Volume 9, Issue 3 by The Bottom Line (UCSB)

Volume 9, Issue 3 | Oct 22-Oct 28, 2014

UCSB’s Weekly Student-Run Newspaper

@tblucsb / thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu

FOOD

FOXYGEN

STEM CELL

Feast your eyes on some photos of Isla Vista’s most interesting restaurants and dishes.

Find out if Foxygen succeeds or fails with “...And Star Power,” their new album.

UCSB’s Dennis Clegg is currently developing stem-cell therapy to combat vison loss.

PHOTO / 4

A&E / 6

SCI & TECH / 7

Two Fall from Isla Vista Cliffs In Two Days Bryn Lemon Two students have fallen off of the cliffs of Del Playa in Isla Vista within the first week of the fall quarter at University of California, Santa Barbara. The two students have sustained injuries, however both survived their falls and are now recovering. Cliff falls such as those that occurred last week are not rare, in fact, according to the Santa Barbara Independent, “since 2010, 20 people have sustained injuries from falling off the cliffs and three have died; seven have died since 2001.” The falls of the two students have brought the issue of combating these accidents to the foreground again. The two students that fell from the cliffs in reportedly intoxicated states included a 22 year-old male Santa Bar-

bara City College student that fell late on the night of Thursday, Oct. 9, and a female second year at UCSB late on the night of Saturday, Oct. 11th. Tyler*, a second-year chemical and electrical engineering major, spoke about his friend, the sophomore student that fell two weekends ago. According to Tyler, leading up to the incident, she and her friends “were drinking and they thought it would be a good idea to go for a drunken hike” along the cliffs of Del Playa Drive. “I don’t know the details of what happened right after,” Tyler said. “But in the morning, an ambulance came and they pretty much gave her the option of going to the hospital with them, or them arresting her.” When contacted for a statement regarding the incident, the Isla Vista

Photo by Jonathan Montenegro | The Bottom Line The victim’s balcony as seen from the bottom of the cliff.

Photo by Jonathan Montenegro | The Bottom Line View of the sun setting over coal oil point from directly below the victim’s house. Foot Patrol declined to comment and redirected questions to Kelly Hoover, public information officer for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff ’s Office. Hoover could not be reached for comment. “She wasn’t that badly injured, no broken bones, but she was scrapped up and a bit bruised too,” Tyler said. Neighbors of the second student to fall have said that he is recovering slowly and sustained heavy injuries. The Del Playa cliffs are in the gradual process of eroding. According to Sam Holton, a second-year biochem-

Federal and Local Governments Respond to Ebola Threat As the threat of the deadly Ebola virus continues to spread, government and health officials have been responding to and preparing for the threat of Ebola throughout the last few days. Originating from areas of West Africa, where the virus has claimed over 4,500 lives, Ebola has reached Dallas, TX–where two nurses and a lab worker have been confirmed to have contracted the disease after treating a patient with the virus. As more news on the outbreak develops, the issue has quickly become a political as well as a public health crisis. On Sunday, Oct. 12, President Obama asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to expedite their investigation into the breach in infection control protocol that occurred at the Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas. He also asked federal authorities to take immediate steps to make sure hospitals and healthcare providers are prepared to follow the right protocols in the event that they encounter an Ebola patient. On Thursday, Oct. 16, Obama cancelled campaign travel plans to convene with health officials, including the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the director of the CDC, at the White House to focus on the government’s response to the Ebola outbreak. On Friday, Oct. 17, Obama named Ron Klain as the new “Ebola response coordinator” in charge of organizing the federal government’s

choose to climb over the fences or sit on top of them. According to a previous Bottom Line article published on Feb. 6, 2013, students gathered to rally support behind fencing the Walter Capps Memorial Park on Del Playa next to where the recent cliff falls took place. Though this fence was installed, there are no uniform regulations about fencing around the individual properties in IV. In the case of the male SBCC student that fell on Oct. 9, the fence around his property on 6693 DP was no more than waist high.

Photo by Jonathan Montenegro | The Bottom Line Fencing being set up as precaution to prevent more falls from occurring.

NATIONAL BEAT REPORT

Gilberto Flores NATIONAL BEAT REPORTER

istry major, while he and a group of friends were playing ultimate Frisbee at the beach on Oct. 4 “a chunk of rocks fell about 15 or 20 feet off the side to the bottom of the cliff.” Holton went on to comment that watching the large piece of rocks fall less than 30 feet in front of him makes him uneasy about the safety of the cliffs. Only last year, a 20 year-old UCSB student named Sierra Markee-Winkler passed away due to an injury sustained from falling off of the Del Playa cliffs. Fencing the cliffs is often proposed as a solution, however, many students

response to the Ebola crisis. Klain previously served as a former chief of staff to Vice Presidents Joe Biden and Al Gore, as well as a trusted adviser in the Obama administration. Klain will be reporting directly to Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Adviser Lisa Monaco and to National Security Adviser Susan Rice. The President also authorized the Department of Defense to send National Guard and reserve troops to West Africa if they are ever needed in the U.S. response to the virus’s outbreak in the region. The government has already committed to sending nearly 4,000 military personnel to West Africa to provide assistance in building treatment units to combat the rapidly spreading virus. Although these personnel will be providing logistical assistance, they will not be providing direct health care aid. While health officials here in the U.S. have been focusing of prevention, the World Health Organization has been focusing more on containing the virus in Africa. The WHO is focusing specifically on 15 African countries “with communications and trade links with Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the three countries at the heart of the epidemic.” The WHO showed early signs of progress on Monday, Oct. 20, when it declared Nigeria “Ebolafree” after a mandatory 42 day waiting period without any new cases.

See EBOLA | Page 2

AS BEAT REPORT

AS President Discusses Upcoming Projects in Isla Vista Bailee Abell AS BEAT REPORTER Associated Students President Ali Guthy and External Vice President of Statewide Affairs Melvin Singh shared news of their upcoming projects in Isla Vista and on campus at the University of California, Santa Barbara meeting of the Associated Students Senate on Oct. 15. During Executive Officers’ reports, Associated Students President Ali Guthy discussed current and upcoming projects for the Isla Vista community. This discussion included putting forth a proposal to create university-owned space offering support services in the already existing Isla Vista Community Center. “We are looking to have two [Counseling and Psychological Services] counselors, one sexual assault advocate, and one mental health coordinator,” said Guthy. “The CAPS coordinators would not be open to the community, but [the University is] hoping to have the sexual assault coordinator and the mental health coordinator open to the community.” Additionally, a proposal has been made for the University to occupy the Nest building, which includes the businesses South Coast Deli, Dublin’s, and Precious Slut. The developer of this project has approached UCSB offering to convert the Nest into a student and academic services center, which would possibly include a 24-hour cafe and a health and wellness center, among other resources. External Vice President of Statewide Affairs

Melvin Singh shared information regarding the development of UConsent, a UC-wide campaign for sexual assault education and prevention. After attending the University of California Students Association board meeting, Singh stated that the students in attendance had similar objections and questions regarding the UConsent campaign. “We haven’t really been receiving any information about what we are supposed to be doing at each campus, so we are moving the campaign to have it campus by campus,” said Singh, adding that this would be beneficial, as each UC campus has its own culture and way of handling sexual assault cases. The Senate also entertained a discussion regarding Coastal Fund’s disagreement with the AS Food Bill. The bill declares that student groups may not use their AS funds to purchase food for standing meetings. Coastal Fund, an organization which provides Office of Student Life groups with opportunities to fundraise through beach clean-ups and restoration projects, holds meetings for several hours on Monday evenings.

See AS | Page 2

2 | NEWS

TBL | Oct 22-Oct 28, 2014 Continued from page 1

– EBOLA As of Monday, Oct. 20, 43 people who came into contact with Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian man who died from the virus in the Dallas, have shown no symptoms during a 21day monitoring period and have been declared cleared of having the virus. Health agencies have been facing much criticism in their handling of the Ebola virus, particularly after the breach in infection protocol in Dallas. Federal health officials were questioned on their handling of the virus in a Congressional hearing on Thursday. The CDC has released newer and more detailed guidelines for health care workers on how to handle

– AS

Ebola patients. Texas Governor Rick Perry said that the U.S. government had made “unacceptable” mistakes it’s handling of the Ebola crisis. Perry is calling for a U.S. ban on travelers from countries with higher risks of exposure to the virus. Perry’s call for travel bans echo those of many conservative members of Congress. At the local level, Santa Barbara airport officials met with Santa Barbara County Public Health officials to finalize a protocol for dealing with potentially ill passengers upon arrival. This is one of the several methods of preparing for a potential encounter with the virus outlined by the Public Health De-

partment in a press release. According to the Oct. 3 press release, “the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department has been following the Ebola situation very closely and is in regular communication with and receiving updates from the CDC and California Department of Public Health.” It went on to state that “while the situation requires extensive preparation, there is no reason to believe that there will be widespread Ebola transmission in the United States.”

Continued from page 1

Due to this, in the past they have used 0.8% of their funds to pay for weekly catering, and they would like to continue to do so. However, after the debate of several senators over whether making an exception was in the best interest of the student body, the senate was unable to reach a consensus, and thus the discussion was closed. During Public Forum, AS Food Bank coordinator Tuyen

Nguyen and chair Katie Freeze gave a presentation on the Food Bank’s goals and resources for UCSB students. “Our mission is to provide friendly, confidential service to students in need of non-perishable foods and toiletries,” said Freeze. The Food Bank is working on integrating themselves into the “scope of the local community, the statewide community,

as well as here in Santa Barbara,” said Nguyen. “Food insecurity not only happens on this campus; it happens all across the state and the nation.” The Food Bank is funded by a $1.81 student lock-in fee, but due to their increasing number of clients, they are trying to fundraise and advocate for their services further in order to continue to provide for UCSB students.

Photos by Michelle Maldonado | The Bottom Line

The AS Food Bank handed out these pamphlets with information and resources.

AS Food Bank staff supervisor Tuyen Nguyen and publicity coordinator Katie Freeze at the AS Senate Meeting.

Police and Associated Students Institute Changes for Halloween Patrols Split Between UCPD and SB Sheriff ’s Department Carly White In preparation for Halloween, police officers from Santa Barbara County and the University of California Police Department from all ten UC campuses have been patrolling in Isla Vista with local authorities on the weekends since late summer. According to the University of California Police Department, several new policies will be put into effect this year to change how Isla Vista will be managed on the holiday. The operation this year will include approximately 100 officers in total, including the Santa Barbara Sheriff ’s Department, UCPD officers from all 10 campuses, and local gang units. In past years, all officers from different areas worked together throughout Isla Vista. This year, UCPD has announced that Isla Vista will be split up between UCPD and the Santa Barbara Sheriff ’s Department. UCPD will be in charge of the area north of Trigo Road, and the Santa Barbara Sheriff ’s Department will manage Del Playa Drive, Sabado Tarde Road, and Trigo Road. “High visibility patrol is the goal,” said Lieutenant Mark Signa of the UCPD. “There’s some people happy to see a lot of cops out there, there’s some people that are not

happy to see a lot of cops out there. You can’t make everybody happy is the reality, but we have to do what we can to make the community safe.” Many of the officers that will be brought in on Halloween have been in Isla Vista on the weekends since late summer to get comfortable in the Isla Vista atmosphere and learn how the community functions, according to Lt. Signa. “Police have been able to get a better understanding of Isla Vista culture and build a closer relationship to our local police forces, so that when Halloween happens they won’t be holding Isla Vista to the standards that you’d hold someplace else,” said Off-Campus Senator and Chair of External Affairs Carlos Lopez. According to Lt. Signa, in light of past Halloween events, Deltopia, and the tragedy in May, the police are trying to gauge the attitudes of Isla Vista residents and react in ways that are appropriate. Records at the Santa Barbara Sheriff ’s Department indicate that Halloween last year brought in an estimated 12-15,000 people, slightly less than the year before. That night resulted in 225 jail bookings, 249 citations, and 20 search and rescue calls. An event of similar size in the spring, Deltopia, brought in 15,000 people and ended in civil unrest when “chemical agents

and less lethal foam projectiles” were used to disperse the crowd. “We’re looking at how we handled that operation that time, what went right, what went wrong, and obviously there’s a lot of problems that happened that we need to work on and improve and things that we could do differently,” said Lt. Signa. Associated Students has been working with the police to promote prevention, transparency, and outreach. The AS Program Board is planning a $5 concert on the night of Halloween, from 10pm-2am, in the Events Center for UCSB students only to offer a safe alternative to spending the night on the street in Isla Vista. Executive Assistant to Ali Guthy, Ashcon Minoiefar, worked with others in AS to send postcards to every resident in Isla Vista to inform them about police procedures, ordinances and parking restrictions. AS has also been coordinating with the Santa Barbara City College’s president, Graciella Maynetto, the UCPD, and IV Foot Patrol to organize the free event “Pizza with a Cop” to follow up the recent “Coffee with a Cop” event. On Thursday, Oct. 23, police will be at Woodstock’s in Isla Vista from 6-8pm to talk to students and answer any questions they may have. The goal of the event, Lopez said,

WRITERS THIS ISSUE: Bryn Lemon, Gilberto Flores, Baillee Abell, Alex Grant, Sirarpi Topchyan, Shomik Mukherjee, Remle Scott, Judy Lau, Jackie Caldwell, Carly White, Alex Albarran, Andrea Vallone, Sarah Beaver, Johnathan Montenegro, Kyle Roe, Stephany Jones, Brianna Concho

ILLUSTRATORS THIS ISSUE: April Gau, Luis Bondoc, Silvia Quach PHOTOGRAPHERS THIS ISSUE: Taylor Yeerong, Jonathan Montenegro, Lorenzo Basilio, Michelle Maldonado, Lorenzo Basilio, Byrn Lemon, Yilin Wang, Sirenia Sanchez, Jianxuan Li

Photo by Taylor Yeerong | The Bottom Line UCPD Lieutenant Signa discusses his concern about the upcoming Halloween weekend. is to “change the mentality from how much can you get away with without the police stopping you, to

we and the police are working together to make sure Isla Vista is in good shape.”

CORRECTIONS: Issue 1: Lorenzo Basilio and Benjamin Hurst referred to as “Staff Photographer” instead of “Photo Editor” and “Multimedia Editor,” respectively; cover photo on page 1 taken by John Clow, and the full National Beat Report headline should read “White House Backs Use of Body Cameras for Law Enforcement, California Sees Early Results”; Gilberto Flores not named as National Beat Reporter and Benjamin Hurst not listed as a photographer in staff box on page 2; ferris wheel picture of Coachella on page 4 taken by John Clow; on page 5, the Quidditch photo was taken by Madison King, and the Dance Marathon picture was taken by Benjamin Hurst Issue 2: The story “Lois Capps Meets With Students, Stresses Voter Registration” was also written by Amol Mahal; top photo on page 1 refers to Kimberly Tapia as Kimberly Walker, second photo refers to Amber Walker as Kimberly Tapia 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.

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.

We welcome your questions, comments, or concerns at bottomlineucsb@gmail.com, or call our office phone at 805-893-2440.

TBL | Oct 22-Oct 28, 2014

3 | FEATURES

No Late Fees or Due Dates at Isla Vista Food Co-op’s Little Free Library Alex Albarran-Ayala STAFF WRITER Little Free Libraries come in many sizes, shapes, and colors. These little wooden structures, roughly the size of a dollhouse, have become very popular within recent years. Little Free Library, the organization responsible for this movement, became a nonprofit as of last year. A map on their website, littlefreelibrary.org, shows its distribution across the continents. The Little Free Libraries can be found in all fifty states. Go up north and you will find them in Canada, go down south and you will find them in areas of Mexico, Central and South America. Many of these little libraries have also made their way overseas to some areas in Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. These library pop-ups are truly a worldwide phenomenon, as there are about 15,000 (a conservative estimate) registered with LFL. This number grew on Sunday, Oct. 19, as one was installed at our local Isla Vista Food Co-operative. At first glance it looks like a nondescript box, but the Little Free Library organization’s mission is to improve literacy and create a sense of community. People can add their own personal touch as soon as the Little Free Library arrives in the neighborhood. These libraries are filled with books

that have been donated by the community, and the structure itself can hold a dozen or more books. “It’s a great way to get new books that you haven’t read before,” said Itzel Garcia, a floor manager at the Isla Vista Food Co-op and a third-year University of California, Santa Barbara student. “[It] is a great way to share books with other people, not necessarily that you know… you just pick one up and put one back if you want.” This book trading post is a place to share good reading material. Co-op grocery clerk Naum Milyasvskiy, a fourth-year philosophy and English double major, is thinking about donating good ethics and philosophy books such as the Dalai Lama’s “Ethics for the New Millenium.” IV Food Co-op General Manager Melissa Cohen said that their community book exchange, located next to the grocery store’s Peace Pole, is one of five Little Free Libraries in IV. Some can be found at St. Marks University Parish and at Isla Vista Youth Projects. Although Cohen is excited about the co-op’s Little Free Library, there was a time when this library was not going to be a reality. She explained that Little Free Libraries are expensive, costing several hundred dollars, and that the price was preventing the Co-op from ordering one.

One Little Free Library model on the nonprofit’s website, known as “The Essential,” costs about $129 and is one of the cheapest models. Custom models start at 600 dollars. But, according to the Little Free Libraries organization, people can build their own models, which would cost someone roughly $15 to $150, depending on what materials they use. In addition, individuals who build their own are encouraged to make their library official by registering it with Little Free Libraries and getting an official charter sign and number; a standard charter sign is $34.95 and a custom one $74.95. Libraries purchased from their website already come with these amenities. However, as Cohen was on her way to a Co-op member meeting one day, she received a phone call from LuAnn Miller, executive director of IV Youth Projects, asking her if she wanted to be the host of a Little Free Library, a library that would be coming to IV through a grant from Santa Barbara Elks Lodge #613. “Obviously I said yes,” Cohen said. And as the saying goes, the rest is history. “I’ve actually wanted a Little Free Library at the Co-op for a really long time. I love Little Free Libraries. I think they are a little burst of city repair and I think everybody standing around this circle knows how much Isla Vista needs a little bit of city repair

right now,” said Cohen, during the opening ceremony for this library. Mostly IV Food Co-op members were present at the opening ceremony that occurred before their annual meeting. Cohen also took the opportunity to dedicate this Little Free Library to Arthur Kennedy, a board member and fiscal manager a the IV Youth Projects. Kennedy was once a board member of the IV Food Co-op and is currently a member. “This Little Free Library is in honor of Arthur Kennedy for over 40 years of service to the Isla Vista Food Co-op, the Isla Vista Youth Projects, and a life-time of contributions to the Isla Vista community,” Cohen said. In honor of Kennedy, Cohen also quoted Rabindranath Tagore: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” The library will be both a mental and physical creative space, as Cohen plans on having an artist design the exterior annually. Service to the community can come in many sizes, shapes, and hues, and in this case, in various jackets, whether it be hardcover or paperback. Cohen said, “Return books, give books, leave notes in them, and pay it forward.”

Photos by Sirenia Sanchez | The Bottom Line Little Free Library located at the corner of Picasso Road at the Saint Michael's Episcopalian Church.

Photos by Sirenia Sanchez | The Bottom Line A Little Free Library stationed at an IV park.

Photos by Taylor Yeerong | The Bottom Line Event goers wait for the performance by the Sun Daes to begin.

Photos by Taylor Yeerong | The Bottom Line UCPD gives out free Thrifty's ice cream at their booth.

Isla Vista Residents Meet Their Neighbors

Remle Scott Sunny and seventy five degrees, hundreds of Isla Vista residents, college students, and members of the community gathered together at eight different parks to enjoy an afternoon of games, food, and music. Hosted by Isla Vista Recreation & Parks District, Meet Your Neighbors Day started at 1p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 18 and was quite a success, bringing a sense of what many believe to be the epitome of IV: community. Which street or block you lived on in IV or which University of California, Santa Barbara student housing you lived in determined which of the smaller parks you were assigned to. For example, if you lived on the 66 to 68 block of Del Playa, you were assigned to El Descandero Park. From 4 to 6pm, everyone at these smaller parks reconvened at Anisq’Oyo’ Park. Activities such as face-painting, henna, corn toss games, juggling, football, frisbee, bounce houses, and arts and crafts were amidst the crowds, as well as live music by local artists and food ranging from pizza to BBQ. The turnout at the smaller parks, such as Sea Lookout and Pelican Park, dwindled by 2 to 3p.m., but by 3:30p.m. Anisq’Oyo’ was packed with facepainted smiles and dancing community members. Greek Park, one of the smaller gatherings, consisted of more than just Greek members. Derek Wakefield, a third-year political science major, said he met numerous people

from the Office of Student Life and the Manley Co-op, and said he also spoke with two Sweden exchange students. Jael Trindade, a first-year bio-psychology major who lives on campus, said she came out to meet new faces in the community and to love them. “I’m here because I want to share the love… it’s all about the love,” she says. Trindade describes her first year experience as finding her “new family” here at UCSB and IV. The event took place with a beautiful backdrop, in the heart of a city nestled between the Santa Ynez Mountains and Pacific Ocean. Isabella Nelson, a freshman at Santa Barbara City College said, “the event has more of a homie feeling. People think of IV as a crazy party college city,” said Nelson. “It’s nice to do something more sober during the day.” “Events such as the Pardall carnival and Meet Your Neighbors Day are great for organizations to table and get involved with the community, and not just UCSB students,” said Bradley Whittaker, a second-year psychology major and resident of Goleta. He mentioned that students who live in Goleta and Santa Barbara sometimes have a difficult time commuting and getting further involved. However, the open atmosphere of unity, solidarity and positive spirit provided a platform where people of all backgrounds could join together. In addition to UCSB students, MYND was for the whole community, which includes SBCC students

and families living in the vicinity. Jeff Bessmer, a resident of IV living in the co-ops, said he was taking time off to join the festivities with Kim Asbury, a fourth-year environmental studies major at UCSB. “We wanted to get more involved and meet new people,” says Ashbury. Living in the co-ops, similar to freshman living on campus, can be somewhat of an isolated community in itself, they mention, and they wanted to take time to get to know their neighbors. MYND couldn’t be possible

without the help of local businesses, restaurants, and organizations on and off campus. UCSB’s close neighbor, SBCC, was an especially vital event sponsor and attracted many SBCC students to participate in their community. General Manager of IV Parks & Recs Rodney Gould said SBCC donated $5,000, and the Office of Student Life donated $1,000. Other sponsors, such as student organizations After Dark and Community Grants, donated $500. Additionally, Gould said that the

Photos by Taylor Yeerong | The Bottom Line Event goers check out each booth.

Isla Vista Food Co-op was instrumental in the facilitation, purchasing, and distribution of the produce available at the parks. From children and families to college students alike, the community of IV thrived in unity and compassion, and so it hopefully will for many days to come. The event allowed people to come out and unite under the sun of our beautiful ocean side paradise.

4 | PHOTO

TBL | Oct 22-Oct 28, 2014

Food of Isla Vista

The Bottom Line takes you on a journey through some of the restaurants around IV. Explore the culinary landscape of our beachside paradise and see what some of them have to offer. Photos by Yilin Wang | The Bottom Line

Above: Sushiya offers a variety of specialty rolls and appetizers.

Above: Fried vegetables from Wok on the Wild Side.

Above: Buddha Bowlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Mellow Bowl is packed with fruits and topped with granola and vanilla yogurt.

Above: California rolls from Sushiya.

Above: Herb Grilled Chicken from Silvergreens.

Above: Buddha Bowls allows you to choose various combinations of breads, cheese, meats, and vegetables.

Above: Blaze Pizza lets you choose unlimited toppings on a crispy thin crust.

TBL | Oct 22-Oct 28, 2014

5 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Art to Zoo: A Collection of Pictures Worth A Thousand Roars Jonathan Montenegro As one first enters the gallery and first experiences the Art to Zoo: Exploring Animal Natures exhibit, it is difficult to not be taken aback by the richness and detail of the photographs, and the beauty and strength of the animals within them. The use of black-and-white and sepia filters used in many of the photographs inspires a sense of awe when admiring the glorious creatures, which brings forth a flood of respect for them. Ranging from elephants to termites, each photograph does an admirable job in showcasing the allure and power possessed by each creature. Upon entering University of California, Santa Barbara’s College of Creative Studies Gallery (where this exhibit was held until Oct. 19, before moving to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art), it is made apparent that there exists a distinct lack of a human presence; the room itself is completely empty, untouched by furniture or man-made paraphernalia except for the pieces themselves. They are left on their own so as to let the animals speak for themselves,

Photos by Bryn Lemon | The Bottom Line and they do so in a very intense and thought-provoking manner. Although most of the pieces include only the animals, a few have some sort of human involvement, but Homo sapiens are always only playing a supporting role in the interaction, as the true focus remains on the animal. The people featured in these pieces are not at all invasive and the interactions between beast and man come off as fascinatingly natural and positive, as if to help the animal shine brighter. A prime

example of this is Harold Edgerton’s “Rising Dove,” in which a person is setting a dove free towards a betterilluminated area while the person is fading to black in the background. This is also illustrated in JacquesHenri Lartigue’s “Bois de Boulogne Monsieur Folletete Le Secretaire de Papa avec son chien Tupy, Paris,” in which a small dog is captured soaring through the air across a creek with the help of a man who is still positioned in the manner in which the dog left his arms when he tossed

it over. Continuing through the exhibit, Robert Westrich’s “Bataleur 1” is one of the most striking pieces, in which the impressiveness of the bald eagle is captured, as it is looking over its shoulder at the camera, wings at the ready. This photograph showcases the intensity in the eagle’s eyes, and it seems as if the appreciator can almost feel the creature’s heightened senses as it is prepared to take flight at any moment–which captures the essence of the term “fight or flight.” The same could be said about Shaun

The Art to Zoo exhibit in the College of Creative studies at UCSB explores the beauty of animals and their interaction with the world.

Walton’s piece, “Nocturnus 5,” in which the majesty and power of a lion is captured as he stares off into the distance with focused eyes while drooling. This image along with the black background gave the piece a spirit of mystery and suspense as he looks ready to pounce at any given time. The exhibit did not discriminate against size, either. One of the pieces, simply entitled “Termite,” shows us a close-up view of the common insect, but photographer Roman Vishniac conveys the overlooked dignity of the creature mostly thought of as a nuisance. By honoring this pest, one can truly get a sense of the overarching and all-encompassing beauty of all branches of the animal kingdom. The Art to Zoo: Exploring Animal Natures exhibit was a memorable one and, the experience will not be soon forgotten. Each piece had its own story to tell and its own unique way to tell it. As of Sunday, the exhibit has been moved back to the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, but anyone interested in photography, zoology, or anyone who likes animals should experience this exhibit, because it is definitely worth the trip.

Yellowcard’s Latest Album Reminds Us That Punks Have Feelings Too Sarah Beaver STAFF WRITER Do you remember Yellowcard? You know, the pop-punk band with the violin? Well, it’s been so long since they’ve had a

Photo Courtesy of Razor & Tie

big hit that there is a definite possibility that nobody does. But, what I’m sure is news to almost everyone except their most devoted fans is on Oct. 7, 2014, Yellowcard dropped their latest album Lift a Sail. This latest release is Yellowcard’s ninth album since their debut in 1997, and though their sound has changed tremendously, it has been for the better. Since 2012, the band has undergone a tremendous amount of struggles, both personally and musically, but has overcome all of them to create this most recent release. In the past couple years, Yellowcard’s signature violinist, Sean Mackin, was diagnosed with and is still recovering from thyroid cancer; the wife of lead vocalist, Ryan Key, suffered paralyzing injuries from a snowboarding acci-

dent; and drummer, Longineu “LP” Parsons, left the band. Despite (or maybe because of ) these obstacles, Yellowcard has truly grown as a band, and Lift a Sail proves that their music should be as relevant as ever. The album begins with “Convocation,” an instrumental introduction filled with that familiar sound of the violin that is reminiscent of the band’s first concept album, Lights and Sounds. This track does not lead quite as seamlessly into the next one, “Transmission Home,” as it should have, but this is still a good start to the album. It carries a lot of the style of their most popular album, Ocean Avenue, and brings with it a powerful, uplifting tone. The three singles “Crash the Gates,” “Make Me So,” and “One Bedroom” follow. These tracks are calmer than what has been heard from the group in the past, but not any less catchy. “One Bedroom” has a slightly poppier feel and a steady back beat, but their lyrics are touching and clearly significant. The ballad-like tracks of the rest of the album, such as “Fragile and Dear,” “Madrid,” and “MSK” remind the listeners of the constant struggle the band has gone through. If you liked “Ten” from their 2012 release Southern Air, you are sure to enjoy these songs. “Fragile and Dear” expresses sentiments of loss and acceptance, perhaps referring to the departure of their band mate.

“Madrid” is a short, but beautifully written song about Ryan Key’s wife that pulls heart strings in only two minutes and eight seconds. “Illuminate,” “The Deepest Well,” and the title track “Lift a Sail” truly show the band’s determination to overcome the obstacles they have faced in the past. “The Deepest Well” brings back a slightly more punk sound with vocals from Memphis Mayfire’s vocalist, Matty Mullins, whom they are currently on tour with. The title track “Lift a Sail” is, like the name suggests, uplifting and has a fantastic message of resilience and strength. If you are only going to listen to one song from the album, it should be this one. The final two tracks are arguably the most powerful of the album. “My Mountain” and “California” are both commanding songs. They feature very reminiscent lyrics, and a tone that conveys the meaning and importance of the song, and what the band is trying to accomplish. Though woven with notes of grief and tragedy, Yellowcard’s latest release is a wellexecuted and beautiful album. “Beautiful” may not necessarily be an adjective associated with a “pop-punk” band, but in this case, it is entirely accurate. Yellowcard’s Lift a Sail shows its listeners the band’s deeper side while still remaining true to their roots.

A Stormy SoundCloud Gathers on the Music Streaming Horizon Stephany Jones What first began as a small startup company in Berlin by two Swedish music enthusiasts back in 2007 has since exploded into a company valued at $700 million dollars and has become a new platform for up and coming artists. With over 250 million users, SoundCloud has become the second biggest music streaming service in the world, but despite the growth in users, SoundCloud is not quite as financially successful as one might think, and could be forced to

undergo some major changes in its business model. In its infancy, SoundCloud was merely a platform devoted primarily to electronic dance music, but it has extended its content in the past seven years to include everything from university lectures to podcasts to standup comedy sets and beyond. Although SoundCloud has achieved success in the music industry and audio world, it has fallen short as a business success story. The listening platform’s revenue of $14.1 million dollars last year pales in comparison to the

whopping $29.2 million dollars it has suffered in losses. Many have wondered where all this money has come from and gone to, but SoundCloud has refused to disclose their financial information. Despite this secrecy, the numbers are clear: SoundCloud is hurting. What exactly does this mean for the future of the company? Well, don’t worry fellow SoundClouders, the music site will continue to be up and running thanks to the aid of its many investors, who have generously given the company a whopping $123.3 million dollars.

However, since the company has been given one more chance to save their company, Soundcloud will have to make a few changes to survive the next year. One significant, and noticeable change that will occur during this next fiscal year will be the introduction of short audio ads. However, SoundCloud reassures its users that these ads will, as they put it, not be “boring,” and will only consume a brief 5-30 seconds of the listeners’ time. Along with the introduction of ads, the company will begin to offer subscription options where

users will be able to pay a monthly fee to avoid these ads. These new additions will bring nothing but good news to the site’s many loyal users, since they will also begin paying royalties to those same premium members. With its new revenue coming from ads and new expenses from paying small royalties to premium subscribers, it will be interesting to see how the business does this upcoming year. But for the time being, it’s safe to say that we can quiet the financial mumblings for now and continue blasting our jams off SoundCloud.

6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TBL | Oct 22-Oct 28, 2014

Foxygen’s ‘…And Star Power’ Fizzles Rather Than Shines Kyle Roe Sometimes to create good music in the present you need to look to the past. The past can provide inspiration, perspective, and a reminder of the cyclical nature of popular music. Beyoncé might be this generation’s Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson replaced Elvis as “the King,” and more than two decades after the breakup of NWA, great rappers continue to come

straight out of Compton. Originality may not be dead just yet, but reviving an old style and updating it slightly can sometimes create amazing results. And that is what Foxygen and their newest album …And Star Power attempt to do. Unfortunately, these results are not as amazing as one would hope. If I had to compare Foxygen to any classic artist, it would be the Rolling Stones. Maybe they are not equal in popularity, but you will

often find lead singer Sam France channeling his inner-Mick Jagger with his erratic vocal style, switching between a vast array of voices, and letting out the occasional soulful howl. This comparison rings true on …And Star Power, but for different reasons than in their past albums. In …And Star Power I see it expressed in the ballads which make up a big chunk of their album, with their whimsical guitar and promi-

nent piano expressed over their now signature, yet not unrefined, lo-fi recording style. Unfortunately, these ballads do not have the soul of either the Stones or even Foxygen’s past work, and they make up most of the new album. In all of these ballads, you can sense a common theme of unrequited love and loneliness. Especially expressed in the first five songs, this theme has been the fuel of much of the popular music of the

past, but Foxygen puts no unique spin on it, and no clever lyrics for the songs to be remembered for. Unlike their past albums, the vocals leave something to be desired, as both lead and lack energy, sometimes sounding deflated. Another difference between this album and past Foxygen albums is the amount of tracks. In the past their albums have not exceeded ten tracks, but this new release has them putting out a whopping 24 new songs, and it’s not to the benefit of the listener. With this album, it seems that Foxygen is spreading themselves a little thin. Their past albums did not have as many songs, but the songs they did have were packed with awesome variety and feeling, grabbing your attention by way of unpredictable song structures and undeniable soul. Every song was an experience and, as a collective, Foxygen was absolutely lovable. But, that is not to say that the album is not worthy of a listen. “Talk” is my favorite track, pumping ferocious classic rock adrenaline for four glorious minutes. I also really enjoyed “Everyone Needs Someone to Love.” Even though I already complained about their ballads, with “Everyone Needs Someone to Love” Foxygen achieves a nice balance between slow and fast. Plus, the song structure change towards the end of the track is great. Overall, Foxygen’s new album is made up of some nice songs, along with some fast classic rock-type power, but is a little aimless and boring at times. And while it might not compare to their old work, …And Star Power is still worth checking out.

Photo by Lorenzo Basilio | Photo Editor Jonathan Rado and Sam France performing on the second weekend of Coachella 2014.

Barely Alive from New York,

It’s Saturday Night!

Shomik Mukherjee When great things come to fall, as they always inevitably do, it presents us an opportunity to dissect the remains, and wonder about what went wrong. Personally, I’ve always found this vulturelike behavior agitating; not all demises warrant explanation, and some things are just bound to decline after time. But, when a television show like “Saturday Night Live,” which is incredibly in the midst of its 40th season, appears to be at the end of its days, it’s more than enough to grab my attention. While the show continues to chug along, its Oct. 11th episode, hosted by recent-fan favorite Bill Hader, yielded a disastrous 1.8 Nielsen rating amongst adults aged 18-49, making it the least watched episode in the show’s prestigious run. But, if it is indeed time to conduct an early autopsy on this historic program, then I’m left with no choice but to grab my scalpel and plunge. Perhaps the most successful television series of all time, “SNL” has been the staple of the comedy genre for as long as its run, filling American homes with laughter through multiple generations, and producing sketches that have become nothing short of iconic. It has also developed some of the more notable comedians of the last few decades—the show’s cast list through the years is peppered with names of performers that have gone on to hugely successful careers (including Steve Martin, Will Ferrell, Chris Rock, Tina Fey, and Kristen Wiig, to name a paltry few). But its greatest effect was in its elevation of the sketch-comedy medium to a seemingly invulnerable position. The last decade saw the popularity of canned laugh-track sitcoms give way to the prominence of more subtle, single-camera shows that didn’t need to tell viewers when to laugh. Through this transition, “SNL” remained impervious, continually finding an audience for

its spontaneous, live-performed sketches. This was especially true during election years, when the show’s cast thrived on satirizing the nation’s politicians, and ratings boomed as a result. But recently, it feels like the series’ sketches rarely garner any notable attention, and this season’s critical reception has dipped as well. For a series whose formula is anything but short-lived, what has brought about its recent downfall? Simply put, the culprit is the internet. These days, it seems almost cliché to blame the World Wide Web for destroying a paradigm of yesterday’s society, but the mass-murderer of many of the aspects of the 20th century has apparently struck again. With the advent of the viral video, people can now access brief, noncommittal comedy bits as many times as they please at their own pace. With this accessibility, “SNL” begins to feel obsolete when its viewers can experience its sketches, along with dozens of others, at their own leisure on YouTube. With the celebrity monologue and sketches no longer exclusive to the show’s airing, all that’s left to entice viewers to tune in is the musical guest, which, unsurprisingly, isn’t drawing that many viewers in at 12:10am on Saturday night. The novelty and glamour of airing live on television (the show’s main selling point) is thus extinguished. Like so many classic entities before it, “Saturday Night Live” has finally begun to feel like a relic from the past. So where does the series go from here? To consider ending it now is obviously reactionary, and premature. It’s not as though there is any real competition in the Saturday night time slot, and the show still has the next election season to give itself a boost. But, when a perennial television giant like “SNL” begins to look like a show that’s completely lost its way, it makes me realize that nothing can last forever. There comes a point when a beloved show is, indeed, over.

Illustration by Luis Bondoc | Staff Illustrator

TBL | Oct 22-Oct 28, 2014

7 | SCIENCE AND TECH

Stem Cell Based Therapy for Blindness Pending Clinical Trials Judy Lau STAFF WRITER

Dr. Dennis Clegg, a professor in the University of California, Santa Barbara’s Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, plans on bringing stem-cell-based therapy for Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) to Phase I clinical trials. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of vision loss in the United States for people ages 50 and older. Regenerative medicine based on stem cell research conducted by Clegg and co-researchers may one day cure people with AMD. AMD comes in two forms: wet and dry. In wet form, for which treatment is available, growth of abnormal blood vessels causes blood and fluid to leak into the retina, causing vision distortion, blind spots, and loss of central vision. “There has been prior research done on AMD and we were able to learn a lot from it,” said Clegg. “We are able to predict some of the symptoms, but there is no definite way to know whether someone has the disease until they actually get it.” The dry form of the disease, however, does not have a treatment and is the primary focus of Clegg’s research. The dry form is caused by the presence of yellow deposits in the eye’s macula. As these deposits increase in count and size, vision is distorted. The light-sensitive layer of cells in the macular become thinner and eventually cause cell death, called retinal pigmented epithelium (RPE). These are the cells that are needed to allow light to be translated into recognizable images. “It’s especially devastating because the visual defect occurs in the macula, which is the center of the retina,” Clegg explained. “That part is used for high acuity vision, so people with the disease end up with a big blank spot in the middle of their field of vision. Some reports estimate that more than 30 million people worldwide have this disease, so there is a real unmet medical need for a therapy.”

Photo by Jianxuan Li | The Bottom Line

Dr. Dennis Clegg working in the lab at Bio 2 Building.

Clegg is co-director of the California Project to Cure Blindness, a collaborative effort aimed at developing a stem-cell-based therapy for AMD. The project’s goal is to develop a way to replace the dying RPE with new tissue created from embryonic stem cells. “What we’re doing to combat the dry form of the disease is a completely different approach,” said Clegg. “We are using cellular therapy to treat the disease by putting a 3-by-5 millimeter contact-lens material coated with a layer of cells and implanting it surgically in the back of the eye where the RPE is.”

Caltech, one of the partners on the project, designed and built the scaffold that holds the cells. The material is permeable and flexible, but strong enough to withstand surgical implantation. Additionally, Mark Humayun, a professor of ophthalmology, cell and neurobiology, and biomedical engineering at the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine devised a new tool that allows precise surgical implantation of the scaffold. The research team conducted a variety of experiments over four years that demonstrated the cells’ ability to restore vision in a rat model of

RPE dysfunction. CIRM funding is in place for the Phase I clinical trials, set to begin once the project receives Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval. Once approved, the clinical trials will take place at USC. “Making a drug that actually works takes years of clinical trials and has a high failure rate, but trying different methods and applications is a great way to conduct biomedical research and find new therapies,” said Clegg. “Although UCSB does not have a medical school, a great amount of biomedical research happens on campus that may one day benefit people with all kinds of eye diseases.”

Apple and Facebook Pay for Female Employees to Freeze Eggs Judy Lau STAFF WRITER Facebook and Apple are now offering to pay their female employees to freeze their eggs, which allows for better family planning at a higher level. Facebook claimed that they will offer egg freezing procedures to be covered up to $20,000. The procedure can cost up to $10,000 plus $500 per year to store the eggs. Facebook also offers adoption and surrogacy assistance, providing a whole new array of fertility services for their male and female employees. Apple also offers the same deal in addition to extended maternity leave, adoption assistance, and infertility treatments. “We want to empower women at Apple to do the best work of their lives as they care for loved ones and raise their families,” read the company statement. Many tech companies offer perks such as unlimited vacations, a casual work environment, and free meals. Google even offers onsite laundry services and massages to keep their employees working. However, this is the first time any major tech company has offered to freeze a woman’s eggs as a perk. Although Facebook and Apple have not officially stated that this was an attempt to narrow the distance between male and female

employees, the gender gap in tech is something that cannot be ignored. A 2013 study, published in Fertility and Sterility, reports that women in their thirties feel empowered by the prospect of being able to control family planning in such a manner. One out of five of those same women stated that workplace inflexibility was a major reason in their decision to delay having a child. The idea of freezing eggs for later use was first proposed for cancer patients due to the damaging effects of chemotherapy. Removing and freezing eggs of female cancer patients gave them a chance at having children later on. “Egg freezing isn’t a guarantee that you’re going to have a healthy baby, but could increase the odds,” said Marcelle Cedars, director of reproductive endocrinology and infertility at the University of California, San Francisco. Harvesting eggs requires rounds of hormone injections to coax the body into producing multiple eggs at once. Once the eggs mature, they are harvested with a needle and specially stored. The success rate of a woman freezing her eggs in her twenties and later using them in her thirties or forties is still unknown. “We don’t yet have patients who’ve preserved eggs in their twenties and are coming back in their thirties and forties, because

Illustration by Silvia Quach | Staff Illustrator the technology is so new,” said is not an ideal solution, since the Jennifer Eaton, medical director of success rate per cycle is about 35 assisted reproductive technology at percent. Additionally, the gender Duke Fertility Center in Durham, gap problem is not solved by having N.C. “However, centers using this children later on; women continue new technique report comparable to earn 82 percent of what men pregnancy and live birth rates typically earn, childless or not. among women who freeze eggs and Furthermore, most workplaces come back.” do not give women enough time Despite the effort of Apple and to recover from childbirth and Facebook, there are cons to this remain unaccommodating for new perk. The procedure itself working mothers.

“This is a nice perk but of course it’s a very personal decision for every working woman,” said Kellye Sheehan, a representative with Women in Technology, a professional organization for women in the tech industry. “When it is time to start college, grad school, babies, a career, accelerating a career—all of these have huge ramifications in your life and that of your significant other.”

Pentagon Declares Climate Change a National Security Threat Carly White On Oct. 13, the Pentagon released a report entitled the “2014 Climate Change Adaptation Roadmap” to address the environmental threat that climate change poses. According to the Department of Defense, current climate change directly affects their “ability to defend the Nation and poses immediate risks to U.S. national security.” Global warming has been monitored for several decades by organizations such as The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which has measured the steady decrease in Arctic sea ice since the 1970’s. A record low volume of sea ice was recorded in 2012, and an estimated 1.3 million square miles of Arctic sea ice have been lost over the past three decades. Some scientists predict that the future may contain

completely iceless summers in the Arctic. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts a rise in temperature anywhere from 2.5-10 degrees Fahrenheit over the next century. This increase in temperature will have varying effects in different regions due to unique societal and environmental factors, but the IPCC predicts the annual costs of climate change will continue to increase over time. According to the Pentagon, these environmental changes have an impact on how the military functions. The effects of global warming and extreme weather “will intensify the challenges of global instability, hunger, poverty, and conflict,” said Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. “They will likely lead to food and water shortages, pandemic disease, disputes over refugees and resources, and destruction by natural disasters in regions across the globe.”

According to Hagel, the limited availability of resources caused by climate change will cause civil unrest in many sensitive areas around the globe, including the Middle East. Global warming will also increase the frequency and severity of natural disasters in countries that do not have the resources to recover on their own. The negative effects of climate change in other countries is predicted to cause a diversion of U.S. troops overseas to assist with their social and economic problems. This means placing soldiers in potentially dangerous situations that would otherwise be unnecessary. Coastal military installations are at risk due to rising sea levels and increased flooding. Droughts, wildfires, and extreme temperatures will also threaten many training exercises. Supply chains will be impacted by extreme weather, and equipment is often

prone to failure in extreme temperatures. The Department of Defense further claims that financial support–among other resources–will be spent on assisting situations and providing disaster relief around the world. The Climate Change Adaptation Road Map has set three goals to focus on in accommodating to climate change. These goals include gauging the effects of climate change, incorporating concern for environmental changes across the department, and collaborating with stakeholders. The plan also introduces ideas of adapting to environments and infrastructures, developing new technologies, and creating innovative methods of supply distribution and training to counteract difficulties caused by extreme weather. The plan does not mention making changes to reduce environmental impact for the future.

TBL | Oct 22-Oct 28, 2014

8 | OPINIONS

Gender Equality Has Hit a Wall Andrea Vallone COPY EDITOR Research in gender equality has become the new black; everything is being critiqued from the Paycheck Fairness Act to Sheryl Sandberg, to the feminist movement in general. From this pandemonium, one thing is clear: women and men are not equal, and despite our supposed exceptionalism, America isn’t doing so hot in leveling the playing field either. There are certain traditional metrics used to evaluate gender equality, and now those metrics themselves are being criticized. Statistics released on professions that are “classically male” being occupied by more and more women are often used as a sign of equality–e.g., more women entering the science and tech industry. But isn’t this particular measure inherently sexist? It essentially assigns genders to occupations, effectively perpetuating gender inequality in the workplace. There are other metrics such as the Bechdel test (a measure of whether there are two women who talk about something other than a man in a work of fiction), along with wage differences, position in a company, and college degrees: these all funnel into our understanding of gender inequality in the U.S. But, despite all of these varying measures, it can be argued that at the base of gender inequality is motherhood– women are constantly presented with the dichotomy of success in the workplace or starting a family (cue Google and Facebook’s new interest in frozen eggs). So an interesting metric to consider is parental leave. Sociologist Pamela Stone studied a group of mothers who were faced with the perennial question of family or work. According to The New York Times, she found that most women made the choice to quit work “only

as a last resort.” The last resort was turned to only after they couldn’t get the part-time work they wanted, or their husbands would not or could not cut back their hours. In this way, it seems as though women feel that they have no choice but to give up their jobs, while men typically do not compromise. This sounds like a scathing depiction of men, however, who can blame them after looking at the differences between maternity and paternity leave? The institute for Women’s Policy Research studied parental leave in the United States and found that on average, if there is paid maternity leave, companies allow up to 11-12 weeks off, but paid paternity leave only extends to about one week. This is the institution literally spelling out that women should be the one to stay at home. Furthermore, in 2007, Cornell University researchers submitted 1,276 fake resumes for real jobs listed in the classified section of a local newspaper. The resumes were entirely equivalent in terms of education and work experience but varied in gender and whether or not the candidate had children. Their results showed that the phony male candidates with children were the most desirable, then men and women without kids, while women with kids were the least desirable. The researchers concluded that men with kids are seen as responsible, while women with kids are seen as unreliable and unable to commit fully to their work. Not only are women gently urged to stay at home while men are incentivized to keep their full-time jobs, but also when applying for jobs, that same institution sees children as a positive influence on men and indicative of their hard work while women are turned away for jobs for essentially caring too much for their children. In this way, the “last-resort” choice becomes a complete reality. What stems from these insti-

tutionalized gender differences is a much deeper inequality between men and women: confidence. External measures are good at generating a basic picture of the material differences, but what these external differences are reflective of (and may have in fact, created) are internalized differences that both men and women fall slave to. In May 2014, through extensive research, Katty Kay and Claire Shipman introduced what is called the confidence gap in which women are less self-assured than

men, thus prohibiting their overall success. What’s happening today is a manifestation of a long legacy of both social and institutional pressures on women to occupy certain roles. External metrics of gender equality are useful, but until we can measure and rectify internal mindsets that have been cultivated by institutions, women don’t even stand a chance. As college students, we are in a peculiar position where we are encouraged to break down our assumptions–as-

sumptions that have been subtly ingrained in us for two decades. Pay attention to minor details: do you have an idea what gender your professor is before you meet them solely based on the subject? Do you assign majors to the people you meet before you know? Traditional metrics are manifesting these internalizations that have been a long time coming. As Stephanie Coontz from The New York Times writes, “the gender revolution…has hit a wall.”

Illustration by April Gau | The Bottom Line

‘Better Together’: Why Jack Johnson’s Performance Brought the Community Closer Sarah Beaver STAFF WRITER Masses of students and faculty crowded around the stage set up in Storke Plaza on Oct. 8 to witness an uplifting memorial service for the tragic shooting that occurred on May 23, 2014. There were several a cappella performances, followed by speeches from important campus figures such as Associated Students President Ali Guthy and Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Michael Young. Then, there was a “surprise” performance by UCSB alumnus and singer-songwriter Jack Johnson. The purpose of the event was to bring our student body and staff together in remembrance and to instill a sense of community once more, but it is arguable that many probably made the decision to come because there were rumors flying around by the middle of the day that Jack Johnson would be performing. Is this an acceptable way to get people to show up to such an important event? In short: yes.

“

There is no way that one can compare such drastically different causes. For the Isla Vista community, attending this event brought us together and helped us heal.

”

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Using these unrelated incentives is not a new technique, and it should not be one that is immediately looked down upon. Granted, some of the people who show up to events like this probably do not care about the underlying cause, but the point is to get people there. Think about, for instance, when you are a part of a club or an organization on

campus that provides free food at meetings; are you more likely to go because of this? We are all college students on a budget, and it is a difficult thing to pass up an opportunity for a free meal, so your answer is probably yes. Why should it be any different on a larger scale? Most of the time, it is with good intentions that the planners and event coordinators for these kinds of programs book big names to draw a crowd. They want the crowd to come and be somewhat forced into hearing out an opportunity for a good cause. It is the same idea behind the song “We Are the World.” Popular music artists came together to record a song, and every time someone buys the song, money goes to charity. Listeners are more drawn to the song because their favorite artists are singing it, and the money goes to a good cause. Just because people may be drawn to something for the wrong reasons, does not mean that they will follow through for the wrong reasons. There will always be those select few who go for the wrong reason and make it known. However, there will also always be the people who may have shown up for the wrong reasons, but stayed for the right ones or benefited from going. Sometimes it is for someone else’s benefit that decisions like this are made. Whoever made the song “We Are the World” happen did not do it for the people who bought the song–they did it for people in need who they knew would benefit from the money raised, and later for the victims of the tragic earthquake in Haiti. The A.S.P.C.A. got Martina McBride to sing and be the spokesperson for arguably the most depressing commercial in existence to grab the viewer’s attention and get them to donate. The commercial does not exist to ruin your day; it exists to help animals in need. Sometimes it is for the benefit of the people. Perhaps many of the students who attended the community event last Wednesday went because they heard that Jack Johnson would be performing, but they also got to experience the rest of the event. Some may argue that the benefits of this event may not be of the same value as the resources and aid that go to other events of the like, but this is not true. There is no way that one can compare such drastically different causes. For the Isla Vista community, attending this event brought us together and helped us heal. There was a feeling of hope and resilience in the crowd despite the excitement over Jack Johnson, and that is what is most important. People remembered, and people celebrated, but most importantly, people cared enough to show up.