Spring 2019, Issue 8 by The Bottom Line (UCSB)

MAY 29, 2019

VOLUME VIII, ISSUE XIX

A REEL LOUD

CELEBRATION A&E PAGE 6

Photo by NOE PADILLA | Incoming News Editor

MUSIC OF STORKE TOWER TBL takes readers up into the revered hollow of Storke carillon, granting an exclusive interview with carillon teacher Wesley Arai, whose class breathes new life into UCSB's most iconic structure

FEATURES | PAGE 4

I.V. VIGIL On Thursday, May 23rd, UCSB held a candelit vigil in Anis’q’Oyo Park to honor the victims of the 2014 Isla Vista shootings as part of a weeklong series of events commemorating the 5th anniversary of the tragedy

NEWS | PAGE 2

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Candlelight Vigil Commemorates Fifth Anniversary of the Isla Vista Tragedy ALONDRA SIERRA | Incoming Features Editor

ith blue-lit candles and white roses in hand, students, families, and community members walked together from Storke Plaza towards Anis’q’Oyo Park to commemorate those lost and cherished on May 23, 2014: George Chen, Katherine Cooper, Cheng Yuan “James” Hong, Christopher Michaels-Martinez, Weihan “David” Wang, and Veronika Weiss. Associated Students organized a vigil on Thursday evening to mark the fifth anniversary of the Isla Vista tragedy that took the lives of six students, as part of a week of events meant for remembrance, reflection, and healing. Before the march, attendants gathered at Storke Lawn, where six memorial boards stood on display honoring those lost with the original notes written in chalk just days following the tragedy. Echoing sentiments of strength and resiliency, notes read, “Stay Strong I.V.” and “Together as One.” After arriving at the Love and

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Remembrance Garden at People’s Park, attendants placed roses on the six benches that honored the students with individual picture frames. Shortly after, at Anis’q’Oyo Park, the vigil began with “Hope in the Labyrinth,” an original composition performed at past vigils and composed by UCSB Ph.D candidate in music Heena Yoon. This year, cellist Kira Weiss performed the piece, welcoming the community as they gathered around the amphitheater. “We hope that these events can be spaces where everyone can be welcome in the community as we continue to heal,” said outgoing External Vice President for Local Affairs (EVPLA) Jeike Meijer, who led the event alongside Isla Vista Community Advisor Diana Collins Puente. Chancellor Henry T. Yang was the first to speak, sharing words on solidarity and community resilience. “Their time was short but their impact was forever,” said Yang. “We’re all still shaken by their loss but also emboldened

by our memories of them to live more freely.” Other speakers shared their experience on the day of the tragedy. UCPD officer Ariel Bourges was a recent UCSB graduate and aspiring police officer at the time of the tragedy. That night he had joined an officer in a ride-along. “Less than 30 minutes into my first police ride-along, the shooting started,” said Bourges, holding back tears. “I got a front row seat to things that no one should ever have to see.” Bourges was astonished by the community’s response in the aftermath, as were the majority of the speakers who stood on stage. Following a restless year that contained a meningitis outbreak, two consecutive gang rapes, and the Deltopia riots, the Director of the Educational Opportunity Program Aaron Jones described, it was as if the community had said “enough” in response to the shootings. “The outpouring of love, and the outcry, and the art, and the pain that was shared, it was one of the most tragic and beautiful

things I’ve experienced in my life simultaneously,” remembers Jones. It’s the kind of community that Katherine Cooper first fell in love with as a freshman, according to her father Dan Cooper, who spoke about his daughter’s motto: living life to the fullest. Cooper encouraged the students in attendance to do the same: live life without regrets. With a similar message, Richard Martinez, father of Christopher Michaels-Martinez, recited the poem “Responsibility to Light” by Courtney Martin. Although originally directed towards artists, the poem is about resilience in the face of dark times. The last parent to speak was Kelly Wang, mother of Weihan “David” Wang. Wang described the heartbreak of not being able to see her son’s face when she returns home. But through her grief, she shared some advice and encouraging words for students. “First I want to say, with a mother’s heart, I care about you,” said Wang. She asked those in at-

tendance to be brave during challenging times and to never stop being kind to others. “I want to tell you I love you. And I want to tell you love is stronger than hate, and love is stronger than death.” As the event culminated, Rick Benjamin, an Associate Director at UCSB’s Interdisciplinary Humanities Center, ended by reciting a spoken word poem. But even after the vigil concluded—and in spite of the chilly weather—the community remained at Anis’q’Oyo, exchanging hugs and words of comfort, support and resilience. The vigil, which occurred on Thursday, May 23, marked the finale of a weeklong series of community events designed to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the 2014 shooting in Isla Vista. The agenda can be found here. If you or a loved one is in need of faculty, administrative, or student support during this time, please utilize this list of campus resources.

UC REGENTS VOTES TO

RAISE NONRESIDENT TUITION JACOB WONG | National Beat Reporter

n Thursday, May 16, the UC Board of Regents voted to raise nonresident student tuition by 2.6 percent ($762) annually during their quarterly meeting at UC San Francisco. The move comes in response to a rising nonresident student population throughout the UC, coupled with rising system-wide costs. The Regents confirmed the move in a 12-6 vote. During the meeting, UC President Janet Napolitano emphasized that the Regents expected the tuition hike to account for expected shortfalls resulting from governor Gavin Newsom’s 2019-20 budget proposal. “Without the [tuition] increase and given the lack of a substantial increase from the governor to the budget...we add another $30 million hole, and that will have an impact on the educational program we can provide our undergraduate students, be they from California or out of state,” said President Napolitano.

The tuition increase comes in light of a growing nonresident student population in the UC system. Since Fall 2010, the UC as a whole has seen its out-of-state population increase from 6.0 percent to 17.9 percent of the entire undergraduate student body. Of that 17.9 percent, 12.0 percent of the current undergraduate population is composed of international students. While introducing the proposed increase, President Napolitano pointed out that the tuition hike would benefit nonresident UC students as well, as she pledged that the UC would set aside 10 percent of the new tuition revenues to boost financial aid resources for nonresident undergraduate students. UC Office of the President had added this caveat since it originally proposed the tuition hike to the Regents during the Board’s March meeting. According to President Napolitano, around 10 percent of nonresident students rely on student loans to cover their educational costs. “Setting aside

10 percent of the new tuition revenue would allow campuses to cover the increased costs for those students, for example, or to assist other needy students for whom the increase might pose an obstacle for enrollment into UC,” she stated. President Napolitano also signaled a commitment to increased equity among the nonresident students the UC system did admit, stating that the UC should “work to avoid” only admitting wealthy nonresident students. Following the President’s remarks on the proposed increase, UCOP Associate Vice President David Alcocer stressed in a presentation that the tuition increase would have minimal impact on applications or yield coming from nonresident students. According to Alcocer, past increases had “little to no impact” on applications or yield coming from the UC’s nonresident student population. He pointed to nonresident students’ comparative lack of financial need as a possible reason for this; in addition to

climbing nonresident graduation rates, the UC system has seen a decrease in average debt at graduation for nonresident students in past years, with current levels below the national average.“Nonresident students do tend to have greater financial resources than California residents,” Alcocer added. Alcocer also reiterated President Napolitano’s sentiments that the UC should strive for economic diversity among its nonresident student population, emphasizing the 10 percent allocation for nonresident financial aid. UCOP also stressed that the increase would impact every UC campus to some extent. Out of the total $28.9 million in projected resources resulting from the tuition hike, UCOP projects that $2.7 million of those funds will go to UCSB. Although the Board eventually voted to approve the tuition increase, several members in attendance at the meeting raised their concerns about the proposal. Regent-designate Hayley Weddle believed the 10 percent

allocation would not be enough to tackle nonresident students’ housing and food insecurity needs, and pointed out that the proposal lacked any accommodation for undocumented students who did not qualify for an AB 540 tuition exemption. Several other Regents echoed Weddle’s concerns, specifically the issues surrounding non-AB 540 undocumented students. However, in the end the need for funds outweighed the proposal’s weaknesses. UCLA Chancellor Gene Block emphasized this sentiment in a statement during the meeting as the Regents mulled over their votes. “Our costs keep going up and more revenue has to come from somewhere if we want to provide the same level of service,” said Chancellor Block. “These funds have been invested specifically to create more courses to speed graduation times. Of course [the 2.6 percent tuition increase] will be expensive for families, but it has impact on all of our students.”

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

Photo Editor | Graeme Jackson Campus Beat Reporter | Madison Kirkpatrick AS Beat Reporter | Kyle Dent Copy Editors | Annie Huang, Linda Chong

NEWS | 3

A LOOK INTO THE

MUSIC OF STORKE TOWER LAUREN MARNEL SHORES | Editor-in-Chief

eard from over a quarter mile away, the bells in Storke Tower echo through the quiet morning serenity blanketing UC Santa Barbara’s campus. Be it a piece from Bach or Beauty and the Beast, the music notes drifting from the iconic tower gently lull campus residents back into wakefulness after long evenings out. Through each performance, it is University Carillonist Wesley Arai and his music students who take on the unsung mantle of playing for campus, sitting atop Storke Tower to manually play an instrument known as the carillon. Each year, three students are given the opportunity to not only play the carillon for the UCSB community, but earn course credit while doing so. “I think the biggest misconception is that people just assume that the bells are played by a computer, but it’s actually played by a real person,” explained Arai. “That’s really the biggest thing — just to know that there’s actually a person who is putting their soul into playing this instrument, just like you would a piano or violin.” Arai has been teaching the carillon class (Music 24 and Music 124) since fall quarter when the previous University Carillonist, Margo Halsted, retired. For the past year, Arai has been keep-

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ing the tradition alive by allowing musically inclined students to climb the steps of Storke Tower to play for the UCSB community. The carillon itself resembles a large wooden keyboard, each key corresponding to one of 61 bells located within the tower. “It’s all mechanical, there’s no real automated part about it,” said Arai. “Everything you hear is the performer’s physical action — that being translated into the bells being struck.” Musicians play the instrument using their fists and feet, engaging all four limbs as they perform. Such a full body experience is part of what makes playing the carillon unique, explained first year computer engineering major Emily O’Mahony, one of Arai’s students. She described playing the carillon as much more “dramatic” than the piano, the instrument she grew up playing. “My professor, Wesley Arai, is really encouraging and he is obviously a master of his trade, so it’s really cool to study with him,” said O’Mahony. She explained that she first stumbled upon the class while browsing through the course catalog. Prior to auditioning, she knew “very little” about the carillon, but has since learned not only how to play the instrument, but much of its history from being in the class. “To have the opportunity to

really teach the next generation of carillon players is a pretty good set up,” said Arai, “and just to have the ability to have students be able to connect to that pretty big landmark [Storke Tower].” At the base of Storke Tower, a 190-foot elevator ride delivers musicians up to the top of the building. Once inside, visitors climb the spiral staircase to the peak of the tower, cast bronze bells suspended with pulley systems adorning the ceiling all around. At the very peak sits the carillon itself, sheltered within a locked glass box. Surrounded on all sides by windows overlooking the outside world, carillon artists are privy to a 360 view from the tallest structure in southern Santa Barbara County. Positioned directly in front of the carillon sits one of the larger bells, inscribed with the bell’s installation date, the university’s logo, and UCSB’s motto fiat lux, “let there be light.” Amidst a privileged panorama of the UC Santa Barbara campus, the Santa Ynez Mountains, and the Channel Islands, artists are given the unique opportunity to command the attention of UCSB’s campus. “I try to get students who have a good musical background,” said Arai, “whether that’s in piano or voice or other instruments from various years in school.”

After auditioning to be part of the one unit class, students begin practicing their pieces with a mini carillon in the music building. With about three weeks of practice, students can begin to play the carillon in Storke Tower itself. Throughout the quarter, students continue to engage in weekly private lessons with Arai. Once inside Storke, Arai said he gives students “free reign” to arrange their own music pieces, ranging from classical music, to pop songs like tunes from Smash Mouth, to video game soundtracks. Students in the class are given a list of sign up times each weekend during which they can play the Storke carillon, practicing as often as they like during designated times. “Some might practice on the carillon once per week while others might only get up the tower to practice once a quarter,” said Arai. “All of the students have regular access to a separate practice keyboard in the music building in the meanwhile.” When asked why the class was started, Arai said, “I believe it was just to get more connection of the tower, which is a pretty iconic campus landmark, to the general … campus body. Just to be able to keep the carillon art growing since it’s actually a fairly small, niche kind of community of people who actually know about the

carillon and people who know how to play it.” According to the World Carillon Federation, there are only six carillons in California, three of which reside at UC schools. “It’s a fairly rare thing, and even in the U.S., most of the carillons are in the Midwest and on the East Coast, so it’s a pretty big asset, I’d say, to the campus community to have a carillon at UCSB,” said Arai. Those interested in learning more about the carillon can attend the free recitals being put on throughout the quarter. The music department will be hosting several special performances this year because 2019 marks Storke Tower’s 50th birthday from when the carillon was gifted by Thomas Storke, former publisher of the Santa Barbara News-Press. Students can follow the music department’s website for upcoming recitals throughout the year. Following summer recitals, attendees can take free tours to the top of Storke to see the carillon for themselves. Students interested in auditioning for the carillon class can contact Arai to be part of the next round of auditions for fall quarter. Arai’s email is waraiwarai@gmail. com.

UCSB RELIGIOUS STUDIES DEPARTMENT

MOVES TO REVAMP JEWISH STUDIES MINOR JADE MARTINEZ-POGUE | Staff Writer

tarting in fall 2019, UC Santa Barbara’s Religious Studies department is vamping up their Jewish Studies Minor. Although the minor has been around for a while, the department is now trying to spread more awareness of Jewish Studies in order to attract more students. “Many students are not aware of [Jewish Studies],” said Ofra Amihay, a professor in the Religious Studies department. “A lot of students take so many Jewish Studies courses that they are close to completing the minor and they don’t even know.” The minor, brought to UCSB in 1995, not only encompasses classes from the Religious Studies department, but also features courses from the History and

Comparative Literature departments as well. To complete the minor, students have to take a year of Hebrew language courses offered in four different levels, ranging from biblical to modern Hebrew prose. Along with the full year of Hebrew language, students must take one introductory course and five additional upper-division units. The upper-division classes are categorized under the topics of Jewish Religion and History and Jewish Literature, Culture and Society. The minor offers courses including Representations of the Holocaust, which involves close analysis of post-Holocaust literature, and a two-class series focusing strictly on politics in the Middle East. This class goes in

depth on political development and nationalism in the Arabian Peninsula while also focusing on oil politics in the area. In addition to the minor, the department offers an optional Hebrew emphasis, adding another year of Hebrew language classes on top of the minor’s one-year requirement. “It pushes you to explore a new language and when you learn a new language you get to learn all about its culture and history,” said Religious Studies professor, Aryeh Amihay. Jewish Studies tackles classes from both the disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspective and offers topical courses such as “The Nazi Holocaust and Other Genocides” and “Gender in Judaism.” “We’re very much interested

in broadening the scope of what is thought of as Jewish Studies,” said Amihay. According to the Minor in Jewish Studies website, “The representation of Jewish experience in literature, philosophy, film, art, and architecture … combine to produce a dynamic yet grounded study of Jews throughout the world.” Over 40 classes available in this minor also count for general education requirements, a benefit of the minor that the department wants to highlight. To declare the Jewish studies minor, students are encouraged to speak to undergraduate advisor Christina Orzechowski. Noah Fleishman, a graduating history major who had already fulfilled many of the mi-

nor requirements, did not know about Jewish Studies until it was too late for him to declare. “One of my regrets is coming in as a transfer student and not knowing about the minor until this year, and I’m graduating in June,” he said. Many students share Noah’s problem, which is why the revamping of the minor is taking place. The Religious Studies department wants to shed light on Jewish Studies so that anyone interested knows about the opportunity they have to declare a minor in a subject important to them. “It’s quite simple, it’s quite straightforward, we just need to spread the word,” said Amihay.

5 | FEATURES

UCSB'S REEL LOUD PRESENTS

NOE PADILLA | Incoming News Editor

t’s quite a rare opportunity to be able to observe the future talent of cinema all coalesced in one student event. UCSB’s 28th annual REEL LOUD Film and Art Festival was an example of said event, bringing together some of the most talented student directors from UCSB and allowing them to showcase their short films to the public. The festival is a student-run event that highlights some of the best talent UCSB has to offer, ranging from art to music to dance and most importantly, film. The night is a love letter to the performing arts of UCSB. The night truly began once the doors to Campbell Hall opened, and the audience rushed inside to find seats for the screening of the films. Before the event started, REEL LOUD had a small art showcase outside the hall, as well as performances from Anahita Holden, the Korean pop dance group SS805, and the acapella group InterVals. The festival showcased twelve silent films which were all accompanied by live music performances and voice acting. The films that premiered at the festi-

val were “Blacklight,” “January, 1996,” “Genesis,” “Ravaged,” “A Question,” “Mapache, Ataque!,” “Sorpresas: A Salsa Noir Film,” “Invidia,” “The Practitioner’s Circus,” “The Irresponsibles,” “Daisy,” and “Saawaryia.” Each film of the night showcased some amazing talent, but a few especially stood out. Both “Genesis” and “The Irresponsibles” were highly experimental films with thought-provoking avant garde shots. “Genesis,” which was directed by Yelizaveta Mamajeva, a fourthyear film and studies major, had some very simplistic but horrific imagery that visualized the pain of a drug addict. “The Irresponsibles,” which was directed by third year film and studies major Josh Bevan, was a slightly confusing yet beautiful journey that evoked a feeling of adolescent confusion. Another interesting film of the night was the fourth-year film and media studies (FAMST) major, Damien D. Bell’s “Blacklight,” a philosophical film on the idea of success. The film follows a boy experiencing a multitude of realities in which he finds success, but is ultimately horrified by the harshness of reality. The film also comments on how race plays into

Comic of the Week Comic by Jake Ortega | Comic Artist and REEL LOUD 2019 Director

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this notion of success, which is an idea that is not generally discussed in cinema. The crowd-pleaser film of the night was “Mapache, Ataque!” which was directed by Nick Counter, a fourth-year film and studies major. The film follows the battle between a 300-foot giant Joe Gaucho and the brave El Mapache. The film was unironically inspired by old Kaiju and B-movies, which could be seen in its low-budget cardboard sets and low quality costumes. The last notable film of the night was the third-year FAMST major, Immanuel Steinberg’s “January, 1996.” Its professional production and emotional storyline had audience members crying over the compelling story of a man coping with the death of his mother a mere five minutes into the film. As the night drew to an end, REEL LOUD brought in Vivian Storm, UCSBreckin’, and Joe Yuke, a student comedian from Laughology, to entertain the audience. Before the award ceremony, the Elektro Botz from NBC’s World of Dance performed with dancers from UCSB. In an interview with The Bottom Line, Isaac Haskins, a

fourth-year theatre major and one of the students who performed alongside the Elektro Botz, mentioned that “we learned it [the choreography] at the master class, from one to two. And then came in at four count to run it a couple times.” After the performance, the producer of this year’s festival, Mika Pham, a third-year double major in FAMST and Communication, invited the Rally Rig team out onto the stage. Led by D’vonte Johnson, a fourth-year FAMST major, the team of engineers had created a camera rig that assisted people with impaired motor function and were presented with a check of $1,500 to support their ideas in making the joys of cinema accessible to all people. The night ended with the award ceremony during which, this year, the organizers of REEL LOUD added two new awards, Best Directing and Best Writing, to the ceremony. “The golden reel picture is no longer just one stand out. We had to define, that it [the award] has to go to the best picture, but we still wanted to highlight films with certain awards like writing and directing,” said Pham to The Bottom Line about the two new awards.

When it comes to the awards, Best Art went to “Untitled” by Joyce Tsui, Best Music went to “Ravaged” by Nina Masjedi, Best Cinematography went to “Daisy” by Cameron Leingang, and Best Editing went to “Blacklight” by Damien D. Bell. Both the Audience Choice and Scott Wells awards went to “Mapache, Ataque!” by Nick Counter, and both of the newly added awards, Best Directing and Best Writing went to “January, 1996” by Immanuel Steinberg. To learn more about REEL LOUD or find out how you can get involved next year, visit their website www.reel-loud.com.

ITALIAN ART ON

SANTA BARBARA STREETS ADDISON MORRIS | Arts and Entertainment Editor

ast weekend, Italian pavement painters, known in their native language as madonnari, put their street smarts to good use as they turned Santa Barbara’s famed Old Mission into a showcase of their combined 150 ground murals. The talented artists painted on behalf of local businesses, causes, or simply themselves as they beautifully metamorphosed the black concrete in front of the historic monument into a collage of chalk drawings for the general public to see for free. Now an annual tradition, the premier Santa Barbara Italian Street Painting Festival represented the first jump of the festival to American soil from its original home in Grazie di Curtatone, Italy. This year, the coordinators enlisted dozens of artists of all ages to contribute to the exhibition, which donates all proceeds to the Children’s

Creative Project of Santa Barbara. Ranging from magnificent, resplendent butterflies to explicit, provocative cartoon dogs, the murals themselves covered the grounds of the mission. Some artists who painted just for themselves had the liberty to choose their own subject matter and design while others, commissioned by sponsors, were given restrictions or instructions on how to craft their pieces. A handful of kids and students helped the head-artists on their projects, adding to the cheerful atmosphere of the family-friendly activity. Additionally, patrons could buy a square of chalk from the event’s hosts for their children to color alongside the commissioned artists. The hosts also sold postcards, posters, t-shirts, and other event merchandise to promote their cause. All proceeds go to Children’s Creative Project of Santa

Barbara, a nonprofit education program which fosters artistic development in Santa Barbara County. The festival also brought in local vendors and musicians to enrich the experience. Revelers could enjoy a “sno” cone, or the more fitting Italian gelato, while listening to upbeat, live music and taking in the flavors of the sumptuous paintings. One such splendid painting was of roses blooming along a vine which followed a crack in the pavement, incorporating it into the painting instead of trying to ignore it or work around it as other artists did with their less-than-ideal plots. Making the best of “an unexpected situation,” student artist Ally Campos, who will be attending UCSB in the fall, said, “[the painting] was originally [designed to be] the other way around but we saw this [break in the pavement] yesterday and

were like, ‘alright we have to switch it.’” In another interview with The Bottom Line, student artists Paloma Mckeam, Maria Telles, and Maria Rios, who were working with Mckeam’s grandmother on a mural said of their painting for the Santa Barbara Opera House, “It’s [our] rendition of Madame Butterfly.” It was a picture of a lovely woman fanning herself, surrounded by flowers and butterflies, chosen to promote the Opera House’s production of “Madama Butterfly” scheduled to debut in November. Among the other wonderful pieces was one of a serene swan gliding through midnight-blue water, another of a soft, sleeping orange and purple fox for the Santa Barbara Zoo, and another of fighter planes cutting through meringue clouds of sunset pinks, oranges, and baby blues.

Overall, the Santa Barbara Italian Street Painting Festival brought a little piece of breathtaking Italy to sunny SoCal this weekend as it provided the opportunity for talented artists to prove their street cred. Attendees happily relished all the festivities the event had to offer and, no doubt, cannot await next year’s celebration. For those who cannot patiently wait for next year’s festival, The Santa Barbara Museum of Art and UCSB’s Art, Design, and Architecture Department host a number of painting exhibitions throughout the year. Visit their websites ( https://www.sbma.net and https://www.museum.ucsb. edu ) for more details. Photo by Graeme Jackson | Incoming Photo Editor

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT | 7

THE SCIENCE OF

STRESS

KYLE DENT | Incoming A.S Beat Reporter

hether they’re an incoming freshman or four weeks from graduation, a political science major or in the College of Engineering — a student athlete, club leader, poet, filmmaker, or surfer extraordinaire — everyone here seems to be dealing with the same thing: consistent, ever-present stress. According to the American Psychological Association, 61 percent of college students report anxiety and stress; on everyone’s mind is a plethora of papers, partner work, and non-descript “projects.” What is stress, though? What separates true “stress” from simple annoyance, and how does the body react when exposed to it for prolonged periods of time? Surprisingly, stress isn’t inherently “good” or “bad.” Whenever someone experiences excitement in any way, be it from getting a job interview, dropping their laptop, or earning a C on a midterm, their body enters a “fight or flight” mode where it sends endorphins and hormones throughout the body.

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These hormones can actually be beneficial in small bursts, raising your heart rate, readying muscles, and increasing how much oxygen your body gets. You’re more ready to tackle the problem in front of you. However, repeated, long term stress ‒ usually stemming from issues not immediately solvable ‒ can cause long term consequences for your body. To enter a state of stress, your hypothalamus (the hub of your central nervous system) makes your adrenal glands send out cortisol and adrenaline, two main stress hormones. This sends blood rushing to the muscles, heart, brain, and other organs to put them in a state of overdrive so they work harder to solve the present issue. When the “danger” is gone, the hormones stop traveling through the body, and you go back to normal. However, when the stressor doesn’t leave, perhaps in the case of a long-term issue, these organs continue in an overworked state, not getting the rest they need. This results in an incredible

multitude of problems for your body. You may get headaches from the body sending resources to places other than your brain. You can also develop bad eating habits, like overeating to continue the stream of resources to supply your body, or undereating, because your body feels too scared and busy for that. The constant stream of blood and tensing of muscles doesn’t do the body much good, either. You breathe much faster to acquire more oxygen for your blood, but after a while, this makes it much more of a chore to breathe. Since your body is trying to spread that blood everywhere it can, your heart pumps more rapidly, and tightens blood vessels to send blood to the important places quicker. If this lasts a long time, however, it increases blood pressure. This creates a suite of problems for the body, the biggest being a higher risk for a heart attack or stroke. Outside of what stress does to you directly, the strengthening of other systems requires a weakening of others. Your nervous

system deprioritizes the immune system, making your body more susceptible to sickness and foreign bodies. In addition, when you do ultimately get sick, your body will take more time to heal. In addition to all these physical issues — including acne break-outs, intestinal issues, and pure exhaustion — there’s a whole horde of emotional and mental effects. One may begin to hear ringing in their ears, stuttering, experience panic attacks, or fail to sleep at night. An overworked brain can also have trouble remembering new information, have difficulty making decisions, create anxiety for itself, and engage in obsessive or compulsive behaviors. It can even have trouble communicating, which can lead to isolation and withdrawal from society. There’s also a correlation between stress and clinical depression, which can lead to reduced productivity and thoughts of suicide. Depression can also lead to frustration and mood swings. If that wasn’t enough, many of these symptoms of stress can in-

duce stress. You may be so stressed that you forget to turn in an assignment, which will lead to more anxiety. You may get so sick that you have trouble going to work, which may mean financial issues and more stress in the future. These issues aren’t relegated to those who work incredibly high stress jobs or roles either. Around 75 percent of Americans report that they live with either physical or emotional symptoms of stress, and 33 percent say they live with “extreme stress.” This is a widespread, systematic issue. Nearly everyone is worried, all the time. Unlike our prehistoric ancestors who needed stress responses to survive, we deal with lingering issues across hours, days, and months. People marinate in their stress, and are expected to continue operating while dealing with all these debilitating effects. This is clearly unsustainable. People need to take action to take care of themselves and make themselves happy so they do not burn out entirely. Illustration by Esther Liu | Contributing Illustrator

4 WELLNESS APPS FOR A HEALTHIER MIND MADISON KIRKPATRICK | Staff Writer

ental health is a growing stigma in the world. An article by NAMI states that approximately one in five adults in the United States alone experience mental illness in a given year. These numbers may not seem substantial, but they add up to make big differences in millions of lives. Think about your family, friends, and classmates; you may not think about how many of them suffer from mental health disorders, but according to these numbers, a fair portion of them do. Mental health disorders may never stop growing, so self-care is very important. Below are some of my favorite applications for self-care.

A. Calm This app is one of the best

out there for meditation and mindfulness. Its exercises range from easing depression to anxiety release and sleep exercise. It is optimal for those who cannot relax or sleep well due to their mental health disorders. It’s good for beginners, but they have plenty of exercises for people with experience. (Price: Free to start, but a premium subscription is available.)

B. Headspace This app, like Calm, offers simple exercises to alleviate stress. The exercises, which range from meditating to mindfulness techniques, are quick and have good results. It also offers something called an “SOS exercise” which comes in handy in case of sudden meltdowns like panic attacks. (Price: Free to start but there are many plans

available to upgrade.)

C. Moodpath Moodpath is an interactive application created to recognize symptoms of depression. Over two weeks the user will answer three daily sets of simple questions relating to their well-being to craft a personalized and thorough evaluation. It also includes a recommendation for immediate medical attention if needed. Anyone can use Moodpath but it is suited for those who feel emotionally burdened and are worried about suffering from clinical depression. Users are not obligated to continue, but it might be worth it for a more accurate diagnosis. (Price: Free to start.)

D. Happify Happify is an application

that uses science-based games and activities to measure well-being and increase happiness. It is not a long-term fix, but it can make its users feel relaxed. Users start by learning their happiness score and get to work to improve it. It is beneficial to have an app like this that allows users to work on their own with some help but without extensive intervention from therapists or friends. From my experiences and testing, this app has exceptional results but it can be different for all users. (Price: Free to start, subscriptions available.) I feel confident recommending these resources to UCSB students or really anyone else. I have tested Moodpath and found that the questions were helpful — not tedious — and

really thought-provoking. Despite my usage — and the usage of others — there are some important things to remember. While all of these applications can certainly be helpful to users, it is important to recognize that they are not clinical treatments. They simply can’t be marketed this way. Also, remember that none of these are one size fits all. When it comes to mental health, different resources work for different people, so everyone should find what works best for them. These apps can be found on the iOS App Store for the iPhone or the Google Play Store for the Android. The Bottom Line is unaffiliated with any of these apps.

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How Extravaganza REALLY WENT DOWN KYLE DENT | Incoming A.S Beat Reporter

CSB’s 2019 Extravaganza Festival, which welcomed Peach Pit, Deorro, Empress Of, Aminé, and Playboy Carti, featured some of everyone’s favorite Isla Vista staples: mass disorganization, at least 7 intoxicants, and that guy who asks, like, way too many girls to get on his shoulders. The first musical group, Peach Pit, took the stage and belted out cleverly titled indie hits like “Seventeen,” and “Being Normal,” while dressed in contractually obligated pastel sweater vests and long-sleeved polos. In an interview with The Bottom Line, Spencer, a second-year Dance major, had this to say about their performance. “Yeah, it was pretty obvious that their guitarist was swaying his instrument around trying to fan himself. No one needs that much energy for dream pop.” Spencer continued, “Everyone saw the drummer keep trying to take off his overalls that were somehow tucked into their own pair of pants, but some guy in a

suit keep shaking his head and glaring at him from off-stage. It was kinda embarrassing.” After the bassist fainted from heat stroke and was dragged limply off stage, Empress Of arrived. At the time of print, we’re still not quite sure what she is the Empress of. Canada? A small diamond mining camp overseas? Middle-Earth? An empty Harder Stadium? Her management declined to comment, but she delivered a solid set anyway. Annie, a second-year Biology major, commented on her music. “Her music kinda sounded like it was trying to impersonate Ariana Grande, but Ariana Grande’s skin kinda looks like she’s trying to impersonate Empress Of, so I guess it’s an acceptable trade off.” It was around this time that the lines outside the stadium became inhumanely long. Apparently, no one wanted to hear Indie Band 22: Electric Boogaloo, or the way clouds must sound, just distilled into music. Instead, festival goers rushed the venue to see rappers Aminé and Playboy

Carti. The lines lasted for an hour, snaking past Student Health and leaving many students in nothing but fishnets and bandanas to realize that those aren’t really the best “waiting around” clothes. While many students swayed from side to side with Deorro’s set, it probably had more to do with blacking out in line than his DJ prowess. Police even guarded the gates of the stadium, perhaps in case Public Enemy #1 decided here and now was the place to make an appearance. I spoke to one of the officers, Raymond, about the precautions taken at the event. “These five foot girls in line? Dangerous. Dangerous. When they get rowdy they can tie their crop tops together like a whip to storm the gates. Clambering over one another like the zombies from Train to Busan. All hopped up on Smirnoff Ice. This is a thankless job, you know. Did you hear me? A thankless job. Write that down. Did you get it? Did you?” The lines weren’t all bad, however. The A.S. Program Board set

o t e m o welc

Melissa's Meme of the Week Meme by Melissa Lindberg | Contributing memer

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up computer stations throughout the lines so that students could finish their homework while plastered. One student even found an early, pirated copy of the Game of Thrones finale and gathered a crowd around her iPhone 6S. I asked said student to comment, but all she did was sigh and shuffle home. Eventually, Aminé got up on stage and everyone in line got to hear his music the way that he and his producers truly intended: bouncing off the Santa Ynez mountains and reflected to a sea of faded teenagers who really, really needed something to focus on so they wouldn’t throw up. Near the end of his set, Aminé said “Lemme see these pits.” Immediately, everyone’s week 8 aggression broke through, and mosh pits began sprouting both in the stadium and in line. P eople stacked onto each other’s shoulders and moshed like a game of pool chicken, but with concrete instead of pool. That weird white “jump and punch above you” dance move was also

put to stellar use. Ryan Long, a graduating senior in the College of Creative Studies, almost had his nose broken from a sudden shove in line. “That was not the line I was expecting to fuck up my nose.” Even though he was headlining, Playboy Carti only took the stage for a few songs. A fan of his, Ryan, told me about his set, which was the only performance he got to enjoy. “He was fashionably late. And left fashionably early. There’s just a whole lot of fashion going on there. You wouldn’t understand.” Ultimately, the 2019 Extravaganza featured good performances, but suffered from poor preparation and too many cops ‒ an experience that was true to Isla Vista.This article is a work of fiction and is meant for entertainment purposes. Any resemblance to characters, real or imagined, is purely coincidental.

THE SIGNS DURING FINALS RAYMOND MATTHEWS | Staff Writer

ARIES You may find an Aries aggressively shotgunning a RedBull only to crush the can against their forehead, much in the way that they’ve vowed to “crush this Bio midterm!”

TAURUS A typical Taurus student can be found in the Arbor buying overpriced study snacks, because in their own words “Self care is key, and chocolate is brain food!” They’ve yet to actually step foot in the library.

GEMINI Geminis will switch between their bullet-journaling, good-noodle persona to their Smirnoff Ice chugging, Cardi B blasting alter-ego. They’ll either succeed beyond their professor’s wildest dreams or avoid checking their grades on GOLD for a few months.

CANCER Before they start studying, a Cancer will first spend at least an hour complaining about how unprepared they are for finals, posting memes on the Zesty Meme Cuisine page to express how stressed they are, and calling their moms for emotional support.

LEO Leo students boast that they “barely even have to study,” for finals. They’re so confident that they’ll probably only study for 2 or 3 days during dead week. There’s about a 1% chance that they’re right about barely having to study — pity the other 99% of them.

Illustration by Alyssa Long | The Bottom Line

VIRGO Virgos will spend half of their monthly budget on multi-colored highlighters, decomposition notebooks, and planners from the bookstore. Whether or not these will help them study remains to be seen.Libra: Libra students will take 5 minute breaks per every 10 minutes of studying, they enjoy the balance of being well-rested and ill-prepared.

SCORPIO Scorpios will attempt to study for an hour, afterwards they’ll write a 1 star, 5 paragraph, well-researched scathing review of their teachers on RateMyProfessor in MLA format, complete with internal citations and a works cited page.

SAGITTARIUS A Sagittarius student will disappear into the abyss while studying for finals. Maybe you’ll see them over summer vacation if you’re lucky.

CAPRICORN Capricorns will login to Gauchospace to take a practice test about 1 to 2 days before their first final. They will then promptly look into stripping as a new career path.

AQUARIUS Aquarius students probably gave up on studying a while ago, now they just crack open a Yerba, head to the library and enjoy the chaos.

PISCES Pisces students will sign up for a study room so that they can have a nice, quiet space of their own to weep and enjoy their existential crises in peace.

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The 28th Annual REEL LOUD Film and Arts Festival was held this last Friday in Campbell Hall, featuring work from student filmmakers, artists, singers, dancers, musicians, and more. The show was headlined by a professional group from NBC's World of Dance, the ELEKTRO BOTZ - who came out to support the debut of the festival's charity partner, the Rally Rig. More than 600 students, faculty, alumni, and industry professionals came to celebrate the arts.

REEL LOUD:

AN ELEKTRIC-FYING EVENING Photos by NOE PADILLA | Incoming News Editor

1 Damien D. Bell accepts the award for Best Editing. 2 Producer Mika Pham announces

28TH ANNUAL

the judges for the awards ceremony. 3 The Rally Rig team presents their first model of the Rig at the festival and accept the $1,500 donation. 4 InterVals A Cappella perform out in the Campbell Hall courtyard before the doors to the house open.

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