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May 26, 2015
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C A L I F O R N I A S T A T E U N I V E R S I T Y, L O S A N G E L E S
Issue 209.9
Creating Real Change in the Classroom: A Different Kind of Education What happens with anthropology and criminal science come together? An awesome, innovative idea called the listening session. Hannah Jacobsen Intern
On May 11th, an Anthropology and Criminal Science class collaborated in a project that has been developing since 2013: the listening session. Led by anthropology professor Dr. Swan Ngin, the listening session is a new anthropological method developed and practiced by Cal State L.A. Anthropology students. “We’ve only seen one other project that practices listening sessions, so this is a very new concept,” says Dr. Ngin, “There is a facilitator who spells out the ground rules about listening, inclusiveness, and respect. Then, they have a list of questions which guide the discussion of the participating group.” Fostered in a 2013 collaborative session and report with the Orange County Human Relations Commission, the listening session has since developed into amazing opportunities for anthropology students at Cal State L.A. The most recent developments include Dr. Ngin’s winter course ANTH 580, a graduate class that established the listening session as an official methodology, along with this quarter’s ANTH 432. ANTH 432 continues to expand the listening session with a software program called NVivo and a collaboration report. This report will focus on past law enforcement experiences in members of the CRIM 454 Multiculturalism and Law Enforcement class.
“It’s invigorating to see students alive, organizing themselves and planning their own class,” says Dr. Ngin, “They are making a real contribution. When we give students work that is meaningful, work that has high impact, they are able to take learn deeply rather than just showing up for a lecture.” ANTH 580 developed the listening session method through leading a session with students from Dr. Jane Gauthier’s class on hate crimes. This class required students to develop a knowledge of the method’s developmental history, put it into practice, and then use NVivo to analyze the resulting data. “I was in ANTH 580 last quarter, where we worked with Dr. Ngin to develop a report on how a listening session is used as a method,” says Amber Eversole, an Anthropology major, “It feels like such an accomplishment to be in this quarter’s class, watching other students learn from what I worked on.” Students from winter quarter’s ANTH 580 class are currently writing a paper on the listening session as a new method to publish in The California Anthropologist. Additional work is being done by former class members to establish a club which will train other Cal State L.A. students in using NVivo and other dataanalyzing softwares. “With this software, you can
Photos courtesy Picture given by Trinidad Castaneda, photographer unknown
process massive amounts of online text,” says Trinidad Castaneda, an Anthropology major working to form the club, “By teaching students to used qualitative and quantitative analytical software, we’ll be empowering ourselves with marketable skills for the future.” The listening session on May 11th continued to incorporate participants from the Criminal Science department, where many students are working to join law enforcement. “Doing the listening session, I saw it as a way to understand our current problems,” says Roberta Iberra, an Anthropology major, “You get to hear everyone out in a
calm and respectful conversation and that doesn’t often happen in other forms of discussion such as rioting or marching.” Students in ANTH 432 felt that the listening session was a place without judgement, where members could talk freely. It was noted that many participants both recognized potential harassment in the field or had been harassed themselves. Some planning on joining departments said that they would be a different kind of cop than these instances of police brutality or harassment. “We could use this method as a kind of restorative justice session
with young people and young police officers in the future,” says Dr. Ngin, “It is so easy to paint the police world as brutal, so easy to blame young people for not obeying the law. How do we find common ground? This listening session provides a space for respect and conversation in the midst of many complicated issues of our time.” With the listening session complete, students in ANTH 432: Wealth and Power will spend the rest of the quarter applying class theory and software to analyze data and compile a report that will further contribute to this new and exciting method.
INSIDE: LA ONDA: 62 MUERTOS POR AVALANCHA EN COLOMBIA
TAKING A STAND AGAINST OPPRESSION
STUDENT SHORT FILM SCREENS AT CANNES FILM FESTIVAL
FILMS WITH ULTIMATE CHIC-NESS
LA FINESSE RESULTED IN MIXED REVIEWS
PG 6
PG 2
PG 3
PG 5
PG 7
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University Times
May 26, 2015
Cal State L.A. Students Look to Community Colleges The grass seems greener on other campuses. Hannah Jacobsen Intern For some Cal State L.A. students, summer break is not just a time to increase work hours or plan a get-away. Many are deciding to enroll in community college courses, a decision that saves both money and time.
“I did three courses at a community college during the summer before my sophomore year,” says Diego Tinoco, an Anthropology major at Cal State L.A., “The main motivation was to stay busy during the summer while not having to pay what a quarter at Cal State L.A. costs.” General Education courses are impacted at Cal State L.A. and the waitlists seem endless. Crashing classes has become a start-of-thequarter tradition that negatively impact chances of graduating in four years. In response, the student population gets creative by balancing the required 45 residential units with community college courses that will save them a buck and
Have a Fighting Chance Against Oppression Personal oppression prompts students to change the Housing system. Esther Rodriguez Contributor
On Tuesday, May 12th Cal State L.A.’s College of Natural Social Science (NSS) Representatives came together in an activist event itled ‘Walk in Our Shoes.’ “The purpose of this event was to let our voices be heard because there are a lot of students out there that are being oppressed by law enforcement, and other institutions and don’t say anything. We want to let students know that they are not alone,” expressed Alina Carmona, an NSS Representative, organizer of the event and a junior majoring in Psychology. The event served as an opportunity for students to share and express their personal experiences about acts of racism oppression, sexism, and racial profiling they have faced within their everyday lives, some even at Cal State L.A. “Cal State L.A. Housing has been letting go several innocent students. In my situation, I believe it was a misunderstanding but administrators failed to hear my story and they left me homeless. I came to school every week struggling not knowing where I was going to sleep at night,” shared Michael Acosta, an NSS representative and speaker at the event. Acosta wasn’t the only one to make a stand against “the oppressive decision making of Housing Administrators.” Gregory Bates recalled his Housing experience when he was “kicked out of housing and had to meet with Judicial Affairs” in a poem that he read to the student audience. “I didn’t do everything that was on that report, Housing needs to stop being bias and get a resort,” expressed Bates, finalizing his poem. Recalling the situation that led to his removal from Housing, Acosta said, “Me and my roommates always played pranks on each other just for fun. That day I guess it was a bad time or maybe he was in a bad mood, I went up to my roommate with no bad intentions, I just wanted to scare him thats all.”
Acosta added, “The situation then got serious, the Resident Assistants came out and after that I had a meeting with the Housing Administration. Housing Administration made me look like an aggravator and defamed me.” According to Director of Housing, Stephen Fleischer and Associate Director Rebecca R. Palmer, Administration “would never make a decision or create a situation that would create homelessness for a student...We haven’t done it. I can’t imagine a situation where we would do it." “We have zero tolerance policies that are very consistent. There is zero toleration for going on rooftops, threats or acts of physical violence and sexual misconduct,” Palmer declared and added, “We would never make a decision to remove a student without credible and strong evidence, that involves eyewitnesses, police reports and the accused.” According to Palmer, when administration has decided that a student needs to leave Housing due to a policy violation, the student has two options, “One option is to voluntarily leave and the second is to appeal the Administration decision through the courts. A paper is given to the student explaining his or her policy violation and is instructed to move out in three days, however, if the student doesn’t want to leave in three days because he or she feels that has been wrongly accused, their appeal process is done through the landlord and tenant law court and they can stay until the judge makes a decision.” Acosta was aware of the two options, “I chose to voluntarily leave even though I didn’t want to. I was going through a bad time in my life, I had two family loses and had weekly doctor’s appointment due to two surgeries that I went through. I didn’t want to go to court I just wanted to focus on my academics,” expressed Acosta. After this experience, Acosta wants to bring about change in the Housing system and mentioned that together with Bates, they are starting a petition to amend the housing rights and guidelines. According to Acosta, he will be starting a “Housing Union which will limit the power of Housing administrators so that we [students] have the power to override any final decisions and do external investigations.” If you want to know more information about the Housing Union proposed by Michael Acosta, you can email him at macost22@calstatela.edu.
a waitlist. In addition to lower general costs, some community colleges have special programs which shave down tuition and attendance fees to almost nothing. “I went to a community college in San Diego County to take an anthropology class, Sociology 101, and an economics class,” says Tinoco, “Instead of paying a whole quarter here, I paid almost nothing because they had their own source of funding which discounted my tuition and even my parking pass.” Many students attending community college in conjunction with residential courses do so to save thousands in tuition fees. However, these savings come at the cost of struggling to get the courses transferred to their academic records in a timely manner, greatly inconveniencing those who try to graduate on time. “After I took the community college classes, it took Cal State L.A. two years to get my transcripts over,” says Tinoco, “I ended up having my community college teacher write me a letter to prove that I had taken the necessary prerequisite for an upper graduate class. The system
Photo courtesy | http://blogs.ubc.ca/joeliu/
here really needs to be improved if it wants to help students who are taking the initiative to forward their education.” Additional problems occur in the clashing with the Cal State L.A. quarter system and the semester system that many community colleges follow. “I enrolled in summer classes at a community college and the summer semester started this week,” says Julia DeNamur, a Business major at Cal State L.A., “It’s worth it to save money, but I’ll be dealing with a fifth accelerated course for my last four weeks of spring quarter and it will be overwhelming that finals overlap with the midterm.” Cal State L.A. administration has worked hard to provide a solution to the latter problem through Semester Conversion, but there is still more work to be done. As students grow more creative to conquer the obstacles that prevent them from earning a degree, the Cal State L.A. system must match this effort with an improved system of recognizing non-residential courses or more class availability and affordability on campus. Only in this effort can more students achieve the four-year graduation.
University Times
May 26, 2015
UN I V E R S I T Y T IMES
Distributor Carol Venegas
Editor-in-Chief Yzzy Gonzalez
Staff Reporters Gerardo Amezquita Angeline Bernabe
Managing Editor Timmy Truong Production Manager Taylor Preza
Columnist Roxana Hernandez
Web Editor Carol Venegas
Fashion Reporter Row
Copy Editors Gerardo Amezquita Nidhin Patel Carol Venegas
Interns Pablo De La Hoya Jaime Diaz Garland Dyer Cristina Galvan Hannah Jacobsen
Business/ Advertising Mangager Jim Munson Faculty Advisor Suzanne Regan Journalism 391 Professor Josef Sawyer
Contributors Deidra Brown Christopher Collins Marco Diaz Tania Garcia Esther Rodriguez Photographer Maria Martinez
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'Masala Rainbow Comedy' LeAudience Wanting More Sapna Kumar and friends fill the University-Student Union Theater with laughter. Christopher Collins Contributor
The Asian Pacific Islander (API) and the Gender & Sexuality Resource Centers hosted the 3rd annual Masala Rainbow Comedy with Sapna Kumar for an afternoon of laughter on Wednesday, May 20th. Students were encouraged to celebrate API Heritage Month and LGBTQ Pride Month for an hour-long program of comedic entertainment. Sapna Kumar, an actor and stand up comedian, brought the house down at the University-Student Union theatre. Kumar is most famous for being seen on LOGO TV’s One Night Stand Up and NBC’S Last Comic Standing. She has performed at numerous comedy gigs such as Flappers Comedy Club, Ice House Pasadena, and the Hollywood Improv. The “Ambassador of Vaginas” joked about cats, vaginas, potlucks, the human blindness for ethnicity, being lesbian, auditioning for movies and her Mother’s ongoing aggression to “try being
A 5-minute short film by a Cal State L.A. student screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner. Contributor
Jefes de Redacción:
Xanni Valentin Chavira
Editores: Graciela López Martha J. Orellana Mindy Galindo Sergio Soto Gerente de publicidad: Consejero de la Facultad:
Martha J. Orellana Pablo Baler
bi.” She found her ambition for stand up comedy when she tried out for her school plays after being dropped from the junior high basketball team. After high school, Kumar went to college at Purdue Indiana University and received a Bachelor’s degree in Theater and Creative Writing. She stated that she has been “dating her career” ever since she started stand up comedy. Currently, Kumar has been living in Los Angeles for about four years and is pushing stronger than ever to expand her live theater antics on film and television screens. Alongside Sapna Kumar, the Masala Rainbow Comedy show had comedian, actor, and singer Wynter Spears. Spears took jabs at American’s love for walking their dogs to her auditioning days for a Weight Watchers commercial. Spears is well known for performing her stand up comedy
Photo Courtesy | dailyemerald.com
at gigs such as the Laugh Factory Long Beach, Comedy Store, Ice House Pasadena, and the Hollywood Improv. Spears mentions, “I never thought I’d be doing stand up comedy still but It’s all about the passion in pursuing your dreams.” Wynter went to Santa Monica Community College and later received her B.A. degree in Musical Theatre from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, PA. Follow Sapna Kumar from the following social media outlets: Website: www.supna-kumar. com Facebook: Sapna Kumar Twitter: @SapnaKumar Follow Wynter Spears from the following social media outlets: IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/ name/nm6684635/ Facebook: Wynter Spears Twitter: @WynterSpears
Student's "Cannes"-Do Attitude Leads to Screening
Marco Diaz
Para La Onda:
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Last week, Reza Ghassemi, a senior in the Television, Film and Media program packed his bags for France. There were no bathing suits in his luggage, only tuxedos. The 26-year old Iranian-American raised in Orange County was one of the few selected to have their short films screened at the 2015 Cannes Short Film Corner. The short film corner is a marketplace event that takes place during the prestigous Cannes Film Festival and is aimed at nurturing young talent. This year, the festival took place from May 13th to the 24th. Films are accepted only if they meet professional standards ac-
cording to the festival website. This will give Ghassemi and opportunity to network and present his work on the international level, with the added perk of attending some red carpet premieres and rubbing shoulders with the best in the industry. Ghassemi’s short seven-minute film, Cherry Blossom Bloom, is the story of Xavièr Sullivan, an up and coming boxer who runs a series of dangerous errands for an Irish crime lord and his psychopathic partner. As Xavièr trains with his mentor, he is thrown into the beautifully chaotic crime underworld while the Yakuza close in on him. Ghassemi co-wrote and co-directed the film with Adam VillaSenor, a close friend from childhood. “We kind of grew into this together. Our mind is in complete sync. We have our own distinct styles, but it all stems from the same source. We have the same palate, which makes directing together seamless.” said Ghassemi. The film along with the cohesive storytelling is beautifully lit, framed, and highlighted by meticulously choreographed fight scenes. As far as where the
inspiration for Cherry Blossom Bomb: “We all fight for the American Dream and sacrifice what we can to attain it. But how far are you willing to go? This idea was the seed. It grew in my mind and haunted my dreams.” As far as his future plans, Ghassemi talks about being in pre-production for Cherry Blossom Bloom as a feature film, and a top-secret project in the works. “I can’t talk much about it but it’s going to be BIG. The talent involved…I still wake up thinking it’s all a dream, not real. But this is, its very real. It’s not my nature to be mysterious but I can’t talk about it and I can’t talk about why I can’t talk about it.” Ghassemi is no stranger to the film festival circuit. His 2012 film The Last Cry, was nominated for Best Fight Choreography-Feature in the Action on Film International Film Festival. It also won the Bronze Palm Award in the Mexico International Film Festival. Ghassemi’s film will be screening this week at the Cannes Film Festival. To see more of his work you can visit his website at www. rezaghassemi.tv
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University Times
May 26, 2015
VISIONARIES OF L.A. Designers are painting L.A. through their vision, making L.A. a fashion capital of the world.
Roxana Hernandez Columnist Vision! The word we often hear when a successful designer makes a breakthrough. Is this enough to make it into the fashion industry that demands a reputation? Many critics would agree that a standard level of technical skill, business sense, distinct talent, and ingenuity is expected from a fashion designer. Vision however, lies as the key to complete a designer’s reputation. New York is the number one fashion capital of the world and is undeniably known for creating these standards that Los Angeles has revolutionized in terms of rebooting the rules. Sure, NYC has an abundance of known designers with indisputable reputations; many don’t realize L.A. has a unique sector of remarkable fashion designers as well. Let’s give our city a little more credit. From Monique Lhuillier to Rodarte, many successful L.A. fashion brands are giving our city a big title. With the climb of Los Angeles as one of the fashion capitals of the world, you can expect a vast growth of runway shows, fashion brands, and innovative style penetrating the borders of these grounds. Here are just a few of our very own visionaries of fashion. Monique Lhuillier Successful in NYC and in her home city, Los Angeles, Monique Lhuillier stays in the top charts of the bridal industry. Lhuillier is a Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) undergraduate who began designing wedding gowns during her time as a student. Gradually her name grew and her collections shined from evening-wear to bridal wear. The very romantic, glamorous, and sexy gowns she creates attracts a large group of women who wear her designs on their special day. Specifically known for the glamour in her collections, it’s clear she finds inspi-
and as a woman. ration from her home city. Find the best of her line on Melrose, and embrace the talent of L.A. Rachel Zoe Best known for styling celebrities, Rachel Zoe’s is one of the biggest fashion visionaries from L.A. Now, she has begun steadily to grow her brand and share her collections with the public. This entrepreneur has made the style ‘boho’ what it is today. Her line consists of that same bohemian style along with a very simplistic glamour. Zoe has conquered almost every sector of the fashion industry from styling, authorship, designing, entrepreneurship, media and communications. What’s not to love about this fashion savvy visionary. Trina Turk Fun prints and bold colors surround every Trina Turk line. If you are from L.A., you have to purchase a fun and fresh Trina Turk dress. Casual glam is what she knows best and don’t even get me started on her resort-wear! Trina Turk has managed to create a very successful brand and we hope her contemporary aesthetic continues to shine alongside bright L.A. Band of Outsiders Slowly becoming a favorite in the U.S., this brand was underground for some years. L.A. is known for their obsession with shoes; every Angeleno is out in the lookout for this brand’s newest pair. The vintage inspired brand Band of Outsiders was founded by visionary Scott Sternberg who founded it in January 2004. This brand wasn’t always shoes; menswear was their first steps in fashion. As they continued down the ladder to women’s-wear, their true colors shined in footwear. If you think this is just for hipsters, you’re totally wrong! His designs are fitting for many types of styles with the help of a little vision. James Perse No one understands L.A. style until you walk into James Perse’s. Wearing a white
V-neck Tee and some jeans never looked chic-er than ever--Perse’s got you covered. This man is no stranger to fashion as his father was owner of an upscale boutique called Maxfield, but instead he engaged in casual aesthetic once he began his own brand. An L.A. designer that truly embraces the L.A. lifestyle and L.A. fashion wear, I’d place him as the best L.A. designer of the year.
Rodarte Sisters Kate and Laura Mulleavy are the designers of this high-fashion brand Rodarte. Growing up in Pasadena, their artistry grew and implemented on the runway. With such a unique outlook in fashion, few doubted they would reach mainstream. But through persistence, they’ve reached a large population who identify with the brand. The distinctive duo will continue to create bold and outgoing clothes for the forthright fashion-forward crowd. Collaborations with Gap and Target helped them tremendously but they shine best when they create their own line.
Nasty Gal Everyone knows Nasty Gal! Guess what? They are headquartered in L.A.! The very innovative team brings only the coolest apparel, accessories, and footwear. Known for their e-commerce, they have been very successful and have decided to finally create a physical store. These seven sartorial visionaries have You can find it currently at the intersec- proven to be admirable national fashion figures. From contemporary to vintage tion of Melrose Ave and Kilkea Drive. aesthetics, these and many more deFounder Sophia Amoruso continues to signers are promoting L.A. to become be an excellent fashion figure of success a beacon of light on the fashion radar. and strength, both in the fashion industry
University Times
May 26, 2015
The Best Fashion Films Ever Whether it's Carrie Bradshaw in her movie, Sex and the City or the beautiful Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the fashion presented in these films are so effortless. Row
Fashion Reporter Once in a while we all come across a heart-warming movie where lovely babes know how to dress in high-fashion chic. These are the movies we all love and adore. Whether its Carrie Bradshaw in her movie, Sex and the City or the beautiful Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s, the fashion presented in these films are effortless, making us all wish we could live their lives. For now, let’s reminisce and re-live memories of fashion icons through these beautiful photos.
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The Devil Wears Prada We were absolutely envious when Anne Hathaway’s fashion sense flipped a 180 and she was strolling around in head to toe high-fashion silhouettes, pumps, accessories and makeup! I’m dying over this Chanel look.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s Ah, Audrey Hepburn playing “Holly” in the infamous black Givenchy dress. Her pearls, gloves, and shades are perfection. Classy with a touch of an edgy bad girl.
Oh, Alicia Silverstone! She played her character, Cher, beautifully. Cher was the epitome of chic and classy, with her plaid skirts, knee high socks, and the cutest pairs of shoes. All the Beverly Hills high school gals would probably do anything to have her fashion sense.
Confessions of a Shopaholic Isla Fisher stood out in this movie with her infamous, overflowing, pink outfits. What really showed off her character’s fashion sense was not the designers she was buying, but buying what she spotted. She had to have it! Her Milly coat is to die for, too.
Grease When Sandy, the once sweet girly girl went full on rocker-chic with all that leather, her wild hair, and her eye-popping red pumps, our hearts all stopped because of all the badness she had. Bravo, Olivia.
Clueless
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The Great Gatsby I think we can all agree that everyone in this film was luxurious and stunningly chic from start to Sex and the City finish. Daisy Buchanan, especially, showered us with her amazing Our clothes-loving, shoe-crazy, silhouettes, specially made by columnist, Carrie Bradshaw has Miuccia Prada from one of her always been our favorite New collections, giving it a 1920’s Yorker. She always took fashion twist. The fur scarf is absolute risks and that’s what we adored perfection with that sequined Praabout her. I know we all dream da. It’s heavenly. about ‘once-upon-a-time-if-Iwas-Carrie-Bradshaw’ every now and then, because I sure do.
Dance, Dance!
Bust a move with all sorts of styles. Deidra Brown Contributor
Cal State L.A. hosted 'Dance Wars' on Tuesday, May 19th. The half hour event included a handful of students that came to support and see what other contestants were bringing to the table. Sara Cassidy, a junior majoring in Social Work, said “I expected good dancing. I probably expected more groups but I was surprised at how good they were.” The event included 3 contestants performing various types of dances that incorporated two single performers and one group. The first contestant, Ryan, represented his dance group Diversity by doing Hip-Hop choreography. The dance group “Still No Girlfriends,” had performed in Dance Wars before created a breakdancing routine. The final contestant, Nicole Davis, performed a belly dance routine. For some of the students who watched the show, this year
was the first year they attended Dance Wars but enjoyed the different aspects of it. “I think my favorite part was watching them do the different genres, like having them step out of their comfort zone,” said freshman Television and Film major, Ashley Foskey. Before Dance Wars began, each audience member was given 3 colored papers: red, yellow, and blue; each representing a contestant. During the event, there were 3 different rounds. In round 1, the dancers performed a routine they rehearsed with their own music. In round 2, they performed a 30 second improvisation to a random song they didn’t know. After this round, contestants took the different colored papers they were given before the event began and voted for who they thought deserved to go to the next round. The two contestants with the most votes went on to the final round, where they had to improvise to the other dancer’s music and dance their genre. In the end, Davis intrigued the audience with her belly dancing moves and took the crown.
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University Times
May 26, 2015
NOTICIAS DE LA SEMANA
Letterman dice adiós a la TV Se retira después de tres décadas al aire Por Sergio Soto
NOTICIAS DE LATINOAMÉRICA
62 muertos por avalancha en Colombia Tragedia desaloja a comunidades Por Xanni Valentín Chavira El lunes pasado, una avalancha arrasó con las viviendas de Salgar, Colombia, dejando 62 muertos, 37 heridos y un número indeterminado de desaparecidos. La catástrofe se generó a causa del desplazamiento de la tierra provocado por las fuertes lluvias del día domingo y el lunes por la madrugada. Las viviendas y familias de los ciudadanos colombianos pertenecientes a esta localidad en el suroeste del país se vieron afectadas. De acuerdo a la Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (UNGRD), 333 personas resultaron damnificadas y 31 viviendas colapsadas.
El presidente colombiano, Juan Manuel Santos, declaró a esta región como “calamidad pública” para que los recursos que se necesiten sean más accesibles para los ciudadanos. Debido a la dimensión de esta fatalidad, el gobernador de Antioquia, Sergio Fajardo, se comprometió a brindar ayuda material necesaria para las víctimas y señaló, “Quiero decirles a todos los que han sido afectados, que les vamos a reconstruir sus viviendas para que queden incluso mejor de lo que estaban antes”. Este desastre natural está registrado como uno de los más impactantes en la historia de este país. Las familias esperan con ansia la reconstrucción de sus viviendas a través de la ayuda del gobierno.
LITERATURA
El Premio Reina a Ida Vitale Por Martha J. Orellana El pasado martes, la poeta uruguaya de 91 años, Ida Vitale, fue galardonada con el premio de Poesía Iberoamericana, Reina Sofía. Este es uno de los reconocimientos más bienquistos de este género que es premiado con 42.100 euros. La notificación del premio dio a la poeta y crítica un nuevo amanecer en su residencia en Texas. Vitale declaró al periódico El País que pensó que se trataba de una broma y agregó, “sé que mi nombre rueda hace años entre los candidatos. Ya se había convertido en una travesura española”. El Premio Reina Sofía de
No cabe duda que David Letterman se convirtió en uno de los íconos más importantes
Los últimos invitados que tuvo en su programa fueron Bob Dylan y la banda de rock TheFooFighters, con la cual cerró la transmisión del programa final. David Letterman Fotografía | Crédito: rollingstone.com
El Senado de Nebraska anuló la pena capital Por Mindy Galindo A pesar de la apelación de última hora del gobernador republicano, Peter Ricketts, la cámara única del estado de Nebraska pasó el martes 19 de mayo la ley que elimina la pena de muerte con efecto retroactivo, según un comunicado del legislativo estatal. El Senado de Nebraska aprobó esta abolición, remplazando la pena de muerte por la de cadena perpetua con una mayoría suficiente para revertir el esperado veto del gobernador del Estado. De acuerdo a un comunicado del
Senado de Nebraska remplaza la pena de muerte por cadena perpetua. Foto | Caroline Groussain,
legislativo estatal, la nueva ley no entrará en efecto hasta que se promulgue y reciba la firma del gobernador. Después de la votación, el gobernador no dijo si se opondrá a la medida, lo que sería un trámite puramente formal. Tiene
cinco días para hacerlo, según el mismo comunicado. Nebraska, desde 1997, mantiene 11 condenados en el corredor de la muerte, quienes, con la aprobación de la nueva ley pasarían a cadena perpetua.
Derrame de petróleo en Santa Bárbara Por Graciela López
Casas afectadas por la avalancha en Salgar, Colombia Fotografía | Crédito: www.bbc.co.uk
Una vida dedicada a la literatura
El conductor de televisión David Letterman, dio fin a su programa "The Late Show With David Letterman" tras 33 años y más de 6 mil episodios.
de la cultura pop norteamericana. Por su programa pasaron muchos invitados especiales; figuras políticas, actores, cantantes, deportistas, entre otros.
Poesía Iberoamericana, galardona la obra poética más destacada de autores vivos que con su valor literario constituyen y aportan relevancia al patrimonio cultural y común de Iberoamérica y España. Entre otros libros que esta autora publicó: La luz de esta memoria (1949); Reducción del infinito (2002) en el que reúne el poemario homónimo y una antología de su obra anterior; y Mella y criba (2010). El estilo literario de Vitale la convierte en una de las voces más relevantes de la generación del 45. Para más información sobre sus obras, visite: http://amediavoz. com/vitale.htm
La compañía Plains All American Pipeline declaró que se derramaron cerca de 105.000 galones de petróleo crudo en la costa Gaviota en Santa Bárbara, el pasado 19 de mayo. Linda Krop, consejera del Centro de Defensa Ambiental de Santa Bárbara, afirmó que lo sucedido es un desastre alarmante y que no está siendo tratado como tal. Krop también explicó que el desastre fue ocasionado por la ruptura de un oleoducto, el cual supuestamente es una forma más segura de transportar el petróleo. Mientras tanto, las causas del desastre se están investigando más a fondo.
Petróleo derramado en la costa del sur de California Fotografía | Crédito: www.sfchronicle.com
Las autoridades ambientales temen que la fauna marina se vea afectada debido a la actual migración de ballenas grises de México hacia Alaska, que en su recorrido se acercan a la costa. Por lo menos dos pelícanos fueron afectados por el derrame, esto motivó que no se permita pescar
en la zona dañada. Ya se están agilizando las labores de limpieza y es posible que se prolongue por más de tres días. Por su parte, el gobernador Jerry Brown declaró el Condado de Santa Bárbara en estado de emergencia para agilizar las labores de limpieza y prevenir daños mayores.
SOCIALES
El siglo de la biología: Simposio en CSULA Por Martha J. Orellana El pasado martes 19 de mayo, La American Communities Program presentó el Simposio sobre las investigaciones realizadas por el Dr. Pablo Baler y la Dra. Paola Marín del departamento de Lenguas Modernas y Literatura y la Dra. Cheryl Koos del departamento de Historia. En las ponencias, ellos cubrieron una amplia gama de temas sobre cuestiones políticas, éticas y estéticas que enfrentaremos en este “siglo de la biolgía”. En “The
la ponencia titulada Zoological Machine:
Endangering Species” el Dr. Baler, nos habló sobre la influencia de los avances biotecnológicos en el mundo del arte y el impacto que estos avances tendrán en el futuro de nuestra sensibilidad ética y estética. La Dra. Paola Marín, presentó “A Threshold in Life: Biopolitics, the Illegal Body, and Performance”. En este estudio, ella revela los peligros a los que está expuesto el cuerpo humano por influencias de los flujos de la biopolítica. el
La Dra. Cheryl Koos presentó tema “The Reproductive
Imperative and Transnational Right-Wing Politics: The Gendered Politics of Population, Sexuality, and Power” dónde se desarrolló la conexión entre políticas de natalidad y educación sexual y medios de administración y control de la población a lo largo de la historia. Estos temas parecen ser poco explorados a pesar de la influencia y consecuencias que traen los avances en el llamado “siglo biológico”. Los ejemplos y evidencias no faltaron y los panelistas, finalizaron con una conversación abierta al público sobres los temas explorados.
University Times
May 26, 2015
'La Finesse' Falls Flat A&L’s signature event brings mixed reviews. Angeline Bernabe Staff Reporter
Last Tuesday, the College of Arts and Letters’ signature event, 'La Finesse de la Nuit,' took place in the renovated plaza of the University Student Union. While the event always hit its mark in the past with a variety of performances and art displays from the department, this year’s event missed the beat. Known as the Dean of Arts and Letters’ favorite event, La Finesse is the final event of the college to showcase work that students from each department have been working on all year. In addition, the event has been recognized over the years as a large celebration of art. Instead of showcasing artists from the college like previous years, this year’s event also featured artists from the local community, including a sevenyear-old boy who performed “Hungarian Dance No. 5” on the piano.
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This year, La Finesse featured a combination of performances and art in the line-up of the night’s events. Some performances included spoken word artists, like Leelah Williams, a student who performed a poem titled, “I Am a Black Woman,” and several musical performances such as the band, Concrete Sledge, who closed the show. However, the overall lineup was not as well organized as in the past. With a bumpy term for A.S.I. Arts and Letters Representatives, Matthew Gonzalez and Nicole McCue, the pressure was on to put together a successful event like former reps Emmanuel Solis and Marina Bottini did the year before. McCue explained, “It’s really important that we do well in this event because it really counts. A lot of people really look forward to this event, so as representatives, it’s important that we do the best we can.”
After Solis and Bottini resigned from their representative positions last quarter, Gonzalez and McCue stepped up as reps for the remainder of the year. However, due to the suddenness of taking over in the middle of the year, they didn’t have the same network of contacts for student artists as Solis and Bottini did when they were in office.
Photo by Maria Martinez
Gonzalez said, “It was hard finding art students because neither of us are art students and we don’t know many artists around.” Some issues Gonzalez and McCue faced that evening were dealing with poor audio, a failed installment of a sculpture garden, and last minute no shows of performers. Despite the issues that Gonzalez and McCue faced, students still enjoyed their time at the
event with a photo booth station and cartoon artist. Yanira Chavez, a Communications major, shared, “I thought the event did a great job at bringing the college together.” Chavez hopes that La Finesse will be promoted better next year and that more students will perform. Although Gonzalez and McCue will not be representing the College of Arts and Letters as reps next year, they stressed the
importance of planning in advance. As a Philosophy major, McCue advised the new Arts and Letters reps for next year to start planning La Finesse as soon as they can. She says, “It’s important to plan early.” Even though this was their first attempt at the college’s signature event, Gonazlez and McCue were satisfied with the outcome of the event.
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May 26, 2015
University Times
THIS WEEK ON CAMPUS EVENT CALENDAR MONDAY 25 TUESDAY 26 WEDNESDAY 27 th
Memorial Day
All day, campus is closed
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Memorial Day Ceremony 12:00p.m. to 1:00p.m., U-SU Plaza
India Jones 3:00p.m. to 7:00p.m., Between King Hall and Library Film Screening: CODE BLACK 4:00p.m. to 10:00p.m., UniversityStudent Union Theatre
Statement Magazine Launch 6:30p.m.-9:00p.m., Golden Eagle Ballroom
Women’s, Gender, And Sexuality Studies Reception 3:00p.m. to 4:15p.m., Alhambra Room 3rd Floor Pan African Studies Forum 7:30p.m. to 9:00p.m., Luckman Theatre
FRIDAY 29th
THURSDAY 28th Chop Suey USA: The Story of Chinese Food in America 10:00a.m. to 11:30a.m., UniversityStudent Union Theatre
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Cal State L.A “Eagle Exchange” Clothing Drive 10:00a.m. to 5:00p.m., Phase II Lounge, Housing Services
Spring Dance Concert 7:30p.m., State Playhouse
Students Open Q & A Q: One of the board members of my
organization has been difficult to work with lately and doesn't want to take the time to talk about what's wrong. How can I continue to work with her without everything being awkward?
A:
In this situation you can't control the other person, but you can definitely control your reaction to their behavior. When you have to speak with them, try to use a welcoming and problem-solving attitude where you can be receptive to your board member and their issues. If it is hard to work with this person, then I would consider distancing yourself from that person; it may make getting work done easier for both of you. While it is important to be welcoming, you should not let your board member’s attitude get in the way of you progressing in your operations on the board. If the attitude is a persisting thing and it gets in the way of you being able to carry out business, consider bringing it up to her or speaking to other members and/ or the head of the board on how to approach that board member about her difficult to work with attitude. For now try to be welcoming. Always keep in mind that if a board member is not working or showing up to meetings then that person should be brought up to the board and that member should be considered for review because it is not fair for the other board members to be picking up any person’s slack.
Email Tania G. your Q for A at: advice.universitytimes@gmail.com
Innovative new practice tool for students wins National Association of Music Merchants, Inc. (NAMM) Show 2015 Award Jim Munson Contributor
Earlier this year at the 2015 NAMM Show, editors and guests of Timeless Communications— publishers of MMR, School Band & Orchestra, PLSN and more—announced the winning products in the annual Best Tools for Schools Awards. The Clarinéo was chosen as one of the most relevant and innovative products for schools in 2015.
The Clarinéo is a clarinet in the key of C. It is made from lightweight polymer resins which make it easy to handle, extremely durable and 100% waterproof. It is assembled from just 3 parts which makes it quick and easy to set up and put away at the beginning and end of lessons. The bell has a simple bayonet fitting while the mouthpiece has o-ring seals. The Clarinéo uses traditional cane reeds (Eb Clarinet) as well as synthetic beginner’s reeds, both of which are provided with each instrument. The tone is smooth and sophisticated and
lends additional color and depth to any ensemble and enables beginners to sound professional right from the start. The instrument requires little to no maintenance as it has durable silicone rubber pads and the springs are integral with the keys. The range is fully chromatic over three and a half octaves so is suitable for any music from jazz to Mozart. For more information go to http://www.nuvo-instrumental.com
Clarinéo - C Clarinet, Best Teaching Tool for Beginner Students