highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
SPECIAL EDITION
ELECTIONS GUIDE 2012 ON PAGE 13
Highlander University
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Chancellor White holds final town hall meeting S a n dy V a n
Meet the Ballot: health care panel Cristina Granados
SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Oct. 24, Chancellor Timothy White hosted his last town hall meeting, which included a campus overview presentation comprised of topics including Governor Jerry Brown’s Proposition 30 tax measure, the UCR Schools of Medical and Public Policy, fundraising campaign strategies, furthering research and economic development, and leadership transitions. With potential slashes of $250 million to the UC system if Proposition 30 does not pass, Chancellor White alluded to several approaches the system may take to account for the cut, including a student tuition increase of roughly 20 percent. With much at stake for the current election season, Chancellor White highlighted a memorial, signed by the UC Academic Senate, which supported funding higher education bills inclusive of Prop 30. A memorial is the highest level of communication between the UCAS and Board of Regents. UC policy prevents all staff and faculty from utilizing campus resources to express political viewpoints, with the exception of the Board of Regents, who have openly
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R i c h a r d L i n /HIGHLANDER
Chancellor White speaking at his last town hall meeting at UCR.
expressed prior support for Governor Brown’s tax measure. Failure to pass Prop 30 would result in the system’s likely pursuit of refinancing of debt, reduced operating costs, possible changes in tuition to need-based financial aid, funding adjustments for retirement programs, and staggering tuition and fee increases.
“I don’t think the increase will be that much because there will be some savings like I’ve just said, but a big chunk of this will go right on the backs of students,” stated White. In terms of the total undergraduate and graduate population, UCR has surpassed the 21,000 mark in enrollment for the first time in its history. A
goal of the UCR 2020 strategic plan, passed in 2011, includes increasing the total enrollment of graduate and professional students by 18 to 20 percent. The number of international students has doubled and the freshman class has enrolled an additional 400 undergraduates, TOWN HALL CONT’D ON PAGE 4
President Bill Clinton rallies for Democratic candidates at UCI C h r i s L o C a sc i o SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On his cross-country tour to stump for President Barack Obama and Democratic Congressional candidates, President Bill Clinton visited the UC Irvine campus for the “California’s Voice” rally on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Exactly two weeks before election day, President Clinton spoke to the crowd of over 5,000 and issued his public endorsements of candidates Mark Takano (CA-41 Riverside), Julia Brownley (CA-26 Ventura), Scott Peters (CA-52 San Diego), Raul Ruiz (CA-36 Palm Springs) and Alan Lowenthal (CA-47 South Bay). The night began with opening statements from the five Congressional candidates, each espousing their respective platforms, experience and areas of focus if elected. After being introduced by the president of the UC Irvine College Democrats Jose Quintana, Local Congressional candidate Mark Takano of the 41st District took the stage to make his case for the Orange County crowd. He invoked the
line, “Don’t boo, vote!” each time the crowd booed his characterization of the Republican party. When describing his positions against those of his opponent, he said, “It’s the choice between common sense California values, and extreme Washington ideology.” Clinton spoke for over half an hour on a variety of issues prevalent this elections season and how President Obama and the local Congressional candidates on stage would address them. “It’s very important to realize that—particularly in California, because you are the state of the future, because you represent every hope we have for living in a world of shared prosperity and shared responsibilities, a world where we embrace our diversity—we are proud of our identity but we think our common humanity matters more,” said President Clinton. “It’s really important that we get the best Congress we possibly can to make the most of the next four years and turn back the reactionary tide.” Although he spent a large portion of the CLINTON CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
W e s le y N g /HIGHLANDER Bill Clinton waves to the UC Irvine crowd.
Health care reform and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) were the primary topics of part two of the Meet the Ballot Political Speakers Series on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Panelists included Dr. Bradley Gilbert, CEO of Inland Empire Health Plan, Lisa Folberg, Vice President Medical and Regulatory Policy, California Medical Association, Dr. Rebecca Patchin, Chair on the Board of Trustees for the American Medical Association (AMA), and Dr. Michael Nduati Associate Dean of Medical Affairs of the UCR School of Medicine. After a night of discussion, the general consensus suggested needed reform to transform the ACA into a more workable policy, in terms of cost-control and extended coverage. Signed into law on March 23, 2010 by President Barack Obama, the ACA is one of the most extensive regulatory health care laws since the enactment of Medicaid in 1965. According to the moderator, Dr. Emma Simmons, many administrations have tried to do something to change the health care system but nothing has ever been done until now. “Although we have the best medical care in the whole world, we spend double, triple, what other industrialized countries do, but we fair poorly. On a [World Health Organization] list we are ranked 37 despite our spending and technology. We have a major problem for access in the country for the under and uninsured,” continued Dr. Simmons. When asked to simplify the ACA, the general consensus provided that financially-efficient health care coverage improves the overall quality and accessibility for all Americans. Dr. Patchin pointed out that some Americans would be declined coverage through their insurance providers because they forgot to mark that they had acne on their insurance application. As a result, patients would be denied life-saving HEALTH CONT’D ON PAGE 6
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Volume 61
Issue 06
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NEWS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
HIGHLANDER
UCR honored with environmental sustainability awards Carrie Meng STAFF WRITER
Last Thursday, UC Riverside was presented with awards from two local organizations in recognition of its recent achievements in sustainability. “It’s great getting recognition for what we have accomplished here on campus,” John Cook, the director of UCR’s Office of Sustainability, said of the two awards in a phone interview with the Highlander. “We’ve reduced green house gas emissions, implemented new green policies at UCR, improved transportation… there’s a lot more new technology,” he said. UCR was named the “Green Organization of the Year” by the Southern California Corporate Growth Partners and the Minority Business Development Agency (SCCGP/MBDA) Business Center, an organization funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA). Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful (KRCB), a community program sponsored by the city of Riverside and the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce (GRCC), presented the university with its “Outstanding Waste Management Award.”
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John Cook is the director of UCR’s Office of Sustainability.
The Riverside Marriott hotel, where the KRCB Community Recognition took place.
The SCCGP/MBDA Business Center aims to stimulate job creation and retention and advance the economic growth of eligible minority owned companies. KRCB organizes community beautification projects focused on litter prevention, graffiti eradication and tree planting projects year round. The two organizations presented the awards on Oct. 25 at separate luncheons—one
tion and renewable and clean energy. KRCB’s Outstanding Waste Management Award recognizes the campus’ effort in waste diversion and between July 1, 2011 and June 30, 2012, UCR recycled a total of 3,799.43 tons of waste. The university’s several food waste, campus construction, and recycling programs have kept UCR at a diversion rate of nearly 80 percent from landfills.
in Riverside and the other in Rancho Cucamonga. Representatives from the Office of Sustainability were present at both events. As a part of the 2012 Minority Enterprise Development Week Awards at the SCCGP/ MBDA Business Center, the “Green Organization of the Year” award recognizes the individual or organization’s leadership in promoting a sustainable environment, innova-
“We have a great acrossthe-campus stakeholder community. The students, faculty and staff are all involved,” said Cook. He noted that although the awards recognize what UCR has accomplished so far, there is still work to be done. “We need to get even more people involved... sustainability affects people in their work life and personal life,” Cook ■H said.
October/November
UPCOMING EVENTS Sunday
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What I Should Know Before Choosing a Graduate School 2:10 p.m. – 3:10 p.m. HUB 355 ASUCR Meeting 6:30 p.m. Senate Chambers
5 Days of Basic Nutrition: Sugar High 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. HUB 265
Fall Bike Registration 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. University Avenue Curve
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Graduate & Male Eyes in a Female Body Professional School 3:10 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Info Day INTN 3043 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. Rivera Library Men’s Volleyball vs. CSU Bakersfield 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. SRC Arena
Women’s Basketball vs. Cal Baptist (Exhibition) 3 p.m. – 5 p.m. SRC Arena
Fundamentals of Early Childhood Education Training: Pediatric First Aid/ CPR Training 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. UC Riverside Extension Center
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Sophomores: Your Career Game Plan 10 a.m. – 11 a.m. HUB 268 Law School Admissions Panel 2 p.m. – 3 p.m. HUB 268
Careers for Social Science Majors Noon -1:30 p.m. HUB 367 Law School Information Day 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Rivera Library,
Basic Elements of Public Speaking: How to Prepare and Perform a Successful Oral Presentation 3:10 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Rivera Library
3rd Annual Creative Coexistence 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. The Barn ASUCR Meeting 5 p.m. Senate Chambers
Women’s Basketball vs. Gonzaga 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. SRC Arena
SMI InformationAdvising Session 1:10 p.m. – 2 p.m. Pierce Hall 315
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Ari Shapiro: Inside the 2012 Election 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. HUB 302
Keck Graduate Institute Information Table 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. HUB Mall
Human Rights Talk The Invisible War: 3:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Rape in the Military CHASS INTS 1113 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. HUB 255 The Metal Children, a play by Adam Rapp Men’s Basketball vs. 8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Fresno State Arts Building Studio 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. Theatre, ARTS 113 SRC Arena
Men’s Volleyball vs. Cal Poly 7 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. SRC Arena
8th Annual Tuskegee Airmen Celebration 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Orbach Science Library
Mission Inn Fun Run 7 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. 5th & Market Street, Riverside
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NEWS
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012 TOWN HALL FROM PAGE 1
up from 2011-2012 to this year. The UCR School of Medicine received accreditation on Oct. 2, which will allow the inaugural enrollment of 50 medical students begin their studies in August of 2013. Chancellor White explained the dynamic of increased student enrollment and the urgent need for sustained state funding for the medical school. “On the one hand, we’re celebrating an enormous success, the first public medical school in California in over 47 years...but at the same time we haven’t been able to extract any persistent dollars out of Sacramento,” stated Chancellor White, who added that continued advocacy for higher education will take place despite of inconsistent state funding. With the accreditation for the UCR School of Medicine, students may now obtain a four-year medical education at UCR, instead of a mid-way relocation to UCLA. “The Thomas-Haider program, which has existed for 28 years, is not actually ending this year, it is transforming this year,” stated UCR School of Medicine Dean G. Richard Olds. “Historically for about the last 10 years, 24 students that did their undergraduate training for at least six semesters, have
gone into the [program], for which they spent two years on our campus and two years at UCLA.” Currently accepting applications on a rolling-basis, the new program will enroll 24 eligible UCR students and 26 will be slots open to the public, in which potential medical school applicants can apply through the online American College Application Service (AMCAS). With a 3:1 admissions ratio for UCR students, other candidates have a 10:1 chance in a pool of current applicants. Olds also noted that medical school deans are barred from the admissions process. Assigned by Chancellor White, the search for a founding dean of the UCR School of Public Policy is currently spearheaded by Executive Vice Provost Dallas Rabenstein. Deriving from the existing UCR faculty, the candidate is expected to be selected by late November or early December. Through a research and economic development plan, Chancellor White aims to expand a comprehensive fundraising campaign through private support, corporate partnerships and alumni resources. “Over the last five years, our ability to raise funds has now started to grow exponentially. This all occurred...in a very difficult economy where discretionary re-
HIGHLANDER sources have been hit exponentially,” stated White, who anticipates a five percent annual improvement in total yearly research funding due to the opening of the School of Medicine. “But of equal strategic importance for us is to get students engaged in cultural philanthropy while they’re still with us, so when they leave us as alumni, they stay engaged.” Last year’s senior class pledged $25,532, which will fund services for student veterans at UCR. Expanding communications include a 75 percent increase of over 17,500 in UCR Facebook fans, along with 15.5 million visits to UCR’s homepage. Including the 34.7 million page views to UCR’s Living the Promise campaign, nearly 74.1 million impressions have been left through online news outlets, social blogs or even hashtag references. Lastly, leadership transitions will include the replacement of interim Vice Chancellor of Finance and Business Operations Chuck Rowley through which airport interviews will be conducted in lateNovember. A search committee led by Dean of the UCR Graduate Division seeks to fill in the soonvacant position of retired University Librarian Ruth Jackson. In succession of Michele Coyle, Da-
vid Bergquist was named interim General Counsel effective Nov.1. Launching a search for UCR’s next chancellor, UC Vice Provost Aimee Dorr collected input from the UCR community on Oct. 18. A search committee will select a candidate for interim chancellor, who will be sent for regental approval during the Nov. 13 to 15 bimonthly UC Board of Regents meeting. The overall search for a permanent chancellor may range from six to 18 months. “As I have told President Yudof and Provost Dorr...that the question for them and for us is to not ask a new chancellor what we should be doing but to ask a new chancellor this is where we’re going, how are you going to help us get there?” said Chancellor White. “And that should be the criterion by which a new chancellor is chosen. UCR is in a position of strength and don’t ever doubt that.” In regards to his departure, Chancellor White expressed the difficult decision to fulfill a greater role in the California and not due to any ill-will toward the campus. “You individually and the campus in the larger, greater Riverside community collectively will remain a part of me and my family forever. My many thanks, distinct priviledge really, of serving you as H your chancellor,” stated White. ■
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
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ASUCR update: special election held for new senator S a n dy V a n SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Assembling for the weekly Senate meeting on Oct. 25, ASUCR members reported on campuswide projects to strengthen bonds within the student body, which began across the board. A special elections meeting was conducted on Monday, Oct. 22, which saw the instatement of CNAS Senator Ahlam Jadallah to the student government. President Pro-Tempore Sai Patadia and head of the Legislative Review Committee (LRC) motioned for the passage of a public relations and outreach bylaw for greater transparency purposes. During the public forum, a student proposed the entry of food truck venues to increase dining diversity options on campus. According to chapter six and item 13 of the ASUCR Elections Code, a special elections meeting may be held to fill a vacated senate seat. “Due to the change in the Constitution, any representative from any of the three colleges (CNAS, CHASS, BCOE) could fill the vacant spot in Senate,” Special Elections Director Harmony Chai told the Highlander. The meeting was open to the UCR campus, where speeches were heard by the top two alternates of each college from the previous election cycle. ASUCR senators voted in favor of Ahlam Jadallah, who will be succeeding former CNAS Senator Martin Maduakor. Announced by Senator Patadia, the LRC passed a public relations bylaw in order to encourage greater accountability between ASUCR and the student body. An outreach bylaw was also passed, which now includes a clarification section that specifies certain roles of general
outreach members. Lastly, Senator Patadia announced finalized efforts to restructure the brandnew ASUCR constitution, by fixing grammatical errors, renewing senatorial positions and updating bylaws. Taking the podium during the public forum period, Campus Ambassador of Student United Way (SUW) Elliot Thompson requested ASUCR support for his food truck proposal. Establishing initial collaborations with Senator Chris Salvador and Brian Leung, Thompson hopes to allow food trucks temporary on-campus entry to expand an ethnically-diverse array of healthy and vegetarian options. Thompson seeks to network through ASUCR in order to garner student input about possible food options. A flat-rate passage fee for food venues may potentially raise revenue for student organizations that partake in the festivities, while creating greater campus involve■H ment.
D a m i n g Y e /HIGHLANDER
During the public forum, a student addresses the ASUCR senate about a food truck proposal.
Top 10 Meeting Highlights: 1. Over 800 students were registered to vote during the final voter registration day on Oct. 22; continuing efforts will include the Get Out the Vote (GOTV) initiative. 2. Free pizza, senatorial photos and a public whiteboard drew attention to the “Meet the Senate” event located at the HUB Plaza last week. Students were given a chance to interact with ASUCR senators and learn about campuswide initiatives. 3. To increase campus involvement, portable storage units may one day be pro-
NEWS IN BRIEF
vided to organizations during weekly nooner events. 4. Works-in-progress include the Big Buddy program, which involves matching a fellow UCR student with a first year, while maintaining contact throughout their college career. A Cubbiesfor-Commuters program is also starting up to provide a storage space for on-the-go students. 5. Discussions with UCR Director of Housing Andy Plumley has bred the idea of renovating the Barn to include surrounding buildings
COMPILED BY MELISA BIVIAN,
and ultimately a Barn Plaza. 6. To increase ASUCR public relations, plans for a GPS-monitored weather balloon launch is currently underway, which will be located at the Bell Tower. 7. Collaborations with CNAS Dean Marylynn Yates involve the planning of Discovery Day to showcase graduate research on-campus and a UCR-version of the Long Nights of Arts & Innovation. 8. Recent GCAP projects include a waste character-
c o m m u n i t y. Ron Loveridge has been the mayor of Riverside for the last 18 years, a fullfledged resident for almost 50 years and a UCR medallion nominee for his philanthropic contributions to Riverside. Acc o r d i n g t o U C R To d a y, h e w a s a w a r d e d the medallion due to his visions, leadership and transformative impact on the c o m m u n i t y. A s a p r o f e s s o r o f p o l i t i c a l science at UCR, he has helped students by providing internship opportunities in the real world that would contribute to their future goals and aspirations.
UCR SOBA NAMED IN PRINCETON REVIEW On Oct. 9, the Princeton Review recognized the UCR School of Business Administration (SoBA) among the nation’s best business schools in its “The Best 296 Busi ness Schools: 2013 Edition.” The Princeton Review doesn’t rank the schools from number 1 to 296; instead 11 categories are created where the top 10 business schools are acknowledged. The Princeton Review conducted a nationwide evaluation of business school based on academic programs and institutional data provided by faculty, staff and community input. Student input was also collected through an 80 question survey, released by the Princeton Review.
9. Future on-campus events include a Fear factor tournament, which is still in its initial stages and a Guinness World Record event, scheduled for next year ’s Homecoming. 10. Senators are looking into the possible distribution of snack packs during midterm or finals’ week.
contributing writer
UCR MEDALLION AWARDED TO RIVERSIDE MAYOR AND WIFE On Oct. 13, the UCR Alumni Associat i o n a n d t h e F o u n d a t i o n B o a r d o f Tr u s t e e s h o s t e d i t s a n n u a l C h a n c e l l o r ’s D i n n e r, which included student entertainment and t h e A l u m n i Aw a r d s o f D i s t i n c t i o n . C h a n cellor White awarded Mayor Ron Loveridge and Marsha Loveridge the UCR Medallion. Aside from the medallion, three alumni were each awarded the The D i s t i n g u i s h e d A l u m n u s Aw a r d , A l u m n i S e r v i c e Aw a r d a n d O u t s t a n d i n g Yo u n g A l u m n u s Aw a r d . F o r t h e p a s t f o u r y e a r s , the annual dinner has been held to honor prominent contributors to the Riverside
ization project as an effort to improve composting and recycling practices. Additional funding was passed to support the solar panel program in Lot 30 for one year.
SoBA received an esteemed ranking due to their academic inspiration to the students. According to SoBA, they focus on two sets of themes: the first is “Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Growth,” and the other is “Leadership, Strategic Thinking and Personal Growth.” The graduate program seeks to make students into entrepreneurial scholars and world-wide leaders in their future careers. Established in 1972, SoBA was the first research-based professional school in the Inland Empire. Not only does SoBA have the largest un dergraduate program, but it is also home to the A. Gary Anderson Graduate School of Management.
CHANCELLOR WHITE SIGNS MEMORANDUM WITH PRESIDENT KARL-DIETER U C R C h a n c e l l o r Ti m o t h y W h i t e r e c e n t l y signed a memorandum of understanding with President Karl-Dieter Gruske of Friedrich-Ale x a n d e r U n i v e r s i t ä t ( FA U ) , E r l a n g e n - N ü r e m b e r. O n O c t . 5 , t h e m e m o r a n d u m w a s s i g n e d a t U C R ’s A l u m n i a n d Vi s i t o r s C e n t e r. T h r o u g h the memorandum of understanding, UCR and FA U w i l l n o w e n g a g e i n a c h i e v i n g c o m m o n a c ademic goals within their respective universities. Both universities seek to increase civic student participation by creating more awareness a b o u t p r o b l e m s a ff e c t i n g e a c h s e p a r a t e c o m m u n i t y. C o m m u n i t y a c t i v i t i e s m a y i n c l u d e v i s i t s a n d i n f o r m a l e x c h a n g e s o f f a c u l t y, j o i n t c o n ferences, and joint research programs and coll a b o r a t i o n s . A n o t h e r g o a l i s t o o rg a n i z e g l o b a l awareness events meant to mold individuals into leaders, who will take on a positive role in t h e i r c o m m u n i t y. U C R a n d FA U d i d n o t s i m p l y f o c u s o n t h e i r individuals goals, but may possibly collaborate t o c r e a t e a 3 + 2 p r o g r a m . I n t h i s p r o g r a m , FA U students will be able to study for three years at their university and then transfer to UCR to complete two more years. The program will end in five years where students will receive a b a c h e l o r ’s d e g r e e i n e n g i n e e r i n g f r o m FA U a n d a m a s t e r ’s d e g r e e f r o m U C R . T h r o u g h t h i s program, students will be able to finish a year earlier and will gain international experience.
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HIGHLANDER
UCR Gluck Fellows Program receives honorable distinction Dean Mayorga STAFF WRITER
The Gluck Fellows Program of the Arts at UC Riverside, active since 1996, was honored by the Max H. Gluck Foundation Oct. 13 for its collaborative effort to integrate art with local outreach. “This award was for our long service with [the Max H. Gluck foundation],” stated Christine Leapman, coordinator of the UCR Gluck Fellows Program of the Arts. Although we’ve been [here] longer than 15 years, this was for our 15th year.” The event took place at the Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles for the bi-annual dinner of the Gluck Foundation. All programs associated with the foundation sent representatives to the event where members got a chance to network and converse about possible outreach practices. Approximately 23 programs affiliated with the Gluck Foundation were in attendance. Leapman, along with the director of the program, Professor Erika Suderburg, Senior Executive Director of Development, Marie Schultz, and associate dean of the UCR College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS), Shaun Bowler, all accepted the accolade, which was a framed print created by Sister Mary Corita Kent. The print was presented to them by Board President of the Gluck Foundation, Jon Kas-
wick. “I was very excited and proud to go receive it from Dr. Kaswick,” Leapman said. “[I was] very happy to be representing UCR.” The Gluck fellows program hosts numerous events celebrating art such as Gluck Day of the Arts, Summer Camp for the Arts and the First Sundays programs at the Sweeney Art Gallery and the California Museum of Photography—an offcampus CHASS department of UCR. According to the Gluck Fellows’ website, the purpose of the program is to “create opportunities for students and faculty of the departments of art, creative writing, dance, history of art, music and theatre to bring their creativity to Riverside County venues, such as schools, elder care facilities and community centers.” Leapman has been involved with the Gluck Fellows program on campus since 2008. Since her arrival, she has seen the program grow to include the Alvord Unified School District in its outreach efforts. Raised in the city of Riverside, Leapman is an alumnus of UCR and previously worked in the arts administration of her own company in London, United Kingdom. “The Gluck Foundation is confident in our abilities and that they appreciate the work that we’re doing. They recognize the importance of the contribution that our fellows make to the community,” stated Leap-
C o u rt e s y o f UCR T o d ay The UCR Gluck Fellows Program is honored by Camilla Townsend, executive director of the Max H. Gluck Foundation (left).
man in response to the award. She also made references to possible outreach areas that the Gluck Fellows program has yet to embark on such as health care facilities including hospices and hospitals. Currently, the arts program is working with the California Poet Laureate, Juan Felipe Herrera, who is this year’s Gluck artist and resident. They are collaborating on an anti-bullying project titled, “I promise Joanna.” For Leapman, she described the work she has done as being fulfilling. “I very much enjoy it. It keeps me very busy. I get to meet a lot of people and I get to express my creative side as H well,” expressed Leapman. ■
C o u rt e s y o f G l u c k F ell o w s P r o gr a m o f t h e A rt s at UCR Ballet Folklorico de UCR event takes place at the Riverside Highgrove Library.
J i n y o u n g K o /HIGHLANDER Panelist Dr. Bradley Gilbert (far left) answers a health care question. W e s le y N g /HIGHLANDER From left to right: Julia Brownley, Raul Ruiz, Scott Peters, President Bill Clinton, Alan Lowenthal and Mark Takano.
CLINTON FROM PAGE 1
evening discussion national politics and the presidential election, Clinton took time to address the circumstances of California and particularly, the circumstances of the largely collegeaged crowd. “I have tried to be a friend of California,” said Clinton. “When I was president I came here 29 times in just my first term. Because of all the economic challenges that California faced back in ‘92, I have been through this before. And I just want to say a few things to set the stage for the candidates here, and those in the audience and the issues and we’re facing and the choices before us. Because I remember what it was like. And I saw California flat of its back and I saw California come roaring back to lead America into the 21st century. First of all, we live in a world. Not just a state, not just
a nation, a world. Full of enormous possibilities represented by you, and by UC Irvine and by the finest system of public higher education ever created that has been under assault now for years by the economy and from the Republican party.” When addressing his reasons for endorsing Takano, Clinton cited his experience as a public school teacher and a trustee of a community college. In the process, Clinton touched on some of the difficulty faced by public higher education to meet the growing employment demands of the science and technology job markets. “If every school in the UC system, let’s say, got this information at the beginning of every year. ‘Here’s what the profile is, here’s what America needs, here’s what California needs,’ here it is, at least tell the students. Tell them so they’ll know.
Give them this information. This is the kind thing that a practical, nonideological caring person who actually has helped to run a community college network will do for you, and the best reason to elect Mark Takano to the United States Congress.” The reaction from UCI students after the event was one of enthusiasm. “Getting the chance to see President Clinton speak for the Democratic Party at UC Irvine was inspirational and motivating,” said Deshani Senewiratne, a fourth-year international studies major at UC Irvine. “His support of education for students stirs passion and renews our hope and commitment for the future. President Clinton reminded us that with action and courage, it is important to pave the future for our generation and future generations to ■H come.”
HEALTH FROM PAGE 1
treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy. Dr. Patchin supported the ACA because the act provided more access, where problems like this “donut hole coverage” problem could be solved. Dr. Lisa Folberg mentioned that the ACA expanded government programs, yet restricted insurance agencies in terms of funding for patient care, while limiting profit. First and foremost, Dr. Gilbert stated that he supported the ACA, but questioned how much the act has improved the overall health care system. By providing more affordable access to insurance, he wondered why the ACA did not provide di-
rect access to care. The Insurance Exchange provided by this bill will make insurance cheaper, but one of the problems lies in the fact that there is no cost control. People might pay the fine created rather than pay to be covered because they find the fine more affordable or making better sense than to make such an expensive long term investment. Overall, the panelists agreed that the ACA needs work, and lent a hand to attendees to make the fine print of the complex law much more comprehensible. Part three of the Before the Ballot Political Speaker Series takes place on Oct. 30 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Located in HUB 302, the topic for the night is the debate over gay marriage. ■H
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
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$250,000 grant awarded to fund bibliographical research project Lauren Green CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Michael Rios SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The UCR Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research (CBSR) has received a grant of $250,000 from the Institute for Museum and Library Services. The award is dedicated to the Un Catalogo Colectivo de Impresos Latino Americanos hasta 1851, or the CCILA, which is an ongoing project of the CBSR that looks to catalog printed work of Latin American and the Philippines. The grant will enhance the size of the database, as well as scholars’ access to Latin American works dating back to 1851. CBSR is a research center that catalogs and archives a variety of works. According to its website, the center “seeks to support and encourage intra- and extramural study in its chosen areas of specialization.” The grant will provide students with further access to early Latin American works that were previously difficult to track down or obtain. The project is composed of two phases. This grant funds the second phase of the CCILA project, which is the expan-
sion of the database to include more sources of early Latin American works from other libraries, and consolidate them into one. Phase two will double the size of the database. The first phase of the project has already been completed. It involved importing significant printed bibliographies and library catalogs into a file of approximately 60,000 entries from about 500 libraries. Written works are translated in Portuguese, Spanish and original native languages. Expansive cataloging of Latin American literature is known for being a greatly understudied area, according to UCR Today. The long-term goal of the project is to enable scholars of Latin American bibliographic studies to have an open avenue to the printed material, heretofore exclusive, to academia and UCR. The catalog, available at the CBSR website, is a free resource open to all students. In a press release, Brian Geiger, the director of the CBSR, commented on the grant they received from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS). “IMLS’s support will profoundly transform research based on early Latin Ameri-
W e s le y N g /HIGHLANDER Located in Highlander Hall, the UCR Center for Bibliographic Studies and Research houses Latin American and Filipino literature.
can printing,” he said, “and will go a long way to providing the unified catalog that scholars and librarians have sought for decades.” Created in 1996, the IMLS is an independent U.S. agency that provides most federal funding to museums and libraries nationwide. According to the CBSR website, since the project’s inception, Geiger has visited libraries all across the globe
in hopes of soliciting participation from as many sources as possible to contribute to the CCILA. His travels have taken him to libraries in Latin America, North America and Europe. As reported by Geiger, interest in Latin American studies has grown over the last few years and the timing of the research grant could not be better for the CBSR. “North American interest
in the culture, history and art of the one-time Spanish and Portuguese sphere has increased dramatically in recent decades,” Geiger stated in a press release. The CBSR hopes to cater to the growing interest in the Latin American culture by completing the remaining phase of the CCILA project with the help of the $250,000 grant that is currently funding ■H the research.
UCR computer scientists receive $1.2 million grant
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A r o o b a C h a u d h ry CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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A team of UC Riverside computer scientists has received a $1.2 million grant from The National Science Foundation to mine data from pediatric intensive care units. Leading UCR computer science Professor Eamonn Keogh is working with professors of computer engineering, Dr. Walid Najjar and Vasilis Tsotras, to identify binary relationships, which may potentially save lives and reduce healthcare costs. Keogh is working closely with Dr. Randall Wetzel, a doctor from Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles, as well as graduate student David Kale. Through the creation of fast, specialized software, Professor Keogh’s team hopes to use algorithms to find patterns that will provide doctors with another resource of information for treating patients. Keogh plans to use a process called “Machine Learning,” in which a computer learns with more experience. Keogh related this to how an email inbox filters spam. Essentially, the two basic phases of this detailed operation are mining and monitoring. Normally, vital sign data such as heartbeat, respiration rate and temperature is measured through sensors that are hooked up to a patient. Most of the data collected is discarded, since health physicians typically only record numbers such as a patient’s daily temperature. This data, however, is on record at the Dr. Wetzel of the Children’s Hospital, which has stored a collection of archives for 10 years. The collection includes sets of data called a time series, which is used to keep track of a patient’s health over a period of time. Keogh claimed the easy part of the project is encoding the algorithms in the computer software at the hospital and having it constantly monitor for a rule. The challenging parts of the process is actually
for the Highlander
C o u rt e s y o f i r i s h pre s s rele a s e s . i e UCR computer science professor Eamonn Keogh focuses on data mining as his area of research.
finding the algorithms. “You want to find rules in data,” said Keogh. “Most rules in the data though, are either wrong or trivial.” An example might be that one may find that people who have babies tend to be female. Although this is perfectly valid, it’s a rule that is already known. Keogh and his team will display the results of all mined data as estimated percentages on graphic charts. Any degree of uncertainty is commonly experienced in health examinations, due to a number of external factors that may affect the results. “The initial monitoring will occur by replicating patients through computer simulations, in which data will be gathered and monitored in real time,” states Keogh. Afterwards, Keogh and his team can decide whether or not they have found something that should be brought to the attention of the medical community. “Telling the algorithm what rule to find and containing that rule is really the great
challenge actually,” said Keogh. Once they propose a certain rule through publishing papers, people may do follow-up studies to validate it. After validation, Keogh promotes his philosophy of reproducibility and claims the world can do what it wants with the information. How did they actually obtain an approval for their project’s money proposal? Early stages of experimentation involved the use of insect prototypes. Most notably, Keogh and team received the best paper award this year for looking at a set of trillion data points— the largest mining data paper ever published. The team is well on their way to starting up their research that will improve the quality of pediatric care. “This kind of thing is very close to our hearts that we can make a medical difference. [And] my key to research is, if you can find something you’re passionate it in, it’s not work it’s basically fun at that point,” stated Keogh. ■H
Meetings on Mondays at 5:15 pm at HUB 101
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Presidential Candidates Compared President Barack Obama: actions speak louder than words T i m R. A g u i l a r STAFF WRITER
Our nation is forward thinking, focused on matters immediate to our circumstances. We have been tested by slavery, war, civil rights and the Great Depression. We have pushed through adversity addressing socioeconomic injustice, a struggle that continues. Today, we are in the grips of a devastating economic downturn and as we seek to restore our economy, never in our nation’s history has it been more important to give action, not words its proper due come November. I premise the following by saying, “He who hangs from a politicians promise hangs from a thread. Actions are a politician’s greatest measure.” Not a member of Congress, on either side of the aisle, will deny that President Obama inherited the largest deficit in this nation’s history, at $10.626 trillion. When President Obama took office, the economy was losing 800,000 jobs a month. Now, we’ve seen 31 consecutive months of job growth and 5.2 million new private sector jobs. On the other hand, under the leadership of Governor Romney, the State of Massachusetts fell from 36th to 47th out of 50 states in job creation and lost more than 40,000 manufacturing jobs, twice the national average. Under Obama’s leadership, since January 2010, U.S. manufacturing has added 459,000 jobs—the most manufacturing job growth in a decade. The economy was in free fall when Obama took office and he stopped the bleeding and turned the tide, a tide that has been like no other, given global economic dynamics. When Romney supported bankruptcy of the auto industry, which would have given an edge to foreign imports, Obama stood firm and refused to turn his back on Americans, saving more than one million jobs. Romney, on the other hand, failed to protect jobs in Massachusetts, as governor, and outsourced state jobs to India. This is more than a numbers game; it is about doing the right thing
in difficult times. In the State of Texas, the unemployment rate fell to 6.8 percent last month down from 7.9 a year ago. And in Central Ohio unemployment dropped below 6 percent, for the first time since the recession, to 5.7 percent last month, which was at 7.4 a year ago. Unemployment rates in 41 states fell to 7.8 percent down from 9 percent a year ago, but this trend does not play well for Romney’s campaign. So instead of hearing percentages you will hear unruly numbers from the Romney campaign because they are dramatic and divert your attention from an economy on the rebound. But the trend is undeniable and gives credence to an economy being restored responsibly notwithstanding Republican’s refusal to pass Obama’s jobs stimulus bill. President Obama not only promised tax cuts to the middle class, but delivered, saving the average middle class family $3,600 annually, in his first term. Comparatively, Governor Romney cut taxes for himself and 278 of the wealthiest individuals, in Massachusetts, and went on to increase taxes and fees to the middle class. Obama has developed a specific budget plan to reduce the deficit by $4 trillion over 10 years, which includes $1 trillion in spending cuts. His plan has been verified by the non-profit, non-partisan Tax Policy Center. The center also examined Romney’s proposal and determined that it would reduce federal revenues by $480 billion in 2015 and create a tax cut just this side of $5 trillion over 10 years, by increasing taxes on the middle class and decreasing taxes on the wealthy. Governor Romney left Massachusetts with a debt of $1 billion and borrowed $600 million to maintain basic government services, something he vowed never to do. When weighing action and words, there is no question that Obama made promises regarding our economic circumstances based on collective and sound economic strategies, but he did not deliver. Neither did he anticipate a Republican controlled Con-
gress that would place their political agenda before the interest of the people and vow to make him their number one priority—a one term president. I can’t help but have absolute disdain for this position when our country suffers from conditions created by the Bush Administration. Despite these difficulties Obama has managed to turn an economy around and resurrect the idea that more than economics drive this nation. There are issues of social justice, equity and access on the line in November. President Obama supported women in their struggle for equality and signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a bill that helps women fight against pay discrimination; a bill that Governor Romney refused to take a position on and a bill that his running mate, Senator Paul Ryan, opposed. On the matter of gay rights, Obama committed his support to the gay community in their struggle for equal protection under the law, in all regards. Governor Romney, in response to the Massachusetts’s Supreme Court decision upholding gay marriages said, “I disagree… Marriage is an institution between a man and a woman. I will support an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution to make that expressly clear.” Obama’s positions have been clear and consistent and Romney’s positions have been a moving target. One day Russia is our greatest threat, a nation that supported UN sanctions on Iran, the harshest in world history and the next day Iran is our greatest threat. Obama ended the Iraq War and brought all our troops home, a position Romney disagrees with. President Obama supports the rights of women to make their own health care choices without political interference. Romney believes women’s health choices should be legislated by government and will seek to overturn Roe v. Wade. President Obama supported funding of Planned Parenthood, one of the largest providers of women’s health services and Governor Romney vowed to eliminate all federal funding for
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Planned Parenthood, directly affecting millions of women across this nation, as parents and employees. In matters of education, President Obama’s budget doubles funding for Pell Grants and establishes an education tax credit. His student loan reform has saved over $60 billion and prevented interest rate increases on student loans, creating greater access to higher education for low income households. Romney, on the other hand, supports education vouchers, which sends tax dollars to private institutions reducing funding for public education. Romney said if you want to start a business or go to college, borrow money from your parents. He has led a privileged life and sees the world through rose-colored glasses. This is not a fault, but a reality that does not exist for millions across this
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nation. This election may lead to the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court. Four sitting justices are over the age of 74, two Democratic and two Republican appointees. A vacancy on either side of this equation may affect decisions regarding gay marriage, women’s health, unlimited corporate campaign contributions, voting rights and affirmative action. Consequently, when weighing actions and words, actions do not lie. Therefore, if you are seeking sustainable economic growth, tax equity, foreign diplomacy, protection of our environment, social justice and looking to improve the overall health of this nation from the middle out, down and up then the choice is clearly President Obama. It is action not words that speak loudest in this ■H matter.
A new perpsective: the liberal case for Governor Mitt Romney Colin Markovich STAFF WRITER
On Nov. 4, 2008, people everywhere across the nation stood transfixed to their televisions, straining to catch a glimpse of whom our democracy had decided would be fittest to shepherd our country out of a recessionary disaster. And in an overwhelming victory Barack Obama was swept into office with the wind of huge popular support at his back to staunch the bleeding of jobs, disentangle ourselves from the morasses in the Middle East, and pass legislation on immigration and climate change. The nation collectively held its breath as it waited to see if President Obama could deliver on his message of hope and change. It’s been a long four years. According to Gallup, President Obama’s approval ratings are down 19 points from his post-election high four years ago. The RealClearPolitics polling average shows that a major-
ity believes that the nation is headed in the wrong direction. Immigration and climate change bills never materialized, and the tension surrounding the country’s rocky relationships in the Middle East has ratcheted up. And the real unemployment rate remains at 14.7 percent. President Obama’s second campaign is remarkably devoid of change, or hope. This time, it is Mitt Romney who now represents the country’s best hope for change. To be sure, no single person could have solved crises so great in number and magnitude in only four years. And President Obama has taken positive action to stem the loss of jobs, as well as making great strides on a number of social issues. But though these accomplishments are positive on the surface, they belie a more pessimistic story when viewed through a magnifying glass. The vast majority of bills passed through Congress during President Obama’s tenure occurred during the first two years—when Democrats
were firmly in control of Congress. In 2010 the story changed. Though the Senate remained in Democratic hands, Republicans won control of the House of Representatives. With that, the legislative process ground to a halt. Congress passed 385 public and private laws from 2009 to 2010. That number was sliced in half during the following two years, and many of those laws were only temporary stopgap measures that never became permanent. The dysfunction of Washington was epitomized by the debate over raising the debt ceiling during the summer of 2011. A necessary measure to avoid defaulting on the nation’s debt was mutated into a holy crusade against spending that almost led to the country defaulting, imploding the entire world economy. President Obama, to his credit, extended an olive branch numerous times to House Republicans. But they singlemindedly thumbed their noses at the peace offering, resulting in a hair-rais-
ing roller coaster ride that ended only when a vote to raise the debt ceiling was traded for a promised $1 trillion in cuts. But again due to Washington dysfunction, the $1 trillion in cuts never materialized. Now, defense, education, infrastructure and myriad important budget items are on the chopping block. Should Congress fail to act, these programs will all receive the axe. Frankly, if President Obama is reelected, it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll be able to avert catastrophe. House Republicans have refused to compromise with the president, leading to a political paralysis that has prevented action on pressing issues, including government assistance to ensure lower food prices, action on energy development, and most damningly, the inability to pass a budget. Does anyone really believe that the same Republicans who so vociferously stonewalled anything the President put forward will suddenly have an epiphany about the power of
compromise and cooperate with the president after the elections? Anyone who thinks that the anti-Obama fever of House Republicans will break after November 6 and a glorious age of cooperative lawmaking will be ushered in is delusional. They have been convinced that shadows are reality; a second term for Barack Obama will not make them leave Plato’s metaphorical cave. But House Republicans would be willing to see the light and work with a President Romney. Instead of President Obama’s offering of votives in vain to petulant House Republicans, Governor Romney would be able to convince them to come to the table ready to compromise. If President Obama is reelected, the mandatory $1 trillion in cuts will likely devastate the country’s economy, not because President Obama wants it to occur, but because he will be powerless to stop House Republicans from driving ROMNEY CONT’D ON PAGE 9
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the car over the fiscal cliff. Governor Romney would have the power to broker a deal and thereby prevent our fragile economy from collapsing overnight. Despite the empty rhetoric both candidates employ on the campaign stump, Governor Romney is not a conservative. He is a moderate. His long struggle in the Republican primary is evidence of that. He managed to secure victory in his 2002 campaign for the governorship of heavily Democratic Massachusetts by almost the same margin that then-Senator Obama won in his race for the presidency. His tenure as governor featured him working with the huge Democratic majorities in the state legislature to pass a state ban on assault weapons, increased penalties for drunk drivers and a health care reform law that expanded coverage to 98 percent of Massachusetts. Famously, it served as President Obama’s model for his own health care reform bill. In addition, one of the jobs of the president is to work with hundreds of conflicting interests and manage their demands. This simple fact results in presidents forced into pragmatism and moderation, something even Ronald Reagan found it incumbent upon himself to do.
Although both candidates are guilty of oversimplifying complex problems, Governor Romney has raised serious issues that the Democratic Party fails to address. His plan to reform Social Security is a start. Because Social Security is funded by workers to pay for the retired, and our population is gradually aging, there is less funding for Social Security and more payouts to retirees. This is not a complicated problem; it’s only arithmetic, as Bill Clinton would put it. But Democrats continue to insist that there is no problem with Social Security and it is solvent into the foreseeable future. Governor Romney’s plan to repair the Social Security program is itself by no means perfect, but having a plan is a starting point for a dialogue, and is infinitely better than having no plan, as is the case with the Democrats. In the areas where the president has latitude to take action on his own, Governor Romney’s positions are not much different from President Obama’s. Governor Romney supported the president’s course of action in Egypt, where Egyptians deposed despotic Hosni Mubarak in a revolution. Both candidates declared that they “will stand with Israel if it’s attacked,” and supported “crippling sanctions” against Iran. The distinction between the two candidates is
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more stylistic than it is based on policy. If anything, Governor Romney displayed a better understanding of the world than most candidates, recognizing that the United States’ relationship with China is symbiotic, not parasitic, and observing that the United States needs to maintain a positive relationship with Pakistan because of its geopolitical importance, despite recent calls to eliminate support for the country. Governor Romney is certainly not correct on all the issues; for that matter, neither is President Obama. But a Romney Presidency would look much different from a second Obama Presidency. Critical issues that our country needs to solve, such as energy policy and entitlement reform, will be addressed. The nation’s foreign policy, better than it has been in years, will be fine-tuned. And most importantly, laws will actually be passed. Unlike President Obama, Governor Romney will be able to moderate between House Republicans and Senate Democrats to form difficult compromises our country desperately needs. President Obama is a good person with good ideas. But through no fault of his own, he simply lacks the leadership authority to change ideas into reality. Governor Romney will be able to translate ideas into action and do his country a ■H great service in the process.
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Little white lies: the reasons to vote for a third-party candidate J o s h ua W a g o n b l a s t STAFF WRITER
No one ever thinks of voting for the little man. Some may disagree with me and say that they support the underdog, but America’s “two-party system” has dominated the political race thus far. President Obama and Governor Romney seem to be the only options being considered. Hardly anyone accepts the fact that students, including myself, have dwelt on contrary alternatives; specifically for a candidate that may have a hard time getting elected, but is nonetheless another viable choice and is someone whom I will be casting my vote for. Gary Johnson first felt like a replacement to the previous Libertarian ticket holder, Ron Paul. Although Ron Paul was unfairly looked down upon by most political analysts, many supported his cause. This was until Romney became the official Republican nominee, and now that the debates between the president and the Massachusetts governor have been re-televised all over the networks and discussed as a rattling pursuit for higher election polls, people have ignored their other contender. Johnson’s progression in the battle for president has been slow, but well sought-out, and he begets interesting questions and well-to-be deliberated contrasting views. Governor Johnson has advocated for a change in big government, such as ridding the elections of unfair advantages caused by the shunning of involvement from other political parties. The reason that the third party politicians have been looked down upon is because the Democrats and the
Republicans have been provided with the best funding possible; this makes it easier for the two-party system to stay intact. Without a change such as expanding on the national debates by allowing other runners to participate, this country will be stuck in a black and white spectrum. Now, our country has been brought up to believe that our vote is wasted if we do not support a failing system. So, who do we vote for? Well, which candidates can even be believed these days? The Pulitzer Prize winning website PolitiFact summarizes this: Romney’s statements are 31 percent true (another 27 percent being half true), Obama’s are recorded as 45 percent true (also an additional 27 percent being half true), and Gary Johnson sits with a comfortable 76 percent true and none being completely false (indicated by the website’s “pants on fire category”). I know these are just statistics, but I’m sending in my vote for Johnson because I believe we need a change in how the government works and because I want a national crackdown on spending, less interference abroad on our part, the right to bear arms, a redefining in the drug laws, affordable energy, a beneficial and simple way for illegal immigrants to rightfully become citizens, increased access to health care with a reduced cost, better education, elimination of the business tax and Internal Revenue service, and soon a progression that will put America back on its well deserved pedestal. Less interference abroad is an important issue in the long drawn out foreign policy debates. Both candidates, Romney and Obama, have equally
promised to end all wars, pull out troops and decrease American intervention in foreign affairs. This is all well and good, but what about deploying more soldiers into Afghanistan, budging into Libya and using a threat of war as a tactic against Iran? Obama has been the advocator for all three of these previous decisions. What about Obama’s challenger? Romney will influence more turmoil is what the democrats say, and Obama has specifically commented that Romney has “often talked as if we should take premature military action.” Let’s look at the facts: Obama has failed to improve America’s status in the Muslim World; he has failed to establish a reasonable amount of residual troops in foreign countries; and he has failed to strong-arm Israel. I am not a fan of Romney’s foreign policies, especially since most of them sit in agreement with the current president’s. The most recent debate is proof of that. Either way, while the majorities bicker, the only third party candidate to have their name on the ballot in all 50 states, Gary Johnson, has fully addressed the issues abroad with honesty. He admits to America’s faults rather than pulling out blurbs of numbers and rationalizing poor decisions, saying that there should be “no foreign aid spending unless it predicts U.S. interests.” He believes that a tough national defense should be the last of our country’s concerns, and, when reflecting upon the $16 trillion deficit, it is clear that the people of the United States should not be involved in foreign policy programs because the protection of the nation’s domestic interests is
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more important. Another immensely significant matter is the economy. The president’s campaign has focused on the statistical improvements and allegations that the Bush administration is still at fault for everything. Of course, the republicans continue to blame the democrats, claiming that Obama has left his guarantees on the side of the road. Mr. Romney is certain that President Obama has made the recession worse, increased unemployment and “added almost as much debt as all the prior president’s combined.” Naturally, on the opposite side of the spectrum, Obama promotes exactly what Romney says he hasn’t been
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doing; he is going to create jobs and keep a watch on government spending because according to him he has saved the United States from another great depression. Remember, these are all just contentions used to win the votes of the undecided people. Johnson boldly comes clear and easily states that we are borrowing too much, a statement Romney has also made, but the New Mexico Governor emphasizes our faults with printing money. He also believes the real answers lie with a budget proposal made without the intent to please each side’s headstrong beliefs, and rather to come to a balanced JOHNSON CONT’D ON PAGE 11
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HIGHLANDER
Yes on prop 36: coming in last isn’t always the worst Sean Frede CONTRIBUTING WRITER
The good ‘ole USA has always been numero uno, right brother? Number one! What exactly are we number one at, though? I’m pretty sure we got that diabetes thing on lock down, but what else? It turns out there is another strange statistic that we dominate at: incarceration. The U.S. leads the world in prison inmates at 2.3 million criminals behind bars. That means one in every 100 Americans is locked up. And now we have a proposition on the ballot that could knock us off this number one spot? I say go for it, I’m tired of being number one. We have held this ranking for too long. Under the current three-strikes law, a person convicted of a felony who has two or more serious or violent felonies is sentenced to 25-to-life, regardless of the latest crime. Proposition 36 revises the three-strikes law so that you must be convicted of a serious or violent third felony to be given life in prison. It will offer re-sentencing for offenders serving life sentences if their third-strike conviction was not serious or violent. Convicts that commit felonies involving firearms along with serious or violent crimes still fall under the three-strikes law and it will be upheld to them. According to the LA Times,
Scott Andrew Hove, who has an arrest record of burglary, drug possession and theft charges, was arrested last year at a Lake Elsinore Home Depot for stealing $20.94 worth of merchandise. Because of California’s current three-strikes law he is now looking at life in prison. Hove is 45 years-old and according to KPBS, keeping an inmate in prison from the age of 37 to 77 will cost California taxpayers $4 million dollars. Justice is served, though! We caught this hardened criminal stealing a whopping 20 bucks! Prop 36 has been designed specifically for this reason. The only harm this man is causing to California is the fact that we have to pay to keep him incarcerated. I’m all for having murderers and rapists locked behind bars but this is outrageous—a man steals $20 of merchandise and now we have to shell out $4 million? All while cities in California like San Bernardino are seeking out bankruptcy protection. We need to prioritize where taxpayer money is going. By reducing the amount of non-violent offenders, this revision to the three-strikes law can save California anywhere from $100 to $200 million every single year. Rather than putting in repeat drug offenders we can create drug programs with the saved money
to get them treatment rather than incarceration. This prop would, at the same time, save the state money and also reduce the ever growing population problems within our prison institutions. If Prop 36 is approved by voters, 3,000 convicted felons who are serving life terms, whose third strike was a nonviolent crime, would be eligible to reduce their sentence; right off the bat that is saving us $100 million dollars in the first year. This means getting more nonviolent offenders out of our prison system to make room for the people that should really be locked up like murderers, rapists and child molesters. These 3,000 inmates make up almost half of Californian prisoners serving life in prison. By enacting this single proposition we make a great step forward in reducing the prison population and getting us back on track at not being number one. It gives us a chance to rid the moniker or being the most incarcerated country in the world. I know there is worry about the releasing of these inmates. I’m sure many people argue to vote no after the thought of releasing many multiple convicted inmates onto the streets just like that. These are hardened criminals and having them on the streets again can scare many people. A lot of
the criminals that would be getting reduced sentences or released, however, are ones who had a third strike involving things like drug possession, minor burglary and theft. We are not just tossing murderers, rapists and child molesters into the streets. We’re just letting that pothead with dreadlocks who got busted for marijuana possession back onto the streets and out of our wallets. The money that we will be saving from releasing inmates can go towards helping them adjust to civilian life and even help ramp up police forces that are constantly struggling for money. It might seem scary letting prison inmates out of prison but this isn’t creating total anarchy and the country isn’t turning into the movie Mad Max. The way things are going for the U.S, today, doesn’t leave a perfect set plan of attack. We are in an age of compromises. ABC News states that the nation’s inmate population is at an all-time high. From June of 2005 to July of 2006, the U.S. incarcerated more than 2.2 million people, overfilling prisons by more than 10 percent above capacity. Furthermore, facilities in California and Texas house two-thirds of all offenders in the prison system. California can make a step forward in reducing the amount of U.S. inmates by approving Prop
36. With California sharing twothirds of all offenders in the U.S we can take a large chunk out of the amount of nonviolent offenders and make room for the serious and violent ones. This not only saves space but saves an incredible amount of money for California. Bloomberg Magazine stated that in a 2010 study of 15-yearolds, U.S. kids ranked 25th in math and scored in the middle in science and reading tests out of 34 other countries. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said that the results show that the U.S. students must improve to compete in a global economy. Now we aren’t even able to compete in a global economy? Maybe if we can take the money we are wasting on nonviolent offenders we can get to work on our schools and get us back on top. There is no doubt that we have witnessed an almost unheard of financial crisis to the U.S. in these past few years. There is no telling how long it will be before we can feel like we are back on our own two feet. Passing Prop 36 can do tremendous efforts at saving the state money, while reducing the grizzly number of inmates that the U.S. currently holds. This can help us shed the shame of being number one when it comes to in■H carceration. Vote yes on 36.
Yes on California proposition 37 Grant Boughter CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Proposition 37 aims to require new labels identifying all foods made from genetically engineered material. It will give consumers more knowledge about the foods they eat and will, for the first time, allow each California citizen clarity in their right to choose between genetically modified foods or organics. Prop 37 initially seemed to me like a logical new addition to the California health and safety codes. However, the fevered rhetoric propagated by the prop’s opponents would have you believe this legislation adds to an already bloated set of bureaucratic regulations. I’ve seen televised political attack ads accusing this prop of increasing taxpayer costs, and raising the price of food. The opposition also claims the proposed legislation is poorly written and unfair to food producers. Attempting to cut through the rhetoric, I more thoroughly researched Prop 37 as my journalistic and civic integrity demands. It’s become clear to me the opposition’s claims against Prop 37 are all baseless. HIGHLANDER STAFF
In fact, the labeling mandated by Prop 37 will cost consumers nothing. The prop gives manufactures ample time, until July 2014, to phase in the new labels or to change their products to avoid the labeling requirement. More importantly, if Prop 37 passes, it will clearly illuminate the extent to which genetically modified foods have infiltrated our daily diets. According to the center for food safety, up to 85 percent of corn produced in the US is genetically engineered, as are 91 percent of soybeans. For the average consumer, this means that an estimated 60-70 percent of all processed foods contain at least one genetically engineered product. That’s a lot of food. This includes all food and drink that’s been artificially sweetened by high fructose corn syrup or aspartame, and almost all foods that use a corn or soy base. In simpler terms, this means that almost all pre-packaged food products, be them from a grocery store or a fast-food chain, contain genetically engineered material. Therein lies the frenzied opposition to Prop 37. According to KCET, corporations who engineer the modified seeds and corresponding pesticides such as Monsanto,
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Dupont and Dow have contributed over $14 million to the opposition, which is a drop in the proverbial bucket when compared to the over $40 million total raised, in opposition, by corporate interests such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association, Morton Salt, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Kraft Foods, Goya Foods, Kellogg, General Mills, and Pepsi, to name a few. In this context, the multimillion dollar opposition makes much more sense. Alto-
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gether, sales from the pesticides, genetically engineered seeds and fresh and processed foods industries equate to a multibillion dollar industry. Moneyed interests and rhetoric aside, Prop 37 is simple. A no vote saves corporate interests the trouble of having to label their products slightly different. A yes vote empowers consumers, and makes what’s in the food we all eat a little more transparent. Vote ■H yes on Prop 37. The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They should be 600-800 words in length and include the author’s name and contact information. Contact editor Kevin Keckeisen at opinions@highlandernews.org for more information.
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OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
11
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: In response to Issue 5’s editorial, “Vote yes on Proposition 30” from
Kevin Giron
Proposition 30 is not, as stated by last week’s article titled “Vote Yes on Proposition 30” the direction that California must go. Simply put, the tax initiative created and heavily endorsed by Gov. Jerry Brown will do nothing to halt the failing economy off the fiscal cliff. Instead, Proposition 30 is just another form of political smoke and mirror; this is an initiative built on holding the current educational system hostage and false promises. If prop 30 passes, California citizens will not see change for the better, but rather see their tax money be spent on prison building and whatever other social projects politicians see fit. As stated in the article, Proposition 30 would generate money for the educational system, but nowhere in the language in the bill does it ensure for the money to be spent for educational purposes. The money generated with this new tax (1/4 of a cent) can go into two different accounts: Public Safety and Education. If money reaches the education account, the funds are split 89 percent for K-12 and 11 percent for Community Colleges. The problem with this is that the money in these accounts can
JOHNSON FROM PAGE 9
conclusion that sets aside Washington’s extremes because our spending has not been ideal. The candidates of the majorities have also spent their time debating over whether or not 4.3 million jobs have actually been generated (which is what Obama is said to have accomplished). When it comes to the amount of occupational availability, both Romney and Obama could be wrong or right; they have merely mastered the art of construing a story to fit their campaign direction. To verify Governor Romney’s claims, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has documented that “the country has 552,000 fewer jobs now than when the president was inaugurated.” On the other hand, the president begins his counts concerning the working force in March 2010 when his famous stimulus package was taking effect. Without purely tallying the private sector and “counting government work forces, the job growth is actually lower, 3.8 million jobs,” according to the bureau. Obama may not have increased jobs to the point of 4.3 million, but there was an increase, and only based on when the statistics were counted. So, who is really correct on this issue? Both can be said to have bent the truth because in the end it’s just a dirty battle for the oval office.
be transferred to each other, thus, if the controller of the accounts needs money for Public Safety, then they can legally take out education money in order to support the Public Safety account. Of course, the controller will most likely be installed by Gov. Brown who will push his agenda. Considering that Brown is a big proponent of prison building, a fan of handing our state’s imprisoned people to local counties and, on top of that, add the fact that a large proportion of the California state’s profit is in the prison system, one can see that there is a conflict of interest between prison building and education funding for Brown. His priorities can be seen once you get past his argument that this will “save education,” as it becomes apparent that the argument serves as a decoy while the true purpose, which is to launder money and maintain the United States’ largest prison-state, remains hidden. In fact, this idea of using money for prisons instead of the educational system is one of the main sections for Prop 30 as the money can also be used for “realignment.” For those who are not familiar with Brown’s early work as Governor, “realignment”
was the term he was using to switch the power of prisons from State to counties. Therefore, not only is this initiative planned to be used for Public Safety and Education, but also Brown’s realignment plan. Ultimately, for every 1/4 of a penny gained, the governor aims to split it between three different systems or agendas of the state-two of which most Californians are not aware of. This ship does not stop sinking there. Many voters believe that, if proposition 30 fails, then California’s educational system will face the apocalypse. The problem with this, however, is that these trigger cuts and increases are not automatic as the governor says, but, instead, a voluntary action. This is Brown’s decision; it is a form of a tantrum throwing, if you will, by the governor if his proposition fails. In other words, Brown is really threatening to gut the educational system in order to bully student, faculty, and staff to vote for his proposition. The truth is that, even if his proposition passes, the UC system will continue to face tuition increases and the education system will still be in the gutter catching any scraps the
Gary Johnson has put his cards on the table many times and in various interviews, one in particular with John Stossel, where he plainly asserted that government does not create jobs. Job growth does fluctuate, like temperature and the housing market; what causes the expansion of it is determined by consumer spending and the resulting allocation for more production. College students have a vital election approaching because the topic of jobs revolves around aspects of education. These days a degree is essential for a job. The problem here is affording higher education, an institution Johnson acknowledges is now doing more with less. The governor advertises the mistakes made when dealing with education, saying that federal funding takes valuable dollars away from the classroom due to federal mandates and regulations. Gary Johnson says that “one thing the federal government could do when it comes to education would be to abolish itself from the educational business,” and proposes a “school choice” initiative allowing for open enrollment and a tuition tax credit which permits individuals to deduct a certain amount of their income taxes in order to pay for education. Students worry about finding a job after graduation. Well, when it comes to jobs, if Johnson did expect to battle out a debate on unemploy-
ment he could easily endorse his own state, New Mexico. If one scrolls through the statistics posted on the Department of Numbers’ website, New Mexico hovers around 6.4 percent this September, compared to the national average of 7.8 percent. At one point, the said state had the greatest proliferation compared to the other 49. But the reason that Johnson’s candidacy should be seriously pondered upon as election day nears is because of his statements about the economy and taxes. He says, “I think that repealing or doing away with the corporate income tax is simply getting us back to where we were. We need to understand that the corporate income tax is a double tax, that we all own the corporations and that when income gets distributed to us we pay the tax on that.” The repeal of this, he says, “will literally create tens of millions of jobs.” Gary Johnson knows the role of government, the reality of the economy, how the job market works, and he focuses his goal on how to best improve what the people deem necessary without trying to construe facts or win on a numeral basis. Governor Johnson says that “Man is superior to government,” and this is exactly why his policies should supersede the embellishments thrown around by the candidates who practically beg the American ■H people for their votes.
State decides to throw its way. In short, most of the money will most likely be spent on Brown’s realignment agenda and public safety rather than education. On the K-12 side, the California School Boards Association has noticed how much of a sham this initiative is, stating that Prop 30 “does not provide new funding for schools.” For us UC students, think about it. The regents have been steadily increasing the tuition as the years go on regardless of the economic times. Are we to believe that this proposition aimed more for the Public Safety budget will somehow, as the editor in the mentioned article states, delay the education budget from flying off the fiscal cliff? This is wishful thinking. Passing proposition 30 will not delay the eventual tuition increases. Sure, it might make things seem nicer, slower and less turbulent, but we are still driving off the cliff. All is not lost, however, as prop 38 does what 30 does not. This proposition gives the money all to that is education. The proposition roughly gathers tax the same as 30, but allocates the funds responsibly and directly. 60 percent goes to K-12 schools,
10 percent to early childhood programs like preschool and the remaining money is spent on paying off state debt. 38, then, delivers on what 30 falsely promises - fund schools. Although this money is limited to up to high school, the money generated will ease the burden on our school system and educational budget therefore allowing California to invest remaining money back into higher education. The trick, however, is ensuring that politicians follow up and serve those who are truly relying on this state’s system and, by giving the funds directly to our schools, prop 38 delivers. I hope that fellow UC students will not play by the games and fear mongering issued by the governor and go for the right choice for California. If wasting money on prisons and continue to inadequately fund schools is the road that Californians want to take, then Prop 30 is the clearly the ideal choice. If holding politicians accountable and help support and maintain our public educational system while creating avenues for surplus funds is the road that California wants to take, then 30 should get a big H “no” and 38 a definite “yes.” ■
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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.
Highlander Elections Guide
2012
14
.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30. 2012
ELECTIONS GUIDE .
CANDIDATES
PROPOSITIONS
PRESIDENTIAL P r e s i d e n t B a r a c k O b a m a’s f i r s t t e r m i n o f f i c e d i d n’ t c o m e c l o s e to living up the grandiose promises he made on his campaign trail the first time around. Although he d i d n’ t c o m p l e t e l y f i x t h e e c o n o m y, c l o s e G u a n t a n a m o B a y, e n a c t sweeping immigration reform, end both wars, or deliver on many others, he found moderate success in healthcare, student aid and nat i o n a l s e c u r i t y. The biggest reason to reelect President Obama is probably his opponent, Governor Mitt Romn e y. G o v e r n o r R o m n e y ’s e l u s i v e policy plans for the nation and his increasingly vague positions on everything from social issues to foreign policy make his election as president too risky of a gamble
BARACK OBAMA - DEMOCRAT When it comes to relieving the gridlock in Washington, John Tavaglione is the 41st Congressional District’s best option. His experience as the Supervisor for Riverside County’s 2nd District, strong ties to the region and private-sector work all bolster an impressive resume. But the most important distinction between Tavaglione and his opponent, Mark Takano, is partisanship. Whereas Takano has made painstaking efforts to emphasize his party allegiances, Tavaglione’s moderate positions on social issues and ability to reach across the aisle will prove most effective as the Representative for the 41st District. In their debate at the UCR Extension Center, Takano displayed a troubling lack of confidence and experience, continuously relying on ideology rather than policy. Nearly all of his answers included some form of
to make. Although he would bring about arguably needed change in f i s c a l p o l i c y, w h a t e v e r t h a t m a y be, his antiquated and troubling positions on gay marriage, public investments, education, the environment, green energy and more all outweigh that change. Not to mention his ludicrous threat to defund PBS—an ideological stunt with no significant impact on the b u d g e t w h a t s o e v e r. P r e s i d e n t O b a m a h a s n’ t b e e n t h e p r e s i d e n t w e h a d h o p e d f o r, and with a Republican Congress, he may not have hope for accomplishing much more in his second term, but that is far better than moving the country backward the way Governor Mitt Romney would like to.
CONGRESSIONAL
bashing the “extreme Republican ideology” or Tavaglione’s “doubling-down on trickledown.” Although a nifty catch phrase, it became nothing more than hollow rhetoric without any substance to back it up. Tavaglione, on the other hand, discussed in clear, practical terms how he would address issues important to the region with the fluency and expertise one would expect from a congressman. If Tavaglione had not displayed such a willingness to work across party lines to reach compromises, then his fiscal conservatism could have otherwise posed a problem when juxtaposed with the president’s economic plans. In the end, Washington needs less partisanship, not more. Tavaglione is the experienced, moderate candidate that has the capacity to get the most done for not only the country, but for this region.
MAYORAL
RUSTY BAILEY
HIGHLANDER
JOHN TAVAGLIONE - REPUBLICAN Rust y Bailey has proven his commitment to the cit y of R iverside and is the clear choice to succeed M ayor Ron Loveridge as mayor of R iverside (from whom he has been endorsed). As a cit y council member, Bailey has a realistic grasp on both the cit y ’s problems and potential, and understands what it takes to get things done in the cit y. Bailey understands what should be R iverside’s top priorities: eco nomic development and education. R iverside needs jobs, and with an increasingly younger population, it needs to make sure those young people are prepared for employment. On the other hand, opponent and former cit y councilmember Ed Adk ison’s overinflated accusations about the cit y ’s wasteful spending,
in a time when the cit y is financially stable compared to the struggling neighboring cities across the region, indicate his preference for playing up political rhetoric rather than fo cusing on R iverside’s real issues. What may be most appealing to UCR students is Bailey ’s pursuit of a streetcar link ing UCR to Downtown R iverside. Under his conception for the projec t, the new form of public transpor tation would allow the UCR communit y to easily access more re mote areas of the cit y, while encouraging much-needed development along its routes. I n addition, bringing more youth- oriented enter tainment options to downtown will also resonate with students, who are other wise relegated to either oncampus events or those outside the cit y.
PROP 30 YES
PROP 32 NO
Proposition 30 is a measure that will temporarily fund education and guarantee local public safety by raising taxes on those who can afford to pay a little more. The measure would increase personal income taxes on those who earn $250,000 or more for the next seven years. It would also increase sales taxes from 7.35% to 7.5% over the next four years. The revenues would directly fund programs in the state budget. Among these programs are public education and public safety. Public education has been hit hard over the past few years. Schools have suffered $20 billion in cuts over the last four years alone. California now has 30,000 fewer teachers than it did four years ago. Tuition has also increased all across the board and students have had difficulty trying to afford college. The measure would prevent $6 billion in cuts to schools and colleges all across the state. It asks the wealthiest to temporarily prevent cuts on education, provide billions in education funding, guarantee public safety and balance California’s budget. It’s an investment in the future of the state.
At first glance, Prop 32 sounds great; kicking money out of politics is always a good thing. But Prop 32, which entails a ban on both union and corporate contributions to state and local candidates, contributions by government contractors to the politicians who control contracts awarded to them, and automatic deductions by corporations, unions, and government of employees’ wages to be used for politics, is nefarious. This proposition disproportionately affects unions, who heavily rely on payroll deductions for contributions, while corporations rarely use them. This would effectively prevent union contributions while corporations continue doing so. Favoritism doesn’t belong in politics. Vote no on 32 and support equal voices.
PROP 34 YES
If passed, Prop 34 would repeal the death penalty and replace it with life in prison with parole. Not only would this save the state money, it is a step forward for California. We live in 2012, where an eye for an eye has no place in a society as advanced as ours, where humanity and empathy trump violence. And can we trust a life, as precious as it is, in the hands of an imperfect government? No. Add the fact that the death penalty is more costly than life without parole, and it is a clear choice. Avoid the risk of sentencing an innocent person and vote yes on Prop 34. No longer will Californians have to worry about innocent blood on their hands.
PROP 36 YES
The Highlander has decided to endorse Prop 36, which seeks to reform the “Three Strikes Law” initiative. The three strikes law has been ineffective and one of the reasons for the overcrowded and expensive cost of our prisons. The law does not take into account the level of the crime when deciding upon a life sentence, and is hugely unfair for those who have been sentenced based off of non-violent or petty crimes. The revision of the three strikes law would state that it is only effective for felonies that are considered serious or violent. It would allow those who are in prison serving life sentences to have their sentence reevaluated, as long as they are not a risk to society. Ultimately, if the proposition is passed it will potentially save $90 million over the next few decades.
PROP 38 NO
The Highlander opposes Proposition 38, which does not fund higher education and inflicts an across-the-board income tax spike on all working Californians who earn at least $7,316. Prop 38 creates a reserved fund of $10 million to the K-12 system for 12 years, yet offers little reform to California’s broken education system which is supported by more than half of the state’s budget and ranks 48th in the nation. Effective in 20132014, Prop 38 will not prevent a $6 billion cut to California’s education system during this fiscal cycle. The K-12 system and community colleges will lose $5.5 billion, while the UC and Cal State system will each face a $250 million trigger cut this year, if Prop 38 passes.
PROP 40 YES
The Highlander supports Prop. 40, which affirms the State Senate lines drawn by the voter-approved California’s citizens redistricting commission. There’s nothing wrong with fair district maps. A “no” vote invalidates the maps, which would then need to be redrawn, costing the state $1 million.
The Highlander endorses Proposition 31, which requires a two-year cycle for California’s annual fiscal budget and shifts $200 million from state to local governments. Local governments are best-suited to tailor state-funded programs specifically to the needs of the county. The ballot measure provides a greater degree of transparency in the state budgetary process and requires a real balanced budget based on current revenue sources. The California governor will also be granted the authority to make budget cuts during periods of fiscal emergencies, which is necessary due to the restricting two-thirds requirement in the state legislature for passing tax measures.
If Prop 33 is approved, it will allow insurance providers to advertise discounts to those who can prove coverage by any licensed company in the past five years. The problem with this is that it allows insurance companies to increase their prices. This is unnecessary and doesn’t consider legitimate reasons for not having car insurance. Those that may have discontinued their insurance, such as those who could not drive due to major health problems, will then be punished by having to pay large amounts to reinstate their insurance. Also, those with perfect driving records who had no need to buy insurance within the last five years will be forced to pay the higher rates. Proposition 33 de-regulates insurance companies allowing them to set prices as they please without any accountability.
The Highlander Editorial Board does not endorse Prop 35. Prop 35, the “Californians Against Sexual Exploitations Act,” claims to increase prison terms for human traffickers, amongst other things. It requires that convicted sex traffickers register as sex offenders and disclose their internet accounts. On the surface, this seems that it will make progressive means to end human trafficking by holding them accountable for their crimes, and one that will help protect protect children and teens from exploitation via the Internet. But there are deceptive elements of the prop that propels the Highlander to conclude that, though human trafficking is a serious issue that needs to be further addressed, Prop 35 is not the way to go about it. One determining factor was the fact that it would expand the sex offender registry, meaning that those registered as sex offenders would largely be non-sex criminals, making it difficult for police and residents to track the potentially dangerous from those who are associated in a non-criminal way. The issue of human trafficking needs a law that is capable of honing in on the actual problems, which Prop 35 is not.
If Proposition 37 is passed, there will be an increase in annual state costs ranging from a few hundred thousand dollars to over $1 million to regulate the labeling of genetically engineered foods. Vote no on Proposition 37. It is full of special interest exemptions and very problematic. It would increase grocery bills for families by $400 per year and increase taxpayer costs by millions.There could be tons of lawsuits against farmers and small businesses. It would only require certain labeling on raw or processed foods that are offered for sale to consumers if made from plants or animals with genetic material changed in specified way. Ironically, it exempts foods that are certified organic and unintentionally produced with genetically engineered material.
If Prop 39 is passed, it will force out-of-state businesses to adhere to California taxes as well as add $1 billion towards construction and clean energy jobs. California currently loses $1 billion because out-of-state businesses aren’t required to stick to the state’s taxes. Prop 39 will close this loophole and create nearly 40,000 jobs that are desperately needed. This money can only help California in its deficit. On top of these benefits, there will be public exposure of independent audits, reviews and evaluations by Citizens Oversight Board and accounting of funds and expenditures. The financial accountability for out-of-state corporations cannot be a harmful motion for California.
PROP 31 YES
PROP 33 NO
PROP 35 NO
PROP 37 NO
PROP 39 YES
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30. 2012
.
ELECTIONS GUIDE
.
HIGHLANDER
HIGHLANDER STUDENT POLL RESULTS From Oct. 1-27, the Highlander conducted a campuswide online poll to find out how UCR students would be voting in the upcoming election. Students were asked to share their party preference, choices for Congress, president, mayor and many of California’s propositions. The results of that poll are published here.
Prop 35: Do you support funding a stricter legal system for human traffickers? Yes: Increases penalties and fines for child NO traffickers. Requires convicted sex offenders to provide information to authorities about their Internet presence, which protects chil17% dren from sexual exploitation online. No: Does not increase increase the prosecution rate for sex offenders or provide greater protection to victims. Only benefits law enforcement agencies, non-profits and detrimental to state budget.
76% YES
Prop 36: Do you support a repeal of the Three Strikes law? Which political party do you identify with?
NO
INDEPENDENT
REPUBLICAN
OTHER
DEMOCRAT
Yes: Revise the three strikes law to impose life sentence only when the new felony conviction is “serious or violent”.
15%
Democrat
52%
Republican
13%
Independent
24%
Other
11%
No: Status quo.
70% YES
Prop 37: Should genetically engineered foods be specifically labeled? Prop 30: Should income taxes for income earners of over $250,000 and sales taxes for all CA residents be raised to fund education and local public safety?
NO
Yes: All foods that are made from genetically enhanced plants and animals must be clearly labeled as “genetically engineered” and cannot be marketed as “natural.”
37%
NO 4%
Yes: There will be an increase in personal income taxes for earners of over $250,000 for the duration of seven years. Sales tax will increase for the duration of four years. The funding will go towards public education. No: Personal income taxes and sales taxes will stay the same. The state will reduce funding to schools.
89% YES
No: Genetically engineered foods would remained unlabeled.
54% YES
Prop 38: Do you support raising state income tax (on a sliding scale) to fund K-12 education? NO
Prop 31: Do you think the governor and local governments should be given greater autonomy in the state and local budgets? Yes: State budget and all laws will be made available for public input and NO reviewed three days before a vote is taken. Requires a real balanced budget and performance review of all state programs.State will save taxpayers ap29% proximately $1.2 billion by enacting auditing reforms. Does not raise taxes, increase costs to taxpayers or set up any new government bureaucracy. No: Transfers $200 million per year from the state to local experimental programs, can make tax cuts. Expenditures must be offset by possible revenue sources or tax cuts. New budgeting practices will costs tens of millions of dollars/year, stated the Legislative Analyst’s Office. Expands powers of the Governor, which can only be overridden by a 2/3rd vote by the state legislature.
71% YES
Prop 32: Do you think there should be a ban on corporate and union political contributions from payrolldeductions?
NO
48%
39%
Yes: Ban both corporate and union contributions to state and local candidates. Ban contributions by government contractors to the politicians who control contracts awarded to them. Ban automatic deductions by corporations, unions, and government of employees’ wages to be used for politics.
52%
Yes: Increase state income tax rates for most Californians, resulting in increased revenues to the state of about $10 billion a year. The state income tax increase would end after 12 years, unless voters reauthorize it. Earmark most of the new revenue of $10 billion for public school districts and early childhood development programs.
39%
No: Lacks the ability to enforce efficient reform to California’s education system and there is no accountability to the distribution of funds. Locks you into a higher income tax bracket for the next 12 years and small businesses will be hurt by these taxes.
YES
Prop 40: Do you think the current Senate district maps should be redrawn by the Citizens Redistricting Commission? Yes: It will maintain the current state SenNO ate and State Assembly maps, drawn by the voter-approved independent Citizens Redis33% tricting Commission. California voters approved Proposition 11 (2008), which created this commission and assigned them the task of re-drawing congressional district boundaries through Proposition 20 (2010). 48%
YES
No: It is no longer an opposition, campaigners abandoned efforts in mid-July 2012.
No: Status quo.
YES
Which Riverside Mayoral candidate are you voting for? Prop 33: Do you think car insurance rates should be based on a person’s history of insurance coverage (“persistency discounts”)? NO
Yes: It will allow insurers to offer discounts to new customers who can prove they were continuously covered by any licensed auto insurance company over the previous five years. These discounts are known as “persistency discounts” or “loyalty discounts” and under current California law, insurance companies can only offer them to existing customers. Proposition 33 exempts soldiers and those who have been unemployed for 18 months from paying more after a lapse in persistency.
43%
46%
No: Status quo. YES
William “Rusty” Bailey
61%
Ed Adkison
39%
Which Congressional candidate are you voting for? (41st Congressional District includes: Riverside, Perris, Moreno Valley, Jurupa Valley) Mark Takano (Democrat)
71%
John Tavaglione (Republican)
29%
Prop 34: Should the death penalty be repealed? NO 28%
61% YES
Yes: Death penalty is repealed and is replaced with life imprisonment without parole. Current death sentences will be resentenced to life imprisonment. Over the next four years, the state will give grants to local law enforcement agencies for the investigation of homicide and rape cases. No: Death penalty remains in place and current inmates with the death sentence will not be resentenced. The state will not provide any funding for local law enforcement agencies.
Which presidential candidate are you voting for in November? Barack Obama (Democrat)
70%
Mitt Romney (Republican)
17%
Other
13%
HIGHLANDER
s ’ n i t s Kri y Stor
Andrea Cooper, mother of Kristin Cooper, speaks to UCR students.
. FEATURES . Courtney Parker, Contributing Writer Wesley Ng, Photographer
PART 1 of ‘Kristin’s Story’ “The pain, the stench, the look of hate in his eyes. It’s finally over. And now a blackness has come over me,” wrote Kristin Cooper in a poem. Kristin Cooper was a victim of rape, depression, and suicide and on Sunday Oct. 21 students gathered to hear her story. A around 1:30 p.m. in the University Lecture Hall, the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation and the Women’s Resource Center sponsored a presentation entitled, “Kristin’s Story: A Story of Acquaintance Rape and Depression.” Acclaimed speaker and Delta Delta Delta alumna Andrea Cooper spoke out about her late daughter Kristin Cooper to approximately 400 students, including around eight or nine fraternities, according to Shima Vasseghi, president of Alpha Chi Omega. On Aug. 4, 1995, Kristin was raped by a “friend” during her sophomore year at Baker University, a small, private institution in Baldwin City, Kansas. Several months following her rape, Kristin committed suicide on New Year’s Eve. Andrea Cooper began speaking to colleges, universities and conferences across the country in 1998. She has now spoken at over 325 campuses, 27 conferences, and has reached 100,000 students, faculty, and administrators in order to raise awareness of acquaintance rape and depression. “She was 20 years old, and hadn’t had a curfew… we kind of knew who her friends were,” stated Cooper as she began speaking in regards to the night Kristin committed suicide. Cooper confirmed that Kristin went to a party on New Year’s Eve just like other typical college students during winter break. Cooper expected nothing out of the ordinary as she said goodbye to her only child before leaving to the party. There was not a worried bone within Cooper’s body because she, “wasn’t one of those moms that said, ‘Okay, call me when you get to the house.’” However, Cooper also was not aware that this would be the last time she saw Kristin. Around 2 a.m. was when Cooper surprisingly discovered that Kristin had come home, which seemed slightly early in Cooper’s eyes. She said, “I expected her to stay out all night, and that was fine,” stated Coo-
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
17
per. The next moment is what truly startled Cooper. Once Cooper entered her home, she thought that Kristin had been asleep on the family room sofa. As Cooper described the moment she found Kristin, she stated, “She looked very peaceful. She was on her back. Her eyes were closed. Her color was good.” Cooper thought Kristin had passed out due to alcohol poisoning. However, “when [Cooper] leaned over, there was no pulse; she wasn’t breathing, and she had a gun in her hands,” according to Cooper. Kristin had shot herself to death. Before her death, Kristin had suffered from severe depression, but Cooper thought her depression was caused by a break-up. However, Cooper said, “I found out through her sorority sisters that Jeff broke up with her after she went to him, and told him she’d been raped. And he dumped her.” Strangely, Cooper noticed Kristin’s sudden happiness when she came home during winter break from Baker. “She had made the decision,” said Cooper. “If you have a friend that’s been depressed and they suddenly get happy, it could mean they have a plan, and they feel that the pain is going to end”. “Rape is a crime of the heart for the victim and a crime of convenience for the perpetrator,” said Cooper. Cooper made it clear that rape is a serious crime that can only end if spoken about, as well as made aware about. She said that in addition to the dangers of rape, each and every single one of us needs to be made fully aware of the dangers of depression and suicide. According to Cooper, “30 percent [of sexual assault victims] contemplate suicide.” The connection between sexual assault, depression, and suicide is a fatal cycle that must be stopped. “I think the most important thing is to know where to go if you are sexually assaulted. The Women’s Center told us about their services being available. Campus police, you can always call. And also if you see a friend has depression or possibly being suicidal, you need to tell someone about that, and hopefully they will get help. Help them get help,” stated Cooper. She wanted audience members to know that there is always hope, even in light of such tragic events. PART 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
FEATURES
HIGHLANDER
WA L K MILE
H E R
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PART 2 of ‘Kristin’s Story’ PART 2 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17
Following the presentation on Oct. 21, the annual “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event took place at the Bell Tower at 2:30 p.m., where approximately 100 young male students participated. Various fraternities and student organizations (including the Surf Club) came out to the walk, took off their typical day-today sneakers to slip on heeled shoes in order to walk around the perimeter of the Bell Tower. The walk is intended to stand up against sexual assault and domestic violence against women. Alpha Chi Omega President, Shima Vasseghi stated, “She [Cooper] told me herself that she’s never been to a campus with this many guys [that are] absolutely interested…” Though many of the men seemed uncomfortable walking in high-heeled shoes, the experienced turned out to be great for many. Second-year business major, Rosti Vana stated, “Heels are not a thing for men to wear, but respect for the ladies who wear heels. Much respect for them,
because this is not easy!” The event wanted to show that just as walking in heels is not a simple task, neither is being a woman. The annual event symbolizes the hardships that hundreds of thousands of women struggle with every day of their lives. The annual “Walk a Mile in her Shoes” event is cosponsored by the Alpha Chi Omega Foundation and the Women’s Resource Center. Second-year English major and Alpha Chi Omega member Kaitlyn Palmeter stated, “Our philanthropy is domestic violence, so of course it’s something close to our hearts, and I know personally it’s close to my heart, so we’re taking a stand for women and trying to make it known to other people.” In conjunction with Alpha Chi Omega’s intention to hold the event each year, Kristin Cooper was also an alumna of Alpha Chi Omega at Baker University. Both the presentation and the walk were held in observance of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Raising awareness in regards to domestic violence, as well as sexual assault is one way of ending the silence of violence against women. ■H
All of the pictures display UCR students, mostly male, showing their support for the event by walking around campus wearing high heels.
FEATURES
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
RESTAURANT REVIEW:
SEÑOR
BAJA The former El Taco Nazo underwent a makeover across its locations throughout California in order to properly represent the heritage of Baja California. 20 years ago the family-owned chain spread through Southern California with the success of the “baja style fish and shrimp tacos.” Now the chain is known as Señor Baja. Pulling into the Magnolia Shopping Center made me skeptical of what kind of atmosphere to expect with generic grocery stores and fast food chain vendors right around the corner; however, the restaurant exceeded face-value judgments. I was greeted with a friendly chorus made by the workers behind the counter as I soaked in the plethora of menu choices: Baja favorites, specials, tacos, traditional and breakfast. This Mexican establishment is on the more
traditional end compared to Chipotle or Del Taco and it is refreshing to have the Baja heritage-infused Mexican food. Beverages even ode to tradition with the horchata, jamaica, and orange whip selections. In addition to the variety of options that can attract you, the affordability for the typical starving, college student keeps the door wide open with the price range of $2 to $9 for each dish, including daily 99¢ specials. Indecisiveness took over me as I skimmed the menu for possible. The result? Tacos de papa, carnitas, pescado, lengua, and a bean and vegetable tostada. The head cashier recommended I try the various dishes Señor Baja has to offer, so I just had to order it all. Taco de papa would not be my first choice, it did not occur to me to put potatoes into a hard taco shell, but the
Jillian Rausa, Contributing Writer Richard Lin, Photographer execution was surprisingly pleasant. Taco de carnitas is below par of the traditional, marinated pork I grew accustom to, but for $1.89 I was satisfied with the non-American influenced dish. Taco de lengua was an interesting experience, to say the least. Without knowledge of the tender and juicy meat being cow tongue, one would thoroughly enjoy the traditional dish. Considering the fish is the restaurant’s icon, the taco de pescado deserves to stand as one of the most popular dishes at Señor Baja with its perfect balance of crisp skin and juicy meat wrapped in a taco. The bean and vegetable tostada was just a tasty bean and vegetable tostada, nothing excited my taste buds. For dessert, the “home made flan casero” fell short. I was underwhelmed with the odd SEÑOR BAJA CONT’D ON PAGE 20
Señor Baja tacos and sides.
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FEATURES
HIGHLANDER SEÑOR BAJA FROM PAGE 19
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tofu-like texture, but the recipe itself was a delightful balance of caramel sweetness. The beauty of all of these dishes lies behind the food itself, Señor Baja does not bother with presentation at all, taste is
The dessert, a homemade flan casero.
what matters. The simple recipes of each dish are executed with carefully marinated and well-cooked meats and married with fresh ingredients that deliver tasty food in homage to Baja ■H California.
★★★☆☆
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Taiko drummers performing. Audience enjoying the music. Attendees grubbin’. More Taiko performances.
GHOST WALK
R I V E R S I D E Rebecca Paredes, Staff Writer Richard Lin, Photographer On Friday, Oct. 26, Downtown Riverside hosted an impressive array of local entertainment, family-friendly scares and fresh kettle corn during its annual Ghost Walk. Presented by California Riverside Ballet in conjunction with local high schools and theatre groups, the Ghost Walk is a storytelling adventure through some of Riverside’s oldest and most historic buildings. When I arrived at the event, I was greeted with a section of booths within Main Street Mall. The main venue extended from Coffee Bean to the ArtsBlock and was filled with a midway carnival games arranged around a small stage. Speakers blasted Latin Folklorico music as Grupo Mayo, a dance group based in Riverside, stepped through a colorful and well-choreographed performance. An enthralled audience of children and their parents gathered around Grupo Mayo, while other children—dressed as
witches, faeries, and I saw at least one Captain America—played carnival games and chowed down on sweet-smelling kettle corn. The biggest part of the event took place across the street. Led by volunteers costumed in elegant Victorian suits and ghostly face paint, people gathered into reasonably-sized lines depending on which Ghost Walk they wanted to attend. Tickets cost $15, which seemed a little steep, but proceeds benefitted the efforts of California Riverside Ballet. In any case, the walks were split into different themes and levels of scares; volunteers were available to direct families towards the kid-friendly tours, which ensured scares without any lasting emotional trauma. For the more adventurous folk, two tours, “Dark Dreams” and “Spell Bound Night,” promised gripping stories and bigger frights.
Leading the tours were performers from various theatre groups and high school drama departments, including Poly High School Theater Department, the WolfPack Players and the Ramona Theater Masquers. Of course, these were not regular walking tours; they were closer to live performances. For example, the Dark Dreams tour— which a helpful volunteer assured me was “fun, but still pretty scary”—began with “Hide and Don’t Seek,” a story written by Anna Ludvig, Ashleigh Loughner, Helen Yoshikawa and Akio Yoshikawa. It took place at the Riverside Police Department, which is frightening at any time of day, and was told by spirited drama students from J.W. North High School. For attendees who did not want to spend $15 on a walking tour, the event hosted a series of exceptional performances from local talent. Patrick McKeone, Grupo Mayo
and the RCC Bass Quintet each held the stage for a 45-minute performance, but local gypsy cabaret band Mad Marionettes stole the show. The Mad Marionettes is a band from Riverside whose music sounds like a frenzied run through a strange, but wonderful, carnival. Their songs feature the memorable sounds of instruments like an upright bass, accordion, toy piano and cajón, and their vocalist’s lingering melodies created a hauntingly beautiful set of songs that melded perfectly with the evening’s Halloween theme. Their set included slow waltzes and fast-paced beats, and they drew a large audience, lots of dancing and plenty of applause. Overall, Ghost Walk Riverside was a big success. If you want to experience a tour for yourself, keep an eye out; the event occurs late October each year. ■H
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
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MOVIE REVIEWS ALSO THIS WEEK:
FLIGHT
WRECK-IT RALPH
THE DETAILS
THE MAN WITH THE IRON FISTS
CLOUD ATLAS RATING: ★★★★☆
BY: DIANA S. HUANG, STAFF WRITER Courtesy of Warner Brother’s Pictures
Considering the vastness and intricacies of David Mitchell’s novel, turning “Cloud Atlas” into a movie took considerable work and strategy to make it connect with the audience and required top-notch actors. In short, “Cloud Atlas” is a combination of six stories spanning from the South Pacific to the far future of Neo-Seoul to the post-apocalyptic future. “Cloud Atlas” can be extremely overwhelming for those who aren’t prepared for a movie of its caliber: six different stories can be difficult to keep track of, especially when audiences are trying to grasp and meaning and theme behind each one. Many who have read the novel imply that the film had been simplified to elicit the right emotional responses, whereas the book had more depth and well-thought-out ideas that can only be conveyed through ink and paper. Tom Hanks and Halle Berry, the most advertised actors of the film, were featured in stories in different eras that eventually lead to their union in a post-apocalyptic future. Another notable role is Sonmi-451, played by actress Doona Bae. Her character as a “fabricant” (clone) in Neo Soul being rescued by rebel Hae-joo Chang (Jim Sturgess) is reminiscent of “Blade Runner,” where a dystopian society places value on oppression over humanity. Sonmi-451’s transformation from a programmed serving girl to a martyr for freedom and an inspiration for
equality is particularly touching and resonates within the other stories. Jim Sturgess consistently plays the hero in his two main story arcs. Other than being Sonmi-451’s savior, he is also Adam Ewing, a naïve American notary from 1850 who witnesses slavery and violent racism first hand. His nature leads him to defend an African American stowaway on the ship named Autua (David Gyasi), who eventually saves Adam’s life from the evil doctor Henry Goose (Hanks). This experience leads him and his wife Tilda (Bae) to leave California and head east to join the cause against slavery. Ben Whishaw does a phenomenal job of portraying tormented young English musician Robert Forbisher in the 1930s. The talented Forbisher is in love with fellow student Rufus Sixsmith (James D’Arcy) but has to leave him to work as an amanuensis for famous yet egotistical composer Vyvyan Arys (Jim Broadbent). The love story between Forbisher and Sixsmith ends tragically, as both die decades apart, but with the same loneliness and helplessness echoing through their story. In present day, Tom Cavendish (Broadbent) is an old, comical, down on his luck publisher that gets caught up in the dealings of his gangster client Sachs (Hanks) and seeks help from his brother, only to be confined against his will in a nursing home. Cavendish’s experi-
ence later becomes a film that plays a major role in Sonmi-451’s story in the future. The final story is set in a postapocalyptic future where Sonmi-451 has become an odd deity of some sorts, and where Zachry (Hanks), haunted by a devilish figure, and his family live with a small tribe of people on a remote island. Their pre-historic way of living is sharply contrasted with their foreign visitor, Meronym (Berry), who comes from a technologically advanced ship with a whole colony of people looking for a place to call home. All six stories intertwine in one way or another, and each hero from
their time period bares a similar comet-shaped birthmark that symbolizes their importance to the story and the rippled effect they create throughout the rest of the movie. Unfortunately, it’s hard to put the theme of the film into one sentence, or a paragraph for that matter. Simply put, “Cloud Atlas” is an exploration of human kindness, compassion, oppression, bravery, love and how the human soul can transcend centuries to become capable of something else entirely, good or bad. Despite the different tones in each arc, the common undercurrent to all of them is optimism, that no matter how dark the world gets, humanity lights the
way to a better future. While a difficult film to digest at first, the almost three hour movie is definitely worth the watch for those who have the time, will and taste for, as “Variety” puts it, a “big emotional payoff.” Even if it’s tough to get a handle on the narrative, the cinematography and daring ambition alone is enough to warrant it a watch (or two). One of the most expensive independent films ever made, “Cloud Atlas” is worth every penny, and Tom Tykwer and The Wachowskis deserve recognition for taking on and handling beautifully the daunting task of translating such a dense ■H book to the screen.
CHASING MAVERICKS RATING: ★★★☆☆
BY: JACQUELINE BALDERRAMA, STAFF WRITER
Chasing Mavericks by directors Michael Apted and Curtis Hanson was released Oct. 26. The sports drama is based on a true story set in 1994 about Jay Moriarty, a fifteenyear-old boy who seeks the help of local surfing legend, Frosty Hesson, after discovering the mythic Maverick surf break off the California coast. The film features Gerard Butler as Frosty, a carpenter, father and surfer who has learned to ride the Mavericks, and Johnny Weston as Jay. Together, Jay and Frosty build a friendship that not only prepares Jay to surf the monstrous waves but also rescues them from the mounting struggles in their lives. Raised by a single mother in Santa Cruz and oftentimes looking after himself, Jay turns to Frosty who saved him from drowning when he was eight-years-old. He immediately becomes thrilled with the sport of surfing. With Jay’s determined character against the reality of a neglecting parent, it is effortless to sympathize for the small boy who soon grows into a handsome teenager. Jay attends high school, works at a pizza shop, and still finds time to surf. With a natural talent and an obsession for surfing, it is not long before Jay witnesses Frosty surfing the Mavericks—thirty foot waves
Courtesy of Walden Media some miles from Santa Cruz. Frosty is reluctant to help, but does recognize the same passion for surfing that he himself has. He is persuaded by his wife to train the boy in the twelve week window that the swells are still present. And so the rigorous training begins. Over the course of the film there are a plethora of impressive ocean scenes. Exquisite shots of surfing, white foam bursting from crashing waves and underwater shots of the murky blue reef expose the beauty and ferocity of nature. Scenes with the Maverick were especially aweinspiring as experienced surfers show up as small dots against its thirty foot crest. These scenes, too, were paralleled by the complex life in town that Jay faces among friends, taunting rivals and his childhood sweetheart who ignores him during school. Even without the action scenes, the sheer expanse of water during Jay’s training subtly shows what surfing is to both Jay and Frosty. It’s a way of life. While the various shots of the ocean were impressive and the story inspiring, the dialogue was occasionally stiff. No particular character stood out, which is disappointing especially in the leading roles. With that said, the film relied primarily on
the sincerity and quality of its story. With regards to its progression, the film was satisfying. There were certainly twists and turns in regards to both Frosty’s and Jay’s home lives that forced heavier burdens on their characters. However, in the end, their initial goal in Jay riding the waves is what seems to stabilize the chaos. “Chasing Mavericks” is appealing in the way that it presents the story of Jay Moriarty on a very sincere level. There is not a focus of girls in bikinis or ridiculous parties that
might be expected of a movie featuring a teenager. Rather, it unveils the reality of life with surfing as an escape and solace. By the end of the film, it seems that surfing is something sacred to Jay. Overall, “Chasing Mavericks” is an inspiring film despite its weak dialogue and mediocre acting. The spectacle of the colossal waves matched with the compelling home lives of both Frosty and Jay was more than enough to grab one’s attention for the duration of two hours.
Furthermore, there were no uneven chops in the surfing scenes which is often telling of stunt-doubles. Instead, the special effects were perfectly seamless, which is important in relating the true danger of these waves. These smooth transitions allow the viewer to invest fully in the story. As a result, “Chasing Mavericks” is a successful film not just in displaying the athleticism of surfers on spectacular waves but in relating an inspiring story about the bond be■H tween two unlikely heroes.
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SILENT HILL: REVELATION RATING: ★☆☆☆☆
BY: GRACE KANG, STAFF WRITER Courtesy of TriStar Pictures
You may think that director/ screenwriter Michael J. Bassett (“Deathwatch,” “Solomon Kane”) recently took over the reins of the “Silent Hill” film franchise. What he did was fumble with the reins, veer off-road and manage to get the carriage trampled beneath the horses. Apparently Bassett believes that sequels are supposed to be unpleasant to sit through, and that making a horror movie means startling your audience with cheap jump-scares. “Silent Hill: Revelation” is something you might expect from a film student with minimal creativity and a $20 million budget. Adelaide Clemens (who looks like she was cast from a lineup of Michelle Williams look-alike contestants) portrays Heather Mason, an angst-ridden girl with a shadowed past. Our scrappy heroine wakes up the day before her eighteenth birthday after dreaming about her demonic doppelganger who warns her not to go to Silent Hill. In reality, Heather and her dad Harry (Sean Bean) have spent the last decade on the run. If you’ve seen “Silent Hill,” it’s clear early on that Heather is Sharon, the adopted daughter of Christopher and Rose Da Silva. Sharon’s return is explained through a half-baked flashback that picks up immediately after
“Silent Hill.” A ghostly Rose (Radha Mitchell) explains to Christopher/Harry that she somehow discovered a onepassenger trip home; she stays behind in order to send Sharon back, and makes Christopher promise to keep Sharon away from Silent Hill at all costs. Sharon has no memory of Silent Hill; Christopher tells her she was in an accident that killed her mother. In present day, Sharon/Heather attends her first day of school, and fellow new kid, Vincent (Kit Harington), stalks Heather around town with the devotion of a needy puppy, cramming cheesy flirtations in between her waking-nightmare episodes. When Harry’s abducted by the same cult that’s been hunting for Heather, she sets off for Silent Hill with lover boy (a.k.a. please let him die first) in tow. One of the biggest problems with “Revelation” is that there are no people in this movie, just talking “Silent Hill” guidebooks. It seems that the characters can’t go five minutes in Heather’s company without blurting out something that she should’ve found out for herself. It takes the fun out of the story when any “revelations” are handed to the protagonist on a blood-soaked platter. If I wanted to spend ninety-four minutes listening to the characters tell
me the story instead of acting it out, I would buy an audiobook. Bean and Mitchell aren’t the only victims of Bassett’s writing. Douglas Cartland (Martin Donovan) and Dahlia Gillespie (Deborah Kara Unger) return to the series to recite unending expository discourse between unoriginal and poorly strungtogether lines of dialogue. Speaking of Dahlia, Alessa’s deranged mother appears to have been pushed aside by Leonard Wolf (Malcolm McDowell) for the coveted role of town fruitcake. The last reunion guest is Pyramid Head (Roberto Campanella), Silent Hill’s beloved Angemon-meets-Pory-
gon, who’s since been demoted to carrousel operator. The returnee cast are so lackluster in their denigrated roles I thought I was watching “Silent Hill: Recession.” Christophe Gans’ “Silent Hill” boosted an otherwise average story with the convincing plight of a mother searching for her child and, more memorably, striking aesthetics that wrought grotesque beauty from the monsters and visual set designs. It imparted an atmosphere that, while not enough to carry the movie, respectfully rang true with the games. It’s as if the people involved in the making of “Revelation” were
so excited about new monster designs (the spider composed of mannequin parts was admittedly cool) that they forgot to figure out how they fit into the plot. Bassett’s gauche handling of the sequel does more harm than good to the franchise. Bassett needs to realize that “Silent Hill” isn’t “America’s Next Top Model,” and giving your star a choppy haircut and a gun doesn’t make her a strong female character. If you’re dead-set on seeing “Revelation” in theaters, don’t pay the extra bucks for 3D; it won’t do anything to inflate what should have been a direct-to-DVD se■H quel.
MUSIC REVIEWS BLAK AND BLU // GARY CLARK JR. RATING: ★★★★☆
BY: JAKE RICH, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Shining in authentic old-school blues fashion, guitar virtuoso Gary Clark Jr.’s major-label debut, “Blak and Blu,” brings true soul and pain back to an R&B realm that has been wallowing in overproduced hip-hop. Clark’s earnest tone and masterful guitar playing should definitely earn this album a spot as one of the year’s best. Opening up with the brass filled “Ain’t Messin ‘Round,” Clark shows off his range going from intense cries of, “Give it up now,” to a soothing falsetto, “Play it cool.” The brass and frantic guitar solo in the second half of the song kicks off the album in a thrilling way. One of the biggest highlights of “Blak and Blu” comes in “When My Train Comes In,” a track that slowly builds up with Clark lamenting his unfulfilling life in a boring town where no one cares for each other. Clark sings over this slow, but rhythmically chugging guitar for about four minutes before he explodes in the most expressive guitar solo heard. Heavy distortion, jarring changes of pace and the whining, nearly desperate voice of the guitar emote much more than lyrics could. Clark does experiment with modern R&B, however. Tracks
Courtesy of Warner Brother’s Records such as “Blak and Blu,” and “The Life” show a different side of the singer. Loop-like drum beats and more understated guitar fill these songs, which sound much more produced than the rest of the album. Though they are solid songs, they are noticeably different from the rest of the album and sound more similar to some of today’s radio hits, which jars the flow a bit. “Blak and Blu” becomes more diverse through songs such as the Chuck Berry-esque “Travis County,” the high powered, harmony drenched “Glitter Ain’t Gold” and the deafening roar and pain of “Numb.” “Please Come Home,” is a yearning, 50s sounding love ballad, while “Third Stone From the Sun / If You Like You Say,” is an epic nine minute plunge into the absolute depth of emotional guitar playing. The album is truly diverse and maintains a sense of true oldschool blues mixed with modern sentiments while keeping Clark’s signature raw sound. Though its changes in pace don’t always flow perfectly, Clark’s stellar musicianship and genuine lyrics and voice shine through for a refreshing change of pace in mainstream rock and blues alike. ■H
. SPORTS .
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UC Riverside women’s volleyball loses weekend play versus Pacific, UC Davis Jayvee Valencia CONTRIBUTING WRITER
October 26, 2012 Tigers 3 – Highlanders 2 The UC Riverside women’s volleyball team started the match against the University of Pacific with a 2-0 set lead but fell late, losing 3-2 against the Tigers in a high-energy game. The Highlanders started great in the first set, completing on 63 percent (14-22) of their side outs. That was due in part of Ashley Cox’s ability to create kills. UCR won the first set 25-21. The second set finished with the same result in a 2521 shootout. At the half, Ashley Cox led the team in Kills with 12, Amanda Vialpando had five, Megan Reza with nine, Tyler Dorsey and Jasmine White accumulated two kills. The second half was a different story. Pacific took over the third set winning 25-23 after UCR trailed 5-2. The fourth set deflated UCR. Pacific connected on 86% (13-15) of their side outs as compared to the Highlanders’ 50 percent (1224). The 5th and final set was won by Pacific 15-11. UCR matched the Tigers point to point, tying the game 4-4. After that point, Pacific created more off of their attacks as the Highlanders were not able to create plays to win. Coach Ron Larsen commented on his team’s effort, “Our expectations aren’t good enough to think that we can win these games because we lost a number of them already, we were still happy with how well we did on games 1 and 2 and weren’t
really focused on this game here (Game 3)” In addition to that, he stated they must “play with composure” and how they “can have emotional ups but we can’t have any downs and must do a better job with swings with the right players at the right times.” Emily Borges spoke on the team’s play saying, “It came down to the third and fourth game, we almost got too much of a high and got too excited which ended up pulling us down at the end.” October 27, 2012 Aggies 3 – Highlanders 0 Coming off of Friday’s loss vs Pacific in a 5 set match, the UC Riverside Women’s Volleyball teams played its second game of a back-to-back on Saturday vs UC Davis. UC Riverside looked to get their first win in conference play and to break out of their 11 game losing streak, however, the UC Davis Aggies swept the Highlanders 3-0. The first set was close with UCR leading early 3-0 that was created by kills from Ashley Cox and Amanda Vialpando. UC Davis pulled away by finishing off their attacking opportunities while the Highlanders were playing with no sense of awareness and effort on the defensive end leaving open spots in the middle of the box leading to easy points for UC Davis. UC Davis took the first game 2513. The second game was the same story but with a different start. UC Davis capitalized by attacking early and gained a 3-0 advantage. UCR was plagued with nine er-
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rors while completing 41% of their side outs. In the third set, the Highlanders started off 8-7 but were not able to keep the lead as UC Davis pulled away 25-16 and winning the game 3-0 to complete the sweep. Coach Ron Larsen on his team’s effort, “I thought that we were playing like we were going to play well, but they (UC Davis) made a couple of nice plays and we stopped playing… I don’t think the level of play changed from our end, we didn’t play at a level of play that we could compete with them tonight, we never sustained a high level of play. We’re definitely not as strong in our fundamentals as we need to be.” Ashley Cox and Amanda Vialpando were the statistical leaders of the game. Amanda Vialpando had 15 kills and 4 digs and Ashley Cox had nine kills and eight digs. Amanda and Ashley commented on their efforts. Amanda stated, “The other team just performed better than us.” In terms of any adjustments needed, she added, “We all know what we need to do, we just need to come fighting
C a m er o n Y o n g /HIGHLANDER Ashley Cox leaps in anticipation of the ball.
and know what we got to do to execute to win.” Teammate Ashley commented on the game, saying, “We need to keep building, I don’t think we need to change anything, our confidence
needs to get higher.” With 8 games remaining in the season, the Highlanders are still looking for their first conference win and to break away from a string of 11 losses in ■H a row.
WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS BIG WEST GAMES Team Hawaii UC Santa Barbara Cal State Northridge Cal State Fullerton Long Beach State UC Davis Pacific UC Irvine Cal Poly UC Riverside
W
L
PCT.
12 6 7 6 6 6 5 5 2 0
0 4 5 5 5 5 6 6 8 11
1.000 .600 .583 .545 .545 .545 .455 .455 .200 .000
ALL GAMES
W
L
PCT.
19 13 16 12 11 12 17 10 3 5
2 12 8 12 11 12 7 15 19 19
.905 .520 .667 .500 .500 .727 .708 .400 .139 .208
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Riverside women’s golf finishes in fourth place at the Santa Clara Colby Invitational k e n da ll p e t e r s o n SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The UC Riverside women’s golf team jolted into first place out of 11 squads after they fired a 301 first-round score Monday, Oct. 22 at the Santa Clara Colby Invitational. The Highlanders had a two-shot lead over Ball State (303) and a six-stroke advantage over the host Broncos (307) before things took a turn for the worse when the Highlanders fired 315 and stumbled back into a fourth place finish out of 11 teams. Highlander Amelia Ek and Savannah Vilaubi were tied for second out of 68 golfers with
identical even-par scores of 72. Brittani Ferraro was tied for 16th with a 78 while Hannah Lee was in 20th with a 79, and Tiffany Koyano fired 82 to place 40th. Playing as an individual, Christy Fogerty shot 75 to tie for 9th place. The UC Riverside women’s golf team had the lead after Monday’s first round of play at the Santa Clara Colby Invitational, but when they shot the 315 second-round score on Tuesday, they dropped back into fourth place out of 11 teams with a 616 total. Even though the Highlanders fell back three spots they still played well in the tournament
compared to other teams from the Big West. UC Riverside finished higher than two other Big West teams, Cal State Northridge (626) and Cal Poly (629). Ball State won the event with a 605 two-round score, followed by Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) with 609, the host Broncos with 615, and the Highlanders one stroke back at 616. Savannah Vilaubi led the UC Riverside squad when she tied for sixth overall with a 149 (7277). Playing as an individual, Christy Fogerty also tied for sixth place carding rounds of 75-74 (149). Brittani Ferraro was tied for 12th place with
78-75 (153), while Amelia Ek tied for 18th with a 155 (72-83). Tiffany Koyano fired a 162 (8280) to tie for 35th while Hannah Lee shot 79-85 (164) to tie for 43rd. Ball State’s Jenna Hague won the individual crown with a 142, three shots ahead of IUPUI’s Lauren Kuss. The women’s golf team has now placed in fourth place in the two tournaments they have played this fall season and looks to make ground when they finish up their fall portion when they head to Arroyo Grande, CA for the Cal Poly Invitational. Last year during first two tournaments in the fall
season, the women’s team finished 17th out of 22 and tied six out of 14 teams. The year before that, they placed 12 out of 20 and 11 out of 15. The best year for the women’s came in their 2009-10 season when they started out with top five finishes going five out of 14, three out of 10 and was tied for second out of seven teams in the third tournament. The only first place finish was in the 2008-09 season when they finished tied for first out of 12 at the Bronco Fall Invitational in Meridian, ID. The Highlanders will participate in the Lady Mustang Invitational on October 29-30 in Ar■H royo Grande, CA.
UC Riverside men’s golf stumbles at Bill Cullum Invitational finished with scores of 74 and 75, respectively. Following a complete 36 hole round, the Highlanders were in fifteenth place trailing the overall leader, San Diego, by 38 strokes. The deciding round saw the Highlanders plummet as they finished in last place with a score of 317 for the third round. Smith led the Highlanders firing a score of 78 while Gazzolo, Rajcic, and Bruce Doucett each scored under 81. Jason Semthiti rounded out the team with a score of 82. UC Riverside, following a disastrous final round, concluded the invitational with a total score of 922, which positioned them in 19th place over all preceding only CSU
Bakersfield. Gazzolo paced the Highlanders with a 225 total (7372-80) to finish tied for 41th place overall in the final individual standings. Smith (7875-78) and Rajcic (77-74-80) both tied for 69th place with a total score of 231 among the 108 total participants. San Diego steamrolled through the competition accumulating a score of 850 (288279-283) for a fourteen-under par. Arizona State was nine strokes back as they finished runner-up with a total score of 859. Arizona State’s Jon Rahm Rodriguez won medalist honors with a 12-under par and an individual score of 204. Three shots behind was
San Diego’s Grant Forest, who took second place honors with a 207. Travis Russell of UC Irvine completed the top three with a 209 finishing with a rare tournament eagle. The start of 2012 season was one of the best in recent Highlander history as they finished in third place in the first two tournaments. The Highlanders haven’t had a pair of third place finishes in the same season, excluding dual matches, since the 2004-2005 season, a span of over eight years. The Highlanders look to recapture their fervent early season play as they return to competition Jan. 28 at the Arizona Intercollegiate tourna■H ment in Tuscon, Arizona.
MEETINGS ON MONDAYS 5:15PM @ HUB 101
The UC Riverside men’s golf team tumbled out of the Bill Cullum Invitational as they concluded the fall portion of their season finishing 19th place out of 20 teams at the Wood Ranch Golf Club in Simi Valley, California. The Highlanders, who won the event in 2010, struggled to maintain the early season form that saw them finish in the top three in two previous events. UC Riverside started the 54-hole event slowly as the team shot a first round score of 307, which placed them 17 out of 20 teams for the
day. David Gazzolo paced the squad with a respectable score of 73. Three other Highlanders scored in the seventies before the second round of 18 holes was suspended due to darkness. The final day was an uphill battle for the Highlanders as they started the second round 19 shots behind the leading team, University of San Diego. Led again by Gazzolo, the Highlanders recovered from a lethargic start to finish ninth place in the middle round with a score of 298. Gazzolo rolled in five birdies as he continued his strong tournament play concluding the round with a score of 72. Teammates Christian Rajcic and Ryan Smith
WRITE FOR THE HIGHLANDER NEWSPAPER
Darren Bueno CONTRIBUTING WRITER
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
27
UC Riverside women’s soccer ends season with a loss against the Aggies C o dy N g u y e n CONTRIBUTING WRITER
October 26, 2012 Highlanders 3 – Tigers 2 The UC Riverside women’s soccer (7-9-3) team continued their success when they marched into Knoles Field at the University of the Pacific last Friday Oct. 26 and snatched a 3-2 overtime victory on the road against the struggling Pacific Tigers (3-13-1), now losers of their last six. It only took seven minutes for the first goal of the match to be scored, when Highlander Alex Duran’s shot was deflected, yet still found itself into the back of the net off the hands of Pacific goalkeeper Kathrine Larsen. The Tigers fought back and scored the equalizing goal in the 37th minute. Lauren Olvera’s attempt hit the crossbar and found Brittni Beeman, who headed the ball in for
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the score. The Highlanders struck swiftly in the second half, led by Tyler Cunningham’s goal at the 45-second mark of the second period to make the score 2-1 and give the Highlanders their second lead of the night. The Tigers would continue fighting, albeit letting scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity pass them by as the clock drew ever so closer to the dreaded double zeroes that would all but add to the pain of a disappointing season. In the 84th minute, when all hope seemed lost, Tiger Brittni Beerman picked up her second goal of the night, continuing her stellar performance, as well as the hopes of the Pacific Tigers. Those hopes would soon be squashed by the Highlanders, who scored the winning goal and their seventh win of the season when Tyler Cunningham found Jes-
sica Cortez in the fourth minute of overtime. October 28, 2012 Aggies 2 - Highlanders 1 Coming off Friday’s win against the Pacific Tigers, the Highlanders traveled 60 miles north to UC Davis on Sunday to square off against the Aggies in their final match of the regular season. The Highlanders picked up where they left off on Friday and got off to a fast start, taking the lead on the first goal of the afternoon in the 16th minute, courtesy of Andrea Morales. The Aggies had a chance to equalize in the 29th minute off of a shot by midfielder Stephanie Bell, but it ultimately ended up in the hands of UCR goalkeeper Jessica White, canceling out the Aggies’ only shot on goal of the first half. It would be a tale of two halves
though, as a seemingly lifeless Aggie squad found rejuvenation in the second half, starting with a score in the 64th minute when Lindsey O’Tousa found Taylor Duffner to tie the game at 1-1. The match seemed destined for overtime until the 82nd minute, when UC Davis midfielder Kirstin Holmberg fired a crosser to Ashley Edwards, who headed the ball into the net for the game-winning score. The Aggies’ offensive explosion in the second half saw them outshoot the Highlanders 11-2. The loss puts the exclamation mark on a lackluster season for the UCR women’s soccer team, finishing the 2012 season with a 7-10-3 overall record and a 2-61 record in Big West conference play. Junior Andrea Morales and Freshman Crystal Lopez ended the season tied for the team lead in H scoring with nine points each. ■
MICHAEL RIOS
RIO-SIDE Stern’s retirement is long overdue David Stern, the longtime commissioner of the NBA, finally announced his intent to call it quits. Come 2014, the commissioner will retire after 30 years of service to one of the most popular leagues in the world. In all honesty, it’s about darn time. It’s finally over. After vetoed trades, two huge lockouts and a heavy load of unnecessary rule changes, Stern will finally retire. No longer will the NBA have to deal with his tyrannical rule. The league can finally move on and play ball without the fearful watch of Stern over the players’ shoulders. Now, to be fair, his reign as commissioner did bring a great deal of progress, income and change. In his time as commissioner, he turned the league into a global sport, he added seven teams to the NBA and he managed to get through six collective bargaining negotiations. Credit must be given where it is due. But criticism must also be handed where it is earned. Let’s look at a list of some of his most unpopular moments as commissioner. During his reign, hand checking was discontinued, the whistle was blown every other second, strict and unnecessary dress codes were implemented, and technical fouls spoiled engrossing and intense moments during games. In his 30-year reign, Stern also changed NBA basketball from an intense, physical and entertaining sport to a soft, uninspired and referee-dominated game. Players could no longer play freely as many had to deal with the constant worry of fouling out. Defense was no longer an important aspect of the game as players refused to guard the opposition because they knew they would hear that dreadful whistle if they did. It was Pavlovian Conditioning at its worst. The NBA earned the reputation of being a soft league during Stern’s time. In all honesty, even college basketball was more physical than the NBA. With the commissioner finally stepping down, here’s hoping for a more entertaining NBA without the harsh and unusual rule changes. The reign of Stern is over. Players should be rejoicing knowing that the league has the potential to change for the better. It’s truly an exciting time for basketball. Good riddance, ■H Stern.
28
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2012
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER
Women claim fourth place at Big West Cross Country Championships, men’s cross country claim sixth place Matthew Guerrero CONTRIBUTING WRITER
On a sunny Saturday morning Oct. 27, UC Riverside’s cross country teams looked to keep the pace with schools like Cal Poly and UC Davis at the Big West Cross Country Championship. Before the Championship run, UC Riverside’s very own Coach Nate Browne responded to questions concerning how he felt about UC Riverside’s women this week. “The women have put together some strong performances. We feel like we’re flying a bit under the radar and we like it that way,” said Coach Browne. Indeed the women’s cross country team put together some strong performances this weekend, coming in fourth place overall with 81 points. Led once again by Damajerma Dubose, who finished fourth with a time of 20:16.0, Raquel Hefflin and Jzsanette Lindstrom finished ninth and 15th with times of 20:34.3 and 21:01.5. With two top 10 finishers, UC Riverside’s women showed another strong performance, and led a balanced attack as Katy Daly and Alisha Brown also finished in the top 30, with Briana Simons finishing just outside the top 30. With both Daly and Brown finishing at 21:23.09, and Simmons finishing at 21.36.0, the Highlander cross country team dished out strong performances to keep pace with UC Davis, Cal Poly and UC Santa Barbara at the Agricultural course. The team lived up to Coach Browne’s expectations, when he responded to another question regarding his expecta-
KENDALL PETERSON
KENDALL’S FASTBALL Highlander basketball is back
W e s le y N g /HIGHLANDER
Cesar Solis runs in the men’s 8K.
tions for the women earlier this week, Browne said, “The only real expectation is compete hard and race all the way through the finish. We can only control what our teams do. If our women have their best day as a unit they’ll be tough to beat.” Following the completion of the women’s race, UC Riverside’s Highlander men came out and also ran a strong race, dealing with injuries to their top runners. With upper echelon competition such as first place Cal Poly, second place UC Santa Barbara, third place UC Irvine, fourth place UC Davis, and fifth place Long Beach State, the Highlander men came in sixth, with 155 points.
Coach Browne responded to questions about his men’s cross country team. “The men have had some strong individual performances but we have struggled a bit as a team since the UCR Invitational. We dealt with a couple of inopportune injuries and since we are a bit thin it gets exposed when someone is out,” said Browne. Even with injuries, the men’s team came out with once again a balanced attack led by explosive junior, Seth Totten, who placed 14th with a time of 24:48.4, followed by top 30 finishes by freshmen Cesar Solis and Michael Gauger, who ran a 25:23.5 and 25:45.3 respectively. These finishes couldn’t top
a gauntlet of top runners by Cal Poly, who finished with first, second and third place runners, but it represented a strong unit and strength in the face of injury. When asked about home field advantage for both his teams, Coach Browne responded, “I think they love [it]—there is familiarity and they sleep in their own beds the night before a championship race. They don’t have to break their routine and they get to perform in front of their family and friends.” The UC Riverside women’s and men’s cross country team must prepare for the NCAA West Regional Championship on Nov. ■H 10 in Seattle, WA.
Northridge Matadors spoil Senior Night for the Highlanders Michael Rios SENIOR STAFF WRITER
With just one week remaining in the regular season, the UC Riverside men’s soccer team played its final home game of the year against Cal State Northridge in hopes of earning a spot in the postseason. The Matadors currently have the lead in the Southern Division of the conference and have already secured their playoff spot. The Highlanders, however, are still fighting for the final playoff position in the Southern Division. Saturday night’s game set Riverside back a bit, however, as UCR fell with a final score of 2-1. The first half saw no score from either side as both teams went into halftime with a 0-0 tie. The second half would prove to have more offensive rhythm as Northridge dealt the first blow to the Highlanders. After just three minutes of playing time, Northridge’s Edwin Rivas scored the first goal of the match for the Matadors on an unassisted kick to the goal. The score put the Matadors up, 1-0. Rivas would go on to score yet again after an assist from teammate David Turcios to give the Matadors a comfortable 2-0 lead. The Highlanders were then dealt an even heavier blow as UCR’s Jose Diaz was called for
a red card after a collision with a Northridge player late in the game. Diaz exited the match and the Highlanders were forced to continue with just nine players on the field. Head coach Junior Gonzalez commented on the play later on. “Jose has the tendency sometimes to lift his left foot when he’s going into tackles,” he explained. “He got into a bad tackle.” Despite losing a key player, UC Riverside still battled back late in the second period. At the 2:12 mark, the Highlanders managed to get the ball close enough to their opponents’ goal to clutter the penalty area and eventually force an own goal from the Matadors. This cut the lead to just one point at 2-1. The Highlanders rode that momentum until the final seconds of the match. Riverside put the pressure on the Matadors late in the game as the team attempted shot after shot to try to tie the game. With just under a minute remaining, the Highlanders received a corner kick and nearly managed to tip the ball through the net to tie the game. The effort was to no avail, however, as the Matadors stopped the Highlanders’ final attempts to score. The clock eventually ran out and the Highlanders went on to
Jimmy Martinez attempts to take the ball.
lose the game, 2-1. The Matadors managed to spoil the Highlanders’ special evening as UCR celebrated Senior Night during the match, recognizing their six graduating players. The Highlanders have two scheduled games remaining this season. Both games will be on the road. After Saturday’s match, Coach Junior Gonzalez voiced his thoughts on this game and the remaining matches the team will have. “I just felt we weren’t as sharp
J i n y o u n g K o /HIGHLANDER
as we needed to be to get the result,” Coach Gonzalez said about Saturday’s game. “All we have to do is focus on the next two matches. We got to bring heart, we got to bring effort, we got to get the work in.” The final playoff spot in the Southern Division is still up for grabs. The Highlanders will travel to Irvine on Halloween night and will then conclude the regular season on Nov. 3 against Fullerton in hopes earning the final spot in the ■H postseason.
Our UC Riverside men’s and women’s basketball season starts this upcoming weekend with an exhibition game Nov. 3 at the Student Recreation Center. The women’s basketball team will face off against Cal Baptist at 3 p.m and following that game the men’s team will square off against San Diego Christian at 7 p.m.. The men’s team is filled with eight young freshmen and will be led by senior Robert Smith. The Highlander fan base will be the driving focal point to help the team thrive through the season, along with the great coaching from Jim Wooldridge. Yet, they must wait until next season for the playoffs. Wooldridge and UCR kept three players on scholarship for the 2010-11 school year, and made them subject to counting under the Academic Progress Rate scoring system. The system awards points for each semester/ quarter a player stays eligible and stays in school. However, the players dropped away and did not continue classes. Their hopes of going to the Big West Conference playoffs are shattered, even if they go undefeated. This puts a damper to the team’s season, but they will need all the support to get through this season. This does not mean to forget about the men’s basketball season and not show up. It is now more important than ever that we show the Highlander pride we have at this great and wonderful school. Moving on to the women’s basketball team. The Big West Conference released its 2012-13 Preseason Poll and they selected the UC Riverside women’s basketball team to finish eighth. Senior guard Tre’Shonti Nottingham was also picked to the preseason all-conference team. The team has averaged 15.9 wins per season and has made the postseason in five of eight years, all the while winning three Big West Tournament titles and one Big West Conference regular season title during Margaritis’ UC Riverside tenure. The women’s team has a legit shot with their young core to make back to the playoffs, and Nottingham can lead the Highlanders there. Show some Highlander pride. Come out this Saturday, Nov. 3, to support the Highlander basketball squads. Let’s start H out the season with a bang. ■