Volume 63 Issue 01

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

Highlander University

Volume 63

of

C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e

Issue 01

Serving the UCR community since 1954

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Glen Mor: Two halves of a whole

UCRChannelH

$1 billion for sustainability overshadowed by divestment debate COLIN MARKOVICH Senior Staff Writer

in the fight against sexual assault and saying, “Only together can we ensure that when we look back can we say: It was compassion, not trauma that changed the world.”

The topic of sexual violence continued to grab national headlines as UC students lobbied at this year’s Student Lobby Conference on bills such as “Yes Means Yes,” (SB 967), which passed in the Senate just last

The University of California Board of Regents voted during their last meeting to allocate $1 billion in UC assets to environmentally sustainable investments as part of the university’s commitment to the environment, while facing criticism from student groups for not divesting its financial holdings from the fossil fuel industry.

“Today’s announcements show the very real commitment of the University of California to invest our human and financial assets in finding solutions to global climate change,” UC President Janet Napolitano said in a statement.

Student attendees at the regents meeting praised the investment, but criticized the Task Force on Sustainable Investing, the group that made the recommendations, for not doing enough to combat climate change. Many of the students were members of Fossil Free UC, a student campaign organized by the UC Student Association.

“I think it is hypocritical and irrational for our UC system to support an industry which is contributing to the destruction of the futures we are all working so hard towards as students,” said Sustainable UCR co-president Tracey Walters in response to the regents’ decision.

The task force report recommends that the UC “Evaluate all strategies for achieving ESG (environmental, social and governance) goals as soon as practical, including whether to use divestment.”

Previous versions of the report included stronger language against divestment, stating, “The majority of the Task Force concluded that divestment in and of itself would not meaningfully impact climate change.” The section was removed after student pressure.

► SEE WHITE HOUSE, PAGE 7

► SEE CLIMATE, PAGE 7

CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER The completion and opening of the Glen Mor 2 student apartments breathes life into to the long-awaited second half of the Glen Mor housing on campus.

ESTEFANIA ZAVALA Senior Staff Writer

After nearly two years of construction, the second installment of the Glen Mor student apartments opened its doors to new UCR residents this fall. Coined “Glen Mor Phase 2” during its developing stages, the new buildings are connected to the original Glen Mor by a raised bridge that connects the two sections. Initially slated for completion last year, the construction project was further delayed to alleviate stringent construction scheduling and negative environmental impacts

on the surrounding land.

According to Assistant Vice Chancellor of Housing, Dining and Residential Services Andy Plumley, the university “went to great efforts to connect the two phases of Glen Mor so that it works as one community.”

Since an arroyo already existed before construction began, Glen Mor Resident Services Assistant Anissa Monteon explained that “(The builders) didn’t want to disturb it too much so they put in some rocks to help with drainage,” and so they constructed a bridge over it to link the two communities.

As a hybrid between

dorm- and apartment-style communities, the new Glen Mor structures can house approximately 800 students and shoulders the cost of $155 million — $100 million more than the older Glen Mor buildings completed in 2007 — which includes construction, contracting and furnishing fees.

The overall project was financed via debt funding, in which money was borrowed through a bond and then paid back via UCR student housing fees.

Excited about the facilities, Monteon said that the first residents had moved in on Sept.

19 with a few still trickling

in every day. New Glen Mor residents will pay the same fees as their sister apartment residents, which range from $1,170 to $1,285 per month — and remain the highest monthly rent among the six UCR campus apartments. This facility will also house new paid staff, which includes a resident director, eight resident advisors and 13 student workers in the current Resident Services Office.

Additionally, the new buildings boast features such as an Academic Resource Center, a computer lab, a gaming lounge, ► SEE GLEN MOR, PAGE 5

White House launches sexual assault prevention campaign JOSEPH AVILA Staff Writer SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer

A new sexual assault prevention campaign entitled, “It’s On Us,” was launched during a White House event on Sept. 19. The campaign, initiated

by President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, encourages student bystanders to intervene in cases where it is likely that sexual assault will

occur. This follows an onslaught of complaints by students that college administrators mishandled sexual assault cases, which shook notable UC campuses such as UCLA, Berkeley and Santa Barbara in recent years.

The U.S. Department of Justice will provide $6 million grants to 18 campuses that develop comprehensive sexual assault prevention and response policies. The funds could also potentially set up “best practices”

OPINIONS

for universities to follow when assisting student survivors of sexual assault. Other legislative measures such as the Campus Accountability and Safety Act, which was recently introduced to the U.S. Senate, also aim to hold institutions financially accountable for the mishandlings of sexual assault cases.

Lilly Jay, a sexual assault survivor and Amherst College student, opened the White House event by emphasizing the roles of non-survivor voices and allies

FEATURES

Editorial: College provides you the perfect time to get acquainted with your newfound freedom.

PAGE 8

Get the real insight on the University Village with The Guide to the UV. PAGES 12-13

RADAR

SPORTS

Fitz and the Tantrums play at Municipal Auditoruim, bringing energy to downtown fans.

PAGE 18

Cross-country runner Raquel Hefflin was featured in Sports Illustrated for her record-breaking summer.

PAGE 24

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NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

HIGHLANDER

UCR joins college group to improve graduation rates

SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer

UC Riverside has joined the University Innovation Alliance (UIA), a consortium of 11 universities dedicated to helping a greater number of low-income and minority students graduate by using effective practices already administered at each respective campus.

The creation of the alliance was first mentioned by Chancellor Kim Wilcox during a town hall meeting back in February 2014, but the alliance has been in the works since last year. Representing 378,489 undergraduates, approximately 30 percent of whom are Pell Grant students, the alliance will be funded by an $11 million grant from the Ford Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Lumina Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, USA Funds and partly from each UIA campus.

Alliance members held an event in September to announce the creation of the coalition, which aims to address two challenges: the low graduation rates for minority and low-income students in American higher education and the inhibition of idea-sharing that results from the competitive higher educational environment.

“UCR is 86 percent persons of color. Many are not traditional students. Our staff and faculty came

because of that … We’re here for the students,” Wilcox emphasized at the UIA conference.

A month prior to the February town hall, a UCR task force had already determined that four-year and six-year student graduation rates stayed stagnant for several years.

Nevertheless, compared to other UCs, UCR held some of the highest graduation rates for both low-income and minority students. As of now, the four-year graduation rate of UC Riverside hovers at 42 percent.

Another goal of the alliance is to promote practices found to be effective throughout the 11-member alliance and disseminate them to other campuses. Examples include predictive analytics, adaptive learning, pre-college bridge programs, learning communities, intensive advising programs and strategic financial interventions.

“Each intervention example has been developed at one UIA member institution (serving as a mentor) with at least one UIA campus demonstrating interest in being a mentee,” explained UCR Media Relations Director Kris Lovekin.

UC Riverside has found success through supplemental instruction and learning communities, which have been shown to increase student graduation rates on a long-term basis.

“The graduation rates are much better for students who participate in the CNAS Freshman Scholars

UCR has joined the University Innovation Alliance along with 10 other schools across the country.

Learning Community (CNAS Scholars for short),” affirmed Scott Silverman, CNAS Scholar and Research In Science and Engineering (RISE) coordinator. “This increase is consistent across the board by demographic and socio-economic differences. What this means is that the Learning Community is really an amazing opportunity for first-generation and low-income students.”

In a letter published in

Photo of the Week

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the Sacramento Bee, Wilcox emphasized the idea that more colleges need to recognize the need to raise graduation rates in public universities, which educates more than three-fourths of all students in America. With students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, Wilcox said, “As a nation, we cannot afford to let family income remain the primary determinant of educational success.”

“It is time to make good on the

Lead singer Michael Fitzpatrick serenades the audience while being bathed in the spotlight Saturday night at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium.

Quotebook “The question with the students is how do you see yourself using it?”

Upcoming Events

Cameron Yong ASST. PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

promise that a college degree is possible for people of all family backgrounds,” Wilcox furthered.

UIA also consists of Arizona State University, Georgia State University, Iowa State University, Michigan State University, Oregon State University, Purdue University, Ohio State University, University of Kansas, University of Texas and University of California, Riverside — the only California-based college in the coalition.

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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER Rivera Library Banned Books Week Through Oct. 3 Tomás Rivera Library

Tuesday

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GRAPHIC BY VINCENT TA

Wednesday

Intramural Sports Registration 5 p.m.

UCR Student Recreation Center

Anarchy in [the] Ukraine by Provost Paul D’Anieri 4 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.

INTS 1128

2

Kaplan Information Table 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

3

Pop Till You Drop 11 a.m.

UCR Student Recreation Center

4

UCR Block Party 4:30 p.m. – 9:30 pm UCR Student Recreation Center

5

Q-Camp Orientation 1 p.m. – 5 p.m.

Pentland Hills F111

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

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Resume Writing Workshop 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

HUB 355

Monday

- Principal Planner Jay Eastman on a proposed streetcar system in Riverside

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Break the Silence : Clothesline Project 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.

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Be seen.

Watch the headliners and write the headlines. Join our Monday meetings at 5:15 p.m. in HUB 101 to learn more about how you can see your name in lights and in the byline.

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4

NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

HIGHLANDER

Cyberbullying increases as students age

be accepted into a new social climate.

In an effort to help decrease bullying and improve social climate, Wang states that this transition period is critical for intervention. “Considering the unique pattern during school transitions, carefully designed interventions should target the new sixth graders as they adjust to the larger middle school environment and to new peer groups,” Wang emphasized.

The increase in cyberbullying may also be due to the lack of detection.

“Subtle forms of bullying (e.g., cyberbullying) in general are less likely to be detected by adults and less likely to be punished,” Wang explained. The UCR assistant professor also said regulating students’ online usage and informing students about cyber safety as important factors for the prevention of cyber victimization.

Wang and her teams also stressed the importance that

schools should recognize all forms of bullying in a way that is gender and culturally sensitive. As Wang told UCR Today, “School-based interventions need to address the differences in perpetrator and victim experiences; the key is to use individualized specific interventions for bullying, not a one-size-fits-all approach.”

Fourth-year psychology major Kimberly Orellan also supports the prevailing view that a student’s online usage should be reduced, but expressed her own views on cyberbullying prevention.

“I think students can take measures to protect themselves from cyberbullying if they stopped relying so heavily on social media,” Orellan said.

The research paper was a collaboration between Wang, Professor Jin Hoon Ryoo from the University of Virginia and Professor Susan M. Swearer from the University of Nebraska.

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WEDNESDAYS @ 9AM

transitioned between categories over time. In addition to addressing the differences between perpetrator and victim, the study also looked at how gender played a role in bullying.

Males were more likely to be physically victimized, while females were more likely to encounter verbal and cyber victimization.

Wang’s team found that the transition from fifth to sixth grade saw an increase in perpetrators, from 5 percent in fifth grade to 16 percent the next year. This increase was in cyberbullying while traditional bullying decreased.

In explaining this increase, Wang said, “We think that students become more involved in bullying perpetration possibly to gain higher social status in the new environment after school transition.” Since fifth to sixth grade marks a transition from elementary to middle school, many students may feel pressure to

KUCR RADIO 88.3

A recent psychology study published by Cixin Wang, an assistant professor in UCR’s Graduate School of Education, and other researchers discovered that physical and verbal bullying decrease, while cyberbullying increases, as students age. The study also disputed previous studies that English language learners (ELL) were bullied more often than native English speakers.

Working with data collected from 1,180 fifth- through eighth-grade students in the U.S., the study showed that within a one-year period, traditional bullying (verbal and physical) decreased from 29 percent to 18 percent and cyberbullying increased from 10.3 percent to 12.8 percent from 2005-2006.

The study examined bullying on two levels by identifying victims (people who are bullied) and perpetrators (those who commit the bullying), and tracking whether participants

HIGHLANDER NEWSROOM

Aaron Grech, Staff Writer

VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER

NEWS

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

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Study examines possibility of citywide streetcar COLIN MARKOVICH Senior Staff Writer

Last Wednesday, a group of about 50 Riverside residents gathered at the Cesar Chavez Community Center in Riverside to discuss the possibility of implementing a streetcar system throughout the city. During the event, called a charrette by organizers, members of the Riverside community pored over maps of proposed streetcar routes, discussed land use laws and attempted to define areas of interest that would be best served by a streetcar system.

The charrette was organized by members of the Riverside Reconnects Streetcar Study, which began in June. The study, which Riverside Mayor Rusty Bailey has made a priority of his mayoralty, aims to identify potential routes, ridership levels, monetary cost of implementation and weigh costs and benefits of a potential project.

“The entire idea here is: how can we enhance public transportation, and what do we want public transportation to look like in the future?” Riverside Councilmember Andy Melendrez said about the study. Melendrez represents UCR’s ward on the Riverside city council.

Attendees emphasized the need for the streetcar to connect to high-trafficked areas, such as the downtown pedestrian mall, medical centers and colleges such

as UCR. Citizens also indicated that preservation of street aesthetics was important.

Although the study primarily discusses streetcars, it will also look at the possibility of trolleys and a bus rapid transit system.

Jay Eastman, principal planner for the city of Riverside, said the focus is on a streetcar because of a “stigma” against buses. In addition, he noted that a mass transit system should incorporate the existing road system, and said that the study will not examine light rail because it “is not going to share the lanes with the street.”

Eastman also indicated that outreach to students was an important part of the study. “Has anybody gone out and asked a student?” he remarked during the presentation. According to Eastman, the steering committee guiding the study does not currently have any outreach events planned at UCR, but is likely to develop some as the study continues. A member of the steering committee, Irma Henderson, works for Transportation and Parking Services.

Potential means of funding are as yet unclear, and the feasibility study aims to determine overall cost and funding sources over its lifespan.

A comparable streetcar system in Tucson, Ariz., cost $196.5 million.

Melendrez listed a number of reasons why Riverside is examining the potential benefits of a streetcar

► GLEN MOR FROM PAGE 1

a fitness room and a three-level parking garage with 600 spaces.

Monteon described the parking structure as “the first of its kind” and noted that no other on-campus facility has a garage for its occupants.

“Residents were very excited about that,” Monteon expressed.

The new Glen Mor structures have also sought to incorporate sustainability and eco-friendly features into the new apartment community, such as a vegetable and spice garden, a solar-heated pool system and energy-efficient lighting.

Though prior to construction neighboring citizens raised concerns about environmental conservation and noise pollution, the Glen Mor buildings have attempted to adapt to their surroundings.

“There’s a desert theme to (the buildings),” said Monteon. “You don’t have to worry about any water being wasted. It’s energy efficient and eco-friendly.” To minimize water resources, the plumbing fixtures all have a low-flow design and the landscape features indigenous, drought-tolerant plants. As a result of these green efforts, Glen Mor Phase 2 has received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification and is the only on-campus UCR apartment with this recognition.

Additionally, Glen Mor Phase 2 will feature its very own convenience market and HUB-style dining area called The Market at Glen Mor, which opened on Aug. 27 to both residents and the campus at large.

It will feature normal Scotty’s fare such as snacks and drinks but with the addition of grocery-store style

COURTESY OF RIVERSIDE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM Riverside residents convened last week to talk about the possibility of bringing back a streetcar system to Riverside in the coming years.

project. “I think we want to become more environmentally friendly … It’s one way of getting more cars off the road,” Melendrez said, adding that health reasons and traffic circulation were other reasons a streetcar system should be considered.

Overall receptiveness to the idea of a streetcar was mixed.

Sergio Robles, an incoming political science student at UCR, said that he was “leaning more toward” the implementation of

food. “As Glen Mor residents are in apartments, we will be offering items that they can use to cook and clean,” explained Plumley. The Market will also feature a grill and hot meals where on-campus residents can spend their dining dollars.

For new Glen Mor residents Alex Lara and Raymundo Reyes, they are just grateful that the new apartments are close to school. “I’m surprised about the layout,” said Lara, seeming impressed. “I didn’t think it would be this nice.” Reyes agreed and added that the new sustainability features did not diminish his favorite part of living there: “I like the air conditioning best,” he admitted.

Glen Mor residents can also look forward to one more final luxury: a new Starbucks will open near The Market at Glen Mor in winter 2014.

“The Starbucks that will be coming soon has indoor seating and will serve as community meeting spot, or just a great place to relax and study. There are numerous outlets for the use of electronic devices, and background music to create a great vibe. The outdoor seating area is equipment with heaters in case students just want to dine alfresco,” said Cheryl Garner, executive director of dining services.

As for new building plans, Plumley asserts that the campus will grow to accommodate UCR’s blooming new student population. “An increase in new freshmen will mean we will need to build another residence hall.”

Glen Mor is located on the corner of Big Springs Road and Valencia Drive where it spans 567,000 square feet. The Glen Mor apartments only accept housing applications from second-year UCR students and above.

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streetcars in the city. “Not too many cities are considering this form of transportation,” he noted, emphasizing the potential for convenience and accessibility.

Other attendees expressed more skepticism about the value of a streetcar. “They don’t know where it’s going to go,” said a frustrated Cal Knauer. Knauer highlighted the amount of money being spent on the study and said it would be better spent improving the state of the

city’s streets.

However, current UCR students shouldn’t get their hopes up for a streetcar system during their time here. The feasibility study will not be completed until fall of 2015, and if the study finds a streetcar system beneficial, Eastman emphasized that it would likely be eight to 10 years before such a system is actually implemented, putting an approximate completion date at 2025.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

NEWS

HIGHLANDER

UCR milestones of summer 2014 UCR’s science fiction and

fantasy collection receives $3.5 million donation

SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer

The Highlander has compiled a list from UCR Today of a few of the national accolades that UCR collected over the summer of 2014.

July 23: For the third consecutive year, UCR is being recognized as a national top feeder school (ranked 31st this year) for graduates applying to the City Year program, which focuses on providing academic support to K-12 schools with insufficient staffing or in lowincome neighborhoods.

Aug. 4: UC Riverside was included in the 2015 edition of the Princeton Review’s annual college guide: “The Best 379 Colleges,” which includes a total of 375 flagship colleges with surveys from 130,000 enrolled college students.

Aug 14: For the third consecutive year, UCR was placed (with a rank of 90 out of 173 schools this year) on Sierra Magazine’s “America’s Coolest Schools,” which compiles a

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

UCR’s undergraduate business program was recognized over the summer by U.S. News.

list of the nation’s most ecofriendly colleges.

Aug. 15: UCR landed on the nation’s Top 50 LGBT-Friendly Colleges and Universities, according to Campus Pride, a leading national nonprofit with the mission statement of creating a more inclusive college environment for LGBT students.

Aug. 25: Washington Monthly, a 45-year-old nonprofit United States

magazine specializing in politics and government, ranked UCR as no. 2 in its 10th annual College Ranking Survey for the second year in a row.

Sep. 9: UCR was tied for 113th on a list by U.S. News and World Report, which included the best national universities to attend; the campus was also recognized for its undergraduate business program, diversity and H academic quality-to-cost ratio. ■

AARON LAI / HIGHLANDER Robert Cromie’s “A Plunge into Space” is one of the rare books held at UCR’s Eaton Collection.

AARON GRECH Staff Writer

The Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy at UC Riverside received a $3.5 million donation by the estate of the late photographer Jay Kay Klein, who passed away in 2012. Holding close ties to Dr. Melissa Conway, the head of Special Collections and University Archives, Klein had already donated his $1.4 million photo collection to the university.

University officials reported that the funds will create an endowment that is expected to produce $150,000; the collection currently runs on a budget of about $160,000.

Klein’s donation will also go toward staffing a fulltime librarian dedicated to looking after the entire Eaton collection. In addition, the UCR libraries will seek to digitize Klein’s photos and identify any unknown subjects in his photographs.

Klein’s photos were taken at a variety of science fiction events, such as the World Science Fiction Convention. Klein also took photos of many science fiction authors and personalities such as Ray Bradbury, Carl Sagan and Gene Roddenberry at these conventions. His photo collection included over 66,000 photographs over a span of 25 years.

Conway recalled her memories of the late Klein as “a brilliant guy,” with “a completely fantastic, eidetic memory,” and as a person having “an encyclopedia of knowledge.”

Despite never visiting the collection himself during his lifetime due to ill health, Klein chose to send his collection to UCR. While UCR’s Eaton Collection is the largest and one of the most prestigious science fiction collections in the world, Conway stated that Klein “really had to check out what we would do, what promises we would make so he wasn’t just

drawn by the prestige. He really needed to know that he could trust UCR.” Conway added that, “It’s quite a nice statement about UCR and its reputation. He was a proud graduate of Syracuse University, as was his late wife. The fact that they would choose us as their heir is pretty impressive for UCR.” Klein’s donations also excited Rob Latham, an English professor and founder of the science fiction and technoculture studies program at UCR, who said, “It’s an amazing coup for us — and a tribute to the effort of Melissa Conway, Director of Special Collections in Rivera Library, who identified and then cultivated the donor over several years. Her hard work and dedication to her job have succeeded in garnering for the Eaton Collection the largest single bequest in the library’s history. She deserves all the credit for this.”

Latham also notes that, if the UCR library administration uses the funds wisely, it will insure the solvency of the collection for some time and provide enhanced research support.

Science fiction fans were gratified by the announcement of the endowment. “The Science Fiction Library is a significant collection of literature,” Jacob Devereux, a fourthyear creative writing major and science fiction enthusiast stated. “The new endowment is very exciting because it proves that people still understand and appreciate the relevance of this art.”

This large donation also helps display Klein’s legacy and love for the craft of science fiction. Arturo Perez, a fourthyear English major added that, “(Klein’s) endowment represents his love for the genre (and) it being in his will meant he planned this before his death.

Not many people would donate that type of money to a public collection — if that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.”

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HIGHLANDER

NEWS

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

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Crime watch: Burglary near family housing ESTEFANIA ZAVALA Senior Staff Writer

Last Friday, at approximately 1:30 p.m., two suspects were seen breaking into a house on Flanders Road near UCR Family Student Housing. The UC Police Department (UCPD) assisted the Riverside Police Department (RPD) in searching for the perpetrators, one of whom was apprehended near Canyon Crest Drive and Linden Street. The other suspect, however, reportedly disappeared into the housing complex.

UCPD issued an emergency text alert to all students to stay indoors if they were in the surrounding area.

The officers searched for the second suspect, who was described as a black male in his early 30s wearing a black shirt and red shorts in a police bulletin. The suspect was not found and the search was called off around 2:30 p.m.

RPD now holds the first suspect in custody and will continue the investigation for the second suspect.

Kris Lovekin, UCR Director of Media Relations, advocates vigilance and said, “The best safety advice is to keep doors locked, keep your eyes up and alert as you walk and keep valuables out of sight (especially electronics like phones and tablets).”

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A recent burglary on Flanders Road caused family housing to be temporarily on lockdown as a suspect f led into the community for refuge.

► WHITE HOUSE FROM PAGE 1

month. The measure lays down the concept of “affirmative consent,” which requires students to obtain “affirmative, conscious and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity.” If signed by Gov. Jerry Brown, the measure would create a standard for defining sexual assault on college campuses.

Earlier this month, a UC task force released a report on sexual assault prevention and assault that included a notable recommendation that includes mandatory education about sexual assault, domestic violence, dating and stalking to all incoming UC students.

In response to the recent White House campaign, Interim Director of UCR’s

Women’s Resource Center (WRC) Romanie Arterberry said, “(It’s On Us) brings attention to an (increasing) area of concern on college campuses,” but feels that more can be done to spread awareness on campus. With the belief that sexual violence prevention is a campuswide effort, Arterberry added that it is also an individual responsibility when it comes to preventing sexual assault.

To find out more about the “It’s On Us” campaign, visit the campaign website at www.itsonus.org. The WRC is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m and provides leadership, safety and support services to the entire student body.

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► CLIMATE FROM PAGE 1

Members of the task force maintain that the recommendations do not rule out divestment, and the final report emphasizes further debate, stating, “The Task Force encourages the continued discussion of these ideas at the President’s Global Climate Leadership Council.”

Victoria Fernandez and Alden Phinney, the two student members of the task force, asserted at the regents meeting that students were largely shut out of the creation of the final report. “Student participation was treated largely as a nuisance,” Fernandez said. “I am disappointed that the UC’s institutional mechanisms, such as the task force, did not adequately address student concerns, faculty concerns and alumni concerns.” Both were the only two members of the task force to oppose the final list of recommendations, and are also members of Fossil Free UC. The push for divestment at the universitywide level comes after the undergraduate student governments of at least eight UC campuses have stated support for the divestment campaign, as has the UC Berkeley Faculty Association. ASUCR,

the undergraduate student government of UCR, expressed its support last academic year when it unanimously passed Senate Resolution 5. The resolution expressed support for the divestment campaign and announced that ASUCR would withdraw its financial holdings in the fossil fuel industry.

Napolitano has sought to make sustainability a key hallmark of her tenure as UC President, announcing last November that the UC hopes to be carbon neutral by 2025, and the 11-member Task Force on Sustainable Investing was formed in June to further that goal. Earlier this month, the UC also announced a partnership with Frontier Renewables to provide over 200,000 megawatt-hours’ worth of solarpowered electricity to California’s power grid annually, starting in 2016. The average household used about 10 megawatt-hours of electricity in 2012.

The UC holds $91 billion worth of investments, of which the $1 billion in sustainable investments will be a part.

The UC also maintains another $10 billion in financial holdings in the fossil fuel industry.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

. OPINIONS .

HIGHLANDER

HIGHLANDER HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL EDITORIAL

READY, SET, COLLEGE: LEARN TO PUSH YOUR BOUNDARIES

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ctober second. It looms.

It’s hanging there like an unwanted relative staying at your house too long, reminding you why you don’t live with them in the first place. It’s that annoying dog that won’t stop barking and saying, “Look! I’m here! Look!

Look!” And unfortunately, it’s your pleasant neighborhood reminder that no matter how long you try to avoid making your summer end, it inevitably does. All of your overpriced books will be here soon enough, and with them a whole new courseload to memorize in just 10 weeks. In spite of all this, the start of yet another school year brings along its own set of pleasantries and opportunities to immerse yourself in and take advantage of.

It’s enough to make some students think their life is spiralling out of control. First off, realize that you are in pretty much total control of your destiny.

You are at a research university with opportunities aplenty to make strides in your chosen major or interest. Go talk to almost any professor, even if you just happen to have a passing interest in a subject, just to test the waters.

This isn’t high school — professors aren’t the towering authoritarian figures you may make them out to be.

In fact, most of them are happy to talk to you in class or during office hours.

The professors are here to research and teach, and for most, talking about their favorite subject could even get them talking for hours. You could strike up an unexpected friendship.

And of course, building friendship and camaraderie with a professor is also very useful when applying to grad schools and you’re in need of a letter of recommendation.

But however interesting and enlightening the academic stuff is, we know you want to hear about the fun stuff too. How about this: Along

ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER

with that total freedom being put toward academics, you can gain new experiences and meet new people by exploring all of the different social opportunities at UCR and in the surrounding community.

If you’re new to the school — and honestly, even if you’re not — try out any and every club you can go to. You don’t have to join every single one (that would be statistically impossible), but attend meetings, talk to members and try one out until you find the one that sticks. Not only will you find a community that accepts you and that you feel a part of and share interests with, but you will have received a glimpse into the many other UCR communities along the way. And you can hone a skill or talent along the way, whether it’s acting, playing chess, fencing or even organizing a protest.

For off-campus alternatives, of course, there’s plenty to do downtown.

Places like the Blood Orange Info Shop present another option for an alternative community that you can dive into and feel a part of. There’s also Back to the Grind, a great spot not only for studying, but for open mic nights every Tuesday. Sporadic shows by local bands also provide a great way to see up and coming music in the area.

Molinos, the Coffee Bean and the other coffee shops and small restaurants are great places to meet up with others and get to know your newfound friends a little better.

Part of the point of saying all this is this: Most of us now are legal (or at least soon-to-be legal) adults, and this is your time to find out who you are, and what you really want. As cliche as it may sometimes sound, you can’t replace experience. Whether it’s pulling an all-nighter before a final or losing or gaining friendships, or any one of a plethora of other things, you won’t understand it till you’ve done it.

You won’t know all the feelings and trials and tribulations that come with something unless you experience all the highs and lows that come with it.

And why not now? If not now, when?

In a couple of years, when you’re settled into a job, and can’t take a risk?

Or when you have other responsibilities you have to take care of? Obviously, you have some responsibilities now — your education being at the forefront of those, and many of us have some sort of job — but now is the time where you can take the most risks and try new things for the heck of it without as many repercussions. There are some nights where we all like to sit in and binge-watch Netflix, but one of these next nights, instead of “accidentally” ignoring that text or message from a friend to go do some kind of adventure, just go do it. Don’t think too hard about, just go and have some fun and make memories.

College can often be portrayed as, and even seen as, an overromanticized thing of freedom and joyous experiences by movies and TV shows. And while some of this overidealization is indeed just that, many people look back at college fondly for a reason. It’s a place where they found their own identity, and tested the waters to see how it worked. So push all your boundaries in all directions — academically, socially and whatever else you can think of. Life obviously isn’t over after college. In fact, it’s really just the beginning. But this is a great way to get a head start. You’ve got four years (or less), so time to get started. And there’s no better time than the present.

■H Highlander editorials reflect the majority view of the Highlander Editorial Board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Associated Students of UCR or the University of California system.

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LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They must be 600-800 words at length and include the author’s name and contact information. Topics should be UCR-centric and/or pertain to our generation of students.

Contact opinions editor Jake Rich at opinions@highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letter can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements.

LEGAL The Highlander is published and copyrighted by the Highlander for the students, faculty and staff of UCR. All rights are reserved. Reprinting of any material in this publication without the written permission of the Highlander is strictly prohibited. Readers are allowed one free copy of the newspaper. For additional copies or for subscription information, please contact the Highlander. The Highlander fully supports the University of California’s policy on nondiscrimination. The student media reserve the right to reject or modify advertising whose content discriminates on the basis of ancestry, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation. The Highlander has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints against it. All inserts that are printed in the Highlander are independently paid publications and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the staff or The University of California or the Associated Students of UCR.

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER

LETTER TO THE EDITOR:

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

9

Breaking the cycle of sexual assault

Regarding the Student Recreation Center expansion

F rom J ustin V alliere To the Graduate Student Community, I’m upset about increased mandatory recreation fees for graduate students, and I think you should be too. As you all likely know, graduate students will be soon expected to pay $149 per quarter in student fees to cover the cost of the Student Recreation Center Expansion. This is in addition to the $59 per quarter we already pay. I am sure you are all aware of the impact that this is going to have on graduate students, but here are some quick stats I calculated regarding this increase in mandatory recreation fees.

With the new increases, over 52 percent of mandatory graduate student fees will be going toward the Recreation Center. Each year, graduate students will pay $624 in recreation fees for only 9 months of access to the Recreation Center facilities. This increase is a nearly 48 percent increase from previous student fees.

During the first month of each quarter, about 22 percent of a graduate student’s salary be going toward student fees (based on a Step 2 GSR at 49 percent). Based on the same salary rate, over 5.5 percent of yearly salary (before taxes) will be going toward student fees.

The entire cost of the Rec Center expansion (about $52 million), is being covered by the student fee increases, which will be in place for the next 30 years until the building costs are paid off. This was approved by a student referendum in 2010. In order for it to go to a vote by the student body, the GSA had to approve it, which they did, without making any exceptions for graduate students.

I am not disputing that the school needed this Recreation Center Expansion Project, or the validity of the referendum that brought this about. Student fee increases will always come about through proper channels and procedures, but that does not mean that those impacted should not voice their concerns, or attempt to ameliorate the situation through further action.

I am not suggesting we seek to defund the project, or to allow waivers for the whole student body. I am also not against the Recreation Center (or the expansion for that matter). I just think that these fee increases place an unfair financial burden on UCR graduate students.

Graduate students are an important part of the UCR community. We teach and run lab sections and discussions. We bring large amounts of money into the school through grants. We conduct research and we serve the campus community in a number of offices, organizations and in other roles.

Any mandatory student fee increases are essentially a pay cut for graduate students and TAs who need to live off of their salaries. I think we deserve more respect in this regard, and that we should try to work with the administration and other campus entities to find a solution. I strongly urge you all to voice your concerns as well.

The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They must be 600-800 words at length and include the author’s name and contact information. Topics should be UCRcentric and/or pertain to our generation of students. Contact Opinions Editor Jake Rich at opinions@highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letter can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements.

PHOTO COURTESY OF IT’S ON US

Celebrities promote the It’s On Us campaign to provide information regarding sexual assault.

SARAH DOYLE Contributing Writer

Swarms of anxious and feisty freshman and transfer students are entering our UCR campus with so much anticipation of what these four-plus years will bring. As a transfer student, I was in the same position this time last year. What classes are we going to take, who will be our friends and what kind of lasting memories will be created?

Most think of this kind of ever-present possibility with wide-eyed excitement, but the possibility I can’t help ignore is the possibility of a student being sexually assaulted on not only our campus but also thousands of other campuses across the U.S. Nearly 20 percent of college women and 6 percent of men will be sexually assaulted during their college years.

In addition, the Rape Abuse Incest National Network (RAINN) reports that two-thirds of sexual assault cases are committed by someone the victim knows. These are just the reported cases, and many incidents go underreported due to a lack of support, fear of not being believed or blamed, feelings of shame and numerous other reasons.

Columbia University senior Emma Sulkowicz is carrying around the mattress on which she was sexually assaulted throughout campus as a physical and emotional reminder of the trauma she carries with her since the incident.

Sulkowicz’s example is indicative of the systematic barriers students have with universities in not only reporting, but in keeping perpetrators accountable for their actions. This is a personal and public reminder of how sexual assault affects students and their ability to be successful in the face of immense and debilitating trauma.

These issues are relevant, especially in light of the recent initiatives from the U.S. government to do more to combat

sexual assault on college campuses.

The U.S. Department of Education has investigated 55 colleges on their policies and procedures on sexual assault cases. In addition, the Barack Obama administration introduced the celebritydriven campaign, It’s On Us, and the website Not Alone to provide resources and information on sexual assault as well. They are pressuring colleges to improve policies, procedures and resources for students to access.

The UC Task Force on Preventing Sexual Violence made a number of recommendations for the UC system to implement across all 10 UC campuses, including the creation of a consistent “response team” model at all campuses, implementation of a comprehensive communication strategy to educate the community and raise awareness about UC programs and establishing an independent “confidential advocacy office” for sexual violence and sexual assault on each campus — all by January 2015.

This comes at a time when the California legislature unanimously passed the “yes means yes” law, which still needs to be signed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The law has strict notions of consent, as anything that is not verbally relayed to a partner before engaging in sexual activity will be considered nonconsensual sex.

Let’s talk about consent. Many of us are fuzzy when it comes to this — I know I was. It can be a tricky thing to navigate when alcohol, coercion and a lack of communication are involved.

Now, it’s always good to go by these guidelines.

Yes means yes! If sober individuals verbally say they are consenting to having sex, this is a good indicator you’re participating in consensual sex. Now, if any individual in that party at any point wants to stop, even if they previously said yes, that yes becomes null and void.

If you hear a maybe or a flat-out no, it always means no. If you are trying to coerce a partner into having sex, this is behavior that would be deemed sexual assault. And when any mind-altering substance has been consumed, under absolutely no circumstance can any sexual activity be considered consensual, unless you and a partner have previously agreed to boundaries while sober, and respect these boundaries later on.

We must not blame or put sole accountability on an individual for sexual assault. Rather, we need to come together as a community to shut down unwarranted behavior. Doing things like making sure your friends make it home safely, intervening when you see a friend or stranger under the influence potentially going home with someone and just being willing to step in when necessary can help us actively combat sexual assault.

As a sexual assault survivor, I know all too well the debilitating trauma, shame, embarrassment and emotional weight an incident can cause. I have tried to reconcile with the emotional and physical violations I’ve experienced.

During the weeks following the incident, I wasn’t myself. I was unable to focus, and my personal and academic life suffered from it. I know my experience is all too common, and that’s what concerns me. The normalization of sexual assault and rape in this country is terrifying. Let’s not only break the silence, but break the cycle.

Sexual assault is not just about the people involved, but it’s about all of us. We are a community who share the camaraderie of being a Highlander. We seek connection, trust, respect, compassion and unity. We can combat this issue together. It takes institutionalized regulatory standards to prevent it, but it also takes each and every one of us. Because one victim is ■H too many.

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.

H highlandernews.org Stay up to date with the latest UCR news or relive your favorite stories — it’s all online.

. FEATURES .

FEATURES

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

11

Leaving the Nest C

Maxine Arellano, Senior Staff Writer

aps and gowns are tucked away and the new (well, new to you) couch has been delivered to the apartment.

The last embrace from family and friends for the next three months is left on your shirt and the memories of summer play out as you watch the familiar smear together outside the car window. “Time of Your Life” by Green Day suddenly plays on the radio as you make the turn down University Avenue. The parental shackles have been shed, along with the luggage once you open the door to your new home. The freedom you have only seen on sitcoms has finally come — so what next? Wear mismatched

outfits because mom is not around. Eat ice cream for breakfast because you can.

Go commando because you itch for all types of freedom.

Then dinner time rolls around and it sets in: “I’m on my own …” You may have just left the nest, but now it’s time to build your own.

The first thing on the agenda may entail making your space your own. Remember when your mom didn’t want those posters on the wall because of the paint?

Well, those band posters are your new wallpaper. Those pictures you just printed from graduation?

Litter your desk with the tornado of pictures until you can’t see it anymore. Throw that extra sock

is

that doesn’t have a match onto the lampshade, because who is going to tell you not to? Maybe the new roommate stumbles in with the same sparkle in their eye as they peer around the cubicle of a room.

The last UCR banner is pinned to the wall and the only thing left to check out is the rest of your home: campus.

Going out used to mean checking for a curfew, convincing parents of safety and giving them a quick bio and license plate

number of the person you’re going out with.

(Or is that just my mom?)

Before college, you had all those years to explore the town … before the street lights came on anyway. The freedom to explore now is endless, but where to first? The book list from the English professor is ready in the bookstore, so naturally, the only thing to do is steer clear and explore the places furthest from your studies. Now you may have felt like the big man during campus tours, but when you’re wearing your UCR shirt from orientation and stand in front of the Bell Tower in the middle of rush, you feel more like the speck of dust that floats in Life Sciences 1500. (It’s okay, you’ll learn to loathe the lecture hall like everyone else). It seems as though everyone has a bag filled with books and supplies in one hand and a coffee in the other.

Questions begin to pop up: Is that last paycheck from the summer job going to cover books? Did I already miss homework? You’ll soon wonder which one is worse to check: your bank account or blackboard.

But then night falls and spirits lift. The parties and college life you have envisioned are on the mind. But where to go? Who to talk to? What to do? Hours go by, and the only thing to show for it

is the dressed bed. Dinner is spent at the dining hall with all the others that buzz around in excitement.

First day of classes is here — no bell schedule, no brunch period and no campus supervisors. It’s 7 a.m. and the person next to you pulls out a Monster and pours it into their coffee muttering, “I’m gonna die.” The map says “Interdisciplinary South,” but how can you tell the coordinates if you forgot to pack your compass? And the sweat mustache does not help the situation when searching for class with just ten minutes to spare. The last lecture ends and you no longer have to reiterate your name, year, major and why you’re taking the class. (You may have felt compelled yet hesitant to state “because my adviser said it’s a requirement,” rather than “because beginning English is fascinating.”) The anticipation of someone asking, “How was school?” lingers once you return to your room. However, only that sock on the lampshade greets you at the door. Yup, it’s official: You’re on your own.

Remember, it’s okay to feel a little scared or anxious the first few weeks of school. Those people that walk through the row of fraternities and sororities without the fear of judgment have all been in the same shoes as you. Unpack the last of your memories and make room for some new ones.

This is just the beginning; the H first twig to your new nest. ■

CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER Excitement and anxiety filled the air aorund the dorms Sunday afternoon as parents list off numerous college-related concerns while new freshman are simply focused on adapting to this brave new world.

12

FEAT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

uncle chuang’s bakery Opening this fall, Piad’Amore promises quality Italian food with its selection of flatbread sandwiches. For those of you craving cuisine with a bit more American flavor, don’t worry — pizzas and calzones are on the menu, too.

Owned and operated by the father of a UCR student, Uncle Chuang’s Bakery provides students with a selection of pastries at affordable prices. Sweet or savory, a morning trip offers the greatest variety — while a trip later in the afternoon often yields discounted prices.

In need of cash? Who am I kidding, the answer is most likely yes. Well, if you don’t belong to a major branch, SchoolsFirst is available to those who belong to any major credit union.

SIGNATURE NAILS Why not walk to that pedicure appointment?

Pamper yourself as you study or recover from post-traumatic final disorder.

Printing services are the name of the game at Amazon Toner. In addition to ink cartridges and toner, the store also stocks school and office supplies, as well as providing computer repair services and mailbox rentals.

Subway meets Pho soup? UCR thinks yes as customers get to customize their own bowl. This restaurant graced our presence early last year and the scent of fresh basil still hovers over the University Village.

The sister restaurant to Calibasil, Oven 450 takes creativity and a brick oven to a whole new level.

With crisp flatbreads, toasty desserts and vegetarian offerings, Oven 450 is definitely unique to UCR.

POLAR BEAR SH BOBA CAFE

ZIZI KOREAN BARBECUE

What’s another boba place in R’side anyway? Iced teas and slushies are the favorite here, best paired with their popcorn chicken.

ZiZi Korean Barbecue promises to spice up the eating lives of hungry students by bringing something different to University Village. The new eatery hopes to open before the year’s out, giving students something to look forward to as finals approach.

The perfect place to coo broiling Riverside day, P Ice offers a wide selectio as taro and mango), com be-beat deal of unlimited don’t worry — no polar in the making of the sha

FIRE AND ICE SEAFOOD If you expected flames and snow, think again. Fire and Ice (now known as Frice) serves up everything from seafood to french fries. Ever want to pair Irish coffee with cajun shrimp? Now you can.

eye-c you

UNIVERSITY PRIDE STORE Looks like the campus bookstore and the University Book Exchange got some competition. University Pride Store is something new to the UV, offering books, supplies and UCR pride apparel.

THE SPOT BAR AND

Probably one in the Univers doors over the rush. With an desserts, it loo

URES

HIGHLANDER

a guide to the

SUSHIYA

Need a spicy tuna roll fix? Or some sake bombs to elebrate that essay? Sushiya is the go-to sushi place or UCR that serves up favorites with smiles.

Grab a slushie and some popcorn — no, not for the movie, but for class. Some lectures will be held in the Regency Theaters. However, if you just decide for the afternoon movie (cheap movies on Sunday) don’t be surprised if you get flashbacks from philosophy before the opening credits.

UV

TERIYAKI BOWL A starving college student can never go wrong with pizza, and that’s exactly what you’ll get at Ray’s Pizza. You can create your own for even the pickiest of eaters, or if you’re feeling a bit more peckish, just go for pizza by the slice or one of the handful of other offerings on the menu.

Exactly what it says on the tin, Teriyaki Bowl’s biggest asset are the low prices. Teriyaki is certainly on the menu, but there’s also takoyaki and nabeyaki udon.

compiled by maxine arellano, senior staff writer

BUSY CAFE

For busy students, the Busy Cafe is one more place for students to hang out and grab a bite to eat. Dim sum and pork noodle soup are among the offerings on this Chinese-centric menu.

Chicken is the product here, and Ranch One offers multiple ways to eat it — in a sandwich, in a taco, or all by its lonesome. Prices are friendly for a college student’s budget, and they do frequent promotions, helping you get even more bang for your “buk.”

PHO VINAM

AVED ICE

When the weather changes from pit of hell to the peak of Mount Everest overnight, there can never be too many pho restaurants. Catering to hungry college students’ needs, Pho Vinam serves up everything from House Special bowls to Broken Rice dishes.

down after a olar Bear Shaved n of flavors (such bined with a can’ttoppings. And bears were harmed ed ice.

T SPORTS GRILL

f the most anticipated places ty Village, The Spot opened its summer and it awaits the fall pen bar and booze-inspired ks like the new spot for UCR.

HOUSE OF BEAUTY No need to find your new eyebrow place while you’re in school. House of Beauty Eyebrow Threading is good for that ANGIE’S GIFT Do you ever pass those random shops in cleanup — or that bet you lost. the mall that have trinkets, makeup and stationary? Angie’s Gift is that place for UCR. If your professor lets you turn in your work on Hello Kitty paper or you just forgot your roommate’s birthday, you’re bound to find it here.

AT THAI A sit-down restaurant nestled between the Spot and the Mad Platter, At Thai has a large selection of dishes for those craving Thai food. From pad see ew to chow mein Thai style, there’s surely something on the menu for everybody.

13

A treasure trove for music aficionados, the Mad Platter has a smorgasbord of CDs. Discerning students can pick up tracks on vinyl, or trade in their gently used musical goods for cash or store credit. With frequent promotions and an eclectic collection of wares, this independently owned store has a unique niche in Riverside.

14

FEATURES

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

HIGHLANDER

the freshman fifteen Fifteen bits of interest from the returners to the newcomers “If we were freshmen, we would be excited for…”

3

1

Cuddling with all the stray cats Block Party!

2 Meeting new people and making new friends!

5 TedxRiverside

in October. Get inspired to lead the next generation of innovators!

6

4 Working out at the new student recreation center

7 Visiting the botanical gardens (there’s a butterfly exhibit!)

8 Joining a new organization

Exploring downtown

9

Spending all of my money at Bytes

10 Showing my Highlander pride at an athletics event (WOOO RIVERSIDE!!)

11

Having TWO sidewalks instead of ONE to walk to the University Village

12 Falling asleep in a comfy University Village theater chair during 7 a.m. lecture

13

Popping bubble wrap during the Pop Till You Drop event at the renovated recreation center!

14 Using a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf gift card only to find out that they don’t accept gift cards

15 Happy dance in Lot 30 when there’s available spots in the first lap. ■ H

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Events this week Thursday | 9/2

Reel Big Fish @ Fox Theater, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday | 9/4

Block Party, feat. Dillon Francis, Magic! and Vic Mensa @ UCR Bell Tower, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday | 9/4

Fall Broadway Musical Auditions @ UCR Arts Building, 9:00 a.m.

Sunday | 9/5

Larry the Cable Guy @ Fox Theater, 9:30 p.m.

Michael Fitzpatrick and Noelle Scaggs dance while the rest of the band plays their popular song, “Out of My League.”

CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER

18

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER

FITZ AND THE TANTRUMS dance Riverside toward bright future

Jake Rich, Senior Staff Writer // Photos by Cameron Yong

L

Fitz and the Tantrums fired up an initially stiff and stoic crowd at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium last Saturday with familiar radio hits “Out of my League” and “The Walker.”

ate Saturday night, downtown Riverside. It’s the usual feel I’ve come to expect from the city — even on a weekend night, there’s not much going on. The streets are for the most part empty — except for a noticeable hub of noise and activity near the corner of Lemon Street and Mission Inn Avenue. It is here the Riverside Municipal Auditorium is located, and where the night’s main attraction, a Fitz and the Tantrums show, is happening. And that night, for those quiet downtown streets, it was indeed what was on the inside — rather, what was happening inside — that counted.

Late last year, it was announced that the promoter Live Nation was taking over the Fox Performing Arts Center and the Riverside Municipal Auditorium. This came as a huge boon for the relevancy of the two venues — in the past, while still serving as adequate places for events that were held there, the venues mostly housed shows for legacy artists, big-time cover bands and other shows aimed at a largely older demographic. Live Nation coming in signaled a turn toward the modern for the sites. While still hosting some older acts — Social Distortion played there this summer, and upcoming performer Larry the Cable Guy skews toward the older crowd — Live Nation’s involvement is also bringing more current and student-friendly acts (such as Cherub and Dropkick Murphys) to the table.

There’s something to be said about their and Ticketmaster’s stranglehold on ticket sales, but that’s a discussion for another time.

One of the first shows to hold major relevance to students (and very well-timed with the beginning of the school year), was Fitz and the Tantrums. Bringing a current alt-rock radio mainstay, whose hits “Out of My League” and “The Walker” have

been unavoidable (you’ve probably heard them even if you don’t know them by name), brought Riverside concert-goers out in droves to sell out the Riverside Municipal Auditorium.

Lines stretched long around the corner, bringing the mostly untapped market of the Riverside concert community to the forefront.

Though no opener was listed on advertisements or the ticket, when the lights dimmed at about 9 p.m., it was not Fitz and the Tantrums that took the stage. Introducing themselves as Beat Club, the band for the most part entertained and pleased, falling somewhere between the sound of Generationals and Foster the People.

“Hello, Riverside!” the lead singer bellowed to the semi-crowded room. For a moment, my ears were surprised — it was a typical phrase to concert crowds, but I’m so used to hearing “Hello, Los Angeles!” or the occasional “Hello, Pomona!” or sometimes just, “Southern California.” But this was something different. His repeated references to the crowd of Riverside kept reminding me that I was in my city.

Not that LA is that far away, but this show was specifically for us.

In the 30-minute wait between Beat Club and Fitz and the Tantrums, the room slowly started to swell, and minutes before the show there was hardly any room to move. The lights dimmed, and the opening notes of “Get Away,” off the group’s 2013 album “More Than Just a Dream,” exploded into the room. Frontman Michael Fitzpatrick and frontwoman Noelle Scaggs immediately became the center of attention, as their soulful vocals and simple-yet-sensual dance moves made it hard not to bust out in your own dance. Yet for a little while, the Riverside crowd had a little trouble. The crowd appeared a little stiff for a small amount of time, as if they weren’t used to going to shows where you supposed to move

more.

By the time the third song, “Break the Walls,” and its chant-along chorus, came around, however, the crowd was moving as fast as the flashing lights on the giant electronic heart behind the band. Later in the show, Fitzpatrick would comment on the fact that you can’t be a wallflower at their shows, and encouraged the audience to look away from their phones and dance. The energy of the rooms reached new heights as the band broke out into an inspired, upbeat cover of the Eurythimics’ “Sweet Dreams,” (having the crowd loudly chant back the “moving on!” part of the song), before busting into one of the aforementioned hits, “Out of My League.” What once seemed like a fairly quaint or stiff crowd had long since diminished that notion, with already-deafening cheers reaching new levels as a dance party broke out on the floor. The band kept it going throughout the rest of the performance, having the entire audience hold up phone flashlights at one point, and thanking the crowd, with Scaggs and Fitzpatrick talking about how this was basically a hometown show for the Los Angeles band, and thanking the audience in convincingly genuine fashion “for being real people and loving real music,” before ending the show with a pink confetti and flashing-light infused edition of the “The Walker.”

What Fitz and the Tantrums brought was something that Riverside has truly been missing — a concert scene that makes people want to come out every night. The energy the band brought being eventually matched by the crowd shows the potential of a blossoming Riverside music and concert culture. We can only hope that crowds and bands can match this level in the future, hopefully reaching what used to be out of our league — and put more Riverside shows on the map.

■H

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

19

PHOTO COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Musings of an angry nerd: Why you should emotionally detach yourself from the sale of Minecraft

I

Nathan Swift, Senior Staff Writer magine waking up one morning, reading the latests posts on the Internet, and seeing this as a major headline: “Microsoft buys Minecraft for two and a half billion dollars.”

Assuming that you’re a Minecraft fan, you take to Facebook or Twitter to vent your anger at Markus Persson for committing the crime of selling out your childhood, and about how he’s stabbed all of his good fans in the heart with this move. Surely, you believe that your righteous anger, multiplied by thousands of other Minecraft fans, will help set things straight for what is obviously the right thing. Ride on your valiant steeds and deliver a warm dish of justice, you White Knights of the Internet, ride on!

By the way, I heard if you tip your fedora and stroke your neckbeard enough times, a genie will pop out and grant you a wish.

When you read this, Minecraft’s selling will already be old news passed long into the silence of night. So you may think to yourself, “Why is this smart-aleck nerd talking about something that nobody cares about?” I’ll say this straight off the bat: I’m not a Minecraft fan. I don’t hate or hold any sort of grudge against the game (which would be weird, and also pretty shallow). It’s simply not my cup of tea. I tried it a few times before shrugging my shoulders and moving on to something else.

So why do I care about this? Because it forces me to address a larger issue that taps into this “controversy.”

Personally, I get tired of people referring to certain pieces of entertainment as “part of their childhood” or “part of who they are.” It’s an absurd notion that only survives thanks to the crazy devotion behind different fandoms (looking at you, Doctor Who fans). And there’s a reason why people often say these types of things. There’s no lie in saying that the “best” parts of our childhoods are often romanticized

and rose-tinted. You felt an emotional connection when you watched Indiana Jones kick some Nazi butt, so in your eyes of course Lucas and Spielberg had your fragile heart in mind when they made the terrible “Indiana Jones: Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.” In no way am I defending that bad movie, but the point I’m making isn’t that Lucas and Spielberg allegedly sold out their art for a fat paycheck, as well as to personally smite you. In fact, that’s how any kind of art works: By money, with money.

One should remember that many things in Western culture that we consider grand pieces of art were mere products when they were created.

Everybody’s heard of Leonardo Da Vinci or Michelangelo, and their famous works of art.

Now I’m no time traveler (my Delorean ran out of plutonium), but I can assure you that guys like Da Vinci or Michelangelo never painted nice things just ‘cause. They never went, “Hey, let’s draw up some pretty women or Adam and God touching fingers because it just sounds cool, man!” They were usually creating their masterpieces on paid commission. The same goes for all of the West’s most beloved pieces of classical music. Or what about, say, Cormac McCarthy and his tour de force that is “Blood Meridian?” He wrote that while living off of a MacArthur Fellows grant, one of the most prestigious prizes for people who write.

The point I’m making with all of this rambling is this: People have to let go of the idea that those in the entertainment industry are personally hurting them when good people like Persson sell what they created for more money.

This ultimately stems from the idea that great art must be divorced from any thought of money and profit to be considered great art. Otherwise, fans will scream your name with “sellout” right next to it. And unless you’re using the word in its most basic sense (for instance, calling out

the Gordon Gekkos or Jordan Belforts of the world, who wouldn’t blink at the thought of screwing people over for more money), then you really shouldn’t be saying it so liberally.

Could Microsoft make any future changes to Minecraft that might tamper with the experience of playing the game? Perhaps. But should you as an individual get all festered up and put the blame on Persson? The answer is a resounding no.

In fact, that’s one of the reasons why he sold Minecraft in the first place! As a fully dimensional human being with thoughts and emotions, he was tired of always being blamed at an incredibly personal level whenever something went wrong with the game, be it a bug in the system or a sloppy update or a slow server or whatever. He was tired of being held up by many as some sort of “people’s champion,” some sort of cool indie gamer who could go toe-to-toe with the big boys of the gaming industry while adhering to the ethical code of the underdog. When it comes down to it, creating and selling games will always be his passion. That’s how he makes his living. You can call Minecraft a piece of art all you want, but don’t belittle the man when he made what was probably a smart career move. He didn’t want to be the leader of a rabid, “our way or the highway” gaming fanbase. He didn’t sell his “masterpiece” to take a swipe at you personally, it’s because he wanted to be free of that monster, as well as for the nice paycheck.

That last sentence reminds me of a phrase I like to repeat to myself whenever I witness teary-eyed fans defending a “piece of art” that “speaks to them personally” whenever anybody dares to criticize it (looking at you guys again, Doctor Who fans). Paraphrasing the late, great Frank Zappa, I chuckle to myself and say, “they’re only in it for the money.” And that’s not a sin.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

HIGHLANDER

MUSIC REVIEWS THIS IS ALL YOURS // ALT-J

RATING: ★★★★☆ BY: JOSHUA RAMOS, STAFF WRITER

O

h, the dreaded sophomore album. The album that can either make or break an indie band’s career.

For most young bands coming off of a stellar first album, such as English rock band alt-J, the pressure to try and create a better album is high.

Ever since the release of their highly lauded debut album “An Awesome Wave” back in 2012, all eyes have been on guitarist and lead vocalist Joe Newman, keyboardist Gus Unger-Hamilton and drummer Thom Green, to see if the young British rockers could even possibly release a project superior than their first album. On alt-J’s latest release, “This Is All Yours,” the group carries on the “alt-J” sound from “An Awesome Wave” as well as distance themselves from it, further experimenting with different sounds, lyrical content and recording techniques.

One of the major differences between “An Awesome Wave” and “This Is All Yours” is the atmosphere that both albums carry. On “Intro,” the first song on their new album, listeners experience nothing but

marvelously textured vocals stacked upon chopped vocal samples. As the song begins to build, vocalist Joe Newman manipulates his voice in an almost inhuman-like way, sending out mesmerizing howls and distorted verses layered upon vocal samples, bashing drums and an eerie harpsichord. The song’s minimalism creates an intimate, almost ritualistic feeling which carries on throughout the rest of the album. This sense of intimacy is most prevalent on songs such as “Arrival In Nara,” when alt-J strips away their industrialized electronic sounds for a straight acoustic experience.

Standing out as one of the album’s most beautiful moments, “Arrival In Nara” takes listeners on a melancholy yet peaceful journey told through beautiful guitar and piano melodies and Newman’s angelic vocals. “Though I cannot see / I can hear her smile as she sings,” Newman croons. The song’s bare perspective highlights Newman’s

talent as a songwriter, allowing listeners to focus only on the song’s story.

Even though alt-J’s exploration into acoustic sounds is dominant on “This Is All Yours,” the group continues to take more steps toward its electronic side with “Hunger Of The Pine.” With the album’s lead single, alt-J further dip their feet into the genre, using nothing but electronic

“I’m a Female Rebel” layered upon heavy electronic instrumentation creates a dismal atmosphere, perfectly meshing Cyrus together with Newman’s profound lyricism.

“Sleeplessly embracing / yawn yearns into me / plenty more tears in the sea / and so you finally use it,” Newman hauntingly sings over Green’s breakbeat type drumming.

It is here that alt-J shows it is able to transpose its melancholy atmosphere and lyricism a c r o s s multiple genres of sound.

While most songs on “This Is All Yours” best demonstrate one side of altJ’s different sounds, “Every Other Freckle” perfectly combines all of the best aspects of the group’s skillset.

The standout track on the album, “Every Other Freckle” shows the more aggressive side of the English indie band, filled with vicious synth basslines and captivating drumming similar in sound to past songs like

The British indie rockers are able to take a step forward while keeping a foot planted backward ... sounds and melodies. The song begins with a pulsating arpeggiator, then progresses with jarring synth basslines and underlying pad melodies. Throughout “Hunger Of The Pine,” the group even samples a line from Miley Cyrus’ “4x4” throughout the chorus. While the sample choice might sound like an unusual choice, alt-J found a way to make it work. Cyrus’ loop of

“Fitzpleasure.” What makes “Every Other Freckle” different from any of alt-J’s past songs, however, is Newman’s sensual yet ferocious vocals and lyrics. “I want to share your mouthful / I want to do all the things your lungs do so well,” the alt-J frontman croons. Newman’s lyricism and delivery are filled with passion and viciousness, captivating listeners from start to finish. “Every Other Freckle” displays alt-J at its very best and unravels new lyrical territory for Newman.

With “This Is All Yours,” alt-J has triumphed over the dreaded “sophomore slump,” creating an album that can stand toe-to-toe with its previous album. The British indie rockers are able to take a step forward while keeping a foot planted backward, experimenting with new sounds while also staying true to the “alt-J” sound fans have come to love. It is a display of the group’s ability to constantly innovate their sound while giving their fans what they love. “This Is All Yours” is the album that alt-J fans have waited for and the album new fans will thoroughly enjoy.

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MOVIE REVIEWS COMING OUT SOON:

GONE GIRL

THE GOOD LIE

ANNABELLE

LEFT BEHIND

TUSK

RATING: ★★★☆☆

K

BY: JAMESON ADAME, STAFF WRITER

evin Smith has made a film that should not, for all intents and purposes, be allowed to exist.

Not enough gore or viscera to be considered body horror, but with too many moments akin to mad scientist slasher films to be a full-fledged comedy, “Tusk” is a movie that seems to want to defy definition. Generic confusion aside, Smith’s film has a premise that — if it hadn’t been produced independently by his own studio SModcast Pictures — would have made it kryptonite to any regular film studio.

All of that said, I really liked this movie. More than I probably should have.

The plot of “Tusk” is simple enough: Wallace Bryton (Justin Long) is a podcaster whose show with co-star Teddy Craft (Haley Joel Osment) leads him to Canada in search of interesting stories he can retell to his audience. Leaving behind his girlfriend Ally (Genesis Rodriguez) and partner Teddy, he comes across a mysterious note in a bar bathroom which offers him the opportunity to hear the various life stories of former sailor Howard Howe (Michael Parks).

Unfortunately for Wallace, Howe’s true intention is to turn whoever answers the ad into his perfect companion, the walrus Mr. Tusk, and in doing so, answer the age-old question, “Is man truly a walrus at heart?”

The problems with “Tusk” also happen to be its greatest strengths. The film, plot and all, spawned from an episode of Smith’s highly popular SModcast that he records with long-time friend and producer Scott Mosier. As such, the entirety of the feature is a love letter to the fans of his podcasting network,

riddled with in-jokes concerning various podcasts he produces, as well as being a send-up to slasher films of the past, for instance homaging scenes like the family dinner in “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.” While this proves highly entertaining for fans of Smith’s work or cinephiles like myself, the uninformed would find the moments where Smith winks at the camera to be confusing or entirely unnecessary.

By itself, “Tusk” is a movie that will appeal to a highly niche audience. So ludicrous in its conception and execution, it plays like a film that wants to keep its viewers constantly anticipating where it goes; and in this aspect, it succeeds completely. One moment, the viewer will be laughing at the performance of the former detective Guy Lapointe (purported in the film to be played by Guy Lapointe), and the next moment will show Howe torturing Wallace and attempting to drown him. These transitions are so whiplash-inducing that sometimes they can come off as confused, almost as

Courtesy of A24 Films

though Smith wasn’t entirely sure of the genre he wanted to create. However, as stated before, this is a symptom that Smith is making this movie for nobody but himself and his fans.

Aside from the issues with plotting, the acting in the film is remarkably well done. Michael Parks does a magnificent job of playing the quietly insane Howard Howe, who at a moment’s notice will fly into inane monologues about the nature of man and our total inferiority to the pure mind and body of the walrus.

Additionally, Justin Long plays well as a fairly unlikeable hero, finding himself the captive and subject of Howe’s obsession with the majestic walrus. The film really shines, however, in the casting of its side characters, specifically in the role of Lapointe. Lapointe is far and away the funniest character in the film, having once been a detective from Quebec, but falling into an alcoholic depression and partially losing his mind when he failed to capture Howe years before.

Ultimately, as I write this review, the

best metaphor I can find for explaining this movie is to call it a butter popcornflavored jellybean. Some people find the very idea stupid and wouldn’t bother to give it a second thought after that. For those of us who like that flavor though, we don’t mind its stupidity, because at the end of the day, we enjoy it in spite of (or perhaps because of) how dumb it is.

If you are a fan of Smith’s podcasts or his films, then definitely check this movie out because it was made specifically with you in mind. Likewise, if you’ve never heard of Smith or seen his films, but don’t mind walking out of a theater in a state of emotional confusion, then give it a go provided you have the time and money to see this limited release.

For anybody else however, this movie can easily prove to be overwhelming or frustrating — and understandably so — as it does have problems where a wide audience is concerned and fails completely as an introduction to Smith’s work. Just remember, if you don’t see it, more “Tusk” and popcorn jellybeans for the rest of us. ■ H

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

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MAZE RUNNER

RATING: ★★☆☆☆

A

BY: NATHAN SWIFT, SENIOR STAFF WRITER

nother day, another young adult book trilogy turned into a movie franchise for Hollywood to milk for every cent. The film has everything we’ve seen before — a vague dystopian setting, an angst-ridden teen protagonist who believes himself to be the Very Special Hero and more saturated product placement warning us about the unrelenting power of Big Brother. These types of movies are widely popular nowadays, and it seems as though every one of them tries to have a “we’re like ‘Lord of the Flies’ and ‘1984,’ but we’re also different” mentality.

That’s where “The Maze Runner” tries to proclaim itself, which it ultimately doesn’t. It’s tense and for the most part entertaining, but don’t expect to walk out of the theater thinking you took the red pill.

The movie’s premise starts out perplexing enough. Our Very Special Hero, Thomas (played by Dylan O’Brian of “Teen Wolf”) wakes up in a small elevator carrying him to the Glade, a small clearing boxed in by giant metal walls and occupied by dozens of other teen boys. Their de facto leader and eventual antagonist Gally (played by Will Poulter, who should win an Academy Award for those eyebrows)

explains the rules to Thomas, noting how everything will work out fine so long as everybody stays in their place and does their job. A door (reminiscent of the garbage compactor from the original Star Wars) opens and closes every day at sunrise and sunset, and at night biomechanical monsters called Grievers roam the maze, searching for any poor soul dumb enough to stay within the maze past sunset. The acting in the movie is fine, even with the limited amount of work the main actors were given. But even so, the movie falls into the same rut “The Hunger Games” has by having too many nameless characters in the background that you’re supposed to care about.

Anyways, due to reasons of being the Very Special Hero (or something scientific that the movie doesn’t explain), Thomas has flashbacks that slowly reveal who put him there and how they did it. On top of that, he of course chooses the most dangerous job in the Glade, a runner. The runners are supposed to go out into the maze behind the wall and map out as much as they can in the hopes of getting out. For a while the tension heightens when Thomas begins exploring the maze. You know that his curiosity, matched with the wonders of the maze, will eventually lead to

some big reveal, which will lead him to clash with the head of his commune, and because he’s the Very Special Hero he will of course emerge victorious.

Unfortunately, despite the tension and mystery of the movie’s premise, there are just too many plot holes that ruin the pacing, and eventually the experience. Thomas’ flashbacks don’t necessarily serve any importance to the movie as a whole — they simply reveal him as the Very Special Hero while giving away too little information for the audience to piece together anything. When the big surprise is revealed

Courtesy of 20th Century Fox

at the end, it raises questions about why some generically evil Big Brother-esque bad guys choose an overly complex plan for a simple end goal. How did complications not arise between the hormonal teen boys and the only female character when she was shoehorned into the third act? And of course, the movie had to ruin the mystery of the maze before ending on a vague and open-ended conclusion so that Hollywood could prepare for part two of its eventual trilogy.

Also, the mostly British casting makes me wonder if the movie was subconsciously trying to be “Lord of the Flies.”

Turning dystopian young adult book trilogies into film trilogies is a trend that hopefully dies out soon. Every trilogy will believe that they’re special enough to reference and emulate the style of classic dystopian literature while attempting to brand themselves as different from other popular dystopian pieces in the marketplace. Is “The Maze Runner” a generally entertaining movie? Yes, mostly.

Is it good enough to contribute to a cultural dialogue about the real-world issues that dystopian entertainment often tries to address? The answer is no, it’s not that special.

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Join us for pizza and job opportunities.

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Fall ‘14 Highlander Meeting: Monday 10/6 @ HUB 101, 5:15 p.m.

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TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER

VIDEO GAME REVIEW FIVE NIGHTS AT FREDDY’S

RATING: ★★★☆☆

S

BY: STASEAN WASHINGTON, STAFF WRITER

urvival horror games pluck the players from the battlefield and pit them against their worst nightmares. They are an art but few games get it right.

Video games are an immersive experience, but for horror games it is easier to be thrown out of the experience with the slightest fault. Horror games must have the appropriate mix of design, gameplay and of course, horror.

“Five Nights at Freddy’s” is a point-and-click survival horror game created by indie developer and publisher Scott Cawthon. The game contains unique gameplay, original horror and is a breath of fresh air for the genre.

Players clock in as Mike Schmidt, a new security guard working the graveyard shift at Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza. The job is simple: Watch security cameras and keep track of the costumed robots as they roam freely at night. Sounds easy right? Well, if the robots spot you they will assume that you are a robot out of costume and stuff you into a spare mechanical Freddy Fazbear costume, killing you in the process.

Players sit at their station armed with security cameras, doors and lights. They have to survive with a limited supply of electricity, which depletes over time and goes even quicker if the player uses the tools at his disposal without careful consideration.

“Freddy’s” excels in creating Catch-22 situations that make the game nerve-wracking to play. For example, those who use too much of their battery are punished with a random jump scare from Freddy Fazbear himself. However, if you choose not to use your electronics at all, you’ll be rushed by a robot which activates when the player isn’t looking at the camera. The game uses various mechanics to distract the player as it prepares to induce shock with a “sucker punch” scare.

The character design and setting add to the atmosphere.

Freddy’s is “where kids and parents alike come for entertainment and food as far as the eye can see!” But the animatronic characters are all lazyeyed, soulless machines with costumes discolored by dried blood. Newspaper clippings

are plastered throughout the restaurant revealing its history of missing children. This contrast and character design makes the atmosphere dreadful.

However, the biggest scare factor of all is the apprehension the game creates. Players are forced to teeter on the edge of safety to survive the night. They have to look at the cameras as little as possible to save energy and close their security doors when danger

Courtesy of Steam

is an inch away. It’s easy for the player to succumb to the game’s randomly generated AI and become paranoid.

But for the quality the game puts out, there is a severe lack of quantity, and the gameplay becomes repetitive. Although the game goes for $4.99 on most distribution sites, there are only five stages of gameplay with no real replay ability. When groundbreaking indie horror games like Edmund McMillen’s “The Binding

of Isaac,” are the same price with more content, it’s hard to see why this couldn’t have been free.

But if you have $60 to spend on rehashed first-person shooter garbage, then $5 is pocket change. And, players looking for thrills should visit Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza because “Five Nights at Freddy’s” is the most unique indie horror game on the market right now, and we need more ■H games like it.

SPORTS

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

23

NGUYEN-ER’S CIRCLE Roger Goodell: Inconsistency Meets Hypocrisy CODY NGUYEN

NFL’s substance abuse policy.

In 2010, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for six games (later reduced to four) for an alleged sexual assault incident.

Keyword: alleged. There was never any actual proof that the incident occurred and no charges were filed against Roethlisberger.

Seriously? According to Goodell’s logic, hitting a joint would win me unemployment for a year and being accused of sexual assault with no proof would take me out for a quarter of a season. However, if I knock my wife unconscious in an elevator and drag her out by her hair in the name of “selfdefense,” Goodell will take care of me and penalize me on par with players who have made illegal hits in games.

Goodell’s suspension was based on his insistence that he had not seen the TMZ video that was released. However, multiple reports were released stating that law enforcement officials sent the video to the Baltimore Ravens and the National Football League.

If Roger Goodell is going to be the power-hungry, triggerhappy commissioner that we’ve all come to know, he must be more consistent in the penalties that he dishes out. Suspending a player an entire season for a drug offense and two games for a brutal domestic violence offense is laughable.

Do your job, Roger, or get out of the way of someone who can.

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COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s unsually lax two-game suspension of Ray Rice raised questions about his credibility as a disciplinarian.

WRITE SHOOT DESIGN

Over the past month or so, the public perception of the National Football League has downwardspiralled into a media circus that shows no signs of slowing down.

Multiple star players in major legal trouble? Check. Alleged cover-ups of these situations by high-ranking officials in the league? Check. An inept commissioner who embodies the words “hypocrite” and “powerhungry”? Check.

It all started on September 8, 2014, a fateful morning in which celebrity news outlet TMZ released a video of former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice punching his wife unconscious in a casino elevator.

This “newly” released footage of a case that had been ongoing since February 15 sent the league into pandemonium.

Let’s back it up to July 25, when NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell issued a twogame suspension to Ray Rice.

Intense backlash ensued when news of the suspension reached the public. How could Goodell, a man known for his harsh punishments on players, issue a mere two-game suspension for someone who knocked his own girlfriend (now wife) unconscious and dragged her out of an elevator?

Things become even more interesting when you look at past suspensions given out by Goodell. Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon received a 16-game suspension (now reduced to 10) by testing positive for marijuana and violating the

Meetings on Mondays at 5:15 pm

for the Highlander

24

. SPORTS .

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2014

HIGHLANDER

Volleyball opens conference play with 3-0 loss to No. 25 Hawaii

ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER

Tyler Dorsey (No. 16) fiercely defends the net from a spike.

DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer

After tallying two wins over a crossstate preseason, the UC Riverside women’s volleyball team returned to the comfortable confines of the Student Recreation Center Arena to square off against nationally ranked Hawaii. Despite a spirited fight in the second set, the Highlanders fell to the Rainbow Wahine in straight sets, 2512, 29-27, 25-19. The loss is the team’s seventh straight while the ‘Bows moved to 2-0 in conference.

With over 700 fans filling the seats of the arena, the teams traded points before the Rainbow Wahine, who advanced to the second round of the 2013 NCAA tournament, took control, reeling off seven

straight points to win the set, 25-12. The home team recorded a positive kill-to-error ratio (7-6) but only connected on .029 percent of 35 total attacks compared to Hawaii’s conversion of .273 on two fewer attacks.

The second set saw 14 lead changes and three ties as the pesky Highlanders went head-to-head with the Wahine, fending off four set points late in the frame before ultimately conceding on a Hawaii kill, 2927.

UC Riverside jumped out to an 11-8 advantage behind four kills by Fabiana Rosas and eventually knotted the score at 16 apiece late in the third set. The visiting team, however, found another gear, finishing off UCR 25-19 for its second victory in conference play.

Senior Megan Reza is still optimistic about the season despite the early struggles.

The team, she says, has connected over a preseason schedule that has seen the team travel to three other states.

“The team has absolutely bonded. That’s the beauty of a preseason on the road and school starting so late, we spend almost the entire day, every day with one another so you get to learn a lot about new teammates and develop good chemistry right away,” she stated. “Ashley (Cox) and Tyler (Dorsey) have always been great mentors to our new players, we make it a priority to make sure everyone is comfortable and happy.”

Reza explained that a selection to the Southern Utah University Invitational AllTournament team gave her the confidence

to be an example for incoming freshman.

“It was great being chosen for the SUU All-Tournament team. Coming back off of two knee surgeries last year, I wasn’t even sure if I would have the opportunity to play again, so every game is extra important,” Reza stated. “Going into this season with a little chip on my shoulder definitely gave me the extra boost of confidence and drive I needed to be a good example for the rest of the team as a senior.”

Rosas led the Highlanders with 12 kills in the game while Reza and Alex Gresham each chipped in eight. Hawaii was led by Kalei Greeley and Tai Manu-Olevao with 12.

The team hits the road this week to face off against UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly, ■H beginning on Oct. 3.

Summer sprint: Raquel Hefflin carries Highlander flag into Sports Illustrated ALEXANDER MANZO Contributing Writer

Men’s Cross-Country The men’s cross-country team is ready for the long course ahead with two runners placing in the top ten in their last two invitationals. At the 5-kilometer College/Nevada Twilight Classic on Aug. 29, the team finished second, trailing only UCLA. Cody Jordan and Seth Totten placed fourth and fifth. During the 34th Annual UC Riverside Invitational at the Agricultural Operations field on Sept. 13, the Highlanders placed fourth out of 29 squads. Totten was again UCR’s top finisher (fourth), followed by Jordan landing in seventh. Totten again shined for the Highlanders in the Stanford Invitational on Sept. 27. The redshirted senior finished seventh overall out of 361 runners, helping the university place ninth out of 17 teams.

Women’s Cross-Country Senior Raquel Hefflin is leading the pack for the UC Riverside women’s cross-country team this season. Starting the season at the Nevada Classic, Hefflin set a course record with a time of 14:06 for the 4-kilometer

run, marking her second career individual win with a hefty lead of 23 seconds. In the team’s second race at the 34th Annual UC Riverside Invitational, Hefflin was only eight seconds behind the winner and only two seconds behind her personal best for the 8-kilometer. The senior finished second in the 6-kilometer Stanford Invitational, trailing the winner by only eight seconds (20:39). Her three top finishes earned the Compton native a spot in the Sept. 15 issue of Sports Illustrated as one of six runner “Faces in the Crowd.”

Volleyball The UC Riverside women’s volleyball team got off to a rough start with a 2-10 record entering the Big West games Saturday against nationally ranked Hawaii, which concluded with a three-set loss. The only two wins they have achieved this season were in Utah against Maryland-Eastern Shore and Savannah State. The two wins over summer have already tied the amount of total wins for the team last season (2-26).

Seniors Tyler Dorsey and Megan Reza along with Bri Holmes were named to all-tournament teams during the non-conference schedule.

Men’s Soccer: The UCR men’s soccer team is hoping for a serious turnaround with a 1-6-1 record, with their season opener as their only victory. The team’s game against San Diego went 0-0 for 110 minutes and was a muchneeded break from losses in the final minutes of the games. UCR has been able to score for half of their games, but defense in the end seems to falter, ending in losses. The Highlanders hope to come back from a disappointing weekend in Las Vegas with some home victories starting against Sacramento State on Oct. 2.

Women’s Soccer UC Riverside’s women’s soccer team is having a solid season thus far with a 5-2-2 record. The squad opened the season with two consecutive wins and a tie before being crushed by nationally ranked USC, 1-8. The Highlanders rebounded with two solid victories against Bakersfield and Northern Iowa. With only eight games in, ten players have been able to score goals and the team will look to reach the Big West Championship game once again. The team will begin conference games starting on Oct. 2 against UC Davis.

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COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

Raquel Hefflin set a Nevada Classic course record for UCR Women’s Cross-Country.