Issuu

THE HIGHLANDER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

VOL. 68, ISSUE 16

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

est. 1954

Executive Cabinet vetoes bill that would clarify ASUCR’s removal procedures

AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

On Friday, Jan. 31, The Highlander received a tip from a source who requested anonymity; the source provided an email that stated SB-W20-007: Enacting Chapter XXXIII: Basis for Removal from Office was vetoed by the executive cabinet after a discussion regarding the constitution and the bylaws. The email also said that the executive cabinet moved to veto SB-W20-007 in order to ensure that legislation “reflects the duties, powers and precedence outlined in our (ASUCR’s) governing documents.” At the ASUCR meeting held on Jan. 29, Orlando Cabalo, senate intern and first-year history major, introduced SB-W20-007. The bill is identical to SB-W20-001: Enacting Chapter XXXIII: Removal and Vacancy Procedures, which was denied at the Jan. 22 ASUCR meeting due to debate over the constitutionality of the bill. This bill would define malfeasance and dereliction of duty in Section 5 and Section 6 of the bylaw. The bill would also further clarify procedures to remove ASUCR officials from office. Section 5, Item A would define malfeasance as “malicious intent to harm an individual physically, to engage in bribery (whether monetary or otherwise), an intense self-service through one’s elected office, and/or other high crimes/misdemeanors.” Section 6, Item A would define dereliction of duty as any consistent and repeated violation of the job required by all members in ASUCR. At the meeting, after debate, the bill was passed 11-1-2. The Highlander reached out to President Julian Gonzalez for comment but he did not respond before time of print. This story is ongoing, The Highlander will provide further updates as the story ■H develops.

According to a tip the Highlander recieved Jan. 31, the Executive Cabinet voted to veto a bill clarifying removal procedures.

ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER

mamba out

iranspiration

yant br

24 features

Oscar picks

sports

►Page 18 & 19

►Page 14 & 15

Radar editors’ discuss and debate their favorites for the upcoming 2020 Oscars.

►Page 24

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

HUMANS OF UCR

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 5

HAEMI WON | PSYCHOLOGY | THIRD YEAR COMPILED BY JOSHUA WANG

E&J Gallo Winery Q&A Session: Open Positions 10:00am to 12:00pm Olmsted Hall, 2340

Don’t be Scared of Credit 3:00pm to 4:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 265

How To Vegan 2:30pm - 4:30pm Student Recreation Center (SRC), classroom kitchen

Midterm Study Break 5:00pm to 8:00pm Costo Hall 229, NASP Office

APSP Speaker Series Presents Chris Lam and Raina Huang 6:00pm to 8:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 302S

ASPB Presents: Free Film Premiere: Birds of Prey 10:00pm UV Theater

Career Pathways Day 9:30am to 6:30pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 265

Cover Letter Writing 11:00am to 12:30pm HUB 367

APSP Womxn’s Program: Generasian 9:00am to 4:00pm Costo Hall, 244

Driftwood Succulent Planter Workshop 10:00am to 12:00pm Botanic Gardens, Meeting Room

UCR Music conference: 8:30am to 9:30pm CHASS Interdisciplinary South, Level 1 spaces

UCR Orchestra 8:00pm to 9:30pm University Theatre

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

“Before, when I first came here I wasn’t really involved so I didn’t know people. But I decided to join an honor fraternity, Phi Sigma Pi. There I was able to meet so many more people from not only here but also from other colleges. It really helped broaden my perspectives and improved my leadership

Friday

and networking abilities. Many of the personal relationships I cherish now came from that one decision I made to join. I really recommend people to get involved on campus, it could really change the whole experience here.“

Saturday

09 Sunday

HIGHLANDER STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

Evan Ismail

Jonathan Fernandez

managingeditor @highlandernews.org

editorinchief @highlandernews.org

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

NEWS EDITOR

Amani Mahmoud

news@highlandernews.org

Laura Anaya-Morga lanay004@ucr.edu

OPINIONS EDITOR

Asst. opinions editor

Christine Tran ctran104@ucr.edu

Samuel Harrison

opinions@highlandernews.org FEATURES EDITOR

Mark Bertumen

features@highlandernews. org A&E EDITOR

ASST. A&E EDITOR

Colin Carney

Adam Alvernaz aalve003@ucr.edu

radar@highlandernews.org SPORTS EDITOR

Jordan Hom

sports@highlandernews.org PRODUCTION MANAGER

ART DIRECTOR

Kerry Mulia

Amanda Joy Teano highlander.art.director@ gmail.com

productionmanager @highlandernews.org PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS

Kathy Garcia Brinly Den Celine Hoang

Judy Tu Ashley Pang Asst. Photo Editor

PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Martin Lopez

Ryan Poon rpoon003@ucr.edu

photo@highlandernews.org STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Leo Yue Lydia Tsou

Lloyd Kao ASST. VIDEO EDITOR

Sara Bernal

sbern016@ucr.edu BUSINESS MANAGER

COPY EDITOR

Melanie White

Silvia Ferrer

highlanderads@gmail.com

copyeditor.highlander@ gmail.com

DISTRIBUTION MANAGER

TECH DIRECTOR

Sarang Majmudar

MARKETING COORDINATOR

Cody Davis

Jeffrey Juan

techdirector@highlandernews.org

marketing.highlander@gmail.com

Highlander 101 Highlander Union Building Riverside, CA 92521 www.highlandernews.org editorinchief@highlandernews.org TIP LINE: (951) 827-2105 Help the Highlander stay on top of what is happening on campus and in the general UCR community. Call this number and leave a message for the Editorial Board with your tip. Be sure to include your full name, relation to UCR, and a number or email address where you can be reached for more details. Editorial Office: (951) 827-3617

Business Office: (951) 827-3457

Classifieds & Billing: (951) 827-5039

Fax: (951) 827-7049

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They must be 600-800 words at length and include the author’s name and contact information. Topics should be UCR-centric and/or pertain to our generation of students. Contact Opinions Editor Samuel Harrison at opinions@highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit the completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letters can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements. LEGAL The Highlander is published and copyrighted by the Highlander for the students, faculty and staff of UCR. All rights are reserved. Reprinting of any material in this publication without the written permission of the Highlander is strictly prohibited. Readers are allowed one free copy of the newspaper. For additional copies or for subscription information, please contact the Highlander. The Highlander fully supports the University of California’s policy on non-discrimination. The student media reserve the right to reject or modify advertising whose content discriminates on the basis of ancestry, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation. The Highlander has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints against it. All inserts that are printed in the Highlander are independently paid publications and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the staff or The University of California or the Associated Students of UCR.

10 Monday

R’Course Information Session Learn to Create Your Own Course 1:00pm 1127 Hinderaker Hall

MULTIMEDIA

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS ADVERTISING INFORMATION Please submit Classifed ads by calling 951-827-3457 or by emailing Highlanderads@ucr.edu PAYMENT Visa and Mastercard Make checks payable to The Highlander Newspaper No refunds RATES Classiﬁed: $2 per line; 17 characters (spaces, dashes, etc.)

Writers Week 2020 2:30pm to 8:30pm CHASS Interdisciplinary South, Screening Room, INTS 1128 and University Theatre, HUMN 400

UCRHIGHLANDER

UCR HIGHLANDER NEWSPAPER @UCRHIGHLANDER HighlanderTV KUCR 88.3 FM

News 4

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

UCR campuswide email responds to common questions about the novel coronavirus, 2019-nCoV

LAURA ANAYA-MORGA Senior Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Jan. 29, UCR’s University Communications team sent out a mass email to students answering questions about the novel coronavirus (“2019-nCoV”) that originated from Wuhan, Hubei Province in east-central China. According to the email, coronaviruses come from a larger family of viruses that can cause respiratory problems. 2019nCoV is genetically similar to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) which can cause more serious respiratory issues. It has been reported that 2019-nCoV can be spread through direct contact and people may be infectious before any of their symptoms arise. While there is no vaccine available to treat 2019-nCoV at the time, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) are currently working on projects to develop a vaccine. Travel related cases of 2019-nCoV have been reported in Japan, Australia, France, Thailand and the United States. At the time of writing, approximately 11 people have been infected in the U.S. and are being treated for 2019-nCoV, including three people in California. The federal government has imposed a 14-day quarantine of 195 people who arrived on an evacuation flight from Wuhan, China to California days after the WHO declared the outbreak a global emergency. The group is being held at the March Air Reserve Base in Riverside, California, to ensure that they are free from the disease that has sickened more than 9,800 people in China and killed over 200.

The Corona virus are a group of virus that have a halo, or crown-like, appearance when viewed under an electron microscope.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

In the campuswide email, Dr. Kenneth Han, chief physician of the Office of Student Health stated, “There are no known exposures in Riverside or the UC Riverside campus. UCR is working closely with colleagues, clinical partners, and public health officials to actively monitor the situation and prepare for potential cases.” Han stated that the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak comes at a time of year when many are prone to catch the common cold and that everyone should be conducting their best health practices to avoid illness. These practices include good hygiene, avoiding close contact with people who are sick, covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding touching your eyes, nose or mouth and

getting the annual flu vaccine. In an interview with The Highlander, Brandon Brown, an epidemiologist at the UCR School of Medicine, stated that he believes people should be more worried about the flu which has killed over 8,000 people in the U.S. since Oct. 1, 2019. Brown stated, “Last year there were over 35 million sick from the flu and over 34,000 deaths. The year before that, there were over 61,000 deaths.” To students worried about 2019-nCoV being spread globally he stated, “I would say don’t panic, know the facts, be aware of misinformation, and use good prevention methods.” According to Brown, the CDC has said there is a low risk of the virus

spreading in the U.S. given there has been no person to person transmission. Brown stated, “We should be paying attention to the flu epidemic that we experience each year with millions currently sick. We have an annual flu vaccine so everyone should get vaccinated, and we know the other basic prevention methods that we need to practice.” The email also mentioned that there have been no confirmed cases of 2019-nCoV at UCR and campus leadership is working closely with clinical and public health partners to monitor any possible cases of the virus. Timely updates will be sent to the campus community as soon as new information arises. ■H

In an interview with The Highlander, TAPS Director Irma Henderson stated since parking space availability on campus is going to be very tight over the next year during this construction permit as all campus parking resources will be utilized to their capacity, students should, “Plan accordingly and use our Twitter and MyCommute web page to get the most up-to-date information on parking lot and space availability.” She also stated that in order to bring more available parking spaces to students due to Lot 13’s closure, TAPS has been working with the North District contractors and builders to see what land they have that can be used for temporary parking. “This quarter, we have been overflowing Gold permit holders to a temporary gravel lot across the street from Lot 26. The area has been able to accommodate all the Gold permits,” stated Henderson in regards to how Gold permit holders will be affected by the closure. She added that Blue permit holders will be the most affected by the closure. In regards to how the parking situation may worsen until it gets better, Henderson stated, “As with any construction project on campus, we are going to be challenged but we are also stepping up our efforts to let the community know about the free resources that are available such as the UPASS program (where you can ride the bus for free) and the free parking at the Hunter-Park Metrolink Station.” Henderson said that TAPS implemented a new, lower rate permit type, the

Orange permit, and are working with the surrounding community to lease vacant parking lots for those permit holders. TAPS is increasing their marketing and communication efforts to inform everyone about alternative commute options and where to find available parking in our current parking lots, stated Henderson. The whole campus community, staff,

faculty, students and visitors will all benefit from the additional space not only in Lot 13 but across all the parking lots, stated Henderson. She said, “It will give us an opportunity to shift some of our Blue/Gold permit holders around, provide us more short term visitor parking, enable us to sell more Gold Plus permits, and provide relief to all permit holders.” ■H

Lot 13 partially closes as construction on PS1 begins

AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS) sent out a mass email notifying students that construction on the new parking structure, PS1, is expected to start at the end of January and anticipated to be completed by the start of the 2021 spring quarter. TAPS announced that portions of Lot 13 will be closed for construction on Jan. 29, beginning with the full closure of the eastern portion of Lot 13. The email stated that TAPS has begun relocating as many of the current Lot 13 Blue permit holders to alternate lots as possible. They noted that Lot 13 Blue permit holders who did not have requests to change their assigned parking locations, or whose request cannot be accommodated at this time, will remain assigned to Lot 13. Any remaining Lot 13 Blue permit holders will be allowed to park in the remaining portion of Lot 13, open spaces in the Big Springs Parking Structure across the street and in Lot 21 off of Linden Street. In the email, TAPS stated that Lot 13 Blue permit holders do not need to wait until Lot 13 is full. They can also park in Lot 13, Lot 21 and Big Springs Parking Structure at any time. “Parking space availability on campus is going to be very tight over the next year during this construction permit as all campus parking resources will be utilized to their capacity,” TAPS stated in the email.

An artist’s rendering of PS1.

COURTESY OF UC RIVERSIDE

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

NEWS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

UCR Dining Services introduces halal options at Chronic Taco

ALEJANDRO MEZA-AGUILAR Contributing Writer

A halal meat option has officially been added to the menu of Chronic Taco in the Highlander Union Building (HUB). The decision comes in wake of a push from the UCR Muslim community who expressed that UCR dining needs more halal options. In an interview with The Highlander, Strategic Marketing and Communications Manager Benjamin Eisenstein stated, “UCR has close to twenty student groups on campus representing up to 2,500 individuals that have expressed interest in supporting halal options. We hear the feedback and it’s important that we act upon it.” The UCR Chronic Taco location currently only offers halal chicken, but there is still more being done for the addition of a variety of halal options on campus, stated Eisentein. Halal meat is what is considered permissible to eat by Muslims. The Islamic form of slaughtering an animal is considered more humane and involves specific species of animals, as stated by Islamic Food & Nutrition Council of America. The species of animals are cattle, goats, sheep, camels and poultry. Eisenstein added that their culinary team also offers halal chicken daily at their residential restaurants, Aberdeen-Inverness and Lothian, Savor and

UCR Chronic Taco location introduces halal chicken option.

Sizzle at the Market at Glen Mor and additionally their dining services is planning to also add halal ground beef and halal beef tri tip. According to Eisenstein, UCR Dining’s halal options are expected to meet Halal Transactions Incorporated’s inspection standards, a member of the Association of American Halal Certifiers. The food vendor renews their certificate annually upon meeting successful inspection from Halal Transactions

Inc. In an interview with The Highlander, Aisha Mansoor, a public policy graduate student stated that she often finds it difficult to find Halal options on campus, “When it comes to eating on campus I have to look for substitutes such as seafood or plant-based options. If I go to Subway, I get tuna or if I go to Panda Express I get tofu.” Yusef Abd-Allah, third-year psychology major stated in an interview

JOSHUA WANG / HIGHLANDER

with The Highlander, “Even though the options are available there are certain circumstances in which they aren’t accessible such as Ramadan. It’s there, but it’s not the easiest of options.” Eisenstein stated, “Halal was tested at Chronic Tacos during the 2018-19 school year and earlier this fall. It was added to the menu full-time this winter quarter.” Eisenstein added that Dining Services always strives to be as inclusive as possible in their menus. ■H

UCR organizations join together to promote the UCR Counts! Initiative

LAURA ANAYA-MORGA Senior Staff Writer

The UCR Counts! Census 2020 Complete Count Committee is a team of campus leaders who are joining together to ensure that UCR and its communities are accurately accounted for during this year’s census. The committee consists of students and faculty from ASUCR, the Center for Social Innovation, the Office of Government & Community Relations, the Office of Student Life and Undocumented Student Programs. In an interview with The Highlander, Eric Calderon, the director of the transfer & non-traditional student committee for ASUCR and the educational

ambassador for the initiative wrote, “The census is by far one of the most important civic engagement activities in the U.S. and is critical for our nation.” Calderon stated that as a committee, they are working closely with their partners from the UC Office of the President, the U.S. Census Bureau, the California Complete Count Office and the Inland Empire Complete Count Committee to host various information sessions and outreach campaigns to promote the importance of the 2020 census. The decennial census count affects where resources are allocated to a community including U.S. senatorial seats and federal funds. Calderon stated that the information produced by the census

holds three main purposes: political representation, funding and data. After each count, representatives are appointed depending on the number of people living in the area. “This means that, even though some cannot vote, they still have a voice that can be heard,” wrote Calderon. It is estimated that each person represents around $2,000 of state and federal funding per year, stated Calderon. After the census, the government uses this information to build roads, schools and emergency services, as well as allocate student support such as federal Pell Grants and research grants. Census information also allows for better research to be done across the nation, added Calderon, and is used for communities to better prepare

ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER

and plan for the future by providing insight on demographic and population trends. According to Calderon, getting an accurate count at UCR is especially important because compared to other UCs, UCR falls in a hard to count community whose return rate in 2010 was 60-70%. Calderon wrote, “Hard to Count tracts are often locations that have high immigrant populations … older people, people who move around a lot, college students, people from the LGBTQIA+ community, homeless people, formerly incarcerated, among other groups who might be fearful or unaware about the Census.” An inaccurate census count may lead to a lack of representation or funding in a certain community. Calderon acknowledged that some individuals may not fill out the census due to fears of their citizenship being questioned. However, in July the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against President Trump’s proposal to add such a question on the census. Calderon stated that whether or not this action was a ploy to bar immigrants from representing themselves in the census, “the importance is that this will affect every person and community for the next ten years. We need our people to be heard.” The goal of the UCR Counts! Census 2020 Complete Count Committee is to have the entire campus fill out the 2020 census on the first of April. Calderon and his committee hope that UCR’s students, faculty, staff and campus partners can educate and motivate their family, friends and community to fill out the census. He stated, “It’s not only a regional and state initiative, but one that affects everyone across the country.” ■H

6 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

ASUCR

Senate passes Enacting Chapter XXXIII: Removal and Vacancy Procedures bill

ASUCR further debates SB-W20-007.

AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Jan. 29, ASUCR held their fourth meeting of winter quarter. The meeting was the first State of the Association meeting of the quarter. Before the agenda was approved, CHASS Senator and President Pro Tempore Miguel Ramirez moved to amend the agenda to add SB-W20-007: Enacting Chapter XXXIII: Removal and Vacancy Procedures. This senate bill was identical to SB-W20-001: Enacting Chapter XXXIII: Removal and Vacancy Procedures which was denied at the Jan. 22 ASUCR meeting due to

ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER

debate over the constitutionality of the bill. This bill would define malfeasance and dereliction of duty in Section 5 and Section 6 of the bylaw. Section 5, Item A would define malfeasance as “malicious intent to harm an individual physically, to engage in bribery (whether monetary or otherwise), an intense self-service through one’s elected office, and/or other high crimes/misdemeanors.” Section 6, Item A would define dereliction of duty as any consistent and repeated violation of the job required by all members in ASUCR. First-year history major and Senate Intern Orlando Cabalo presented the bill.

The bill was previously denied because of debate surrounding the addition of five added directors as part of the executive branch which some senators and executive cabinet members felt went against what is stated in the constitution, however, Executive Director of ASUCR Laurie Sinclair affirmed that the bill was in line with the constitution. The new version of the bill removed the previous language that stated that the five added directors are part of the executive branch. Sarai Fuentes, the chief justice of the judicial branch of ASUCR, expressed her concern with the bill. She stated that, “By providing a specific definition of these terms ... you are essentially taking away the judicial branch’s job to interpret the constitution.” Cabalo stated that defining terms in constitutions through the use of bylaws is a common procedure done in every single level of government. BCOE Senator Maurice Armstrong responded stating, “It seems to me that by defining these terms I believe that judicial still has the opportunity to wiggle around interpreting the definitions. Not everything is defined super strictly ... at the end of the day shouldn’t the judicial branch’s decision take precedence over the bylaw anyways?” Fuentes responded stating, “I think these definitions could create problems in future cases.” Cabalo then expressed his concern with Fuentes’ presence at the senate meeting. He stated, “In the federal government, there is a separation of powers. The senate should debate

legislation and if it is considered to be contradictory to the constitution, then they should bring it to the judiciary where they can then decide if it is or not. The judiciary has no authority to debate legislation on the senate floor.” He went on to state that in the U.S. government, judicial members do not debate bills on

the senate floor because that is a separation of powers issue. After more discussion, the bill was ultimately passed with a vote of 11-1-2. However, on Friday, Jan. 31, The Highlander received a tip from a source who requested anonymity; the source provided an email that stated SB-W20-007 was vetoed by the executive cabinet after a discussion regarding the constitution and the bylaws. The meeting then moved on to Officer Reports in which Elections Director Dyanna Castaneda announced that candidacy filing for the ASUCR 2020 elections is now open. Castaneda stated that the Elections Committee did decide to no longer host candidate debates, instead opting for a tabling and open-house style event held at the Bell Tower in order to get students to get to know the candidates running. Castaneda stated that she felt an open-house style event would be more personal than debates. The event will not be required for candidates to attend but it is strongly encouraged. Castaneda also stated that referendum will be voted on next week. These two referendums include the Performing Arts Support and Access Fee and the Equity and Opportunities Referendum.

The meeting was adjourned at 7:51 p.m. ■H

Newly elected ASUCR president pro tempore discusses goals and plans

AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, ASUCR held a special elections to fill the vacant president pro tempore position after the former president pro tempore, Preeti Juturu, publicly resigned. In the special election, CHASS Senator Miguel Ramirez and CNAS Senator Natalie Hernandez both ran for the position. After speeches from both candidates and a closed deliberation from the senate, Ramirez was elected with a vote of 116-0. In an interview with The Highlander, Ramirez stated that he decided to run because he felt prepared and ready to take on the responsibilities of the position. “I think I can bring good knowledge about legislation acquired last quarter, in addition to being able to bring people together and finding ways to work with other members of ASUCR,” stated Ramirez. In terms of legislation, Ramirez said he wants to accomplish two things. He stated that he first wants to work with other senators to increase the number of legislation that is written and submitted. He stated, “This means that not only more senators will engage in the legislative process, but more senators will be working with UCR students on legislation they care about.” The second thing he wants to work on is working with his own interns so they can also engage and become more familiarized with the legislative writing process. Ramirez noted that the president pro tempore position comes with

CHASS Senator Miguel Ramirez presents his speech while running for the President Pro Tempore position.

additional responsibilities, but good time management can guarantee that he attends to all of his responsibilities. “The fact that my fellow senators voted for me means they trust my work ethic, and are confident that I can be a good leader. Of course, the only way to show they made the right decision is by working hard and by letting my actions speak for themselves,” stated Ramirez. In regards to his experience with the Legislative Review Committee, Ramirez stated that he was chosen to be one of the committee members at the beginning of

the school year and had the opportunity to watch and learn from former President Pro Tempore Juturu’s work closely. “When she resigned, I stepped up and chaired an LRC meeting as well as presented the committee reports on two of our ASUCR meetings. Doing so helped me realize I had a passion for this work and that I was prepared to take on the position,” stated Ramirez. Ramirez stated that he hopes to follow in Juturu’s footsteps as president pro tempore. He stated, “she is an extraordinarily hard working individual

LEO YUE/ HIGHLANDER

who cares a lot about student issues, so I want to continue to do things in a similar way and with a similar focus.” Ramirez stated that students already have great legislation ideas that can be extremely impactful. In order to work with the student body and ASUCR to pass meaningful and impactful legislation Ramirez stated that he wants to be, “a tool to connect students with student legislators. As the chair of the LRC, I can also help meaningful legislation get to the senate floor and influence the passage of that legislation.” ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

NEWS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

New SPP Senator hopes to engage UCR students with their local government

LAURA ANAYA-MORGA Senior Staff Writer

During the special elections held on Wednesday, Jan. 22, second year Emily Thomas was elected to fill the vacant School of Public Policy (SPP) senator seat for ASUCR with a total of 10 votes. In an email interview with The Highlander, Thomas wrote that she hopes to engage and inspire students in the SPP and UCR to participate in Riverside’s city government. “I feel students have a unique and awesome power in our government and they need to be involved in our local politics,” wrote Thomas. During her time as SPP senator, Thomas hopes to create an ASUCR committee for commuters. The goal of the committee will be to build community and connections between commuters and UCR, as well as brainstorm policies and developments that will improve the commuter experience. Earlier in the school year, Thomas was appointed as the local relations coordinator for ASUCR’s Lobby Corps, where she had constant conversations with Transportation and Parking

Services (TAPS) about the importance of transparency with the student body. “I am a commuter and I know the trials of coming to campus and getting acquainted with campus culture,” wrote Thomas. She stated that during this time, she felt empowered to hold an accountability meeting and open up communication with TAPS and is currently on the TAPS Advisory committee to advocate on issues pertaining to undergraduate commuters. Thomas is also the assistant director of the City Relations Committee for ASUCR. Their purpose is to hold ASUCR officials accountable and promote student engagement in ASUCR, wrote Thomas. She hopes to promote student engagement in local government by hosting events with Riverside city officials and taking students to council meetings. In March, Thomas and her committees will be hosting Riverside City Council members at UCR and while details are minimal, Thomas says, “It will be a great way for students to come out and speak to representatives about issues they face in the Riverside community and also learn more about city government.” ■H

Emily Thomas presents speech while running for SPP Senator position.

LEO YUE/ HIGHLANDER

UCR Healthy Campus joins the UC Healthy Beverage Initiative

ANTONIO VELAOCHAGA Contributing Writer

On Sept. 30, the UCR Healthy Campus (UCRHC) signed on to the UC Healthy Beverage Initiative (HBI). The Healthy Beverage Initative’s goal at UCR is to create healthy beverage zones by providing more access to tap water and reducing the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs). The goal of the initiative is to “increase access to water and hopefully reduce consumption of sugar sweetened beverages,” stated Julie Chobdee, staff co-lead for the HBI and wellness program coordinator. UCRHC began to develop a committee that is focused on making strategies that will help students, staff and faculty make healthier drinking choices. The committee is planning to install more hydration stations and spigots to existing water fountains, create a signage and online mapping system to locate them and design marketing campaigns to encourage water instead of SSBs. UCR’s HBI is led by Julie Chobdee, Transportation and Parking Services Administrative Assistant Lauren Green, School of Business’ Acting Assistant Professor of Teaching in Information System Rich Yuen and Assistant Professor in Residence for the Center for Health Communities Dr. Ann Cheney. UCR’s HBI has a student team that is comprised of five UCR graduate and undergraduate students. HBI was a program that was implemented by UC Healthy Campus Network in November of 2015. This program started with UCSF joining HBI and banning the sale of all SSBs on their campus. 10 months after this ban, UCSF had about a 50% reduction in consumption of SSBs and significant health improvements among employees. According to Green, UCRHC will not cut the sale of SSBs on campus, “since the university has contracts with Pepsi and all the different vendors that we can’t cut out (sugar sweetened beverages).” All UC campuses except for UC Merced are currently signed to HBI and have received $140,000 in funding from the Systemwide Human Resources Department. HBI’s goal is to reduce unhealthy

diets such as the mass consumption of beverages that are high in sugar. These high sugar diets are a large contributor to the development of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and obesity. Chobdee said that water refill areas provide more opportunity for students, staff and faculty to make healthier choices. In the fall quarter of 2019, UCRHC began collecting data to inform HBI of the effect that their intervention will produce. The committee conducted the various methods to evaluate the situation of water outlets on campus. They sent out a campuswide survey to analyze the usage and awareness of water outlets as well as the beliefs about the campus’ tap water condition. The survey asked for the respondents’ preferences on locations for water access and their thought process for choosing a beverage. The student HBI team made observations of these water outlets and administered baseline campus mapping of existing water outlets and SSB retail outlets. The committee also assessed focus groups consisting of students, faculty and staff. The HBI student teams managed the baseline mapping and administered focus groups. They evaluated water outlets, vending machines and SSB outlets on campus. They found that UCR had a total of 230 water sources, 21 SSB outlets and 55 vending machines. Based on the 661 respondents to the survey, results showed that 62% of those on campus use hydration stations more than once a week while 44% used water fountains. It displayed that most people use hydration stations significantly more than water fountains. While 53% of respondents somewhat or strongly agreed that the water on campus is safe, many comments stated that filters are constantly expired and this leads to concern over the water’s cleanliness. Main barriers identified from the study include mistrust of the water quality due to the expired filters and difficulty in accessing hydration stations and water fountains. Daniel Cellona, an intern for GCAP and Environmental Health and Science, mentioned that there is a stigma that UCR water is unclean and he asked the HBI

committee what steps they plan on taking to combat this stigma. Green responded, “We are going to test it and market it properly to make people aware that it’s safe to drink.” HBI found multiple issues when conducting their evaluations. They found that there was a need for hydration stations in high foot traffic areas with no water access, such as areas within or near Skye Hall, CHASS Interdisciplinary, Watkins, Sproul Hall and the Humanities building. They also found that there was a desire for a map on the locations water outlets. The evaluations saw a major need for an increase in water access, especially with the rapid expansion of the university. They uncovered a need for an education on the meaning of the lights on hydration stations and more advertisements on water stations. There was a desire for more outdoor water sources and to lower the prices of water in vending machines. There were concerns over the visual obstruction of water sources and that there were no SSB free zones on campus. Chobdee said that the HBI committee will continue to collect data until this year’s

One of UCR’s hydration stations on campus.

spring quarter. Green stated, “It’s one giant research project that we can take as a package and present to people: Here’s what happens when you increase access to water.” Chobdee added, “We’re hoping to have more water in the vending machines that are less expensive than the sodas because right now they are priced the same.” Green said that HBI will install water stations for the students who work in the R’Garden because there is no water to drink in the area. “As a result of the Healthy Beverage Initiative, dining services now offers free water by request. A 12 ounce cup of water,” stated Chopdee. Chobdee said that once the installations are finished, the HBI committee will spread awareness of this new development on campus. The educational campaign will spread awareness through social media, reports and other advertisements on HBI. The installation of hydration stations and spigots will occur before October of 2020. Chobdee said that students who want to get involved in the UCR Healthy Beverage Initiative should email healthycampus@ucr.edu. ■H

JOSHUA WANG / HIGHLANDER

8 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

UCR School of Medicine receives NIH grant to help researchers create new cancer drug HIGHLANDER STAFF

Maurizio Pellecchia, professor of biomedical science at UCR’s School of Medicine, has received a grant of $2.2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to research a new cancer drug. The grant will help in creating new cancer drugs that would solve one of the unmet needs within oncology. The research will focus on two oncogenes, genes that can potentially turn into cancer, Mcl-1 and Bfl-1. Both Bfl-1 and Mcl-1 have been shown to have a major role in cancer cell resistance, as past research Pellecchia has shown. These two oncogenes have shown resistance to apoptosis or the cellular process in which our body typically does to clear away damaged or unwanted cells. Cancer treatments try to restart the apoptosis, but has not always been successful. In an interview with The Highlander, Pellecchia stated that “most chemotherapeutic agents or radiation treatment attack cancer cells by directly or indirectly activating apoptosis, causing the cancer cells to die hence the tumors to shrink.” He stated that, however, over time many tumors become

resistant to the treatments. Pellecchia’s research attempts to address this issue by targeting the oncogenes, which are blocking the apoptosis from occurring. Pellechia stated that a major challenge in targeting Bcl-2 proteins such as Bfl-1 and Mcl-1 is the nature of these proteins, that is less amenable to drug targeting compared to typical drug targets such as enzymes. He stated that enzymes present small, deep crevices on their surfaces that bind a natural substrate and usually also a cofactor to exert their function. He added that often either the substrate or the cofactor or both are relatively small organic molecules. He added that drugs that target enzymes can be relatively easily developed by designing small organic molecules that mimic the natural substrate, or cofactor, thereby blocking the enzyme function. Mcl-1 and Bfl1 are not enzymes but rather bind and neutralize natural pro-apoptotic signaling proteins that are activated by most anti-cancer treatments, stated Pellechia. The design of effective Mcl-1 or Bfl-1 targeting drugs require molecules that mimic the structural features of pro-apoptotic proteins.

Pellechia explained that these types of cancer targets are called protein-protein interactions (PPIs). While in theory there are hundreds of therapeutically viable PPIs drug targets in oncology, only very few drugs targeting PPIs have reached the clinic thus far, stated Pellechia. He added that this is because PPIs targeting drugs have the challenging task to interfere with the binding between two relatively large molecules. This problem has been frustrating drug designers for many years, according to Pellechia. Pellechia stated, “Our laboratory has been studying approaches to render experimental drugs more potent and effective for targeting PPIs. We accomplish this by carefully designing molecules that contain mildly reactive chemical functionalities that permanently glue the drug to their targets, thereby preventing the proteinprotein complex to form.” These socalled covalent inhibitors have had much success in enzyme targeting drugs in oncology in recent years, stated Pellechia. He stated, “We hope that our studies will expand this success to PPIs targeting covalent drugs. An important aspect

to enable such careful design is the availability of the structural details at the atomic level of the PPIs and/or of the interactions between our prototype drugs and their targets (Mcl-1 and Bfl-1).” For this, Pellechia stated that researchers rely on X-ray crystallography studies performed by their collaborator, Dr. John Jefferson Perry, an assistant professor of biochemistry at UCR, and his laboratory. Pellechia stated that they have recently applied these strategies successfully to other oncology PPIs targets and are therefore hopeful, also based on our very recent preliminary studies that their work could be successful in targeting also Mcl-1 and Bfl-1. “We can see how the inhibitors he is designing, how they are binding, how they are interacting. We can study his inhibitors with the protein target … and give feedback,” stated Perry, in an interview with The Highlander. The X-ray crystallography will provide Pellecchia a 3-D model to visualize as he creates the molecules that can become like the successful covalent inhibitors enzymes targeting drugs. If the research is successful, it can potentially help create PPIs targeting covalent drugs that would better fight off cancer. ■H

Be a team.

CODY DAVIS/ HIGHLANDER

Opinions

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

OPINIONS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

Diversity matters: changes must be made to the Academy Awards if it is to maintain its relevance

he 2020 Oscar nominations were released this January, and they’re pretty much exactly what everyone has come to expect. To nobody’s surprise, films like Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” and Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” both received Best Picture nominations, and, perhaps a little more surprisingly, Todd Phillips’ “Joker” was nominated for a total of 11 Academy Awards. Unfortunately, fantastic films like “Midsommar,” “Hustlers” and “Uncut Gems,” films chocked full of talent, have been pushed to the wayside in favor of safer, tried-and-true choices like the movies mentioned above. Most surprisingly of all, the Best Director category saw no female nominees this year, effectively snubbing dozens of talented women, including Greta Gerwig, who received effusive praise for her most recent film “Little Women.” If the academy has any desire to stay relevant, the Oscars must make every effort to not only diversify the kinds of films that get nominated every year but also the voters who choose said films. Before offering a scathing critique of the institution, it is important to acknowledge that to many film-buffs, the Oscars are an exciting celebration of

JUSTUS ROSS / HIGHLANDER

their favorite films. The flashy award show is something to look forward to every year. It would be wrong to begrudge people that joy. And then, of course, it is also important to note that the prestige that comes with winning an Oscar, or even receiving the nomination, is often enough to jumpstart the careers of unrecognized artists who had gone underappreciated up until that point. The Oscars present a valuable way of getting one’s foot through the door. Those looking for proof can look to actresses like Alicia Vikander, who received an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2016 for her role in “The Danish Girl” and went on to star in films like 2018’s “Tomb Raider.” The Academy Awards are a chance to make a splash in the film world, which in turn allows women and people of color, groups that regularly go unappreciated, their chance in the spotlight. That being said, one shouldn’t give the Academy Awards too much credit. There are a number of reasons why women and people of color rarely receive the attention they deserve. The people who vote on the Oscars tend to be of one particular demographic. That is to say, they tend to be older, white men. Recent demographic numbers state that, as of 2018, women make up 31% of the voting

population, and people of color make up a dismal 16%. This monolithic voter base explains why the nominations feel all too similar each year. There seems to be a sort of formula directors can follow if they’re especially eager to get their film nominated, giving rise to terms like “Oscar-bait.” Period dramas laced with tragedy and trauma are the usual suspects, and the film’s chances are skyrocketed if it features previous award winners. The worst part of it all is that adherence to this vague structure often results in the work of people of color being brushed to the side. When films heavily featuring minority groups do receive attention, the films usually conform to the aforementioned structure: they’re period dramas laced with tragedy and trauma. Cynthia Erivo is the only black acting nominee this year, and her nomination is for her role in “Harriet,” a piece that depicts the harshness of slave life during the antebellum period. There’s little that can be done to change the demographics as of right now. Viewers don’t have the luxury of choosing who receives voting rights. Academy members are typically industry professionals who have achieved distinction during their careers in film. Oscar winners and nominees are automatically considered for membership. Due

to the nature of this process, the people at home have no choice but to wait for older voters to be phased out. If it isn’t possible to simply wash out the old academy voters and instate new ones, the only other recourse is to focus on improving the awards themselves. The first step would be to advocate for the implementation of new categories. The award show is constantly evolving. Adding new categories like Best First Film, Best Voice Work or Best Original Soundtrack might breathe new life into the award show and give fresh talent a chance to bask in the spotlight. Event coordinators could even go so far as to increase the number of nominees per category, further increasing the chance for new representation. These critiques are not meant to be a series of potshots at the Academy Awards, but instead they’re meant to sustain and update an award show so many people value. It’s a secret to no one that Oscar TV viewership is steadily decreasing, with 2018 seeing the lowest ratings in four decades at around 26.5 million viewers. When faced with statistics like these, one has no choice but to question whether or not the Oscars will continue to carry prestige they’ve enjoyed thus far. Of course, nobody wants

to see the Oscars lose their appeal. As mentioned earlier, many small-names in the industry benefit from the highly publicized nature of the event. The most reasonable course of action is to advocate for more inclusivity in the award show. One can take heart with the knowledge that event coordinators are aware of the issue. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences voted to double counts for female and nonwhite members back in 2016, but such change is happening too slowly. Viewers must hold the organizers feet to the fire to ensure that these efforts continue. Whether one likes it or not, the Oscars have dictated how cinema evolves for decades now. That may not always be the case. Those who wish to enjoy the Academy Awards for years to come must continue to advocate for further diversity. In the future, one can only hope to see more films that break away from the “safe” Oscar-bait formula spoonfed to viewers over the years. Only then will the Oscars be an award show worthy of its prestige again. ■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.

10 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

OPINION POLL Compiled by Lydia Tsou Staff Photographer

“How do you feel about this week’s Oscar Nominees?” Samantha Wu Psychology

Third-year “It’s pretty dominated.”

white-

Kionna Ahmed Mathematics Fifth-year

Ryan Sobh Psychology Fourth-year

Jorge Calderon Environmental Science Third-year

Aaron Martinez TFDP Second-year

“I wish I could give more of an opinion considering I’ve only watched “Joker.” I’m happy because “Joker” is something that I think should win. There’s one movie that I’m sad didn’t make it, “Knives Out.”

“I think the movies that were nominated were worth it. I saw ‘1917,’ ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ and ‘Joker.’ I think they were really good and deserved to be there.”

“I think Scarlett Johansson deserved to be nominated as ‘Best Actress.’ Best animation would have to be ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World.’ I thought it was better than ‘Toy Story.’”

“I’m satisfied with the nominees, but not fully satisfied. I feel half and half. I really liked ‘1917’ and ‘The Irishman.’ I thought Quentin Tarantino was well-deserved to be nominated as Best Director for ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’”

Berenice Munoz

Envrionmental Engineering

Third-year

“I’m happy “Little Women” was nominated. I thought it was a really good movie. It has a really good cast, so I’m happy for them.”

Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos’ promise of $1 billion to Indian retailers is a poor attempt to atone for damage caused to small businesses

CHRISTINE TRAN Senior Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Amazon Founder and CEO Jeff Bezos announced that Amazon will be investing $1 billion to help digitize small and medium-sized businesses in India. While the audience at the Amazon Smbhav summit applauded Bezos upon hearing this commitment, the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), a trade group that represents around 70 million merchants, held protests across 300 cities in India against Amazon. While Indian sellers are pushing for the government to rewrite and strengthen its e-commerce policies, Bezos appears to be hedging his bets in hopes that his social media posts of his tour around India and meager promises to invest are enough to silence the cries of his opponents. With a population of 1.3 billion people, India is a key market for Amazon. If the push to change Amazon’s business practices again succeeds, the company could see serious drops in profit. Bezos’ announcement comes on the heels of the Competition Commission of India’s (CCI) opening of an anti-competitive investigation into Amazon and its rival, Flipkart. In 2016, New Delhi limited the two companies with a policy that forces foreign owned e-commerce firms to be neutral marketplaces; then, in 2018, the government passed regulations that also banned these foreign sites from selling goods from companies they own a stake in or have commercial arrangements with. The CCI alleges that both Amazon and Flipkart have violated these policies by having preferred listing for its favored brands, which hurts and leads to the closure of nonpreferred brands. Both have also been accused of deep discounting — a practice that disadvantages small and medium-sized businesses that can’t match such low prices. The Indian e-commerce market is expected to grow to $200 billion by 2026, showing that there has been an exponential growth in online shopping

Jeff Bezos takes a selfie with the crowd at the 2020 Amazon Smbhav summit

among the general population of India. This is already concerning for small retailers, but with the inclusion of big firms like Amazon and Flipkart, they don’t stand a chance. In 2018, within six months, more than 50,000 small retailer shops have shut down across India, and CAIT largely attributes this to Amazon’s business practices. Bezos promised to rectify this by vowing to create a million jobs and facilitate exports of “Made in India” goods worth $10 billion via Amazon by 2025. Despite this, he was still met with a cold reception from Indian small business owners and reasonably so. India is currently one of Amazon’s fastest-growing markets and it plays a large role in the company’s customer service and research operations. In 2018, Amazon India was worth $16 billion and it had a 30% market share

that is poised to grow 23% annually until 2027. Amazon India would eventually reach $70 billion in gross merchandise volume and $11 billion in revenues. In 2019, during the six day period of Diwali alone, Amazon and Flipkart received just over $3 billion worth of orders. In comparison to what Amazon makes from its Indian consumers, Bezos’ $1 billion investment into small and medium-sized businesses is extremely little. This investment is an empty gesture that he hopes will be enough to distract Indian business owners and the government. As large as Amazon is, opposition from the millions of small retailers still poses a problem because of the influence they have over the administration in New Delhi. Over 130 million people depend on small scale retail; they make up the

COURTESY OF JEFF BEZOS VIA TWITTER

traditional voter base that supports the current prime minister, Narendra Modi, and his Bharatiya Janata Party. With reelection weeks away, right now is not the time for Modi to be making decisions that will anger one of his biggest voter bases. The prime minister has even turned down Bezos’ requests for an appointment, in what some speculate to be an attempt to save his own image. If Bezos wants to continue making profit in India, something has to change on his part. Amazon needs to pull back its aggressive, dominating methods in the Indian e-commerce market or invest even more money in small businesses. If not, Bezos and Amazon could be facing big losses if their practices and struggling small retailers push the Modi administration to put more restrictions on foreign e-commerce firms. ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

OPINIONS

The automobile industry will soon come to an end

ILHWAN PARK Contributing Writer

The global automobile industry has hit a recession in recent years. Car producers are having trouble finding automobile buyers, even in countries such as China and India, their biggest targets. With the lack of car manufacturers in these two nations relative to their sizable populations, automobile companies should not have a problem selling cars in these countries, and yet, sales have dropped more than 4% in the automobile industry worldwide. Not only is there a drop in sales, but automobile companies are working together to stay alive. Companies like Fiat and Peugeot, two Italian manufacturers, are merging to make ends meet. Volkswagen and Ford have teamed up to produce more marketable electric cars. These factors prove that automobile companies are facing a crisis, which may be presage for the end of their era. Automobiles have been the main source of transportation in the past few decades. However, there has been a huge decrease in the number of car purchases in recent years. A huge factor is the use of smartphones to call transportation, such as Uber and Lyft. Not only has this affected the taxi industry, but it has affected car companies as well. With easily accessible transportation services, people are losing incentive to purchase cars. The cost of purchasing an automobile outweighs the price of using a rideshare app. Customers, especially

teenagers, are choosing to ride with Uber and Lyft rather than purchase their own car. This has been a huge loss for the car industry. Another factor that has affected this phenomenon is the increasing awareness of climate change. People have begun to notice the effects of global warming and pollution, especially with the recent catastrophic fire in Australia. For example, people in wealthy cities are against the idea of purchasing more cars. Not only has the number of cars had an effect on the rates of pollution emission, it’s also affected traffic congestion. Traffic has become especially troublesome in wealthy cities such as New York and Los

Angeles. As a result, the people living in these cities are more inclined to use car sharing programs or other forms of public transportation. To address the concerns of environmentally conscious people, automobile companies are trying to make energy efficient mobiles, such as hybrid and electric cars. However, electric cars cost more to produce than conventional cars. As a consequence, there is an effect on the sale prices of these cars, making it harder for consumers to purchase them. These cars also require fewer workers and a shorter supply chain, having a negative effect on the unemployment rates and international trade. Therefore, these

factors also attribute to the phenomenon of the decrease in automobile consumers. All in all, automobile companies need to make changes in their business models and technological reconfigurations if they want to survive in the market. These companies need to find ways to efficiently produce cars that meet the demands and wants of consumers while maintaining low production costs. Consumers, especially in contemporary society, are aware of the effects of automobiles on the climate and traffic congestion. However, the high production costs of these energy efficient cars are an obstacle these automobile companies must overcome to survive in the market. ■H

The Ford Motor assembly plant in La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina (circa 1921).

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Klobuchar’s stance on fracking should be a warning sign for any voters concerned with the climate crisis

Senator Amy Klobuchar makes her announcement to run for president in 2020 at Boom Island Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

TIMOTHY HUGHES Staff Writer

During the most recent CNN democratic presidential primary debate, Amy Klobuchar was asked why she hasn’t come out in support of a federal ban on hydraulic fracking like most of the other candidates have. The senator from Minnesota reaffirmed her stance in support of

COURTESY OF LORIE SHAULL VIA FLICKR

continued fracking, stating that natural gas will be important as a transition fuel as we move toward a more sustainable energy structure. Her response is pathetic, and no voter supporting climate action should take Klobuchar seriously. Hydraulic fracking is a process used to harvest natural gas for use as energy, particularly for heating homes. It utilizes

highly pressurized water to drill deep into the Earth and extract gas deposits. The drilling water is laced with hundreds of carcinogenic chemicals and runs the risk of poisoning groundwater sources. Moreover, the force used and the invasiveness of the process is linked to increased frequency of earthquakes and the burning of natural gas emits carbon dioxide to the atmosphere,

accelerating the climate crisis. The severity of these effects makes it clear that fracking must be eliminated as a source of energy as soon as possible. Klobuchar demonstrated her lack of knowledge of the science behind fracking and the challenges that come with its use. The senator stated at the debate that she understands the danger of methane pollution, but she is clearly far from an expert. Natural gas is methane, and extraction represents the largest source of methane emissions in the country. Methane is a particularly dangerous greenhouse gas, as it has an average global warming potential (GWP) of 30, meaning it is 30 times more effective at trapping energy and warming the planet’s atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Methane’s potency as a greenhouse gas is a compelling argument for the country to reduce emissions of it as quickly as possible. Klobuchar ’s support of fracking may have something to do with how she finds funding for her political campaigns. Delta Airlines is Klobuchar ’s largest financial supporter,

followed closely by the Dorsey and Whitney law firm and Cargill, Incorporated. Airlines are some of the largest consumers of dirty energy in the world, with hundreds of flights a day burning thousands of gallons of jet fuel. Dorsey and Whitney represents firms in every corner of the energy market including coal, oil and natural gas. Above the other two, the most concerning source of funding is Cargill, Incorporated. Cargill is America’s largest corporation and has been involved in export and import of natural gas from Canada for many years. Her stance on fracking isn’t surprising considering the fact that Klobuchar is directly funded by members of the fossil fuel industry. She has never pretended to be a progressive, but this is entirely inexcusable. Climate change is the biggest issue of our time and for decades to come; long transitional periods and hesitation are the death warrants of future generations. Time is running out and the world can no longer afford to debate on this issue — immediate, aggressive action must be taken. ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

Michelle Carter’s early release is an obvious example of racial bias in the criminal justice system

MADISON RHEINS Contributing Writer

Michelle Carter, the woman convicted of convincing her boyfriend Conrad Roy to take his own life, has been released from her sentence of 15 months with no parole on account of good behavior. A white woman who murdered another human being had a lesser sentence than a person of color (POC) received for selling marijuana. This decision is an outrage and an example of how the justice system shows racial disparities and double standards in the U.S. Roy passed away in July of 2014 after Carter, his then girlfriend, convinced him to commit suicide in a series of text messages. The text messages clearly showed Carter berating Roy into carrying out the act. At one point, Roy almost changed his mind, but Carter was persistent and succeeded in convincing him to take his own life. Carter was convicted for involuntary manslaughter soon after. Involuntary manslaughter describes the act of killing someone unintentionally, but Carter’s messages demonstrated her full intent to participate in Roy’s suicide. In this digital age, her actions should be seen as first-degree murder. Society needs to recognize that she didn’t have to be physically present for her to want him dead. Roy wasn’t in a healthy headspace and she took advantage of him. Carter’s sentence was undeservingly short lived. On Thursday, Jan. 20, she was released from prison on account of her good behavior. A spokesman at the Bristol County Sheriff’s office went so far as to call her a model inmate. Though she may have been polite to staff and kept out of trouble with fellow inmates, good behavior should not have been enough for her to be released. Several of her sympathizers have tried to justify the situation, stating that she was undeserving of her sentence due to mental illness. Many have tried to advocate for mental help instead of incarceration, even though everyone knows that her actions resulted in the end of another innocent person’s life. The treatment Carter receives from her sympathizers and supporters contrasts starkly with how inmates of color are treated. The criminal justice system seems to be turning a blind eye to her case because she is a white woman. Her sentence was cut short while many people of color in the same state are incarcerated for years just for selling marijuana, despite the

Michelle Carter was ordered to start her 15-month sentence on Feb. 11, 2019.x

fact that the drug is legal in her home state of Massachusetts. In fact, many POC are sitting behind bars while non-POC are successfully profiting off of selling marijuana. Carter’s case is a clear example of how the justice system has racialized their decisions; white men and women are treated differently from people of color based on the color of their skin. In the U.S. justice system, African Americans are 5.9 times more likely to be incarcerated than whites, and Hispanics are 3.1 times more likely to be incarcerated. If Carter were to have been a non-white woman, she probably would have remained behind bars and been given a longer sentence than a mere 15 months. It has been shown that prosecutors are more likely to charge people of color with longer sentences than white people even though they have committed the same crime. This is a huge disparity and it only becomes more explicit when one takes into account the fact that African Americans and Latinos make up 57% of the prison population even though they only make up 29% of the country’s population.

COURTESY OF BRISTOL COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Non-POC need to open their eyes and stop overlooking the severity of racial bias in the criminal justice system. Mass incarceration has a lot to do with the amount of police contact in a given community. It is less common to see policemen patrolling a white suburban neighborhood. The U.S. is in violation of Article 2 and Article 26 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights to ensure that all residents regardless of race are treated equally under the law. Carter’s release should be America’s wakeup call to start looking at the signs of racial bias in the criminal justice system. The justice system in the U.S. is very flawed and the statistics speak for themselves. Someone who took part in taking the innocent life of someone else should not be able to participate freely in society. The U.S. needs to stop turning a blind eye to the obvious injustices people of color face when it comes to incarceration and unfair sentencing. ■H

As bioengineering progresses, regulation will need to follow

CYRUS TOSCO Contributing Writer

The first annual conference of Please Try This at Home took place in September 2019. At the cross section of biotechnology, body autonomy and anarchy, the conference represents an inclusive group of scientists concerned with using and discussing biotechnology in the hopes of moving the field in a more progressive direction. That being said, it is indeed a solid step in the right direction, especially when one takes into consideration how misunderstood the bioengineering field has become. To get a sense of the state of bioengineering, a biohacker by the name of Josiah Zayner livestreamed an attempt to splice his DNA to give himself bigger muscles. If it was inserted in the wrong place in his body, or in the wrong place for the code, his DNA could end up producing weakened or ineffective proteins that

could affect his body functionality. While that attempt was misguided and Zayner later regretted the stunt, the implication was that this technology should be safe and easy, which is a dangerous and untrue belief to hold. As biotechnology continues to improve, more research and regulation will be needed to ensure the safety of its use. Ensuring said safety requires a basic understanding of cellular biology, and at its core is the central dogma of molecular biology. Simply put, most genetic material is encoded in DNA, DNA transcribes to RNA and RNA translates to proteins and those proteins are responsible for most functions in the body. Generally, bioengineering works by taking a segment of foreign DNA and inserting it into the rest of the genetic code, resulting in a production of proteins that will carry out a function specific to that DNA code. The described process is extremely complex and delicate, but despite that, genetic engineering has been used to treat Parkinson’s disease and sickle cell disease among others.

Josiah Zayner uses a micropipette to inject himself with Green Flourescent Protein in a Youtube video.

COURTESY OF YOUTUBE

That said, genetic engineering has a promising future outside of simple disease treatment. To reaffirm the purpose of Please Try This at Home, genetic engineering could be used for a different form of hormone therapy for transgender individuals. In a mostly speculative procedure, a geneticist could activate the necessary genes responsible for production of a specific hormone. That being said, it is important to keep in mind that this is a hypothetical experiment, and could result in potentially greater health problems later in life. These potential problems necessitate the need for greater experimentation and regulation in order to work out the difficulties. Experiments in gene editing on a larger scale have already been proposed to fight Lyme disease. Normally, the disease spreads when a tick bites a mouse, followed by that tick biting a human. On Nantucket Island and Martha’s Vineyard, where Lyme disease is particularly virulent, a project called Mice Against Ticks is under consideration, in which mice would be genetically modified to be able to resist and prevent the spread of Lyme disease. Kevin Esvelt, the scientist spearheading this operation is also acutely aware of the potential ecological ramifications of this project, cautiously choosing an isolated island with a low human population and low chances of dispersal if the project goes awry. Esvelt’s caution in choosing an experimental site calls to mind the dangers of genetic engineering: the long term effects are not yet fully known, and it is understandable to be afraid of something that is not entirely explored. The chances of cascading ecological effects from genetic engineering is as present as the possibility for abuse of genetic engineering via eugenics. Simultaneously, those possibilities are also matched by the potential to eradicate Lyme disease, malaria or leukemia. The best way to ensure safer practices and better opportunities for the future of genetic engineering is to regulate its practice. Clear distinctions need to be made between “biohackers,” like Zayner and practical, controlled applications like Mice Against Ticks. Genetic engineering could have world changing effects; it just needs to be regulated and perfected. ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

OPINIONS

COMICS TALL TAIL #34 BY: JUSTUS ROSS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

Features 14

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

MESC Presents

FEATURES

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

IRANspiration

From Jan. 27 to Jan. 30, the Middle Eastern Student Center (MESC) hosted IRANspiration, a week of events in celebration of the Iranian culture. The week unfolded with programs all about Iran’s food, music, dance, poetry and art.

Persian Poetry and Prose opens IRANspiration IRANspiration week started on Monday, Jan. 27. Students piled into HUB 377, picked up sandwiches and took seats for a lecture presented by Dr. Ahmad Karimi-Kakkak on the artistic literature of Iran. With a doctorate in comparative literature from Rutgers University, the septuagenarian has lectured on Persian language and literature since 1979 in New Jersey, Texas, Tehran, Iran’s capital and Los Angeles. Currently he teaches at UCLA. At 4 p.m. Ali Saadat, Middle Eastern Student Center (MESC) student development specialist and UCR alumnus, introduced the professor. Hakkak began, “I’ve been a student of literature for so long I practically started out on my dad’s lap.” He admired how Persian culture puts great focus on poetry and prose, calling their pieces of literature “beautiful relics of the past.” He hopes to pass on as many of those relics to his two sons. One poem revolved around love, Hakkak noting that spiritual revelation was prolific in its poet’s time. Rudaki of Samarkand, around 1000 A.D., asked readers to “Live joyfully with black-eyed beauties, live joyfully,” and that “The world is no more legends than the wind.” Hakkak explained that the poem is focused on “the kind of loving inside of you,” marking a refusal to love things the “correct” way at a time where individuality was of growing importance. The “Cup of Jamshid,” a Persian equivalent to the Holy Grail, was the subject of a later poem. Persian poet Rumi, who was prolific during the 13th century, writes, “You will hear many tales about Jamshid’s cup / And in telling something added or left out / Know this for certain: Jamshid’s cup is your heart / The seat of joy or sorrow is your heart.” Hakkak has discussed this poem and others of Rumi in the past, and wrote how he criticized contemporaries who failed to express “the innermost emotions lying latent” within the individual. Hakkak explains the poem effectively sets readers up to consider that the Cup, something described with things “added or left out” is really beyond description. Hakkak continued analyzing poems until 5:20 p.m., ending on a reflective note: “Poetry expresses frustration, suffering and so many more emotions. Look into your heart, see all the joy and sorrow; poetry tells us how we are made. Thank God that we do have poetry!” He then took questions from audience members at the front of the room as the event concluded. ■H

M.E.Sweet: Iranian Desserts: a showcase of decadent delights Alexandria Esteban, Contributing Writer The Middle Eastern Student Center (MESC), held their M.E.Sweet: Iranian Desserts tasting on Wednesday, Jan. 29 from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., at HUB 302S. The event featured different kinds of sweets, such as baklava, gaz and faloodeh. In addition, two types of tea were served, Chai and Earl Grey. Ali Alshaher, a fourth-year sociology major, stated that “Earl Grey tea is a staple in Iran.” Each flavor was unique and delicious. A lot of desserts consisted of pistachios and rosewater. My favorite was the sohan, a brittle toffee and pistachios dish. Though a large number of people showed up, there was enough of each dish for everyone to try everything. A calligraphy artist, Payman Hamed, was also in attendance, drawing people’s names in Farsi. He wrote on pieces of paper that had elaborate mosaic designs printed on them, adding color to a simple memento. The room was filled with music and chatter, with guests of all ages mingling around the room to make for a festive atmosphere. Large carpets were laid on the floor for people to sit on, but there were also tables around the room that had lanterns as their centerpieces; all of these decorations added to the Iranian theme. Mohammad Tabel, the community outreach coordinator of the MESC, stated that every year they “always try to highlight a country for a week.” This event usually occurs every winter quarter. In the past, the MESC has done similar events that showcased the cultures of Syria and Afghanistan. This event was overall a fun and tasty way for Middle Eastern students to connect with their heritage, and even introduce non-Middle Eastern students to a culture they were not yet acquainted with. ■H LLOYD KAO / HIGHLANDER

Mark Bertumen, Senior Staff Writer

COURTESY OF MIDDLE EASTERN STUDENT CENTER

Cook with M.E.: a glance into an Iranian kitchen Margarita Manzo, Contributing Writer Middle Eastern Student Center’s (MESC) Cook with M.E. event was held inside the Classroom Kitchen of the SRC on Tuesday, Jan. 28 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., the second of four programs held for MESC’s IRANspiration week. As people waited, music played in the background; early visitors nodded their heads to the beat and some even danced. Others chatted in front of the room’s kitchenette in Farsi. The welcoming feeling persisted throughout the event. Alongside the event’s intent to “teach foreigners an easy simple dish outside of their culture,” as the chef for the evening, Kimia Yaghoubi said, it also helped Middle Eastern students feel at home through familiar foods. “As much as A-I (Aberdeen-Inverness) tries to make Middle Eastern food, it’s not the same as from home. This is the closest I can get to being back home,” said Sahar Hajimolla Alikandi, a first-year cellular and developmental biology major. Once people started filing in, the staff handed out plates of chicken with rice and Maast-o Khiar. The chicken came with carrots and both were slathered in tomato paste while the rice was topped with barberry, a sour fruit similar-looking to cranberries. The Maast-o Khiar was a yogurt of cucumber, mint and salt, giving a sour taste and an unexpected crunch. Yaghoubi started the presentation by revealing that she was not a professional cook, simply someone who found passion in cooking and felt compelled to share that with others. She also shared tips that her own mother had taught her. Throughout the event, MESC’s student development specialist, Ali Saadat, asked Yaghoubi questions about the food as she was cooking. “Can you say ‘barberry’ in Farsi?” he asked as it was passed around. Yaghoubi shared that “zereshk,” the Farsi term for barberry, means “other than the fruit.” From the back was a chorus of laughter as she explained, “Sometimes it is used when you want to say ‘what the hell.’ It’s also used as a kind of exclamation point. Like I’m seeing something and I’m surprised and I didn’t expect it to be that way.” As the night came to a close, Yaghoubi showed the audience how to make halva, a dessert typically used in religious ceremonies but considered a big part of the Iranian culture regardless of religious affiliation. It was an understatement to call it “dessert.” The way it was decorated mirrored that of a mosaic tile, the base of it a golden yellow and carefully notched waves across. The edges were boarded with sunflower yellow saffron, pistachios and tiny rose buds. The taste of it was as Jihad Shalabi, a fourth-year computer science major put it, “Like Play-Doh, but it tastes good.” ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

FEATURES

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

Sounds of Iran concludes IRANspiration with a musical, festive bang Jamie Peterson, Contributing Writer

ISURU KARUNATILLAKA / HIGHLANDER

On Thursday, Jan. 30, at 6:00 p.m., a crowd of students gathered in front of the doors of HUB 302S, anticipating an unforgettable night. Hosted by the Middle Eastern Student Center (MESC), Sounds of Iran was a night of traditional Iranian music, dance and food. The MESC takes great pride in uniting friendship and the celebration of Middle Eastern culture through the 20 different Middle Eastern organizations on campus and the event showed it. When the doors opened, a row of chafers filled with Mediterranean dishes such as Greek salad, pita bread, basmati rice, oven-roasted tomatoes and more delicious foods and their aromas filled the room. Students in line kindly distributed plates throughout the night and seconds and thirds were highly encouraged. The first performance began after a warm welcome given by Ali Saadat, the student development specialist of MESC. Students sat with their generous food portions, chatting and laughing while a band called the L.A. Daf Ensemble made their way up on stage. They wore beautiful long white gowns bedazzled with detailed gold jewelry. Each playing the traditional Persian and Arabic frame Daf drum. They tapped the drum with their palms and fingers with an occasional shake of the instrument to make a tambourine-like sound from the cymbals attached to it. After a couple of songs, two dancers from the Melieka Dance Academy collaborated with them, dressed in bright green-blue and red gowns, dancing elegantly with long, wave-like shawls, encapsulating students into cheering and whistling, which was Katrina Santos, a third-year biochemistry major’s favorite part. “I came to this event because I wanted to learn more about Middle Eastern culture. My favorite part is how genuinely engaged everyone is. All of the cheering and clapping helped give it a feel-good atmosphere,” she stated. Not knowing much about Middle Eastern culture, Santos came to the event because the school poster said it was welcome to all and it’s safe to say she didn’t go home empty handed. The second performance was done by a band known as the Taak Ensemble. They played both traditional and classical music of Iranian origin. Some of UCR’s Middle Eastern students sang along and clapped to the beat throughout the entirety of the songs. Mahtab, one of the group’s musicians, tuned her Santur (an instrument that can hold up to 72 strings) while the group’s lead singer Hesam exchanged friendly conversation with the loud audience. He endlessly voiced his

appreciation of the lively night and the audience made sure to also express their gratitude, yelling back “You’re amazing!” and “You’re kind!” He also mentioned that Rambod the drummer, who plays both the Daf and Tombak, is an alumnus of UCR which resulted in even more clapping and cheering. An encore struck up toward the end of their performance in which Hesam stated that the last song represented the diversity the crowd shared that night. Toward the end of the event, the L.A. Daf Ensemble and the Melieka Dance Academy returned on stage to perform more of their music. The dancers were again dressed in their brightly colored gowns and encouraged the crowd’s clapping and cheering. After a couple of songs, almost the entire crowd got up and banded together to perform what electrical engineering graduate student Ehsan Samani enjoyed the most

about the evening, the Kurdish dance. Students of all identities kicked their feet in the air while moving in a circular motion around the conference room. A handful of students looked for guidance in the moves of students who were more knowledgeable of the dance, but nonetheless, all were in smiles as the Ensemble and academy dancers continued to perform on the stage above. After the dance, Samir al-Alami, a fourth-year political science major, reflected on the event, recognizing that it is “really, really valuable to see that this event shows more about this community than what they are stigmatized to be. That they are more than the political tensions that have lived on in our modern politics for more than four decades. I think it is really special that we can all come together and appreciate and have a beautiful time.” ■H

ISURU KARUNATILLAKA / HIGHLANDER

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

APSP’s Lunar New Year Festival celebrates diversity and community By: Alejandro Meza-Aguilar, Contributing Writer On Tuesday, Jan. 28, Asian Pacific Student Programs (APSP) held a Lunar New Year Festival to celebrate the Chinese New Year, which was on Jan. 25. As performers like Jereena Montemayor took the stage in HUB 302, students dined on pork, chicken and vegetarian sandwiches. Upon entrance, students received a meal ticket for said sandwiches, which could be turned in after receiving signatures from clubs and organizations throughout the floor. The event drew in students to interact with the clubs and resources on campus related to Asian communities such as: the Chinese Union, the Vietnamese Union, Katipunan and Asian Pacific Counseling Treatment Center (APCTC). Amanda Nicole Dumaguindin, UCR alumna and APCTC outreach coordinator, stated, “I think (reducing mental health stigmas is) really important around the Lunar New Year as we reflect on what our intentions are for wellness and commit to stigma reduction.” The APCTC site states that they take a “multi-disciplinary and culturally sensitive approach to address the psychological and social needs of their clients.” Dumaguindin’s group came out that night for outreach and to introduce students to inter-generational parenting classes and mental health workshops to fulfill their mission and to demonstrate the sense of community outside of the campus. Performances from numerous East Asian cultures were held throughout the night by groups like the Senryu Taiko group and Katipunan, a Filipino cultural student program. The Japanese group, Senryu Taiko, performed

Taiko, a form of drumming style which refers to the Japanese drumming style as stated by Taiko Center Co. Katipunan performed the tinikling dance, a popular Philippine folk dance. When it came to the adherence of tradition, Angela Tran, a fourth-year psychology major, stated, “As someone who is VietnameseAmerican this is something very different from what I would celebrate back at home. I really enjoyed it because while it isn’t traditional, I do like the solidarity among the different types of Asian groups.” The festival gave Asian students an event to build a sense of community. Second-year political science major Jeremy Wong added, “Coming out to UCR’s Lunar festival, this is my ﬁrst time coming out to these events, and it’s really nice bringing in the community together and celebrating the new year.” Matthew Sunga, a second-year public policy major and student APSP coordinator, talked about the cultural combinations seen throughout the night. “I think the Lunar New Year Festival does a really good job at representing the diversity that we have here at UCR. It’s a great way to have our student organizations come out such as Katipunan, Vietnamese Student Association, Chinese Student Association and Nikkei Student Union (a Japanese-American social and cultural club).” When it came to festival performances, the crowd was excited when headliner Jereena Montemayor took the stage. Montemayor is a Houston rhythm and blues singer who got her start on YouTube and is now a rising artist. The audience was energetic and invested as she sang

songs like “I Like U”, “Rose” and “Best of a Kind” throughout her performance, becoming all the more lively once the performance became a duo after a student accompanied her on stage with a guitar. After the show, students waited in line to meet Montemayer and take pictures. In response to the crowd’s reactions, Montemayor stated, “The energy was deﬁnitely great. They were really active with my songs. They were making funny comments to help me ease my anxiousness.” Some advice that Montemayor has for students aspiring to be entertainers is, “We need more representation. We would need a lot more diversity in the music world. Just push through because I never would have thought that I would have made it this far.” The Lunar New Year’s Festival concluded at 8 p.m. APSP will be hosting Asian YouTube personalities Chris Lam and Raina Huang as part of their APSP Speaker Series. Coming this Thursday at HUB 302 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., both will speak on their careers and their perspectives of the API community.

■H

LEO YUE / HIGHLANDER

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

FEATURES

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

UCR 's CARE office works to educate students during

Stalking Awareness Month By: Christine Tran, Senior Staff Writer

COURTESY OF UCR CARE

At the beginning of January, vibrant posters decorated the walls outside the Transfer and Commuter Lounge with messages encouraging students to “read between the lyrics” and to learn how to recognize the signs of stalking. After creating their Stalking Awareness Month display, the Campus Advocacy and Resources Education (CARE) program moved to their social media accounts where, throughout January, they posted and shared different facts about stalking and the behaviors associated with it. CARE finished off the month with a specially themed CARE Conversation on Tuesday, Jan. 28 at HUB 367 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. After students were seated with free pizzas and CARE-themed stickers, the Sexual Assault and Violence Education (SAVE) peer educators began the discussion with an icebreaker. Students talked among themselves about what their personal definitions of stalking are. From there, the discussion opened back up and students were asked about the differences between stalking, lurking and cyberstalking. “Our office and our student peers really wanted to focus on stalking because we wanted to educate the campus a little bit more about what stalking is,” said Lisa Chu, violence prevention coordinator. “I think that we don’t get enough information about it and some

people aren’t too aware of exactly what it looks like and entails.” The next activity was scenario-based. SAVE Peer Educator Mitzi Aguilar would read aloud a hypothetical situation and students would rate each one on a scale from one to five, one being “it would be considered fine” and five being “it is overstepping boundaries.” The scenarios included someone leaving unwanted gifts at your house while you’re at work, and waiting for you outside of class when you never told them which class it was. Majority of the scenarios were rated a five by all the students in the room, but also it was agreed upon that context in each scenario mattered as well. A recurring topic throughout the discussion was how the media and movies have romanticized stalking in movies and TV shows. Shows like Netflix’s “YOU” and movies that are traditionally considered romantic like “The Notebook” all showed moments where consent was ignored and lines were crossed. Actions like hanging off a ferris wheel until a person agrees to go on a date with you may seem romantic in the movies, but as the students chatted, they came to a realization how strange and terrifying it would be in real life. “We think about stalking in a way that a stalker is supposed to be a creepy person just

staring at you or following you but it’s really not like that. It is a lot more common and it really can be anybody and we’re just not aware of it,” stated Aguilar. One student asked for recommendations of romantic movies that show healthy and realistic relationships. Someone shouted out the name of Netflix’s “To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before,” but Aguilar pointed out how there is an example of a boundary being crossed in that movie as well. As the conversation came to a close, the SAVE peer educators encouraged their fellow students to practice recognizing these red flags in the media they watch. “I thought today was really important because we don’t get to talk about toxic environments that we portray in the media and this was a perfect environment to bring it to light. It was a welcome reminder to healthy habits,” said firstyear political science major Lauren Marquez. The UCR CARE office provides support for any student that may be experiencing stalking and can inform students about their options. Next week marks the beginning of CARE’s Sex Week, from Feb. 10 through Feb. 14. Sex Week is a collaboration with The Well to help destigmatize the topics of sex and their first event, “Feels and Heels,” is Monday, Feb. 10, at ATHD 102 at 11 a.m. ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

Radar Osc

“1917” By: Colin Carney, SSW

Best picture COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

The breakout South Korean film stands as a true outlier in the Best Picture category, but not without reason. Following a lower income Korean family living paycheck to paycheck, the film takes a mature look at class struggles like many other South Korean films. The drama engrosses the audience with its brilliant writing from the moment the film begins. Audiences are introduced to the Kim family who try to get by with odd jobs. An opportunity soon presents itself when their son, Kim Ki-woo, quickly becomes a tutor for the wealthy Park family. From then on, the Kim family attempts to charm the Parks in order to install themselves as assets to the family by providing a multitude of services. The two families’ interactions are masterfully captured by the famous duo Bong Joon-ho and Hong Kyung-pyo, as the director and cinematographer, respectively. Viewers will find themselves entranced in the plot as Joonho’s masterful direction will engross audiences in even the most mundane situations. These scenes are captured elegantly as the camera and score enhance and elevate the emotions in the characters. The strongest part of the film is the convincing acting of the Kim family. The clear standout is Kang-Ho Song as the father of the Kim family. Over the course of the film, he receives the most development and his amazing range of emotion reflects that beautifully. Audiences will laugh at the irony and suffer from sheer anxiety through the films gripping moments. It certainly is a different type of film, with many of its messages and overall themes leaving the viewer wanting to watch it again as soon as it ends. It certainly is one of the only Best Picture nominees that tries something new. While the film is the clear underdog, it’s achievements in writing, direction, acting and messages cannot be understated.

COURTESY OF COURTESY OF CJ ENTERTAINMENT

Fresh off its win for Best Picture and Best Director at the recent Golden Globes, “1917” stands poised to claim this year’s top honors at the 92nd Academy Awards. The acclaim it has received for good reason, as it is a breathtaking film set in the trenches of WWI. The plot of the film follows the efforts of two young British soldiers as they make their way through the battlefield to prevent a battalion from walking into a trap. From the onset of the film, the audience is placed right in the midst of the emotion and action as the camera never pulls away from our protagonists. This intimacy is expertly captured by director Sam Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins as the film adopts the feel of one continuous take as the camera never leaves our main stars and remains up close and personal throughout all of the action. This monumental feet of coordination and camera work places audiences deep in the trenches allowing them to bear witness to every struggle our protagonists face. The fluidity and precision of the camera work as the filmmakers undergo this task is flawless and adds to the tensions as the soldiers race against the clock to deliver their message. The cinematography is coupled with expert performances from its two leads, George MacKay and Dean-Charles Chapman, and the film’s phenomenal production design. Each actor captures and conveys the determination and fear these characters experience as they undertake a task that’ll likely fail. The environments they find themselves in are beautifully authentic of war-torn France as we follow them through mazes of trenches, burning villages and scorched landscapes. Every aspect of this film, both behind the scenes and on camera, work spectacularly and cohesively fit together to create a jaw-dropping and engaging film set in during the first world war.

“Parasite” By: Adam Alvernaz, SSW

Joaquin Phoenix (“Joker”) By: Colin Carney

Best

Joaquin Phoenix’s performance in Todd Philips’ unsettling film, “Joker,” is captivating to say the least. This feat is almost entirely due to Phoenix’s magnificent take on the titular character. From the first moment we lay eyes on Phoenix as Arthur Fleck, we become immediately aware of the man’s mental state and bleak environment. Every scene of the film is haunting as Phoenix perfectly captures Arthur’s worsening sanity as each bad day takes its toll on him. In one scene in particular, as Arthur commits his first horrendous crime and begins his descent toward becoming the clown prince of crime, Phoenix begins to dance in an empty public restroom. This scene perfectly captures Arthur’s mental state while chilling audiences to their core. The expression on Phoenix’s face is harrowing as his cold visage portrays an utter lack of empathy for his recent victims. More unsettling is how his unsettling expression is coupled with a slow and deliberate dance as Arthur finally feels comfortable in his own skin. From that point on we witness a change in Arthur’s character as he begins to embrace his situation and succumb to his insanity. Phoenix captures Arthur’s heartache and glee as he is faced with the oppressive cruelty of 1980’s Gotham and learns to lash out in horrific ways. The sheer fact that Phoenix is the clear focus of nearly every frame of this film speaks volumes. Lesser actors would struggle to carry an entire film, but Phoenix does so expertly as he loses himself in this unforgettable character.

COURTESY OF WARNER BROS PICTURES

Joe Pesci (“The Irishman”) By: Colin Carney

Best supporting actor

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

This year’s Oscar race for Best Supporting Actor features two standout performances from Martin Scorsese’s recent crime film “The Irishman”: Al Pacino and Joe Pesci. However, among these two acting heavy weights, Pesci’s performance as Pennsylvania mob boss Russel Buffalino steals the show and is more than deserving of the Academy’s top honors. Pesci is by no means a stranger to critical acclaim, as he has previously won the same award for his unforgettable role in Scorsese’s crime classic “Goodfellas.” There are few who can argue that Pesci is not one of Hollywood’s greatest actors as almost all of his roles have reached legendary status, such as his performances in “Casino” and even “Home Alone.” However, his recent hiatus from the world of acting and subsequent return in “The Irishman” has brought the attention back on the seasoned actor for his outstanding performance in a refreshingly different type of role. His stunning performance this time around alongside longtime colleague Robert De Niro proves that he has lost none of his skill in front of the camera as he steals almost every scene he’s in, despite often sharing them with other legends like Pacino, De Niro and Keitel. With that said, what is most remarkable about his most recent role is just how unique and original it is for the actor. Based on his past crime films with Scorsese, Pesci has garnered a reputation for playing crazed mobsters capable of turning on a dime and killing anyone for the slightest of offenses. As Buffalino, Pesci stuns audiences as he plays a calm and calculative mobster more keen to use his wits rather than his fists to solve any given situation. Pesci is quiet and deliberative as this mob boss, portraying an intelligence and composure thus far unseen in his previous roles. This welcomed originality coupled with his superb acting and palpable onscreen chemistry with his friend De Niro makes for an enthralling character and exemplary performance.

BEST

Renée Zellweger (“Judy”) By: Colin Carney

Ever since its release in September of 2019, Renee Zellweger’s performance in “Judy” has been the talk of almost every Oscar conversation. Her performance as the titular Hollywood star, Judy Garland has captivated audiences and garnered the veteran actress critical acclaim. Such talent isn’t entirely unheard of from Zellweger as she has previously been nominated for her leading roles in “Chicago’’and “Bridget Jones’s Diary,” and won the award for Best Supporting Actress for her work in “Cold Mountain.” However, her expert performance as Garland has led many to believe that she is on track to win her first Oscar for lead actress, and not without reason. Zellweger seemingly loses herself in the role as she masterfully captures the Hollywood icon in her later years and delivers beautiful authenticity to the role. Perhaps her most impressive achievement in the film, however, is her dedication to performing the musical numbers Garland became famous for. Rather than dub her singing voice with another singer or use Garland’s voice, Zellweger instead

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

car P icks

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

Best Director Sam Mendes (“1917”) By: Colin Carney Bong Joon-ho (“Parasite”) By: Adam Alvernaz COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Following his Golden Globe win for Best Director, Sam Mendes stands a good chance at receiving the same honor at this year’s Academy Awards. As acknowledged by its Oscar nomination for Best Picture, “1917” is one of the past year’s best films, largely due to Mendes’ cinematic vision. “1917” is an achievement in film production. All the moving parts of filming a movie in one continuous shot takes a skilled director to manage and guide. Great efforts were needed to ensure that each consecutive shot had the same natural lighting (as the film is shot almost entirely outside on location), which requires careful timing and mobilization to capture the perfect weather conditions. Never once during the duration of the film did a scene feel poorly shot or inconsistent with the nature of the previous shot. Furthermore, Mendes’ work to draw out the best possible performances from his cast is perfectly captured on screen. As the focus of a single-shot narrative, a great deal was expected of the two leads as they would have to carry much of the film’s emotional weight as the cameras followed them closely. Mendes’ directing and management of these actors translates into breathtaking shots of these characters perseverance alongside artfully crafted shots throughout the film. Never once did an actor feel as if they were phoning it in which is both a testament to their abilities and the directorial guidance of Mendes. Every camera angle and shot masterfully captures each character’s determination and desperation while also incorporating the oppressive circumstances of their war-torn environments. As such, each shot is deliberate and conveys the desperate tone of the scene expertly, never once losing the audience’s attention or investment. Mendes’ vision for “1917” is perfectly conveyed on screen earning him all the praise he has thus far received.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Actor

This year, the Best Director nomination is full of outstanding new and returning filmmakers. The masterful director Bong Joon-ho stands out amongst them as the newest addition. The critically acclaimed director has quickly risen in popularity and has gained worldwide praise for his interesting genre twists and social commentary. While primarily making films for the South Korean market, he has received critical acclaim for the 2013 science fiction film, “Snowpiercer.” This year, his achievements are recognized with his newest film, “Parasite,” which features everything Joon-ho’s directorial abilities are capable of. The Best Picture nomination has cemented this film as one of the greatest in the past year, yet its success is due to Joon-ho’s dedication as the writer, director and producer. His talents in all three areas show audiences a masterfully crafted film that prominently features his signature style with developed character arcs, clever dialogue and even humor. This is most evident in his actors as every character is utilized in the narrative to great effect. Whether it’s the mother of the Kim family or the Park’s daughter; Joon-ho gives these characters purpose because of the limited scope of the cast. It’s clear from an acting perspective that each character is doing their best to display Joon-ho’s vision of two distinct families with a symbiotic relationship. His writing prowess gives the film much more depth and intrigue to keep audiences on the edge of their seats. Every scene feels calculated with the right amount of screen time and emphasis on minute details, while allowing more engrossing scenes time to settle and sink in with viewers. Again, Joon-ho stands amongst many other strong contenders who are no stranger to the award scene. I feel confident in saying he has a strong chance as his Oscar debut is a cut above the rest.

Adam Driver (“Marriage Story”) By: Adam Alvernaz

Adam Driver brings his best to “Marriage Story” as the captivating Charlie Barber, delivering on his rich theater background to both charm and engage audiences. Initially, audiences are shown the more calculated, calm and collected side to Charlie as he experiences the initial phases of a separation. As the film progresses, we come to empathize but also scrutinize both characters’ actions and decisions, which creates a very authentic experience in telling such a troubling story about a mutual divorce. Most interestingly, Charlie’s perspective and experience through this disturbing process is quite compelling as we come to learn more about the cost of divorce, in both a monetary and psychological sense. His performance shows him clearly lending the role extra intrigue thanks to his absorbing presence. This is evident with his role in the film, but also with his interactions with other characters. Yet, this does not take away from his ability to show the opposite side of his outward appearance as his tender and loving side is clearly shown multiple times to great effect. As the film goes on, we are treated to more scenes that reflect inward as Driver recognizes and reconciles with his mistakes and its rippling effects. All expertly captured thanks to his genuine acting and raw performance that heightens the drama.This only furthers audience interest as we see multiple layers to Charlie and the troubles he faces. Driver gives a very theatrical but legitimate portrayal of a husband and father that must come to terms with divorce and the strain it accumulates.

chose to sing each song herself. In preparation for the role, Zellweger worked tirelessly with vocal coaches to improve her singing voice to perform in the film. Though she worked tirelessly to improve her singing voice, which was good to begin with, she didn’t exactly learn to mimic Garland’s singing voice but rather instead chose to improve her own and adopt a tone reminiscent and respectful to Garland herself. The end result was a breathtaking vocal performance from Zellweger that delivers on beautiful musical numbers as a famous singer/actress. Audience members unfamiliar with Garland’s later work will likely still be familiar with her lead role as Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz” and will undoubtedly be impressed by Zellweger’s marvelous rendition of “Over the Rainbow.” Every aspect of Zellweger’s performance in “Judy” is well deserved as she has been considered the Oscar frontrunner since the film’s theatrical debut last summer. Her beautifully authentic performance as Garland coupled with her superb singing ability make for an amazing performance that is easily deserving of the Academy’s top honors for acting. COURTESY OF LD ENTERTAINMENT

Much like every year, this year’s Supporting Actress category is crowded with spectacular performances from a multitude of talented actresses. Laura Dern’s performance in “Marriage Story” secured her win in the Golden Globes with her portrayal of the cold and deliberate Nora Fanshaw, a lawyer representing Nicole Barber (Scarlett Johansson). Many of her scenes are spent with her and Barber building a case for her in the divorce as Fanshaw attempts to help and build Barber’s confidence. Her character plays off of Johansson quite well as their interactions are profound and intimate. In every scene she is in, she takes such an active role in supporting Barber as she literally lends her confidence; this allows Barber to become free of what keeps her scared and trapped. It’s in these unique interactions we see the very best of Dern’s acting as her monologues of continuous thought only build on each other throughout the film. Dern’s experience allows her to take this active role in the film with certainty as her delivery in these key moments are very captivating and convincing. Dern’s expertise positions her in a point of power uncommon to supporting actors, where her actions become the focal points of Barber’s decisions and motivations. Not to mention the expertly conveyed weight she is able to carry with her without Johansson as she shares many scenes with Charlie as well. While clearly at odds, she remains composed and able to handle the sheer hatred of her spouse. This is especially evident in her shared scenes with Ray Liotta, the lawyer representing her husband. She remains calm and poised while discussing circumstances outside of work, yet during the courtroom scene she reveals a more intense and ferocious side. While her scenes are played to the benefit of our main protagonist, the amount of emotion and ferocity conveyed in Dern’s performance places her a cut above the rest. ■H

COURTESY OF NETLFIX

ACTRESS

Best supporting actress

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

Laura Dern (“Marriage Story”) By: Adam Alvernaz

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

Radar Replay allows the Radar writers to celebrate a certain piece of media for its impactfulness or importance. It’s here where we get the chance to discuss the significance of our favorite pop culture pieces and the value they carry today.

RADAR

REPLAY

’Comet’ is a nuanced, experimental take on the typical rom-com SILVIA FERRER, SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Romantic comedies are abundant in Hollywood — unfortunately, so much so that they’ve begun to rely on tried-and-true cliches. The typical boy-meets-girl story is so recognizable that in 2019, “Isn’t It Romantic” was dedicated to mocking the rehashed tropes. 2014’s “Comet” mostly went under the radar during its limited release, but it should be revisited for its dazzlingly original take on the romantic comedy genre. It surpasses the limitations of the genre by focusing on the complexities and potential of one relationship. Romcom lovers are sure to enjoy the cute love story at the center of “Comet,” but the plot stretches against it so that viewers are left to contemplate “what if?” in the same way that the characters are. The plot of “Comet” is simple: the cerebral leading man, Dell (Justin Long), meets the individualistic leading lady, Kimberly (Emmy Rossum), at a Los Angeles cemetery during a meteor shower. The two dive into a six-year relationship that blossoms and fades over time. At the start of the film, the audience is informed that the story alternates between parallel universes. “Comet” is comprised of glimpses into these parallel universes. One of the most interesting parts of “Comet” is the sci-fi aspect. Most films are unable to balance the mixture of the two genres, especially when both aspects — the romance and the otherworldly — are

usually so in-your-face. While the film definitely leans into the romance, the scifi aspect remains in the background of the film so that the ordinary relationship at the center is transformed to be compelling. The two protagonists aren’t particularly interesting, but that is what draws you in — they’re stand-ins for everyday couples. The fact that they exist in several parallel universes is what transforms the moments that make up the trajectory of their relationship; for example, the audience is left wondering how a particularly intense scene could have been different in parallel universe one versus parallel universe two. The contemplation the film spurs within the viewer is what makes it so great, especially during the devastating break-up scene. If the intelligence of this romcom isn’t enough to draw you in, its aesthetic value might. The soft tones of the cinematography and phenomenal soundtrack add a reflective, dreamlike sense to the film that only benefit its overall theme. The soundtrack is comprised of all but one instrumental song. Each song summons the film’s theme song, a violinfilled melody that crescendos during one of the most important parts of the movie. The one time the soundtrack deviates from this structure is during another significant scene; the song, Roxette’s love ballad, “It Must have Been Love” exacerbates the

COURTESY OF IFC FILMS

emotion of the scene and the lyrics seem to almost literally foreshadow what happens. The cinematography is similarly cohesive. Angelinos and wannabe LA residents will rejoice, because much of the background is essentially an ode to the city. This romanticized glimpse into the Hollywood Forever cemetery, for example, are only emphasized by the pink-tones that the film establishes, but the jarring cuts between scenes and flashes of color also lend a supernatural feel to the romance. Again, while the film is unquestionably

a rom-com, what with its witticism and plot, it moves away from the typical look of the genre to allow some of those sci-fi influences to take over. While the aesthetics of the film are certainly pluses, at its heart, the message of “what if” is what will stay with the audience. Dell and Kimberly ultimately don’t end up together, but maybe they would’ve in another universe. “Comet” showcases the potential and downfalls of love in a way that too many rom-coms don’t explore. ■H

Shaking up the formula: ‘Six of Crows’

COURTESY OF ALICE DUKE VIA TWITTER

KRISTEN HUBBARD Contributing Writer

“Six of Crows” by Leigh Bardugo is the first book in a stand-alone, young adult duology set in Bardugo’s Grisha Verse. Following the tale of a group of gangsters, “Six of Crows” sees the protagonists commissioned to sneak into an impenetrable prison known as The Ice Court by a wealthy merchant. The Dregs (their gang), led by the enigmatic officer Kaz “Dirty Hands” Brekker, attempt to kidnap the imprisoned creator of a drug which turns Grisha (i.e. Mages) into weapons of mass destruction. Set in Tsarpunk, a high fantasy and steampunk backdrop with eastern influences, “Six of

Crows” reads like a heist flick dipped in dark magic. Most importantly, however, is what “Six of Crows” doesn’t read like: a young adult (YA) novel. At least not all the time. YA fiction as a genre has a serious problem: it doesn’t think its audience can be mature. Expecting maturity of young adults might seem paradoxical, but only when YA fiction trusts its audience to handle mature themes can the story fulfill its potential. Unfortunately for the genre at large, YA fiction tends to follow a set formula. A rag-tag group of mostly, if not entirely, white, teen, able-bodied heroes with barely any life experience overcome any and all obstacles, suffering little to

no consequences as they save the day and secure the cisgender heterosexual love interest. Often falling back on cliche and predictable plot twists, stories such as these can be cringe fests with even the best narratives getting bogged down by tired tropes. “Six of Crows” gives its readers characters who are diverse in terms of sexuality, disability, ethnicity, upbringing and belief. Beyond diversity, the characters in “Six of Crows” are deeply flawed, often unheroic individuals. When the characters make mistakes, “Six of Crows” is not afraid to explore the consequences of their actions and what hubris led them to such a fate to begin with. The cast of “Six of Crows” has been shaped by the environments they grew up in and just as often, by the environments they escaped from. Sex trafficking, child exploitation, addiction, slavery, war and poverty; these are all things members of the cast have encountered in some form or another and it shows. Atrocity is common and shockingly present from the pleasure houses full of slaves in the dreary canal town of Ketterdam to cages built for Grisha on ships manned by Grisha-hunting Druskelle. Not to say that the violence and tragedy gets horribly explicit (this is a young adult novel after all) but Bardugo lets her readers understand the gravity of the troubles people have endured and continue to face throughout the story. As

a result of Bardugo trusting her readers to be mature, the other problems found in YA fiction are minimized if not eradicated. The youth of the cast does not stop the reader from believing what is going on, because their hard living obviously forced them to grow up fast. Magic is not treated like this miraculous cure-all, but a tool and weapon which nations have learned to exploit and build counter measures against. The cast themselves are far from idealists who can do no wrong, and in many cases they are just as guilty of inflicting unearned woe and suffering as any foe they face. Characters are greatly humanized by flaws which cause them to make mistakes. Not to go into spoiler territory, but even the smooth talking, terrifying Kaz Brekker is affected enough by his own personal trauma and hubris that he slips up badly. “Six of Crows” does not completely stray from the formula. Readers still get a rag-tag group of mostly white young people with insanely impressive skills getting the job done. Despite those few instances which could shatter the suspension of disbelief, for the most part the protagonists act in ways which are aggressively in character. Bardugo has crafted her story so well that the few instances of cliche will not stop the reader from praying for the gang’s success, even if their ultimate goal is decidedly unheroic. ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

KUCR Presents

OFF

Record the

COURTESY OF TYLER THE CREATOR VIA TWITTER

THE 2020 GRAMMYS AND THE TRADITIONAL CONUNDRUM OF TURNING ART INTO A COMPETITIVE SPORT CONRAD TALAMANTES Contributing Writer

When it comes to award shows, three names rule over everything else in terms of what the world considers prestigious: The Oscars, The Emmys and The Grammys. For a quarter of a century, all of the biggest names in these entertainment trades gather together once a year to celebrate what they consider the best and brightest in their respective ﬁelds. Millions of artists and fans alike look forward to these awards as an end of the year recap and validation of artistic value, with the winner of each category being cemented in history as the most important movie, television show or album of the year. On Sunday, January 26, the 62nd annual Grammys were held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles in a much anticipated night for music in the last year of the decade. As they always do, the award ceremony proved to be another successfully glamorous and ﬂuid event in the name of culture. At least it appeared that way on the surface. Among the red carpets, shiny trophies and heartfelt speeches, there has always been large pockets of apathy and resentment that dwell in the subcultures of these award worlds. After all, music and art is subjective. To say that one song or album is better than another is opinion, no matter how well you can articulate your argument. There is an industrious nature to the popular music world, as there is with any art business. This combined with the fact that only so many nominees can be selected for any given award creates a strong sense of exclusivity to many artists who don’t have the right label connections and mainstream popularity. The obvious biggest winner of the night was the gothy pop singer Billie Eilish with her breakout debut album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” After turning 18 in December, she is one of the youngest artists to have achieved such success. “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” was seen as a major hit, blending various elements of pop and giving it a bit of a dark edge to create something that held both

critical acclaim and mainstream success. Billie Eilish managed to take home five Grammys, including the most important ones: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best New Artist. Music critics and journalists across the spectrum agreed that it was a fair and deserved win among the other contenders, even if she wasn’t their first pick. Still, there were some albums that weren’t nominated for album of the year that many feel were wrongly left out of the decision. Tyler the Creator took home the Grammy for Best Rap Album with the mega hit “Igor,” which sounds fair enough on the surface. When the album came out, you couldn’t escape the sheer popularity and critical acclaim it spawned. However, many, including Tyler, felt that “Igor” was wrongfully pigeonholed as a rap album. It’s a solid argument, as half of the album is filled with funky instrumentation, soulful vocal performances by Tyler himself and a whole blend of other influences. While there is an undeniable hip-hop foundation at the core of “Igor,” it’s massive blend of a wide of array of styles is not that different from the bass heavy hiphop influence aesthetic that permeates Billie Eilish’s cross genre winning album or that of other Album of the Year nominees like Lizzo’s “Because I Love You.” Compared to both of those albums, “Igor” held just as much if not more significance and critical acclaim within the popular music world for 2019. The only real difference is that Tyler already came from a background of rap. Unlike Eilish and Lizzo however, Igor was only nominated for Best Rap Album and nothing else. In a now famous post-Grammys speech, Tyler the Creator expressed his discontent with this choice and expressed that he felt the problem expands beyond Tyler’s own music. “It sucks that whenever we — and I mean guys that look like me — do anything that’s genre-bending, they always put it in the rap or urban category.” he said. Ironically enough, when “Igor” first came out, he specifically stressed on his social media and promotional material that it wasn’t just a rap album. That didn’t stop him from being categorized as such despite being one of

the most popular albums of the year. Despite this critique of the awards ceremony, Tyler the Creator expressed his gratitude for winning, as well as being allowed to perform during the event. But if the show went through all of the trouble of featuring him so prominently, many argue that he should have been considered for something beyond the rap category. The Grammys have a long history of not including or snubbing music that tends to push the barriers a little too far. In 1981, Pink Floyd’s universally praised theatrical concept rock album “The Wall” lost to a soft pop rock artist by the name of Christopher Cross and his self-titled debut album. That’s not to say Cross doesn’t deserve praise, but the album hardly takes any bold steps in a new direction. Most would agree that it doesn’t hold the influential and historic status that “The Wall” does. In 2001 both Radiohead’s “Kid A” and Eminem’s “The Marshall Mathers LP,” two albums that broke countless barriers in their respective genres and are considered historic albums of their time, lost to a Steely Dan comeback album that I’m sure 90% of people reading this wouldn’t be able to name. This brings up an issue that has been growing among the music community. In an age where internet and free communication cannot be ignored, the normal amount of apathy and resentment toward the Grammys has quickly grown as people don’t take these awards as seriously as your grandparents might have. At the end of the day, what exactly defines something as award material when there’s so many non-commercial projects that get overlooked or dismissed as genre specific or simply not commercial enough? Despite this growing consensus among both common fans and aficionados that an award doesn’t hold value, it still holds an important place in music history. Every year the Grammys go on and every year they hold a significant relevance in popular culture. Sometimes for the awards themselves, sometimes for the hot controversies they bring and sometimes for both. The H 2020 Grammys proved to be an exhibition of both. ■

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

Men’s basketball Beats Long Beach State after honoring military and victims of tragic helicopter crash

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

SOFIA GARCIA Contributing Writer

On Thursday, Jan. 30, the Highlanders (14-9, 4-3) competed against Long Beach State University in a tense game where UCR won 77-69. This week’s game was played in honor of Military Day and the nine who tragically lost their lives in last week’s

helicopter crash, including Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna. The Highlanders came out wearing purple warmup shirts with the number 24 on the back, along with stars for the other victims, and wore golden laces on their shoes to pay tribute to the beloved basketball star. During a sloppy first half, the Highlanders shot 44% and

turned the ball over 10 times. Despite this, the two sides entered the halftime break with the score tied 29-29. At halftime, the Inland Sound Choir graced the audience with a performance of “God Bless America” to honor the hard work of the brave men and women who serve in the military. In the second half, Riverside began

to pick up the intensity led by junior guard Dominick Pickett. He led the team in scoring with 20 points which was not only the highest score of any player in the game, it was also a personal high for Pickett in any game this season thus far. For most of the game, Long Beach stayed close enough behind the Highlanders to go

on a run and take back the lead. The last two minutes of the game were intense with the Highlanders scoring several points to increase their lead and secure the win. This game was not only important because it was in their home arena, it was a Big West Conference game and it was also covered by ESPN3. When asked if these factors added any extra pressure, Pickett stated, ”We always approach a game the same way, we try not to let any outside influences impact the way we play. We don’t want our emotions to ever get in the way of how we play a game.” Pickett spoke on Bryant’s death, saying, “being from SoCal we all looked up to Kobe and he’s a big reason why we play so tonight we felt like we just had to leave it all out on the floor.” Senior guard Dikymbe finished the game with 14 points and three rebounds. Sophomore forward Angus McWilliam and junior forward Arinze Chidom both scored 11 points apiece. Up next, the Highlanders will be playing their next game in Fullerton on Wednesday, Feb 5., against Cal State Fullerton (8-14, 3-4). ■H

Women’s basketball LOSES IN OVERTIME THRILLER against Long Beach State JORDAN HOM Senior Staff Writer

On Thursday, Jan. 30, the Highlanders (6-14, 2-4) traveled to Long Beach to battle against Long Beach State University (1010, 5-2) where they lost in a double overtime thriller. The final score was 73-67, in favor of the Beach. Long Beach jumped out to a quick start in the first five minutes of the game. They held a 10-2 lead after about six minutes of action. However, a couple of jump shots by senior guard Jannon Otto and junior guard Keilanei Cooper brought the Highlanders back into the fold. By the end of the first quarter, the score was only a twopoint differential. The second quarter was a backand-forth battle with both teams trading buckets. A couple different Highlanders contributed baskets including Otto, senior forward Skyler Lewis and senior forward Marina Ewodo. At the half, the Beach held a four-point lead over the Highlanders. While the game was relatively close at halftime, the Highlanders struggled to shoot from the field. Riverside shot only 31% on 5-16 from the field in the first quarter.

That number plummeted to 23% in the second quarter. The Highlanders were also unable to connect from three as they missed all 10 of their three-point shots. In the third quarter, the Highlanders ramped up the defensive intensity as they held Long Beach to only three made field goals. Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, the Highlanders began to knock down their shot attempts as they raised their field goal percentage to 45% in the third. Riverside also converted on two three-point attempts. By the end of the third, the Highlanders held a one-point lead over the Beach. The fourth would see another back-and-forth battle with neither team taking more than a five-point lead throughout most of the quarter. However, in the final seconds of the game, the Beach had a two-point lead over the Highlanders. Otto was fouled in the final seconds of regulation by Long Beach junior guard Shanaijah Davidson. With the game on the line, Otto knocked down both free throws to send the game into the first overtime period. The Highlanders managed to gain a slight 56-53 lead over the Beach in overtime. However,

Long Beach sophomore guard Ma’Qhi Berry tied the game for the Beach after she was fouled on a made layup attempt and converted the ensuing free throw. The first overtime period ended in a 58-58 tie. The Beach went on a mini run in the second overtime period. Long Beach sophomore guard Justina King gave the team a scoring boost as she scored seven

points in the second overtime period alone. With Ewodo fouling out, the Highlanders were unable to get the victory, losing in a close battle 73-67. Otto finished the game with 15 points and six rebounds in 49 minutes of action. Ewodo contributed a double-double, as she scored 13 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds. Lewis also finished with a double-double,

adding 13 points and 10 rebounds. Cooper grabbed 12 rebounds. As a team, the Highlanders outrebounded the Beach by a substantial margin. They finished with 62 rebounds compared to the 38 grabbed by Long Beach. Up next, the Highlanders will travel to Northridge to battle against California State University Northridge (9-11,4-2) on Thursday, Feb. 6 at 7:00 p.m. ■H

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

SPORTS

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

Women’s tennis defeats Hope International University 7-0

JORDAN HOM Senior Staff Writer

On Thursday, Jan. 30, the UCR women’s tennis team (1-1) battled against Hope International University (HIU) at UCR’s Student Recreation Center courts. The Highlanders went into the match looking to get the team victory after losing 7-0 to San Diego State University (1-0) on Jan. 25. The Highlanders have battled against Hope International University, a private Christian University in Fullerton, a total of three times since 2017, in which they were victorious in all three prior matchups. This time proved no different for the Highlanders as they once again earned the 7- 0 victory. The singles bracket was led by UCR sophomore Mahli Silpachai who competed against junior Andela Dejanovic. Silpachai defeated her opponent 7-5, 6-2. In addition to the singles bracket, Silpachai also participated in the doubles bracket with freshman Sofia Lazzaroni. Silpachai and Lazzaroni competed against HIU senior Kristen Russo and junior Matea Ancheta. They were victorious in their doubles match by a final score of 6-3. Riverside sophomore Leslie Gelinas got the victory against Russo 6-1, 6-0 in the singles bracket. Gelinas also competed in the doubles bracket with UCR senior Lauren Wolfe. They competed against HIU freshman Lisanne Siebrecht and senior Jessica Ulloh where they got their 6-0 victory. In the number three singles match, Highlander senior Sara Khattab battled against Royals junior Anastasija Djordjevic. Khattab secured the 6-3, 6-3

VICTOR LEI / HIGHLANDER

victory as she did not allow her opponent to get a point on the board. The number five singles bracket was led by Wolfe, who defeated HIU senior Lauren Macdonell. The final score of their match was 6-0, 6-0 in favor of Wolfe. The last singles match played was with UCR senior Nicole Hitomi and HIU senior Ulloa. Hitomi held the advantage all match as she handedly got the win. Hitomi won with a final score of 6-1, 6-1. UCR was fairly dominant as a team against Hope

International University. Every Highlander that participated in the singles bracket got the win against their HIU opponent. The closest match was the first singles match of Silpachai and Dejanovic where Dejanovic of HIU got to a score of five but Silpachai won with seven. Up next, the Highlanders will battle against Westmount College (0-3) on Wednesday, Feb. 5. in Riverside at the SRC. They will look to continue their momentum against a winless team. ■H

Track and field team kicks off 2020 indoor season

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

KEVIN SANCHEZ-NERI Contributing Writer

The UC Riverside track and field team traveled to Flagstaff, Arizona on Friday, Jan. 31 to compete in the Mountain T’s Invitational. The Highlanders had a strong showing on field events, with junior Natlaie Micthell leading the way, with a 13.68-meter toss in the shot put. Freshman Shiloh CorralesNelson also had a successful day, tossing for a total of 15.62 meters in the weight throwing event, good for fourth place. In addition, Corrales-Nelson also had a strong fifth-place performance in the shot-put event, throwing for 13.07 meters in her second collegiate appearance. Sophomore Purnima Gunarathna came into the event with high hopes, having won the high jump event a few weeks prior in the Lumberjack Team Challenge. Gunarathna saw another successful day, placing fourth this time around, leaping in at 1.60 meters, as well as taking on the 60-meter hurdles and placing 10th in the preliminaries.

Over on the men’s side of the field events, UCR had two Highlanders place in the top eight, with junior Ondrej Rapp winning the event, jumping for 7.09 meters. Rapp had his dual-threat ability on display, as he took on the 800 meter event and placed eighth in a crowded field of competition. UCR freshman Cameron Lewis also impressed at the event, logging a 6.50-meter performance in the long jump, placing seventh. Lewis continued his success in the triple jump, hopping 13.57 meters, good to place fourth. Sophomore Brian Noli finished second place in the same triple jump event, coming in at 13.92 meters. Sophomore Tanner Anderson led the charge for the short-distance runners, winning the 800 meter with a time of 1:54.56. Senior Kennedy Jackson also had a solid performance in her primary event, placing ninth in the 200 meter dash and leading a crowded pack of fellow speedsters: junior Maya Cook, sophomore Delaney Harris, sophomore Alonna Johnson and senior Callie Lawson-Freeman all finished in the top half of the event.

Lawson-Freeman also competed in the 60-meter hurdles, clocking in at 9.66 seconds, placing her in 11th place. Coming off of an ankle injury in the team’s last visit to NAU in the Lumberjack challenge, Lawson-Freeman was energized to get back into action: “It was really exciting today, to break the ice and run my first ever 60 hurdle race,’’ said Lawson-Freeman. The star athlete says her performance is an encouraging sign, “I have the confidence to get after it more aggressively during my next race.” The rest of the team certainly shares her confidence after an overall great performance at the Track Mountain T’s event. That, along with the long distance squad who travelled to Indiana to compete in another indoor competition, marks the beginning of the 2020 indoor season. The Highlanders will look to build on their success as they prepare for their H next indoor meet in New Mexico on Thursday, Feb. 13. ■ Editor’s note: Callie Lawson-Freeman, a competitor in the 60-meter hurdle and 200 meter dash, is a staff writer at the Highlander.

SPORTS 24

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 04, 2020

24 seconds :

Los Angeles Lakers basketball legend Kobe Bryant tragically passed away on Jan. 26, 2020 after his helicopter crashed while flying in dense fog. The fatal crash also killed Kobe’s daughter Gianna (Gigi) along with seven other passengers aboard the helicopter with them. The NBA world, the sporting world and many alike mourned the death of their beloved sports hero. The NBA teams who played on Jan. 26 paid their tributes to the legend by running out the shot clock for a 24-second violation. It was represented as a symbolic gesture for the number 24 that Kobe wore during the second half of his Lakers tenure. In addition, some teams also held the basketball for eight seconds in the backcourt for an eight-second violation in honor of Kobe’s number 8 jersey, a number that he wore for the first 10 years of his Lakers

the legacy

tenure. Trae Young, a rising star for the Atlanta Hawks, displayed his respect for Kobe by wearing a number 8 jersey at the beginning of the Jan. 26 Hawks-Wizards game. Another significant gesture was made by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who announced that the number 24 jersey would be retired by the Mavericks organization. The crying outpour of tributes and positive memories shared about Kobe following his death highlighted his undisputed legacy on and off the basketball court. In his career, Kobe won five championships with the Los Angeles Lakers. While Shaquille O’Neal (Shaq) was the dominant force inside for the first three championships, as indicated by the number of NBA Finals MVPs won by Shaq, Kobe

of the Mam

proved himself to be a formidable co-star alongside Shaq. When Shaq departed the team in 2004, Kobe took over as the alpha dog in search of a new legacy. Kobe became a ruthless scoring machine, highlighted by a remarkable 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. After the Lakers acquired the Spanish bigman Pau Gasol in 2008, the Lakers went back to the top of the NBA mountain with Kobe leading the Lakers to back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010. The myriad of accolades that Kobe achieved in his career proved to be no accident due to his tireless work ethic and dedication to the game of basketball. There are countless stories where Kobe

Jordan Hom

, Senior Sta

ff Writer

wouldn’t leave the gym until he hit a certain number of shots or where he practiced his shooting motion without a basketball. His “mamba mentality” inspired generations of basketball players, including many of whom are in the NBA today. Without Kobe, the NBA would be nowhere near as popular or as global as the game has grown to be. Even across the world in places like China or the Philippines, Kobe has impacted the lives of millions. Although Kobe and Gigi are no longer here with us, their spirit and legacy will live on through others as they continue to inspire the next generation. ■H Mamba out.

e h t h t i w s m r e t o t g n i m o c : t u o a b Mam n o c i n a f o h t a e d c fi i r r o h , n e d d su

nior Staff Writer

Jonathan Fernandez, Se

“How do you feel about Kobe?” I’ve probably been asked this question about a million times since last Sunday, when Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others were killed in a tragic helicopter crash. I usually respond with something nonchalant, but there’s only a couple ways to feel about what happened. Extremely shocked. The type of shock that has you thinking about how this could happen every time you have a moment to. And devastated. Kobe Bryant is dead at 41 and every time I see the “In remembrance of” and the “(1978-2020)” on television segments it triggers another wave of disbelief. Is this really happening? How could this happen? Kobe was probably the toughest player I’ve ever seen in my time watching basketball. He played through various

injuries throughout his 20-year career including a torn labrum, dislocated fingers and a torn achilles. When he tore his labrum he chose to play lefthanded rather than sit the game out, and we all remember the iconic free throws he knocked down after tearing his achilles. The toughness he showcased on the court makes this horrific accident all the more surreal. Kobe doesn’t die. He would jump out of the helicopter before dying, like the superhero he was on the court. It still doesn’t make sense, even a week later. And yet, perhaps the most universally heartbreaking aspect of this tragedy was that his daughter, Gianna, was also in the helicopter. We’d gotten to know Gianna more and more through viral videos and gifs on social media. Her and Kobe started attending games in person this season, and we all had front row seats to their father-daughter relationship. It was beautiful to see how

inseparable the two appeared to be. Gianna was an aspiring WNBA player who dreamed of attending the University of Connecticut, and Kobe had been coaching her to make sure those dreams came true. But now, this dream has viciously been torn away from all of us, and we will never get to see her live up to the hype and carry on her father’s legacy. If anything, this tragedy made us realize how fragile, how precious life is. If Kobe could be taken this soon, anyone can. And the only way one can really prepare for that is to let the people you care about know how you feel, because tomorrow isn’t guaranteed. I didn’t know Kobe personally, nor did I ever have the opportunity to meet him, but I felt a strong connection to him. I started watching basketball in the 2008-09 season, right when the Lakers were starting to become championship contenders. At the time, we didn’t have cable,

so there weren’t a ton of entertainment options but one of them was watching the Lakers’ away games, which my brother and I took advantage of. For eight years we watched Kobe turn-around fadeaway his way into an MVP, two rings and an epic 60-point final game. Despite watching him on the TV screen so often, I only got to watch Kobe play live once. When he announced his retirement, my brother and I knew we had to go see him at least once. We got our chance on March 30, 2016. I’ve seen a bunch of great NBA players play live: LeBron, Carmelo, Steph, Wade, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose. Yet, there was something indescribably different about watching Kobe. Even in warmups he just stood out. He moved differently than everyone else on the court. He only played nine minutes that night and went one-for-seven, but I’m glad I was able to watch the greatest Laker of all-time live. What Kobe will be most remembered for is his “mamba

m e n t a l i t y. ” His work ethic and competitive nature is something that truly transcends sports. His 5 a.m. workouts and relentless drive to become one of the greatest to ever play the game has become legendary. He continued to carry that same drive once he retired and got into the media creation industry; he even won an Oscar! The idea of working on your craft harder than everyone else and clawing to the top of your respective field is something that transcends sports and resonates with people outside of the sports realm. We’ve seen that over the past week as murals of Kobe and Gianna have popped up all over Los Angeles and the world. Another reason I feel connected to Kobe is a date. We were both born on August 23, albeit, 20 years apart. I’ve told so many people that I was born on the same day as him — it’s been a badge of pride for me. I’ve told myself his will had somehow been reborn into me. I wish we could’ve shared many more birthdays. Thank you, Kobe. ■H