shaping up to be a great conclusion to the series as a whole.

Adam A lve r n az

All of the clips we saw were very interesting and make me excited to see what the team will be doing now that they have unrestricted access to concluding the series how they want. Disney’s actions towards “Clone Wars” in the past with their numerous cancellations was definitely the wrong call and I hope the team was able to recuperate from that and make this final season one of the best yet.

Colin Car ney Many of the arcs we will see in season 7 will be things from the past that they finished but couldn’t release because of the cancellations. I have high hopes for what they will do for the ending, and how they will provide closure for fans. The confirmation during this panel that the series will conclude with the as-yet untold “Siege of Mandalore” storyline that would pit Darth Maul against Ahsoka Tano got me the most excited especially when Dave Filoni revealed that the lightsaber battle between the two would be motion captured with the original Maul actor (body only, he didn’t do the voice) Ray Park returning to the role. My one complaint, that I know is selfish, is that I wish we had more. They have already confirmed that the series will be comprised of 12 episodes and each arc that is covered will likely consist of two or three episodes with three arcs already confirmed. It has long been known that the creative team behind the show had written and partially animated several episodes before the show was cancelled, and that we likely won’t see them all in this new season, but this complaint is me being greedy and I have nothing but high hopes and endless excitement for this final season.

Adam A lve r n az

I most certainly agree, the next season of “Clone Wars” will be some of the best the show has to offer. It will be interesting to see how exactly the Siege of Mandalore plays out and in what direction they will take some characters who have futures outside of “Clone Wars.” Continuing these characters’ storylines onto “Star Wars Rebels” will be interesting and answer quite a few questions. There are many avenues they could’ve gone with to continue the series, but I’m happy we are even getting a conclusion at all. Looking past the TV show, we also heard about some news regarding Electronic Arts’ new video game, “Jedi: Fallen Order.”

Colin Car ney

The trailer they showed at Celebration did not show as much as fans would have hoped, but did well enough to get fans excited for the concept of the game.

Adam A lve r n az

It definitely showed lots of story elements that we should see when the game gets released later this year. I wasn’t too surprised they didn’t show gameplay because the E3 gaming expo is only in a couple of months. I do expect to see more of “Jedi Fallen Order” shown there, as it would be more appropriate. The trailer definitely showed heavy story elements, with the Inquisitors hunting down the last Jedi who survived Episode III.

Colin Car ney Seeing how the story takes place in that niche time, I am excited to see what direction they will take with the story. I’ve always loved the addition of Imperial Inquisitors (Jedi hunters) into canon and seeing that one of them will be a main antagonist in the game gets me excited, plus they revealed a new stormtrooper variant, the Purge Trooper, and I’m a sucker for any new stormtrooper. With that all said, based on the limited footage we were shown I can say that I’m hopeful for this game and excited to see how it plays into the larger Star Wars universe.

Adam A lve r n az

I do hope that EA will finally give us a great Star Wars game especially after all the controversy surrounding its most recent “Battlefront” titles. With Respawn Entertainment taking the project, I find that they will be able to deliver on a great game. They have always been seen as innovators for the various genres they cover, especially with the “Titanfall” series. They revealed that the game would not be stealth-focused and will be combat-oriented with a scope of the larger world.

Colin Car ney It’s refreshing to see that a new Star Wars game will be a single-player experience. I personally stuck with “Battlefront 2” through the good and bad. Currently, I feel like the game is in a great place and the team did well to deliver on a lot of the promises that they were hoping to achieve.

Adam A lve r n az

I definitely agree, it really makes me hopeful for the future of the title even if EA is publishing it. I still think that they can make a great game if they just focus on gameplay and push the combat mechanics further to make a solid title. I just hope we don’t have another mess at launch like the latest “Battlefront” games.

Colin Car ney Of course, I hope the game is great and really can’t wait to see what more they reveal in the coming months.

Adam A lve r n az

From all of this news, I find that this Celebration was one of the better ones as they really revealed a lot of information for what’s to come in the next year and it will be interesting to see how these ■H projects develop over time. This year’s Star Wars Celebration definitely satisfied the fans and excited any and all Star Wars enthusiasts for what’s to come in 2019.

COURTESY OF LUCASFILM

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

SPORTS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

Baseball falls versus LMU in extra inning downer, splits two slugfests versus New Mexico

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

RICARDO GARCIA Contributing Writer

After a rough patch to start the season, the Highlander baseball team (12-23, 5-6) seemed to be gaining some momentum back on their side, as they have won three of their past four games, including a series win over the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors. UCR hit the road for the first of four straight road games against the Loyola Marymount Lions (23-14, 11-5), who were fresh off a series win over the San Diego Toreros. After both starting pitchers began with a scoreless first inning, the Lions got on the board first via a home run by freshman left fielder Tommy Delgado in the bottom of the second inning to give LMU an early 1-0 lead. The Highlanders quickly answered with a two-run third inning, which included an RBI single by senior first baseman Yeager Taylor to tie the game, and a base hit by junior designated hitter Connor Cannon to give UCR a 2-1 lead. The lead quickly disappeared as LMU junior shortstop Nick Sogard scored on a wild pitch by UCR freshman reliever Trevor Bateson, to tie the game at 2-2. Late in the game, senior right fielder Dean Miller gave UCR a 4-2 lead with a two-run home run in the top of the seventh, which seemingly could have been the insurance needed to close out the game. However, Lion’s senior third baseman Brandon Shearer would play the role of hero with a game-tying two-run single that scored two runs as product of two errors in the inning. After UCR went down in order in the 11th, Shearer burned Riverside’s bullpen again with a walk-off single at the expense of sophomore reliever Jeremiah Priddy to win the game, 5-4. For the Highlanders, freshman starting pitcher Andre Granillo lasted two innings, allowing an earned run on two hits while striking out three Lions in the no decision. Priddy took his fifth loss after allowing the game-winning run in the 11th inning. Right fielder Miller finished the game two-for-three with two walks, 2 runs scored, and two RBI. For LMU, freshman starting pitcher Nate Madole went 2.1 innings, allowing two runs, one earned, on four hits. Redshirt junior reliever Kyle Mora earned the win

after pitching a scoreless 11th inning. Shearer finished the game four-for-five with two RBI. Looking to bounce back in a big way, the Highlanders travelled to Albuquerque to take on the New Mexico Lobos (16-21, 7-11), who were fresh off a loss to the New Mexico State Aggies and series loss to the Nevada Wolfpack. The Lobos began the game by scoring four runs off junior starting pitcher Shamus Lyons. UCR quickly answered back in the second inning, as freshman third baseman Alec Arnone, junior second baseman Nick Kafer, sophomore shortstop Nathan Webb and Miller combined for nine RBI as they rocked New Mexico junior starter Drew Gillespie for a 9-4 lead. However, the Lobos did not go away quietly, as they scored three times to get to within 9-7. Lyons was knocked out of the game after failing to record an out in the second inning. The Lobos tied the game at 9-9 as junior right fielder Tanner Baker drove in the tying run on an RBI groundout to second base. UCR took the lead for good in the fifth inning without the benefit of a hit, as freshman catcher Jacob Shanks drove in the go-ahead run on a fielder’s choice to make the score 109, and Miller drove in the game-deciding run in on a sacrifice fly to bring the lead to 11-9. The bullpen allowed just one earned run in the final four innings, as UCR cruised to an 18-10 series-opening victory. Starting pitcher Lyons allowed seven earned runs on eight hits in a little more than one inning of work. Reliever Jared Noonan earned the win, and only allowed two runs in three innings. Designated hitter Cannon drove in a UCR Division I record eight RBI on a four-for-five night. For New Mexico, starting pitcher Gillespie allowed nine earned runs on ten hits in two innings. Reliever Nico Garza took the loss after allowing two unearned runs in 1.2 innings. Freshman designated hitter Zack Doak finished three-for-four with a team-high three RBI. Looking to keep the momentum going, the two teams went at it again for game two on Friday, April 19. As was the case in the first game, the Lobos scored first with two first inning runs off UCR junior starting pitcher Riley Ohl. The Highlanders quickly answered with

a home run by Webb to trim the lead to 2-1 in the third inning. Later in the inning, a wild pitch by Lobos’ junior starting pitcher Justin Slaten scored freshman catcher Taylor Juline to tie the game at 2-2. After the Lobos regained the lead, 3-2, in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by redshirt sophomore first baseman Connor Mang, the Highlanders rallied to retake the lead in the top of the fifth inning, as Taylor doubled in Miller to tie the game, and Taylor scored the go-ahead run on sophomore left fielder Dylan Orick’s single to make the game 4-3, UCR. However, the Highlanders unraveled in the bottom half of the fifth inning, as the bullpen allowed seven runs on six hits, capped off by New Mexico redshirt senior designated hitter Jeff Deimling’s two-run double to give the Lobos a 10-4 lead. Though it seemed that the Highlanders would go down quietly, they did not as they scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning, capped off by junior center fielder Travis Bohall’s two-run single to cut the lead to 10-9. In the top of the eighth, Lobo-killer Cannon struck yet again as he tied the game at 10-10 with a home run to right center field. However, as soon as the Highlanders

found new life, the bullpen let them down yet again, as New Mexico junior third baseman Justin Watari drove in the go-ahead run to give New Mexico the lead. Although UCR put the tying run on base in the ninth, New Mexico senior reliever Malachi Ermond buckled down and induced a ground-out from freshman catcher Justin Shanks to seal the win for the Lobos, 11-10. For the Highlanders, Cannon continued his hot streak with a four-for-five game, two RBI and two runs scored. Starting pitcher Ohl lasted two-thirds of an inning, allowed two earned runs on a hit and four walks. Arnone fell to 1-2 after allowing the game-winning run in the eighth inning. For the Lobos, starting pitcher Slaten pitched 5.2 innings, striking out 10 Highlanders, but allowed six runs, five earned, on ten hits and three walks. Emond earned the win, pitching 3.1 innings, while allowing just one earned run and striking out four batters. First baseman Mang went two-for-two, with two walks and three RBI. Up next for the Highlanders, they conclude their series with the Lobos before a matchup with the Cal State Bakersfield Roadrunners Tuesday, April 23. ■H

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

SPORTS

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

men’s tennis loses to uc davis on senior night

JORDAN HOM Staff Writer

UC Riverside (19-14, 1-4) currently has a nine-match losing streak to UC Davis (11-9, 1-3), winning only one of their last 12 meetings. This time was no different as the Highlanders lost to the Aggies by a final score of 4-1 on seniors night. “With Kyle (McCann) and Andy (Ju), we have been breaking records so I think that speaks highly of them. Obviously they will be missed but everything has its time and hopefully we can continue this trend with the new guys coming in,” Head Coach Mattias Johansson said in a postgame interview. The Highlanders lost in the doubles matchup where they were defeated by the Aggies’ ranked duo of junior David Goulak and sophomore Ivan Thamma. The number 66 nationally-ranked pair faced off against UCR senior Ju and sophomore Filip Engstrom. Ju and Engstrom were simply overmatched, losing by a score of 6-0. In the other doubles matchup, freshman Andreas WhelanMerediz and senior Kyle McCann battled against Aggies sophomore Daniel Landa and freshman Alex Scemanenco, but ended up losing in a close 7-5 match. There was a third doubles match played but the match went unfinished with the score tied at 5-5. For the singles matches, only one Highlander managed to win their match against the Aggies.

JORDAN HUANG / HIGHLANDER

LEO YUE / HIGHLANDER

RICARDO GARCIA Contributing Writer

However, the Aggies added an insurance run in the top of the fifth inning, as sophomore catcher Riley Siegel drove in junior first baseman Maddie Rojas on a fielder ’s choice, bringing their lead to 3-1. The Highlanders bats were silent for most of the game, as they were unable

Highlander Hot Take:

Guardiola: Mastermind or Mediocre? JOSE FLORES Contributing Writer

Junior Gilbert Chung defeated freshman Nil Giraldez by a score of 6-1. “We had some guys who are battling flu-like symptoms,” Johansson said. “We did what we were expected to do in such circumstances. I am proud of the guys and it looks like we are going to play UC Davis in the Big West Tournament again in five days. We’re going to practice a little bit and make some changes and hopefully we can have a reversed result.” Up next, UC Riverside will advance to the Big West Tournament. Their first match of the tournament will be played Thursday, April 25 in Indian Wells, California. ■H

Highlander Softball falls in series opener vs UC Davis

After six wins in their last nine games, the UCR softball team (23-17, 5-5) is on a roll. They currently find themselves in fourth place in the Big West standings. Fresh off a series win against the Cal State Northridge Matadors, the Highlanders welcomed the thirdplace UC Davis Aggies (32-8, 7-3), who had just beaten the Cal Poly Mustangs in their most recent series. To start the important three-game series, both teams’ starting pitchers put up two scoreless innings. The Aggies got on the board first in the top of the third inning after a blip by the Highlander defense that allowed junior right fielder Marisa Given to reach base, scoring sophomore left fielder Alyse Rojas to give Davis a 1-0 lead. Shortly after, junior shortstop Isabella Leon extended the Aggies lead to 2-0 with a sacrifice fly that scored redshirt senior second baseman Alex Sotomayor. The Highlanders soon got a run back in the bottom half of the third inning, as junior third baseman Emma Ramelot singled home freshman outfielder Sami Demyon to trim the lead to 2-1.

to do much against Aggie sophomore starting pitcher Brooke Yanez, who pitched a complete game, allowed one unearned run on five hits and struck out 10 hitters en-route to her 21st victory of the season, as UCD came away with a 3-1 win. For UCR, Ramelot finished one-for-three with an

ISURU KARUNATILLAKA / HIGHLANDER

RBI. Junior starting pitcher Melanie Olmos took the loss to fall to 5-8, lasting 2.2 innings while allowing two unearned runs on two hits and two walks. The Highlanders will travel to Hawaii to take on the Rainbow Wahine in a weekend three-game series H beginning Friday, April 26.■

Throughout the last decade, Pep Guardiola has proven to be one of the most successful coaches in the history of soccer. The Spaniard has proven himself by winning league titles with FC Barcelona in Spain, in Germany with FC Bayern Munich, and most recently, in England with Manchester City. However, the competition that has tormented the Spanish coach in recent years has been the Champions League. Every year, Pep Guardiola seeks to repeat the feats he achieved while at Barcelona. Pep often achieves this, but only to a certain extent. This is due to the fact that in the 20082009 season, Guardiola led the club to a historic campaign in which the club won every domestic and international competition that the club participated in including the league title, the cup and the European Championship. Amidst all of FC Barcelona’s success, many skeptics sought to discredit him as a manager by claiming that much of this success was due to the quality of the team rather than his managerial talent. One of the reasons why Guardiola was not given enough praise as a manager was due to one player: Lionel Messi. Messi has consistently performed every season at a level that has him in the conversation to be considered one of the all time greats in the sport. While being coached under Guardiola, Messi was able to win the socalled “treble” - the league, cup and European Championship. Messi however, has won the treble on another occasion, as was the case in the 2015-2016 campaign under coach Luis Enrique. On the other hand, Guardiola decided to test the waters elsewhere in Germany and in England. Pep has had success in the respective competitions in each country yet, he has struggled to win the treble once again with another club. It is true that his managerial skills are among the best in the world, but without having a player of the caliber of Messi or Ronaldo, it has been difficult for the Spaniard to win another european competition without having players that are able to resolve games within minutes. Aside from lacking a worldclass player, another fact that has prevented the manager from winning the Champions League is due to his personality. Pep Guardiola has often referred to himself as an over-thinker and has used this fact to explain why he’s so successful at winning domestic competitions. No other manager has won league titles consecutively as Guardiola has, yet his unsuccessful runs could be due to his personality damaging his chances of winning competitions that only allow for a shorter preparation period like the Champions League. After all, if Pep wants to set his name in stone as one of the best managers in the history of soccer, he must be able to achieve the same feats he did in Barcelona in clubs elsewhere where he doesn’t have the same talents available. Without it, Pep will continue to live under his own shadow. ■H

Sports 24

TUESDAY, APRIL 23, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

Jakeishya Le shines in Big West Tournament, UCR finishes fifth Men’s Tennis

UCR

Pomona

UCR

ClaremontMudd-Scripps

08 : 01 COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

The UCR women’s golf team competed in the Big West Tournament from April 15-17. The tournament marked the final competition for senior Jakeishya Le, who has been the team’s top performer throughout her time in the program. Le showed out in her final tournament, finishing sixth individually while leading her team to fifth place. Le and the Highlander team as a whole started the tournament off shaky, with Le shooting a 77 and Riverside finishing the first round with a score of 308, the second-worst score of the round. Sophomore Ping Huang looked to keep up with Le throughout the tournament, and did a pretty good job as she also finished the first round with a score of 77. UCR improved their play in the second round, shooting a 300 which was the fourth-best score of the round. Le shot a 74, but it was Huang who shot a team-low 73 in round two. Sophomore Serena Chon also had an impressive

second round and shot a 74. Le saved her best for the final round of the tournament where she shot a team-low 71. Huang finished three shots behind her in the round with a 74. Riverside as a whole finished with a 305 score in the third round and finished in a three-way tie for fifth place. Le and Huang finished in fifth and eighth place in the tournament respectively. Senior Hana Furuichi and Chon both finished tied for 32nd place with a 236 tournament score. Sophomore Kayla Kwong finished 35th with a score of 238. Le finishes her collegiate career as one of the best golfers in program history. Le was named Big West Co-Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Conference as a freshman in the 2015-16 season. She followed that up by being only the second individual in program history to be selected to compete in the Lubbock NCAA Regional in 2016-17 and was again selected First Team All-Conference. In her final season with the Highlanders, Le was once again the team’s most consistent performer and as a result was named to the Big West First Team. ■H

Andrew Spilman leads UCR to second place in the UCSB Intercollegiate

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

JORDAN HOM Staff Writer

The UCR men’s golf team competed in Santa Barbara on Monday and Tuesday, April 15-16 where they placed second out of eight teams. The schools that competed against UCR included UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, Weber State, California Baptist and Cal State Northridge. The Highlanders were led by senior Andrew Spilman, whose strong play led him to winning the tournament. Spilman shot a remarkable 213

on the tournament which gave him the victory by two strokes. He scored a 70, 71 and 72 in the three rounds. As a team, UC Riverside finished second in the standings with a total score of 870, behind only the tournament winner, UC Santa Barbara. Throughout the tournament the Highlanders were fairly consistent in their rounds posting scores of 290, 287 and 293. Winning the third round allowed the Highlanders to jump from fourth to second place. They were much more successful in Santa Barbara than they were in Phoenix, Ariz. where they finished in 15th place out of 18 competitors in the Grand Canyon University Invitational. Another standout in the tournament was senior Michael Wong who tied for eighth place. He finished with a total score of 218, scoring 71, 73 and 74. The player with the biggest improvement on the day was junior Tyler Moore, who moved up 16 spots to finish in 12th place. He finished with a score of 219. Sophomore Sam He placed 18th in the tournament with a score of 221. Freshman Matthew Huo scored 228 on the day, finishing in 36th place. Freshman Edward Yi finished with a 236 score and placed 50th in Santa Barbara. The outcome of the Santa Barbara trip has given the Highlanders momentum with the Big West Tournament on the horizon. The Big West Tournament will be played April 29-30 in Kauai, Hawaii. ■H

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Women’s Tennis Fullerton UCR

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05 : 09 game 2 Davis UCR

01 : 11 Baseball New Mexico UCR

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