Volume 9, Issue 7

Volume 9, Issue 7 | Nov 19-Nov 25, 2014

UCSB’s Weekly Student-Run Newspaper

@tblucsb / thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu

PRIZE

STIGMA

FLOYD

UCSB physics professor Matthew Fisher has been awarded the prestigious Buckley Prize.

Mental health awareness was the topic of the day at the Stigma Free UCSB event in Storke Plaza.

Pink Floyd released their latest and final album. See how it fits into the band’s long and storied history.

SCI & TECH / 3

PHOTO / 4

A&E / 6

AS BEAT REPORT

SCORE Argues Against Conference Bill, Amendment Negotiations Ongoing

Photo by Sirenia Sanchez | Staff Photographer SCORE outreach coordinator Allison Bettencourt presents during public forum at last week’s Senate meeting.

Bailee Abell AS BEAT REPORTER Members of the Student Commission on Racial Equality argued against a bill to update Policy 28: Associated Students Conference and Retreat Policies and Procedures at the Nov. 12 meeting of the AS Senate at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The bill states that the External Vice President of Statewide Affairs “shall be a designated Conference Lead in charge of overseeing and ensuring UCSB representation at all United States Student Association and University of California Student Association conferences including but not limited to Student Lobby Conference, Legislative Conference, and Student of Color Conference.”

Although the EVPSA at the other UCs holds this role already, UCSB’s current EVPSA Melvin Singh has not taken jurisdiction over the

delegation for the Student of Color Conference. Currently, the SOCC delegation selection process has been headed by SCORE. “SCORE has historically organized the Student of Color Conference delegation,” said SCORE outreach coordinator Allison Bettencourt. “I have pulled binders from the 1990s. SCORE has always organized it. I don’t see a reason for that to change.”

Bettencourt stated that the SOCC delegation should be chosen by SCORE, since they represent minority students, which make up roughly 50 percent of the UCSB undergraduate student population.

According to the 2013-2014 UCSB Student Profile, 25 percent of students identified as Chicano/Latino, while 25 percent also identified as Asian/Pacific Islander. Another four percent of students identified as Black or African American, and one percent of students identified as

American Indian.

“Our EVPSA may be someone who is white, upper-class, may be homophobic, xenophobic, may not have any opinions that fall in line with the Student of Color Conference,” said Bettencourt. “I feel it’s inappropriate to have the EVPSA organize that when we have the Student Commission on Racial Equality that directly deals with this on a weekly basis and that has existed for many, many years.”

SCORE diversity educator Kyron Covington also spoke during public forum, and in opening his speech he quoted Malcolm X saying, “Only a fool would let his enemy teach his children,” stating that although the members of SCORE are not necessarily Covington’s children, they are the people he serves, and that SOCC is organized by students of color because “we would be fools to do otherwise.”

Additionally, Covington dis-

cussed whether partisanship was a factor in the delegation selection process, because many SCORE members have past affiliations with political parties on campus.

“I personally was a volunteer for the DP party last year, and so people thought that I brought that stigma into the space this year and into the discussion process, but I am here to say that that wasn’t the case,” said Covington. “We picked our delegation fairly, based on the criteria.”

Several senators, including OnCampus Senator Matthew Santos and Off-Campus Senator Brandon Lee, attempted to compromise with Bettencourt and Covington regarding the language of the bill, but both SCORE members stated that they would prefer to have the bill withdrawn rather than rewritten, stating that they would be willing to discuss the matter at a later date.

SCORE non-board members also spoke during public forum,

including United States Student Association National People of Color Student Coalition Chair Leilani Riahi.

“We are the least diverse UC,” said Riahi. “This school is usually not safe for a lot of communities of color, for students of color, for marginalized communities. We have this conference to go to and to create a safe space. To take that away from a community that dedicates itself to this purpose solely, that serves the student body, that comes with the most generous intentions, that is a space of students of color, the officials are elected by students of color, I just find that that is unjust.”

The Bill to Update Policy 28 was discussed at the Nov. 13 meeting of the AS External Affairs Committee.

They proposed amendments for the bill and will be communicating with SCORE, as well as AS Lobby Corps, to make sure the amendments are agreeable to both parties.

NATIONAL BEAT REPORT

Obama Visits Asia, Australia: Strikes Climate Change Deal, Urges Tolerance, Discusses Threats to Peace at G20 Gilberto Flores NATIONAL BEAT REPORTER President Obama kicked off a week-long visit to the Pacific Rim on Nov. 10 in Beijing, where he attended the Asia-Pacific Economic Conference, followed by stops in Myanmar and Australia to meet with government leaders at the G20 summit in Brisbane. The visits come a week after the President and the Democratic Party faced massive upsets in the midterm elections, which left the Republicans with a majority in the U.S. Senate and an overall stronger control over the legislature.

Several agreements were announced between the United States and China during the President’s APEC visit. In a surprise announcement, Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to drastically cut the carbon emissions of the world’s two biggest polluters. According to the White House, the United States will be reducing its carbon emissions by 26 percent, while

China would both peak its carbon emissions and increase its share of non-fossil fuel energy consumption to 20 percent by 2030.

“This is an ambitious goal, but it’s an achievable goal,” Obama said. “It will double the pace at which we’re reducing carbon pollution in the United States. It puts us on a path to achieving the deep emissions reductions by advanced economies that the scientific community says is necessary to prevent the most catastrophic effects of climate change.”

The United Nations recently released a report arguing that scientific evidence unequivocally suggests that climate change is real, caused by man-made factors, and that its deadly environmental effects are visible on every continent. The report also urges world leaders and policy makers to start engaging in efforts to cut emissions now, before the projected effects of climate change become even more dangerous. This move by the U.S. and China is likely to galvanize other nations hesitant to act on climate change to implement reforms in the interest of curbing greenhouse gas emissions

and invest more greatly in alternative energy sources.

Other deals struck during the President’s visit to China included a commitment from both nations to extend travel visas in both directions. Travel visas would be extended to five to 10 years, instead of just one year. “Under the new arrangement, student and exchange visas will be extended to five years… business and tourist visas will be extended to 10 years,” said Obama in a speech at the APEC summit. The U.S. and China also agreed to eliminating tariffs on high-tech products.

The President followed his stay in China with a visit to Myanmar on Nov. 13 to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) conference.

See OBAMA | Page 2

2 | NEWS

TBL | Nov 19-Nov 25, 2014 Continued from page 1

– OBAMA

Obama also met with the Burmese president, Thein Sein, at the Presidential Palace, as well as with famed Burmese Nobel laureate and politician Aung San Suu Kyi. He encouraged the Southeast Asian country’s efforts towards a functioning democracy and advocated for religious tolerance following over a half century of military dictatorship. The President called on Myanmar to end discrimination against the persecuted Rohingya people, a Muslim minority in the predominantly Buddhist

state. The 1.1 million ethnic Rohingya Muslims currently live in apartheid-like conditions and are not granted equal rights by the Burmese government. According to the Chicago Tribune, “almost 140,000 Rohingya people are in camps after being displaced in clashes with ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in 2012.”

Obama traveled to Australia on Nov. 16 for the G20 summit. The President stressed that the threat of Ebola, the socalled Islamic State, and aggressive relations between Russia and

Stigma Free UCSB Shows that Change Begins with Awareness Madison Mead Stigma Free at UCSB brought members of University of California, Santa Barbara and the surrounding community together to share information about mental health and the issues of stigma on Nov. 13. The fair was organized by Active Minds, Associated Students, and the Commission on Student Well Being to spread awareness and unite the community.

The event was held in Storke Plaza from 12 PM-5 PM, where students to stop in, explore, and participate throughout the day. From 12 PM-2 PM, various student and community organizations, pertaining to many aspects of well-being, set up booths where people could stop by, talk to the members, and learn about what they do. The fair offered food and music as students talked to people a learned more about mental health. From 2 PM-5 PM, the event consisted of a video presentation of a TED talk on stigma, speeches and discussion with a panel of students and professionals, and a relaxing meditation session.

“This event starts a conversation that needs to be started,” said Julie Keller, a third-year biopsychology major who spoke about her personal experiences with mental illness on the panel. “We are in this transition phase between accepting mental health issues and integrating the best practices. It’s important to collaborate with the community, students, and school members and professionals in order to find what will best work for us.”

The fair started this conversation with students, professionals, staff, and other members of the community by talking about stigma and bringing it into the open. The personal stories people shared began with a TED talk by Kevin Breel, who shared his own experience with depression and the stigma surrounding it in a video presentation.

Breel prompted attendees with a scenario. “Ask yourself this, would you rather make your next Facebook status that you’re having a tough time getting out of bed because you hurt your back or you’re having a tough time getting out of bed every morning because you’re depressed?”

Breel continued, saying “That’s the stigma… We are so accepting of any body part breaking down other than our brains.”

The personal stories showed how damaging stigma can be to an already struggling person. On the panel, Keller speaks about her experience and said, “I was terrified of what my friends, family, classmates, and anyone else would see if I took off the mask that said I had my life together, and instead tell them that I was struggling, that I didn’t know what was wrong with me, or why. I anticipated the reflection, the stigma, and worst of all I believed it.”

Those in the audience had the opportunity to gain new perspective through these stories.

“A girl on the panel was in one of my classes freshman year and I haven’t seen her since then,” said Rachel Joyce, a third-year communications major. “Then she shows up on the panel and I was really surprised. I had no idea she had been struggling with that and it just made me really realize, everybody you see walking around is dealing with something, and you have no way of knowing.”

The discussion and panel stressed how mental health issues are common, and so is the stigma that surrounds it. Heidi Zetzer, a director at Hosford Counseling and Psychological Services in Santa Barbara and a speaker on the panel, stressed that people who struggle with mental health issues are not a separate group to label and fear, and they are not people whose entire identity surrounds their illness; they are us. They are afraid of being ostracized, and they hide what they are going through.

Zetzer explained that this point is what makes these events so important and relevant to students.

“This event is crucial because stigma is the number one reason why students who could benefit from counseling do not seek services,” said Zetzer. “And so the opportunity they provide the campus and the community for people to share their stories shows how mental health issues affect everyone. Sharing personal narratives puts a face on mental illness and helps us understand and support each other.”

Ukraine are among the biggest threats to the Asia Pacific region.

“We’re leading in dealing with Ebola in West Africa and in opposing Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, which is a threat to the world, as we saw in the appalling shoot-down of MH17,” said Obama in a speech at Queensland University in Brisbane.

Obama also announced a pledge of $3 billion from the United States to the United Nations Green Climate Fund, which helps poor and developing countries invest in clean energy.

SIDE | FEATURES

Beloved Writer Alexander McCall Smith Illuminates Campbell Hall Photo by Ivy Kuo | Staff Photographer Alexander McCall Smith entertains the audience with anecdotes about his writing experience.

Gwendolyn Wu STAFF WRITER Prolific British writer Alexander McCall Smith walked onto the stage of Campbell Hall on Friday, Nov. 14, to a packed audience. The cheers and applause only grew louder when they realized that the internationally acclaimed author was wearing a traditional Scottish kilt.

An Evening with Alexander McCall Smith was put on by the University of California, Santa Barbara Arts & Lectures, inviting students and residents of the greater Santa Barbara area to join McCall Smith in a night of laughter and discussion. The talk about “the very small things of life,” as McCall Smith put it, encompassed some of his experiences traveling and time spent working on his novels.

Throughout the night, the selfproclaimed serial novelist recapped a number of anecdotes, all met with laughter from the audience, appearing more like stand-up comedy and improv than a distinguished professor and author speaking. His stories ranged from the differences in etiquette in the United States and United Kingdom to his experiences visiting and speaking in California.

“I’ve been to California on a number of occasions, and I’ve realized

that in California, when you meet people for the first time you tell them your problems,” joked McCall Smith. “And this is something that you do. And then you reply by telling the other person your own. This is something I’ve seen in California only.”

To conclude his hour-long lecture, McCall Smith withdrew a piece of paper from his pocket, unfolding it and peering out at the audience over his spectacles. Normally, he concludes his lectures reading poems penned by another author, but the audience was treated to a poem he wrote earlier that afternoon, showing off his quirky sense of humor and observant nature.

“I was traveling by car to Santa Barbara today and reflecting on the landscape when it passed me, and I saw a sign which made me think.

I wrote a poem sitting there in the car, which I’d like to read to you,” the writer said. “There was this sign that said ‘College of Hypnotherapy, next right.’ Now that was a wonderful sign, and you must, at all costs, preserve that sign. If the College of Hypnotherapy were to close tomorrow, you must tell the local conservation society that that sign must remain.” The poem was aptly named “College of Hypnotherapy, Next Right.”

Writing with wit on the spot comes easily to him, as shown in how quickly he penned the poem and his works. McCall Smith has written over 100 novels, including the internationally bestselling series The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, 44 Scotland Street, and The Sunday Philosophy Club. In addition to writing mystery and crime novels (although he vehemently denies being a crime novelist), McCall Smith also writes children’s books and academic texts. The author recently released his latest installments The No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency and The Handsome Man’s Deluxe Cafe, and he is slated to release a modern rework of Jane Austen’s Emma in 2015.

McCall Smith was born in what is present-day Zimbabwe. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated with a PhD in law, and he then went into academia at Queen’s University Belfast and the University of Botswana.

He soon returned to the University of Edinburgh, where he is currently Emeritus Professor at the School of Law. McCall Smith has also worked with the British government and United Nations on bioethics, serving on a number of commissions, and is widely respected as an expert on the subject.

CORRECTIONS In the article “SexInfo Online Spreads Knowledge, Not STDs,” the word “knowledge” was misspelled. (The irony of this is not lost on us.)

Middletown: A PlAy written by

will eno

TBL 2014-2015 STAFF Executive Managing Editor | Marissa Perez Executive Content Editor | Matt Mersel Copy Editor | Andrea Vallone News Editor | Isabelle Geczy Features Editor | Deanna Kim Opinions Editor | Sam Goldman Arts & Entertainment Editor | Coleman Gray Science & Technology Editor | Mimi Liu Photography Editor | Lorenzo Basilio

WRITERS THIS ISSUE: Gilberto Flores, Bailee Abell, Gwendolyn Wu, Judy Lau, Madison Mead, Vall Vinai, Janani Ravikumar, Shomik Mukherjee, Bryn Lemon, Ashkan Karimloo, Sam Goldman, Alec Killoran, Vall Vinai

Senior Layout Editor | Morey Spellman Layout Editor | Madison Donahue-Wolfe Layout Editor | Mathew Burciaga Layout Editor | Maria Nguyen Multimedia Editor | Benjamin Hurst National Beat Reporter I Gilberto Flores Isla Vista Beat Reporter | Kelsey Knorp A.S. Beat Reporter | Bailee Abell Promotions Director | Audrey Ronningen Advertising Director | Parisa Mirzadegan ILLUSTRATORS THIS ISSUE: April Gau PHOTOGRAPHERS THIS ISSUE: Leah Armer, Ivy Kuo, Sirenia Sanchez, Kelly Xin, Jonathan Montenegro

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.

nov 14 – 22 UCSB PerforMing ArtS theAter

directed by

toM whitAker

CORRECTIONS

Student tickets $13 A bit like a post-Beckett Our Town, Middletown looks at the accumulation and effect of the tiny moments that make up our lives - and how we are constantly vulnerable to these tiny moments, which may in fact change the angle of our entire life, or not.

Purchase tickets online at www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu, by phone at 805.893.2064 or at the Associated Students and Theater/Dance box offices.

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.

3 | SCIENCE AND TECH

TBL | Nov 19-Nov 25, 2014

The Society of Undergraduate Biologists Hosts Ice Cream Social

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer UCSB students help themselves to ice cream at the SUB social.

Vall Vinai The Society of Undergraduate Biologists (SUB) held their first professor-student social of the year in the Life Science Building (LSB) courtyard on Friday, Nov. 14th.

The invitation email read, “Come out and meet your professors outside of the lecture hall/office hours! They’re humans who love ice cream too!”

The social provided an informal setting for students to get to know their professors, and allowed undergraduates an opportunity to talk to various professors about their research.

About a dozen professors from the biology department socialized with over 50 undergraduates over ice-cream.

“Too many students are scared of talking to professors, so we try to provide support for this problem by bridging the two bio communities of professors and students together,” said Jessie

Wong, SUB co-chair. “The majority of the professors I have had gotten to know really do care about the students and want to us succeed in our classes.

So our professor-student event is to show “the other side” of professors,” Wong continued.

Professor Kathy Foltz talked about her background in biology and shared invaluable life advice with undergraduates. Professor David Low talked about his children and hobbies. Both are professors from the department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology (MCDB).

“We have numerous professors who are the world leaders in their research field and I think many students have the mentality that professors only care about their research and don’t like teaching, Wong said. “We do [socials] to try to humanize the professor in a sense, since not all students realize that all professors started out the same as

us, so they’ve already been through and felt the struggles we are going through and are feeling.”

This is not the first event of its kind that SUB has hosted. Every year, the club plans two major professor-student events, one in fall quarter, and one in the spring.

The next event is a “Professor Spotlight,” which will feature Professor Stuart Feinstein. Feinstein teaches introductory biology (MCDB 1A) and Developmental Neurobiology (MCDB 153), among other classes.

The spotlight will take place on Dec. 4, at 8PM in Broida 1610.

In addition to professor-student socials, SUB also plans on hosting workshops for biology students.

“In the past we’ve had workshops about how to get into research, transitioning to upper division classes, deciding your biology major, and grad school versus med school,” Wong said.

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer A UCSB student makes herself an ice cream sundae.

Their first workshop of the year, “Grad School or Med School: Which Route is Best For You,” will be led by Professor Kathy Foltz on Thursday, Nov. 20 at 8PM in Broida 1610.

“We hope students can form a stronger bond with professors, making things such as asking for help on a question or letters of recommendation easier on the students. In addition, we hope our workshops on various relevant topics are helpful to the

students,” Wong said.

SUB is a relatively new club, revived two years ago by co-chairs Jessie Wong and Kristina Gard.

“Because we are still a relatively new club, we welcome any suggestions on events or workshops bio students would like to see,” Wong said.

You can find more information about SUB and its upcoming events at its Facebook page or by emailing ucsbsub@gmail.com.

UCSB Physics Professor Awarded Buckley Prize Judy Lau STAFF WRITER Matthew Fisher, theoretical physicist and professor at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has received the 2015 Oliver E. Buckley Prize for his discovery of the superconductor-insulator transition, a paradigm for quantum phase transitions.

The Buckley Prize is given annually by the American Physical Society to recognize and encourage theoretical or experimental contributions to condensed matter physics.

“My heartfelt congratulations to Professor Matthew Fisher for receiving the Buckley Prize,” said Pierre Wiltzius, the Susan and Bruce Worster Dean of Science and professor of physics. “The list of previous awardees includes an illustrious group of giants in the field of condensed matter physics. We are very proud of Professor Fisher’s accomplishments.”

Fisher’s research focused on quantum phase transitions. Phase transitions are when a material goes from one state to another, such as water going from its liquid form to ice.

Similarly, quantum phase transitions are the rearrangement of electrons or atoms as they go from well-defined excitations in one phase to a different set of excitations in another state.

“My focus is in materials and crystals, primarily electrons moving within metals. Electrons are in

constant motion, which is described by quantum mechanics,” said Fisher.

“Every crystal has its own unique quantum choreography. The electrons dance around in a certain pattern for every crystal.”

Fisher looked at superconductors in relation to insulators. A superconductor is a substance capable of conducting at low temperatures. In contrast, an insulator is a substance used for generating heat and does not readily conduct electricity.

“Metals are originally at room temperature. However, in order to use them as conductors, we need to cool them from room temperature to near freezing temperature. Once they are at a low temperature, they become superconducting and the electrical resistance goes to zero.”

Fisher found that some materials can exhibit multiple quantum behaviors when experimental knobs are tuned, such as when a superconductor becomes insulating due to an application of a magnetic field.

“While doing research, we found that we are able to make a phase transition from a superconductor to an insulator without changing the temperature so there is no energy loss,” said Fisher. “To do this, we cooled the metal down to become a superconductor. Then, we inserted a magnetic field to increase the strength of the superconductor so that it goes from a superconductor to an insulator without any energy loss and at a

constant temperature.”

Fisher obtained a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics from Cornell University in 1981 and a Ph.D in theoretical physics from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign in 1986. He was a visiting scientist in the IBM T.J Watson Research Center before joining UCSB’s Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics (KITP) in 1993. Fisher has been a professor in UCSB’s Department of Physics since 2010.

“The Oliver Buckley Award is the most prestigious award there is for condensed matter physics,” said Phillip Pinus, chair of UCSB’s Department of Physics. “At UCSB, we have a long history as an important player in condensed matter physics both theoretically and experimentally. This award acknowledges the importance of the work that Matthew has done on the superconducting-insulating transition and the environment at UCSB that has made this possible.”

Fisher shares his prize with three other physicists: Aharon Kapitulnik of Stanford University, Allen Goldman of the University of Minnesota, and Arthur Hebard of the University of Florida.

“Science is a collective endeavor,” said Fisher. “It felt really nice to win the Buckley Prize particularly because it tells me I have supporters who appreciate what I’ve done but appreciate me as well.”

Photo by Sirenia Sanchez | Staff Photographer

Physics Professor Matthew Fisher explains his research on superconductor phase transitions.

Denmark Pushes for 100 Percent Renewable Energy by 2050 Janani Ravikumar STAFF WRITER Denmark aims to end the burning of fossil fuels by 2050 by switching entirely to wind power, according to The New York Times. This includes the use of fossil fuels in both areas of electricity and transportation.

This lofty goal is nowhere near as impossible as it sounds. Denmark has rapidly increased its wind power usage from nearly zero percent in the mid-1980s to 30 percent today. If this upward trend continues, the percentage of renewable energy used should increase to about 50 percent by 2020, culminating in 100 percent by 2050.

Denmark’s investment in clean, renewable energy was initially a response to the oil crises of the 1970s, according to the Environmental

Defense Fund. Imported oil made up 95 percent of Denmark’s energy consumption at the time; the country initially transitioned to coal, which still generates about half of Denmark’s electricity today.

However, Denmark saw another opportunity in wind energy and made it a national priority through a series of national policies and subsidies, in accordance with the local communities and utilities.

In 1993, Denmark introduced a fixed feedin tariff to make wind power an economic incentive, providing wind projects a refund from the Danish carbon tax and a partial refund on the nation’s energy tax. As a result, Danish wind capacity increased to 2,390 megawatts by the year 2000.

In 2009, Denmark introduced a form of compensation in which consumers paid

for the costs of connecting offshore wind farms, with financing managed by the Danish Energy Agency.

Denmark is not the only nation investing in new sources of renewable energy—Germany has pushed harder than most developed nations to find a solution to global warming, according to The New York Times. The county has resolved to restructure its electric system by increasing the amount of power it receives from renewable energy sources to 30 percent, more than twice that of the United States.

Though smaller countries like Denmark are already ahead in this regard, Germany is the largest industrial power in the modern area to reach this level of renewable energy usage.

Germany has lured big Chinese manufacturers into the market by investing in and increasing demand for wind turbines, especially

solar panels. The resulting effect rapidly drove equipment costs down.

Though the United States has tried to present itself as one of the world’s leaders in innovation, our country has fallen short in regards to moving towards a renewable source of energy. Net wind electricity has more than doubled and net solar electricity generation has increased more than ten times over the past five years, but wind energy accounts for just 5 percent of our energy; solar power accounts for less than 1 percent.

The National Renewable Energy Laboratory estimates that our country’s total solar potential is 100 times greater than our current electricity consumption, according to the Environmental Defense Fund. If the United States could set a goal for renewable energy, imagine where we could be in ten or twenty years.

4 | PHOTO

TBL | Nov 19-Nov 25, 2014

STIGMA FREE UCSB

Photos by Kelly Xin | Staff Photographer Above: Students participate in the outdoor Q&A panel.

Left: Students enjoy free cotton candy at the Stigma Free UCSB event.

Photo by Kelly Xin | Staff Photographer

Students hold signs with positive thoughts during the event.

Photo by Kelly Xin | Staff Photographer

Students enjoy a Tai Chi lesson in Storke Plaza.

TBL | Nov 19-Nov 25, 2014

5 | PHOTO

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

Students getting free massages provided by Santa Barbara Body Therapy Institute at the Stigma Free UCSB event.

Above: Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

Photo by Kelly Xin | Staff Photographer AS Food Bank Chair Katie Freeze smiles for the camera.

Students visit the booths at the Stigma Free UCSB event in Storke Plaza.

Right: Photo by Kelly Xin | Staff Photographer

Students get their hands painted by artists.

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer Students visit the CAPS tent at Stigma Free UCSB.

Photos by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer Above: “I Love Myself” mirrors at the Stigma Free UCSB event in Storke Plaza.

Right: Stigma Free UCSB poster in Storke Plaza.

TBL | Nov 19-Nov 25, 2014

6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

MAC DEMARCO Photos by Jonathan Montenegro | The Bottom Line

Mac DeMarco engages with the crowd at the Hub last Friday night.

Great Performance in the Hub Ends with Police Intervention Ashkan Karimloo STAFF WRITER Mac DeMarco possesses an odd duality of character; simultaneously charming and offensive, DeMarco’s music bears a touching earnestness that has made him beloved by many. Yet, the singer/songwriter is more likely to share a lewd fart joke on stage than to offer an introspective thought, creating a playful persona that has further fueled his success. During live performances this playful abandon often leads to unexpected places, with the notion of boundaries seeming non-existent to DeMarco and his band.

On Friday, Nov. 14, Mac DeMarco played a sold out show at the Hub, located on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus. This concert was presented and organized by the Associated Students Program Board.

Contrary to many reports that have estimated the number in attendance to be around 100 audience members, the venue reached its capacity of 800 shortly before the beginning of DeMarco’s set.

The night began with a performance by the band Paper Days, from Carlsbad, California. They describe themselves as a “dream rock quartet,” and they offered the audience at the

Hub a strong set, featuring tracks from their Playground Dreams EP, which was released earlier this year.

After a short intermission between performances, DeMarco stepped onstage dressed in an old white T-shirt featuring the characters of The Simpsons—which many noted as being the same outfit that he had worn at this year’s FYF Fest in Los Angeles, thus supporting the crowd’s understanding of his laid-back, slacker aesthetic.

He began his set with the opening track from his album Salad Days, which was released in April of this year. Next, DeMarco played “The Stars Keep Calling My Name,” from his debut full-length album as a solo artist, 2. This track serves as DeMarco’s attempt to convince a girl to move away with him, including lyrics such as: “When I’m down, you’re always the first on my mind/Skipping town, let’s get out and see what we find.”

DeMarco paused to address the crowd, asking, “How many of y’all are trying to get f***ed up tonight?” Following a raucous response from the audience, DeMarco played “Blue Boy,” also from Salad Days.

DeMarco then played “Cooking Up Something Good,” “Let Her Go,” and the track “Rock

Mac DeMarco soulfully sings to his supporters at The Hub.

Andy White joins Mac DeMarco as his new guitarist. and Roll Night Club,” from his debut EP of the same name. As the set progressed, the crowd continued to respond well to DeMarco and his band. Members of the audience danced freely and laughed at DeMarco’s banter and the band’s onstage antics. At this point, DeMarco played “Ode to Viceroy,” a ballad dedicated to his favorite brand of cigarettes, followed by “I’m a Man” from the Rock and Roll Night Club EP. DeMarco then played a cover of Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water,” from 1972.

After the cover, DeMarco donned a rubber chicken hat that seemed to appear from nowhere and continued to wear it throughout the next string of songs, which included “My Kind of Woman,” “Freaking Out The Neighborhood,” and “Chamber of Reflection.” DeMarco ended with “Still Together,” the final track from 2.

Following the end of this track, DeMarco audaciously jumped into the audience in order to crowd-surf, causing various members of the audience to rush forward, lift him up, and pass him along until he had reached the center of the venue.

At this point, DeMarco grabbed onto the ceiling beams in the middle of the Hub and, with assistance from the audience, hoisted himself up and sat on top of one of the beams. However, DeMarco took this as an opportunity to further scale the venue, climbing from beam to beam

Mac DeMarco and his band performs.

until he reached the second floor of the Hub, where he lifted himself up and over the railing to safety on the other side. Always an entertainer, DeMarco looked over the railing and waved to the audience below as the crowd cheered him on.

But things soon took a turn for the worse.

Once DeMarco walked down the stairs to the first floor of the Hub and climbed back on stage, a police officer grabbed him and escorted him out of the venue.

Yet, the officer did not take the quicker route through the back exit, but instead walked DeMarco through the audience, up the large stairs near the front of the venue, and out of the front entrance. This caused a large portion of the crowd to rush towards DeMarco and the police officer, chanting, “We want Mac!” Outside, an officer escorted DeMarco to the stairway near the entrance of the Music Department where he sat until he was placed inside of a squad car, which eventually drove him away.

Although DeMarco was released later that night, the actions of the officers involved left many audience members questioning whether the police had acted appropriately in the situation.

Despite the fracas at the end, and the varying opinions that may exist regarding the role played by the police in ending the show, Mac DeMarco’s performance was truly one of the most memorable the Hub has seen in recent years.

7 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TBL | Nov 19-Nov 25, 2014

Pink Floyd Adds a Denouement to Its Discography Shomik Mukherjee STAFF WRITER “We certainly are under spoken and understanding, but there’s a lot of things unsaid as well. We shout and argue and fight, and work it on out.” So spoke the late Richard Wright, former member of Pink Floyd. The iconic band’s most recent album, The Endless River, released on Nov. 7, serves as a tribute to Wright, whose aforementioned quote—used from a recording during the band’s incredible film, Live at Pompeii—commences the tranquil opening track of the record, “Things Left Unsaid.” While the band breaks no new ground, nor does it provide anything wholly thought-provoking with its latest effort, The Endless River provides something of a finishing touch on one of the most impressive catalogues of any band in the history of music.

The album is comprised mostly of music that was written over twenty years ago, and the influence of lead singer David Gilmour is clearly evident, as is the absence of Pink Floyd’s co-founder Roger Waters, who departed from the band in 1987. That is not to say that the music shirks away from being relevant; on the contrary, The Endless

River feels just as fresh as any new Pink Floyd album could have felt in 2014, and its songs prove their fair share of depth. “Sum” opens as a rather groovy number, but feels more like a B-side to some of Pink Floyd’s later music than it does like an original track. Later on, “Anisina” showcases the band’s affinity for piano-laden beats accompanying a soaring melody. Side three of the album rings as its strongest movement, as “The Lost Art of Conversation” flows seamlessly into “On Noodle Street.” The introspective and emotional “Night Light” provides a build-up for the much more evidently rock-influenced “Allonsy,” the first half of a song concluded at the end of the side. The spoken words in “Talkin Hawkin” spare no time for abstract thought, urging the listener to continue talking with others, in hopes that this will bring about even greater achievements made by mankind than have already been accomplished.

The album’s fourth side falters significantly, however, as “Eyes to Pearls” and “Surfacing” serve as somewhat ineffective prefaces for the final track, “Louder than Words,” the only track on the album to feature actual vocals. The album’s closing song builds the scale

for a triumphant finish, yet simply grazes along the surface of catharsis, without ever actually plunging in.

Gilmour closes out the album with a guitar solo, which makes for pleasing listening, but doesn’t provide anything further. Unfortunately, the “further” is what one has come to expect from a band like Pink Floyd, and in this case a fan will be left wishing for more.

The release of the album is thus a little jarring, and doesn’t do the band any favors, if the heroes of progressive rock do indeed care at all any more about the public’s reception to their music, and I daresay they do not. If the album had been released by any other band, it would be exempt from falling under heavy scrutiny and comparisons with work released by the creators over 40 years prior. But at the same time, if the album were conceived by any other band, it likely wouldn’t be released at all, what with its incredibly drawnout and ethereal nature. In that sense, comparisons with Pink Floyd’s best records are perhaps inherently unfair. But there is no denying that, if it were compared, The Endless River would pose no challenge in quality. One can very easily attribute this faltering to Roger Waters having left in 1987, yet, on

Photo Courtesy of Columbia Records

Photo Courtesy of Columbia Records another level, it feels as though Pink Floyd has resigned itself to closing out the show for themselves. The band isn’t in need of a magnificent return to form, nor is it searching for one. For now, it is content with simply finishing on a peaceful note.

The Endless River plays out as an album well aware of its histori-

cal context, and as such it doesn’t suffer from its own expectation.

This doesn’t mean that the album will surpass any, but as a tribute to the late Rick Wright, one hopes that the serene denouement of Pink Floyd’s work will speak, as David Gilmour sings, “Louder than Words.”

The Melancholy ‘Middletown’ Brought to Life at UCSB Bryn Lemon STAFF WRITER In the past few hours after having seen the University of California, Santa Barbara’s production of Middletown I have felt more alone than I have since junior high. Most theater goers expect to leave a show feeling somewhat uplifted, enlightened, or, in the very least, less alone. This was not my reaction to Will Eno’s Middletown, which is currently being performed at our very own Performing Arts Theater.

The play feels like a less effective rewrite of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, right down to the replacement of the stage manager with a police man who introduces the audience to the sleepy little town and its simple inhabitants: inhabitants destined to leave this world unnoticed, in much the same lonely state in which they entered it. Each and every line felt chock-full of some depressing reflection on life that felt reminiscent of a cynical college professor, on the brink of retiring, rambling on while students eagerly jot down less than profound points of genius. However, the major difference is that these reflections did not feel like an organic overflow of passion, but rather a calculated and jaded script that was intended to impress audiences.

A set piece just before intermission in which the audience is seen on stage attempting to reflect on the play felt incredibly condescending, carrying the message that we could never understand the true intention of the piece and we are all just regurgitating the knowledge and lines we have gleaned from art. Perhaps it was this moment, the blatant insulting of the

Photo Courtesy of UCSB Theater and Dance audience, which officially soured me to the piece as a whole.

Though each line of the play felt overwrought with reflections about the depressing state of life and the characters’ acceptance of the inevitability of death, the way that the script was embraced and handled on all levels was exceptional. Behind the

scenes, Tom Whitaker, Associate Professor of Acting/Directing at UCSB, did a wonderful job as director of the piece. His work was bolstered by the outstanding set design by Greg Mitchell that allowed for versatile locations and multiple scenes to occur silently in the background of the main action. Vickie Scott did

a tremendous job of embracing the darkness that the space provided in order to draw audiences out of and back into the action, as well as create a pretty convincing idea of space.

The performances on the part of the students really imbued an otherwise intellectually pandering script with their remarkable naturalness

and strength. In particular, Ian Elliot and Quinlan Fitzgerald’s portrayal of two lost souls, John and Mary, in search for some kind of light at the end of the tunnel, proved remarkable. Their sincere portrayal of these two friends sparked a bit of life within the piece that just didn’t feel inherent in the writing. Their laughter and awkward pauses felt natural and drew viewers back into the play that I had checked out of after the first incredibly lengthy introductory piece that managed to stretch a sentence into two minutes.

Other stand out performances included Blythe Foster as the always optimistic librarian, the last standing relic of cheerful optimism in the town. One scene that really seemed to define the piece was her interaction with Craig, played brilliantly by Dillon Francis, a town drunk and one of the most effective narrators in the piece, which got to the heart of lost childhood innocence. The librarian reminds Craig of the poem he had written as a child, his proudest accomplishment and how it had hung in her office for years. This moment was touching as Craig talks about the potential we are all born with, and questions why he ended up such a failure. Perhaps the piece intended to leave audiences with the desire to better themselves and embrace this potential before it is too late, because life moves pretty fast, whether you are ready for it or not.

Overall, though I wasn’t a big fan of the style in which the piece was written, the performances and brilliant execution of some fundamentally impactful moments made this production well worth seeing.

'Toy Story 4' is the Latest in Line of Unnecessary Sequels Shomik Mukherjee STAFF WRITER It’s difficult to imagine a person who watched all three of the films in Pixar’s Toy Story trilogy and didn’t feel something at any point during Toy Story 3, which was, at the time, thought to be the final installment of the series. After all, the film practically grabs us by the collars and forces them to accept not only that the endearing toys we’ve come to know are being left behind by Andy, their owner, but also, and more importantly, that the story has come to an end.

It’s never directly stated that we’ve reached an end in the saga of Woody, Buzz and the rest of their plaything friends, but it’s a bittersweet assessment we come to make by the end of the film. As an audience,

we’re not all that familiar with Andy, save for some lines here and there.

Rather, the emotion evoked by all the heart-wrenching sequences in the film stems from the belief that it’s the toys that we’ll never see again. As it turns out, however, the toys are here to stay, for better or worse. Last week, it was announced that Toy Story 4 will be released some time in 2017.

While there isn’t yet any reason to make judgements about how the fourth film in the series will be, something rubs me the wrong way about the decision to continue the series at all. Much of the effectiveness of the film’s predecessor was rooted in my own interactions with the series throughout the years—as Andy left for college, I left behind a story that I’d loved since I was a child. And so, upon the news that the series is back

once more, I can’t help but feel that the experience of watching Toy Story 3 is consequently cheapened. The third film left no open loops and no burning desire to see the story continued. When we accept that something is done, bringing it back around simply makes us question whether all the acceptance was worth it in the first place. Why should we continue to look at the ending of Toy Story 3 as anything especially emotional? Does it really matter any more that Andy, a character who went largely underdeveloped through the first three films, left for college, now that we’re not saying goodbye ourselves? The story isn’t about Andy, it’s about us, and we were led to believe that it had come to a conclusive end. Even if Toy Story 4 is an incredible film, it still serves to render Toy Story 3 somewhat

empty in retrospect.

The reasoning behind Toy Story 4’s conception is easy to trace—for all the time I just spent complaining about the necessity of another Toy Story film, I’ll still be there opening night in anticipation. And there’s the trick of it all—big budget sequels guarantee lucrative cash returns, regardless of the quality of the actual product. Disney is infamous for pumping out disappointing sequels to their animated films—to stay within the realm of Pixar, Cars 2, released in 2011, garnered a much higher box office revenue than its predecessor, Cars, released five years prior. At the same time, however, the sequel was almost unanimously considered inferior to the first film, though I’m not sure this perturbed the creators all that much. Inciden-

tally, the director of the Cars 2, John Lasseter, has been slated to direct Toy Story 4. We can only hope that Lasseter will be poised to handle the highly anticipated sequel with better care, but for all of us, we’ve already been handed a more devastating sentence from Pixar—one that removes the inherent quality that made Toy Story 3 so special.

Perhaps, many years from now, Disney will have monetized its past successes to the point where we’ll be awaiting the release of multiple movies in the “Toy Story universe” at once—this is, of course, all hypothetical. What rings more strikingly true is that as Woody softly says “so long, partner” to a departing Andy at the end of Toy Story 3, it is to us not a goodbye but a very unnecessary “see you later.”

TBL | Nov 19-Nov 25, 2014

8 | OPINIONS

Community Debate “

Though many students adore IV and call it home, others are quite disenchanted with the glaring issues of inflated rent, cramped living conditions akin to a student ghetto, and blatant safety issues.

Bryn Lemon

”

“

Rather than try to absorb and incorporate Isla Vista into the university, UCSB should nurture it by making available programs and activities that give residents the opportunity to clean up—literally and figuratively—their home in a way that doesn’t tarnish its reputation.

“

Sam Goldman

”

UCSB is an institution of learning, not of law enforcement. If Isla Vista was not so closely associated with the campus, UCSB would not waste a moment turning its back on off-campus students entirely, and why shouldn’t it?

Alec Killoran

”

Illustration by April Gau | Staff Illustrator

UCSB Should Move into the IV Community Bryn Lemon STAFF WRITER “What is UCSB doing to help?” “Can’t the school fix this?”

Every time an incident occurs in Isla Vista, students, parents, and international spectators jump to the conclusion that the University of California, Santa Barbara is at fault and must be the one to fix the issue. Incidents within IV such as Deltopia reflect horribly upon the school’s international reputation.

Unfortunately, it is difficult to recognize that the majority of the events that take place within IV are out of the school’s control.

Despite UCSB administration’s continual efforts to ensure the safety of their students, there is only so much that the university can do without actually being located in IV to police the actions of residents outside of their jurisdiction.

Consequentially, debate has erupted over

whether or not UCSB should be purchasing certain housing complexes in IV and converting them into campus housing. The idea of the University buying up land within IV began in the 1970s when UCSB incorporated the burned structure of Bank of America into a campus lecture hall. The school is now making leaps and bounds towards progress in this manner, ensuring that they are able to take a more hands-on role in protecting the safety of their students.

Though many students adore IV and call it home, others are quite disenchanted with the glaring issues of inflated rent, cramped living conditions akin to a student ghetto, and blatant safety issues. A valid concern many students and parents could potentially have about expanding campus housing in IV is the idea of campus housing being located in such an environment–arguing that the school will monitor the housing, not the surrounding environment. Therefore, having

recognized that there is a legitimate need for UCSB’s intervention in IV, the school must follow this effort with even more regulation of the surrounding environment.

UCSB and the IV community need to lead an effort to institute better regulation of the bike traffic that creates countless perilous situations on Pardall Road, where bikers whip in front of cars with an apparent lack of concern for their own safety or that of the drivers. This could include specific bike lanes, a biker stop sign, and continued enforcement when these safety features are ignored.

Furthermore, perhaps the school could become leading legislators behind the efforts to fence the cliffs of DP that prove such a hazardous risk to students in an intoxicated state.

This could be accomplished by petitioning the different community fencing commissions to finally institute a unified regulation on the fences. Many students are already impassioned by this issue but cannot change

much without the force of the university behind them.

Finally, and most importantly, why is it an accepted fact that young women should not walk alone on the streets of IV at the first sign of darkness? This is a very troubling phenomenon that should be addressed head-on by the school administration and the IV community rather than being left solely as the responsibility of individual females. UCSB could place community resource centers with safety regulation throughout IV. There are emergency call boxes all across campus; the university should also institute call boxes within IV so that police can respond to incidents at the same rapid pace as an incident on campus.

It would be a beautiful thing if Isla Vista could someday be considered as safe an environment as that of UCSB’s own campus. This will, of course, take years. However, with the new proposed housing developments, perhaps it is on its way.

UCSB Should Nurture, Not Take Over, Isla Vista Sam Goldman OPINIONS EDITOR Isla Vista, the densely-packed unincorporated half square mile that is our home, is undoubtedly one of the most unique locales in the country. But having an overwhelming majority of residents who really enjoy living it up, are in a potentially tumultuous chapter of their lives, and are only around for a few years creates problems.

The past year has demonstrated what an intense party atmosphere can do, and no one can deny that IV is a bit shabby in its upkeep.

It’s also not much of a secret that the university is concerned about its adjacent community’s reputation and the effects it could have on the institution, and there are always rumors that UCSB wants to begin buying up

property. According to George Thurlow’s “Unofficial Isla Vista History” on the Alumni Association’s Coastlines website, Chancellor Yang “believes deeply that Isla Vista has become a drag on the University’s national and international reputation.” Ed Birch, a former Vice Chancellor for Student and Community Affairs, also believes, according to the Coastlines essay, that “the University should begin buying up land in Isla Vista and putting academic buildings in the community.”

The intention is good, and I have no doubt that buying up parts of IV for explicit university purposes would help improve the community’s circumstances, but it’s not the way UCSB should go about changing the town’s reputation and state of affairs

for a number of reasons. Though sometimes problematic, IV’s distinct culture, defined by students’ independence and their freedom to mold the community to their needs and desires, would inevitably deteriorate—or at least transform—into a watered-down version of itself. Given how much this culture means to its participants and how storied its history is, incorporating IV into campus transforms this culture into one that revolves much more around UCSB. Additionally, given how crammed IV is already, any nonresidential university buildings that do not supplant eateries only further exacerbate the community’s housing situation.

Currently, IV living is to oncampus living as college professors are to high school teachers; students are forced to have more

independent, adult responsibilities and experiences when they are not directly governed and steered by the university. UCSB can and should have a role in improving the community its students call home, but should do so without being this proverbial high school teacher and altering the broader culture. Associated Students have opened the Pardall Center, hosts activities in IV, and runs the IV Tenants Union, among other operations meant to benefit and improve the community in ways that utilize IV rather than absorb it into the greater sphere of the university. Program Board’s Delirium concert is a perfect illustration of how the University can promote change without actually becoming the community.

Offering services like these rather than formally institution-

alizing its own rules allows residents the opportunity to improve the community on its own terms; that is, they do so themselves rather than the university doing it for them. Student-led action is one of the hallmarks of IV’s history and culture, and providing residents with the tools to improve their community facilitates this while simultaneously mitigating the town’s aspects that embarrass the university.

Rather than try to absorb and incorporate Isla Vista into the university, UCSB should nurture it by making available programs and activities that give residents the opportunity to clean up— literally and figuratively—their home in a way that doesn’t tarnish its reputation, while protecting the culture of the half square mile we know and love.

Isla Vista Is Not Sick Alec Killoran STAFF WRITER It is becoming tiresome to see Isla Vista consistently painted in a negative light within the community, in the press, and in the University itself. It cannot be denied that exceptionally negative things have happened here. Nobody can argue that the shooting or riots have been anything but regrettable. However, neither were symptoms of a diseased city or an ailing culture.

Now, it seems, the University of California, Santa Barbara is trying to grab more land and more inf luence over its residential ghetto. Isla Vista truly is a ghetto in the truest and most traditional sense of the word, and now UCSB is trying to change that in order to preserve its relatively new status as an institution of repute. This is

wrong, and the university ought to keep its nose out of Isla Vista’s affairs for a whole host of reasons.

First of all, Isla Vista is a ghetto simply because of its homogeneity. While there are some city college students, some families, and a few other residents, Isla Vista is unquestionably a town filled with UCSB students. The university should not get involved in restructuring Isla Vista because it already has the option for reshaping it in the long term free of charge to anybody.

Like it or not, a community is simply the sum of its parts, and when the vast majority of the community is made up of UCSB students, the university directly controls the makeup of the community through their admissions process. It is disingenuous of the University to condemn the community while it refuses to change its admissions

practices. Nothing will change so long as new residents fresh from university campus housing resemble outgoing residents so closely.

Beside this, the university has no right to regulate its students once they choose to leave the campus’ friendly confines. UCSB is an institution of learning, not of law enforcement. If Isla Vista was not so closely associated with the campus, UCSB would not waste a moment turning its back on off-campus students entirely, and why shouldn’t it? Those who choose to abandon the protection of the school ought to have to deal with the consequences of their own actions.

As the most recent Halloween shows, it is clear that students have the capacity to deal with these consequences. After the Deltopia riots of last year, it seems like the

whole community collectively decided the block party madness just wasn’t worth it anymore. Out of town friends were clearly not invited by many people, and residents left in droves to spend time elsewhere.

That alone should be enough to convince UCSB that it does not need to step into this community and change it. It is capable of fixing itself when it goes haywire.

On a more emotional level, it would be sad to see Isla Vista systematically dismantled and turned into a ritzy bastardization of its current self. Parking is a hassle, street lighting is spotty at best, and local food joints are overpriced. But it all inexplicably comes together to create a unique aesthetic that marks it as one of the last true college beach towns in the world. It would be a shame if that were lost in the midst of high-rise apartment complexes.