FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
Highlander University
Volume 62
UCR Highlander Newspaper
@UCRHighlander
UCR’S HEAT festival sells out within three days When third-year creative writing major Richard Lu explained how he got his ticket in time for the upcoming HEAT festival, he said, “I wanted to make sure that I’d get a HEAT ticket so I lined up on the very first day. I think the (line) was fine; it moved at an efficient speed because there are a lot of people that pass those tickets.” Lu is one of thousands of university students who were able to get their concert stub from the HUB information desk, which first began the distribution of tickets on Monday, Feb. 3. Within three days, all 10,000 purple student tickets and 2,750 green student affiliate tickets were gobbled up by students waiting in lines that stretched around the HUB. Student tickets are free for currently enrolled UCR students with valid student identification cards and the student affiliate tickets may only be purchased by a UCR student for a flat fee of $28.50, with a limit of two tickets per student. Student tickets require a student ID as proof of entry into HEAT, while student affiliate tickets do not
C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e
Issue 17
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SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer
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require one. Funded by a $110 quarterly student fee, the Highlander Union Building (HUB) is in charge of organizing the annual HEAT festival, which this year will feature notable artists such as Childish Gambino, Ciara and Portugal. The Man. Members of the UCR community have expressed discontent over the limited supply of tickets, which accommodates only about half of the growing student population of more than 21,000. But according to HUB Director Todd Wingate, HEAT, along with all other large-scale campus concerts, is predicated on a state of capacity. “We’ve given out everything in the ability for us to give out. We can’t fit everyone in (and) we also can’t fit everyone in the gate,” he said. “The core of campus is a pretty finite state, so there isn’t a lot of expansion that you could do to really increase the number of people who can get in and out of the core.” In collaboration with the UC Police Department, UCR’s risk management team and the campus fire marshal, the HUB Board has only been permitted ► SEE HEAT, PAGE 8
TYBG: The Based God graced campus with his presence last week, dropping teachings of love — and cats. A&E, Page 24
RICHARD LIN / HIGHLANDER Rapper Lil B discussed the importance of relationships with pets, among other oddly random but relatable topics.
UCR’s ARC to increase appointment-based tutoring SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer WINNIE JENG Senior Staff Writer
Interim Director of UCR’s Academic Resource Center (ARC) and Assistant Vice Provost of the Office of Undergraduate Education Christine Ann Victorino reports that the center is planning a 40 percent decrease in drop-in tutoring sessions in favor of an appointment-based system for the upcoming spring quarter. But ASUCR senators Sanam Rashidi and Jessica Moncayo are concerned that this may lead to a reduction in upper-division course tutoring and work hours for student employees, since the ARC’s budget has not changed since 2007. “To clarify, there is no planned reduction for ARC services in 201415. We actually hope to increase ARC services, such as Supplemental Instruction (SI),” said Victorino. “I think in the upcoming quarter, we’re trying to pilot new tutoring models: a combination of the drop-in tutoring and then trying a
UCRChannelH
new, advanced sign-up.” The ARC offers a variety of academic services, which includes but is not limited to: daily drop-in tutoring, where students may sign up for immediate and short-term assistance with their class assignments, typically lasting 15 minutes; and an appointment-based system that allows students to sign up beforehand for a 30-minute tutoring session for that day. The upcoming changes are being prompted by a 2010-2012 report, “Tutorial Assistance Program,” which was previously released by the UCR Office of Undergraduate Education in Sept. 2013. The evaluation revealed that drop-in tutoring sessions were popular for students, but had little impact on their GPAs, since most students only made a couple of tutoring visits throughout a given quarter.
Victorino said, “If you just come in once or twice a week, you’re just getting a Band-Aid,” about temporarily visits and hopes to encourage students to attend more frequent tutoring sessions. “It may seem like it’s a reduction in traditional drop-in tutoring … but we were going to see about changing half of the model to make it more effective for students.” Seeking different approaches to tutoring, Victorino says the allotted number of tutoring hours are expected to stay the same, but may be apportioned differently between appointment-based and drop-in tutoring. She also noted that the projected pay increase of 3 percent for student employees will not affect the original budget; the raises will be taken out of
“The problem is the
demand (for tutoring) is increasing, but the budget is staying the same” - Jessica Moncayo
► SEE ASUCR, PAGE 8
INSIDE: The United States could possibly gain more by granting undocumented immigrants legal status.
OPINIONS
PAGE 10
FEATURES
PAGES 14-16
This past week, yet another plethora of literary talent came to campus. Check out the extensive coverage of the 37th Annual Writers Week.
A crowd of all ages swayed to the reggae tunes of Black Uhuru at the Barn.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
PAGE 20
Taylor Johns and company power men’s basketball to a competitive weekend. PAGE 28
SPORTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
PAGE 2
STAFF
PAGE 9 PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING
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NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
HIGHLANDER
Napolitano establishes UC veterans advisory committee AARON GRECH Contributing Writer
UC President Janet Napolitano met with 10 veteran-student representatives from each UC campus on Jan. 31 and announced the formation of a systemwide veterans’ advisory group on Feb. 3. The group seeks to address unique challenges for current and incoming veterans in higher education by increasing communication about financial aid and improving training for staff who deal with veterans’ affairs. “I anticipate that this advisory group will be instrumental in helping us formulate and improve policies that directly affect our current and future student veterans,” Napolitano said. There are more than 1,300 military veterans and 100 active-duty military personnel currently enrolled as UC students systemwide, according to a press release by the UC Office of the President (UCOP). Charles Kim, president of UCR’s Association of Veterans and Servicemembers and UCR’s campus representative on the systemwide committee, explained the increasing financial hardships often facing university student veterans. “When we do get out (of military service), there is financial aid available for us through the GI Bill,”
COURTESY OF FLICKR UC President Janet Napolitano’s veterans’ advisory group hopes to help veterans with some unique problems, such as adjusting to school life.
he stated, referring to the federal Post 9/11 GI Bill which covers all in-state tuition and fees for returning veterans who are pursuing higher education for up to 36 months of full-time enrollment. “However, there is a lot of financial aid we don’t know about. Financial aid through the GI Bill may cover your tuition and housing, however, it may not cover your full financial need.” Currently, there are no further plans by the UC president to create additional financial aid programs for returning veterans. With the exception of the GI Bill, veterans
can only apply to the same state and federal financial aid programs available to every other UC student. Kim also mentioned the disconnect that may result between returning servicemen and incoming students. “It can be daunting,” Kim said. “You’re going to be a little bit older than (others in) the classes that you are in, so the things that are more popular to you may not be for them; music and Internet interests are different from the things you had growing up.” According to a national survey on student veterans, 78.9 percent of them are over the
Photo of the Week
Author Danzy Senna prepares to present her works. She is one of many inspiring speakers present during Writers Week.
Quotebook
“Thank you for being alive.”
Upcoming Events
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHER
throughout the UC system. Blason Taon, a former member of the United States Army and current UCR student, said that many service members must juggle academics, gain additional experience through internships and even support a family. “With the presence of this (veterans) board in place, the stress which has already been heavily applied to us during our service can be minimized, and somewhat alleviated,” he said. “The veteran student body has serviced through their actions, we just need a ■H voice to be heard.”
FEBRUARY
11
Industry Panel and Networking for Business Majors 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Highlander Union Building 269
CIA Information Session 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Highlander Union Building 260
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Internship and Non-Profit Fair 11 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. Highlander Union Building 302
Speaker Series Ken Leach 11:10 a.m. - Noon Chung Hall 205/206
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Industry Panel for Environmental Science Majors 11 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Highlander Union Building 269
Mission: Possible, Week 2 Noon - 1 p.m. Highlander Union Building 265
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Free Blood Pressure Screening 12:30 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Child Development Center Building B
Valentine’s Dat Partner Yoga 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Student Recreation Center
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Cinderella Project: Become a fairy god mother! 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Costo Hall 265
Men’s Basketball: UC Irvine 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Student Recreation Center Arena
Tuesday
Justin Ducut
age of 25. In addition, Kim added that adjusting to school life may be difficult for student veterans. “For (two to three) years you’re living one type of lifestyle outside of academia (and) it may be three to four years since you’ve been out of high school (so) it’s difficult for some student veterans to adjust to a different kind of lifestyle,” he said. UCR student veterans Nicholas Brown and Zaima Gonzalez felt pleased to hear that Napolitano was taking the initiative to improve the quality of life for student veterans
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
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Cinderella Project: Become a fairy god mother! 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Costo Hall 265
Sunday
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Monday
Cinderella Project: Become a fairy god mother! 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Costo Hall 265
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NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
HIGHLANDER
$20,000 donation announced for Dance Marathon 2014 SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer COLIN MARKOVICH Senior Staff Writer
An anonymous donor will give up to $20,000 to the Golden Key International Honour Society and Student Alumni Association (SAA) to support UCR’s third annual Dance Marathon, if the co-sponsors can raise enough money to match his or her donation, according to Jane Kim, executive director of Dance Marathon 2014. The marathon provides funding for the Guardian Scholars, a program that supports scholarships for emancipated former foster youth who decide to pursue higher education. With less than two weeks left until the event, student organizers raised over $9,000 as of press time and need an additional $11,000 to reach their intended goal. The event raised $17,486.80 in 2013 and $14,734.14 in 2012, which leaves Emily Nudge, the advisor for outreach and marketing for Dance Marathon 2014, adamant that they will reach their goal this year. “Based on what kind of fundraising we’ve done in prior years, we should have no problem in reaching it,” Nudge said. Kim also alluded to the idea that the donor may be a former UCR alumnus, whose philanthropic contribution would inspire other potential sources to donate. It was noted that the donor has sponsored previous UCR dance marathons, which received donations in their respective years. She emphasized that the money raised goes back to the UCR community, adding that many private universities hold their own dance marathons. “Penn State raises over $10 (to) $14 million a year,” Kim said. “A lot of dance marathons raise thousands of dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars every year, and that is generated by the students, and the friends and families of students.”
Alyssa Heckmann, Guardian Scholars and Recovery Community Coordinator, said there are currently 16 students who are part of the Guardian Scholars program. “And we’ve had eight (alumni) who are currently at work, employed or in grad school. One of them is in his second year of law school (and) we’ve had one who opened up their own dance studio in Riverside.” As a former Guardian Scholar herself, Heckmann emphasized the importance of the program. “We’re talking about students whose family is this program. So knowing that their peers are supporting them is really nice for them to know. It’s a good way to remind them that they’re not alone and that people really do care,” she said. If the program raises the $40,000 overall donation, then it will go to support the current scholars for nearly a year, by filling in the program’s current annual operating costs of $50,000, according to Jan Forrester, Director of Scholarships and UCR TeleFund. The donations will also go to support various expenses such as year-round housing and even dental insurance. SAA President Ravin Ahir expressed that he was thrilled to hear about the matching funds, which will continue to motivate their overall goal to provide financial support to the emancipated youths who aren’t provided with the same kind of family support. “For example, when the campus closes for winter break and everyone goes home to stay with their families, the Guardian Scholars would have no place to go,” Ahir said. “Because of Guardian Scholars, the dorms can stay open, and students don’t end up on the streets. This is just one of the many things we’re working to support.” “Guardian Scholars really provides that family atmosphere,” Kim added. “They provide it financially, emotionally (and) physically.” Heckmann later shared her experience of partaking in the program and its significance to her.
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER Norm the Navel and students danced and went crazy for a Harlem Shake video at last year’s Dance Marathon.
“When I graduated, I mean I didn’t really want to walk ... why would I walk? I mean, who was going to see me walk? And they were there for me. And they also helped me pay for my cap and gown. I couldn’t afford a cap and gown, there was no way,” she said. “So it’s little things like that, you know … it doesn’t end after four years; (the program) really does, I believe, change the educational, social and emotional outcomes of all of the students who are lucky enough to end up in it.” The co-sponsors launched various marketing initiatives by holding Krispy Kreme and Boba Fiend fundraisers, sending out campuswide emails and reaching out to various student organizations during Wednesday Nooners. They also reached out to
Chancellor Kim Wilcox, who is scheduled to speak at the event. Past dance marathons were located in the Student Recreation Center, but the shift in Homecoming celebrations to November and a conflicting schedule in the Student Recreation Center prompted Dance Marathon to move to Aberdeen and Inverness Dining Hall this year. Dining and Housing Services is co-sponsoring the event and is providing the venue and some additional resources for the event free of charge. Dance Marathon will take place on Feb. 22, but the public can still make donations until March 1. Interested participants must donate or raise a minimum of $25 for the event and the group that raises the most will earn a ■H trophy.
Nearly 400 people are taking UC Riverside online courses SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer
A total of 375 UCR undergraduates enrolled in UC Riverside online courses for the 2014 winter quarter, with 11 additional students coming from other UCs and eight who were non-UC students, according to statistics from the UCR Office of the Registrar. Funded by a $10 million state allocation, the Innovative Learning Technology Initiative (ILTI) extends the scope of online hybrid courses to alleviate bottleneck enrollment in high demand courses and expedite graduation rates. The initiative encourages online course development and cross-campus enrollment. UCR offers two computer science courses, CS 10V and CS 12V, and one dance course, DNCE 7V, for the current quarter. Fourth-year bioengineering major Elizabeth Fabio said that taking CS 12V was convenient to her schedule. “Well this is the first time that I’ve ever taken an
online course, so I was kind of apprehensive because I thought ... I wasn’t going to get that personal teaching experience. But after the first online video, it’s recorded (and) kept in archive, so I could always go back to it.” A few technical difficulties that Fabio points to include the inconsistencies of the online live-stream or even simply human error when the lecture was not recorded. Fabio expressed that online classes served as a useful alternative, but should be geared toward impacted general education classes. “Truthfully, I wouldn’t want to see upper division classes online, because ... it’s kind of important that you see the teachers more often,” she said. With concerns about an online enrollment cap still lingering from last month’s UC regents meeting, UC Provost Aimee Dorr previously stated that there is broader acceptance and interest across the board for online education. According to the ILTI site, over 120 faculty and campuses expressed interest in the overall development
COURTESY OF THE REGISTRAR’S OFFICE A total of 375 UCR students and 19 non-UCR students are enrolled in UCR’s online courses.
or creation of an online class as of March 2013. When asked about the online course cap for individual campuses, UCOP Media Specialist Shelly Meron explained the process: “Faculty determine enrollment caps for these online courses, for students from their home campus and students enrolling from other UCs,” Meron said. “ILTI courses were chosen through an RFP (request for proposal) and part of that process is
determining how much funding each course will need to be developed or enhanced.” As the professor for UCR’s online dance course, Jacqueline Shea Murphy says the enrollment cap depended less on course size and more on available financial support. “In my case, it depends on TA support available — the course size was determined by the amount of TA funding (each TA was assigned to about 75
students),” Murphy says. “This is the same way it is decided in a (face-to-face) class … the only difference is that for the online version we didn’t have to consider classroom size as well as TA support.” On a last note, Fabio encourages all students to take an online class. “Just be proactive with it if you really want to do it,” she said. “I’d say take the chance with it if you really need a class.” ■H
NEWS
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
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First pass of enrollment unit cap increases to 17 units WINNIE JENG Senior Staff Writer
As waves of class enrollment open up from Feb. 10 to early March, UCR students are once again heading into the classhunting season. In a big break from the historical 16-unit cap constraint, the first pass enrollment unit cap is set to increase to 17 units effective this spring quarter of 2014. In response to Gov. Jerry Brown’s call last May for the UC to increase its comparatively low four-year graduation rate, Executive Vice Chancellor Dallas Rabenstein appointed eight faculty and staff members to form the Graduation Rate and Retention Task Force to identify factors that may have potentially hindered students from graduating in four years. The task force, which met from June to December of last year, found that the 16-unit cap is largely responsible, among other factors, for delaying the graduation rate. The unit cap was originally implemented as a preemptive measure to prevent juniors and seniors from “course shopping,” or signing up for excess courses that they intend to drop later on. Since course shopping would create a major class shortage for underclassmen who sign up for classes at later times, 16 units was chosen as the limit to ensure that all students have an equal opportunity
The 16-unit cap will be increased to 17 in an effort to increase the average course load of students from three to four.
to sign up for a full load of classes every quarter. However, the 16-unit cap created an adverse effect that prevented students from all class levels from enrolling in sufficient units as well. Vice Provost Steven Brint, lead investigator of the task force, explained that though the majority of classes offered on campus are four units, there are a handful of courses that are five units. Under the 16-unit cap, if a student wishes to sign up for a full load of four courses, with one class being five units, he or she would be forced to either put off the five-unit course until the second enrollment period arrives, or drop another
class and wait to see if the class still has remaining spots after everyone has enrolled. “Our study found that an average undergraduate student at UCR takes 13.8 to 13.9 (units) per term, but you need to take 15 units per term to graduate (in four years),” said Brint. “We thought if we raise the cap to 17 units, students would be able to take three four-unit classes and one five-unit class. That would give them so much more flexibility in planning for their course schedule. So it seems like a really good idea to increase the cap to 17 units.” According to CHASS Dean Stephen Cullenberg, the 16-unit
cap also falsely reinforces the mentality among students that taking three courses per quarter is the norm. “Students on average think it is OK to take three courses (per quarter) and not four. And many take three,” said Cullenberg. “One of the overall goals of the task force was to change the norm, so that students take four courses on average.” The proposal of increasing the unit cap to 17 units went through the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and the Dean’s Council, and was finally endorsed on Jan. 28, 2014. CHASS senators, such as Sandy
COURTESY OF UC DAVIS
Saly and Shadi Matar, had long advocated for the cap increase in their discussions with Cullenberg. Pleased at its final enactment, Saly said that “just one unit can really make a big change.” “The unit cap was a problem for me throughout the whole year. I recognized the problem firsthand because I went through it. But then I started realizing that it wasn’t just me, but a lot of other students experienced it as well,” said Saly. “Even though it’s not going to help me now because I am graduating after spring, I’m still very excited that my constituents can be benefited from this implementation.” ■H
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
NEWS
HIGHLANDER
BY COLIN MARKOVICH, Senior Staff Writer
Thirdhand smoke dangerous, UCR study finds
COURTESY OF FLICKR UCR Professor Manuela Martins-Green’s groundbreaking research on the effects of thirdhand smoke is the first of its kind to investigate beyond secondhand smoke on animals.
A first-of-its-kind study by UCR professor of cell biology Manuela MartinsGreen indicates that exposure to thirdhand smoke may be harmful to humans. Previous studies have examined the effects of first- and secondhand smoke (FHS and SHS respectively), but the research by Martins-Green is the first to examine the effects of thirdhand smoke on animals. Whereas firsthand smoke is the inhalation of chemicals when a smoker takes a drag of a cigarette and secondhand smoke is exposure to smoke emanating from a cigarette, thirdhand smoke is the accumulation of particles and chemicals from tobacco smoke that collect over time on clothes, furniture and other
objects. People can be exposed to the chemicals by touching, inhaling, or ingesting things laden with thirdhand smoke. Previous research has found that thirdhand smoke lingers on surfaces for at least two months, even after those surfaces are cleaned. Often, nonsmoking residents are exposed to the thirdhand smoke left behind in houses when smokers move out. “It is now well known that SHS is intrinsically more toxic than directly inhaled firsthand smoke,” Martins-Green writes in the introduction. “Recently, a new and persistent potential threat has been discovered — thirdhand smoke (THS) — the accumulation of SHS on environmental surfaces that ages with time, becoming
progressively more toxic.” To conduct the experiment, 3-week-old mice were deposited in ventilated mouse cages that contained objects exposed to secondhand smoke, with the goal of simulating residential conditions for young children who live in smoking households. After six months, the mice were examined for chemical exposure and health impacts. “We show that significant damage occurs in liver, lung and during healing of wounds,” Martins-Green writes. “In addition, the mice display hyperactivity.” The observed health impacts of thirdhand smoke are consistent with the effects of secondhand smoke that have been noted in previous studies. Among the
long-term health problems that are connected with exposure to thirdhand smoke are cirrhosis of the liver, asthma, cardiovascular disease and pulmonary disease. Moreover, “with prolonged exposure, (children) may be at significant risk for developing more severe neurological disorders,” the study reports. “These results provide a basis for studies on the toxic effects of THS in humans and inform potential regulatory policies to prevent involuntary exposure to THS.” The study was published just over a month after the University of California implemented a systemwide ban on tobacco, including unregulated nicotine, chewing tobacco and electronic
cigarettes. UC Irvine briefly allowed the use of chewing tobacco and electronic cigarettes outside of buildings, but revised its regulations after UC President Janet Napolitano “clarified” the original policy. The ban took effect Jan. 1; prior to that, UCR had 10 designated smoking locations on campus. Approximately 12 percent of UCR faculty, staff and students identify as tobacco users. The project was a largescale collaborative study, with participants from UCR, UC San Francisco, San Diego State University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Harvard Medical School. The money for the research originated from a grant from the Tobacco-Related Disease ■H Research Program.
HIGHLANDER
NEWS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
7
UCR researcher hosts seminar on genetically engineered foods JOSEPH AVILA Staff Writer
As part of a UCR public policy seminar series, Director of Biotechnology at the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) Gregory Jaffe gave a lecture on the hotly debated topic of genetically engineered (GE) foods — foods derived from organisms with artificially modified DNA — and the way they are regulated in the United States. His lecture, “Fitting Square Pegs into Round Holes: Regulatory and Policy Issues Surrounding Genetically Engineered foods,” occurred on Tuesday, Feb. 4. Outlining the potential risks that GE crops may bring to the public, Jaffe said, “We’re adding a new DNA that produces a new gene that produces a new protein. We know that some proteins could be allergens. We want to make sure we’re not adding new allergens to the food supply.” Another risk is the increase in toxicity that GE foods may introduce to already existing low-level toxins in food. But he stressed that there has not been a single case where GE foods have harmed a human in the United States. The GE foods in the U.S. are regulated under the 1986 Coordinated Framework for
the Regulation of Biotechnology (CFRB) through several U.S. federal agencies, in order to diminish potential health and environmental risks. Under the CFRB, genetically modified crops are considered to pose the same risks as naturally occurring crops. Like unmodified natural foods, GE foods fall under the broadspectrum regulation of 1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which allows the FDA to oversee the safety of foods, drugs and cosmetics. However, Jaffe feels that the 1938 regulatory law does not properly distinguish what crops fall under the category of GE foods. “Solely because we use these old laws and try to fit this new technology into these old laws … it didn’t fit in very well,” he expressed about the lack of a distinctly stated definition of genetically altered crops in U.S. laws. Food producers are responsible for making sure that their GE plants are legally safe to advertise and distribute on the market and may voluntarily consult with the FDA for food safety assessments. But Jaffe considers the process “wishy-washy” because the FDA has no clear authority for regulating GE foods, which are then sold in international markets. In 2004, Jaffe worked closely with Senator
Dick Durbin of Illinois, who introduced a bill that gave the FDA that very authority to regulate GE foods, but the bill was met with opposition and ultimately killed in Congress. Dr. Alan McHughen, UCR biotechnology professor and author of “Pandora’s Picnic Basket: The Potential and Hazards of Genetically Modified Foods,” believes that the regulatory system has worked so far in terms of safety, but believes that it can be more efficient. “One of our biggest problems in agriculture is that we spend so many of our limited resources on (GE foods) and their process, that we don’t have the resources to actually address the things that still cause problems,” naming pathogens like E. coli and salmonella that still manage to find their way into foods despite the system in place. UCR third-year undergraduate and biology major Brittany Fellows gave her reaction about the seminar. “I think it was very eye-opening to understand that there are issues and there are risks especially with (GE foods) and I think he came from a very good point of view doing it in a policy-action way.” Jaffe and the CSPI are seeking to reform the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act in the future. ■H
VANESSA ESPINO / HIGHLANDER Gregory Jaffe brought up important issues surrounding genetically engineered foods.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
► ASUCR FROM PAGE 1
carryover reserve funds, which addresses unexpected changes to funding. On the other hand, Senator Moncayo painted a different picture in regards to the ARC budget. “The problem is the demand (for tutoring) is increasing, but the budget is staying the same,” lamented Moncayo. “Right now, we can try to tighten our budget and be creative with it but in the future, it’s probably going to hurt us, especially if we want to increase the student (tutoring) programs. If our school is changing, then our logistics need to change as well.” ARC currently holds the same budget that it did in 2007 — an estimated $1.3 million last reported in 2011-12 — says Moncayo, which leaves her to question whether or not the center’s tutoring services can continue to grow and maintain the same level of services in the future. Moncayo touched upon her experience as an engineering student and how she wants to increase the number of upper division tutoring services offered to students. She also said that student tutors, averaging about 60 per year, reported an increase in GPA, from 3.56 to 3.57, after working at the ARC. In reaction to the recent news, fourth-year chemistry major and undergraduate tutor at UCR Eranthi Jayawardena, expressed concerns about the expected changes, which include providing more tutoring for lower-division classes. “The funding issue is mainly targeted to our (dropin) program,” she said. “These decisions are going to exclude certain parts of the student body because a lot of students come to get our services so I don’t think it’s fair … to take that away from the student body.” Victorino sought to address
NEWS
HIGHLANDER
ongoing concerns and possible miscommunication by saying, “We’re not cutting hours, we’re keeping the same number of hours whether or not there is a pay increase.” She says the ARC will continue to ensure support for the five biggest and most-demanded subjects: math, English, chemistry, physics and biology. Billy Avila, a fourth-year applied math major and ARC math student tutor, explained the major changes that are expected to occur in his area of specialty. “(Through a new pilot program), we’re going to focus strictly on the 9A and 9B students,” he said. “We’re going to dedicate a full column of hours for them to sign up for and we’re going to have another standby tutor that’s going to tutor the rest of the math subjects.” Avila also said that they will keep track of students’ progress COURTESY OF FLICKR by encouraging them to sign UCR’s ARC plans to move away from drop-in tutoring and toward an advanced sign-up system. a contract for about 10 visits, which would give those students F grades or withdrew from the don’t ever hear about it.” Divestment-in-brief priority when signing up for class. Receiving an 85 percent This week, senators are future tutoring sessions as an Victorino expressed approval rating from tutees, planning on looking at two incentive to return. He explains the difficulties of having a the ARC provides a variety controversial resolution bills. that there is greater emphasis constrained budget and said, “I of services, such as academic The first resolution is titled, in tutoring lower-division math think that everyone has limited intervention, writing support “Divestment from Companies that courses because those are the budgets and with the budget we and computer labs, which are Profit from Apartheid”; the second most demanded math classes. have, we really want to offer as available for students to use. one is titled, “A Bill in Support of “Well I don’t mind focusing … many effective programs as Victorino reported that the center Positive Steps Toward a Negotiated on a specific class as long as it possible. has been without a permanent Israeli-Palestinian Peace.” ensures students’ success, but Since student registration fees director for over six months, but Senators expressed concerns about with the other sciences … and go to fund the center, the ARC is expected to get one on April 1. the possibility of passing two the humanities, it’s kind of hard administration is attempting Kora Kowk, a second-year resolutions that can contradict one because we’re going to have to to determine which programs biology major, threw her support another. turn a lot of students down,” he are most effective and expand behind the drop-in system The main point in the said. “They’re only going to be existing pilot initiatives such as as opposed to the increase in divestment resolution urges UCR able to help maybe four through Early Assist and SI programs. The appointments. “Although I only go to reexamine its asset holdings in 12 students a day (due to the senators, campus administration to the drop-in session occasionally, various companies that provide appointment system), so that’s and student tutors share the I found it really helpful because equipment and technology to the going to be a dramatic decrease mutual goal of finding additional sometimes I’d only have one or Israeli military that reinforces the of students that they’re able to funding for the overall program. two questions to ask, which would alleged apartheid system in Israel. help.” “These programs exist,” take the tutor under ten minutes to The second resolution requests The 2010-12 evaluation report Victorino said. “I feel like a lot explain,” she said. “I’m skeptical that UCR seek investment also highlighted the fact that SI of students might know about it about the appointment-based system opportunities from the campus’ had a positive impact on students’ in their first year if they happen to because it could create a lot of blank endowment and finances grades in historically challenging be part of a learning community slots when the student does not have department to strengthen Israeli courses — including high rates … but if they didn’t hear about it too many questions to ask during the and Palestinian cooperation in of students who received D or in their first year, sometimes they appointment.” H pursuit of a two-state resolution. ■
► HEAT FROM PAGE 1
to release approximately 12,750 student tickets for the HEAT concert. Wingate reports that the maximum concert cap is required to meet state health and safety regulations. Located at the core of campus, the first HEAT festival occurred in 2007 and entertained a campus student population of about 17,000 students, a number which has increased since. “The very first year we (organized HEAT), we thought we’d get a couple thousand students,” Wingate said. “We ended up with 7,000 students (which was) way over than what we thought (so) it wasn’t a very safe event; we ended up with police, helicopters and all kinds of stuff on our campus.” It wasn’t until the following year that the HUB decided to take greater security measures, such as putting up gates and beginning a ticket distribution system. The HUB Board of Governors desired to find a good medium for accommodating any student guest, without displacing the students who pay HUB fees themselves, which led to the sale of affiliate tickets. UCR is the traditional venue for HEAT, but Wingate questions whether or not it is time to find another location. “We’ve been using the core of campus (but) maybe we’ve got to start thinking
about other places,” he expressed. “I’m not quite sure where else that could be, but we’re absolutely certain to look at that. We want (HEAT) to be the best experience that it could be for all of our students.” Since the HUB does not regulate the distribution of tickets once they are sold or given out, this leaves many loopholes open for ticket scalping and scamming. Through Facebook groups such as “Free and For Sale,” many members of the UCR community have resorted to selling tickets with exorbitant price tags that go up as high as $85. UCR student Naa Ayele AryeeteyAzenab expressed discontent on social media about the fraction of available student tickets. “I’m mad at the fact my student fees go towards the HUB and HUB events and I’m not being able to fully utilize what I’m being charged for,” she wrote. Former ASUCR Vice President of Internal Affairs and UCR alumnus Kevin Jo took on a different perspective and commented on the negative impact of the upcoming festival. “HEAT is becoming a wide known concert/festival. Lots of students from other UCs/CSUs/ CCs are trying to go to HEAT,” he said. “This causes many implications for the city during the weekend. Most notably, noise complaints from the neighborhood because students have pre-HEAT
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER Tickets to UCR’s annual HEAT concert sold out in three days, enraging many students who pay to support the HUB, which is in charge of holding the festival.
parties and after parties.” The upcoming HEAT festival will operate from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., shifting an hour back from last year’s schedule, which was 6 p.m. to midnight. Additionally, the beer garden will not be active and there will only be two larger stages instead of one large stage and two stages as done in the past. UCPD Lt. Jason Day also says his department will offer several medical transports for alcohol-related incidents. “We do usually see one or two incidents arising from falls and similar injuries each concert, usually near or in the crowds at the front of the stages
… It has been my experience that these injuries are common to most large concerts that are similar in nature to HEAT, including our own Block Party and Spring Splash.” Students who decide to return their HEAT tickets back to the HUB will be entered in a drawing for a chance to win monetary gift cards. Wingate reports that only about six students participated in the drawing last year with one student reportedly winning a $100 gift card to Hallmark. Students who still hope to get their free HEAT ticket may sign up on a waitlist at the HUB ■H Information Desk.
. OPINIONS . OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
9
HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL
UCR SETS THE STAGE FOR OTHER UNIVERSITY CONCERTS WITH INNOVATIVE SHOWS
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C
rowds, bodies pressed together, loud bass and the next rising artist is always the situation you meet when you enter UC Riverside concerts — concerts which are famously known to draw in a large crowd and increase in popularity annually. UC Riverside is able to provide more than one concert throughout the year, including Block Party, HEAT, Winter Solstice and Spring Splash. While the Highlander Union Building (HUB) is responsible for HEAT, the Associated Students Programming Board (ASPB) is in charge of the rest of the largescale concerts each quarter and determine the artists, entertainment, food and aesthetics. Well-versed and knowledgeable in past entertainment venues, ASPB and the HUB have provided UC Riverside something to pride itself in. Eager students wait in line each quarter after the lineup is released, which discloses artists from various genres. This quarter, UC Riverside experienced the same ordeal with individuals eager to get their hands on a HEAT ticket to see Childish Gambino, Ciara and more. Tickets sold out in less than a week and students have been posting on media sites to find leftover tickets. Some students who wanted to make an extra buck purchased non-student tickets and turned to UCR Craigslist on Facebook to sell and look for these precious pieces of paper to concert enthusiasts. HEAT has increased in popularity over the span of seven years with the first concert in 2007 bringing in 7,000 people, 4,000 more than expected. HEAT is unique with this year’s two-stage display allowing for other artists to perform simultaneously, providing a different atmosphere with the same energy at each stage. HEAT provides an event that allows for students to discover various music genres as well as enjoy light shows throughout the performance. The HEAT concert, which is designed by the HUB, will be standing alone without the UCR Homecoming events that have been customarily strung together. However, this hasn’t changed the attraction of the event; rather it will provide fewer conflicts with
ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER
UCR athletics and will enable better parking. When it comes to UC Riverside’s concerts, they have been a model for other universities. According to Vicky Garza, Student Affairs Officer, other universities have contacted UC Riverside about the concerts the HUB throws. Recently, the University of Nevada, Reno contacted the HUB, trying to get ideas for a similar concert they wanted to provide to their students as well. Director of Concerts of ASPB Jared Mitchell also discloses that universities have requested that ASPB work at their concerts as well. Student involvement is key when it comes to UC Riverside concerts. For HEAT, a student board works with coordinators to plan and execute the event while also sending out online questionnaires and paper surveys to students, asking them what music they prefer. Last year, HEAT featured well-known artists such as Porter Robertson, Tyga and AWOLNATION. The HUB has done well in their set-up with performances. Garza hears quite often that students from other UCs claim they’re envious of the names the HUB gets for HEAT. The concerts hosted by ASPB have a similar way with their decisions on who performs. Jared Mitchell states, “Oftentimes people are focused on getting the biggest name possible and they don’t always consider who will be the biggest name.” In the past, ASPB has featured artists who were rising when they performed here in Riverside, such as Kid Cudi, Miguel and Kendrick Lamar after he released his album Section.80, as well as Big Sean. Mitchell explains that the concert directors who design the concerts begin planning for the upcoming concerts when hired in June. With this, they need to be strategic with who they choose: “If you are booking someone who is hot at the moment they might not be so good later.” ASPB focuses on choosing artists off of their shows and talent to book for success. This has benefitted UC Riverside in that many artists who perform here take off shortly afterward. Disappointingly, a common perception of UC Riverside is the idea that our university lacks college life that other universities claim
to have. It is difficult when 70 percent of the student population are commuters because students are mostly attending classes and then heading back home. But the concerts at UC Riverside have given students a reason to come back to the university and experience the college life through music entertainment. The Barn is UC Riverside’s most historic music venue from the 1960s and has been making a comeback since it has turned into a dining arena in the 90s. In the past it has featured artists such as Suicidal Tendencies, Blink 182, Rage Against the Machine, No Doubt and Radiohead. Recently the Barn has been featuring bigger-named artists for their Wednesday night shows such as of Montreal. However, the fact that the Barn has been able to pull at least some moderately popular artists for its Wednesday night concert series also adds an element of community to the Riverside concert scene, bringing students together to see a multitude of genres. It’s great that the Barn is drawing up talent because it will benefit UC Riverside’s campus by providing a nightlife on campus. UC Riverside has set the bar when it comes to university concerts in that they provide a diverse set of genres to the university community drawing in other individuals outside of the college realm as well. The entertainment provided is so well done that the fact that all concert fees are included in our tuition makes it that much better. The concerts are a wonderful aspect of UC Riverside — a known commuter school — in that they really draw the community together, providing entertainment and the college environment. ASPB, the HUB, and the Barn understand what brings university students together and this may be the starting point for creating more student involvement in our campus life. UC Riverside has a way with entertainment and is seen as the model for university concerts as well as creating the college atmosphere through music and ■H entertainment. Highlander editorials reflect the majority view of the Highlander Editorial Board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Associated Students of UCR or the University of California system.
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OPINIONS
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
HIGHLANDER
We will lose more if we do nothing on immigration reform OSCAR CAMPOS Contributing Writer
The political debate on immigration reform in the United States has been a lingering issue for decades. Overwhelming bipartisan legislation to reform the nation’s flawed immigration policy was passed in the Senate last June, and it is time for the House of Representatives to compromise with the Senate and White House to come up with a responsible, comprehensive plan that will decrease our nation’s deficit by $1 trillion in the next two decades. Passing such a reform is not only a humanitarian act that brings justice to millions of families loyally contributing to the nation’s wellbeing, it is also a form of economic stimulus, according to the Immigration Policy Institute. A study by Rob Paral and associates found that after three million undocumented workers were granted amnesty by the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986, “between 1990 and 2006, the educational attainment of IRCA immigrants increased substantially, their poverty rates fell dramatically, and their homeownership rates improved tremendously.” These immigrants saw an increase in real wages and the vast majority did not depend on government aid. These findings contradicted the fear that granting amnesty to undocumented workers would increase the nation’s unemployment and poverty rates. The founding director of the North American Integration and Development Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, Raul Hinojosa-Ojeda, approximates that if the United States were to grant amnesty to the estimated 11 million undocumented workers living here today, the additional wages earned by undocumented workers “(would) translate into an increase in net personal income of $30 to $36 billion, which would generate $4.5 to $5.4
COURTESY OF FLICKR
Allowing undocumented workers legal status could benefit the U.S. in more ways than previously imagined.
billion in additional net tax revenue.” The additional income acquired by these workers and their increasing consumption levels would be able to support 750,000 to 900,000 new jobs. He also estimates that in California alone, the wages of unauthorized workers would rise by $26.9 billion and would produce an additional $5.3 billion in tax revenue, creating 633,000 new jobs. There is a monetary and human cost to doing nothing. By ignoring this issue, the United States loses out on additional jobs and revenue that could be reinvested back into the labor force. Workers that come
to America in search of a higher quality of living for their families are not job-takers, they’re jobmakers. The United States is losing jobs, revenue, and opportunities for American-born citizens to find work by stalling immigration reform. This is supported by Hinojosa-Ojeda’s research that removing the insecurity of legal status would “encourage (undocumented workers) to invest more in their own education, open bank accounts, buy homes, and start businesses.” Undocumented workers have unfairly lost out on $2.2 billion in wages each year because of their
legal status. Manuel Pastor and his colleagues at the Center for the Study of Immigration Integration at the University of Southern California found that if “unauthorized Latino workers were granted legal status … the federal government would gain $1.4 billion in paid income taxes each year.” However, none of these benefits can be reaped until Congress compromises on an immigration bill that provides, at least, legal status to undocumented workers. Until then, the United States will continue to lose out on opportunities for economic and job growth. ■H
Opinion Poll What are your thoughts on HEAT?
Sophomore Richard Almalel “The lineup has more variety than last year, that’s for sure. I don’t like that it ends earlier this year; 10 p.m. instead of midnight.”
Junior Samuel Mbisike “I prefer this festival, personally, the feedback is very impressive and you can see how the affiliated tickets ran out in less than a day.”
Freshman Corey Willis “I just want to see Gambino and Ciara but she’s pregnant so I’m not sure how that will be. I wish there was more guest tickets because my friends want to go.”
C ompiled
by
J aspery G oh
Freshman Ana Alcantar “I’ve heard some of the Nighbourhood. It’s kind of exciting. I really like indie bands. I don’t know if there’s anything to improve, this will be my first time going.”
and
Sophomore Betsy Gudino “I don’t know how safe it will be this year, last year people were geting intoxicated.”
K elly S andberg
Freshman Jonathan Ng “I don’t like how I can’t buy more tickets and I’m limited to two. It would be nice to have more stages and more well-known artists.”
OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
11
“America the Beautiful”: The deeply ugly truth exposed SARAH DOYLE Contributing Writer
Super Bowl Sunday is one of the most coveted days of the year in the United States. People make sure to wear their lucky jersey, have a gluttonous spread of delicious food making their heart palpitate, while getting comfortable on the couch to watch the big game. Super Bowl Sunday would not be complete, of course, without the endless commercials — where ad agencies and their corporate clients spend $40 million a pop to try to sell their products in the most ridiculous, comical, eye-catching and creative 30 seconds they can pitch to the massive 111.5 million people who watched this year. Many commercials elicit an array of reactions from audiences, be it laughter, sadness, empathy, or just straight-up anger. There is nothing like an overtly bigoted and anti-immigration reaction to a Coca-Cola commercial that sings “America the Beautiful” in a multilingual structure to remind you that you live in America. The Coca-Cola commercial consisted of imagery of lustrous rustic landscape, Americans from an array of backgrounds watching movies, eating, dancing and living their day-to-day lives with a coke in hand. The controversy lies not in the song choice of “America the Beautiful,” but how it was presented and sung with the multilingual accompaniment of this immensely patriotic song. It was a more honest portrayal of America: an eclectic diversified representation, compared to a lot of other commercials that try to ideologically represent American
citizens and our perceived values in a finite form of representation. Stereotypically, country music, pickup trucks, the American flag waving in the wind and a cold one seemingly is what is represented as a common “American” experience. The message of this commercial has resonance for many Americans; an attempt to capture a sentiment of the current face of a more authentic American depiction of the array of cultures and identities that reside in these borders. Of course it’s at the expense of selling a Coca-Cola product, but corporations have an immense power in exploiting the dominant notions of heterosexuality, race, gender identity and so forth. So when a conglomerate power like Coke produces a commercial that draws somewhat outside that notion of hegemony, it’s worth acknowledging the power of such intentions. Though this commerical received generally positive responses, there is a substantial demographic that finds this commercial disrespectful, and very much ‘un-American’. Why is this so? The commercial elicited such a reaction from a substantial amount of people; it highlights the discourse that is so intertwined in America’s value system of who is considered “American” enough. To be perceived as “American” is an ideological concept that has its root in Manifest Destiny, and the “frontierism” in the construction of the United States. To be “truly” from America is conceived from the notion of rugged individualism and pulling yourself from your bootstraps — oh yeah, and the old trope of the melting pot too. The U.S. contains individuals
with a multitude of religious beliefs, cultural backgrounds, skin colors and sexual orientations that hold a more accurate depiction of our county. In reality, an infinite range is what actually represents American citizens. The reaction was very telling that the folks who commented on the official CocaCola YouTube, Facebook and Twitter sites had a very confined acceptance of what is and is not American. Much of the discourse revolved around the perception that English is the only “American” language, and it was blasphemous and unpatriotic for Coca-Cola to have a commercial with seven other languages singing “America the Beautiful.” Here are a few examples of some of the responses that elicited this controversy: “What a disgrace. #boycott coke. We speak and sing English here, ESPECIALLY one of our national songs. Coke Sux,” one Facebook post read. “I’m disgusted by this ad. America is Beautiful!!! This ad is unAMERICAN!!!” stated another. “This Coke commercial sucked. Mexicans, terrorists, Jews and N***** are not ‘American’” claimed one tweet. As America was a colonized land, the internalized colonized traits of having fairly pale complexion, being “civilized,” and of course speaking English have become a significant part of what is seen to be “American.” This xenophobic response makes me explore the ideas of the American identity, an identity that is portrayed as coveted. The world and U.S. citizens have internalized that being from America remains to be seen as residing in a democratic land, where “Freedom” rings, and we all hold hands and
COURTESY OF FLICKR Coca-Cola’s latest commercial tries to portray America’s diversity by highlighting the diverse groups of people that live in America.
sing kumbaya! This is further from the truth, and the response from the Coca-Cola commercial proves to be one of a seemingly infinite responses that uphold the painful truth: America may seem beautiful, but when dissected there is still an immense amount of hate, bigotry, and intolerance toward individuals and communities who don’t fit in the ideal “American” notion nicely. What makes America beautiful, as well as communities like UCR, is that people from an array of backgrounds, life experiences, and perspectives not only coexist, but thrive on the diversified communities that we created. To be
American is not just this one-sizefits-all ideal that ultimately does not fit the majority of people society is trying to squeeze in. The hegemonic experiences that the individuals who find this Coke commercial distasteful and unpatriotic are not indicative of the vast majority of experiences of Americans. The forging of a representation that is visible in the public eye that includes the collective fabric of the U.S. is how hegemonic ideals are broken down. This is what the Coke commercial achieved: a portrayal of the true America as one of many identities that makes this country H beautiful, complex and eclectic. ■
At any age, students should have the option of college DANIEL KELLEY Contributing Writer
If you were never presented with the option of attending college, do you think you would? Statistics don’t lie: Having a college education is preferable to not having a college education. America’s current unemployment rate is at 6.7 percent. Close to 8 percent of all working non-college graduates are unemployed — but only 4 percent of college graduates are. I personally know I wouldn’t be a current college student majoring in political science if my parents, teachers and fellow students hadn’t pounded the idea into my head until it became the only thing I could think about. Everything that we had planned for, and the hard work we put into our lives, had ultimately come to applying for colleges. And I am thankful for the circumstances that have guided me where I am now because I’ve come to realize how vital a graduate education is in today’s world. But while I am cognizant of the statistics, and more importantly, the individual reality of trying to enter the workforce with only a high school diploma, too many other students have never been, and will never be if they’re not also given the same insight. I was fortunate enough to have parents who attended college, were aware of its infinite advantages and were willing to push me
toward continuing my educational career. But too many other students don’t have the same support structure or the same understanding of the benefits of a college education. These students can come from anywhere in the country, but more generally are from the more disenfranchised areas, where the culture does not tout college as an image of success. And because of this, these students don’t have the same opportunities to work toward a higher education. Everyone deserves the opportunity to attend college. Whether or not they have the means to do so, shouldn’t they at least be aware of the opportunity to continue their education? Certain high school alumni within California believe so. These individuals have graduated from college themselves and are returning to the high schools they attended to host college workshops. Within them, they educate students and parents alike about how to begin working toward college in their high school career, how to attain the means of affording it, how to apply when the time comes, and ultimately, why students should consider going. Comparable to the goals of these returning high school alumni, UCR’s Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) seeks the same results ► SEE COLLEGE, PAGE 12
COURTESY OF UCR TODAY Without early exposure to the opportunities that college can provide, grade-school students from underprivileged communities won’t know what they’re potentially losing out on.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
► COLLEGE FROM PAGE 11
by participating in similar activities across the Inland Empire, all aimed at educating students on why they should consider a college education, and further, how they can achieve it. However, these programs and individuals face criticism. Some argue that these workshops incorrectly guide students toward an unreachable goal, toward something that is not right for them. The criticism claims that sometimes these workshops mistakenly inform students only of universities that may be too expensive for them to attend, or otherwise, schools that may even be too hard to be accepted into. Secondly, they argue that the seminars only target high school seniors whose time to apply and be accepted into colleges has passed, and thus, that they are impractical. I would concede that, for such programs to be effective, they will need to revolve around students who still have the opportunity to steer themselves and their education toward college. Critics claim that these workshops are futile, and the students they are designed to aid cannot use the information they gained. But in many cases, students return to acquire a college degree even after they’ve entered the workforce. These workshops may very well influence a high school senior to return in one or three more years to pursue a higher education. But adjustments may be needed if they aim to push students toward going to college right out of high school. If the seminars are presented to students early on in their high school career, they may very well steer students to apply the lessons they learned to the remainder of their formative years. When application season rolls around, they will already have the
academic resume to propel their academic career into college. Regardless, what these alumni are doing, and similarly, the actions of UCR’s EAOP, are measures that should be supported and made more prevalent. Because of them, students all over the country are realizing opportunities they never knew existed. Of UCR’s undergraduate student population, first-generation college attendees comprise 50 percent of admitted freshmen in 2013. That’s nearly half of the student body. More young adults in our generation are attending college than in previous generations. That translates into a maturing generation of college attendees and graduates who will enter into the workforce with four or eight or more years of experience working in their desired field, and who will then have the opportunity to contribute and grow. Even if only a hundred, if only 10 or even just one student is moved by these programs to want to carry on their education at college, that’s one, or 10 or a hundred educated young adults that have the opportunity to achieve goals they never before thought they could. And because of this, these programs are a success. Everyone deserves the opportunity to learn, to contribute or to grow. College gives individuals the chance to do all three. And whether or not you’re in favor of high school students moving on to a higher education, at the very least, shouldn’t everyone be aware of what they can achieve through college? Only after knowing all the options can one truly decide how they want to continue their life, and perhaps most will find that the attainment of their goals comes most readily through a college ■H education.
HIGHLANDER
COURTESY OF UCR TODAY Outreach programs are constantly trying to bring students to UCR campus and expose them to the college experience.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: In response to ASUCR’s upcoming consideration of a resolution for the UC to divest from companies that invest in Israel
F rom A mal A li
on behalf of
This coming Wednesday, February 12th, the Associated Students at the University of California, Riverside, will be voting on a resolution that calls for the divestment of UC funds in American companies that support and further the Israeli apartheid of Palestinians, as well as profit from these human rights violations. This call for divestment is just one aspect of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement which is a global movement and campaign of protest against Israel “until is complies with international law and Palestinian rights” (bdsmovement.net). This movement on the UC level is spearheaded by Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organizations, such as SJP at UCR, but is firmly and unwaveringly backed by over forty-five campus-wide studentled organizations and centers from an astounding gradient of constituencies. These allies include Afrikan Student Alliance, Christian Student Fellowship, MECHA, Society of Women Engineers, and Sustainable UCR, as well as over 10 actively supporting UCR professors. The resolution was passed in the last
S tudents
for
J ustice
in
academic year on the Riverside campus, but was later rescinded. The divestment resolution is not a targeting of individuals, but rather of institutions and corporations, and we would like to make it clear that to divest is to be neutral. By continuing to invest in the violation of human rights, the UC system is taking a stance in favor of the Israeli apartheid; by divesting, the UC system will not be invested in either side. The companies in question further the apartheid process by developing technology or products that contribute to elements of physical segregation and harm to the objects of the apartheid. The companies included in the resolution are Caterpillar, Hewlett-Packard, General Electric, Raytheon, Cemex, Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH) America, and L-3 Communications. The following is a statement lifted from the resolution that illustrates an example of precisely how these companies profit off of and support apartheid: “Caterpillar…has violated these rights by continually providing engineering tools and bulldozers routinely used in the demolition of Palestinian homes,
P alestine
refugee camps, water cisterns, and agricultural fields; and by providing bulldozers used to expand settlements and construct the Separation Wall and checkpoints throughout the West Bank, which have been ruled illegal in the International Court of Justice’s 2004 Advisory Opinion…” Furthermore, Cement Roadstone Holdings provides building materials and cement that provide for the construction of checkpoints and the Separation Wall, and also owns and operates illegal manufacturing plants in the West Bank. Hewlett-Packard supplies biometric identification systems used by Israeli soldiers at checkpoints, restricting the freedom and movement of the Palestinians, something not subject to Israeli citizens. General Electric manufactures and provides aircraft engines, specifically A64 Apache Helicopters, which are used systematically in the terrorization and attacks of Palestinian civilians. These attacks constituted severe human rights violations as well as war crimes as documented and condemned by Amnesty International.
The Students for Justice in Palestine, along with over forty-five student organization supporters and their individual members, call for divestment. As students, we cannot be financially complicit in any form of human rights abuses. By the allowance of our UC System funds being invested in complicit corporations, we become complicit third parties as well. This is a student issue, and we therefore call upon our fellow students to stand in solidarity with the call for divestment. For questions or concerns, contact: Amal Ali on behalf of SJP ucr.sjp@gmail.com The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They must be 600-800 words at length and include the author’s name and contact information. Topics should be UCR-centric and/ or pertain to our generation of students. Contact opinions editor Colette King at opinions@ highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letter can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements.
The opinions expressed in the Opinions section belong solely to their authors and do not represent the Highlander Editorial Board or the University of California, Riverside.
. FEATURES .
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
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Overcharged for my leafy greens at By Colette King, Senior Staff Writer RATING: ★★☆☆☆
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LAURA NGUYEN / HIGHLANDER
Salad Buzz serves a variety of hot pressed sandwiches including the pesto turkey panini sandwich. Adorned with their many sauces and topping choices, Salad Buzz offers plenty of options to customize your sandwich or salad.
aybe I’m just a picky eater but I usually don’t like brown edges on my leafy greens. It’s terrible that it’s the initial thought I have in my head when I think of Salad Buzz, but I usually enjoy vegetables that are fresh and, well, edible. Now, it wasn’t completely atrocious, but it isn’t a place I would splurge with my money. I entered Salad Buzz assuming that there would be nothing offered but a large list of various salads to choose from. Thankfully, that wasn’t the case. Salad Buzz is a little more creative in their salad preparations and menu options. Not only do they have a variety of leafy options but they also have sandwiches, wraps as well as healthy juices. I chose an option from all three: a turkey pesto panini, a salad wrap, and the beautifier juice (I was very hopeful for the last option). Salad Buzz can’t really be called a restaurant but more like a small eatery without inside seating. It has a salad bar that displays various fruits, vegetables, sauces and meats to add to your salad. I felt like being a risk-taker, so I chose the “build your own salad” option and used spinach, kale, oranges, black beans, buffalo chicken, blue cheese, Greek dressing and legumes wrapped into a wheat tortilla and pressed in a grill. I looked at the tub of precut lettuce that was used to make a turkey pesto panini consisting mostly of salad (but the place is called Salad Buzz, I shouldn’t expect anything less) with a spread of pesto and two slices of turkey. It didn’t take much to put together and it made me slightly sad to dish out almost $7 to watch the employee arrange it. The entire meal came out to be almost $20 along with the drink. I took my food to an outside table and tasted my wrap. It was delicious because I had control over what ingredients went into it. The blue cheese was a creamy compliment to the orange zest in the
salad. The Greek dressing was not overbearing but light enough to add flavor while still feeling as though it was a healthy meal. The spinach leaves were fresh, in contrast to the slightly browned lettuce leaves in my turkey pesto panini. The panini was merely a lettuce salad with turkey in between two slices of bread. For $6, it could have provided a lot more flavor than just the pesto spread. The tomato slices lost their firmness and molded themselves to the salad leaves, even before being pressed in the panini grill. I couldn’t look too long at the turkey slices that had a clear substance that appeared to be a little thicker than water. One nice amenity of the panini was that the bread seemed to come from a crusty loaf rather than from a Wonder Bread bag. I think what was most disappointing is that it took the employee more than five minutes to assemble this simple meal. The beautifier juice was an unusual mix of spinach, apples and carrots that confused my taste buds and tasted like the residue of liquid that fruit leaves in a bowl. The sweetness of the apples was negated by the bitter flavor of carrots; however, I drank it because I couldn’t bear to know that $5 for a small juice was going to waste. Also, I hoped that its unusual taste would pay off and would provide me the youthful glow I wished to regain. Altogether this place is a nice stop for a healthier option, but doesn’t provide enough pull for me to come back again. I can actually make these items myself and at a much faster pace, because I spent more time standing in Salad Buzz then I did eating my food. At the time, there was only one employee for the place and it was difficult to watch him handle three customers at once. I almost felt worried for him — if Salad Buzz gained popularity, how would he handle all of those customers? However, if the quality was any indication, that probably won’t be happening ■H anytime soon.
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FEATURES
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
Writers Week 37th Annual
HIGHLANDER HIGHLANDER
WEDNESDAY, 2/5: By Colin Markovich and Alexander Suffolk, Senior Staff Writers; Brenna Dilger and Phoebe Yu, Contributing Writers
Photos by Jaspery Goh, Justin Ducut, Nadine Milad, & William Huynh
TUESDAY, 2/4: By Rebecca Paredes, Senior Staff Writer; Brenna Dilger and Phoebe Yu, Contributing Writers
Mark Haskell Smith
UCR’s 37th annual Writers Week opened last Tuesday with a series of readings by writer Mark Haskell Smith. A professor at UCR’s Palm Desert MFA program, Smith’s resume includes his acclaimed nonfiction exploration into the world of Amsterdam’s Cannabis Cup, “Heart of Dankness,” among other works. True to the attention-grabbing nature of the titles of his novels, Smith’s reading was as hilarious as it was animated. The author read to an audience of undergraduate and graduate students as well as professors, detailing a Mormon missionary’s discovery of his bondage kink (from Smith’s novel, “Baked”). While Smith had the audience laughing as he related the minutiae of a missionary’s struggle with the sin of erections, the true treat arrived as he read a selection from his current nonfiction project: “Naked at Lunch.” As a bald, bespectacled and middle-aged man, Smith detailed the leather fetish wear surrounding him in the largest nudist resort in the Mediterranean. His good-natured humor carried into his discussions about the ongoing experience of submerging himself in nudist culture for the book; he laughed alongside the audience at the apparent absurdity of going grocery shopping in a crowded, clothing-optional store, demonstrating his hands-up-sideways-scoot down the aisles in a desperate effort to avoid brushing intimates with other shoppers. Throughout it all, Smith was smiling, enjoying himself alongside the audience entirely — and serving as a solid choice to open southern California’s longest-running free literary event.
One of UCR’s most anticipated guests at this year’s Writers Week was the Tokyo-born, best-selling novelist, philanthropist and textbook co-editor, Nina Revoyr. Gracious and laid-back, Revoyr announced that UCR was her favorite school to visit and declared that she “tries to tell stories that you’re not used to hearing,” as she introduced the two short story collections she would read from, “Southlands” and “Wingshooters.” The two pieces she read from “Wingshooters” were shocking and beautifully written, but her most horrifically captivating reading erupted from “Southlands,” a scene in which a botched child delivery shatters a young man’s world. Several students were so moved by the passage that they bought the book right there on the spot. After her readings, there was a heavy silence, which she broke by light-heartedly exclaiming, “I know that was a bit heavy. I really am a happy person!” This loosened up the tense shoulders in the room, and soon questions came pouring in from young aspiring writers, many of whom wanted to know about her writing process. She advised young writers to not be afraid of “the mess of writing,” and to not hurry through projects. She explained that characters and story compelled her, and through them she could deal with broader issues in her work. She also stressed that true victory was crafting the work, not publishing it. “Although it does feel great!” she admitted.
Krys Lee
Douglas Kearney
The second day of Writers Week was opened up by a reading from the renowned poet, Douglas Kearney. Kearney currently teaches poetry at the California Institute of the Arts and has reached success with his two chapbooks, “FEAR, SOME” published in 2006 and “The Black Automaton” published in 2009. His reading was a high-octane performance, making everyone leap in their seats from a bombardment of screams in a multitude of voices, and then lean in as the voices diminished to soft and serious whispers. Each poem was simultaneously a lyrical dissection and verbal butchering of the topics at hand, which included miscarriage, monkeys, masturbation and much more. Kearney was also just as lively in his speaking between the poems, always garnering chuckles with his energetic, yet scathing sardonicism. He introduced his second piece by saying, “I wrote a peppy poem about the Middle Passage because I don’t feel like there are enough of them.” He carried said liveliness into his following Q-and-A, where he discussed his influence from the poet Harryette Mullen, how his performances are different from slam poetry and lastly, how he uses typography and the spacing of his words on the page to enhance his poems. Douglas Kearney set the bar for the rest of the second day and left the stage to an enthusiastic applause.
Born in Peru and raised in Alabama, Daniel Alarcon has published four books and is the co-founder of Radio Ambulante, a Spanish podcast. A young, confident man, he read from his new novel, “At Night We Walk in Circles,” describing with stylized detail the events that haunt the protagonist, Nelson, as he tours as a stage actor. When he finished, Alarcon explained that he wrote his literary works in English, but wrote his radio stories in Spanish with the “freshness of a story you’d tell your friend over a couple of drinks.” Alarcon also shared that his first publication had happened by a stroke of great luck when one of his teachers introduced him to a big-time publisher. “I kind of feel bad telling this story,” Alarcon admitted. “I consider myself to be very fortunate.” When asked how he was able to create such balanced work he replied, “It all comes down to intuition and lots of editing.” He was open about how amazed he was that people read his work — a refreshing thing to hear from a successful author.
Daniel Alarcon Author Danzy Senna read a portion of the short story, “What’s the Matter with Helga and Dave?” from her collection of short fiction, “You Are Free.” The short story centers on the titular couple Helga and Dave, who are both biracial but appear to be of different ethnic identities. According to Senna, the name Helga was derived from a character in Nella Larson’s “Quicksand” and cites Larson as an immense influence on her work. Much of Senna’s literary work delves into the issue of biracial identity and appearance, such as her memoir, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” which Senna describes as, “a mix of investigative journalism and the exploring of her relationship with her biracial parents.” In the most significant portions of her Q-and-A, Senna went against the tired phrase “write what you know” by urging writers to instead “write what you don’t know” and then to realize that “the beauty of a (writer’s) work is often in its messiness.”
Nina Revoyr
Krys Lee, author of the award-winning collection of short stories, “Drifting House,” was one of the most evocative authors to come to UCR this year. She decided to read a lighter story for her late-night audience “since some of my darker stories have actually made people cry,” she explained, almost embarrassedly. She then gave a cool, elegant reading of the story “Goose Father.” This poetically worded story was quite forward, as it dealt with homosexuality and the pressures of culture present in Korea. Once she finished, she explained to questioning students that “writing had taught me everything.” She described how her writing had allowed her to clarify herself. “The first book is a queer thing,” she mused, “because it is that book that you have to write or you’ll die.” A native Korean, she then stressed that Korea and its culture were very important to her and that she hoped that current generations would be mindful of history and its impact on the present. A beautiful addition to Writers Week, Lee’s moving work served as a high note to end the first day on.
Also Attending:
Danzy Senna As the last streaks of orange in the sky faded to purple and then black, the coat-cocooned, coffee-sipping audience nestled deeper in their seats and Steve Erickson took the podium. Erickson, a professor of writing at the California Institute of the Arts and editor of literary journal Black Clock, continued the discussion of race, wrapping listeners up in his deep voice as he threaded together his essay “Six Months that Made the Sixties,” with portions of his newest novel, “These Dreams of You.” Erickson discussed America’s legacy of racial strife and the insidious ways discrimination pervades everyday life — throwaway words, casual comments, how people are presented on television. His lyrical yet frank words painted a portrait of a past America afraid of white teenagers and black teenagers dancing together, and a present America afraid of facing that troubled past. He didn’t know if blending the two different stories would work, but, he said, “If you’re not willing to risk falling every now and then, you probably shouldn’t be a writer.”
Steve Erickson Wanda Coleman Tribute
Nicelle Davis
Kate Gale
Daniel Chacon
Nicelle Davis is the author of the poetry collections “Becoming Judas” and “Circe” as well as the director of the Living Poetry Project, a project devoted to placing poetry anywhere and everywhere to enliven the everyday lives of the passerby. She is also currently the managing editor of the Los Angeles Review and an assistant poetry editor for Connotation Press. On top of all that, Davis has taught at Youth for Positive Change, Homeless Youth Center and Writing in the Schools and is currently teaching at Antelope Valley College. Her next two books, “In the Circus of You” and “The Walled Wife,” are set to be published in 2014 and 2016, respectively.
Kate Gale is a prolific and multi-faceted writer, who has already written five books of poetry, six librettos and plans to release two more books in this year alone, titled, “The Goldilocks Zone” and “Echo Light.” Gale also co-founded the Pasadena-centered nonprofit press, Red Hen Press, with her husband in 1994 out of her strong stance on independent publishing. Gale still works for Red Hen Press as managing editor. In addition to that, she is also the editor of the Los Angeles Review and president of the Los Angeles chapter of the American Composers Forum.
Daniel Chacon is truly a Renaissance man, who has experience and success in the fields of novel-writing, essay-writing, editing, teaching and radio, where he cohosts the literary talk show “Words on a Wire.” He has reached acclaim with his short fiction collections, “Unending Rooms” and “Chicano Chicanery” as well as his novel, “and the shadows took him.” Other works of his have appeared in several anthologies. Chacon currently is a professor at the University of Texas, El Paso, where he teaches in the bilingual M.F.A. in Creative Writing program.
“A six out of 10.” California Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera jokingly chided the mock-offended group of seven students who had just finished reciting Wanda Coleman’s “Angel Baby Blues.” But reciting isn’t really the right word — the melody reverberating throughout the room was closer to a hymn dedicated to the late poet who had planned to attend writers’ week this year, but passed away before she could make the journey, and who many had called the unofficial poet laureate of Los Angeles. During the session, students read aloud from some of Coleman’s works, like “The Saturday Afternoon Blues” and “The World Falls Away.” “It’s about the everyday,” creative writing professor Tom Lutz said of Coleman’s work, “and yet the everyday has enormous stakes. And those stakes are the result of people being horrible to other people.” As the end of the session drew near, Herrera eulogized Coleman as fearless, caring and intelligent, and the words seeped into the somber audience. “So we end this session with new voices,” the poet laureate of California finished, and students stepped forward to sing the last of Coleman’s poems anew in a final farewell to the poet laureate of Los Angeles.
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
FEATURES
HIGHLANDER
THURSDAY, 2/6: By Rebecca Paredes and Alexander Suffolk, Senior Staff Writers; Maxine Arellano, Staff Writer; and Phoebe Yu, Contributing Writer
Ben Stoltzfus
Altura Madrid
As the 11 a.m. opener to the final day of Writers Week, UCR professor emeritus of creative writing and comparative literature Ben Stoltzfus was as calm as he was purposeful. Dressed in a tan blazer over a crisp blue button-up, the professor’s measured voice carried throughout his audience of UCR faculty and Riverside residents, detailing the story contained in “The Eye of the Needle” as well as his more recent collection, “Cat O’ Nine Tails.” As a novelist, literary critic and translator, Stoltzfus came across as a man with an eye for detail; he explained the symbolic significance of the cover art of “The Eye of the Needle,” which imposes a swastika over a small image of a rose — indicative of the fascist time period in which the book takes place and the themes of love its characters explore. The latter portion of his presentation involved a reading from his collection of short stories, “Cat O’ Nine Tails” (“It’s about cats,” Stoltzfus half-jokingly explained), wherein the author read passages from a handful of stories — including “Cotton Ball,” which may or may not have been named after Stoltzfus’ cat of the same name — that illustrated his acclaimed and lyrical prose.
A tearful introduction welcomed author and Latino activist Altura Madrid. Recipient of the Charles Frankel Prize in Humanities and founding president of the Tomas Rivera Center, Madrid prefaced his reading with the history of a Hispanic Protestant family in Catholic New Mexico. Hungry for knowledge and needing to write, he broke the norm and stigma of most Hispanics as “illiterate immigrants” when he wrote his family memoir: “In the Country of Empty Crosses.” Madrid’s speech turned into an animated illustration with a breakout of a Texan accent and movements as he read the excerpt about his father going back to Mills, N.M., where the family discussed prejudice and racism. Madrid told students to know their own story, and value it: “Telling your story is the important part.”
Aimee Suzara
Victoria Chang
Aimee Suzara, the next reader, tweeted a picture of the crowd as they were the first individuals to hear her newest book: “Souvenirs.” The book of her narratives went from the “live exhibits” of Filipinos in the World’s Fair of 1904 to her family’s migration to America. Revolving around scientific racism, using science to justify racism when using live exhibits of Filipinos in the World’s Fair for people to view, Sazara used her poetry to juxtapose the romantic perception of her migration. She experimented with found text poetry when she read her Congo style poem “My Mother’s Watch.” Throughout the reading, Suzara used “spoken word set”: audience interaction of snaps, reactions and mid-read conversation. Her last reading was done by memorization as she closed her book to recite by memory her poem, “Because Going Home is Not Always Romantic” and received a thunder of snaps from the audience. After her reading, Suzara opened the floor for questions. A student asked if she had advice on retrieving memories when writing their own narratives, Suzara said, “Taking pictures … viewing the stuff that’s filled in, you’ll have your whole story.”
Victoria Chang then took the stage and read several poems out of her latest collection of poems, “The Boss,” which was published in July 2013. Chang has spent most of her professional life in the realm of business and currently works in marketing and communications on top of being a poet. As such, a lot of what she read dealt with the workplace as a setting, and nearly all of them explored the concept of a boss or being a boss in one way or another. “We’re all in many ways in many parts of our lives bosses and underlings in all of our relationships,” said Chang. She may have been soft-spoken, but her words were firm and carried a resonance that left the room in utter and awed silence, prompting one audience member to say, “Are we allowed to clap for each one? Because I really think we should.” In her Q-and-A, Chang discussed her preference to write when inspiration comes, how poetry came to her at an early age and she ended by discussing her stance on the ethics of writing about personal relationships. “If you’re going to do this whole writing thing, I think you have to be honest. And your interpretation of truth is valid. At the end of the day, fear is the worst thing for a writer because it inhibits you from taking risk. If you don’t risk everything, then your work will just sound like everybody else’s.”
Ben Ehrenreich
Percival Everett
Ben Ehrenreich, an author, journalist and correspondent currently based in the West Bank in the Middle East, shared three nonfiction pieces based on the ongoing conflict in Israel and Palestine. The pieces were accounts of different conflict-based events including the killing of 27 Palestinians by Israeli forces in the West Bank and the funeral of a 14-year-old boy who was shot by a bullet fired from a nearby watchtower. Ehrenreich’s decision to work as a correspondent in the West Bank lies in his desire to inform the public about “the pain and suffering going on,” and to “make connections with faces and names and the father and mother grieving that death in a place where so many of the issues are also pertinent here (in the U.S.).” As an author of two novels and with one currently in progress, Ehrenreich believes journalism and novel-writing are intertwined and while the “material you’re given is different, you are ultimately trying to convey certain kinds of truth with both (genres).”
Percival Everett, a professor of English at the University of Southern California, was first published in 1983 and, according to an introduction by African Student Programs, has written a book almost every year for the last 30 years since then. Everett read a portion from his novel, “The Water Cure,” a philosophical story of a father who seeks revenge on his daughter’s murderer. Everett accredited seeing miscategorized books in the “African American studies” section of bookstores and the “rampant racism that existed in publishing” as part of the motivation that prompted him to start writing and hold an identity as a “writer of color.” As for publishing a book a year, Everett stated he “doesn’t really get stressed,” and that writing fiction is not about “pleasing everyone,” but writing about “what you want to see on the page.” And such conviction and confidence regarding one’s craft was a perfect ending to UCR’s 37th annual Writers Week. ■H
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PERSONALS
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MEETINGS ON MONDAYS 5:15PM @ HUB 101
VALENTINE’S CLASSIFIEDS -------------------------Girl, you look so fine, You look so fine in that dress, Mmm, yeah, you’re so fine. -------------------------Dear Former Photo, Happy Anniversary, Love, News. -------------------------Twelve seeks additional companion to traverse all of time and space. Must enjoy souffles. Exterminators need not apply. -------------------------You brought me donuts and we watched “Bob’s Burgers.” That is all I need.
-------------------------S: Did you miss me? Hugs and kisses, M. -------------------------You, reading this now: You are beautiful, and I love when you smile. -------------------------Notice: The dog park is closed. The dog park never existed. Stop thinking about the — the what? Exactly. Exactly. -------------------------Wanted: A whore with a funny accent. Must love wine, wit and winter, which is coming. Must have an appreciation for little people and an aversion to the word “imp.” -------------------------Will engage in favors of any kind in exchange for shiny Pokemon, preferably Charmanders and Magikarps. Meet in Lumiose City if interested. -------------------------If you want a hug from OSCAR HO, call this number: (555) OSCAR-HO -------------------------Meet me on the second floor of UNLH for a good time ;) You
know who you are. -------------------------Dear Sleep, It’s me again. I miss you terribly and I wish you would come back to me. I’m sorry I didn’t treat you right when you were here. Love, Me -------------------------Bradford pear trees, coming to a quad near you! Just call up Chokey Chickens, Inc. -------------------------Once upon a time I was falling in love Now I’m only falling apart There’s nothing I do A total eclipse of the heart - Bonnie Tyler -------------------------Wanted: Somebody to go back in time with me. This is not a joke. P.O. Box 91 Ocean View, WA 99393. You’ll get paid after we get back. Must bring your own weapons. Safety not guaranteed. I have only done this once before. -------------------------I would just like to take this moment to formally apologize to everyone for how much of a terrible human being I am.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014 Thanks for your time. - Robocop -------------------------An Ode to Leena: Butts butts butts butts, Butts butts butts butts butts butts butts Butts butts butts butts -------------------------Rain rain, go away, come again some other day. Except don’t because we’re in a drought here. -------------------------All those who mother nature, join me on my happy trail this weekend. -------------------------Meow. - Stray White Cat -------------------------Robocop — it’s not your fault that you’re only part human — we still love you. Sincerely, Full robots -------------------------Sarah, I’m sorry for all the hurtful words I said, please take me back! -------------------------netflix is calling house of cards season 2 here
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be my valentine -------------------------To W.W. My Star, My Perfect Silence. love, G.B. -------------------------You see us as you want to see us ... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, and an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question? Sincerely yours, The Breakfast Club -------------------------Deutschland, ich vermisse dich jeden Tag. Du hattest das bestes Bier, und viele Schlossen. Und mein Deutsch wird schlechter und schlechter. Hilf mir, bitte! -------------------------Is your life in need of a bit of that razzle-dizzly? Trick question! Of course it does, because you haven’t booked Entertainment 720 for all your needs in making everything the finest of the fine. Contact John Ralphio to get the hizzety-hookup. Ladies get a discount ;)
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FEATURES
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
HIGHLANDER
Ways to treat your single self on Valentine's Day Alythia Monet Ortiz, Contributing Writer Dear Highlanders, As a single, early 20-something female, the ubiquitous, socio-cultural, commercialized malarky that is Valentine’s Day only highlights my countless misguided attempts at flirting or the imperfections of my Elle Woods-inspired “Bend and Snap.” Thankfully, we live in an age where science has extended the age of adolescence to 25. So I feel like a slightly
angst-ridden response borrowed from the King of Melancholy, John Hughes, is much deserved: “The one really key element of teendom … is that it feels as good to feel bad as it does to feel good. At that age, I remember, many times, staring out the window and feeling sorry for myself.” Dolefully, with the dawn of the new year, the countdown began: 45 days until singles — like myself — whether by personal choice or interpersonal circumstance, are placed into a stigmatized social amalgam where being alone on Feb. 14 implies a pervasive sense of spiteful lovelessness. This mar-
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Are you into getting down and dirty with nature? Spend the day hiking trails! Start with a health-conscious 8 a.m. breakfast at Goodwin’s Organic Foods and Drinks, then head out for a morning trek to the C. If you are looking for some alternative trails, I suggest Louis Robidoux Nature Center, featuring trails along Sunnyslope Creek and the Santa Ana River, or the iconic Mt. Rubidoux. Already managed to conquer these terrains? Try out indoor rock climbing at Hangar 18, open Friday until 9 p.m. and Saturday until 8 p.m. — make sure to check out their new college discounts! As for the nightlife, unwind at the Van Buren Drive-In Theatre: It is a cashonly venue at $8 a pop, but it is worth every penny for the nostalgic vintage appeal.
keted marginalization has left me feeling both eternally invincible and permanently trapped — queue “After Hours” by The Velvet Underground, please! Valentine’s can be like the “Mean Girls” character Regina George of consumer holidays, “... a life ruiner,” and clearly I am not Glenn Coco! However, I feel that it is my duty not to embrace the preconditioned socio-cultural appeal of a pudgy baby shooting people in the ass with an arrow catalyzing a cliched notion of L O V E. Instead, I urge you to treat your single self either on Valentine’s or “Singles Awareness Day.” Here are some ways you can go about this:
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Into art and culture? Then head straight to Mad Platter! Buy that CD, DVD, novel or little trinket you have placed on that very long “Things to Do” list. From there, go check out the Riverside Arts Museum, open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. both Friday and Saturday — make sure to check out the empowering exhibit “Women Who Ride,” photography by Lanakila MacNaughton. After all this, you deserve a nice midday meal, so head out to the Back to the Grind Coffee Shop, open from 9 a.m. to midnight, pull out that CD,
DVD or novel you just bought and immerse yourself in your new treasure. As for some good eating, may I suggest the hummus and pita with a watermelon heaven smoothie. As for the nightlife, add on a trip down memory lane, dress in your sock-hoppin’ best and head out to “Doo Wop in the Desert” at the Hard Rock Hotel in the heart of Palm Springs, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 15. And don’t forget to visit the 26-foot tall “Marilyn Forever” statue and take a photo with the iconic starlet.
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Saturday until 9 p.m. After a pint or two, dine at one of Riverside’s Gastropubs like the Salted Pig, Killarney’s or ProAbition Whiskey Lounge and demand your bangers and mash! Late into the night, I assume a taxi home would be the way to go — too bad Riverside doesn’t have 24-hour red double-deckers — but do not worry, just call Happy Taxi.
Ever travelled abroad? Does your passion for adventure exceed your need to be attached? Then live life and treat this day as if you were in the U.K.! Sleep in, then during midday venture to a local brewery wearing a Onesie or a Football jersey. I recommend Packinghouse Brewing Co., open both Friday and Saturday until 8 p.m. and Inland Empire Brewing Co. open both Friday and
COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
XOXO,
H Your Romantically Semi-Jaded Journalist ■
COURTESY OF UCR ARTSblock Riverside’s own California Museum of Photography is a great place to get your mind off single life.
HIGHLANDER
@highlanderradar
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Events this week Tuesday | 2/11
Wednesday | 2/12
Thursday | 2/13
Friday | 2/14
Open Mic @ Back to the Grind, 7 p.m. Hellfyre Club @ the Barn, 7:30 p.m. The Underground Vol. 2 @ the Barn, 7 p.m.
Viola screening @ Culver Center, 7 p.m.
Lil B begins his stream-of-consciousness talk to a full crowd.
RICHARD LIN / HIGHLANDER
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
Good Vibes With
By Jade Williams, Contributing Writer Photos By Cameron Yong
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ocal reggae fans flooded the Barn last Wednesday night in anticipation of viewing the iconic headliner, Black Uhuru, embrace their musical talents. Black Uhuru and their opening act, Indubious, performed not only to showcase their performance capabilities, but to also help bring people together. I arrived at the Barn to see the stage littered with drum sets, microphone stands and keyboards illuminated by colorful lights. It was amazing how people of all ages were lured into the Barn for the show, ranging from toddlers sitting on their parents’ shoulders to an elderly man with a cane. Before any of the acts came on stage, the Barn played the classic and popular reggae songs that any fan would know, such as Bob Marley’s “One Love,” to help set the atmosphere for the opening act. Even before the performances began, audience members swayed to the music and seemed to be enjoying their time there. When the opening act, Indubious, took the stage, the audience huddled around to listen and absorb their feel-good vibes. The youthful trio hails from Oregon and has been on tour with Black Uhuru to shadow their expert performances. Their instruments — consisting of drums, a guitar, keyboard and a synthesizer — created a mixture of both reggae and dub, producing a steady, rhythmic and swaying beat. As the first act came to an end, the audience craved more, chanting for an encore and insisting Indubious play just one more song. Never have I seen an audience chant “Encore!” for a band that was not the headliner, but the audience came together as one and began to chant and beg for more. The members of Indubious looked surprised and appreciative of all the
love the audience was giving them, and hopped back on stage to play one last song. During a quick intermission, more and more people began to flow into the Barn as we waited for Black Uhuru to come on stage. The venue was filled with plenty of people to begin with, and only continued to get more crowded. For a cold weekday night, there was surprisingly an enormous turnout — which makes sense, because Black Uhuru is certainly not new to the music industry. In fact, the group originated in Kingston, Jamaica in 1972 and reached a peak in their career during 1985, when their album “Anthem” won the first Grammy for “Best Reggae Album.” Since the start of their career, Black Uhuru have definitely gained some dedicated followers and have continued over these many years to share their love for reggae music. As Black Uhuru took the stage, the scenery changed. Instead of only three people being on stage like I assumed, the trio had a band behind them playing the drums, guitar and keyboard while they took charge of vocals and harmonizing. People began to take their phones out and recorded songs, while others just danced and let the music flow through their bodies. The audience started out swaying back and forth and bobbing their head to the steady pulse of the banging drums. As people got more comfortable, audience members who were once strangers became friends and began to dance with one another. Before I knew it, the whole place was jamming out. The diversity in the room was astounding. People from all walks of life seemed to be at the venue, and the spiritual upliftment that reggae music brings allowed these people to come together and listen to the bands perform.
Both Indubious and Black Uhuru attracted a large audience Wednesday night at the Barn, ranging from curious students to avid reggae fans.
Even watching from afar, I could feel the heart and soul that these musicians put into their music for the sake of their audience. They began to play a few of their more popular songs like “Sistren” and “Sinsemilla,” in which many of the lyrics talk about truth and rights, acting as inspiration for the audience to keep moving. The crowd continued to bob their heads to the rhythmic accents of the keyboard, and the free spirit in everyone came alive as we witnessed people letting go and having fun.
One of the members of Indubious enlightened the audience with some life advice by saying, “Feel the vibrations to your soul through the music.” And this is exactly what the audience did. “Uhuru,” the Swahili word for freedom, became extremely relevant that night as people were free to let the music move their souls. Overall, the good vibes stemming from the artists and their music created something special throughout the audience of about 50 smiling, head-bobbing, reggae music ■H fans: a sense of closeness.
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
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MOVIE REVIEWS COMING OUT SOON:
ROBOCOP
ABOUT LAST NIGHT
ENDLESS LOVE
WINTER’S TALE
THE MONUMENTS MEN
RATING: ★★☆☆☆ “
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BY: NATHAN SWIFT, STAFF WRITER
he Monuments Men” movie down. In directing the movie, was one of those movies it felt as though Clooney was trying that I went into with to create a family-friendly version high hopes. Even with of “Saving Private Ryan,” with all the troubling news that the release the seriousness but less actual drama date was pushed back from Dec. and death. What the movie’s writing 18 to Feb. 7, I still thought that the suffers from is a serious case of not interesting premise and star-studded following the “show, don’t tell” rule: cast would be handled with the We are repeatedly told over and over artistic grace that is expected of a again, from rambling speeches to man as talented as George Clooney, small, private patches of dialogue, who’s both the main star and just how important Stokes’ mission director of the film. But with a story is. This really hurts the movie’s lacking in character development plot, for not only does that routine that’s entrenched in too much of of self-congratulation quickly a “remember the good ol’ days” get old, but any suspense that the sentimentality, Clooney’s film movie attempts to build is crushed lacks the type of highbrow artistic under the weight of it flaunting endeavor it clamors to defend. its self-importance. Adding insult “The Monuments Men” is a to injury, the audience never truly “based on a true feels connected to story” movie that the pieces of art that ... it felt as though follows Frank the men are saving. Stokes (George Clooney was trying to We are given small Clooney) as glimpses of famous he assembles a create a family-friendly paintings and motley crew of sculptures here and version of “Saving art historians, there, but other than curators and Private Ryan,” with all that, the art pieces architects to join themselves might as the U.S. army in the seriousness but well be the headers the fight against for the plot points the Nazi threat less actual drama and written on paper. during World A really death. War II. However, annoying aspect of the actual threat these men are the plot that stuck out like a sore combating aren’t the publicly thumb concerns Matt Damon’s known atrocities committed by the character James Granger. In the Nazis, but rather the lesser-known movie, it comes down to Granger crime of looting countless pieces to speak to Claire Simon, played of art from public museums and by Cate Blanchett, who knows the private collectors. location of several pieces of art that The writing, especially the Nazis stole. As a member of the concerning its attempt at ambiance French Resistance, Simon spends and style, is what really let the much time squandering Granger’s
Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
plans to help her recover the art because of the simple fact that she believes the invading American forces will never return any valuable art that they find. Never mind the fact that Granger doesn’t even think about going to the U.S. Army so they can directly inform Simon of their intentions to return the art; what’s even worse is that the specific location of the art that Granger is ordered to ask Simon about is found by the dumbest of flukes. This not only entirely negates everything that Granger and Simon had been working together for, but also the weak and unrealized romance between them that never gets off the ground amounts to useless plot fodder that could be cut from the script. The film’s cast is one full of A-listers that are among Hollywood’s finest. With George
Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, John Goodman and Jean Dujardin, the acting was fine along the entire journey. As the lead, Clooney is able to pull off the sophisticated, highbrow look that makes him stand out as a university professor in the movie. Aside from one or two of Clooney’s uber-patriotic speeches, no other cast member stands out above the rest in their roles. This, of course, has to do with the film’s writing, which offers no room for character development. One scene was almost the exception, involving Bill Murray playing his child’s recording of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” over the Army camp’s loudspeaker. It’s a welldone scene, and Murray sells it well, with tears and all. But the scene’s camera work, which transitions between Bill Murray crying alone to the dead and dying inhabitants
of a military infirmary, ruins the sentimentality that we’re supposed to feel for Murray’s character with its obvious irony. Instead of feeling sweet, the scene just feels bitter — and overdone for its own sake. The movie’s musical score is nothing special, either. Written by Alexandre Desplat, the music feels less like authentic marching band music and more like Desplat possesses an inferiority complex in comparison to acclaimed composer John Philip Sousa. This merely adds to the cheesy, black-and-white feeling that the movie has, and is nothing to be proud of. With such an interesting premise and fantastic cast, “The Monuments Men” could have been so much more than the actual end product. In any artistic endeavor that Clooney had in mind with this movie, it’s simply unmonumental. ■H
VAMPIRE ACADEMY
RATING: ★☆☆☆☆
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BY: YASMIN KLEINBART, STAFF WRITER
ust when the vampire craze was about to be put back into its grave, the film industry decided to bring it back with the film “Vampire Academy.” Based on the book series of the same name by Richelle Mead, the film takes place at St. Vladimir’s Academy, a Hogwarts-esque school where the Moroi — vampires who respect humanity — study magic, and the Dhampir — guardians brought up to protect the Moroi — study martial arts and survival skills to defeat the Strigoi, an evil breed of vampires. Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch) is a Dhampir sworn to protect her best friend, Lissa Dragomir (Lucy Fry), who just happens to be the heir to the throne of Something That Was Never Clearly Explained. There’s nothing much to say about this film. It was made purely for the fans to see the world come to life and that’s all who will really enjoy it. This film spends so much time trying to explain the backstory and origins that there was just not enough time to develop an engaging plot or memorable characters. The only actresses who had any bit of substance were the leads, Deutch and Fry. Their chemistry was spot-on, and it was highly believable that these two could be best friends on screen — and even possibly off screen, too. What’s even better is that they actually moved their faces to show emotion, unlike some of the side characters. Danila Kozlovsky,
who plays Rose’s older mentor, Dimitri, didn’t even look like he was capable of smiling, unless it had to do with furthering his inappropriately romantic relationship with Rose. Ever since the “Twilight” series emerged, vampire lore has become severely diluted — and this issue is apparent in this film as well. Pretty much every vampire in “Vampire Academy” has to meet two requirements: be British, and look as melancholy as Robert Pattinson. Lissa’s love interest, Christian (Dominic Sherwood) nailed both of these requirements to a T. Any sort of “blood sucking” involved a little nip on the neck and the “fangs” that they were supposed to have just looked like small deformities. With all the bullying and slut-shaming that is directed toward Lissa and Rose, I wouldn’t have noticed that they were supposed to be vampires if it wasn’t for the title. From the blood-written threats to the dead foxes hanging from doors, the plot is driven by attempting to have viewers figure out which cruel student or authority figure is responsible for these “pranks.” However, besides the bloodstained threats and calling Rose a “blood whore,” there was nothing really inherently vampirish about the side characters. With the mixture of humans and vampires at the academy, I had a hard time keeping track of which species was which. They didn’t have pale
Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
skin, red eyes or any other stereotypical vampire indicators. They just seemed like hormonal teenagers who just happened to have a craving for blood. But what made this film annoying to watch was the dialogue. Even though it was effective to have Rose portrayed as a smartass, it was completely overdone in her dialogue. Everything that came out of her mouth had to do with some kind of pop culture reference. She teaches the Moroi what hashtags and Facebook statuses are, and even goes as far as assuring us that while the Moroi are vampires that can walk in the sun, they don’t sparkle. And when she’s not trying to teach vampires about modern technology, her witty retorts and rebellious character do not match someone
who is sworn to guard a vampire for the rest of their life. I’m not sure if screenwriter Daniel Waters was purposely making fun of teenage girls and their speech, or if he really thinks that they go out of their way to mention every pop culture reference they know in a single sentence. Even with a bestselling series as source material, and the writer-director duo behind such famous works as “Mean Girls” and “Heathers,” there was nothing quotable or anything that stood out about this film. It was just another young adult movie trying to cash in on the vampire genre before it was too late. At least if it was called “Zombie Academy,” the blood and gore would have been a nice distraction from all ■H the soap opera drama and romance.
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HIGHLANDER
THE LEGO MOVIE
RATING: ★★★★☆
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BY: JOSHUA RAMOS, STAFF WRITER
hen I first saw “The Lego Movie” had received a 97 percent score on Rotten Tomatoes, I just couldn’t fathom how it had happened to earn such rave reviews. Hollywood hasn’t had the best track record when it comes to turning children’s toys and board games into feature-length films. Whether it’s the action-packed and plotless “Transformers” movies or the strategic board game turned alien invasion film “Battleship,” movie studios have had a difficult time adapting the staples of our childhoods into viewable films. After watching “The Lego Movie,” I walked out of the theater knowing there is still hope for future toy-based movies after all. “The Lego Movie” revolves around an ordinary minifig named Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt), a construction worker who follows instructions for every little part of his life. After accidentally coming into contact with the “piece of resistance” (which is actually just a Krazy Glue cap), Emmet must learn to create his own instructions instead of following them, in order to become the Master Builder and fulfill his destiny by defeating the evil President Business (Will Ferrell) before he unleashes the “Kragle,” a powerful weapon (an old Krazy Glue bottle with the “z,” “y,” and “u” scratched off) that will glue
everybody in place. At first sight, “The Lego Movie” can seem a bit overwhelming, as the film covers many different branches of the Lego universe, including minifigs from sets such as “Star Wars,” “Lord of the Rings,” and “Harry Potter.” Like any movie that covers such an expansive universe, the film features an allstar cast, featuring the likes of Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks, Jonah Hill and even a theme song from Tegan & Sara. Despite its large offering and massive cast, the film’s storyline does an amazing job at tying everything together. Every pop culture reference adds on to each individual minifig’s role within the movie. Each character, no matter how small the part, contributes to the film’s overall story, usually through comic relief. Unlike previous toy-based motion pictures, “The Lego Movie” has a well-developed plot and consuming storyline that immerses viewers into the world of Lego. Emmet’s adventures correlate with the real-time story of a young kid playing with his dad’s off-limits Lego collection. Since the story is told from a young boy’s perspective, the plot features lots of exaggerated scenes that draw out many memorable comedic moments. One scene where this is apparent is when Emmet is being interrogated by Bad Cop/Good
Courtesy of The Weinstein Company
Cop (Liam Neeson), a doublesided minifig that plays off of the classic technique featured in many buddy cop films. Bad Cop/ Good Cop’s vacillating emotions create a hilarious and memorable back-and-forth between the cop and Emmet. The best thing about “The Lego Movie” has to be its animation. Although computer-animated, the film’s animation resembles that of a brickfilm, a sub genre of stop-motion animation that utilizes only Lego blocks and minifigs. Every minifig, building and landmark in the film looks as if it was physically made, which
really helps to bring the audience in closer to the film. What really helps “The Lego Movie” to stand alone from other animated movies are its fight scenes and explosions. Each fight scene was crafted in a way that looks as if it were out of a young kid’s dream. Lego blasters shoot cylindershaped laser beams, defeated enemies fall apart into pieces and, best of all, when something explodes, the fire and smoke is made entirely made out of Legos. “The Lego Movie’s” animation “lego-izes” every aspect of a regular animated film, giving it a fresh and unique feel different
from previous animated movies. “The Lego Movie” is a much-needed change of pace in Hollywood’s ever-growing fascination with toy- and board game-based movies. Everything about it, from its look and feel to its comedic-yet-complex and endearing storyline, make it a game-changing and refreshing film that many studios should take note of. The film holds something for audience members of all ages, no matter how young or old. “The Lego Movie” will have kids wanting to go home to their Lego sets, and adults reminiscing about their childhood days. ■H
MUSIC REVIEWS AFTER THE DISCO // BROKEN BELLS
RATING: ★★★☆☆
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BY: JAKE RICH, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
n 2010, James Mercer of the Shins and acclaimed producer Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton, who has produced albums for the likes of the Black Keys, Gorillaz, Beck and Portugal. The Man) put out a collaborative album under the band name of Broken Bells. The album took Mercer’s 60s-pop-folk songwriting and voice and combined them with Danger Mouse’s eerie synth hooks to form a uniquely vintage-yetcontemporary sound. While the record wasn’t perfect, there were still some good tracks and a more cohesive sound than their first record that made it worth a listen. On their second album, Broken Bells does nearly the same thing: “After the Disco” isn’t perfect, but it takes the duo’s sound and produces another take on this unique pairing — with slightly better results. In songs like the record’s lead single, “Holding on for Life,” Mercer continues to show off his perceptive and evocative lyrics as he sings, “Oh, ain’t nobody calling / Ain’t nobody home / What a lovely day to be lonely.” Singing in a Bee Gees-esque falsetto, Mercer is accompanied by a ghost-like synth and menacing, repetitive bass. The song
finds its strength in making you confused as to whether you should dance to it or contemplate your life, as its introspective lyrics juxtapose against its funky beat. Other tracks, like the somber “Leave it Alone,” are more acousticbased — effectively, the Shins with extra instrumentation. Danger Mouse’s subtle background synths accent the acoustic guitar to give the song a hypnotic feel. Mercer, singing his own backup vocals, adds to the spaced-out vibe as his haunting falsetto repeats, “Leave it alone,” seemingly coming out of nowhere, begging to be heard and understood. Though there aren’t any truly bad songs on the album per se, some songs make the listener wish for a bit more. For instance, while “The Changing Lights” isn’t bad, it wades in “good” territory for too long when it could have built up to something great. Though it is difficult to criticize a track for something that it could have done, the song’s beat was truly begging to be brought up a notch toward some kind of sweeping crescendo — or at least something more interesting, rather than teetering on the verge with its just-belowecstatic beat. And that’s truly Broken Bells in a
Courtesy of Columbia Records
The song finds its strength in making you confused ...as its introspective lyrics juxtapose against its funky beat.
nutshell. With one of indie-pop’s most acclaimed songwriters and one of the most clamored-for producers in the industry today, you should find yourself in “Record of the Year” territory. Instead, Mercer and Burton have produced a very
good, occasionally great record. The spacey vibes and loneliness pervasive throughout the record make for a compelling album theme — now, they just need to find a way to come back to H Earth and make a spectacular landing. ■
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LITTLE RED // KATY B
RATING: ★★★☆☆
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BY: ROBERT STEWART, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
initially felt pretty relaxed as I sat down to listen to Katy B’s sophomore album “Little Red,” but halfway through, I was energized and feeling the groove. The British-born, Mercury Prize-nominated artist brought forth an excellent, synthheavy house album that is bound to hit dance floors everywhere (if it hasn’t already). Not only were the beats extremely catchy, but her vocal range and lyrics made this album a definite double threat. Her lyrics, in general, are introspective and invite listeners into the mind of an extremely vulnerable person. Her single “Crying for No Reason” displays this type of insight into her mind and relationship issues by stating, “I never faced all the pain I caused / Now the pain is hitting me full force.” Sad lyrics, indeed, but the song itself is still a totally danceable club hit with a good beat. In this song her voice really takes flight, and she reminds us just how good of a vocalist she is as she belts out the chorus with intensity and passion. This is the type of single to make someone stop dancing for a second and rethink their life — and then start dancing again, of course.
Not to be classified as just dance or electro, this album takes some of its influence from R&B. Most notably in the song “Aaliyah,” featuring fellow British pop star Jessie Ware, Katy B gives us a song about jealousy with lyrics like, “Aaliyah, please, this is green envy / Why must you taunt me, girl?” The applause accompanying the synthesizers give the song an almost 80s feel, but the “wub wub” in the background also presents a modern dubstep twist. Unfortunately, the song tends to repeat itself, and after a while listeners can only hear her say, “Why can’t he play a song for me?” This repetition is really the only downside of the album. Songs including “Aaliyah” and “I Like You” repeat the same line over and over at great lengths, which made me feel tired of the album at points, and tempted me to hit the “skip” button on my phone. Luckily, songs like “Play,” featuring electronic songwriter Sampha (who has worked with Drake and Jessie Ware as well) gave the album a fresh hip-hop sound to draw me back in. All in all, I was pleasantly surprised
Courtesy of Columbia Records
Sad lyrics, indeed, but the song itself is still a totally danceable club hit with a good beat.
with this album, and after a few listens I can honestly say I was digging the vibe. Each song seems to perfectly coincide with one another as slower tracks are followed up by something more upbeat to balance everything out.
It’s one of those rare albums that you can listen to while feeling lonely or when you’re ready to dance; keep an ear out for key tracks “Crying for No Reason,” “All My Lovin’” and “Play” featuring Sampha, and enjoy. ■H
VIDEO GAME REVIEW TOMB RAIDER: DEFINITIVE EDITION
RATING: ★★★★☆
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BY: EDWIN GARCIA, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
t is hard to say that one of the bestlooking games from the PS3 and Xbox 360 needed a visual upgrade, but that is exactly what we got with “Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition.” The game is a re-release of a reboot that came out a little less than a year ago in March 2013. Lara Croft made the jump to the newest console generation (PS4 and Xbox One), running at a buttery-smooth 60 frames per second and looking better than ever. This edition is more than just a graphical update; it also bundles all the downloadable content from the original game. Now, the question is: Is it worth purchasing? The “Definitive Edition” is basically the same game as the original, and nothing is added to the story. The game focuses on recreating the legend that is Lara Croft, telling the tale of her origin story. As a character, she is more relatable, vulnerable and actually resembles a realistic woman as opposed to a sexual entity. One of the most powerful moments in the game is the first time she is forced to kill someone. She not only feels for the man, but she breaks down into tears because she is so horrified at what she has just done. While Lara must overcome the challenges in front of her and learn how to survive all by herself, the gameplay still includes all of the climbing and crazy stunts involved to make this into an exciting action-adventure. The controls are tight and every mechanic is still as smooth as it was in the original release. Usually, a graphical upgrade does very little to improve gameplay. That does not hold true with “Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition.” Lara must explore what she believes to be an abandoned island, where she is stranded after going on a search for the lost kingdom of Yamatai. This unnamed world is large and vibrant; the grass and
trees move along with the rhythm of the breeze. The island is as much a part of the game as Lara so the visual upgrades make it that much more enjoyable to explore, creating an immersive experience in which every movement you make feels real. With new hardware comes new features that were not included in the PS3 and Xbox 360. Luckily, “Tomb Raider” uses the new features. Both the PS4 and Xbox One utilize voice commands (for which you need the PS4 Camera or Kinect, respectively). Exclusive to the Xbox One and Kinect is the ability to use hand gestures to move items around while inspecting them. You are able to pull out a map or equip a weapon using certain voice commands, but sadly the technology is not advanced enough to make it a reliable choice. Shouts or ingame sounds sometimes accidentally
Courtesy of Square Enix
activate the commands, putting you in an even more difficult situation. The PS4 also uses the light bar on the DualShock 4 for the PS4 controller in a very gimmicky way. When you light a torch, the light on the Dualshock 4 flickers along with the torch. These features add very little to experience, especially when you consider how smooth the game was originally. The bundled downloadable content is a nice touch for sure — the only downside is that it wasn’t very good in the first place. The content only includes one extra single-player tomb to explore. The rest of the downloadable content pertains to multiplayer gameplay — some extra maps, weapon attachments and items. Sadly, it is still the same boring experience from the original game, and unfortunately it really is not worth much playtime. Although multiplayer gameplay features
three different game modes that include player-versus-player matches where you try to take out the other team, overall it is extremely dull; the problem is that it uses the same combat system used during the campaign, which does not lend itself well to the multiplayer experience. It feels very clunky. It is odd to re-release a game that is less than a year old, but Square Enix did add some new features along with a large graphical increase to rival PC graphics. Unfortunately, all of the additions except the graphical upgrade don’t accomplish much for an experience that was already top-notch. If you’ve never played the game, then this is the best way to experience it, but if you have already played through “Tomb Raider” on the PS3 or Xbox 360, then it is probably not worth ■H the double dip.
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
THANK YOU BASED GOD: Lil B Loves UCR “Everyone is important” -Lil B
By Christal Mims, Staff Writer & Susan Chavira, contributing Writer // Photos by Richard Lin Brandon McCartney, aka Lil B, created quite the frenzy Wednesday night as he made his way to HUB 302 in hopes of inspiring a room full of ecstatic college students and local fans. As expected, the turnout to ASPB’s “Thank You Based God” lecture was massive and the excitement was almost tangible; you couldn’t go far without hearing a “Thank you, Based God!” from an eager fan. As we waited for Lil B to take the stage, we were greeted with a broadcast of his tweets, music and other projects he’s developed. Paying homage to the cooking dance that Lil B popularized, spatulas and other various forms of cookware were excitedly waved in the air. When Lil B arrived, the indistinct chatter roared into deafening yells and in-seat celebration, and the first thing he said ultimately ended up framing the entire event: “I love you.” Lil B reassured the crowd that the entire night would be about love and respect. It was an interactive, stream-of-consciousness lecture varying from random anecdotes about Lil B’s cat and animal rights to his right-of-way life philosophy. “I live my life based on that type of, like, … when I’m driving, ‘Hey, you can go before me,’” he explained, stating that it is important to promote this message and lifestyle to the “me” generation, which he believes has come to define contemporary youth. To love others and to love oneself was key in his discourse. “Know that someone who doesn’t know you, loves you, to the maximum. We need each other as humans … Everyone is important,” Lil B said, and with that someone from the audience ran toward the stage to hug the rapper. Security obstructed several other fans trying to have a more personal experience with the Based God, and immediately he yelled, “You can’t just not hug somebody.” The crowd’s laughter and applause were clearly in agreement with his Based teachings. Lil B’s take on love was not restricted to human relationships — he shares a separate passion for the animal kingdom. Conscientious about the comfort of his cat, Keke, he confided in the audience about his daily struggle to make sure that Keke is comfortable in her environment. To further this topic, Lil B
expressed his deep concern of animals being treated as equals. To attest to his consideration for animals, he plans to start an organization that aims to help individuals who may not be financially able to pay for the medical expenses of their pets. The thought of losing an animal you’ve built a relationship with due to a lack of funds is tragic, and it was obvious that people in the audience agreed with him; Lil B allowed a young man to share the deep connection he had with his longtime pet, and it was clear he would never like to see the creature suffer from any type of illness. This was met with sympathetic nods from the audience, proving that Lil B’s encouragement to love all things struck a chord with everyone in the room. His consideration for those suffering over the well-being of their pets was just one more testament to his true passion for taking care of others and spreading love to everyone he meets. Lil B’s humility was refreshing, and ironic to anyone familiar with his music. “Live life giving people the right of way,” he explained. As Lil B continued to preach tolerance and his hope of bringing all people together, he was met with plenty of hoots and hollers because he wanted everyone to leave the event knowing that everyone and everything is of importance. Lil B’s lecture was clearly a success; he brought out people of all backgrounds to HUB 302 and showed everyone that despite outward appearances, beliefs or circumstances, we should all make it a priority to spread love to one another. During a time in which violence seems to be running rampant and many disregard the feelings of those around them, this was a very important message to be relayed to our generation. Because of Lil B’s popularity and appeal, a wide variety of students were able to relate to him and this made the message even more powerful. Despite what one may gather of Lil B’s values from his music, he preached a message last Wednesday night that more people should follow, and it was refreshing to see students embracing his teachings of love and respect. Thank you, Based God. ■H
Instead of his familiar rappings, Brandon “Lil B” McCar tney walked up to the podium of the crowded and lively HUB 302 to lecture on odd topics and life lessons.
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Staff Picks: Valentine’s Day Playlist When you’re out with your partner, driving down University Avenue with the windows down and thinking about a playlist to really set the mood — or when you’re gallivanting around with your single friends in honor of Singles Awareness Day — here are our choice selections to make your Valentine’s Day sound like sweet nothings and smooth tunes.
Rebecca Paredes, A&E Editor
Vincent Ta, Photo Editor
Colin Markovich, Managing Editor
Cameron Yong, Asst. Photo Editor
Brandy Coats, Art Director
Sandy Van, News Editor
“Every Breath You Take” The Police
“Nightcall” Kavinsky
“Salve Regina” The Benedictine Monks of Santo Domingo de Silos
“II. Shadows” Childish Gambino
“Enjoy the Silence” Depeche Mode
“Truly Madly Deeply” Savage Garden
Michele Gartzke, Video Editor
Jake Rich, Production Manager
Alexander Suffolk
Colette King, Opinions Editor
Michael Rios, Editor-in-Chief
Darren Bueno, Sports Editor
“Faithfully” Journey
“The Way I Am” Ingrid Michaelson
“I Touch Myself” Divinyls
“First Day of My Life” Bright Eyes
“Across the Stars” John Williams
“Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” Lauryn Hill
DESIGN
WRITE
SHOOT
for the Highlander
Meetings on Mondays at 5:15 p.m. at HUB 101
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SPORTS
HIGHLANDER
UC Riverside baseball looking to bounce back this season STEVEN CAHILL Staff Writer
The Riverside baseball squad will start their season this coming weekend — but before that, the team played their annual alumni game on Feb. 8. They have their sights set on improving from their eighth-place performance from last year, which is the lowest winning season since Doug Smith became UCR’s head coach in 2005. Despite their 14-32 overall record last season with a 10-17 record in the Big West Conference, there were many upsides. The team had a superb record when playing at home in the Riverside Sports Complex, 13-7, a vast improvement from their 1-25 combined road and neutral location record. This season the team has more home games on their schedule, which should result in more overall victories if they follow the same trend. On plate this season are 20 games against teams that were in the NCAA tournament last season, including Cal State Fullerton, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and UC Santa Barbara. Last season also saw six players get named to the Big West AllConference Team, four of whom are returning to the team this season. One of the players, righthanded pitcher Trevor Frank, was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the eighth round of the 2013 MLB
First-Year Player Draft. Jacob Smigelski was later drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates. David Andriese, one of the honorees, led the team in RBIs last season, and was second in batting average (.335) and slugging percentage (.426). He was also eighth overall in the Big West in hits, and seventh overall in total RBIs. Junior player Joe Chavez also was on the AllConference team, and he led the team in slugging percentage, and his .490 was sixth-best in the conference. Third-year outfielder Devyn Bolasky joined them as recognition for his .333 average on the season, and his perfect fielding percentage (one of 10 players in the conference to achieve this). Andriese, Chavez and Bolasky were named to the Preseason Big West Conference First and Second Team by College Sports Madness. In the 2014 Big West coaches poll, Cal State Fullerton was picked as the favorite to win the conference. The Titans have won the conference title for four straight years. They were followed by Cal Poly, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine. UCR was picked to finish seventh place, a one-spot improvement over a year ago. Riverside starts their season Friday, Feb. 14 with a three-game home series versus San Francisco followed by another home game ■H against Washington State.
JASPERY GOH / HIGHLANDER Baseball started off the season with their traditional alumni game last Saturday.
UC Riverside men’s and women’s tennis remain winless on season DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer
The university’s tennis teams continue to swirl down an ominous road. Both clubs failed to win over the weekend and haven’t notched a win under their belts. The University of the Pacific women’s tennis earned a clean sweep over the Highlanders on Feb. 7, winning all nine matches in a 7-0 beatdown. Although the team was playing in Las Vegas, Lady Luck was not on UCR’s side as the Highlanders lost the doubles point and suffered six straight set victories. The Tigers won all three doubles matches, dropping only six games. Facing New Mexico the following day, Jasmine Almaguer proved to be the lone bright spot for the university. The freshman earned a three-set victory (7-5, 5-7, 10-8) and improved to 3-2 in singles on the year. The Aggies, however, won all three doubles matches and five out of six singles matches. The contest was
New Mexico State’s first victory of the season. The men’s tennis lost a 7-0 decision to Sacramento State on Feb. 7 at the Spare Time Indoor Tennis Center in Gold River, Calif. The Hornets dominated the Highlanders from top to bottom, but UCR Head Coach Tim Downey remains optimistic. “We played a tough match today,” Downey stated. “Though we may have felt overmatched, we were right there in four of the matches and easily could have surprised them. More work ahead and we will continue to improve.” On a rainy day in Davis, Calif., the UC Davis Aggies swept six singles matches in a 6-1 victory over UC Riverside. The two teams had to change venues in between play because of unfavorable weather, but the switch didn’t bother the rackets of the Aggies. The Highlanders started the match competitively by securing the doubles point, but couldn’t earn a win on the singles court. ■H
Sophomore Jack Felich returns a serve in a singles match.
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SPORTS
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
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Women’s basketball drops 15th straight vs. Fullerton, Long Beach State CODY NGUYEN Senior Staff Writer FEB 6, 2014
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Titans 60 - Highlanders 57
In the midst of a 14-game losing streak, the UCR women’s basketball team continues to search for that one ever-elusive victory. With an 18-point lead at halftime against the Cal State Fullerton Titans, the Highlanders had every right to believe that this game was theirs for the taking. Shortly after tip-off, the Highlanders jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, five of those points courtesy of freshman standout Simone DeCoud. Both teams traded a few baskets after the 8-0 run, but the Titans were unable to gain any ground on the UCR lead. Midway through the first, the Highlanders began building upon their lead, going on a 10-0 run to open up an 18-point lead which lasted all the way to the halftime whistle. “It’s not over till it’s over” is one of the oldest sports cliches known to man, but one that proves itself true time and time again. At the start of the second half, the Fullerton Titans were a completely different team than the one that dug themselves into an 18-point hole. During the first four minutes of the period, the Titans scored nine straight points to cut the UCR lead in half. The Titans also heavily tightened up on defense, only allowing the Highlanders to score nine points in 10 minutes. By the 10-minute mark, the Highlanders’ lead had vaporized to just two points, 4345. The Highlanders were able to regain a six-point lead at the 4:31 mark after a Brittany Crain three-pointer, but those points would be the last scored by UCR in the contest. The Titans caught
Senior Natasha Hadley (No. 31) gathers herself as she prepares to shoot.
fire on their way to a 9-0 run to close out the game, 60-57. Alex Thomas led the way for Cal State Fullerton with 24 points, five rebounds and three assists. DeCoud led the Highlanders in scoring, with 16 points to go with six rebounds and four assists. FEB 8, 2014
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49ers 65 - Highlanders 52
After Thursday’s soulcrushing loss, the Highlanders pressed on in hopes of picking
up their first win in over two months against the Long Beach State 49ers. However, poor bench play and shooting did the Highlanders in, as they left the court empty-handed for the 15th straight time this season. Both teams traded baskets for most of the first half, keeping the match closely contested with three ties and two lead changes in the first 10 minutes. Brittany Crain’s layup at the 7:39 mark gave UCR a 15-9 lead, the largest they would ever attain in
the match. By the end of the first half, the 49ers had attained a 25-21 lead thanks to a 6-0 run earlier in the period, as well as outscoring the Highlanders 10-6 in the final six minutes of the half. Coming out of the locker room, the 49ers spent the next 20 minutes of play asserting their dominance over the Highlanders. Not once did UCR take a lead or come closer than four points of tying the 49ers. With 1:09 remaining in the
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match, the 49ers took their largest lead of the night at 6550, a symbolic representation of the 2014 UC Riverside women’s basketball season, where things just seem to get worse and worse as time goes on. Highlander Crain led all scorers with 20 points, along with seven rebounds and two steals. The Highlanders will go back to the drawing board (again) for a Feb. 13 road matchup against Hawaii. ■H
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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2014
HIGHLANDER
UCR withstands Titan flurry, wins third conference game MELISA BIVIAN Staff Writer FEB 6, 2014
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Highlanders 72 - Titans 69
With four minutes left in the game, the men’s basketball team (8-14, 3-5) struggled to cling onto a 16-point second half lead as they faced Cal State Fullerton Thursday night. With the Highlander crowd behind them, Riverside secured its third conference victory of the season, 72-69. After winning the tip-off, Riverside came out on fire. With four minutes gone into the game, the Highlanders would lead by double digits, 12-2, as they connected on 10 of their first 13 shots. The Titans looked to cut the lead, but missed free throws and jumpers would increase the Highlanders’ lead to as many as 14 points, 41-27. The Highlanders connected on 17 of 27 shots from the field compared to the Titans’ 11-25 in the period. Riverside shot the long ball well as they knocked down four of six attempts. Steven Jones was the first Highlander in double figures with 10 points, while Steven Thornton made his first two three-pointers en route to nine points. As the second half began, Fullerton started to shoot the ball more freely. Primarily due to Titan guards attacking the basket, UCR’s
lead would slowly diminish. With four minutes remaining, Fullerton and Riverside would tie for the first time of the night, 63-63. After a minute of missing shots from both sides, Sam Finley’s layup put the Highlanders on top once again, 64-63. As both teams looked for their third victory, buckets continued to be exchanged as Titan Michael Williams fought to keep his team in the game with difficult maneuvers and scores on the wing. With 15 seconds remaining, Austin Quick would secure the victory by knocking down a couple of free throws and by obtaining the offensive rebound, 72-69. Taylor Johns and Finley led the Highlanders with 13 points each. Chris Patton, Thornton and Jones also tallied 12 points. Titans Williams and Alex Harris led all scorers with 20 points. FEB 8, 2014
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49ers 88 - Highlanders 76
With a crowd of over 1,000 fans, the men’s basketball (8-15, 3-6) team faced rivals Long Beach State Saturday night. Looking for the ninth straight win against Riverside, Long Beach (10-13, 6-3) took the victory, 88-76, on the back of a lights-out shooting first half. Before the game, the athletic
Sam Finley (No. 1) pulls up for a jumper against the Long Beach State 49ers.
department hosted its second tailgate party of the season, which was attended by over 500 fans while one lucky student was awarded a $500 Visa gift card during the game. The 49ers came out strong both offensively and defensively as they took an early lead within the first four minutes, 9-3. With the basket seemingly growing in size after every shot, Long Beach continued to drain jumper after jumper. The Highlanders struggled to cut the lead as seemingly every point scored by Riverside was responded to with either a threepointer or jumper. With five
minutes remaining, the 49ers took the largest lead of the night, 51-33. Trying to get back in the game, Nick Gruninger would connect two three-pointers and Sam Finley would score a layup of his own. With back-to-back blocks from Taylor Johns, the half came to a close, 58-48. Long Beach made 56.4 percent of their shots heading into intermission, while Riverside played a seemingly solid game, shooting 52.6 percent. Trying to turn the game around, Riverside began to gain momentum due in large part to an increase in defensive intensity. The Highlanders cut the lead to
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three, 69-66, with eight minutes to go, but Long Beach State went on a 10-0 run. Increasing the lead to as many as 15, the 49ers came away with a 12-point victory, 8876. Long Beach State converted on 52.2 percent of their threepointers compared to Riverside’s 29.4 percent. Johns led the Highlanders once again for the week with 20 points and 12 rebounds. Finley tallied 17 while Chris Patton added 12 points. 49er Tyler Lamb led all scorers with 23 points. The Highlanders will host Hawaii Feb. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Student Recreation Center. ■H
UC Riverside softball kicks off season at Kajikawa Classic DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer FEB 8, 2014
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Lobos 11 - Highlanders 10
The UC Riverside softball team kicked off its 2014 season with a tough 11-10 loss against New Mexico State at the Arizona State University Kajikawa Classic. Despite scoring three runs in the first inning, the Highlanders struggled to keep pace with the Lobos’ offense. The team staged a seventh inning comeback, tacking on six runs, but came up short. As the opening bells sounded for the game, the bats of the Highlanders had no difficulty finding their target as the team opened the first inning with three runs, 3-0, due in large part to three consecutive singles. The hot start didn’t phase the Lobos, however, as New Mexico countered with four runs themselves. Riverside native Mariah Rimmer belted a double down the left field line for the Lobos, which opened the floodgates as a single was followed by a wild pitch and two consecutive walks. Naomi Tellez then singled to the shortstop, and cleared the bases as three runners came home. The team scored four runs on three hits to lead 4-3. The Lobos scored solo runs in the second and third innings to extend their lead to three, 6-3. UCR got one back in the top of the fourth as Taylor Wright doubled sending in Kris DeAnda for a score, 6-4. The Lobos came up with another impressive offensive sequence as they scored three runs in the fifth inning while adding two insurance runs the following at bat. UC Riverside made their last push to win the game in the seventh inning as six runners crossed the plate. The Lobos, seemingly in control, were looking for three outs, but the Highlanders took
control of the game, pounding out five hits off pitcher Carrie Sheehan. Dionne Anderson smacked a home run to bring in two runners, bringing the Highlanders to within one, 11-10. Two batters later UCR would strikeout to end the game as the Lobos held on for the victory. FEB 8, 2014
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Bulldogs 8 - Highlanders 1
The Highlanders played their second game of a doubleheader immediately after the New Mexico game. Squaring off against Fresno State, UCR couldn’t get its offense on track as they fell to the Bulldogs, 8-1. The Bulldogs opened the contest with a pair of scores in the first inning, 2-0. Looking to earn their first victory over Fresno State since 2002, the Highlanders cut the deficit in half at the bottom of the inning. Taylor Wright doubled to rightcenter, scoring Dionne Anderson who initially was hit by a pitch to lead off, 2-1. Fresno State scored a single run in the third inning, and added three more in the fifth, and two in the seventh to lead 8-1. UCR only struck two hits after the opening inning. UCR starting pitcher Alyssa Razo worked the first five innings, struck out three, walked three, allowed six hits, and four of her six runs allowed were earned. Wright led the team with four hits on the day while three other players chipped in three hits. FEB 9, 2014
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Broncos 3 - Highlanders 2
The UC Riverside softball team found themselves down 3-0 after five innings, and despite scoring two runs in the sixth, fell 3-2 to the Western Michigan Broncos. The game was Riverside’s third loss of the tournament. After exploding for 11 runs on 13 hits
COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS UCR softball started their season off with rocky performances at the Kajikawa Classic.
in a win against Cal State Northridge, Western Michigan came into Sunday’s contest against the Highlanders brimming with confidence. UCR starting pitcher Alyssa Razo kept the Broncos’ bats silent early before allowing one run in the third. In the fifth inning, Western Michigan tacked on two more runs to lead 3-0. At the top of the sixth inning, the Highlanders attempted their comeback as the first three batters advanced to base on walks. With two outs, Sommer Wilson singled, scoring a pair of runners to narrow the score, 3-2. UCR didn’t have anything left in the tank, however, as Riverside failed to scratch in the seventh inning en route to a 3-2 loss. FEB 9, 2014
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Sun Devils 11 - Highlanders 1
The blue and gold then faced off
against nationally ranked Arizona State in the Highlanders’ final game of the tournament. UCR proved no match for the Sun Devils as the seventh-ranked program produced 11 runs off of 13 hits en route to an 11-1 beatdown. With nearly 1,000 people in the stands, Riverside struggled on offense as the team only recorded five hits on the day, two coming from Sommer Wilson. The Sun Devils opened the game with four runs in the opening period followed by two-run innings in the second and third. Arizona State capped off an impressive display with a threerun inning in the fourth. UCR scored its lone run in the fourth inning, down already 8-0. The softball team next participates in the Fresno State Kick Off, beginning ■H on Feb. 14.