Spring 2019, Issue 7 by The Bottom Line (UCSB)

MAY 22, 2019

VOLUME VIII, ISSUE XVIII

EXTRA VAGANZA

2019 A&E PAGE 6

bottomlineucsb.com

TEA TEA Tea Tea, Wake Cup's successor after the shop was placed under new management, offers fresh potential as the newest boba spot to grace Isla Vista.

FEATURES | PAGE 4

FOOD INSECURITY VENDING MACHINE Student activists hope to launch a 24-hour nutritional vending machine next year in order to help address food insecurity at UCSB.

NEWS | PAGE 2

Photo by JUAN GONZALEZ | Photo Editor

New Vending Machine Program Proposed to Tackle Food Insecurity ALONDRA SIERRA | IV BEAT REPORTER

ast Tuesday, the Isla Vista Community Services District (IVCSD) Board heard an early proposal for a 24-hour nutritional vending machine offering healthy, sustainable foods to food-insecure students and residents of Isla Vista. Introduced by A.S. President-elect Alison Sir, the vending machine is intended to address food insecurity among residents by allowing those who qualify to enter their perm number (if they’re a UCSB student) or use a card with an individualized barcode to access food. According to Sir, the single vending machine for the pilot program would cost around $14,000. In its early planning stages, Sir is eyeing Vendek Wholesale Equipment, Inc. as the provider for their unique refrigerated and accessible technology. At UCSB, 48 percent of undergraduate students and 31 percent of graduate students have reported experiencing food insecurity — campus rates slightly above the UC-wide average. To address the issue among students, the A.S. Food Bank has expanded their pantry hours from three to four days a week and continually promotes resources and services for students like CalFresh. As of April, UCSB has the highest CalFresh registration numbers in the UC system with 2,619 registered students,

2 | NEWS

according to Katie Maynard, sustainability coordinator at UCSB. But even services to combat food insecurity like food pantries and CalFresh benefits leave gaps in accessibility. Alex Moon, a fifth-year biopsychology major, described the struggle that students face when trying to access food outside of food bank hours, whether due to coming home late from studying at the library or accessing food with a busy work schedule. “Students go on campus to stay late at night and are not able to access food unless they prepare food in advance,” added Sir, who hopes the project will help feed SBCC students and I.V.’s homeless residents as well. The vending machine would also alleviate food concerns for undocumented students and residents who are unable to apply to CalFresh benefits due to their status. “I have a lot of undocumented residents and they’re unable to apply to CalFresh benefits because this data can get reported over to ICE and they’re at risk of deportation,” said Daevionne Beasley, second year sociology major and External Vice President for Statewide Affairs (EVPSA) elect. “This project that Alison is working on,” Beasley said, “while it won’t completely eradicate food insecurity, it will allow these stu-

dents to have a little bit less time worrying about where the next meal is going to come from.” Moon, who is also a Program Coordinator for the Edible Campus Project, believes that the proposed vending machine would provide more nutritious options than readily available foods offered at A.S. food bank pantries. To identify a consistent and sustainable food source, third year environmental studies major Jacob Bider worked with the Santa Barbara County Food Rescue to conduct initial outreach to local businesses. According to Bider, six local food businesses were interested in donating food. However, having introduced their early proposal, the team behind the 24-hour vending machine still has a long way to go before launching the pilot. Director Ethan Bertrandt suggested the team narrow down the target audience of “food insecure” eligible residents, while Director Robert Geis cautioned them on health regulation issues like possible food poisoning. With their feedback in consideration, Sir says the team will be working towards determining a consistent source of food and drafting a budget for the program. Ultimately, their hope is to launch the vending machine program this year.

"This project that Alison is working on,” Beasley said, “while it won’t completely eradicate food insecurity, it will allow these students to have a little bit less time worrying about where the next meal is going to come from."

DISQUANTIFIED CONFERENCE PROVIDES CONTEXT TO THE DATA ASSOCIATED WITH COLLEGE MINH HUA | Campus Beat Reporter

ast Thursday and Friday, May 16, and May 17 UC Santa Barbara English professor Christopher Newfield and Postdoctoral Scholar Heather Steffen hosted a two-day conference called “Disquantified,” which concerned how metrics are transforming higher education. An interdisciplinary cast of scholars, professors, and administrators attended the aptly-named conference to discuss topics ranging from the uses of wage-by-major statistics, higher education data infrastructures, and the negative effects of metrics on student writing. The conference was the culmination of a long-term research project called “Limits of the Numerical,” which questions what happens to research and learning when they are rated, ranked, and judged by metrics. Spearheaded by Newfield, the project focuses on three topics: the value of a college education, research bibliometrics, and learning assessment. Broadly speaking, metrics are measurements of quantita-

tive assessment commonly used to assess performance. In higher education, metrics take the form of graduation rates, enrollment numbers, demographic data, and student-faculty ratios, measuring how well a student is learning and the contributing factors to a student’s degree completion. The 18 presentations that spanned the two-day conference covered topics such as choosing majors, student learning, and student assessment. Ph.D. candidate in economics Zachary Bleemer, director of the UC ClioMetric History Project, presented on the shortcomings of median earning statistics, which are the numbers that chart an undergraduate’s income after graduation and are meant to help students decide on majors. In his talk, Bleemer said that, “while these statistics are presented with the intention of helping undergraduates choose majors that suit their future employment preferences, correlation does not imply causation; wage-by-major statistics are bi-

ased estimates of the wage impact of switching majors.” In his talk, Bleemer referenced a study done by Lars J. Kirkeboen, Edwin Leuven, and Magne Mogstad, which examined the reason why individuals in Norway’s centralized university system may choose different majors and the payoffs of those choices. According to Bleemer’s reading, universities lower students’ future income by not letting students choose their major based on their interests. Speaking about Bleemer's reading, “The paper counters the idea that everybody should study STEM if they want to raise their wages,” said Newfield. “The implication is that intrinsic motivation helps people be more successful than they would be otherwise, and [going with] your first-choice major reflects intrinsic motivation.” Bleemer concluded his talk with a series of improvements to the usability of wage-by-major statistics, such as the inclusion of non-graduates and controls for local cost of living in the estimation, as well as signifi-

cant caveats in publicly-available reports and dashboards. Another featured speaker was was author and columnist John Warner, who has written for Inside Higher Ed and the Chicago Tribune. In his talk, titled “Why Can’t They Write? We’re Counting the Wrong Things”, Warner claims that “prior to college, students are trained to produce ‘writing-imitations’, rather than learning to write in genuine and meaningful contexts.” According to Warner, certain techniques that are particularly detrimental to a student’s writing skills are the cookie-cutter, five-paragraph-with-a-thesis-in-the-introductiontemplates that high school teachers impose upon students. Additionally, Warner referenced the fact that students are memorizing acceptable words to start off a paragraph as a way to pass the AP English exam. “It’s like mad libs for academia,” said Warner. Warner introduced the concept that the base unit of writing is the idea — not the sentence; without

an idea to be expressed, a sentence is meaningless. In addition, Warner said that the idea of memorization is perpetuated by how student writing is currently assessed, and he offers alternatives that are conducive to better writing. Instead of rating a student’s performance based on how “academic” their prose is, Warner argues that we should measure how much students are writing in terms of total words produced, their enthusiasm for writing (through measures of engagement before and after taking a course) and most importantly, time spent “flailing”, or struggling but still persisting with writing. The conference concluded on Friday at 6 p.m. with the drafting of key points and issues that need change. Readers interested in watching the recorded talks can find the video at https://disquantified.org/

Opinions expressed in TBL do not necessarily represent those of the staff or UCSB. All submissions, questions or comments may be directed to editors@bottomlineucsb.com

Web Editor | Docean Park Layout Editor | Elaine Chen Pages: 4, 5, 6

Layout Editor | Chrissy Cho Pages: 7,8,9

Layout Editor | Vivianna Shields Pages: 10,11,12

NEWS | 3

Photo by Annie Huang | Staff Writer

THE TEA ON TEA TEA

he selection of boba available in Isla Vista has been saddening to many for a while. Fortunately, this situation is being shaken up by the arrival of newcomer, Tea Tea. Even with the new Mojo Teahouse that opened last fall, it is evident that there isn’t a level of competition which would fuel improvement in the quality of boba in I.V. The quality of Mojo’s tea is still widely regarded as the best in I.V. by many students, but their size-to-price ratio can be difficult to discern, charging what might normally be seen as a “large” price for the equivalent content of a small. Coming from the San Gabriel Valley, where boba shops line every other block, offering both authentic tea and reasonable prices, I can’t help but wish I was back

4 | FEATURES

ANNIE HUANG | STAFF WRITER home whenever I need a boba fix. Therefore, when I saw that Wake Cup, originally a reportedly average boba stop, was placed under new management and being rebranded as Tea Tea, I became excited and optimistic about what this meant for the boba scene in I.V. My friend and I arrived at Tea Tea, located at 901 Embarcadero Del Mar (directly next to Wecook) on Sunday at noon. It was fairly quiet inside, with cute, atmospheric piano tunes setting the ambiance alongside the lively chatter of passerby from outside. While the interior remained reminiscent of the old Wake Cup, large wooden tables have now replaced the smaller, more delicate seating arrangements which previously occupied the space. Moderately sized parties comprised of five or six could easily be accom-

modated here. Because we got to Tea Tea just before their formal opening time (12 p.m.), there was a bit of a wait time before the boba was ready. Luckily, this is far from the worst place to spend some waiting time. One of the tables sits right next to a large smart T.V., where one can watch YouTube or Netflix — and even play on the store’s Nintendo Switch while waiting for an order. There was one employee of the shop working at the time, and she was extremely kind, helping us set up Super Smash Bros. Ultimate before we got our food. (We unlocked characters for nearly an hour while we were there. If you see your favorite character in the fighter select page, you’re welcome.) We decided to order what I believe are staple drinks in any good boba shop: plain jasmine

green tea and milk tea with boba. The prices for the tea and snacks on the menu are fairly standard, about four to five dollars per item. There was quite a variety of items listed too — ranging from slushies and iced milk drinks to fish balls, sausages, and other classic boba shop food items. The drinks came out to be a little over four dollars each, and came in a hearty 24-ounce cup for a large. One can customize both the sweetness and amount of ice in their drinks at Tea Tea. I found 75 percent sweetness and full ice to be an enjoyable combination as both the jasmine green tea and milk tea were fairly sweet, and because the tea was freshly brewed, some ice was bound to melt. The tea flavor was not overly strong, and the milk flavor in the milk tea was made

using a powdered creamer, giving the drink a milder flavor overall. The star of the show were the boba pearls themselves. Hot and freshly ready at the time we ordered, the chewy tapioca pearls were the perfect texture and lightly sweetened. I was pleasantly surprised, as these pearls felt and tasted just like the ones back at home. All in all, Tea Tea is just starting out at the moment, but certainly has the potential to give all the other boba spots in I.V. some serious competition. With its distinguishing features such as a T.V. as a media and gaming hub, it could easily become a regular hangout spot for boba-cravers and snack-seekers alike. If anyone feels strongly about being part of the creation of quality boba here in I.V., Tea Tea is currently hiring.

AMI LAKOJU: Illustration Courtesy of Ami Lakoju

ATHLETE BY DAY, ANIMATOR BY NIGHT JACOB WONG | NATIONAL BEAT REPORTER

tanding at 6’9” and weighing 260 pounds, UC Santa Barbara power forward Ami Lakoju definitely looks the part of a player on the school basketball team. However, to reduce Lakoju’s time at UCSB to statistics and athletic achievements doesn’t do justice to the fast-talking Harlem native or his story. For Lakoju, a fifth year set to graduate this June, basketball has filled up a huge part of his time in college. Since sitting out games as a redshirt for most of his freshman year, Lakoju has amassed a total of 859 minutes on the court, scoring 292 points to go with 239 rebounds and 41 blocks over the course of his college career. On the other hand, there is @amiboy_ edits, an Instagram account run by Lakoju, showcasing another one of his passions: animation. “Anyone who actually knows me knows that I like cartoons,” Lajoku said in an interview with The Bottom Line. “If I wasn’t a basketball player and could devote all my time to some other passion it would probably be artwork, but I’m a big guy and I have to pay for school and all that,” said Lajoku. “So, you do what you have to do.” Circumstances on and off the court this season gave Lakoju the chance to ex-

plore his second passion. Starting out here, Lakoju had some competition for minutes as the team welcomed freshman Amadou Sow and 6’10” junior college transfer Robinson Idehen onto its roster. In addition, a foot injury left Lakoju sidelined for several months before the season. As a result, Lakoju played a mere 6.5 minutes per contest, his lowest average since his redshirt freshman season. However, it was far from a lost year. “I was just the old fart trying to show [Sow and Idehen] the ropes,” said Lakoju. “I got my two cents in where I could, but it was needed – I was able to step back and look at everything that I’ve been through.” “Once I started to have that change in perspective, that’s when I started drawing; that’s where the art came from – just trying to give back to my team.” The aforementioned Instagram account, containing a series of short animated clips made by Lakoju, is a mashup of Lakoju’s two main passions: animation and basketball. He started off the process by taking pictures of all his teammates and rendering them as cartoons. The first post on @amiboy_edits, dated December 25, 2018, shows a colored-in sketch of starting point guard

Devearl Ramsey, with the image shaking in a way that almost makes it look like it’s glitching across the screen a la Sony’s Spiderman: Into the Spider-Verse. Since then, Lakoju has branched out in terms of the types of animations he puts out – recent edits include full length videos with stop-motion effects and other visual add-ons – but most of the posts make use of some shared general thematic elements: a tribute to one of his basketball teammates, psychedelic visuals, and hip-hop tracks playing in the background. “I want to make my stuff kind of trippy in the future,” said Lakoju.” I’m working with [Adobe After Effects] and I’m trying to see if I can master that program so that when I draw, I can make some parts stationary and some parts more glitchy.” Lakoju doesn’t show any signs of slowing down with his newfound hobby either. One long-term goal is to make a show, just like the cartoons he grew up watching as a kid. “I want to be on the staff for people who make storyboards and cartoons,” he said. “But I feel like I need to start off small. Maybe start with commercials or media content, just content in general before I’m able to get my foot in the door. But that just comes with connections and

constant practice.” After graduating this spring, Lakoju has plans to move to London to participate in a Master’s program at the University of Essex, where he will study art history. Lakoju hopes that the experience can become an opportunity to build some of the connections he needs to further his aspirations. “I want to try to network with some directors in the area,” he said. “I know some people who went to that school who are in the Hollywood industry now.” While talking about animating, Lakoju stated, “I feel like the key for me is to make this my obsession, or maybe my secret obsession. I’ll play basketball for now, but I’ll keep [animation] on the side for sure.” Despite the current animation work and plans for a master’s program, Lakoju wants to make it clear that he still plans to play basketball for as long as he can. “I’m trying to find a pro team to settle on out there, just finishing stuff over with my agent,” he explained. In the meantime, @amiboy_edits on Instagram shows promise to continue going strong.

5 | FEATURES

EXTRAVAGANZA EXTRAVAGANZA Photo by Juan Gonzalez | Photo Editor

Delivers Shining Performances Despite Inclement Weather VANESSA SU | Staff Writer

he annual grand finale of AS Program Board music events, Extravaganza, featured many show-stopping acts this year as famed rappers, indie artists, and DJs graced the stage at Harder Stadium despite the gloomy weather forecast. Among the lineup was Peach Pit, Empress Of, student DJ Miibu, Deorro, Aminé, and Playboi Carti. Performing for approximately an hour each, Aminé and Playboi Carti served as the highlighted artists for Extravaganza, as displayed by the enormous crowd that had amassed at the end of the show. Aminé, who’s been busy with tours in the UK, played many fan favorites from his recent album “OnePointFive” while Playboi Carti delivered an equally exciting performance with several raps from his “Die Lit” album. An artist currently under A$AP Mob’s AWGE label, Playboi Carti grew up in Riverdale, Georgia and was known for skipping class to work on his music as a high school student. After uploading multiple tracks to SoundCloud, Carti found fame with his “Playboi Carti” album which featured Lil Uzi Vert and contains hit song

“Magnolia” which reached 29th place on Billboard Top 200. Raised in Portland, Oregon, Aminé attended Portland State University as a marketing major and interned for pop culture editorial Complex as a college student. His love for music started from diss tracks he produced in high school for rival basketball teams and eventually led him to release his first mixtape “Odyssey to Me” in 2014. Currently, he is on a European tour and his hit single “Caroline” has reached 11th on the Billboard Top 100, proving that a high school kid with a dream can make big strides. For over a decade now, AS Program Board’s outdoor music festival, Extravaganza, has been held in Harder Stadium, an area often used for UCSB’s soccer games. The wide grass field is surrounded by tall, blue bleachers, which allow for students to stand or sit while enjoying the star-packed show while upholding crowd safety and ensuring that people have plenty of room. Despite the gloomy clouds, a large audience gradually trickled in to watch

6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Aminé and Playboi Carti near the end of the show. Following incredible performances from Peach Pit, Empress Of, student DJ Miibu, and Deorro, students were left waiting eagerly for Aminé to perform before his hype man DJ Madison LST held his mic up and yelled, “Are you guys ready for Aminé?” before a video of YouTuber Ricky Thompson was projected as the crowd cheered. On cue, Aminé ran on stage and spit bars from songs “Spice Girl” and “REEL IT IN” before surprising fans with an acoustic version of his hit song “Caroline,” ending his performance on a sweet note. After an intermission of about 30 minutes, Playboi Carti stepped on stage to the delight of the crowd, who had been waiting in the cold weather for his arrival. Not only did he perform for an extended amount of time, he played plenty of popular songs such as “wokeuplikethis*” and “Get Dripped,” a collaboration with Lil Yachty. The crowd remained hyped for the entire performance as Playboi Carti occa-

sionally held out his mic to cue the crowd to yell his lyrics and left the crowd buzzing with excitement as they dispersed out of Harder Stadium. This year’s Extravaganza, despite being plagued with rough wind and light rain, helped end the year on a bright note with music performances spanning many genres from indie music to rap to EDM. Aminé and Playboi Carti especially helped bring a sense of excitement to the student population with their engaging raps and left students excited for next year’s musical events from AS Program Board. Playboi Carti will continue performing gigs throughout the United States and his next performance will be in New York City at The Governors Ball Music Festival on Jun. 2. Continuing his Europe tour, Aminé is planning to play at several stops in Belgium but will return to play at the Capitol Hill Block Party in Seattle, Washington on Jul. 19. Author’s Recommended Songs: “Invincible” by Aminé“ No Time” by Playboi Carti

THE LAST MONTH Sunday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

MAY 23 - JUNE 15

Arts and Entertainment Events

Thursday

Friday

May 22

Santa Barbara Centre

26 I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival @ Old Mission SB 10 AM

27 I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival @ Old Mission SB 10 AM

The Talbott Brothers @ SOhO 6PM

UCSB Ensemble Spring

28th Annual REEL

For Aerial Dance

LOUD Film and Arts Festival @ Campbell

Wings

Hall 6:30 PM

Tops ft. Video Age and Gloossies @ SOhO 9 PM

The Hungry Woman @ Hatlen Theater 8 PM

An Evening of Self

Chamber Choir and

Expression with Sy

Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chorus

Stokes @ MCC Lounge

Spring Concert @ Trin-

7:30 PM

ity Episcopal Church

11 Train and the Goo Goo Dolls @ SB Bowl 6PM

I Madonnari Italian Street Painting Festival @ Old Mission SB 10 AM La Primavera @ Old Spanish Concert Viajando a tu Mundo@ Campbell Hall 6PM

June 1 UCC Annual Benefit Showcase @ Campbell Hall 7 PM

PM WEEKLY: World Music Series @ Music Building 12 PM

Mania ft. Boombox Cartel @ Storke Plaza 8 PM

7:30 PM

mann Concert Hall 5:30

Kinetic Lab @ Ballet

Studio 5:00PM

12 WEEKLY: World Music Series @ Music Building 12 PM

8 Spooky Mansion and Clean Spill @ SOHO 9 PM

WEEKLY: World Music Series @ Music Building 12 PM

Middle East Ensemble Spring Concert @ Lotte Lehmann Concert Hall 7:30 PM

Concert @Lotte Leh-

T Sisters @ SOHO 7:30 PM

Artist Masterclass: John Greer @ Geiringer Hall 1:30 PM

Presents: On Threaded

Saturday

WEEKLY: Improvability @ Embarcadero Hall 12 PM

15 WEEKLY: Improvability @ Embarcadero Hall 12 PM

Comic by Jake Ortega | Comic Artist

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 7

AN ELECTRIC CURE TO DEPRESSION ALONDRA SIERRA AND NOE PADILLA | IV Beat Reporter and Staff Writer

new method of therapy uses the physics of electromagnetism to alter brain activity. Known as transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), it is being used by a company in Santa Barbara, Pulse TMS, as a treatment for depression. Depression is one of the most common disorders in America, and it is a constant battle that many have to fight against on a daily basis. The current practices that physicists use to combat depression are psychotherapy, antidepressants, or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). These practices may not be able to

8 | SCIENCE & TECH

help every patient. Studies show that around 40 to 60 percent of patients see an improvement regarding their symptoms when taking antidepressants, but this is not the case for all patients. For patients who don’t respond to antidepressants, ECT is another option. A study from 2011, however, shows that only about 16 percent of patients diagnosed with depression received ECT treatment. This could be a result of the public stigma behind ECT treatment, or from hesitance to recommend it. Over a decade ago, the FDA approved TMS — a new, innovative treatment. Over the past

few years, TMS has started to leave the realm of research and become more accessible. Earlier this year, Pulse TMS opened up in Santa Barbara. Pulse TMS’ goal is to showcase the benefits of TMS and innovate the practice as a whole. “If you think about what we can do in psychiatry ... most people would be familiar with talk therapy, and most people would be familiar with medications,” said Dr. Dustin Sanchez, Medical Director for Pulse TMS, in an interview with The Bottom Line. “There’s another class of treatments that most people are probably not familiar with ... neural modulation.”

Neural modulation is the performance of interventions (via various methods) in the brain itself that alter its function. The brain is an organ that runs on electricity — the neurons within use electricity to communicate. TMS is a non-invasive form of neural modulation that uses an electric field to stimulate or inhibit different parts of the brain. This is done via a small coil, placed against the patient’s forehead. Electricity (or current) runs in pulses through the coil. The spiraling current, as per the laws of electromagnetism (and Maxwell’s equations, which describe

them), generates a magnetic field. The electricity’s magnitude changes — to pulse is to go from zero current to non zero current, and back again — and so the magnetic field it generates is changing, as well. Maxwell’s equations tell us that a changing magnetic field, in turn, makes an electric field (the whole process is somewhat cyclic in nature). This electric field is tunable and can be made to target specific structures in the brain. ECT is an older, more common form of neural modulation. It stimulates the brain with electricity directly, rather

Photos by Ashley Jiang | Contributing Photographer

than creating a magnetic system (and subsequent electric field). ECT requires a lot of electricity to get through the skull and tissue surrounding the brain, resulting in the requirement that the patients go to the hospital and take general anesthetic. It essentially induces a seizure in the patient, firing neurons all throughout the brain. “If the person wasn’t under anesthesia it would be extremely painful,” Dr. Sanchez said. “TMS is a way that we can generate an electric field and kind of bypass the skull so we can stimulate parts of the brain without needing somebody to

go to the hospital or take anesthesia ... it’s a treatment that most people tolerate ... with very minimal discomfort.” TMS targets specific regions on the cortex, or surface, of the brain. In stimulating the brain’s outside, it affects the brain’s inside (subcortical) structures that share the same network. In this way, the electric field can alter the activity of a small region while only targeting the cortex. The electric currents travel to the brain in a helmet like the device. At most, a patient might feel a tapping gesture on their head, and the procedure takes around 20 minutes to complete. Generally, patients will

receive treatment five times a week, over the span of four to six weeks. One way that Pulse TMS is trying to innovate is by implementing talk therapy in conjunction with TMS treatment. They have patients visit a psychiatrist at their collaborating facility, Mission Harbor Behavioral Health, during their treatment of TMS. Although remission rates after TMS treatment are about 51 percent, Pulse TMS believes that this new style of care will help lower them. The team at Pulse TMS describes how they want to help out individuals who are spiraling into depression and are un-

able to go through the normal process of care. “What I would say to a patient who can’t get up and jog: We know exercise is a really powerful antidepressant. TMS is going to get you to the point where you can get up and jog in the morning. So that you can treat your own depression by doing the things we know are natural antidepressants,” said Dr. Sanchez. Although TMS is another way of treating depression, Dr. Sanchez stressed that it should not be used as an alternative means of care. TMS is meant to be used as an option by patients who are unable to find a sense

of relief through normal means of care. Although TMS is a new form of treatment of depression, it has the potential to help treat other disorders like obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). For anyone who is interested in TMS treatment, a representative from Pulse TMS is willing to help you out. You can get a hold of them by calling 805-225-6488 or visit their website at www.Pulsetms.com.

SCIENCE & TECH | 9

EXTRAVAGANZA

LINEUP SHOWCASES Cornerstone Music Genres JADE MARTINEZ-POGUE | Staff Writer

Gauchos go wild during an EDM set by Deorro. Photo by Juan Gonzalez | Photo Editor

10 | OPINIONS

hroughout my three years here at UC Santa Barbara, I have seen AS Program Board bring in a variety of performers to entertain students for various occasions. I have noticed a recurring trend regarding the genres of these concerts: if the first concert in the year is a rap artist then the next one will be a heavily EDM-based concert. The concerts appear to alternate between those two genres, consistently leaving out other, less mainstream genres. When the school’s biggest concert event, Extravaganza, took place on Sunday, a new line-up was revealed earlier in the week that demonstrated the alternating genre trend. AS Program Board was able to book popular artists Playboi Carti and Amine as headliners, as well as Deorro, Empress Of, Peach Pit and student DJ Miibu. This year’s mixed showcase of EDM, rap, and indie genres made me think about the repercussions of primarily sticking to only two genres for every concert held by AS Program Board. While EDM and rap are wellliked genres throughout the student body, setting up the concerts in this way excludes a segment of the student population that prefers one genre to another, along

with those who don’t prefer either. A popular post on UC Santa Barbara’s meme page, UCSB Zesty Meme Cuisine for Horny Teens, expressed disappointment in this year’s line-up through a meme with pictures of sad people accompanied by the caption, “When you’ve been waiting for Extravaganza the entire year and this is what they give you.” It is a difficult task to find one artist that every student can take a liking to, but it would be easier to find more inclusion within the smaller opening artists. While the addition of indie band Peach Pit does add some genre-deviation to this year’s line-up, I would have liked to see more opening artists of other genres that are not typically represented amongst the concerts at UC Santa Barbara. “I was really surprised that AS Program Board chose Peach Pit. I found them a while back and liked their music but I never thought I would see them in concert, especially not at Extravaganza,” said third year psychology and brain sciences major, Genevieve Gibson in an interview with The Bottom Line. Even though students appreciate the small genre switch-up in this year’s line-up, the shock that students express when a rap

or EDM artist isn’t booked shows that the school isn’t very inclusive of other genres. I have never seen this school host a concert including any artists from genres such as country, rock, or metal. While the following of these genres may be smaller among the students at UC Santa Barbara, there is still a large pool of students who would love to see the school bring in some of those artists. Senior communication major, Beth Isensee, had hoped that A.S. would expand its repertoire by bringing a country artist to the school. In an interview with The Bottom Line, she explained that “Country is a fairly popular genre with a lot of students at UCSB and I just think it’s interesting that there’s never been a country artist.” Despite the lack of inclusivity of other genres at concerts hosted by the school, AS Program Board always makes sure to get artists that will get students hyped up. Extravaganza will always be a lively, popular event because it is a full day of music for no cost to students. The addition of artists from a diverse pool of genres would just reach a larger audience and enable more students to see performers of their preferred music taste.

Illustration by Esther Liu | Contributing Illustrator

"CANCEL CULTURE"

SHOULD BE CANCELLED NOE PADILLA | Staff Writer

ver the past few weeks, James Charles, a YouTuber in the beauty community, has been a prevalent topic of discussion throughout the internet, from YouTube, Twitter, to even major news sites — specifically the movement to “cancel” him in response to the recent controversy he was involved in. However, the idea of cancel culture confuses me. All of the drama surrounding Charles began in the middle of April. After posting a video on his Instagram story promoting SugarBear Hair’s brand of sleeping vitamins, Tati Westbrook, a YouTuber and collaborator on Charles’ channel, responded emotionally in a video on Instagram. Westbrook owns a beauty vitamin company called Halo Beauty, so the fact that Charles promoted a rival company was a probable factor in her response. On May 10, Westbrook posted a 43-minute video to Youtube expressing frustrations and issues with Charles stemming from the

Instagram drama. Within the video, Westbrook accuses Charles of attempting to use his fame and wealth to manipulate straight men into having sexual interactions with him. In addition, Westbrook spoke of a moment when Charles knowingly pursued a straight waiter. After the internet heard Westbrook’s claims, a movement began to “cancel” Charles. In the span of a weekend, Charles lost approximately three million subscribers. Charles was also condemned on a multitude of social media platforms and lost his partnership with Killer Merch. Since then, he has released a response video revealing that the waiter Westbrook referred to in her video was actually bi-curious at the time, and messaged Charles first. Personally, I believe that some of Charles’s hate has been misguided, and purely the result of a specific type of cancel culture that treats conjecture as fact. Cancel culture is a complex issue, but fundamentally, cancel culture involves “dumping” or with-

drawing from a celebrity or social media influencer who commits an act that social media users deem immoral. Examples of cancelling include mass unsubscribing to a YouTuber, getting a celebrity kicked off a show, or requesting companies stop promoting materials related to the person in question. I understand that the idea of cancel culture is meant to give users the power to express their belief on an issue, but I personally can’t find the same through line of immorality in this case that is present in other cases. The idea that the internet would try to cancel an individual purely based on allegations seems hard to justify. When the internet found out about the scandal, it didn’t wait for a response from Charles before deeming him guilty in the court of public opinion. The conflict between Charles and Westbrook could have easily been solved privately. Although some of the allegations are serious, like his alleged predatory behavior

towards straight men, I don’t believe that this was the main purpose of Westbrook’s video. I believe that the original intention of the video was to hurt Charles and the allegations were just a byproduct of her frustration. But, these allegations that have caused most of the backlash towards James Charles, and that’s what I find most perplexing. When I think of an individual who has been justifiably cancelled, people who come to mind would be Logan Paul, whose choice to film in a “suicide forest” was almost universally considered immoral. There are other cases of “cancellation” in which individuals get accused of a serious immoral acts, but in the end will be justifiably cancelled based on proven evidence. Individuals who fall into this category would be vloggers like Projared. In Projared’s case, his ex-wife accused him of cheating and soliciting inappropriate photos from individuals online, claiming that she had evidence to back up her claim. What irks me about the James

Charles situation is how the internet treated it. From what I could tell, the internet justified cancelling Charles by arguing that Westbrook’s accusation of Charles was true, based on her claims that seemed like credible evidence, when in reality her claims were more based on conjecture. I don’t believe James Charles’ cancellation was justifiable. Regardless of whether Charles is a good person or not, I believe that the internet wrongfully put him on trial in the court of public opinion. Although I don’t agree with the notion of individuals being judged based on the court of public opinion, I at least understand why it happens. “Canceling” is the internet’s way of trying to determine what is morally right or wrong on the internet, but a major issue I have with it is its willingness to perceive opinions as facts. If someone is to be deemed guilty of an action, it should at least be based in fact and not opinion.

OPINIONS | 11

Vietnamese Student Association's

In Full Bloom

UCSB's

Vietnamese

Student

Association hosted its 21st Annual Vietnamese Culture Night, "In Full Bloom," on May 18, 2019. The culture night consisted of a narrative play interspersed with performances, such as Vietnamese traditional dance, modern dance, choir, and spoken word. This year's show explored how the emotional and psychological debt of refugee children can affect queer identity negotiation and decision-making. A culmination of five long months of work by student performers and volunteers, the event served as a means to spread awareness about Vietnamese American issues, history, and culture.

Photos by Juan Gonzalez | Photo Editor

1 1. Vickey Ho and Lily Chen dazzle the crowd in their colorful tradi-

tional Vietnamese dresses and hats. 2. Jodie Nguyen leads the VSA pop modern dance crew with a powerful whip. 3. Felix Dong performs an emotional spoken word piece about loss to an attentive audience. 4. Lan-Anh Tran brandishes her traditional Vietnamese fans in an elegant dance. 5. Jessica Tran plays a nosy Vietnamese auntie who nags main lead, Michelle Quach, to find a boyfriend.

PHOTO | 12