THE HIGHLANDER
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
VOL. 67, ISSUE 31
FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, JUNE 4, 2019
est. 1954
Congratulation Class of 2019! MARTIN LOPEZ/ HIGHLANDER
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TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019
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HUMANS OF UCR
UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 10
JUSTIN LE | APPLIED MATHEMATICS | FOURTH-YEAR
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Regenerative Agriculture/Climate Smart Agriculture Panel 12:00pm to 3:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 268
Lambda Celebration 2019 6:00pm to 8:00pm HUB 355
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Squish Away Your Stress 3:00pm to 4:00pm Rivera Library
UCR Concert Band 7:30pm to 9:00pm Culver Center of the Arts
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Spin It to Win It 2:00pm Orbach Library (Science Library)
Film: Autism Goes to College 7:00pm to 8:00pm UCR ARTS, Culver Center of the Arts
Journal Unveiling Undergraduate Research 2:00pm to 3:00pm Rivera Library
Film: Unfinished Diary 7:00pm to 8:00pm UCR ARTS, Culver Center of the Arts
Information Session on Campus 10:00am to 11:00am Olmsted Hall, UCR , AGSM Admissions Conference Room
Film: The Exiles 3:00pm to 4:00pm UCR ARTS, Culver Center of the Arts
Sunday
UCR Early Music Ensemble: English and Scottish music 1500-1700s 3:00pm to 4:00pm Culver Center of the Arts
R’Finals Study Jam with the ARC 4:00pm to 8:00pm Orbach Library (Science Library)
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Pizza Party 3:00pm Rivera Library
Late Night Snacks 9:00pm Orbach Library (Science Library)
Tuesday
COMPILED BY LYDIA TSOU
Wednesday
Thursday
“Something I wished I learned earlier in life was just to be around people
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that help me achieve my goals; just because I didn’t start trying in college until my second year.”
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ASUCR votes to transition two CHASS senators to the School of Public Policy and the Graduate School of Education
AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer
During the ASUCR meeting on Wednesday, May 29, the newly elected senate began their term after the conclusion of the 2018-19 senate members’ last meeting. During new business, Abigail Cortes, the newly elected executive vice president, stated that ASUCR Constitutional Amendment Three, which was on the elections ballot this year and passed, increased the number of ASUCR senators by two. This increase would include one senator from the School of Public Policy (SPP) and one senator from the undergraduate majors of the Graduate School of Education (GSOE). The change, according to the amendment, would take affect beginning summer 2019. During the meeting, Cortes stated “It just so happens that we have two newlyelected CHASS senators who meet that criteria.” Cortes claimed that typically ASUCR would have an election for these positions and they would be elected by the student body but “because the constitutional amendment was not in place at the time, the senate would have to take a vote to transition these senators to their respective colleges so that they may represent their colleges best,” stated Cortes. This transition, added Cortes, would prompt her to contact two CHASS senator alternates to take the missing
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position of the two CHASS senators. Newly elected President Pro Tempore and CHASS Senator Preeti Juturu would transition as a SPP senator while newly elected CHASS Senator Evelin Castaneda would transition to senator of GSOE. This proposition prompted a debate between Castaneda, Juturu and the senate. Juturu expressed her concern over this transition stating “Yes, I am a SPP major. The student body at the SPP however, did not elect me to represent them. I don’t
think it is fair for me to represent the entirety of SPP when I was not elected by them.” She also stated “The biggest issue with this proposition is the vacancies of CHASS senator seats. The runner-ups were not elected by the student body. They did not choose them to represent them.” Castaneda also expressed her concern with the transition. She stated “I was voted to be CHASS senator not a GSOE senator. We should wait for someone to be elected instead of throwing us into that position.”
Julian Gonzalez, the newly elected president of ASUCR, voiced his support for the transition. He stated “I understand both of your concerns but I believe it is important to have more representation of the student body. Instead of 16 voices we could have 18.” Juturu, however, stated that it would be more fair to hold a special election to fulfill these positions. After further debate, Castaneda and Juturu eventually agreed to the transition. The motion to transition Castaneda to the GSOE passed 15-0-0 and the motion to transition Juturu to the SPP passed 15-00. In an interview with the Highlander, Evelin Castaneda stated that when she was first approached by Cortes about the transition, she supported the transition but changed her mind during the meeting. Cortes stated that while she had concerns about the transition she, “didn’t mind being a GSOE senator.” Juturu stated in an interview with the Highlander that the decision to transition herself and Castaneda into new positions was too big of a decision to squeeze in at the end of the meeting. She stated, “They are throwing me into this position by default just because I am a public policy major when other people would love to run for senator of SPP. Other students deserve to get that chance.” She emphasized that the entire situation was, “frustrating … a proposal for a special H election would have been more fair.” ■
ASUCR elects three new positions during special elections
CAMERON SADEGHI Senior Staff Writer
On May 29 ASUCR held special elections in the ASUCR Senate Chambers beginning at 8:35 p.m. to fill the president pro tempore, marketing and promotions director and elections director positions vacancies. After the ninth ASUCR senate meeting, the newly elected ASUCR senate members occupied their seats at the horseshoe. Positions for president pro tempore, marketing and promotions director and elections director were open because no candidates ran for these positions in this years ASUCR elections. Candidates received equal time to speak and faced questions from the horseshoe. Each position was determined in separate closed session voting. Four newly elected ASUCR ran for the president pro tempore position. The president pro tempore serves as the head of the LRC and ex-officio to SVC. CHASS Senator Preeti Juturu outlined her previous experiences drafting and collaborating on a senate bill that passed. Juturu also pointed out her experiencesworking with Vice President of Internal Affairs Jose CortezHernandez as his executive fellow. CHASS Senator Miguel Ramirez also ran for the position. He stated his past experiences with grassroots organizing on the state level as a reason for selection. Both Senator Itzel Heraldez Rojo and Senator Angel Cuevas mentioned their experiences as first generation college students as background support for their candidacy. After deliberation in a closed session meeting, Juturu won the position with a majority 12-0-4 vote. The marketing and promotions director position had the most candidates running for a position. Nine candidates stated their case for becoming the marketing and promotions director. Third-year electrical engineering major Danny Guan stated that he has never had experience with marketing and promotions, however, Guan felt that his
coding, photography and graphic design skills made him fit for the position. Eric Magana, a third-year student majoring in economics and administration also ran for the position. He stated that he has experience creating advertisements and believes that ASUCR should provoke emotion through advertisements and emails. Kircee Killian also ran for the position of marketing and promotions director. Killian originally ran for outreach director in the general ASUCR elections this year but lost to Nicholas Wong. Killian, a first-year neuroscience major, promoted the utilization of color schemes as a way to drive more traffic to ASUCR social media posts. Lance Morales, a second-year business and psychology major stated that he has internship experience with the school of business. Morales stated that he taught himself how to design a website. First-year pre business major Danielle Meza, who also ran for the position, proposed a strategy to create a selfie meter for the campus along with responding to negative posts with positive remarks. Andy Li also ran for the marketing and promotions director position, and stated that he gained marketing experience in high school from MUN and speech and debate clubs. Li stated that he would like to revive ASUCR with more enthusiasm and energy. In the past year, CHASS Senator Tiffany Menendez, who also ran for the position, worked as a communications director for the current internal affairs office. Menendez proposed a live broadcast of ASUCR senate meetings on Instagram. Jacquelyn Wang was another candidate who said that she wished to to implement more videos in the social media marketing strategy for ASUCR. She also advocated using the graphic editing software called Canva. William Wang, the last candidate to speak, founded a startup company that currently generates, “$50,000 dollars a year plus revenue.” According to Wang, he is the main marketer at the
start up company and receives a lot of engagement for his company’s posts on social media. After deliberation by the senate in a closed meeting, Wang won with a majority with 10 votes. After selecting Wang as the new marketing and promotions director, the senate moved on to hearing from candidates running for elections director. Laura Pullen, who served as the elections director in ASUCR this year, ran for reelection. Pullen stated that she wants to improve voter turnout and make reforms to the voting website. Pullen also stated that she wanted to move campaigning to week one of spring quarter and voting to week two of spring quarter. Timothy Hughes also ran for elections director. In his speech, Hughes pushed for a stronger relationship between ASUCR and the Highlander Newspaper. Hughes stated that the Highlander Newspaper could benefit from more communication with ASUCR. Kiley
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Atwood, a CHASS senate candidate, mentioned her experiences working in a real political campaign and pushed for more physical voter outreach. After running for marketing and promotions director, Andy Li also ran for elections director. Similar to Hughes, Li mentioned his experiences with marketing for MUN and speech and debate clubs in high school. He also worked as a web developer for a dog adoption agency and a real estate agency. Second-year political science major Dyanna Castaneda has never worked for ASUCR, but Castaneda mentioned her experience as a poll worker during the 2016 presidential election. According to Castaneda, she had to cast away her strong opinions for the betterment of voters and the election process. Castaneda won with a majority of 12 votes. The ASUCR Special Elections meeting adjourned at 12:32 a.m. ■H
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TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019
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ASUCR
ASUCR senators question the STEM High School plan in their last meeting as senators
CAMERON SADEGHI Senior Staff Writer
On May 29, the ninth ASUCR senate meeting of the quarter began at 6:35 p.m. This was the last meeting for senators who served in the 2018-2019 school year. The new senate-elect officially sat on the horseshoe after the conclusion of the meeting. CNAS Senator Abigail Cortes invited Associate Professor of History Juliette
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Levy to discuss the plan to establish a program for high school students who are interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. During public comment, Levy emphasized that the high school will not impact UC Riverside college students. Levy added, “You are not going to be in competition with high schoolers over faculty time and resources.” ASUCR senators questioned the
plan’s effectiveness. CNAS Senator Kenneth Thai asked about possible cons of this plan. Levy said that an inability to properly communicate about the plan would be the con. However, CHASS Senator Chelsea Davenport followed up and asked Levy if that is the only con about this plan. Levy listed gym access and faculty issues as cons, but Levy stated that the faculty issues have been resolved. Parking was addressed as another concern during public comment, yet Levy believes that UCR’s parking issue is a separate issue from the STEM high school program. The Riverside Unified School District (RUSD) STEM High School Town Hall will be on June 6 from 12-1 p.m. in HUB 302. Approximately 12 bills and resolutions total were passed on issues ranging from campus safety to tabling. SR-S19-003 addressed campus safety at UC Riverside. CHASS Senator Alyssa Tocker pointed out the campus shooting threat notified to the UCPD on May 10 as a primary reason for creating this resolution. Tocker stated that students should not feel obligated to go to class
after a shooting threat. Instead, Tocker believes that students going to class after a threat can pose a security risk for students on campus. The SR-S19-003 resolution was approved with a 12-0-0 vote. ASUCR senators also passed SBS19-011 with a 13-0-0 vote. According to the senate meeting minutes, ASUCR senators will have to attend one tabling event per academic quarter. The bill stated that the marketing and promotions director would table along with senators. In past meetings, students have expressed their concerns with tabling issues extending beyond SBS19-011. ASUCR has not met its own chapter 20 bylaw guidelines. The bylaw states that each senator should table at least once per quarter. The chapter 20 bylaw also states that ASUCR must table every Wednesday at the Bell Tower. Other bills and resolutions discussed during the meeting passed as well. Issues such as solidarity with women’s reproductive rights to a student voice committee bylaw update were all passed with a majority vote. H The meeting adjourned at 8:28 p.m. ■
“I hope my presidency will transform ASUCR for the betterment of the student body”
Julian Gonzalez speaks on his future as ASUCR President
AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer
In an interview with the Highlander, Julian Gonzalez, the newly elected ASUCR president for the 2019-2020 school year, discussed his hopes for his future as ASUCR president. Gonzalez is currently a third-year political science major. He is 20 years old and is from San Jose, California. After college, Gonzalez hopes to go to law school and become involved in state and federal politics. Being elected ASUCR president “is the greatest thing that has happened to me here at UCR,” stated Gonzalez. Gonzalez stated that he ran for president with the goal of uplifting students voices. “I believed in student power so much that I molded my campaign around it. I feel honored that my peers believed in that vision I had for not only ASUCR but UCR as a whole,” stated Gonzalez. He noted that he has yet to fully process his win, adding, “All I can say is thank you and that I’m really excited to put in the work. It is time for all of us to come together and make strides in what we want the future of UCR to be.” During elections, candidates were asked to describe their campaign in three words. Gonzalez chose the words: united, action and transformation. In regards to his goals as president, Gonzalez stated that he will stay true to his campaign promises. In his interview with the Highlander, Gonzalez emphasized how as president, he hopes to work on unity at UCR. He stated, “I want to mend the various disconnections ASUCR has on campus.” He noted that these disconnects occur with the student body, Costo Hall, administrators and more. “There is so much mending that
needs to be done,” added Gonzalez. Gonzalez also expanded on his campaign promise of action. He stated, “It is time for us students to fight for ourselves. My time as a Senator this year has shown me how much us students are directed in the wrong direction when trying to stand up for what we want.” He emphasized how he wants to make sure those at the top of the ladder at UCR know that students will not be silenced and will be taken seriously when fighting for what they are passionate about. His third promise was transformation. Gonzalez told the Highlander that he wants to transform ASUCR in many ways. He wrote, “The lack of transparency needs to be fixed. The accountability needs to improve. Furthermore, the impact needs to grow.” He went on to state that “there is so much ASUCR is lacking.” He stated that he hopes to help lead the new members of ASUCR “in a new direction. A direction that has been needed for way too long.” Gonzalez also highlighted the lasting impact he hopes to have on ASUCR and UCR as president. Gonzalez stated that he hopes to improve the strength of student voices at UCR and that his presidency will transform ASUCR for the betterment of the student body. “I hope to cultivate and leave behind a permanent precedent of transparency, accountability, and student power,” stated Gonzalez. Improving transparency, stated Gonzalez, is one of his biggest goals as ASUCR president. He stated that he will try his “absolute best to fix this issue within ASUCR.” Gonzalez believes it is important for ASUCR to be transparent because it allows for the student body to
keep elected officials accountable. He also stated that transparency “simply allows for the student body to be aware of everything we do. Overall, transparency is needed and it is important that the student leaders in ASUCR strive for the most transparency as possible, throughout their time in ASUCR.” “I hope to be a president that the student body is proud of. A president that is relatable,” stated Gonzalez. Gonzalez hopes to be a president students can count on. He wants himself and the student body to have a relationship where they can rely on each other when the other
COURTESY OF ASUCR
needs help or something needs to be addressed. Gonzalez stated that while he may be president he “will always be a student first, so I look forward to addressing all the issues/experiences we encounter together.” “I want to be a leader that can help ASUCR find their passions and interests,” wrote Gonzalez. He wants to help in students’ endeavors, projects, programs and more. He stated, “I also hope all of ASUCR knows that I am going to keep them accountable when need be ... through this relationship, I will always push ASUCR to do whatever is best for the student body and UC Riverside.” ■H
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WeHousing allegedly fails to pay rent for a number of UCR students
AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer
WeHousing, a booking company that focuses on housing international students living in the U.S., has allegedly failed to pay rent for a number of students at UCR who do business with WeHousing. Scott Talkov, the assistant director of the legal clinic at UCR and a real estate, business and media litigation attorney at the law firm of Reid & Hellyer, APC in Riverside contacted the Highlander and claimed that 23 students contacted him and claimed to have prepaid their rent through Aug. 15 or 31, 2019. According to Talkov, these students were charged for a full years’ rent at the Highlander at North Campus. These students learned that their funds were allegedly embezzled such that WeHousing is no longer paying the students’ rent to the landlord, stated Talkov. Talkov claimed that the company, “allowed the UCR students to fall victim to a prepaid rental scam whereby the tenant, WeHousing, collected rent up front from the students, made those students subtenants at the property, then absconded with the students’ money.” The students are considered subtenants meaning that they can be subject to an unlawful detainer if WeHousing does not pay the landlord. Talkov stated that WeHousing failed to remit rent to landlords that has already been paid to WeHosing
by approximately 30 students at UC Riverside. Talkov added that he believes it is obvious that there are likely hundreds of breached contracts. “A bankruptcy will ensure that all of your creditors, including landlords and students, are paid ratably for their damages, including what will almost certainly be a failure to return rental deposit,” stated Talkov in an email to Alan Gao, the founder and managing director of WeHousing. Talkov stated, “Your continued demand for payment of rent from students while your corporate fails to pay the landlords causes me great concern.” A chapter seven bankruptcy trustee, stated Talkov, will be able to investigate where the money went and whether it was embezzled. “My office will need to protect the rights of the students through the bankruptcy process absent a solution involving full payment of the sums already paid to you for all rent and rental deposits under the contract either 1) directly to the landlord, 2) to the Associated Students of UC Riverside to be held in trust for the students, or 3) to my law firm trust fund to be held and paid for to the landlord and/or the students,” wrote Talkov. Gao told Talkov that four of his clients that Talkov identified are not pre-paid residents through August. Gao claimed that they did not pay May rent to WeHousing and did not notify them if they have paid the Highlander at North Campus office. He stated that WeHousing has reached out to
some of Talkov’s clients and reached agreement. Talkov requested that Gao email him by Wednesday, May 29, 2019 at noon with a report listing all of the students at UCR that have prepaid their rent and the status of the resolution of each case, ideally showing that all of the cases have already been resolved. As to the students who paid on a month to month basis, Talkov asked that his report provide a completed or future resolution of their rental deposit. If the report did not meet Talkov’s satisfaction, Talkov would meet with the UCR students affected to discuss
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proceeding with legal action. After the report was sent, Talkov stated to the Highlander that, “Mr. Gao’s report did not meet with my satisfaction as he provided no definitive resolution with Highlander at North Campus, did not remit the full rent owed for June, July and August, 2019, and appears to be unlikely to remit the rental deposits owed to the students when they vacate their units.” Talkov stated that he is currently working with Highlander at North Campus on a resolution. Alan Gao did not respond to request for comment from the Highlander. This story is ongoing. ■H
ASUCR hosts Ted XTalk ANTONIO VELAOCHAGA Contributing Writer
On May 29, ASUCR held a Ted Talk event about global perspectives at 6:30 p.m. in HUB 265. With the aid of ASUCR President Semi Cole, the event was hosted by the chair of the international student committee, Harrison Liang. The event consisted of seven international and domestic students who spoke about their global experiences of traveling throughout the world. Pizza and water bottles were provided when the event began. Liang opened the event with a summary of the international student committee’s mission to “provide opportunities for international students on campus and help them adapt to the diverse culture of the U.S.” He stated that the committee hopes to improve the well being of the students by giving resources such as housing options and improving social engagement at UCR. He mentioned the difficulties he faced communicating with
on the global perspectives of students at UCR international students domestically and abroad. He emphasized language barriers and cultural differences as major obstacles that come with traveling. The first speaker following Liang was international student, Sathish Kumar. Kumar described his time living in India, Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong and detailed how being exposed to a “new culture can be a really fun challenge.” Moving to an environment where he did not understand the language and had to ask for help in translating, Kumar had to adapt to countries with different cultures and languages. Integrating himself into the food culture was another thing which he grew accustomed to. Kumar spoke of the way people eat with their hands in India while people in Korea eat with chopsticks. Kumar highlighted people from different places have a different life outlook through traditions and culture. He concluded that “when you get comfortable with new people, you
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open yourself to new perspectives in life.” Subham Barua, who was born and raised in Bangladesh, discussed the universal perspective on poverty. He went on to present examples of the extreme poverty foreign people must face compared to those in the U.S. and other privileged nations that have less severe forms of poverty. Barua spoke on how hunger and homelessness is a prominent issue in many of these impoverished countries. “We need to change our mindset on what poverty is and how we should treat it in the future,” stated Barua. He went on to state, “What I realized after coming to the U.S. and studying political science is that our notion of how to help people in poverty is very backdated.” Barua asserted that since the U.S.’s economy is so globalized right now, people in urban areas are separated from people in rural areas. Barua stated that providing aid and donations to homeless people will not help them. He asserted that this causes homeless and hungry individuals to become dependent on aid, which disincentives them to find work, and leads to them being unable to support themselves in the long run. Therefore, they will not be able to “extract themselves out of poverty,” stated Barua. Barua said that to help these impoverished people, they must be provided with the tools, skills and opportunities to support themselves to get out of poverty. International student, Yuvraj Kataria spoke of his Indian background and travels to 15 countries since he
was 10 years old. He mentioned his time in a primarily white Minnesota high school that had no diversity. Kataria compared Minnesota to the largely diverse California which he admires. Cole also spoke of his first experience traveling when he joined a UCR program to go to Japan and work with Japanese students on their leadership skills and English. He talked about the difficulties he faced when he traveled to Japan and constantly doubted his reasons for traveling to the country. However, Cole maintained that during his struggles traveling, he kept the mentality that he traveled abroad to meet new people and make connections with them. Stephanie Warren who was born in the Republic of Georgia talked of the language barrier she had to overcome when moving to New York with her family. Even after teaching herself English, Warren said that she was teased for her accent and had to adapt to the way people talked in her environment. She described how she received a high school scholarship to travel to Italy which inspired her pursuit of a career in international education. Katie Hsieh spoke of her experience traveling to Japan and her struggles adapting to her environment. She described her difficulty meeting new people and socializing with people from Japan. However, Hsieh concluded that through her travels, she grew to be more social and open with others. ■H The event ended at 7:40 p.m.
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UCR Reddit post points to multilevel marketing advertisements at UC Riverside
CAMERON SADEGHI Senior Staff Writer
According to a UCR Reddit post by Justin Hsieh whose username on Reddit is u/Saber Sabre, multi-level marketing (MLM) advertisements are being shown at UC Riverside. The post was made on Feb. 20. Hsieh, is a third-year material science and engineering major. During Hsieh’s sophomore year, a friend provided Hsieh with an opportunity for part-time work. According to Hsieh, the company with the opportunity was ACN. The ACN company sells data plans and utility services to other businesses. When Hsieh’s friend provided him with the opportunity, Hsieh’s friend brought some other friends along with a representative from the MLM. Hsieh stated that the representative retold success stories about herself and Hsieh’s friend. According to Hsieh, the representative claimed that ACN would be another way of sustaining yourself while pursuing your dreams. Multi-level marketing is a business structure where the individual earns commission based on sales and from sales of the number of people recruited. Based on Hsieh’s experiences with ACN and his research of MLM companies, Hsieh stated, “It tends to be a predatory structure that only benefits the top of the leaders. I think it creates an unsustainable cycle of where you need to incentivize recruiting more members until the pool runs out.” Hsieh added, “I think MLMs are predatory on college students who may not have time to find a full-time job. I would encourage students
“‘IT TENDS TO BE A PREDATORY STRUCTURE THAT ONLY BENEFITS THE TOP OF THE LEADERS. I THINK IT CREATES AN UNSUSTAINABLE CYCLE OF WHERE YOU NEED TO INCENTIVIZE RECRUITING MORE MEMBERS UNTIL THE POOL RUNS OUT.’” to just find an internship and find some work. You don’t need to make money through MLMs.” In the original Reddit post, Hsieh highlighted Vector Marketing as one of the other companies displaying multi-level marketing advertisements. Hsieh took a photo of an advertisement with the Vector Marketing company name listed on the advertisement. The photo was shared to the Highlander Newspaper. Vector Marketing sells kitchen knives and cutlery manufactured by CUTCO. Bryan Ramirez, a third-year student majoring in business economics, told the Highlander that he has seen MLM advertisements since his freshman year. Ramirez decided to call the phone number on the advertisement. However, Ramirez was suspicious of the offer being made. He stated, “They told me that it was quick money, flexible hours. It looked too good
to be true. I was very needy at that time.” After discussing the job offer with his parents, Ramirez decided to reject the job offer. His parents told him that the company was not real or authentic. The Highlander asked Ramirez about the company that talked with him on the phone. Ramirez did not recall the name of the company that spoke with him. Ramirez concluded, “This should be prevented so people don’t fall into the scam.” First year psychology student Robert Laovoravit stated his opinion on multi-level marketing scams, stating “I don’t like them anywhere. Not just in the classroom. Multilevel marketing is scamming hardworking Americans.” ASUCR Senator Christopher Chebat classified multi-level marketing as being deceptive in an interview with the Highlander. “MLMs are a lie. A pyramid scheme. Just because they are legal doesn’t
mean you won’t lose money,” stated Chebat. Chebat claimed that multilevel marketing sells people on a lifestyle that everyone believes they deserve. Chebat stated, “If I spot an MLM ad, I will talk to someone. It should not be approved. If not approving school regulations, I would take it down.” UCPD Detective Paul Dombrowski shared tips with the Highlander on how to avoid scams. According to Dombrowski, students should avoid job advertisements that promote little work for a lot of money. Dombrowski also stated that students should look for a company name listed in a possible advertisement or email. Detective Dombrowski added that students can come report these issues to the UCPD, the career center or ITS if they are unsure. “The most basic thing is if it seems too good to be true, it is,” said Dombrowski. ■H
CAMERON SADEGHI/ HIGHLANDER
Opinions
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TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019
OPINIONS
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HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL
There is no quick and easy solution to the California housing crisis, but hope remains in compromise
T
he housing crisis is an incredibly difficult issue to solve with no single, obvious solution capable of satisfying everyone. The United States Interagency Council on Homelessness reported that an estimated 129,972 Californians were homeless “at any given day” last year, with 6,702 family households contributing to that number. According to expert housing economist David Rubenstein, the crisis has two separate but related sub-crises wrapped in its intricate folds: the lack of available housing and the lack of affordable housing. Legislation addressing these two issues have been drafted — Senate Bill 50 and Proposition 10 immediately come to mind — but said legislation is always found to be lacking in some way, and so little progress has been made in addressing the crisis in recent years. The aforementioned Senate Bill 50 (SB 50), authored by San Francisco Sen. Scott Wiener, seemed to be gaining serious traction before Sen. Anthony Portantino shelved it earlier this past May. The bill represented progress towards solving the crisis by requiring cities to allow for the building of four- to five-story apartment complexes near local transit systems. Admittedly, the bill needed some work before it could effectively address the housing shortage. While the solution to this issue inherently lies in the building of new housing complexes, the bill was sure to be unpopular amongst the single-family housing crowd from the very beginning, seeing as how these complexes were likely to be built right outside their windows. This is
LYDIA TSOU / HIGHLANDER
an understandable frustration, as already busy cities would quickly become even more cramped. That being said, SB 50 deserved to last long enough to be voted on. There are very few bills on the Senate floor at the moment that seek to address the housing crisis and voting on the bill would have opened up a discussion on the matter. Instead of shelving the bill for next year, changes could have been discussed now so that the legislation could be made more appealing to all involved. If the planned locations for these apartment complexes were changed, it is quite possible that the single-family housing crowd would find themselves in support of the bill as well. With SB 50’s suspension, Portantino’s own Senate Bill 509 is one of the only other pieces of legislation looking to address the issue. Unfortunately, the bill offers a rather lazy solution. SB 509 seeks to force the Department of Housing and Community Development to sponsor “California Housing Crisis Awareness” license plates — effectively opting to “raise awareness” for the housing crisis without doing much to actually combat it. There are few Californians who are unaware of the crisis. Many of them are living through it. The bill seems like a glib attempt to combat an increasingly complex quandary, and it doesn’t appear capable of making any concrete headway towards solving the crisis. To be sure, Portantino’s bill includes language requiring some of the proceeds garnered from these license plates to be transferred to the Building Homes and Jobs Trust fund so that they could be used for “housing-related
projects and programs,” but the revenue the license plates accrue will likely be negligible. If there is to be an increase in available housing in California, a real solution must be sought out. On the subject of failed legislation, it is certainly worth discussing the recent defeat of Proposition 10. Last November’s election ballot saw the death of the proposition, a ballot measure that sought to expand rent control across all of California. Had the measure passed, California residents may have eventually seen ordinances put into place that regulate how much their landlords could charge them for housing. The bill would have worked to solve the aforementioned secondary issue — the fact that housing is currently unaffordable, but its failure represents another obstacle in the path of those trying to afford housing. A common critique of the proposition, explained through ads opposing the bill run by local landlords, was that the expansion of rent control would exacerbate the already extreme housing shortage. With more affordable rent, new tenants would have trouble finding housing, because people living in rent-controlled units wouldn’t be likely to leave the space any time soon. While such a complaint is worth keeping in mind, it is also important to consider the fact that the very existence of this problem means that tenants would be keeping their homes for longer periods of time, thereby addressing the issue of homelessness directly. The death of this proposition is a major setback in the fight for affordable housing. In the face of so much failed
legislation, it’s time to ask what can be done to remedy the crisis moving forward. Building in areas that are already very developed is out of the question, so, to start, legislation needs to be created that demands the cautious construction of housing in more rural and suburban areas. The approach would have to be extremely measured, as excessive development in these areas could raise the cost of living, gentrifying the area and driving out former residents, which is an equally distasteful idea. Of course, building outside of large cities presents its own host of issues, as those who move into these suburbs will likely have a long commute to work. If such a proposal is to be successful, plans for improving California’s transit system must be drawn up as well. The California HighSpeed Rail Authority could help remedy the issue by ensuring their high-speed rail has routes connecting the cities. It is also worth looking into more unconventional housing methods. As strange an idea as it sounds on paper, countries like Singapore and Japan have been opting for smaller, microapartments that minimize space while still providing all the typical living essentials. These apartments are typically around 500 square feet in size, half the size of your average American apartment — an efficient use of space that could go far in helping solve the housing crisis. Of course, this living situation is fairly atypical for Americans, but it is better to be living in a less-than-ideal pod-style apartment than on the street. In terms of making housing more affordable, it could be worth looking into
possible housing assistance entitlements, similar to the current food stamp system (SNAP). Perhaps, if a person or a family was to fall into a certain income range, they would be entitled to a voucher that helps mediate rent costs, that way landlords would not be losing out on any potential rent revenue and the renter would be able to afford a place to live. Of course, this would have to come with a tax increase and voters would likely be reticent towards such an idea, but helping people off the streets will ultimately do more good for the city than most of the other things citizens are taxed for. If there is any chance of solving the housing crisis someone has to yield. Nobody likes a tax increase, but the issue needs to be solved. There is no solution to the current housing crisis that will be comfortable for everyone involved, but there is hope for an eventual compromise. Governor of California Gavin Newsom expressed his desire to address the homelessness problem after a meeting last March, stating that “(his) administration is using every tool at (their) disposal to combat the housing affordability crisis our families face.” To what degree the housing crisis is a priority for said administration remains to be seen, but if change is ever going to happen, it needs to start at the top. ■H
Highlander editorials reflect the majority view of the Highlander Editorial Board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Associated Students of UCR or the University of California system.
OPINIONS
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TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019
9
OPINION POLL Compiled by Lydia Tsou Staff Photographer
“How can we help those affected by the housing crisis?”
Ponmathi Ramasamy Bioengineering Third-year
Alexa Teran English Second-year
Sanidhyaa Dhawan Business-Finance Fourth-year
Evelyn Mitzeva Business Economics Second-year
Emil Andreasyan Global Studies Third-year
Isaac Armendariz Studio Art Second-year
“I don’t know how to help, but I know what not to do. I heard that at UCSD, they replaced a parking lot in the middle of campus with more housing, but that caused lots of people to be upset because they needed those parking spots..”
“I’m conflicted and I don’t know what to do, because I have friends who’ve faced difficult housing situations, but my mom is also a real estate agent - so I understand both sides.”
“Keep two buildings open for freshmen at Glen Mor. That’s what they did two years ago and I think it worked well.
“I think there should just be more doubles in a room. The student population can’t do anything about how the universities make decisions especially regarding admissions. There just has to be a compromise. ”
“Instead of tearing down family housing to build a gym, just build more student housing on or close to campus.”
“ W e a l t h redistribution. Take money from people with excess money and give to those with next to nothing to create a social safety net for them.”
Huawei ban results in collateral damage for US-China trade negotiations ANDREW CHEN Contributing Writer
On Wednesday, May 29, President Trump signed an executive order barring transactions with foreign firms deemed threats to national security. Most notably, Huawei, the world’s largest telecom equipment company, was blacklisted, requiring U.S. government approval for any future transactions involving American technology. This wasn’t the first time Huawei has been targeted by the U.S. government. Huawei leads a long line of supposed infractions dating to the early 2000s, with Cisco going so far as to accuse Huawei of stealing their source code. Last November, Canadian authorities arrested Meng Wanzhou, Huawei executive and daughter of founder Ren Zhengfei, at the request of U.S. authorities on suspicion of violating the Iran trade sanctions. While the U.S. rolled out two dozen charges against Huawei in January, Poland arrested a Huawei employee on allegations of espionage, further strengthening pre-existing suspicions of ties to the Chinese Communist Party. China’s reputation as a fair player isn’t stellar; time and time again both Chinese firms and the Chinese state have been accused of IP theft and cybersecurity attacks against Western institutions. To make matters worse, in 2017, a broad Chinese intelligence law was passed, possibly beholding entities such as Huawei to comply with any investigation perceived as a threat to Chinese national security. However, as of yet, there is no concrete evidence that Huawei has been building “back-doors” to its products for the Chinese government. Nor is there
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evidence that Huawei executives are that asinine. We can think back to when Apple fiercely defended its brand, defying the FBI’s request to unlock an iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists. As a Huawei executive put it, the existence of such a feature would effectively be “commercial suicide.” Further, in light of President Trump’s willingness to invoke protectionist policies in the name of national security, Huawei’s status as a threat is questionable at worst. Justifying combating China’s rising technological dominance and capabilities as a centerpiece of U.S. foreign policy is debatable. However, in economic terms, banning Huawei is sure to bring damaging collateral effects. Because Huawei buys
more than $11 billion worth of goods from the U.S. each year, an outright ban could lead to tens of thousands of jobs lost. The U.S. government has been trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to convince their European counterparts to give up business with Huawei. Unfortunately for them, Huawei’s superior technology and price prove too attractive; in many cases, Huawei undercuts its competitor’s prices by tens of percentage points or more, fostering accusations of dumping. Because of such a significant price disparity, ditching Huawei would produce chain effects on price, hurting economic activity and slowing the transition to 5G. If the United States and the rest of the world believe that the threat of potential
widespread Chinese intrusion is credible, it needs to work on diversifying global supply chains away from China. Banning one company produces no security benefit. Looking at the bigger picture, it is possible that Huawei could be used as a centerpiece on U.S.-China trade negotiations. This week, Chinese state media suggested that China may be looking to curb exports of rare earth metals, adding fuel to the trade war fire. As the trade war continues to heat up, with retaliatory tariffs enacted by both sides, the U.S. and China have ensured that the world is staring down an economic slowdown. For our sake, the U.S. must tread carefully to prevent any potential far-reaching economic consequences. ■ H
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TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019
VICTORIA DAVY Contributing Writer
OPINIONS
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Canceling cancel culture
Many prominent figures such as James Charles, Kanye West and James Gunn have been affected by cancel culture. Cancel culture has become the new way of mass vocalizing the dissatisfaction that comes from a celebrity’s actions. Canceling a person is essentially boycotting that person. These boycotts might include unfollowing the
individual, not supporting their work, not buying their products and a host of other things. Cancel culture has become an acceptable form of cyberbullying. It is no longer used for its intended purpose. It has become a way to publicly shame and humiliate a person. Cyberbullying is not only texting or messaging a person but sharing or posting content that is harmful, mean or negative about a
COURTESY OF JAMES CHARLES
person. Cancel culture has transcended simply discarding a person — it is now about sharing memes and hateful comments about them. It has moved past simply being about raising awareness — it has moved into harmful backlash. The backlash these celebrities receive affects them psychologically. People on the internet are taking the worst actions of celebrities and sharing them publicly for the world to see. This takes away their ability to be human and make mistakes. Thousands if not millions of people are harassing them daily and making disparaging remarks about them. Since these comments are often made over social media platforms they can cause feelings of isolation. During James Charles’ Youtube video explaining his side of the Tati Westbrook drama, he talks about how the online harassment negatively affected his mental health. At its core, canceling a person can be a good thing. It exposes the shady parts of a person and allows the public to make an informed decision about
whether or not they wish to continue to support a celebrity’s work. Cancel culture uses the internet as a platform ensure that a celebrity’s actions align with their values. These celebrities are being found guilty in the court of public opinion before all the facts come out. When Kevin Hart’s old homophobic tweets resurfaced he was chastised for comments he had already apologized for in the past. Hart was canceled for actions he had already taken responsibility for. Canceling Hart was more feeling based rather than fact based because if people were looking at the facts they would have seen that he had already paid for his mistake. Although canceling a celebrity can be beneficial in some aspects, there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed. There is a thin line between raising awareness and embarrassment. Cancel culture should be about having a larger discussion about what we as a society won’t tolerate. It shouldn’t mean the total destruction of a person’s career. ■H
Arabia, and the UAE in the Middle East, hardly anyone takes the state-sponsored propaganda coming out of Washington seriously anymore. Many interventionists will immediately point to Russia and China as threatening rivals that we need to “contain” — which somehow is used to justify our bloated foreign aid budget and our endless attempts to spark and provoke conflict in Eastern Europe and the South China Sea. This line of thinking is arrogant and fallacious. Russia and China are nucleararmed states that sit on the Security Council. Containment simply won’t work — it isn’t justified and, considering our own dark history of moral blind spots, we don’t have the credibility to do so anyway. In fact, our aggressive action towards Russia and China recently have only hardened the leadership within Moscow and Beijing, who have reciprocated with equally uncompromising stances towards the United States. Hawks in our government are pushing us towards a potential nuclear war if these disputes are not solved in a diplomatic manner — something that actually endangers our national security unlike what Russia does in Crimea or when China defends its sovereign rights in the South China Sea. Given America’s relatively awful track record when it comes to international leadership, it is time to accept the inevitable — sharing the stage with ascendant rising powers and world leaders like Russia and
China is a good thing, not a bad thing. It will alleviate some much-overused responsibility from our shoulders — a responsibility that we were never qualified to carry alone anyway. Most importantly, we need to recognize that having alternative political worldviews is actually a better way of mediating and solving international conflicts — because the world doesn’t revolve around the United States. We need to be willing and mature enough to share the marketplace of ideas and policymaking with the other 195 countries that also call our planet home. Additionally, given the $22 trillionand-counting size of our national debt, it is a gross miscalculation of priorities for us to be spending over $42 billion annually to be propping up useless allies in a grand geopolitical game. Real life is not “Game of Thrones,” and it is time for politicians in Congress to realize that in the multipolar new world order of the 21st century, America simply isn’t and will never be the sole superpower anymore — and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We have crumbling infrastructure, severely underfunded schools and colleges and an inefficient and horribly managed healthcare system — all areas that actually affect citizens and taxpayers like myself far more than what Iran does in the Persian Gulf. Before we want to play policeman abroad, America needs to clean up our mess at home. ■H
It is time for the United States to play a smaller role on the international stage
ANDY LI Contributing Writer
Ever since the inauguration of President Donald Trump, U.S. foreign policy has trended in a significantly negative direction. Our international standing and approval rating across the globe is at all-time lows, and various unilateral decisions by this administration have led to widespread, near-unanimous condemnation by both traditional allies and adversaries alike. Additionally, with burgeoning and quickly unsustainable levels of national debt growing at an unprecedented rate, it is only logical for the United States to scale back its current involvement in a whole host of global conflicts. Trump correctly ran on the theme of semi-isolationism and was handed a broad mandate of 306 electoral votes and 30 states in 2016. Unfortunately, once in office, the president has pursued policies that are at complete odds with his original promise to “put America first” and to refocus on domestic priorities over foreign ones. If Trump wants to win reelection in 2020, it is time for him to reassess his original promise — one that he is still capable of keeping if he is serious about it. After World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union jockeyed for the position of dominant world superpower. Through a series of violent proxy wars over the next five decades, the U.S. and the Soviets played the game to a draw — with communist revolutions taking place in East Asia and Eastern Europe and rightwing autocratic dictatorships rising in Southeast Asia and Latin America. While the Soviet Union eventually dissolved in 1991, this didn’t stop the neoconservative, pro-war voices within Washington from continuing to push for more endless interventionist wars. Despite the claim that the U.S. fights to defend “democracy” and “human rights,” their actual track record betrays far darker incentives for these wasteful and inhumane invasions. Under the Johnson and Nixon administrations, the U.S. propped up the genocidal Diem regime of South Vietnam, which was responsible for the mass murder and imprisonment of millions of Buddhists. Nixon himself authorized the carpet bombing of Laos and Cambodia, costing tens of thousands of innocent lives in the process — all under the guise of “combating communism.” Under Reagan, the United States unilaterally invaded Grenada and Panama, and they propped up bloodthirsty, fascist autocracies in Nicaragua, Guatemala, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina and Chile. Democracy remains unimplemented in all of these host nations, and human rights continue to be
disrespected. The United States military brought misery and destruction to the common people — while simultaneously plundering the respective nations of their valuable natural resources such as oil, natural gas and rare earth minerals. The endless interventionist mindset remains ever so relevant even today. The Trump administration unilaterally bombed Syria twice — once in April 2017 and once in April 2018 — both under the guise of attempting to stop the use of chemical weapons. It seems that there is always an ironic hypocrisy for every act of “paternalistic humanitarianism” — and to juxtapose in this case is the Reagan administration’s open supplying of chemical weapons to Saddam Hussein’s regime of Iraq 30 years ago during the Iran-Iraq War. It doesn’t end in Syria. Trump has also authorized the selling of military aircraft to Saudi Arabia, the world’s largest state-sponsor of terrorism, which also happens to have plenty of oil resources, as it engages in an indiscriminate bombing campaign in Yemen, which has already created the world’s most extensive famine of the 21st century. Additionally, the most maniacally hawkish voices within the Trump administration — National Security Advisor John Bolton, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Vice President Mike Pence — none of whom have actually served in live combat — are aggressively pushing for more regime change in Iran and Venezuela, as if the devastation wrought from Syria and Yemen isn’t enough. Over 1,600 civilians were murdered by the U.S. war machine in Syria alone — and it appears that that still isn’t enough to satisfy the bloodlust of these neoconservative warmongers. The greatest irony of modern American foreign policy is the absurd claim that we invade these countries to help alleviate the suffering of the local populace and to introduce democracy into these nations. Interestingly enough, every nation that we’ve invaded in the past always happened to have something of economic value to the United States — economic value that just happened to vanish after the regime change was implemented. Notably, there remains no such example of successful regime change in the 21st century — Iraq is still riddled with sectarian violence and a government plagued by massive corruption, while Libya currently operates slave-markets as four warlord factions continuously wage violence against one another — pitting six million Libyans in the middle of endless conflict. Coupled with the hypocrisy of American support for some of the worst offenders of human rights, namely Turkey, Saudi
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OPINIONS
TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019
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Letter to the Editor:
My experiences from ASUCR: Reflections from the past and changes for the future
LYDIA TSOU / HIGHLANDER
SAMIR AL-ALAMI Third-Year Political Science Major
Coming to college, I didn’t have much of an idea of what student government did, let alone how it functioned. My earliest exposure to student government was a near midnight hearing on moving against the chief justice in an impeachment trial as a college freshman. I also witnessed the impeachment trials of corrupt practices among ASUCR officials in a now defunct political party system and saw how unpopular initiatives such as R’Gear was considered. I was aghast — seeing those in government acting on seemingly their best interest over the interest of their constituents, students who are mandated to pay ASUCR fees as enrolled students here. I lurked on the meme page, and saw how the student government was mocked and castigated for constant corruption, and how the student body was disengaged and disillusioned by a seemingly unaccountable government that is intended to work for us, not the other way around. After some time off as a second year, I decided this year to involve myself in the election of better officials, those that truly would be running for the public interest over private gain or without corrupt intent. I got deeply involved in the Elections Committee, where I trained watchdog volunteers and recruited candidates whom I thought would be credible, honest and doing so for the right reasons. Unfortunately, my involvement largely did not change the results of our most recent election. There are, according to my own count, at least four officials recently elected and sworn in, who have had ethical lapses from the election that we just held. And one of the things that some of these candidates have done is instead of attempting accountability for their own faults and admitting that mistakes have been made in conducting their campaigns was to attack the independent character of the committee which convened to
do its work without bias. In addition to this, blame was in part passed down to the judicial branch, which perpetuated a similar theme I saw in the past: officials not taking themselves to task first and foremost, and instead blaming other things. While it remains in doubt whether or not I intend to come back to ASUCR this year after the frustration I experienced in the immediate aftermath of the election and the ensuing blowback, I issue this advice as a warning to all those in the future who wish to involve themselves in campus politics: remain vigilant. Hold our newly sworn in student leaders accountable. Ensure that all those you interact with are doing what they are doing because
of the public interest, not personal gain or egotistical power plays. Lastly, make sure to go to senate meetings. We need to go as students, to ensure if any funny business ends up happening we make sure they are answerable to us, and us alone as constituents, as these same officials sitting on that dais may end up running for public office one day. We need to hold them to a higher standard, understanding that this formative experience for our student leaders can be a springboard to careers in public service. In terms of advice for the newly sworn in officials, my personal recommendation is to do simple, proactive steps to increase accessibility, transparency and accounability — come to the students
where they are at. Hold town halls at least once quarterly as individual senators, provide updates to the communities regularly to the people that sent you to your seats, and remain connected to places like Costo Hall. Have your reports regularly accessible and available to the public on the ASUCR website, and create social media accounts to reflect your work as officials in order to be more approachable and proactive. Such efforts are a two-way street, but entirely necessary. This can be some of the solutions that can help unify the students and their officials in common cause to make ASUCR deserving of its name: to represent the student interest first and foremost above all else. ■H
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FEATURES
TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019
13
The Butterfly Project: a source of hope for undocumented students
ADRIANA MANDUJANO ANGEL Contributing Writer
Undocumented Student Programs (USP) works alongside the Career Center every fall and spring quarter to host the Butterfly Project. The aim is to help prepare undocumented students for their futures after college by practicing dining etiquette, mock elevator pitches, mock interviews and many more career development skills. Participants are required to attend weekly one-and-a-half hour-long workshops where they meet with Undocumented Student Programs coordinator Ana Coria and Career Center mentors. In addition, these students are placed into different UCR departments where they commit eightand-a-half hours to learn useful skills that could help them in their future careers. The idea of the Butterfly Project first began when Coria, upon reviewing applications for USP’s R’Dream scholarship, noticed that
students’ resumes needed some work. She created an informal survey asking students if they had gone to the Career Center, and if not, why. Coria learned that many students had not visited the Career Center due to the idea that “the Career Center had nothing to offer them because of their legal status.” She explained that USP attempted to host workshops in collaboration with the Career Center, but pointed out that they generally saw low attendance. “We had a work-study program,” explained Coria, “but our students don’t qualify for federal financial aid, so we had a pot of money (for countering that issue).” In order to combat this, USP began a workshop but found it to be non-inclusive to non-DACA students, as they would have required work authorization which is a benefit only given to DACA recipients. It would have left the rest of the undocumented community
unable to participate. As a result, USP ended the workshop in order to create an inclusive alternative for both DACA and non-DACA students. According to Coria, the Butterfly Project began as a hybrid of two programs from UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced. At Merced, a group of students attended weekly workshops while at Santa Cruz, students were placed on sites to gain experience; after a year of planning, the Butterfly Project debuted in spring of 2017. Claudia Garcia, a fourth-year psychology major, joined the Butterfly Project during spring of 2018. She was first made aware of the program via a “massive email” and became attracted to the $1,000 scholarship, as well as the opportunity to network while developing professional skills. By being a part of the Butterfly Project, Garcia stated that it “created a sense of responsibility and commitment to the
program, UCR and the community.” Because the program has a maximum capacity of 20 students, Garcia’s cohort consisted of only 17 students. As a result, it helped her bond with her peers and not feel alone in her journey. “We built very good relationships and strong friendships,” stated Garcia “If I could do it again, I would.” Applications for fall 2019 will open soon. The requirements to apply are a minimum 2.0 GPA and two personal statements: why the program will be beneficial to you, and what your understanding and commitment to the undocumented community is. Due to the nature of the program and the 20 person limit, junior and senior applicants are prioritized due to their earlier graduation date. However, Coria encourages students to apply again the following quarter if they are not accepted the first time. ■H
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TUESDAY, JUNE 04, 2019
FEATURES
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UCR Office of Sustainability promotes the benefits of a fair trade lifestyle
CHRISTINE TRAN Senior Staff Writer
On May 29, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., the UCR Office of Sustainability held the Fair Trade Festival on Hinderaker Lawn. The purpose of the festival was to educate students on what it means for companies or products to be fair trade and give them the opportunity to browse through fair trade items from local vendors. Fair trade is the idea that contracts between the workers and companies should ensure that workers are given adequate wages and working conditions. Fair trade also promotes sustainable agriculture within industries such as tea and clothing. All across Hinderaker Lawn, a variety of booths were lined up with different opportunities for students to learn about fair trade. Students would sign in with the Office of Sustainability booth and spin a wheel for the chance to receive a fair trade product such as tea, chocolate or coffee. After visiting three or more booths, students were rewarded with a free Goodwin’s smoothie. There were several educational booths that focused on different aspects of fair trade. The fair trade water station highlighted the importance of investing in stable, clean water sources and how people can redirect their efforts into more productive work when they don’t have to worry about obtaining quality water. The fair trade justice booth set up an interactive game that revealed how the money received from selling a banana
is unevenly split up, with plantation workers paid the least while stores rake in the majority of the income. At the fair trade’s final booth, students were tested about the knowledge they gathered while wandering the festival. They provided information sheets and trivia about fair trade cocoa, tea and coffee and students were able to win prizes such as stickers, bookmarks, lip balm, pins and more. After answering questions, there was another booth to the side where students could make their own coffee lip scrub. Students also had the opportunity to view items produced by fair trade businesses. One of the vendors who attended was a sustainable clothing line based in Los Angeles called BlackByrd LA. According to third-year business administration major and BlackByrd LA representative Vivian Acevedo, BlackByrd LA keeps their production within Los Angeles so that they can ensure their workers are being treated fairly. They also use low-impact dyes and vegetable dyes in their shirts to reduce people’s exposure to harsh chemicals that are typically found in mass and cheaplyproduced fashion products. “We actually promote, ‘Don’t buy our shirts if you don’t need it.’ I’m hoping that people, even if it is not with my business, become more mindful consumers; reusing what we have and, when we do buy new things, buying good quality stuff with good ethics,” said
Acevedo. The other fair trade vendor in attendance was Zaric Fair Trade, a business that supports artisans in developing countries in Africa. The owner, Jacita Keys, mainly works with women who have suffered from interpersonal violence with their intimate partners and families to help them utilize their artistry to become self-sustaining. Keys helps the artisans sell a variety of jewelry, handbags, baskets and pouches. “It relates to fair trade because it allows them to get out of whatever social adversity they’re going through. And when I work with them, I work with them directly and negotiate a fair and living wage for them to make sure they’re able to remain self-sustaining,” shared Keys. Currently, the Office of Sustainability
is developing ways to incorporate fair trade at UCR as well. As of right now, the dining halls are the only place on campus that have fair trade coffee. The Office also created a fair trade club that people can start joining fall 2019 by texting UCRFT to 444-999. The Fair Trade Club would work towards getting UCR fair trade-certified, meaning they would sell fair trade products at stores on campus like Scotty’s. “I think that for our future prosperity in having these kinds of products, it is important to shop fair trade because (it) incorporates having sustainable agriculture,” said first-year environmental science major Madison Reichhold. “If we can’t be sustainable in our agriculture then we’re not going to be able to keep up with the demand.” ■H
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“No Waste Left Behind!” educates students about zero waste and sustainability CHRISTINE TRAN Senior Staff Writer
On May 31, from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m., clubs and organizations surrounded the Bell Tower for the “No Waste Left Behind!” zero-waste event. The event was hosted by the Green Campus Action Plan (GCAP) in collaboration with the
Office of Sustainability, in hopes of promoting a zero-waste lifestyle and the sustainability studies major that is currently available to UCR students. GCAP and the Office of Sustainability both held activities that educated and encouraged students to be more knowledgeable about living a zero-waste lifestyle. GCAP guided
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people through how to make their own deodorants, body soap and face scrubs, while explaining what ingredients were being used and the benefits of each one. The Office of Sustainability quizzed students about fair trade and handed out boxes of tea. Students were also given the option of picking from a variety of seeds and receiving a potted plant. The purpose of this activity was to make people more aware of the environment and encouraging a greener lifestyle by helping them become acquainted with gardening. “If you want to garden, head over to R’Garden. If you want to get into sustainability, get involved with GCAP. The best students can do is continue or try to advocate for sustainable way of living and reflecting it in your personal life,” stated Victoria Osio, first-year political science major and graphics and design worker at the Office of Sustainability. Students were also given many zero-waste items to introduce them to sustainable living. The newly established Zero Waste Club gave out build your own sustainability starter kits, which included items like lip balm, metal straws and produce bags. Throughout the event, sustainability major ambassadors hosted giveaways for reusable utensils. To top it all off, Goodwin’s Organics provided vegan smoothies for students to enjoy as they
browsed the event. “The importance of zero waste and how we encourage students is just knowing why. We have a finite amount of space but we keep an infinite lifestyle where we continue to make products,” said Olenka Graham Castaneda, thirdyear neuroscience major and director of GCAP. “You don’t have to buy anything to be zero waste, just rethink what you are already buying; if you newed it or not, or if there is another option.” Another purpose of the event was to promote UCR’s sustainability studies major. Ambassadors of sustainability studies showed students how classes under this major can connect with other own majors. The major itself focuses on the social side of environmental science and connects more with what people and communities are going through and how they can be sustainable. “We want to promote our sustainability studies major because not a lot of people know about it and it was created around five or six years ago at UCR,” said Chyna Thai, fourth-year sustainability studies major and media and culture studies minor. “Sustainability is more than just the environment ... for me it was really helpful to find another way to be passionate about the environment without being so focused on chemistry and biology.” ■H
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Sharetea’s
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care toward specificity makes it universally enjoyable
By: Jasmine Yamanaka, Contributing Writer I first visited Sharetea with a few friends. Each one of us have different tastes and thus ordered drinks from separate categories: one of them got the Coffee Creama, another got the Mango Ice Blended with Ice Cream and I got the Taro Pearl Milk Tea. Although we all ordered something distinct to our preferences, we were so satisfied with our own drinks that we ended up trying each other’s with curiosity and high expectations. Although taro is one of my favorite drink flavors and I try to stay away from the strong caffeine of coffee, but I ended up liking my friend’s Coffee Creama more than my own drink! Symbolic of a virtuous friendship, although distinguished on an individual basis, each of the drinks was shared and cherished between us because they were worthy in quality. With its inventive items such as creamas (six) and fresh
milks (six) quantifying almost the same menu space as the typical boba store category, milk tea (13), it’s easy to get the impression that Sharetea has a large selection. In actuality, it has less drink options and categories than its big Riverside boba store competitors, Boba Tea House and Ding Tea. For example, there are six drink categories at Sharetea whereas Boba Tea House and Ding Tea both have eight. Sharetea has 13 milk tea flavors while Boba Tea House has 28 and Ding Tea has 19: nevertheless, Sharetea redeems selection for selectiveness. Rather than having every flavor, it seems that Sharetea’s flavors only appear in forms they would taste excellent as. The Taro-flavored products come in the form of a fresh milk, milk tea and an ice blended paired with pudding and does not appear as a creama. It is as though the menu creators had
Drinks 8.5/10
deep and deliberate thought into each individual menu item and, in a way, did the decisionmaking for the customer in what is deserving of being bought. Going along with the concept of a “hand-crafted” menu, most of the fruit teas have addins that are pre-determined, proving each tea was carefully considered in terms of what combination would go best with the drink. For example, the Kiwi Fruit Tea with Aiyu Jelly is largely citrusy, but the bits of soft, mildly sweet aiyu jelly add a gentle balance to the sourness. I really appreciate the tendency toward a light, gentle and creamy taste, such as with their fresh milks, creamas and multiple usage of naturally creamy items such as honey, taro, matcha and red bean across categories. Someone like myself who is more of a savory than sweet kind of person was delighted to see a menu with a majority of items that are less
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artificially sweet. Their creamas are a type of cheese foam drink, which is a new drink trend that originated in Taiwan and hit the American mainstream around 2018. Cheese foam is a savory cream with the consistency and taste similar to milk foam but with a tangier, edgier flavor that sounds strange in a sweet drink but adds a sophisticated salty kick. Sharetea’s in particular was more subtle in cheese flavor and more velvety than the cheese foam drinks I have tried at Happy Lemon, one of the most famous global cheese foam drink stores. My favorite creama was the Coffee Creama, and while I tend to stray away from coffee, the delicate creamy cheese balanced the crisp, instantly-awakening coffee superbly. At the same time, their sweeter drinks — the ice blended — are considerate combinations of flavors that
depend less on sugar and more on the harmony of their ingredients. The strawberry ice blended drink is both fruity and creamy and the lychee jelly brings back the light, fruity playfulness of the strawberry. Some of the ice blended drinks come with pearl or pudding instead of ice cream, and I trust that Sharetea chose those addins deliberately as a means of compatibility. With most drinks ranging from $3-5, their prices are slightly higher than Ding Tea and Boba Tea House, both with a price range of $2-4. If you know what you want and abide to a certain flavor, perhaps you could get the same level of satisfaction with a cheaper store like Ding Tea or Boba Tea House. But if you’d like to go for something a little more special with items that have been specifically blended and created, perhaps Sharetea could be a great experience. ■H
Ambience 8/10
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The Fast Lane Chiraag Dave contributing Writer
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2019 Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross: Eclipsing Nothing
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Powertrain & Chassis (5) Acceleration 2.5 Transmission 2.5 Fuel Economy 3 Steering Feel & Handling 2 Brake Feel3.5 Ride 3.5 Value 3.5 CHIRAAG DAVE / HIGHLANDER
Mitsubishi is a brand that was once known to build fun-to-drive inspiring sport compacts — that hasn’t been the case for the last decade where Mitsubishi’s lineup has been composed of bland and outdated sedans and SUVs. But now, Mitsubishi plans to reinvigorate their lineup by tapping into the 1990s nostalgia with the new Eclipse Cross. Today’s youth and young adults are very familiar with the Mitsubishi Eclipse name. The original Eclipse was a fun and sporty compact sports car that even garnered a big screen role with the “2 Fast 2 Furious” movie in 2001. The reintroduced Eclipse Cross, however, shares nothing in common with its predecessor other than its name. For a brand that’s been a former shell of itself, the Eclipse Cross is Mitsubishi’s attempt to rise back into relevance. Mitsubishi is riding the crossover wave taking the automotive industry by storm and has reintroduced the Eclipse nameplate onto a practical yet sporty-looking SUV. Suffice to say, the new Eclipse Cross is a far cry from its better-manufactured predecessors. The exterior styling of the Eclipse Cross is very polarizing to say the least. The body is characterized by sharp lines and edges while the rear quarter of the Eclipse Cross harks back to the infamous Pontiac Aztek. The SEL Model I used for this test came equipped with standard LED headlights and all Eclipse Cross’ come standard with LED taillights. Step inside, and you’ll find a nice array of materials given the low price point. There is an absence of hard plastics and cheap materials as well as ample space for both first and second row passengers. However, in comparison to its competitors, the Eclipse Cross interior is underwhelming. All Eclipse Cross models come equipped with seven inch touch screens which can be controlled via a finicky touchpad in the center console. I found it much easier to control the info-tainment system with the touch screen rather than with the touchpad, which was sometimes unresponsive and counterintuitive.
Interior/Exterior (5) Front Seat Comfort/Space 3.5 Rear Seat Comfort/Space 3.5 Cargo Space 3 Fit and Finish 3.5 Features 4 Interior Styling 3 Exterior Styling 3
overall: 3/5
The used SEL Model I came with the optional Android Auto or Apple CarPlay systems which are offered in place of traditional navigation systems as well as the optional Rockford Fosgate sound system. My favorite feature on the Eclipse Cross however was the camera system that allowed the driver to see how close they are to the curb and the car in front in addition to a bird’s-eye view camera. In theory, this is a great feature for urban dwellers who park in tight places. Driving dynamics are where the Eclipse Cross completely falls flat. The sole powertrain offering for the Eclipse Cross is the underpowered 152 horsepower 1.5 liter turbo-charged four-cylinder combined with a continuously variable transmission powering either the front or all wheels. That’s enough to take the Eclipse Cross to 60 miles an hour in 8.6 seconds which is by no means fast but sufficient enough for around town. On the highway however, you notice that the plucky little engine loses steam quickly leaving a desire for more power. The suspension is clearly tuned for comfort which pays off in terms of ride comfort but creates uninspiring steering and handling.
Engine turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 16-valve inline-4, aluminum block and head, port and direct fuel injection Transmission 8 Speed Continuously Variable Transmission Horsepower 152 @ 5500 Torque 184 @ 3500 0-60 8.6 seconds 0-100 30.2 seconds Top Speed 118 mph Fuel Economy 25 city/26 highway Base Price $23,595 price as tested $32,610
That’s disappointing considering the Eclipse Cross is made to be a sportier offering among Mitsubishi’s crossovers and crossovers in this segment altogether. The Eclipse Cross does little to set itself apart from the rest of the competition other than funky looks. Looks only take you so far however since once you get behind the wheel, you’ll find an acceptable interior and subpar driving dynamics. The Eclipse Cross does little to put respect on the name of the car whose name it shares, it has no enthralling traits sharing nothing in common with the Eclipse sports car many fans fondly remember. Instead of delivering us a unique product displaying Mitsubishi’s flair, they have simply delivered another vanilla product wrapped around in bold styling. ■H Chief Competitors: Honda HR-V, Jeep Renegade, Mazda CX-3, Nissan Rogue Sport, Toyota C-HR The car used in this review was provided courtesy of Mitsubishi Motors USA. Are you in the market for a new or used car but don’t know where to start? Reach out to me at thefastlane. highlander@gmail.com and I’ll help you with the search.
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“Godzilla: King of the Monsters”
is a fun monster movie, but awkward dialogue and poor pacing prevent it from being great Samuel Harrison, Senior Staff Writer
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Millie B o b b y B r o w n does well with what she is given, but she isn’t given much. She plays Maddison, the daughter of dysfunctional couple Emma and Mark (played by Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler), and she takes a back seat during most of the film. Her parents are this movie’s attempt at establishing that emotional backbone so desperately needed in a film that chooses to highlight its dull human characters instead of its flashy monsters; but, they fail miserably in carrying the film, as their dialogue is just too hamfisted. Without spoiling the film, much of the conflict present in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” stems from their relationship, but their dialogue is too cheesy to take seriously. The comedic voice of the film suffered from similar dialogue issues, with each joke throughout the film falling hopelessly into excessive cheesiness that elicited few laughs from the audience. Dr. Stanton (Bradley Whitford), the films central comic relief character is especially guilty of this, obnoxiously spouting one-liner after one-liner. Which is especially vexing seeing as how Whitford has already demonstrated significant acting chops as the chilling Dean Armitage in 2017s “Get Out.” To be sure, these comedic flops weren’t the actor’s fault but rather the unfortunate result of dialogue that didn’t see nearly enough revisions before filming began. With such lazy writing, humanity’s struggle should have never been the central focus of the film. It would have made much more sense to just lean further into the giant monster conflict, as that was H what the audience came here to see.■
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impossible to look away as he brutally beats down his opponents. This film also marks Mothra’s first on screen outing in over 15 years, and as far as massive bugs go, she’s very pretty. Mothra moves with a refreshing grace that none of the monsters come close to matching as she’s washed in wholesome, golden light. The big bad of the movie is, of course, King Ghidorah, the threeheaded demon-dragon found on almost every single movie poster. Previous incarnations of the snakish creature always looked like a man in a suit, but this reimagining solved that problem — the guy has never looked more sinister. Rodan, the other kaiju to get significant screen time in the film, is also in tip-top shape. As a literal firebird, his wingspan crackles with heat and molten lava as he soars over Mexico. The film’s score and sound design only strengthen the gravity of the titanic beasts as they lumber, crawl and flutter across the silver screen. Each of the monsters carry their iconic roars and chirps from former films. In fact, Godzilla’s roar is the first thing audiences hear as the film begins, and the entire theatre I saw the film in erupted into thunderous applause in response. The ever-triumphant “Godzilla Main Title” theme plays whenever the big green god takes to the screen, and an operatic rendition of “Mothra’s Song,” a hymnal sung by little fairies to summon the giant moth in past movies, creeps into the soundtrack a few times throughout the film. Overall, the soundtrack is full of auditory references for dedicated Godzilla fans. One of the films biggest shortcomings is, regrettably, the human character interactions. Aside from not giving the Big G (Godzilla) enough screen time, a commonly uttered critique amongst fans is that the human characters take center stage too often, thus slowing down the film with dull roundtable discussions about which bomb they’re going to drop on the towering titan next. Regrettably, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” does little to address this grievance. 2014s “Godzilla” saw similar complaints, but at the very least that movie had some semblance of an emotional backbone to be found in Bryan Cranston’s performance. Unfortunately, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” has no such analog.
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The lizard king returns in “Godzilla: King of the Monsters,” a direct sequel to 2014s “Godzilla.” Made in collaboration between Warner Bros and Legendary Pictures, the long-awaited film pits Godzilla against other fan-favorite monsters (commonly referred to as kaiju). The result is rather mixed, with glorious fight scenes being interspersed with mediocre scenes carried by low-grade dialogue; but, the final product is something most monster fans should enjoy. Every time a new Godzilla film comes out the first thing filmgoers do is take to the internet and complain about the amount of screentime the big lizard gets throughout the picture’s run time. If there’s one thing this movie gets right, it’s the monsters. The film follows two human factions — a group looking to release the city-stomping kaiju from their quarantines, and a group trying to keep them captured and alive in order to preserve the “natural harmony of the world.” Unfortunately for that latter group, though fortunately for the audience, several of said Kaiju eventually manage to break free, and the inevitable fallout that follows them is a spectacle to be admired. For starters Godzilla himself is phenomenally rendered, with most scenes he appears in being bathed in gorgeous blues and fearsome reds; all relative to the amount of flaming wreckage surrounding him. His first non-flashback appearance is especially haunting and the ferocity he brings to every fight scene he appears in makes it nearly
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Giant monster fans can rejoice — your king is back in town, but his most recent conquest doesn’t offer much beyond visceral, kaiju-carnage eye candy. Despite this, the writing and plot were not enough to keep the audience engaged in between epic monster fights.
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astonishes as it provides a fantastical musical take on a music icon’s life and career BY: COLIN CARNEY, SENIOR STAFF WRITER Following fresh off the heels of last years previous rock and roll biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Sir Elton John film “Rocketman” takes a much more personal look at the artist in a more stylized manor. The film follows young Reginald Dwight as he partners with songwriter Bernie Taupin to become music icon Elton John. Along the way John experiences the highs and lows of being a rockstar as he is embraced by millions of fans while also struggling with drugs, alcohol and sex addiction behind the scenes. Unlike “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Rocketman” is a musical that fully embraces the fantasy of the genre. “Rocketman” stands out from recent rock biopics as it is unafraid to show the darker parts of the subject’s life and career. Many criticisms of “Bohemian Rhapsody” centered around how briefly filmmakers touched upon Freddie Mercury’s drug problems. This film shows no such brevity as Elton John’s struggle with addiction and depression are at the center of the film’s plot. This is even more evident as his residence in a rehab facility is utilized as a framing device for the film’s recounting of his life. The only real criticism of the film’s narrative, however, is that it occasionally introduces a story or aspect of John’s life without fully fleshing it out and instead moves on to the next chapter in his life. This results in several interesting stories, such as John’s brief marriage to Renate Blauel, feeling forgotten and underutilized by the filmmakers. Overall, the film’s plot entertains and moves smoothly from scene to scene largely due to its integration of song and musical performances. Director Dexter Fletcher does a remarkable job at juggling tones as he manages to deliver on the fantastical musical numbers as well as the heart wrenching character moments. This is achieved due to the masterful integration of music into the film’s narrative as several songs from John’s
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legendary career are utilized to help portray the artist’s mindset in the given scenes as well as propel the plot. Music is crucial to “Rocketman” as the film is not a run of the mill biopic but instead transforms Elton John’s life story into a musical. Rather than simply include music only when the artist is performing on stage, “Rocketman” integrates John’s songs into the narrative as characters spontaneously break into song and dance in magical and absurd ways. For instance, one such musical number that was featured in the trailer has John and the crowd float as he plays the piano. The beautifully shot and choreographed music numbers are a thrill to watch as they masterfully capture the mindset of the artist at each time in his life. To add to the impressive integration of
Verdict:
John’s songs, lead star Taron Edgerton is remarkable and actually performs the vocals for all his songs. His voice is amazing, although it isn’t identical to John’s, it manages to capture the feel of each song and entertain the audience as if they were actually at a concert. Speaking of Edgerton’s voice, he and the entire cast deliver on stellar performances throughout the film. Like Rami Malek did Freddie Mercury, Edgerton embodies Elton John. He manages to deliver on both the highs and lows on the beloved artist’s life and career. John’s life wasn’t as bright and lively as his performances might lead some to believe, and Edgerton succeeds in capturing that fact. He manages to convey the emotion of hitting rock bottom and succumbing to drugs, alcohol and depression all while delivering compelling
and entertaining musical performances throughout. Co-star Jamie Bell, who plays Elton’s longtime friend and songwriter Bernie Taupin, plays off Edgerton wonderfully in each scene they share. The duo perfectly captures the brotherly love that the two had for each other and Bell expertly portrays Bernie’s concern for John as his friend pursues a path of self-destruction. Additionally, supporting performances from Richard Madden as the heartless manager John Reid and Bryce Dallas Howard as the unaccepting mother of John. Both actors deliver standout performances as Howard is hardly recognizable, and both offer great character moments for Edgerton to respond to. Even the child actors who play young John manage to deliver worthwhile performances. Even though Edgerton does
most of the heavy lifting when it comes to singing and performing, the supporting cast each get their moment to share the musical spotlight and shine brightly alongside the lead. “Rocketman” is an endearing and personal depiction of Elton John’s iconic career and difficult life. Unlike other biopics, this film is unafraid and willing to show both the highs and lows of John’s life while also delivering on stunning musical numbers throughout. Each member of the cast performs spectacularly, but none more than the film’s lead. Edgerton embodies Elton John and impresses as he manages to sing and perform all of John’s hits. “Rocketman” undoubtedly manages to entertain audiences with its fantastical musical take on Sir Elton John’s story; while also providing intimate looks H into the icon’s life and career. ■
“Rocketman” entertains with its remarkable musical performances and fantastical interpretation of the music icon’s life and career. Stunning performances from its entire cast, and a standout performance from lead Taron Edgerton make Elton John’s musical biopic a must-see.
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E3 2019 brings new expectations and predictions for the future of gaming By Adam Alvernaz, Senior Staff Writer Every June, the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is held at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It’s here where most major video gaming companies come together to show off upcoming titles, announce new projects and give attendees a chance to play demos of these titles. This year, there are many familiar faces with Microsoft and Nintendo being frontrunners for the event. However, one notable absence this year is Sony Playstation who has appeared at all previous E3 events. Despite this, the event is still shaping up to be quite satisfying with many teasers and guaranteed appearances already being announced. Analyzing current and past trends, we can correctly identify what each company will show this year at the event. This year’s E3 opens on Sunday, June 9 with Microsoft’s showcase. They are famous for having dense conferences that show quite a lot of upcoming titles for their platforms. It’s safe to say that the new “Halo Infinite” will more than likely be shown seeing how it made quite a stir last year with its teaser trailer. Seeing how there was no other news on the title since, we can expect to see Master Chief back and hopefully returning to his former glory. Microsoft will be showing “Gears of War 5” as the next big installment in the fan-favorite franchise. I hope to see lots of news about the title seeing how it will hopefully tie the series up and give it the conclusion fans have been waiting for. Additionally, Microsoft is also showing various third-party titles giving other developers a stage to showcase their work. Although EA will not have their conference this year, EA’s “Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order” will likely have a place during Microsoft’s showcase. With a confirmed release date of Nov. 15, expect to see lots of news as this new title hopes to expand the world of Star Wars and deliver a satisfying experience. With EA involved in development, the game could still fall victim to the same traps DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront series did. It wouldn’t surprise me if we got to
see teasers for a next generation console reveal, as Microsoft likes to stay ahead of the competition. With Playstation being absent, it might just be Xbox’s best opportunity to be the trailblazer and thrust gaming forward into a new generation of consoles. Later that same day, we can expect Bethesda to show certain clips of their various upcoming projects that have already been announced. As always, Bethesda likes to stay quiet about what they may be announcing or revealing at the yearly E3 event. Despite this, director Todd Howard stated both “Elder Scrolls 6” and “Starfield” will not be shown. This is most likely due to Bethesda’s decision to start developing for the next generation as they prepare for new consoles to be released either late
“DOOM” reinvigorating hype for the series, “Doom Eternal” will be a much more verbose experience. Id Software has been teasing the game with some trailers and teasers that show a true hell on earth experience that fans have been asking for since “Doom 2” in 1994. We can expect “Doom Eternal” to take center stage at Bethesda’s conference seeing how it is their most anticipated project slated for release later this year. Another Id Software title is expected to be at E3 as well. With “Elder Scrolls 6” not making an appearance, we can expect announcements for their new mobile game, “Elder Scrolls Blades”, as nothing has been shown since last year. This could be foretelling a delay even though the early access beta version
one of the best RPG’s of all time. Another obvious pick for their conference is the much anticipated
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this year or next year. At E3 2018, it was announced that a sequel to 2017’s “DOOM” remake was in the works for 2019. With 2016’s
garnered very positive reviews. Riding the hype train of last year’s E3, I hope to see Bethesda come prepared to deliver on some much awaited promises for their releases later in 2019. Second to last this year is Square Enix who’ll have a few projects to show off. Starting with the obvious, it’s clear that Square is taking their time with the “Final Fantasy VII” remake as they showed a new trailer in March. In that trailer, they announced that the game will take the main stage at their conference as it is their most ambitious project yet. The title has been in development since 2015 and has had nothing shown until this past March. With such a long development cycle, I hope to see a fleshed out, playable version at E3 that fully recreates
“Dying Light 2.” The success of the original re-illuminated the interest many have for the zombie survival genre. Announced at E3 2018, the sequel will look to take the concept further and give it a unique style not seen in modern zombie games. Seeing how Square Enix loves to capitalize on sequels, “Dying Light 2” has a great chance at being showcased this year even if it’s possibly being held back for a 2020 release. Finally, the recently announced Avengers game will also be showcased this year. Not much is known about the title other than a logo; despite that, I have high hopes for what Eidos Montreal can produce. This year Square is not pulling any punches with three very big games releasing on current generation hardware.
Last but certainly not least, Nintendo holds their conference after Square Enix. With possibly the most mysterious lineup, this years Nintendo Direct will give us a closer look at what the company has been developing under wraps since last year’s E3. I have major hopes for “Metroid Prime 4” as it was announced that development for the game had to be redone and will take more time to produce. Hopefully, E3 can really show us what Prime 4 will look and play like as the title is one of their most anticipated yet. I have some doubts as to whether or not “Pokemon Sword and Shield” will be showcased considering Nintendo is hosting a separate event a week prior to E3 that is dedicated to showcasing the new titles. Any news that would come from E3 will more than likely be minor as the Pokemon focused event will have more substance. Animal Crossing for Switch is also a huge contender for being showcased as it has a release date for fall/winter 2019. Because Animal Crossing is one of their bigger franchises, Nintendo will likely show it off with possibly a playable demo on the showfloor. With many having high hopes for the cute social life simulator, Nintendo is sure to impress by bringing the franchise into the next generation. Besides that, Nintendo could really show anything as the company is very old school and doesn’t like to tease upcoming projects. Whether that means a new Mario or Zelda game, I’m sure Nintendo will have an ace up their sleeve come E3 week. With the current gaming climate being in between console generations, it’s surprising to see the support companies creating new content for their consoles that are relatively close to being replaced. E3 is such a great time for all kinds of gaming as the representation for all platforms has been enormous in recent years. Despite Playstation’s absence, this year is still shaping up to be a great event with lots of news packed into the schedule. The days inch ever closer to the best showcase of gaming’s future H and it has never looked brighter. ■
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“SPIDER-MAN:
F ar F rom H om E “
will allow Tom Holland's Spider-Man to take center stage in the MCU
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JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer
The first trailer for “Spider-Man: Far From Home” was released on Jan. 15, and since then speculation about the web-crawler’s next adventure has been rampant. This Spider-Man film will take place following the events of “Avengers: Endgame.” It will mark the end of Phase Three of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe (MCU) and of the Infinity Saga. Because “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is set to take place directly after the events of “Avengers: Endgame,” we can expect a lot of the fall out from it to be addressed in this film. One such event we’ve already seen snippets of in trailers is how Tom Holland’s Peter Parker will deal with the death of his mentor, Tony Stark, and how it will affect the MCU as a whole. Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark had been the face of the MCU and now there is a sizeable hole that needs to be filled. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” will be vital in establishing Spider-Man as a stronger, more significant character capable of taking over as the face of the MCU. While Spider-Man has always been a fan favorite, Tom Holland’s character has mainly been portrayed as young, afraid and inexperienced in crossover films, which has been exasperating, to say the least. In “Captain America: Civil War,” Tom Holland’s Spider-Man was first introduced on the big screen as he flashed his potential by stealing Captain America’s shield and showcasing his superhero abilities in the subsequent fight that followed. However, once he got whacked to the floor by giant Ant-Man Tony decided Peter should sit the rest of the battle out and although Parker initially wanted to continue fighting, he ultimately succumbed to Stark’s request. The most recent instance in which SpiderMan was portrayed in this manner was in “Avengers: Endgame.” When all of the fallen Avengers returned following Hulk’s snap, each was briefly featured in scenes which allowed fans to appreciate their return. However, in Spider-Man’s featured scene during the fight against Thanos’ army, he is shown running away from them with the Infinity Gauntlet in tow. Again he is depicted as someone who is afraid and overwhelmed by his circumstances before being pleasantly surprised by Captain Marvel, who shows up just in time to save him.
Something I’m hoping to see in “SpiderMan: Far From Home” is a more empowered Spider-Man who is allowed to reach his full potential as a hero and help fill the void left by Iron Man’s death. Something I am concerned about when it comes to this film is the budding relationship that has been teased in the trailers between Parker and M.J., who is played by Zendaya Coleman. While it is nostalgic to see Parker develop a relationship with someone who goes by the same initials as Mary Jane; I hope the writers don’t try too hard to force that love connection. When other films have tried to do this in action movies it often comes off as way too cheesy. Despite this, I have a feeling Marvel will be able to
pull it off, mainly because of their ability to incorporate humor into their films. I’m hoping this will help in the characters’ transition from acquaintances to something more personal. Another aspect of the film I am looking forward to is seeing is Jake Gyllenhall’s debut in the MCU as Mysterio. It will also be interesting to see how Director Jon Watts uses both Mysterio and The Elementals, a group of four humanoids who can control natural forces, who will also be making their MCU debut. In the comics Mysterio is one of Spider-Man’s main antagonists and a master illusionist. Yet, in the trailers The Elementals, specifically Hydro-Man, are
shown as the main villains while Mysterio is presented as an ally. This sets the stage for a potentially cruel plot twist in which Mysterio reveals himself to be the real big bad of the film. Another element worth noting when discussing “Spider-Man: Far From Home” is that this film will be the final movie in Phase Three of the MCU. After the release of “Spider-Man: Far From Home” there won’t be another Marvel film for nearly a year. With this being said, I am very excited to see how Marvel decides to close out Phase Three and wrap everything up. There is no doubt in my mind that whatever they decide to do, it will leave fans itching for more. ■H
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SPORTS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports
Softball earns record number of Big West honors JORDAN HOM Senior Staff Writer
There was a total of seven Highlanders awarded Big West Conference honors for the softball team, the most in UC Riverside program history. Junior infielder Danielle Ortega was named to the Big West first team for her remarkable play throughout the season. Ortega ranked among the conference leaders in four categories: Ortega finished third in on-base percentage, fifth in batting average with an efficient .374, seventh in walks and ninth in stolen bases with eight. Ortega recorded 49 hits and 13 RBIs in total, four of which came in a victory against UC Santa Barbara on May 4. “It meant a lot for me because I have been working towards this for three years now and it was always a goal that I wanted to accomplish,” Ortega said in an interview with the Highlander. “My teammates helped me a lot to achieve this award because they put in so much time to help me get to where I needed to be.” Senior infielder Brittney Garcia and junior infielder Emma Ramelot were both named to the Big West second team. Ramelot was dominant in the batter’s box as she batted .327. She also posted a career-high of nine home runs and 35 RBIs. Garcia posted the best offensive season of her career, and collected a career-best 52 hits. Three Highlanders received honorable mentions including junior pitcher Melanie Olmos, junior catcher Sarah Parten and senior infielder Amanda Lynch. Olmos registered six home runs, 37 hits and 40 RBIs, which ranked fifth in the Big West Conference. Parten recorded 19 hits and seven RBIs. Lynch improved
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in almost every category from her junior season. In total, Lynch documented 31 hits, 16 RBIs and four home runs. Outfielder Nadia Witt was named to the all-freshman team. As a freshman, Witt was a starter in nearly every game and finished the season with 20 runs scored. “It was very rewarding for me. It felt
really good to know that I did better than I thought,” Witt said. “Not a lot of freshmen make it so it was a big honor.” The Highlanders finished the softball season with a record of 26-27. One of the main highlights was the 13-game winning streak during the season. “During the 13-game winning streak, I felt a different vibe. Everyone was all
in and the energy was just there. The atmosphere was just amazing and it was something you can’t grasp without being there in person,” Ortega stated. Although a few Highlanders will be leaving the program due to graduation, the team will have a bright future going into next season with Ortega and Witt leading the way. ■H
Highlander Hot Take:
Kevin Durant won’t bolt in free agency RICARDO GARCIA Senior Staff Writer
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It’s been the hot topic of the 2018-19 NBA season: Kevin Durant’s impending free agency. Unfortunately, it’s not going away anytime soon, which is sad because everyone should really be focusing on the greatness of the two teams that made it to the championship round of the playoffs. I am here to settle the debate of the season: Kevin Durant will stay with the Golden State Warriors. He shouldn’t want to play for the Los Angeles Clippers. If he were the only superstar the Clippers acquire this offseason, he would have to try to carry an inexperienced team through the playoffs in a loaded Western Conference. Ask LeBron James how that turned out. Even if the Clippers also sign another superstar, like Kawhi Leonard, they may not mesh as well together as everyone hopes they could. There is no logical reasoning for Durant to play for the New York Knicks either. Nobody wants to play for an owner who kicks franchise legends out of his own arena, regardless of how much money they offer. Let us assume that Kyrie Irving decides to take his talents to the Mecca next season. That would be a great pairing, and it allows the Knicks to package whoever they draft third for an Anthony Davis-type player. Still, it is a
bad idea to play for an unstable franchise with no clear sense of direction. The Warriors are still built to compete for many years to come, and why would KD want to just put that behind him all of a sudden? He also should not want to join James and the Los Angeles Lakers either. The franchise is in disarray following Magic Johnson’s resignation. After what Johnson spilled about the current state of the team, the Lakers do not seem to be an ideal destination for any free agent. Also, if he does join LeBron, Durant will be blamed by the media if the Lakers lose, and James will get all the credit if the Lakers win. It’s just how the media cycle tends to work if you play with LeBron. Durant should want to stay with the greatest dynasty of all time, and continue his reign as the best player in the NBA at the present moment. If he no longer cares about winning, and only wants to pursue money, the Warriors are the team who can offer him the most money anyway. The Warriors feature the best backcourt in the NBA and an elite coach. Durant is also usually on the wrong foot with the media. The media’s heavy presence could deter him from New York or Los Angeles. Given how little media attention the Warriors have been getting, despite how dominant they have been these past few years, Durant would feel most secure playing in the Bay for the rest of the career. ■H
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports
SPORTS
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NBA Finals Preview By: Ricardo Garcia, Cameron Sadeghi-Movahed, Senior staff writer
The NBA Finals are officially underway with the Golden State Warriors taking on the Toronto Raptors. The Golden State Warriors are making their fifth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. The Toronto Raptors are playing for the crown for the first time in franchise history. Join the Highlander in previewing if the Warriors can continue their reign against the Raptors. Preview was written before the publication of this issue, which was after the start of the NBA Finals.
Who or what will be the determining factor in who wins this series? Ricardo Garcia: The determining factor in this series will be the benches for each team. Both teams’ benches have grown thin over the season. The Warriors’ bench has grown thin due to the fact they can’t afford decent bench players, and the Raptors essentially gave it up when they traded for Marc Gasol. When the star players are sitting, someone has to step up, and both teams’ benches have few players who can do that. Cameron Sadeghi-Mohaved: I think the determining factor in whoever wins this series will be the defensive prowess, especially on the interior. I think defense and rebounding will be huge, and I think the Raptors have the advantage there because of the length and the amount of versatile role players they have. They can throw a lot of bodies at Durant in Pascal Siakam and Serge Ibaka. Danny Green can guard Curry, Siakam can even run around and chase Thompson, so they have a lot of versatility. Defensive rebounding will be critical in this series. I think both teams will shoot well, but defense and rebounding will be the determining factors in who wins this series and I think the Raptors have the advantage.
What do you think each team’s primary gameplan should be? RG: The Warriors’ primary gameplan should be to smother Kawhi Leonard whenever he has the ball. The strategy worked on Damian Lillard, and he made some horrendous passes in the Conference Finals. The Raptors’ gameplan should be to physically bump and knock down Stephen Curry, even at the expense of a few fouls. This would help the Raptors wear him down and prevent him from moving off the ball so much. CSM: The Toronto Raptors should be attacking the basket and attacking inside, going inside, possibly posting up Ibaka and Gasol, hitting them on pick-and-roll situations. Leonard should be driving all day long. They shouldn’t be settling for jump shots against a team that is very small inside, so I think they should be going to the basket and attacking hard. For Golden State, I think they should have a spaced out floor, have good spacing, set solid screens, move the ball around, try to get some movement out on the perimeter. A lot of screens for Curry will lead to a lot of open opportunities, and I think for the Warriors it will be mainly about off-the-ball movement and solid-ball movement.
Who do you think will win this series? Why?
RG: Warriors. The closest thing to Golden State the Raptors have faced this postseason are the 76ers, who took them to seven games. The Raptors are tired and the Warriors, who have been laboring with a few key injuries, had nine full days of rest. With Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson now healthy, and the return of DeMarcus Cousins and Kevin Durant looming, the series is tilted in the Warriors favor. This is also the last Finals that will be played at Oracle Arena before the Warriors move to the Chase Center in San Francisco. They’ll likely attempt to end the series in Oakland to honor the fans for over four decades of support. Meanwhile, I’ll use my next paycheck to get ready to buy some new Championship merchandise. CSM: I think the Toronto Raptors will win this series in seven games. Toronto has a greater bench mob than the Warriors do. The Raptors have players like Fred Van Vleet, and Jodie Meeks, among others who all have the ability to chip in and contribute. The role players outside of Leonard and Lowry, such as Siakam, the Raptors have so many guys who can perform.I think Toronto will win in seven games. They have the bench, and that’s what I really believe. I think their bench and their role players are going to pull through, along with Kawhi Leonard’s stellar play.
Who will take home the Finals MVP award this year?
RG: Stephen Curry will win Finals MVP if Kevin Durant is out for at least two games. If Durant returns for game two, then his chances diminish slightly, but he still has a great shot regardless to make his mark in this series. CSM: The best player in the world right now, Kawhi Leonard, will win the Finals MVP award. He is so solid defensively, he can lock down anyone. Kevin Durant really struggled at the end of games against Toronto this year because he could not get past Leonard. I think in the one home game they played, Durant at the end of the game was trying to cross up Kawhi Leonard, but he got pick-pocketed by Leonard, who was able to take it down and score. Leonard has the offensive and defensive prowess.
Offensively he can make any shot. He can score from anywhere on the floor. He’s so good at attacking. His passing has gotten so much better in these playoffs, and he’s finally finding the open net. He’s collapsing the defense and finding open shooters. If it wasn’t for Leonard, Van Vleet wouldn’t have had those seven threes against Milwaukee because of all those drive-and-kick situations.
Do you think this series will have free agency implications? We know Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard and Klay Thompson will all be free agents. How do you think this series will affect their summer and where they end up? RG: This series will not have any free agency implications. I fully expect Thompson and Durant to stay in Golden State, since the Warriors can give them both the most money. Plus, nobody wants to see this golden dynasty end. Leonard should also stay, now that he can see he can carry his own team to the Finals. CSM: I think Klay Thompson could become a Laker, potentially. We’ve heard those rumors. I’m not sure about Durant. I really do think Kawhi Leonard will stay in Toronto, because Kawhi has always wanted to be that ball-dominant star. You could even tell in San Antonio that he wanted to be a ball-dominant player even though he had to stand in the background with Duncan, Parker and Ginobili, but in Toronto, Kawhi is the star, Kawhi is the leader, Kawhi is the one that has the ball in his hands at the end of the game, closing game after game. I think Kawhi stays. Durant stays, and I think Klay Thompson goes to the Lakers considering that Thompson used to live in the Rancho Santa Margarita area. I believe he went to Rancho Santa Margarita High School. His father is a former Laker and lives in Ladera Ranch, so he’s a big Southern California person, and Kawhi is too. Klay Thompson will go to either the Clippers or the Lakers. I think this series will affect them because I don’t think Klay Thompson will have a good series. Klay Thompson historically hasn’t done that great in the Finals. Even in the first Finals victory that started the Dynasty, he really struggled against Cleveland. He missed a lot of shots. I think he averaged less than 15 points per game, and he had a really low shooting percentage, so Klay Thompson will be going to the Lakers in my opinion.
Is this the end of the Warriors dynasty? RG: No, this is not the end of the dynasty regardless of what free-agency decisions happen. If Durant leaves, so be it, but the Warriors still have the core four that began this run in 2015. Durant’s hypothetical departure would free up money for the Warriors to sign solid bench pieces, so, in essence, the team will be able to rely on solid minutes from their backups when Curry or Thompson are on the bench, much like they had in the past. CSM: Yes it is because they are running into a better, solid, sturdy, defensive team that can attack the basket, and that is a vulnerability for the warriors. It is the end of the Warriors dynasty. They may have to break up players. Maybe Green leaves, Thompson I believe will leave. This is the end of the Warriors dynasty.
What is your series prediction? RG: Warriors in six. If the Warriors do fall behind at some point, they have the championship pedigree to come back and win; they have won their previous four playoff series when trailing at any point. All the Warriors need is one road win in their in great shape to win their third consecutive title. CSM: Raptors in seven. Home-court advantage is huge, especially for Toronto. Golden State doesn’t have home court advantage this year. We know how big of an advantage it is for them to start off hot, especially being up 2-0. That’s really how Golden State wins these finals. They get home court, they get hot, they shoot hot at home and then they’re up 2-0. Being down in a 2-0 hole is always difficult to climb out of. The only team that really climbed out of a hole against Golden State was that LeBron-Kyrie 2016 miracle year, with Richard Jefferson and Kevin Love. I just think Toronto in seven. Toronto is deeper this year, they have the hottest player in the world, the most consistent player in the world. They are just too big, too strong and too long for this Warriors team. So Raptors in seven. ■H
SPORTS The Conference of Champions celebrates the outstanding 24
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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports
success of the student athletes Jordan Hom , SENIOR STAFF WRITER
MARTIN LOPEZ/ HIGHLANDER
The UC Riverside Celebration of Champions event was hosted on Wednesday, May 29 in downtown Riverside at City Hall’s Grier Pavilion. The event featured many of the studentathletes and coaches who were awarded Big West honors. In addition, Mayor of Riverside Rusty Bailey was in attendance as well as UCR Chancellor Kim Wilcox. The event kicked off around 5:30 p.m. as the student-athletes and coaches mingled with each other. They stood around tables with appetizers on hand as they chatted with each other. At around 6:00 p.m., Bailey took the podium to congratulate all of the studentathletes for their hard work and success throughout the season. He spoke about what it means to be a UCR Highlander and what it means to represent Riverside as a city. “It was such an honor to have all the athletes here at this event,” Bailey said. “It’s always a pleasure to reflect on the accomplishments of our student athletes.” The next person to take the stage was senior defender Dusan Keca of the men’s soccer team. Keca, a native of Serbia, spoke about his experience throughout the season and what winning the Big West Championship meant to him and his teammates. Keca was a big part of the men’s soccer team that won the Big West Championship on Nov. 10, 2018. This was the first
time in UCR program history that the men’s soccer team advanced to the NCAA tournament. Up next to the microphone was junior thrower Natalie Mitchell from the women’s track team. She reflected on the successful season and the mindset they had to have in order to achieve success. “In order to achieve success we needed to lift each other up and strive for greatness,” Mitchell said. “I feel like many of us have represented the track team very well this season. This season we came to the Big West Championship with the mindset just to compete. We were mentally prepared and fought for the podium.” The evening concluded with the athletes posing for a few photos, and the remaining time was filled with food and conversations. For baseball, five Highlanders were named to the Big West all-conference teams. Junior designated hitter Connor Cannon and senior outfielder Dean Miller were named to the Big West first team. Cannon set many records on the season, including breaking the UCR program record for most home runs in a single-season with 18. He also became the first player in Big West history to win three consecutive Field Player of the Week awards. Although men’s baseball didn’t have quite the season they anticipated, they finished with a record of 20-36, Cannon was one of the bright spots for the team. Senior first baseman Yeager Taylor and sophomore utility player Nathan Webb were named to the Big West second team. Taylor concluded the season with a total of 65 hits and four home runs. Webb was the only underclassman to receive Big West honors for baseball. Junior outfielder Travis Bohall received recognition as he received a Big West honorable mention. Bohall finished the season with 16 stolen bases. Women’s softball had seven players who received Big West honors. Junior outfielder Daniella Ortega was named to the first team in her first ever selection. Ortega was remarkable throughout the season as she ranked second on the team in runs scored with 32. Ortega also had an efficient time at the plate, batting a career-high .374. “It meant a lot to me to make the Big West first team because I’ve been working towards this goal for three years now. My teammates put in so much time helping me get to where I wanted to be and it really means a lot,” Ortega said. Senior infielder Brittney Garcia and junior infielder Emily Ramelot were named to the Big West second team. Garcia collected a career-best 52 hits on the season and Ramelot scored a career-best 37 runs. Freshman outfielder Nadia Witt
MARTIN LOPEZ/ HIGHLANDER
was named to the all-freshman team for her outstanding play. Witt was a starter in most of her games and amassed 20 runs scored. Three Highlanders were named as Big West honorable mentions. Those players included junior pitcher Melanie Olmos, junior catcher Sarah Parten and senior infielder Amanda Lynch. The captain of the tennis team, senior Kyle McCann, was named to the Big West second team for his singles play. McCann became the first
Highlander since 2014 to do so. McCann is also the leader for wins in UCR program history. Junior Gilbert Chung was named as an honorable mention with a remarkable singles record of 28-5. This is the first time Chung has been awarded for his singles play. Chung was previously honored in 2017 for his doubles play alongside partner Cooper Bridge. For the first time since 2012, two women were named as honorable mentions for their singles play in tennis: sophomore Tia Elpusan and freshman Mahli Silpachai. Elpusan had many strong performances, posting a 7-7 record. Silpachai became the sixth freshman to eclipse the 10-win mark. Sophomore Quinn Williams became a Big West Champion when he won the men’s 400-meter hurdle event in Santa Barbara. Williams placed first with a time of 51.34 seconds to secure his title. Williams was joined by freshman John Ober III who became a Big West Champion for the javelin throwing event. Ober III threw the javelin a distance of 64.61 meters. UC Riverside had many studentathletes receive Big West honors and this Conference of Champions event was a way to celebrate all of their accomplishments. All of the athletes dedicated many long hours to practicing and improving their craft and these honors reflected their hard work. ■H
MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER