Volume 8, Issue 18 by The Bottom Line (UCSB)

Volume 8, Issue 18 | April 16-22, 2014

UCSB’s Weekly Student-Run Newspaper

@tblucsb / thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu

GLADWELL

HOLI

EQUAL PAY

Malcom Gladwell speaks about “David and Goliath” and rebellion at Arlington Theatre.

Students flocked to the beach for a colorful South Asian celebration of spring.

Is the Paycheck Fairness Act vital legislation or a liberal political ploy? Two writers go head to head.

A&E / 6

Photo / 4

Opinions / 7

OH THE HORROR!

AS BEAT REPORT

AS Senate Discusses Deltopia Consequences, Rescinds Student Group Funding

Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer Off-Campus Sen. Andre Taylor comments on Deltopia. by Kelsey Knorp AS BEAT REPORTER

A&E / 5 Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer ROCKY: Scarlett Letter performs “Don’t Dream It – Be It” during the live screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Friday, April 11, in IV Theater.

Isla Vista Peace Conference:

THERE’S STILL HOPE

Photos by Diane Ng | Staff Photographer

ABOVE: Owner of Isla Vista Screen Printing and UCSB Alumni Garrett Gerstenberger encourages students to act toward creating a better community.

Associated Students Senate discussed misallocated funds and the aftermath of the recent Deltopia riots at its meeting on Wednesday, April 9. Student Advocate General Kristian Whittaker updated the Senate on his office’s recent work on cases in which police officers threatened students with expulsion or even eviction from their Isla Vista residences on various occasions during Deltopia weekend. According to his investigation of these threats, the only instances that could put a student at risk for expulsion were those in which that student committed a violation of the University of California, Santa Barbara student code of conduct. “For example, if there are instances of students throwing bottles, that may be looked at further,” Whittaker said. “However, if you have folks who participated in the hectic-ness of Deltopia on your property, that’s not going to be regarded in any way [related to] your academics.” According to Whittaker, eviction is more dependent on a student’s specific lease agreement. The student could face legal consequences if a police officer felt inclined to take up lease violations with his or her landlord; however, Whittaker said common violations such as having a beer keg on one’s property would likely not result in eviction. It was brought to the Senate’s attention that previously approved funds allocated by the AS Student Commission on Racial Equality (SCORE) to the UCSB Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) were in violation of AS financial policy. Student groups are permitted to request AS funds for transportation one time per academic year, and SJP had already received such funds earlier this year. Because the Senate had approved SCORE’s meeting minutes from the previous week, it had also unlawfully approved the $250 allocation and thus had to choose either to let its decision stand against policy or to retract the funding SJP assumed had been granted. Should it stand by its decision, it would run the risk of the funding being retracted by AS Judicial Council upon review later on. Off-Campus Sen. Derek Wakefield motioned to retroactively strike the funding allocation from SCORE’s minutes, having emphasized the importance of acting in accordance with the one-time exception policy. “It was our mistake, but regardless, we have to follow policy,” Wakefield said. “Otherwise, there’s no point in having policy in the first place.” On-Campus Sen. John Soriano felt differently, saying that it was the responsibility of the Senate to stand by its decision so as not to impede SJP’s plans for the funds they believed they had secured. “Yes, we broke the financial policy, but we did that; that’s not their fault, and we’ve already given them the word that we’re going to give them that money,” Soriano said. “Had this not occurred, had we paid attention last week, we wouldn’t be having this problem, so that’s our responsibility, not theirs.” Wakefield’s motion ultimately passed with a 14-6-1 vote, resulting in the retraction of the funds. The Senate passed one piece of legislation that evening, entitled “A Resolution to Address Textbook Affordability.” The resolution authorizes the creation of a committee to explore new ways of lessening the financial strain on students imposed by rising textbook costs.

IV BEAT REPORT

by Andrea Vallone STAFF WRITER

s news of last week’s Deltopia fiasco has been steadily spreading throughout the country, students and members of the community alike were shocked when coupled terms such as “University of California, Santa Barbara” and “Riot” were making headlines around the world. In response, fifth-year aquatic biology major Alana Osaki organized and hosted an Isla Vista Peace Conference at the Del Playa Park to discuss the future of the Isla Vista and the UCSB community for potential solutions to circumvent the widespread negative media attention. Members of the community slowly trickled into the park at twilight and eventually formed a diverse yet united crowd. Representatives from State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson’s Office, Santa Barbara County Fire Station 17 at UCSB, Isla Vista Foot Patrol, Associated Students, the Isla Vista Tenants Union, and UCSB administration (including Senior Associate Dean of Student Life Debbie Fleming and Assistant Dean of Student Life & Activities Katya Armistead) were in attendance. Among these various community divisions were also UCSB students ranging from first- to fifth-years, foreign exchange students, and alumni. Osaki opened the conference by stating that the events of Deltopia and the subsequent news coverage “left a bitter taste in our mouths and in our hearts” and stated that as a community “we need to bind together to find a solution.” “We want the full support and communication from the

Deltopia One Week Later: IV Cameras Taken Down, Footage to be Reviewed

police for future events and we want the local newspapers to hear about how we actively make change to our neighborhood,” Osaki said. Fire Captain Martin Johnson of the Santa Barbara County Fire Station 17 spoke about his dedication to Isla Vista since his first term in 1987. Johnson addressed the difficulties the fire station has experienced over the years. “People ask me, ‘why do you work in Isla Vista?’” Johnson said. “And I gotta say it’s almost a mission field for me.” Johnson was proud to see students and community members uniting at the conference in an effort to rectify the recent negative attention it has been receiving. “Sometimes you feel like you’re fighting against the tide all by yourself,” he said. “It’s good to know you have our back out here too… We’re all on the right path and I don’t think anyone can do it alone.” External Vice President for Local Affairs Alexander Moore made the conference more intimate by encouraging everyone to come closer together before he spoke. “We’re at a turning point here between the Isla Vista that is and the Isla Vista that could be and should be,” Moore said. “We could be more than just a glorified dormitory for UCSB and SBCC kids…and this is exactly where it starts.” More touched upon the successful efforts to create an IV community center, medical center, and the MTD Bus improvements. Reverend Father Jon-Stephens Hedges, chaplain for Isla Vista Foot Patrol, in a touching speech explained how he is “probably your average former UCSB student living in Isla

Deltopia is more than a week in the past, and in Isla Vista, the aftermath has fostered the creation of plans for the future. With the community still reeling from the consequences of the event, local law enforcement is continuing its investigation into criminal perpetrators of the civil unrest, and there remain a few lasting marks of the weekend’s pandemonium. “Anything we can do, we should try to do… Anything that’s community building helps,” said Pegeen Sootar, Director at the Isla Vista Recreation and Parks District (IVRPD), in reference to possible plans for Deltopia 2015. According to Sootar, part of the Monday, April 14, IVRPD meeting was dedicated to “thinking of a way to utilize our parks in the future.” Though no official plans were made, the board was pleased that the recent Adopt-A-Block clean-ups had effectively restored community faith and public perception of Isla Vista. “It affected the community way more than the parks,” said IVRPD General Manager Rodney Gould. “There was no real damage, but a lot of trash. The parks escaped kind of unscathed.” The only recorded damage of park property over the Deltopia weekend was at the newly constructed Anisq’oyo Park bathrooms. Gould reported that there was written graffiti on the interior of two doors, on a hand blower, and on wall tiles, but that the defacement had been easily and safely removed.

See PEACE | Page 2

See CAMERAS | Page 2

by Giuseppe Ricapito IV BEAT REPORTER

2 | NEWS

TBL | April 16-22, 2014

Candidates L to Z Debate From Deltopia to Diversity at Oﬀ-Campus Senators Forum

OPP Off-Campus Sen. Candidate Erika Martinez.

Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

OPP Off-Campus Sen. Candidate Carlos Lopez.

Aaron Jones moderates the forum.

DP Party Off-Campus Sen. Candidate Jacob Lebell.

by Becca Ou The first of a series of forums featuring the candidates for positions in Associated Students took place at The Hub on Monday, April 14. Candidates running to represent the student body as off-campus senators at the University of California, Santa Barbara for the 2014-2015 year kicked things off. Candidates representing the Democratic Process Party (DP) and The Open People’s Party (OPP) were both present to answer questions before the election. They voiced their stances on Deltopia, undocumented students, increasing diversity, increasing student fees, and boosting student involvement in AS. The forums are held throughout the week, and elections will take place on GOLD from April 21 to 24. The second half of Monday’s off-campus senators forum concluded with candidates with last names beginning with L to Z. Representing OPP were Brandon Lee, Cassandra (Cassie) Mancini, Charles Lopez, Erika Martinez, and Michelle Moreh. The DP party had three candidates: Jacob Lebell, Jeremy Peschard, and Xin Ma. All candidates, if elected, hope to use their institutional power and the resources AS provides to make changes to

–PEACE

strengthen the UCSB and Isla Vista community. “Being an off-campus senator would allow me to help as many people as I possible,” Peschard said. Other candidates agreed. “Anyone can advocate for change,”Lopez added, “but in AS, your voice carries a little further.” The recent events that occurred in Isla Vista during Deltopia made the annual event a popular topic for discussion, and gave candidates the chance to convey their various positions on the issue. “We invited these out of towners,” Mancini said. She cited miscommunications with the police as one of the causes of the violent response from party-goers. Moreh agreed and said, if elected, she would push for the creation of a police advisory board. “IV looks a lot like a slum,” Lebell added. Lebell and Ma, both for the DP party, pointed out structural issues within the IV community and expressed the need to take better care of our community and do more to really make IV feel like “our home.” Candidates also had the opportunity to voice their opinions on undocumented students. The panel unanimously supported

undocumented students, and the candidates addressed how they planned to use their Senate position to increase diversity, as well as to better integrate these students into UCSB and AS. “There needs to be more lobbying so they know we are united in our stance on undocumented students,” Lee said. Lee, as well as Moreh and Lopez, spoke about the need to push the issue beyond UCSB and establish its prevalence in the UC system as a whole. Candidates also spoke on the importance of more diversity education, and highlighted the importance of having representation of minorities in AS. “Together we can be a very powerful voice,” Mancini said, advocating for the coalition of AS units and Office of Student Life groups around campus. “[There should be] mandatory diversity training for students, TAs, RAs, and faculty,” Peschard added. “Discrimination shouldn’t be happening in a place where people should feel safe.” Additional student fees that would be allocated toward renovations of the MultiCultural Center and the University Center that will appear on the upcoming ballot were also discussed. Much support was expressed for the MCC fee, as the discussion tied into increasing diversity on campus. Support for renovations of the UCen were centered around the empowerment of students. All the candidates at the forum strongly urged students to vote, as the issues directly affect all UCSB students. Each of them spoke about their dedication to AS and the UCSB community, and urged everyone to participate. “If we show them we care, students may want to care back,” Martinez said, and reminded everyone to vote on GOLD starting Monday.

For TBL’s full coverage of the AS Elections Candidate Forum, go to our website: bottomlineucsb.com

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Continued from page 1

Continued from page 1 Vista,” and how he and his wife raised their children and grandchildren here. He personified the city as an old friend. “When someone you really love gets pounded on, knocked on the street, kicked around, bruised, cut, and then graffitied on, you don’t throw them away, and I’m not throwing Isla Vista away,” said Hedges. “This place is worth saving. Don’t give up on it.” Complimenting the progressive rhetoric was UCSB alum Garrett Gerstenberger, owner of Isla Vista Screen Printing and Embroidery, who called for “action after reaction.” He harked on the fact that out of the 20,000 Isla Vista residents, only 100 people were at the conference–although that it was still more than he had expected with respect to his experience with the aftermath of Floatopia in 2009. “I didn’t put my foot down then, but I am now,” Gerstenberger said. “It starts with you guys.” Fifth-year student Josh Plotke also chimed in with a plan to make Isla Vista a community service district, which would enable the city to have more autonomy while bypassing the previously failed attempts to become a city, or part of the city of Goleta. Those in attendance were encouraged to take the floor in addition to participate in smaller group discussions on specific topics after the official speakers. Osaki also plans to provide further events for students to speak and discuss practical solutions.

In a more confounding act of vandalism, a bathroom sink had been knocked off the wall; however, a contractor has been contacted to assess and fix the damage. For now, Gould said, none of the restrictions associated with Deltopia are expected for the upcoming music and arts festival Chilla Vista, held at Anisq’oyo Park on Saturday, May 3. Isla Vistans will be watching the event as an indicator of community efforts, but, presumably, security cameras will not. The Del Playa camera installations were taken down on the morning of Monday, April 14, but the memory of their presence is still a talking point for future campus plans, as well as the ongoing police investigation. Though the cameras in Isla Vista may be gone, the cameras on university property may be there to stay. UCSB Administrative Services is currently putting together a “Video Camera Policy Committee” to develop guidelines on the installation and retention of on-campus monitoring devices. As the campus dialogue on the use of cameras continues, local law enforcement is expanding its investigation into recordings and photos of the civil unrest. With this information in hand, more citations and arrests may be on the way. Santa Barbara Sheriff ’s Office spokesperson Kelly Hoover confirmed that that the investigation into the civil unrest is still ongoing, and law enforcement officials are still “trying to

identify people that [were] involved in criminal activity during Deltopia.” Besides researching hours of recorded footage on Deltopia, officers are also contacting Isla Vista residents whom they believe were involved in active aggression against the police. “The investigation has involved investigators going to residences where there was activity, residences where there were people throwing rocks, bricks, and bottles at law enforcement,” said Hoover. “We would appreciate their cooperation. We are also very clear that we are in communication with landlords and the schools.” Hoover acknowledged the students concerned with the possibility of eviction. “The Sheriff ’s office does not have the authority to evict anyone” unless it is under court order, she said. “It isn’t meant to be a threat— it’s up to the landlord to evict someone.” The Santa Barbara County Sheriff ’s Office has also partnered with the Large Emergency Event Digital Information Repository (LEEDIR), “to assist in our efforts to collect and analyze eyewitness videos and photographs of the Deltopia Civil Unrest incident,” according to a Sheriff ’s Office press release. The LEEDIR platform is available for use on mobile devices, and the Santa Barbara Sheriff ’s Department is encouraging witnesses to provide photos or video footage of the event. The press release also notes that submissions may be made anonymously.

WRITERS THIS ISSUE: Giuseppe Ricapito, Julia Frazer, Kelsey Knorp, Bailee Abell, Sam Goldman, Alex-Albarran-Ayala, Allyson Werner, Mimi Liu, Andrea Vallone, Becca Ou, Gilberto Flores, Anjali Shastry, Madison Donahue-Wolfe, Janani Ravikumar

PHOTOGRAPHERS THIS ISSUE: Lorenzo Basilio, Diane Ng, Gianna Dimick, Madison King, Benjamin Hurst

LEEDIR is noted as a “public and private sector partnership” whose online platform was pioneered by the Los Angeles County Sheriff ’s Department as a source of eyewitness information to assist in solving crimes. CitizenGlobal and Amazon Web services were cited as “infrastructure technology companies” that helped launch the platform. “The Santa Barbara Sheriff ’s Office greatly appreciates the assistance of the LEEDIR partnership as the investigation into those responsible for the Deltopia Civil unrest continues,” said the press release. Parallel to the police investigation, however, is a student discussion on the future of Deltopia as an Isla Vista event. Associated Students President Jonathon Abboud posted “tentative ideas” for Deltopia 2015 onto his Facebook page, formulated by AS executives and members of the UCSB administration, for student input. Abboud cited his hope “for an event with music, locals only and some safety regulations,” noting also that these ideas “were drafted with the general sentiment last week regarding preserving Deltopia, the music and the fun, but not with out of towners.” The proposed plan includes requiring wristbands for entry to Del Playa (which would be closed to all traffic for the event), allowing for 21-year-olds with wristbands to drink on the street, and having live music on “3 big stages (one on 65, 66, and 67) at the parks” for local bands and DJs.

The Bottom Line provides a printed and online space for student investigative journalism, culturally and socially aware commentary, and engaging reporting that addresses the diverse concerns of our readership and community. This is your community to build, share ideas, and publicize your issues and events. We welcome your questions, comments, or concerns at bottomlineucsb@gmail.com, or call our office phone at 805-893-2440.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS A PROUD MEMBER OF

ILLUSTRATORS THIS ISSUE: Hector Lizarraga, Amanda Excell

The Bottom Line is sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Opinions expressed in TBL do not necessarily represent those of the staff, AS, or UCSB. Published with support from Generation Progress/Center for American Progress (genprogress.org). All submissions, questions or comments may be directed to bottomlineucsb@gmail.com or content.tbl@gmail.com.

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TBL | April 16-22, 2014

FEATURES | 3

Kinotek Film Series: Keeping Movies Free and Classy by Gilberto Flores STAFF WRITER The good folks over at Kinotek, University of California, Santa Barbara’s student-run film series, are very busy these days. What began as a college freshman’s idea has now evolved into a seminal campus organization dedicated to providing UCSB students and the surrounding community with free screenings of quality films every Wednesday night in IV Theater. Kintotek President Ben Shukman was just a first-year in the fall of 2011 when he began the long journey to making Kinotek a reality. Fueled by his fond memories of watching older classic films with his friends at the American Cinematheque in his hometown of Los Angeles, Shukman dedicated his time to creating a similar experience for his fellow UCSB students. “When I came here I was really sad that there didn’t exist this kind of venue,” said Shukman. “I wanted to create what this school was missing, which is a film festival very dedicated to older art movies.”

Kinotek screens many critically acclaimed films that played in theaters when many current UCSB students were either very little or not even alive yet, like “Vertigo,” “Fargo,” “Pulp Fiction,” and “Fight Club,” along with many recent classics like “WALL-E,” “Little Miss Sunshine,” and “Mean Girls.” As if pursuing a double major in physics and art history weren’t difficult enough, Shukman recalls the red tape that he had to go through to get the organization off the ground. “Bureaucracy is a nightmare, and it’s something that you just need to tackle head on,” he said. Kinotek managed to secure key support from the Isla Vista Community Relations Committee after much convincing and hype-generating. “We were never required to seek external funding sources because the IVCRC really believed in what we do… Without them, none of this would ever have been possible,” said Shukman. To this day, the IVCRC continues to support and sponsor the organization. After a lot of planning in fall 2011, Kinotek held their debut screening of David

Photos by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer (From left to right): Marketing Director Pai Srukhosit, a fourth-year film and sociology double major; Vice President Magnum Terrazas, a third-year biopsychology major; and President Ben Shukman, a physics and art history double major. Fincher’s “Fight Club” in winter quarter of 2012–their first and only screening of the quarter. Spring quarter began with “Pulp Fiction,” and the rest was history. “Now we’re doing an average of about seven [films] a quarter,” said Kinotek Vice President Magnum Terrazas, a third-year biopsychology major. In the beginning, Shukman worked with about three other people to run Kinotek; now that number hovers at around 14 stable members who help make Kinotek’s operations smoother and more structured. “It’s not just me telling people what to do. It’s all these teams working together… That’s my favorite part of our growth,” said Shukman. With so many dedicated people collaborating to help make Kinotek successful, there is a good chance it is a program that is here to stay. “I hope that we can continue how we’ve been progressing… There’s still a lot more room for improvement [but] I hope we’ll leave Kinotek relatively autonomous,” said Terrazas.

Kinotek Marketing Director Pai Srukhosit, a film and sociology double major, also reflected on her experiences with the organization as she approaches the end of her senior year at UCSB. “I’ve only joined just recently but it’s been a lot of fun helping [to communicate] the brand or image that we want to cultivate for ourselves… and the team is just lovely,” said Srukhosit. “We’re just looking for people who love movies as much as we do,” said Shukman. With Kinotek’s impressively eclectic selection of films, they’re sure to continue attracting film enthusiasts from all over. Along with Magic Lantern Films and AS Program Board, Kinotek has helped make UCSB a safe haven for movie lovers who want to see their favorite films, old or recent, on the big screen. This quarter is set to be Kinotek’s biggest quarter yet. They have a lot in store and will be kicking things off with Paul Thomas Anderson’s 1997 film “Boogie Nights” on Wednesday, April 23, at 8 p.m. in IV Theater.

President Ben Shukman and Vice President Magnum Terrazas discuss how Kinotek came about.

Womyn’s Commission Hosts Womyn Unite Banquet by Bailee Abell STAFF WRITER In an evening consisting of student leaders, spoken word performances, and a keynote speaker–with enough encouraging smiles and words of wisdom to fill every lecture hall on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus–the Associated Students Womyn’s Commission hosted the Womyn Unite Banquet at UCSB on Wednesday, April 9. Springtime air crept into Corwin Pavilion, allowing each member of the audience to smell the savory aromas of the buffet all the way from their seats. For those seated, the circular tables helped foster an atmosphere of communication and the sharing of thoughts. Empowering Top 40 tunes erupted from the speakers, and men and women alike bonded over their mutual memorizations of the lyrics. During this time, a slideshow played, which included pictures, descriptions, and quotes from inspirational women ranging from Frida Kahlo to Ellen DeGeneres. Among the featured ladies were several on-campus mentors, including resident advisors, teaching assistants, and professors. The main purpose of the banquet was to unify the women of UCSB. Through singing along to well-known songs, bonding over the on-campus women featured on screen, and participating in ice-breaker activities, the attendees began the night by forming connections with their peers. Among the student speakers was Diana Torres Luevanos, a second-year biology and

Photos by Benjamin Hurst | Staff Photographer Womyn Unite Banquet speaker opens up the ceremonies on April 9, 2014. anthropology double major with a minor in education, who is the president and co-founder of Girl Up. Girl Up, a United Nations organization with chapters at the high school and university level, advocates for the education, safety, and empowerment of young women worldwide. The UCSB chapter in particular seeks to provide relief for young women in Malawi, Liberia, Ethiopia, and Guatemala. Born into a “machismo” family as the youngest of nine children, Luevanos knew that

if she wanted to make a difference in the female community, she needed to break free from the traditions of her family. Luevanos has been an activist since the age of 14, and she continues to fight for women’s rights through on-campus programs. “I feel that we are the ones who get left behind,” said Luevanos. “I am tired of being degraded. I want to cause change in this world, and I hope you join me.” Currently, Luevanos is working on a cam-

paign entitled Stop & Listen, in which she encourages young people to pay attention to the lyrics of the songs they listen to, many of which degrade women. After four performances by members of the Winter 2014 spoken word class–each of which was equally raw and confident–keynote speaker Hareem Khan graced the stage. A graduate student in the anthropology department at UCSB, Khan’s research consists of colorism, which she defines as “social hierarchy based on gradations of skin color within and between racial ethnic groups.” In her presentation, Khan showed several Indian advertisements calling upon women to purchase skin lightening products. She described the companies as displaying images that indicate society’s preference for lighter skin. “They’re not just selling the cream,” said Khan, “they’re selling a lifestyle.” Khan, Luevanos, and the other board members of Womyn’s Commission agree that society’s representation and perception of women need to improve. “We all need to be working together to create change on this campus,” said Cassie Rubio, a second-year global studies and comparative literature double major and “Her-storian” of the Womyn’s Commission. The Womyn’s Commission welcomes new members from all backgrounds and gender identities. For more information, attend weekly meetings on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in the Middle Eastern Resource Center in the SRB, or visit Facebook.com/WomynsCommission.

Bollywood Fusion and Bhangra Dance:

Dhadkan’s Competition Brings ‘Em Together by Alex Albarran-Ayala STAFF WRITER University of California, Santa Barbara Dhadkan hosted its first dance competition, Nachle Deewane, at the Arlington Theatre on April 12, 2014. The proceeds of the competition will go toward helping India Friends Association with the humanitarian work they do in India. Dhadkan received help from many sponsors, including our own Associated Students and various other AS entities. According to Dhadkan, eight dance teams faced off to see which was the best in Bhangra or in Hindi-filmi Fusion, two popular Indian dance styles. The first place Hindi-filmi Fusion award went to all-boys team UC Berkeley Zahanat, and the first place Bhangra award went to Bruin Bhangra, a co-ed team from UC Los Angeles. “It was a great first time event,” said CSUF Nazara’s dancer Hetal Raval, fourth-year health science major. “Usually Bhangra and Hindi film are never put together, and for the first time, they [Dhadkan] actually put ‘em together, which is really interesting.”

“[Bhangra] is an Indian folk dance… It just originates from northern India in a region called Punjab,” said Bruin Bhangra’s dancer Jalmeen Dhaliwal, a third-year UCLA environmental science major. According to Dhadkan, the type of Bhangra performed in this competition is a new expression of Bhangra that mixes western music with traditional Punjabi folk dance. On the other hand, Hindi-filmi Fusion mixes a variety of different dances. “[There’s] Bollywood, which is very theatrical, very colorful,” said CSUF Nazara’s captain Shivani Chokshi, a third-year economics major. “You dance based on the words rather than the beat and what not, and we fuse different things such as contemporary, military, jazz, and a bunch of different styles… So it’s just a fusion of everything.” At this competition, CSUF Nazara won “best costume award” in the Bollywood fusion category (a name used interchangeably with Hindi-filmi Fusion). Their Bhangra “best costume” counterpart was Tufts Bhangra, a team from Tufts University, located near Boston, Mass. By the end of the night, Dhadkan had a special performance

by a cappella group UCSB Ravaani, and a guest performance by Mickey Singh, an emerging Indian artist. Dhadkan’s co-founder, Nishitha Viswanathan, explained the meaning behind the name of the competition, Nachle Deewane. “When you translate it, it sounds a little funny, but it’s like ‘Dance Crazy,’” said Viswanathan. “‘Nachle’ means dance in Pujabi…which is the language that people from Punjab speak, and then ‘Deewane’ means crazy which is Hindi… So it’s a Punjabi and a Hindi word mixed together.” The Dhadkan board is composed of 14 UCSB students, two of which are founders Viswanathan and Soham Tikekar. According to the founders, Dhadkan became a registered campus organization on Feb. 24, 2013. Viswanathan added that one of their future goals is to become a non-profit organization. Currently, Dhadkan supports the non-profit organization India Friends Association. Together they’re seeking to revitalize villages across India by assisting with aid that helps improve nutrition and primary education. Kailash Narayan, from the IFA committee, said that IFA’s main mission “is not charity, it is empowering people, the underprivileged all over India.”

4 | PHOTO

TBL | April 16-22, 2014

HOLI DAY Photo by Gianna Dimick | The Bottom Line

In celebration of the ancient Hindu spring festival Holi, UCSB students came together on Sunday, April 13, to throw colored powder and dance on Campus Point Beach. The UCSB Indus club organized the event, which drew almost 1,000 students. Photo by Gianna Dimick | The Bottom Line Shivani Bhardwaj dances to the Holi festivalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traditional Bhangra music.

Photo by Gianna Dimick | The Bottom Line Gabi Slominski initiates a powder fight among friends at the beginning of the festival.

Photo by Madison King | Staff Photographer

Photo by Gianna Dimick | The Bottom Line

Photo by Madison King | Staff Photographer A conga line erupts amid the Holi party.

Holi begins as everyone throws powder in the air.

TBL | April 16-22, 2014

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 5

Photos by Lorenzo Basilio | Staff Photographer

The Creatures of ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’ Take Isla Vista into a Time Warp by Alexandra Dwight

t the drunken hour of midnight on Friday, April 11, Isla Vista Theater was bustling with an eclectic cast of off-beat characters decked out in leather, sequins, powdered faces, thick red lipstick, corsets, glittery pasties, and spandex galore. This oddball bunch is the TooMuchCoffeeCast, who performed “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” live, courtesy of Magic Lantern Films. The crowd, some also dressed up, was a buzzing frenzy, howling obscenities as the notorious pair of cherry-red lips appeared on the big screen, floating against a background of black. The cult-classic film tells the story of a straight-edge couple, Brad and Janet, who lose their way on a rainy night and end up wandering into the castle of Dr. Frank N. Furter, a transsexual transvestite from Transylvania. Here, the couple is introduced to Frank N. Furter’s band of outcasts: the hunchbacked servant Riff Raff, his sister Magenta, a groupie named Columbia, and the doctor’s muscled science creation Rocky. The movie is teeming with eroticism— innuendos, affairs, seduction, and burgeoning sexuality–that blurs the line of the typical gay-straight dichotomy. Adding a fresh level of excitement to the screening was the live performance aspect, as actors lip-synched the musical numbers, shouted profanities at the screen, and pulled audience members up on stage to dance “The Time Warp.” It was not just a passive movie-going experience, but rather, a full-blown interactive adventure. Upon entrance to the theater, attendees were labeled with a lipstick “V” on their foreheads, marking the “virgins,” or first-timers to

“The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” These “virgins” were picked on the most, as these first-timers were rounded up on stage and divided into groups to participate in risqué activities. The first group was tasked with stripping down and switching clothes with a partner of the opposite sex, provoking giggles from the crowd as men squeezed into tight crop tops and women held up oversized jeans. Other groups were sent into the audience on a kinky scavenger hunt, searching for condoms,

(Left to right) CJ Rodgrigues, Nicky, Scarlett Letter, and Dita McEvil perform.

the Rocky Horror Picture Show. And to the decadence for which it stands…”—culminating in a rousing “start the fucking movie!” Needless to say, the crowd was lively throughout the entire show,

reflected in their long-term commitments to the show. While one actor, Joshua Yaeger, said that he was in his 11th year of the “Rocky Horror” production, another, Will Goodman, estimated that he was in

I pledge allegiance to the lips of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. And to the decadence for which it –The Rocky Pledge stands…start the fucking movie! naked pictures, and the biggest hickeys. As “virgins” were sent back to their seats and the lights began to dim for the performance, the crowd chanted “The Rocky Pledge”— “I pledge allegiance to the lips of

Nicky, Scarlett Letter, and CJ Rodgrigues about to reveal the Dr. Science creation Rocky.

reciting lines, dancing, and bouncing around a giant inflatable penis. The TooMuchCoffeeCast hails from Ventura, Calif. Advertised as “the worst Rocky cast” on their website, this off-the-wall group has abandoned the potential for a polished show in exchange for what they call “more reckless behavior.” This means that while they may forget to come on stage at first or forget the moves to a dance, they are fully devoted to providing the raunchiest night possible, coaxing even the most introverted soul out of their shell. However, TooMuchCoffeeCast is more a family than a simple theater group—a sentiment that is

his 18th. Despite this high level of dedication, the group’s motto is quite relaxed. “Have fun, no drama, and don’t be so drunk you fall of the stage,” said Goodman. Although the audience was largely composed of die-hard “Rocky Horror” fans, it was said multiple times throughout the night, even by Goodman, that “Rocky Horror” is a terrible movie. But it is precisely this quirky, low-budget vibe that seeks to emanate old science fiction flicks that “Rocky Horror” is appreciated. Yet the movie’s cult-classic status extends beyond its aesthetics; it is the community of outcasts represented

and fostered by “Rocky Horror” that makes it such a beloved film. It seems that “Rocky Horror’s” symbolic lips are more than just a meaningless image, but an emblem for the fringe of society— a band of misfits with nowhere to go but the theater on a weekend night. This tradition began in the mid 1970s, as “Rocky Horror” became a regular midnight showing at the Waverly Theater in New York. According to Goodman, these midnight showings became “a safe place for gay, lesbian, and alternate culture to go at night.” This welcoming sense remains in the practice today; as Goodman said, “We’ll accept anyone, and that’s always been at the core.” “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” live is an exhilarating experience and guaranteed party, recommended to all creatures searching for something wild to do at the mysterious hour of midnight. TooMuchCoffeeCast performs routinely at The Majestic Ventura Theater, and their schedule can be found online. Check Magic Lantern Film’s show times online for more weekend movie night options.

The TooMuchCoffeeCast performs a live screening of “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” in IV Theater.

6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TBL | April 16-22, 2014

The Nature of Rebellion

Photo by Diane Ng | Staff Photographer

Best-selling author Malcom Gladwell discusses “why people in our world choose to fight even when the odds are overwhelmingly against them.” by Anjali Shastry OPINIONS EDITOR

“I live in New York City, and we have very long and cold winters, and also–this is entry into too-muchinformation territory here–but I live next to what used to be St. Vincent’s Hospital, and they knocked it down, and whenever you knock down a building in New York, you release thousands of rats. So rats have invaded my neighborhood. So this winter, I’ve basically been sitting in my apartment shivering, and surrounded by rodents. And in this, I get an offer to come to Southern California, where not only is the weather warmer, but from what I can tell walking around Santa Barbara downtown today, the local wildlife is a great deal more attractive.” And so began an evening in Arlington Theatre on Friday, April 11, with Malcolm Gladwell, presented by University of California, Santa Barbara’s Arts & Lectures. Gladwell is a staff writer at the New Yorker as well as the New York Times bestselling author of “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make A Big Difference,” “Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking,” “Outliers: The Story of Success,” “What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures,” and the book he was presenting, “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants.” In front of a packed theater, dressed casually in jeans and a light jacket, Gladwell talked about the nature of rebellion and “why people in

our world choose to fight even when the odds are overwhelmingly against them.” It was a particularly interesting talk so close on the heels of the Deltopia riots, but his point was not necessarily about the nature of college town riots, but rather largely focused on what causes large scale change in society by the most unlikely of individuals. He framed his talk around the story of Alva Vanderbilt (née Erskine Smith, 1853-1933) who was a poor woman from Mobile, Ala., and was, as Gladwell described her, “a force of nature. She was this domineering, egotistical, controlling, maniacal, obstreperous, impossible child who picked fights with anyone she could pick a fight with, and if there wasn’t someone to pick a fight with, she made up a fight, and then picked it.” After her family moved to New York City, Smith became Vanderbilt by marrying a member of the famous Vanderbilt family, becoming a New York society woman and marrying her beautiful daughter Consuelo off to an English duke. “In this era, at the turn of the century, it was all the rage for the wealthy daughters of American millionaires to be married off to the penurious sons of the English aristocracy. They even had a term for it, it was called ‘cash for class,’” said Gladwell. Vanderbilt eventually, after divorcing her first husband (“unheard of in those days”), married money again and eventually became a lead-

ing member of the women’s suffragette movement in the United States, along with her daughter. She was a success story for being what Gladwell calls the “unlikely radical.” To fully explain Alva Vanderbilt to the audience and keep things light, Gladwell said, to great applause and laughter from the audience, “In the words of the infamous Kanye West, I’m not saying she’s a gold digger…” So why, according to Gladwell, do people choose to rebel? What is it about defiance that is so difficult to explain, and how do people defy convention and authority? Gladwell said, “People will defy authority when the costs of that defiance are smaller than the benefits. If going forward with the defiance, if it’s easier, or has a greater pay off than obeying authority, they’re going to do it!” Ultimately, the reason people will rebel is the idea of legitimacy. If they feel they are legitimate, and that they are taken seriously by the people who govern them, then there is no cause for rebellion. But, “if you deny a group legitimacy, they will work hard and come back to defeat you.” After his talk, Gladwell opened up the floor to audience members for a very entertaining Q&A. Questions ranged from asking for his opinion on Edward Snowden to the nature of rebellion in our very own Isla Vista (with the bank burning of the 1970s) to questions such as “Do you know your influence in the hip-hop community?”

To the latter question, Gladwell responded, “No. I am deeply charmed and touched. Is this about Macklemore? Yes, Macklemore has this whole song about ’10,000 hours,’ which is so fantastic.” The phrase “10,000 hours” is a a reference to Gladwell’s book “Outliers,” which said that 10,000 hours of dedication and practice into a field of interest leads to perfection and success. Gladwell continued, saying, “The only other time in my life when I felt so extraordinarily blessed is when I was in Sweden recently and I ran into David Hasselhoff. And I did, as one does when one meets the Hoff, insisted that we have a selfie. And so I took a selfie with the Hoff.” The hilarious moment ended with the audience member asking, “Have you ever seen a 10,000 hours tattoo?” “No,” responded Gladwell. The audience member said, “Would you like to?” “Yes!” After seeing the tattoo, Gladwell joked, “I think that just beat the Hoff !” Gladwell ended his talk with a hopeful message to youngsters and college students, saying, “I was a lost soul at 19. I had no idea what I was going to do. I think that was a good thing… We’re in way too much of a hurry to figure out what we’re best at in the world.” Ultimately, everyone doesn’t need to be Alva Vanderbilt, he said; we just need “one remarkable person acting on their conscience.”

Writer in Residence Photos by Madison King | Staff Photographer

Steyngart shows off his latest work, “Little Failure,” and brings his tales to life with animated storytelling.

Award-winning Author Gary Shteyngart Is Hardly a ‘Little Failure’ by Bailee Abell STAFF WRITER University of California, Santa Barbara’s Arts & Lectures, in partnership with the Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, hosted “An Evening with Gary Shteyngart” on Thursday, April 10, at Campbell Hall. This event, co-sponsored by the Writing Program, is the first segment of IHC’s Writer-In-Residence Series. Shteyngart, a world renowned satirist and a humorous, insightful novelist, gave readings from his gripping January 2014 release, “Little Failure: A Memoir.” This novel has caused fans new and old to realize that it is our failures as well as our successes that make us who we are–and life is easier if you laugh. Introducing Shteyngart was IHC director Susan Derwin, a professor of comparative literature as well as German, Slavic, and Semitic studies at UCSB. Before describing Shteyngart’s multitude of accomplishments, Derwin elaborated on the purpose of the Writer-in-Residence series, saying it is “to engage with some of the very best contemporary practitioners in the field of writing.” The Writer-in-Residence series, supported and made possible by local residents Diana and Simon Raab, will introduce a new writer–from journalists to filmmakers to creative writers and humanities scholars–to UCSB every year.

Shteyngart began his presentation by introducing his recent book, “Little Failure: A Memoir,” the name of which was inspired by his mother, who called Shteyngart a “little failure” upon seeing his rundown apartment on the Lower East Side. While the book recounts numerous stories from Shteyngart’s past 40 years of life–he is 41 and admittedly just learned how to drive–it also contains a variety of personal photographs. Though he poked fun at the hardships he repeatedly endured, he always reiterated his passion for language, and made sure to establish that while his book may read like his other satirical novels, it is, in fact, a memoir. “This book is really about how I became a writer,” said Shteyngart. Born to a Jewish family in the 1970s, Shteyngart was subjected to eight years of Hebrew school upon relocating to the United States from Leningrad. He described his days in school as rough, due to the differences between his peers and himself, explaining the cultural barrier and his family’s financial distress through humor. During his childhood recollections, he reverted back to a Russian accent and displayed his parents’ cynicism with every impression. “If I don’t think in Russian, then it doesn’t sound real,” said Shteyngart. This multilingual texture made his storytelling unique, al-

lowing the audience to experience and identify with the multifaceted and highly unconventional layers of Shteyngart’s life. Shteyngart attributed the origin of his love for writing to his grandmother, who would pay him one piece of cheese for every page he wrote. As the years passed, he encountered several people who both inspired and influenced several of his works, including a sixth grade substitute teacher, Miss S., who called on Shteyngart to read passages out loud from his science fiction novel, “The Challenge,“ every day. “You will always have a little bit of that alien inside you, and that’s where I think science fiction and pessimism come out,” said Shteyngart. Upon initially listening to Shteyngart, I was very shocked by his blatant use of profanity and his pessimistic, sarcastic tone. However, as the evening progressed, I came to realize that his composure (or lack thereof ) is simply how he presents himself stylistically. Shteyngart’s lack of censorship and gritty, raw confessions are his way of not only sharing himself with the world, but also internally making sense of the world he grew up in. “My book isn’t a satire; it’s a memoir. But I like having a safety net of humor relief. I think that [my writing] should be entertaining,” said Shteyngart. Shteyngart’s books are published through Random House, and he says that he, thankfully, is still paid in cheese.

SCIENCE & TECH | 7

TBL | April 16-22, 2014

Transcendence, Immortality, and the State of Artificial Intelligence by Madison Donahue-Wolfe STAFF WRITER

Illustration by Hector Lizarraga | Staff Illustrator Imagine a world ruled by computers–but one in which humans aren’t their slaves. A world in which humans finally achieve the long sought after immortal life. All this could be possible, through the transfer of the human mind into an artificially intelligent being. In this day and age, a world such as this does not seem as implausible as it once might have. Several movies–such as “Avatar” (2009), “Source Code” (2011), and, most recently, “Captain America: The Winter Solider” (2014)–feature people who have transferred their minds into an external being, either organic or inorganic. The idea of living vicariously through a computer is becoming more common as technology, and artificial intelligence specifically, continues to advance to higher and higher levels. The upcoming movie “Transcendence,” starring Johnny Depp, explores the concept

of life through artificial intelligence. Depp plays Dr. Will Caster, a leading researcher and later test subject in the quickly advancing field of artificial intelligence. After an assassination attempt by a group of anti-technology radicals, Caster’s wife places his consciousness in the very technology he helped create. The rest of the movie explores what living through an inorganic being might be like, and whether or not one’s humanity is preserved even when his or her body is lost. Several real-world leading scientists in the artificial intelligence field believe immortality is mere decades away. At the second annual Global Future 2045 Congress, attended by hundreds of scientists and journalists, the event’s organizer, 32-year-old Russian millionaire Dmitry Itskov, pushed the theme of transhumanism, in which humans merge with machines. According to

19-YEAR-OLD ENGINEERING STUDENT DEVISES FIVE-YEAR OCEAN CLEANUP PLAN by Janani Ravikumar STAFF WRITER

Photo Courtesy | inhabitat.com A digital mock-up of what the cleanup facility will look like.

Motherboard, Itskov’s goal is to eventually allow humans to download digital copies of themselves into android bodies, which he calls “avatars.” The prospect of living in immortal metal bodies opens up many possibilities for the extension of the human race; for example, imperviousness to natural disasters and immunity to all forms of disease would be just a couple benefits to trading in one’s flesh and blood for a metal skeleton. Additionally, android bodies that do not require food, water, or oxygen make planetary colonization much more feasible. If immortal android bodies make your mind wander uneasily to the events of the “Terminator” films, fear not. Many other scientists believe Itskov’s plan is merely a fantasy–something feasible, but also many years away. Currently, artificial and prosthetic limbs are just starting to be able to allow sensation. The Geminoid robots

It would take an estimated 79,000 years to clear our oceans of waste at our current cleanup rate. According to 19-year-old Dutch aerospace engineering student Boyan Slat, however, there is a way to remove millions of pounds of plastic from the oceans in a mere five years. According to the New York Daily News, the project involves anchoring 24 sifters to the ocean floor and letting the ocean’s currents direct plastic into miles of booms, or connected chains of timbers used to catch floating objects and suck them into a trash sifter. Once the plastic is retrieved, it will be brought ashore and sold. According to Boyan Slat’s official website, the project began in 2011, with Slat conducting a project with his friend Tan Nguyen, researching the possibility of remedying the world’s oceanic garbage patches. The two analyzed the concentration of particles between 90 micron and 333 micron, the separation of plastic and plankton, plastic depth measurement devices, and the amount of plastic within the top layer of the gyres. Slat’s project received several awards, including Best Technical Design 2012 at the Delft University of Technology and the

for example, created by Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro at Osaka University, look eerily similar to real humans, complete with hair and a material that resembles human skin. However, they lack artificial intelligence and must be controlled remotely through motion sensing of a human avatar. According to IEEE Spectrum, Geminoid will be used mostly for studying human-robot interactions, in part human relations with a robot that looks just like a human. And while this is an interesting development in the field, it seems that this may be the current extent of humanity’s personal interaction with machines. Theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking has faith in one day being able to transfer a brain outside of a body, but believes this day is very far off, and says, “I think the conventional afterlife is a fairy tale for people afraid of the dark.”

second prize by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment. By January 2013, the Ocean Cleanup Foundation, a non-profit organization responsible for the development of Slat’s technology, was founded. Approximately one third of the ocean surface contains plastic pollution, which is estimated to be about 7,250,000,000 kilograms of waste. Here’s how the Ocean Cleanup Array works, as written by Slat: “an anchored network of floating booms and processing platforms will span the radius of [a gyre]. These booms act as giant ‘funnels,’ where an angle of the booms creates a component of the surface current force in the direction of the platforms. The debris then enters the platforms, where it will be filtered out of the water, and eventually stored in containers until collected for recycling on land.” While using nets to accumulate plastic waste risks trapping marine life, booms pose no such risk. The arrays will be placed parallel to shipping routes, preventing any interference with shipping traffic. The Ocean Cleanup Array would technically be classified as an “artificial island” under the United Nations Conven-

tion on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), but there are certain areas that will be avoided. The Ocean Cleanup Array will also have to be charted, but several gaps will be introduced to the array in order to allow ship crossing. However, according to Inhabitat, Slat’s plan may not be as effective or successful as anticipated. We all know that the ocean makes up about 70 percent of the earth’s surface, but some aren’t fully aware of just how large the ocean actually is–315 million square kilometers. Additionally, plastic isn’t so easily contained within the borders of the gyres–it’s everywhere in the ocean. For Slat’s plan to conceivably work, millions of gyres would have to be implemented. Furthermore, about half of the plastic waste in the ocean, such as Coke bottles and PVC pipe, sinks and is thus not covered by the gyres. While the Ocean Cleanup Array may not be able to completely rid the ocean of plastic, it can be a large step in the right direction if implemented correctly. But whether Slat’s project will ultimately prove to be the ocean’s savior or a colossal waste of time and money is difficult to say without more testing and experimentation.

Underground Ocean Found on Saturn’s Moon Enceladus by Mimi Liu STAFF WRITER A new study suggests that Saturn’s moon Enceladus contains a vast, underground ocean. This new information could explain the geysers of water erupting from cracks in the planet’s surface, as seen by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft in 2005, and reinforces the claim that Enceladus could support life. Enceladus, one of Saturn’s 53 moons, is tiny–about 500 km in diameter–and coated in ice. The ocean is about 30 to 40 km deep, and calculated to be under the moon’s southern pole. “It’s even possible that it’s global,” said Dave Stevenson, a planetary scientist who co-authored the paper published in Science magazine. “All that we can say for certain is this layer of water is thickest at the south pole.”

The gravity measurements taken by the spacecraft Cassini show that Enceladus has an outer shell of ice and a rocky core, with an ocean of water in between these two layers, which is most likely located near the south pole. Enceladus is not a perfect sphere–in fact, the southern part of it has a slight indent. As the spacecraft passed this part of the moon, its speed did not change as much as scientists had expected, indicating that there was something denser underneath the surface that continued the constant gravitational pull on the spacecraft. Luciano Iess of Sapienza University in Rome, also a planetary scientist, was able to detect the underground ocean using this data. Iess collaborated with Stevenson and co-authored the paper with

him, which will be published in Science magazine. Enceladus first drew scientist’s attentions due to its unusual orbit around Saturn, which is more elliptical, rather than circular. “This causes the ice to be squeezed and squished, and as a consequence there’s heating, and from that heating water is being produced,” Stevenson said. This heating could have been the reason as to why geysers of water were seen in the first flyby performed by the Cassini spacecraft. Additionally, analysis of the area near these geysers indicates that water vapor and organic molecules are present. “[Enceladus] provides potentially some of the materials necessary for life,” said Jonathan Lunine, a Cornell University planetary scientist on the team. “So it

makes, in fact, the interior of Enceladus a very attractive potential place to look for life.” Enceladus is hardly the first moon to have an underground ocean beneath its surface. Europa, one of Jupiter’s moons, is larger than Enceladus, and also contains an ocean. “It might be both. It could be neither,” Lunine said in regard to whether Enceladus or Europa could contain life. “I think what this discovery tells us is that we just need to be more aggressive in getting the next generation of spacecraft both to Europa and to the Saturn system once the Cassini mission is over.” Only further analysis of the present chemicals can tell whether there is life present on Enceladus. According to Lunine, finding these chemicals could be “the smoking gun for whether in fact there is life down there or not.”

8 | OPINIONS

TBL | April 16-22, 2014

Why We’re Nothing Without Deltopia by Sam Goldman STAFF WRITER I’m just going to put it out there. University of California, Santa Barbara is a lame school. There is basically nothing constructive to do or experience here. Aside from the hundreds of clubs and organizations that cover an astounding variety of interests and objectives, the innumerable performances and activities to attend, the endless opportunities to play a sport, comprehensive career services to help us prepare for our futures, the pervasive opportunities to engage in research, the beautiful weather and locale, and the robust sense of community, there is, again, basically nothing for us. But then, thank God, came Deltopia 2014—and hope. This frighteningly-excessive-block-partyturned-riotous-nightmare that has been relentlessly criticized by the community was exactly what we needed and a great thing for this institution we all feel so unconcerned about. This event brought us wide national coverage when prospective students normally overlook us for universities like Berkeley, Stanford, and UCLA. Hell, Deltopia, within moments of its start, brought us a plethora of new students who then went on to engage with our community services and help participate in promoting our image throughout the country. Unfortunately, however, very few at this school cared enough to help promote our image that night; of the hundreds of arrests and citations, a mere 9 percent were UCSB students. Thousands of others, apparently, decided to actually be safe and realize that it’s actually quite simple to avoid dangerous situations

Illustration by Hector Lizarraga | Staff Illustrator in Isla Vista. I can only ask: Where’s the devotion? Why do we at this school care so little about our image that so few students went out of their way to garner such attention? And to top it off, Gauchos everywhere had the nerve to denounce the night’s events and demand and work toward safer events in the future. Deltopia and the ensuing riot have provided us with the type of exposure and prestige today’s young, prospective students crave—like a Buzzfeed article from the following day. Otherwise, we’re stuck with a short, pitiful list of apparently prestigious accomplishments that

include being ranked the 11th best public university in the country by U.S. News and World Report, being ranked number two in the world by Leiden University regarding impact in the field of science, having five Nobel Prize winning professors, maintaining 11 national institutes and centers, being one of the most environmentally friendly campuses in the nation, and being home to many of the best academic departments in the world. Pathetic. Prospective students and their parents are not looking for a top-tier learning environment that is both engaging and creative, and these things are not

churning out Buzzfeed articles and Reddit posts. Rather than focus on the various opportunities to learn, get involved, and develop as a person in UCSB’s engaging environment, I encourage prospective students and parents to continue basing their opinions on and promoting a totally fragmentary reputation for our university on a single regrettable event. In today’s fast-paced, read-only-the-headline kind of world, it only makes sense to judge a university this way, and I sincerely hope, for the good of this school, that everyone continues to do so.

THE PAYCHECK FAIRNESS ACT IS... Essential For A Waste Of Time Pay Equity And Resources by Allyson Werner STAFF WRITER

by Andrea Vallone STAFF WRITER Nobody can say with a straight face that there is no income disparity between men and women in the United States; all signs point to blatant divergence.

“

You’re basically crossing your arms to the bill because you feel you’re being pitied. Pity or not, what this solution is a response to is the persistent and subtle misogyny that has pervaded women’s working lives.

”

The Paycheck Fairness Act is an attempt to address this very issue. It is proposed legislation that is trying with all of its might to add additional protections to the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938. On Tuesday, April 8, Obama took the floor and delineated how the bill would prohibit reprisal from federal contractors against employees who share their salary information. The bill would additionally require the Department of Labor to collect wage data from employers–broken down by not only gender but also race–which would in turn disclose more details about the wage differentials between men and women in the same jobs. The bill would complement previous legislation by adding procedural transparency to the ultimate goal of achieving wage equality. So does this not seem like a great idea? Would it not ensure equality across genders with respect to work and wages–a milestone we’ve apparently been trying to reach since 1938? I guess not, because on Wednesday, April 9, ABC News reported that the act was blocked again (as it had been in 2010 and 2012) by a Republican filibuster in the U.S. Senate. A nail in the bill’s coffin might have been Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.), the GOP conference’s chair, and her strong assertions that the Democrats’ push for pay equity between men and woman is “condescending.” According to the Huffington Post, she stated, “Many ladies I know feel like they are being used as pawns, and find it condescending [that] Democrats are trying to use this issue as a political distraction from the failures of their economic policy.” In response, I have to say I’m a little confused. I’m sorry, Lynn, that you find it degrading that the administration is looking to equate your salary with the men you stand next to. You’re basically crossing your arms to the bill because you feel you’re being pitied. Pity or not, what this solution is a response to is the persistent and subtle misogyny that has pervaded women’s working lives. Are you really going to

stand there and say something akin to “I don’t want your charity?” Also, using your own logic, doesn’t it seem a little “condescending” of you to distract everyone from supporting a bill for a specific issue by arguing that the bill is distracting everyone from the real problems with the administration? Coming in right behind Jenkins was Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) who critiqued the often-used statistic of women getting paid 77 cents on the dollar as compared to men and insisted studies reported it was in fact 88 cents. The Huffington Post reported that he also interjected that it would be more effective to enforce old laws rather than passing new ones. Statistics-wise, the most recent official statistics that were released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey for 2012 state that the real figure for median usual weekly income of women compared to men is 81 cents on the dollar. So on that note–both sides are wrong. But do you know who is still losing? Women. The many contradicting statistics about pay equity is not the point; the ultimate point is that all of these numbers are less than 100 cents on

In a valiant effort to ensure that men and women earn equal pay for equal work, President Obama adamantly promotes the Paycheck Fairness Act, which will amend the portion of the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA) known as the Equal Pay Act. The amendment will allegedly allow for further enforcement of equal pay through numerous new measures, including prohibiting federal contractors from retaliating against employees who discuss their compensation and requiring federal contractors to submit compensation data by sex and race to the Department of Labor. While I support equal pay (as I would hope everyone does), the Paycheck Fairness Act is nothing short of redundant and unnecessary. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 firmly establishes that “no employer having employees subject to any provisions of this section shall discriminate…between employees on the basis of sex.” Although revolutionary at the time, the declaration that men and women are created equal, and therefore deserve equal pay, has been accepted by all. Yet somehow the equal pay debate rages on.

Illustration by Amanda Excell | Staff Illustrator the dollar. Eighty-one percent is a B-; imagine getting a B- on every exam while the guy next to you gets the same score and gets 100 percent. With respect to Cantor’s comment about previous legislation, many loopholes have been poked through the preceding acts, specifically with the interpretation of “factor other than sex” defense. Moreover, if we already have this legislation, why has the situation not been completely solved? Those laws did contribute to a significant drop in discrimination, but we’ve reached a plateau and it’s clear something further must be done. The Paycheck Fairness Act at its base level is an attempt to right a longstanding wrong. The income gap between men and women for the same exact jobs is an actual problem that needs an actual solution.

Obama’s administration affirms that the dated legislation does not allow for proper enforcement of the generally accepted standard, but this is simply not the case. The Equal Pay Act allows government officials to “investigate and gather data regarding the wages, hours, and other conditions and practices of employment in any industry subject to this chapter, and may enter and inspect such places and such records (and make such transcriptions thereof ), question such employees, and investigate such facts, conditions, practices, or matters as he may deem necessary or appropriate.” Not only does the original Equal Pay Act of 1963 allow for appropriate enforcement of equal pay, but in 2010, the president also created the National Equal Pay Task Force to crack down on violations of equal pay laws.

With all these measures already in place, it seems to me that a lack of legislation is not the problem. I can’t help but feel (against my usual sentiment might I add) that Republicans are on point when they say that this new piece of legislation is a political ploy used by Democrats to gain the female vote. The Senate GOP tweeted (the Senate tweets?), “Today the Senate will vote in relation to the so-called Paycheck Fairness Act, the latest ploy in the Democrats’ election-year playbook.” It could be. Neither party is a stranger to elaborate political ploys. Although the proposed legislation could increase transparency and expose violations of equal pay, I remain unconvinced that major violations will surface. Democrats in favor of the new legislation continuously cite the Census Bureau’s 2008 American Community Survey, which states that women’s median earnings were only 77.9 percent of men’s earnings. This discrepancy is significant, but it is a stretch to say that it is the result of equal pay violations. Rather, this discrepancy indicates that the proportion of women in highly paid executive and professional positions is low relative to the proportion of women in the labor force. So what does cause the unfortunate pay gap? For one, women typically have more disjointed career paths than men do because of childbirth. In addition, an increasing number of academic studies point to inherent female nature as a reason for inequality in the workplace. For example, a study by the National Bureau of Academic Research confirms that women are inherently less competitive than men are, meaning women are less likely to be successful in obtaining promotions, lucrative jobs, and pay increases. For this reason, men make up the majority of high-paid positions. Along the same lines, a disgruntled woman would be less likely to march into her employer’s office and demand a raise or address concerns regarding pay inequality. Personally, I think that the characterization of women as less competitive than men is no stretch. From early ages, boys demonstrate an urge for competition that is lacking in women. Young boys are more inclined toward playground spats, and big boys are generally more inclined toward fights and property destruction. This is certainly apparent in Isla Vista, where fights regularly break out at parties and

“

A disgruntled woman would be less likely to march into her employer’s office and demand a raise or address concerns regarding pay inequality.

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mailbox smashing is a regular activity. So perhaps, ladies, rather than relying on the government to come to our rescue, we should band together and fight our way to the top. That’s what the boys do.