FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS
FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
Riverside lights up the holiday spirit with the Festival of Lights.
Highlander University
Volume 63
Features, Page 10
of
C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e
Issue 10
Serving the UCR community since 1954
highlandernews.org
UCR Highlander Newspaper
@UCRHighlander
UCRChannelH
UCR researchers make breakthrough in yellow fever AMY ZAHN Staff Writer
deeply concerned about African American youths and their struggles in relation to those in the Philippines. “Filipino youth and black youth are being targeted and murdered by the state (with) a culture of impunity — no justice for the families and no victims of state violence,” she said. “Justice for Michael Brown … is not going to be one in the courts, but in the streets and by the people.” Wearing black as a sign of solidarity, protesters also
A research team led by UCR Associate Professor of Biomedical Research Dr. Ilhem Messaoudi recently made a breakthrough in the management and detection of yellow fever, a tropical disease responsible for 200,000 infections and 30,000 deaths annually. According to Dr. Messaoudi, the goal of the project was to gain a better understanding of the mechanisms by which the yellow fever virus can lead to death, which, she says are not currently well understood. The project was accomplished through the collaboration of Staff Research Associate Flora Engelmann and Associate Professor of Bioinformatics Thomas Girke of UC Riverside, along with several researchers from various other institutions. Although the three-year project was completed at the end of 2013, the team spent several months organizing data and writing a manuscript, which were only reviewed and accepted by Public Library of Science, a literary science journal, on Nov. 20. Yellow fever, an acute viral disease primarily transmitted by mosquitos, can also be transmitted between monkeys and humans. According to the World Health Organization, the number of yellow fever infections has increased over the
► SEE PROTEST, PAGE 4
► SEE YELLOW FEVER, PAGE 2
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER “I have a dream” is engraved in the Martin Luther King statue in Downtown Riverside where protestors congregated during a Ferguson demonstration.
Ferguson protest fans out in Downtown Riverside
SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer
Nearly 40 community members came out to condemn the non-indictment ruling of Darren Wilson, a white police officer who fatally shot Michael Brown, an unarmed African American man near Ferguson, Mo. back in Aug. 2014. Announced nearly one week ago, the ruling has continued to spark ongoing and sometimes violent demonstrations throughout the nation. Located in front of the Blood
Orange Infoshop in Downtown Riverside, the Nov. 26 event was organized by the Guerillera Collective Inland Empire, a community organization that provides a safe space to talk about issues of race and gender. “I believe police violence is an epidemic in this country. Innocent people, especially black youth, are targeted and killed so frequently by cops who almost never even get put on trial, let alone charged for murder,” explained second-year UCR student Arman Azedi, who was one of 176 people
OPINIONS
scheduled to attend, according to the Facebook event page. Starting from University Avenue and moving through parts of Downtown Riverside, the protest drew allies from various local organizations such as Anakbayan Inland Empire, a chapter of a national youth organization dedicated to educating, organizing and mobilizing members around issues that affect the Filipino community. UCR 2011 alumna and Anakbayan representative Nicole Dumaguindin felt
FEATURES
Write-off: Writers debate on the merits of the recent UC tuition raise. PAGE 6
RADAR
Campus Cope reveals the ins and outs we wished we knew before we had to get that grade.
PAGE 11
SPORTS
“Horrible Bosses 2” isn’t horrible, but isn’t great either. PAGE 15
Brittany Crain and the women’s basketball team stay hot over Thanksgiving break.
PAGE 20
2
NEWS
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
highlandernews.org
► YELLOW FEVER FROM PAGE 1
past two decades, and all existing treatments can only alleviate the symptoms of yellow fever, such as fever and vomiting, but not their causes. Lack of proper treatment has played a part in the virus’ often lethal nature, a problem which was addressed by the study, the results of which will “provide future targets for antiviral therapeutics and better diagnostics,” according to the author summary of the paper. According to Messaoudi, the project, conducted on infected monkeys at Oregon Primate National Research Center, led to three major findings. Prior to the study, it was known that the virus targets the liver and causes severe organ damage, but the symptoms present during the first 48 hours are not specific to the disease, leading to delayed diagnoses. The study showed that fatal yellow fever infection typically causes severe lymphopenia, the loss of white cells that defend against infections. According to Messaoudi, the presence of lymphopenia can serve as a “disease progression marker” for yellow fever, since it appears before certain changes in the liver. The findings provide researchers with an earlier window for detection, which would allow for more aggressive
COURTESY OF UCR TODAY
Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences at the UCR School of Medicine Ilhem Messaoudi leads the research on yellow fever.
treatment against yellow fever. The second finding, which Messaoudi describes as “the biggest surprise” of the study, was the number of differentially expressed genes very early on in infection, even before the onset of symptoms. Messaoudi explained that “the genes associated with the first line of defense (against disease), the innate immune system, were
down regulated,” referring to the process by which a cell decreases the quantity of a certain cellular component in response to an external influence. This helps explain the immune system’s difficulty fighting the disease. It was also found that genes associated with inflammation were up regulated, helping to explain the organ damage the disease often causes. This
Photo of the Week
2
Protestors gather around the Martin Luther King statue in Downtown Riverside. The statue reads: “Say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness.”
Quotebook "Students must integrate with the community to challenge the walls of the university to recognize what’s happening in Riverside, in the Inland Empire, especially to those who are most marginalized."
Upcoming Events
Vincent Ta
tropical disease” and that its study can lead to “more insight into more deadly diseases such as ebola and hemorrhagic fever,” demonstrating the study’s relevance on a global scale. Messaoudi and her colleagues hope to conduct future studies to further improve our understanding of the process by which the yellow fever virus causes disease and death. ■H
DECEMBER Japanese Taiko Drumming Demo 12 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. ARTS Amphitheatre
Let’s Talk About Sex! 5 p.m. - 6 p.m. Costo 245
3
New music by UCR composers 12:10 p.m. - 1 p.m. ARTS 157
Wellness Wednesday: World AIDS Day Panel 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. HUB 355
4
Science Studies coffee hour 4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m. College Building South 116
“Challenges of City Managers: Past, Present and Future” 5:30 p.m. - 7 p.m. CE-CERT Building
5
Market Day Vendor Fair 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Bell Tower Lawn
Sunset Stroll to the C 3 p.m. - 6 p.m. HUB 248
6
Men’s Basketball: Portland State 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Student Recreation Center Arena
UCR Chamber Singers: Holiday Choral Concert 8 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. ARTS 116
Tuesday
PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
leads to the study’s third major finding, which is that the virus only replicates in the liver, which suggests that the damage often seen in other organs is a result of the increase of inflammatory cytokines — proteins secreted by immune system cells — that come from the virus aggressively replicating in the liver. Messaoudi feels that yellow fever is largely a “neglected
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
7
UCR Chamber Singers Holiday Choral Concert 3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Calvary Presbyterian Church
Sunday
8
Monday
Weekday Carillon Concerts 12 p.m. - 1 p.m. Bell Tower
Peer Connections Online Chats 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. Logon to out.ucr.edu
- UCR 2011 alumna Nicole Dumaguindin on the role of students in Ferguson protests.
Scan this QR code and visit us
at highlandernews.org
4
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
NEWS
President Obama calls for greater immigation reform ESTEFANIA ZAVALA Senior Staff Writer
On Nov. 20, President Barack Obama laid out his immigration reform plans, the Immigration Accountability Executive Action, which could potentially shield up to five million undocumented immigrants from being deported. Those who qualify for protection must be parents of U.S. citizens or of legal residents. The executive action also shields more students who fall under the Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors (DREAM) Act by protecting any child who was under 18 when they were brought into the U.S. illegally before Jan. 1, 2010. “What I’m describing is accountability. A commonsense, middle ground approach,” said Obama of his plan. The accountability aspect comes from ensuring that those undocumented immigrants who may qualify for this action have passed criminal and national security background checks.
“There are actions I have the legal authority to take as president … that will help make our immigration system more fair and more just,” said Obama. He emphasized that the executive action was a placeholder for an immigration law, such as the federal DREAM Act, which only Congress could pass. As third-year UCR student Mafalda Gueta watched a livestream with a group of friends in Chicano Student Programs, the speech was initially underwhelming. “At first it was a bit confusing because at that moment, there wasn’t really anything concrete, and spelled out in writing.” However, once she talked it over with the people at the law firm in which she works, she understood the executive action’s implications. “I was super ecstatic,” said Gueta. “It is a step in the right direction and I know so many folks are going to benefit from it.” However, Gueta cautioned that this action is not enough and said that Congress still needs to pass a law that will permanently provide
a path for citizenship. Currently, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act (DACA) is in place as a policy that protects applicants from deportation for two years. The California DREAM Act is a state law which allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition, apply for private scholarships and receive Cal Grants. The federal DREAM Act was first proposed in 2001. Under the DREAM Act, qualifying undocumented people would be eligible for a 6-year-long conditional path to citizenship that requires completion of a college degree or two years of military service. “(The executive actions are) only temporary and it can be taken away at any point in time,” said Gueta. Currently, there are an estimated 300 undocumented students at UCR. An undocumented student coordinator will soon join the staff at UCR with funding from UC President Janet Napolitano’s onetime allocation of $512,000 to aid H undocumented students at UCR. ■
highlandernews.org ► PROTEST FROM PAGE 1
waved signs, including one that said, “Ayotzinapa, Palestina, Ferguson mi barrio y tu barrio (my town and your town).” Guerillera Collective Inland Empire organizer Paolo Alcala explained that the underlying connection between each cause was the “dehumanization of darker people.” “In Mexico, the gap between light (and dark) skinned Mexicans is really visible and people who have power and tend to be wealthy are light skinned,” with the same principle applying in the United States, she expressed. Alcala emphasized that the Ferguson protest was more of a “black issue” but still fell along the same spectrum of the other causes. Making a temporary stop at a Martin Luther King statue, protesters made their peace about the verdict and what it represented. “It personally made me sick to my stomach. I didn’t know what to do. I was lost,” expressed Moreno Valley
resident Matthew Young. In regards to the media coverage of other, more violent protests occurring around the nation, Young said, “You can’t speak to people flipping cars and burning shit up (but) if you’re sitting on your ass … if you’re not going to come out to a peaceful protest, then they can’t say shit about an unpeaceful protest.” Some violent aspects of the after-verdict announcement were the torching of nearly a dozen buildings in St. Louis County. Recent protests have included a “die-in” (a demonstration in which people lie down as if dead) at the Missouri Mall and other ones that also blocked the U.S. 101 freeway. The ongoing protests continue to exemplify the existing racial tensions between a predominantly African American community against a mainly white police force in Ferguson. Out of the 53 commissioned police officers in the city, only three are African American. “It’s important to take a look at our society and have a critical eye in the role of law enforcement … and look of color is critical,” said former UCR Director of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Resource Center Maggie Hawkins, who heard about the event on Facebook. “I think it’s young people that are dying when those kinds of situations happen and I think that’s why young people need to be involved because it’s directly affecting their lives and people in their communities,” Hawkins added. With the non-indictment ruling affecting various communities, Wilson recently announced his resignation from the Ferguson police force. “I have been told that my continued employment may put the residents and police officers of the City of Ferguson at risk, which is a circumstance that I cannot allow,” reads Wilson’s resignation letter. “It is my hope that my resignation will allow the community to heal.” ■H Contributions made by Aaron Grech
Visit us online for the story of former dean of the graduate school of education Dr. Calfee’s passing and his upcoming memorial on Dec. 6.
► READ MORE AT HIGHLANDERNEWS.ORG
. OPINIONS .
highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
5
HIGHLANDER HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL EDITORIAL
THE NEW AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA PROTESTS
HIGHLANDER STAFF Editor-in-Chief
Managing Editor
Colin Markovich
Jake Rich
News Editor
Asst. News Editor
Sandy Van
Estefania Zavala
managingeditor @highlandernews.org
editorinchief @highlandernews.org
news@highlandernews.org
Opinions Editor
Jake Rich
opinions@highlandernews.org
A&E Editor
Asst. A&E Editor
Nathan Swift
radar@highlandernews.org
Christal Mims
Features Editor
Maxine Arellano
features@highlandernews.org
Sports Editor
Asst. Sports Editor
Darren Bueno
Cody Nguyen
Photography Editor
Asst. Photo Editor
Vincent Ta
Cameron Yong
sports@highlandernews.org
photo@highlandernews.org Staff Photographers
Jaspery Goh, Aaron Lai, Richard Lin, Laura Nguyen Production Manager
Brandy Coats
productionmanager @highlandernews.org Production Assistants
Olivia Bocanegra, Andrew Golden, Mei Huang, Rain Nambayan, Vicky Nguyen Business Manager
advertising rep.
Erin Mahoney
Breana Ross
highlanderads@ucr.edu Distribution Manager
Oscar Ho
Video Editor
Asst. Video Editor
James Fierro
Oscar Ho
video.highlander@gmail.com
CONTACT US Highlander 101 Highlander Union Building Riverside, CA 92521 www.highlandernews.org editorinchief@highlandernews.org TIP LINE: (951) 827-2105 Help the Highlander stay on top of what is happening on campus and in the general UCR community. Call this number and leave a message for the Editorial Board with your tip. Be sure to include your full name, relation to UCR, and a number or email address where you can be reached for more details. Editorial Office:
Business Office:
(951) 827-3617
(951) 827-3457
Classifieds & Billing:
(951) 827-5039
Fax:
(951) 827-7049
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.
I
t’s been true for a long time that the spread of social media has changed what we do and how we do it. We receive news faster than ever when a new tweet pops up in our Twitter feeds. We can share our experiences in new ways with sites like Tumblr and Instagram. Facebook and similar sites allow us to get to know people an ocean away, or reconnect with friends initially lost in the seas of time. Especially in the United States and on college campuses, social media is now more than ever a part of everyday life. Posting a status update isn’t a chore to be taken on, but something we do automatically, just as we brush our teeth in the morning or put on clothes before we leave for class. It’s simply become part of our daily routine. That is why protests emphasizing social media have not only become commonplace, but are the norm rather than the exception. With the ability to spread information at the speed of an Internet connection and a guaranteed audience to hear the message, the use of social media has been more integral than ever in organizing demonstrations. We only need to look as far as the UCwide protests against the recently passed tuition plan to observe this. Some of the first news about the tuition plan broke on social media, and even after being reported by traditional news outlets, that’s still where many students received their information about it. Information about the protests themselves was not just spread in-person, but through tags and event pages that proliferated students’ social networking sites in the run-up to the demonstrations. Even if students from San Diego or Davis couldn’t be present in Riverside, social media nonetheless allowed UCR protesters to see what was happening elsewhere in the state and provide moral support to one another. In some senses, this is nothing new. Social media has been pioneered as a device for activism and civil disobedience by the Occupy movement three years ago. Even before that, the Arab Spring in 2010 showed how powerful social media has become, replacing a dictator in Tunisia, overthrowing an entrenched autocracy in Egypt and inspiring governmental reforms across a half dozen other countries in the
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER
Middle East. Today, it’s still being used as a tool in the Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong, and the lack of an indictment in Ferguson spread like wildfire, spawning protests in major cities across the country and some from around the world. The UC tuition protests are continuing in a grand tradition of public demonstrations where social media plays a large role. In fact, the prevalence of social media among college students and the relatively high density of a college campus makes it comparatively easy to facilitate protests at a university. But if that’s the case, why haven’t they been more successful? The Arab Spring was partially successful, but its full potential went unrealized. The Occupy movement flamed out after six months and without accomplishing many of its policy goals. The Umbrella Movement is ongoing but it doesn’t have the same fervor as it once did. We have yet to see what will happen in Ferguson, but it’s hard not to be pessimistic when previous demonstrations did not result in an indictment. As for the UC tuition protests, the tuition plan still passed, despite demonstrations across all 10 UC campuses. The same is true of previous protests at the UC, whether they were the systemwide sit-ins that occurred in 2009 or the protests at the UCR campus students waged against the UC Board of Regents in 2012. The most high-profile battles have gone unwon. This illustrates the importance of two points. The first is that success isn’t necessarily defined by immediate achievement of every single goal on your agenda. The Civil Rights Movement midway through this century went on for years, racking up small victories here and there until the Civil Rights Act was finally signed. For now, simply informing students about the tuition increase and shocking them with the widespread nature of the protests is enough. Social media has helped to do that by creating positive information feedback loops, granting students access to information they did not have before and enabling them to fight on firmer footing in the future. The other observation is that there is simply no substitute for leadership and on-the-ground organization. The Occupy movement and many Arab
Spring demonstrations alike were faulted for lacking coordinated messages and individual leaders to guide the path forward, which may have contributed to their eventual decline. Social media can also dilute messaging, and it is an important reminder that it is not a panacea, and it must be supplemented with a powerful infrastructure. Protesting outside the chancellor’s office made for powerful imagery, but there’s little that Chancellor Kim Wilcox can actually do on this matter, except for symbolic gestures like rejecting his salary. Even agreeing with student protesters on the matter of tuition hikes would have minimal impact on the regents, who are insulated from public opinion with 12-year terms and have little accountability to the students of the system they ostensibly serve. Now that the tuition plan has passed, it is vital to refocus the energy of the protests onto the state government, where elected officials do have to respond to their constituents and do have some power over the state budget. There is one remaining seat open on the board of regents, in addition to two seats occupied by regents whose terms expire in two years, and students can work to ensure the people who fill them understand student concerns. With all our time commitments, it’s hard for students to build the training and lobbying structure to impact the decision-making process. But it is necessary for future success, and cannot be pushed out of sight in favor of flashy but short protests. Above all, if students believe that the tuition increases are unacceptable, they must hold onto that feeling, because from it flows the determination and dedication to make change. Social media provides a venue to generate and spread that energy, but students must remember that it is up to them to channel it in the right direction. Only a H long-term infrastructure can do that. ■ 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.
6
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
OPINIONS
highlandernews.org
HIGHLANDER WRITE-OFF
Are tuition hikes the right way to go for the UC?
Students are at the biggest loss with the new tuition hikes
Why the tuition hikes are a necessary evil
JAMESON ADAME Staff Writer
By now, almost everybody knows about the approval of UC President Janet Napolitano’s plan for up to a 5 percent increase of tuition annually until the 2019-2020 school year. In case it is unknown by anybody, this increase is a plan by Napolitano to motivate the California government to stop its continued disinvestment from the UC system by presenting them with increases proportionate to the amount of funding granted by the state. The plan takes effect if the state fails to raise funding up to the desired total of 7.3 percent, effectively acting as monetary backlash to the state’s failure to fund the UC; leaving California to either continue disinvestment, or place renewed financial support in the system, lifting the weight of higher education from students. This plan is ill-conceived and ignorant to the fact that the ones threatened most by the potential tuition increases are not the governor and the state, but the students who will have to bear with the consequences of Napolitano and the UC regents’ power play. Regents for the UC system have failed to realize — or simply don’t care to consider — that they are using students as pawns in a game of chicken with the state. At this point, the approved plan to keep the UC running can be boiled down to whichever organization flinches first: the state, buckling to the regents’ demands for investment and students’ rallying against paying more for the same education as those who paid less just a year prior, or the regents, realizing that the state holds most of the cards (financially speaking) and isn’t likely to give in, and again to the students, who are simply along for the ride. Either way the pendulum swings, students are left to cover the interim costs while the two sides argue over who has to ultimately foot the bill. After three consecutive years of tuition freezes in the UC, it comes as shocking, and frankly appalling, that the best solution to the financial problems that the regents could come up with would be to slap students in the face with a “potential” — if not all but assured — raise in tuition. Though there are always extenuating circumstances and problems are rarely as simple to fix as they would appear, it is a poor showing to say that not only have finances not been fixed in regards to underfunded pensions, but that students will now be the sources of the wallets that regents will dig even deeper into. Gov. Jerry Brown’s 4 percent
QUINN MINTEN Contributing Writer
annual increase in funding to higher education clearly indicates that students won’t escape these increases, and can do little more than protest now that the plan has been passed. Napolitano has repeatedly stated that this increase in tuition will hardly affect students of the system, unless their parents’ combined income is greater than $150,000 annually, as one-third of the money gained from the tuition increase will be funnelled into aid for students who would otherwise be unable to afford the costs of higher education. This assertion fails to take into account that when applying for government and school aid, the amount of money in savings and checking accounts are calculated in an effort to see how much parents are able to pay annually. While those who have saved with their children’s college career in mind will be prepared for the reduced amount of aid the students will receive, parents who had other plans for these monies will be blindsided and those students may be left with no other choice than to take out loans to make up the difference. Assuming that students who enter college are usually in their mid- to late twenties, it’s no surprise to think that parents have saved money in an effort to support upcoming retirements, not thinking that their savings would negatively influence their child’s ability to receive aid. Additionally, with the current economy being somewhat volatile, any assumption that parental incomes will remain high after taxes have been filed and submitted for aid-approval is an assumption made in error. Though the tuition raise may present a short-term solution to long-term issues of state funding, students shouldn’t be expected to pay up to $15,000 to attend public schools (prestigious though they may be). Students should continue to protest these hikes in their own ways, always keeping in mind that peaceful and organized rejection show that we, as a group, can be reasoned with. Additionally, before the first raise in tuition goes into effect, an actual dialogue — not a patronizing sentiment of “We are giving you what you need” — should be opened between the governor, UC President Napolitano, the regents, chancellors and students in order to work out a solution to the game of chicken between the state and the UC that doesn’t punish the students and their wallets. ■H
It seems that despite the best efforts of the student body to protest it, the dreaded tuition hikes will be implemented. Beginning next year, tuition will increase by up to 5 percent each year for five years, assuming the state will not increase funding beyond what is planned at this time. This translates to over $600 a year for each student. There is nothing pleasant about any of this math. From the incoming freshman to the hard-pressed graduate student, everyone is going to be hit very harshly by the spike in costs (except those lucky enough to be graduating before the increase). However, nearly everyone overlooks both the importance of the tuition spike to the continuing function of the UC system and what can be done with this tuition increase for the benefit of the students. For starters, the tuition increase is necessary simply to keep the UC system afloat as it is. The state only uses so much of the revenue it generates by taxes to pay for the UC system, so the rest has to come from the money the universities raise for themselves, namely, via tuition. Furthermore, the state has been spending less to fund the UC system in recent years, even though the student population continues to grow, from both in-state and out-of-state. If the state will not put the needed money in to run our school, then the school has no choice but to find the money it needs. The only way the school can obtain money at the levels it requires is a universal hike in tuition. Indeed, raising tuition across the board is the only way UC can fairly acquire the millions needed to function, assuming the state will not increase its commitment to the UC. There are a few alternatives, but these would tend to affect only a subset of the UC population. For example, there could be a decrease on the amount of financial aid distributed. However, this policy would heavily affect the lower-income part of the student spectrum, as the UC’s financial aid system makes it possible for them to attend. Other options, such as raising tuition selectively for higherincome groups or perhaps raising the cost of on-campus housing, are equally discriminative to one group or another, and ineffective for covering the cost of
the entire student population. Therefore, raising everyone’s tuition, though a harsh measure, at least ensures that the burden is carried by everyone in the UC system. It is key to notice that the burden placed by this hike in tuition is, at least for part of the population, covered by the increase itself. Part of the function of the tuition increase is to add to the financial aid boost received by many students. This means that for those who will have to pay more in coming years, the cost they would have to pay is already paid by the collective cost of everyone else’s tuition hike. Of course, not being from the financial aid department, I cannot state with certainty how much an individual’s financial aid package might increase using the funds collected from the tuition hike, but I suspect that anyone who already receives money from the UC will get enough to cover their share of the cost increase. The funding generated by the tuition hike can also be used to promote enrollment, from both in-state and outof state, by advertising and whatever other means are used to entice students to choose the UC. If enough students (especially from out-of-state) are brought into the system, even after subtracting the amount that would have to go toward financial aid for some of them, there could ultimately be a decline in the amount all the students, both new and current, must pay as tuition. This might not eliminate the effect of the tuition hikes, but it could lessen them. Of course, there would be no need to raise tuition if the state substantially increased the amount it gives to UC. However, given that the UC system has had to resort to a tuition hike to cover its spending in the first place, it seems unlikely that the state will be raising its own spending anytime soon. Regardless of what factors mitigate the harm caused by the newly enacted tuition hikes, they will never be popular among the student body. Nevertheless, it is important to realize that it is for the greater good — the continued operation of the UC system, which allows students across the state to continue pursuing a quality education — that these hikes are in place; by propping up the UC, it is ultimately the student body that will benefit from the new policy. ■H
OPINIONS
highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
7
Ferguson decision is only fuel to an already-burning fire STASEAN WASHINGTON Staff Writer
On Nov. 24, 2014, a grand jury decided against indicting police officer Darren Wilson for the murder of 18-year-old Michael Brown. The indictment would have charged Wilson of committing a crime by shooting Brown. By deeming his actions perfectly legal, it only opens an old wound among the black community, and for good reason. According to ProPublica, a leading investigative and data journalism outlet, “1,217 deadly police shootings from 2010 to 2012 captured in the federal data show that blacks, age 15 to 19, were killed at a rate of 31.17 per million, while just 1.47 per million white males in that age range died at the hands of police.” Some might say that these are justifiable cases because African Americans commit more crimes. However, according to FBI reports, African Americans who are actually arrested and tried only account for 28.1 percent of crimes in America, while white offenders account for 69.3 percent. Blacks only account for the majority in the categories of robbery and gambling, both of which do not warrant a death sentence. According to the most recent accounts of justifiable homicide, or homicide for which there can be no blame, USA Today reports that “nearly two times a week in the United States, a white police officer killed a black person during a seven-year period ending in
We need to talk about sex HONEIAH KARIMI Staff Writer
With the passing of the law “yes means yes,” California became the first state to clear any misconceptions surrounding consent. The campaign behind it defined consent as “a mutual verbal, physical, and emotional agreement that happens without manipulation, threats, or head games,” and the law reiterates the importance of consent being a mutual, continuous and wholebody experience. This bill is an enormous step in the right direction; however, consent needs to be addressed earlier on to avoid any supposed gray areas. The CDC reports that 47 percent of high school students are sexually active. Correspondingly, 15- to 24-yearolds consist of 25 percent of the sexually active population, and this demographic also accounts for about half of all new STI (sexually transmitted infections) cases. There are around 850,000 American pregnant teens each year. Evidently, there is
2012.” Ferguson is not the only case in which an officer has outright murdered a black man. The same day that Ferguson grand jury was set to make the decision to not indict Wilson, 12-year-old Tamir Rice was gunned down in Cleveland, Ohio for brandishing a fake gun. Twenty seconds into surveillance camera footage, a police squadron zooms into the frame. Within two seconds, Rice is on the floor. In the video, you can see Rice reaching for the “gun” in his waistband, while walking toward the police vehicle, but because he is not here with us right now, we can never know his true intentions, whether it was to take a tough guy stance with the police or show that the gun was a fake. In 2013, Florida A&M football player Jonathan Ferrell was shot and killed by a police officer in North Carolina. Ferrell had crashed his car and had managed to climb out his car window and was searching for help. Upon finding the nearest home, Ferrell banged on the front door asking for assistance, but the resident hit the panic button on her alarm and police assumed it was a home invasion. Upon arriving at the scene, police officers tracked Ferrell down and police officer Randall Kerrick drew his gun and shot Ferrell ten times, killing him. The circumstances of 77 percent of shootings of black suspects are classified as undetermined, meaning that we will never know if the police officer actually feared for their lives. In something lacking here: proper sexual education. Sex education in high schools and middle schools provides a forum to educate students about consent and safety. Effective sex education guides students in embracing healthy sexual behavior. With this in mind, sex education should not be limited to schools. The infamous “talk” should be a series of talks, and an open invitation for teens to come to their parents with questions and concerns at a later date. The fact that college students have problems defining consent shows that “yes means yes” comes in too late in the game. Teens should be informed about what consent is prior to engaging in sexual intercourse. Our schools and our parents have failed us when a college student cannot define consent with absolute certainty. If parents talk to their teens about sex and sexuality, their children will be more likely to make healthy, informed decisions about their sex lives. In fact, these conversations need to start earlier than that, such as when a child first asks, “Where do babies come from?” Many parents avoid this question, and concoct some outlandish tale as if biology is somehow taboo. In addition to this, it’s important for parents to teach their children about various sexual orientations from a young
CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER “No justice, no peace!”: Riverside locals assemble in Downtown Riverside to protest against the Ferguson decision.
most cases that are determined, suspects are shot while fleeing or resisting arrest. Police officers are only allowed to fire their weapons if they feel in any way threatened. By allowing cases to pass, in which there was no major threat to the officer’s lives or that of others, it states that police officers can constantly live in fear of African American men viewing them as a “threat” by just their mere presence. Another story is that of Eric Garner. Garner had recently broken up a fight and caught the attention of local law enforcement. Officers attempted to arrest Garner for selling untaxed cigarettes. Officer Daniel Pantaleo wrestled Garner to the floor
and put him into a chokehold. After several seconds, yelling, “I can’t breathe,” Garner was dead. Demacio was placed on desk duty. In America, there is a serious problem with how law enforcement handles cases with black suspects. It is well-known that African Americans have a negative history with law enforcement. A little over two decades ago, Rodney King was beaten at the corner of Foothill Boulevard and Osborne Street in Los Angeles. The officers involved were acquitted of their charge of excessive use of force. Cases like that of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin and Ezell Ford not only perpetuate the excessive use of
force that claims the lives of many African American men, but also says that it is okay to murder an African American suspect. When you look at the numbers and hear the stories you really have to ask yourself: What does this say about our law enforcement? There is an inherent animosity toward black men by police officers. This is why the Michael Brown case is significant. The use of racial profiling and stereotypes automatically label black men as an immediate threat no matter the crime. Although the motto is innocent until proven guilty, most African American men find themselves in situations where they are guilty until proven innocent. ■H
age. This will prevent years of anxiety, confusion and pain. In essence, sex education should not be entirely heteronormative. The Society for Adolescent Medicine has referred to abstinence-only programs as a threat to fundamental human rights as these programs purposely omit vital information about sexual health. Abstinenceonly programs are irresponsible.
conducted by researchers from Yale University and Columbia University, 88 percent of pledgetakers had sex prior to marriage. Not only were rates of STIs among pledge-takers and nonpledge-takers almost identical, pledge-takers were less likely to get tested for STIs and less likely to utilize contraception. Abstinence is generally seen as more “moral,” but considering how uninformed teens are about sex due to these abstinence-only programs, they become more susceptible to HIV or AIDS, other STIs and teenage pregnancy. This is a human rights concern — one that violates our right to factual and all-inclusive information about sexual health. Our schools and government have a responsibility to provide information to the public about sexual health to prevent the further spreading of STIs and HIV or AIDS. In season two of “Orange Is The New Black,” the episode “A Whole Other Hole” focuses on how the women are not aware of where their urine comes from. They discuss various theories at length and while the show approaches it humorously, it exhibits a legitimate problem. This theme was more famously explored in “The Vagina Monologues” where women are disgusted or confused by their own genitilia. The fact that women are afraid
and uninformed about their own bodies is disheartening, and only goes to show health classes are failing to do what they’re intended to do — inform us about our health, which includes being taught about our basic anatomy. When people are uninformed about their own bodies, it will only result in fear and shame. In order to fully collocate sex with shame, abstinenceonly programs claim that mental health problems can be solved by abstaining from premarital sexual intercourse. One curriculum, in particular, contests that pre-marital sex is solely responsible for substance abuse, poverty, heartbreak, depression, loneliness and suicide. They ascertain that these problems can be avoided if one remains abstinent until marriage. In light of boys and girls experiencing puberty earlier than ever before, sex-ed starting after fourth or fifth grade is belated, considering many of these kids may be well into puberty already. Sex has consequences, hence the urgency for accurately informing youths about how to protect themselves. Ultimately, sex and sexuality are nothing to be ashamed of. What is shameful, however, is the failure to properly educate youths about sexual health and what constitutes consent. ■H
Effective sex education guides students in embracing healthy sexual behavior. If a teen decides to remain abstinent, it is a valid decision, but it should be a conclusion arrived at by the teen themselves in lieu of the fear-based teaching that often happens in health classes. The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that only 19 states actually call for medically accurate sex education — not to mention the definition of “medically accurate” varies from state to state. According to a study about virginity pledge-takers
8
OPINIONS
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
highlandernews.org
Opinion Poll
How will you pay for school?
Chanel Parrish History Third-year
Abraham Galvan Political Science / Law and Society Third-year
C ompiled
by
J aspery G oh
► Tell us your story. #highlandervoice
Jazmin Gonzalez Chemistry Second-year
Toluwani Cole Political Science First-year
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR:
Tuition hikes are unfair
9
R epresentative M ark T akano According to the think tank Demos, $2,100 was the average price of tuition for an academic year when I was in college in the late 70s and early 80s. With the recently approved tuition increases, UC students will be paying more than $15,500 for the 2019-2020 school year. These tuition hikes are unfair and should be reversed. In the past 10 years, the total amount of student loan debt has ballooned from $240 billion in 2003 to more than $1 trillion dollars in 2014. Additionally, the number of student borrowers has increased by 66 percent, from 23.3 million in 2005 to 38.8 million in 2012, and the average student loan balance increase by 49 percent, from $16,651 in 2005
to $24, 803 in 2012. What is even more concerning is who owes the most in student loan debt. Those in the bottom 25 percent of household net worth (lower than $8,500) owe an astonishing 58 percent of the student debt in our nation. When the Great Recession hit in 2007, the UC system had its funding cut by more than $800 million. In order to make up for these cuts, the UC Regents felt that they had no choice but to increase fees and tuition to make up the difference of the shortfall. But over the last few years, California’s deficit has turned in to a surplus and funding to the University of California has increased – by $125 million in 2013 and by $142 million this
year. So why are they choosing to increase tuition at a time when our state is in much better shape than it was several years ago? In my opinion, we should be doing more to increase access to higher education. Raising tuition to more than $15,500 a year will turn many away and in an area like the Inland Empire that was hit particularly hard by the Great Recession, we can’t afford to turn away those who are looking to improve their lives through higher education. While the opportunity to reform the funding of the UC system resides at the state level, there are things Congress has done to ease student debt. Last year, Congress changed the
way student loan interest rates are calculated by pegging them to the 10-year Treasury note rate. However, with this new calculation, it is possible that rates can surpass what they would have been if Congress did nothing. I believe that Congress should set a low, fixed interest rate and do away with the current calculation that resets every year. Congress can also increase Pell Grants for low-income students but such legislation faces many political hurdles from Republicans in Congress. However, changes in the interest rate and increasing support will not solve the root of the problem – the principal cost of going to college, which must be addressed by the leaders of the
University of California system and our state legislators. I encourage our elected officials and Governor Brown to do what they can to reverse the tuition hikes and figure out a long-term solution. No longer should young people be forced to shoulder the burden of $1 trillion in debt. Such a large debt load will affect their ability to own a home, start a business, begin a family or pursue whatever their version of the American dream may be. In the meantime, I will be supporting the students who are fighting these increases and creating awareness around campus. I hope that you continue to make your voices heard and continue to fight for your future. Our nation depends on it.
Chancellor announces two new administrative positions, encourages student feedback after tuition hike forum I rene M orrison and the S atirical H uman R esources D epartment Editor’s Note: The following is a work of satire based on the events described in the Issue 09 article, “Wilcox takes heat from students in public forum.” Running a corporation nonprofit university can be difficult, especially when students constantly challenge your closeddoor decisions and racially insensitive statements at every turn. With this in mind, and following in the tradition of administrative bloat system-wide, the Chancellor has announced the creation of two new administrative positions to alleviate these problems and make the Chancellor feel more welcome at UCR. We sat down with him to get his take on the new positions. 1. Assistant Vice Chancellor (AVC) for Spiritual Advisement and Charitable Donations Responsibilities: This AVC position requires a sense of team spirit and experience with 1) yoga instruction to decrease the Chancellor’s propensity to rudely
stomp away from students when they don’t just passively sit down and listen to his propaganda, 2) hypnotism to make the Chancellor feel safe when cops aren’t stationed at the doors of Hinderaker Hall to keep students out, 3) administration of reiki before events to make sure he “has his notes in order” on his phone and isn’t ignoring students when being directly addressed by them, and finally 4) spiritual guidance on how to administer charitable donations for maximum smokeand-mirrors effect. “I expect students to be thankful for my charity in the form of scholarship donations to the university, which somehow are supposed to alleviate my ridiculously high pay and recent raise and absolve me from righting this injustice,” Wilcox told this reporter. “My donations show I care about students, and I encourage them to give feedback about these new positions.” Wilcox
made several promises in this regard, pointing to what he called his “student feedback container,” which looked suspiciously like a garbage bin. 2. Assistant Vice Consigliere (AVC) of Graph and Chart Creation, Apologies, and Propaganda Responsibilities: This organized go-getter should have crisis PR experience. First duties when assuming this position include the creation of a hotel for undocumented students that provides affordable housing and accepts meal plans, in response to earlier comments that the university “isn’t a hotel” and as an elaborate way to avoid apologizing for a statement he couldn’t recall making. Other primary activities will involve the creation of Power Points that attempt to convince students that the state is solely to blame for financial woes and tuition hikes. Finally, this person should be experienced at coopting
class- and race-based rhetoric about the UC’s history of free education in order to make his arguments. “Students aren’t numbers,” Wilcox said of this job description. “But wow,” he continued, “Look at this pretty chart that allows me to make it look like education shouldn’t be free and it’s not my fault!” When asked how these two new positions would affect the budget, Wilcox explained that he was creating a third position in the Library with donation money that should have gone elsewhere in order to assess the budget impact. “I think these positions will be a great opportunity for stress relief for the Chancellor,” Sophomore in Political Science Antonia Fuginaga said. “Perhaps it will make him less inclined to be incredibly rude to students and act like a politician when faced with a request for an apology.” Graduate Student Amy
Goodmann had a similar reaction. “Maybe we should apply these positions to all 10 campuses! I mean, Napolitano could probably use an Assistant Vice Sub-Dean for Student Amnesia and Image Rejuvenation, to figure out clever ways to make us forget that she spent her last career deporting the family members of students, and that she’s really just doing the best she can!” 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.
OPINIONS
highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
9
COURTESY OF NBC UNIVERSAL
How to treat yo’self wisely ESTEFANIA ZAVALA Senior Staff Writer
It is 3 a.m and you walk into your dorm room. Your roommate is up, dark circles under her eyes, and she is mumbling about Karl Marx. There is another person passed out on the floor next to a pile of what may be vomit but smells like Powerade. It doesn’t matter. Techno music thuds loudly throughout the room. You sit at your desk. You have a final research paper due in five hours. Time to begin. Is this your life? For the sake of your health, I hope not. It was my life when I started college four years ago. Finally free from parental impositions, I created my own schedule. I could sleep, eat and study when I wanted to. I lived on a system that I will dub the prewards system. It went like this: I would take on as many projects as I could. Sure, I will take five classes. Sure, I will accept this job. Yes, I can put in extra
hours. Then, without doing any of the work that these projects entailed, I rewarded myself richly. I am doing so much, I would think, eating a raspberry croissant in bed and watching “30 Rock.” Then the deadlines crept up and I followed up on my system of prewards. First, I would spend hours gazing at Tumblr and drinking sugary Starbucks frappuccinos from the C-Store. Maybe I would visit some friends downstairs and watch violent Japanese movies with them. Finally, as the early hours of the morning arrived, I would sludge upstairs and start my work in the worst possible mindset. The prewards system is a failure both for productivity but especially for personal health. If any part of that sounds familiar, then you are doing things wrong. It is really important to take breaks while studying or performing any other kind of work. Human beings are not machines and if
you try to write 12 pages in one night, some of it will just be gibberish. College students know this and there are plenty of tips on time management and stress relief. I am advocating that you realize the effect that these stunts take on your personal health and surroundings. Let’s imagine that the research paper only took five hours to write. What did you eat? A leftover hamburger you found in your fridge. Where did you sleep afterward? In a crumpled heap on your desk chair. In my first and second years of college, I first gained 15 pounds, then lost 20. College students hold their weight in constant flux because they don’t have stable eating habits. They get sick often because they sometimes fail to perform basic hygienic needs. (When was the last time you washed your bedsheets?) Studies show that the communal living style of most college students contributes to bacterial infections.
While it is difficult and boring to cook a healthy meal every day, it is relatively easy to make sure you eat fairly healthy things throughout the day. Make a day once a month where you clean the stuff in your room that desperately needs it. Above all, get at least eight hours of sleep fairly frequently. College is supposed to prepare you for your future academically. But for me, being away at college has also set the pace of how to live as an adult. You have to learn how to take care of yourself or all the rest of that stuff does not matter. While there is a kind of romance in being a starving college student, you should never let things get out of hand. There is a reason all the adults in your life drilled bedtimes and well-balanced meals into you. You need them to live. A tube of cookie dough and an old tomato is not an acceptable meal. Treat yourself better and let college make ■H you into a functioning adult.
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.
10
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
. FEATURES .
highlandernews.org
Thousands Head Downtown
*
FOR
*
Riverside’s Festival of Lights
W
Robert Lees, Staff Writer
Over three and a half million lights illuminated Downtown Riverside Friday night. Eager visitors got in the holiday spirit with a number of attractions that will continue for the next five weeks.
ith memories of Thanksgiving still vivid and excitement brewing for the fastapproaching holiday season, Riverside decided to kick off festivities with its popular Festival of Lights, and people from all over Southern California headed downtown for shopping and camaraderie on Black Friday. The popularity of the event was apparent as I waited in traffic, trying to find a place to park among the closed-off streets and crowded thoroughfares. I realized that the crowd would be much larger than anticipated. The day was undoubtedly special, as downtown is often deserted any other day of the year, save for the occasional pedestrian eating at the local restaurants or heading to work. After I parked and stepped into the teeming masses packed in the Mission Inn, the immense scale of the event began to sink in. The air was alive with joyous energy on the thronged streets and in the lobby of the Mission Inn. Outside, children danced and people cheered as the Riverside Community College Marching Band marched in a circuit around the Mission Inn, with a contingent of security trying to part the sea of people browsing the vendors perched along the sidewalks, selling kettle corn, funnel cakes, coffee and various light-up toys. Inside, elderly women with smeared lipstick cackled loudly as they sipped tall margaritas and tried to be heard over the blaring Christmas music and the clinking of glasses. The centerpiece of the Mission Inn’s decorations was a large Christmas tree in the center of the lobby, dotted with basketballsized ornaments and a top star that scraped the vaulted ceiling. I wandered for a while, making small talk with the patrons, looking at the decorations and vendor booths, and listening to the music as I tried to get myself into the Christmas spirit. At 5:15 p.m., things began to pick up the pace inside and outside the Mission Inn. Security ran to and fro, blocking doors and directing patrons who left half-finished drinks and meals at their table and poured out of the exits onto University Avenue. The street was now packed elbow-to-elbow with people, some talking loudly to be heard over the din while others tried to hear the PA system above the noisy surroundings. The mayor, Rusty Bailey, gave a long speech about the importance of the event to the city and thanked the various officials who thronged next to him on a dais. I was able to pick up snippets here and there, but the blaring Christmas music coming from the Mission Inn and the shuffling and breathing of the thousands of people packed in the streets blurred everything into a surrounding cacophony. Almost on cue, everyone stopped and listened as Mission Inn owner Duane Roberts
Photos by Jaspery Goh began a countdown from 10 at 5:25. Everyone held their breath, and there was palpable electricity in the air. As the count reached one, everything froze in a microcosm of silence that was immediately replaced by the illumination of three million lights that snaked along the walls of the downtown buildings and up to the top of the California Tower. A barrage of fireworks erupted from the top of the Mission Inn and there was a brief cheer that was quickly hushed as thousands of attendees reached for phones to capture blurry videos of the spectacle. The firework show lasted for five minutes, as red and blue rockets reached toward the heavens, with each crack echoed by the cheers of the people below. The final crescendo lit up the sky in a bright blue blaze, lit up the streets clear as day and as the smoke drifted westward, a thunderous round of applause and cheers rose from the surrounding crowd as the medley of holiday music resumed playing on the PA speakers. As soon as the cheers had subsided, the crowd began to thin, as people pushed past one another to hurry into the long lines that stretched from the doors of the downtown businesses and the attractions that had been set up at various locations around the main promenade. There was a small outdoor ice rink, bounce houses and vendors selling carnival-like refreshments, but the lines for each were so long that I decided against waiting. I eventually settled near a stage where Irish band the McKintre Boys played a set that alternated between traditional Irish songs such as “Danny Boy” and Christmas standards in a fast-paced style. The air was still rich with the sugary smell of the kettle corn and funnel cakes, and the crowds of parents and children beamed with excitement despite the long lines and hordes of people. I have often heard my fellow students criticize Riverside for lacking in culture or engaging events during my time at UCR, and the Festival of Lights is a resounding rebuttal to any of our city’s detractors. People from all over California, many from out of state, gathered in our city on Friday night to witness one of the season’s grandest spectacles. I was disappointed that I did not see more of a UCR presence at the event apart from the occasional sweater or familiar face, as I feel our bagpipe band could have really given the RCC musicians a run for their money. Still, despite the sheer joyous energy present in the crowd, there were simply too many people present on opening night to make seeing all the events feasible, but I plan to return on a weekday in December to enjoy the remaining sights and sounds, and maybe try my hand at ice skating during a less crowded night. The festival lasts for five weeks, and I challenge anyone who gripes about the lack of activities around Riverside to head downtown and have a look — you’ll be glad you did. ■H
11
FEATURES
highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
11
campus cope Maxine Arellano, Senior Staff Writer // Tiffany Liaw, Staff Writer // Edward Dave, Contributing Writer
Best study habits Let’s be honest, most of us have already calculated what grade we have to get on the next test to pass the class. Keep chins up and blood pressures low: This week’s Campus Cope covers what you will need, from best study habits to how to gradegrub, to get that grade.
If you like to listen to music while studying, try to pick a playlist without vocals. Lyrics are distracting, especially when you need to memorize something. Even if classical music is not your taste, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try. When going over notes, it’s helpful to highlight and write side notes if it’s a reading passage or put symbols (no doodles — those can get distracting) next to the important topics. If you’re still not feeling super-confident afterward, consider a notecard and jot down the absolutely important topics so in the mornings, on your way to class or literally walking from Lot 30, you can review the notes as a last-minute studying tactic. It’s a good idea to bring a light snack. Keep it healthy — fruit or granola bars — when you’re studying so hunger is the last of your
worries. Chewing or eating helps some people concentrate and even just drinking cold water can help you stay awake and make you feel not so bored despite how lifeless the subject may be. For location, you should choose a place that makes you feel comfortable. There is a difference between sitting in your favorite chair with books sprawled out and snuggling in your bed with warm tea and lullaby music on. An ideal location would be somewhere quiet and not too hot or too cold, like the library or your room. Sometimes it helps you study when you explain the material to someone else, but choose your study buddies wisely. As much as you want to spend time with a best friend, save them for the celebration and seek out students who want to get that grade.
WHAT NOT TO DO GRADE GRUB Grade grubbing is the process of constantly seeking out professors or TAs to keep meticulous track of your grades. Grade grubbing is a serious art. It requires diligence and consistency. It may sound important because it actually is, especially to students who want to keep track of their academics. Do you have the symptoms of grade grubbing? If you wait for your professor after everyone disperses after class to ask them about your grade multiple times a week you may fit in that category. If you go to office hours despite having a good grip on the material just to reinforce to your TA that you are a good student, it’s also likely you suffer from grade grubbing. Be wary that this isn’t a sure-fire method to excellent grades. It is actually a double-
edged sword. You don’t want to annoy teachers and antagonize them. Bombarding professors with requests or further inquires about a 10-point assignment will only make it worse — professors are veterans at weeding out brownnosers from stressed students. However, grade grubbing can be the last resort to make it out by the skin of your teeth (insert war flashbacks for those who barely made it out of language courses). Maybe don’t wait for professors after every class like their daytime stalker, but try to go to office hours, so they do see you are trying to make an effort. Having good rapport with a TA or professor is better than not having one at all: They will remember your name when doing final grades, and hopefully do it with a smile rather than a scowl.
Nobody wants their study time going to waste. Something you should definitely avoid when you really need to focus and get that grade is TV or any form of entertainment. Temptation is the worst weapon … 20 minutes after a laptop opens, somehow you end up on Tumblr. If your excuse to be on the computer is an essay (with the occasional Internet tab switch to the highlights of the latest “Walking Dead” episode), there are a number of ways to hold back the urge. If your willpower is less than that score on the last test, try Keepmeout.com. Just type in your go-to site, put in how long you want to devote to your studies, and it will literally block out that site for that amount of time. “I don’t need it … I don’t need …” you may mutter, as your cursor shakes over the Facebook tab. You may also try the “Stay Focused” features available on on Internet search engines. Increasing productivity, it will block time-wasting sites and allow certain pages to only be
seen. Don’t listen to your musical jams. It’ll be hard to concentrate on that essay when you’re distracted and tempted to sing along (or even dance to it) but feel free to celebrate after acing that test. Don’t attempt to multitask. Just don’t. It most likely will not go well for either task you try to do, so consider focusing on your studies first so you can make the most of it. Don’t cram — really. Cramming has been scientifically proven to not help students retain material. Students who cram actually did poorer than those who studied on a consistent basis throughout the quarter. Cramming is a halfbrained defense mechanism that helps students believe they actually studied extensively. Pace your studying. Unlike cramming, pacing your studying will help your mind take in comfortable amounts of information at each interval and you will retain the information easier with smaller doses. ■H
In addition to listening to classical music, instrumental jazz is another great alternative for those who might be lulled to sleep as a result.
12
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
FEATURES
highlandernews.org
UCR AROUND THE GLOBE
LONDON, ENGLAND
W
hen I decided I wanted to study abroad, there was only one choice: London. And no, not (just) because I was hoping to run into Prince Harry. A previous trip when I was 11 years old sparked my love for the city, eventually morphing into serious obsession with “Doctor Who,” “Sherlock” and “Primeval,” copious buckets of tea and multiple declarations that told me I was born in the wrong country. And like any dedicated obsessive I was determined to return to the motherland. Therefore when I skimmed the list of classes offered by the UC Summer Study Abroad program, I already expected to be putting my money on the UK. What I did not expect was how interesting, fun and exciting the class itself sounded at the information session. Add in three class trips to the Globe Theater and come August the assembled hordes of Genghis Khan could not stand between me and that plane ride to London. I arrived a few days early and stayed with family near Balham, thankfully knocking out the jet lag before class began. They helped me settle in at Astor College at the University of London, right in the center of the city. When I told my family I was staying on Charlotte Street they immediately declared that they were enrolling at UCR to take the History of Britain class as well. Definitely a sign that this was a good place to be. Astor College was perfectly situated with a grocery store right around the corner, pizza down the street and all the shopping a girl could hope for within walking distance. Classes consisted of walking, or taking the bus, to different historical locations all over the city. My personal favorites included the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Knole Park. Side note: If you visit Knole, remember to bring plenty of apples. The deer will eat them right out of your hand! Just don’t get caught — you didn’t hear it from me. On a more scholarly note, however, the Tower of London cannot be missed. I got true chills walking in the apartments where my favorite historical figure, Queen Elizabeth I, was imprisoned along with Anne Boleyn and Lady Jane Grey. I stood inches away from graffiti supposedly carved by Sir Robert Dudley during his imprisonment
and stood in the room where Sir Walter Raleigh wrote “The History of the World” while praying for forgiveness from his king. For lovers of history, there is no feeling in the world like walking in the footsteps of your idols. As for Westminster Abbey, full disclosure: I may have come disturbingly close to tears standing in the Poet’s Corner surrounded by monuments to Shakespeare, Jane Austen, Alfred Lord Tennyson and all my favorite authors. You try not to. I dare you. Fans of theatre, if the Globe Theatre is not on your bucket list it should be. As groundlings we stood right in front of the stage, close enough to lean on. Close enough for Cleopatra to flirt with the boys and touch the girls’ hair, in fact. In fair warning however, we quickly dubbed our seats the Splash Zone. Trust me, we learned to look down very quickly when an actor came anywhere near us. No one wanted spit in their eye. Not even from a King Lear played by Joseph Marcell, also known as Geoffrey from the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.” The Globe Theatre offers an understandable, interactive and period-accurate experience of the Bard’s greatest works. Of course I also love Britain’s more current cultural successes and I was not disappointed in what England had to offer on my free afternoons and weekends. Groups took pictures at King’s Cross Station at Platform Nine and ThreeQuarters in full wizarding regalia, got photographed in iconic poses on Abbey Road, wandered the Sherlock Holmes Museum and even managed a daytrip to the Doctor Who Experience in Cardiff. For me, my experience abroad offered a new adventure every day. Sharing this class with a group of unfamiliar people, cut off from anyone who knew me, I had the unique opportunity to reinvent myself and discover a confident, energetic person. I found out that I could get lost alone in a strange city and find my way back with ease. I found out that liver and rabbit are surprisingly tasty. I found out that I could make friends just by tripping over the bathroom doorstep at midnight in front of a complete stranger. At the end of the month I boarded my plane feeling like an entirely different person than the one who had arrived. The study abroad program helped me discover a stronger me. ■H
NAME: Kelsey Bavencoff YEAR: 5th-year Transfer MAJOR: Creative Writing COUNTRY: England HOST INSTITUTION: University of London
Be published.
Want to make your mark in the world? The Highlander is your canvas. Learn more about how you can get your writing, designs and photographs published by coming to our weekly meetings, held in HUB 101 every Monday at 5:15 p.m.
Highlander
highlandernews.org
@highlanderradar
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Events this week Tuesday | 12/2
Wednesday | 12/3
Japanese Taiko Drumming Demo @ Arts Building, 12 p.m.
Seven: New Music by UCR composers @ ARTS 157, 12:10 p.m.
Friday | 12/5
The Voice Studio of Dr. Camelia Voin in Concert @ ARTS 166, 8 p.m.
Saturday | 12/6
UCR Chamber Singers: Holiday Choral Concert @ ARTS 166, 8 p.m.
COURTESY OF WEDIDIT RECORDS
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
15
MOVIE REVIEWS COMING OUT SOON:
THE PYRAMID
WILD
PIONEER
COMET
LIFE PARTNERS
PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR
RATING: ★★★☆☆
T
BY: EDWARD DAVE, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
he lukewarm reception of the “Penguins of Madagascar” TV show could invoke a negative reception for the titular movie. But style over substance rears its head and causes the movie to seem like a shameless cash grab at certain intervals, as directors Simon Smith and Eric Darnell attempt to explore the Indian Ocean with this grandiose adventure. The story is interwoven with its sister series “Madagascar,” which results in a lot of allusions to the characters and plot of that respective series. The premise of the film has been seen in so many other contemporary cartoon films. It starts off as a prequel to the television series and shows the birth and growth of the four penguins Skipper (Tim McGrath), Kowalski (Chris Miller), Rico (Conrad Vernon) and Private (Christopher Knights). These penguins become a team and go on various adventures, from spy exploits to rescue missions. However, Private begins to feel as though he has no role in the group because everyone has a unique combative role whether it be the leader (Skipper), or the brains of the group (Kowalski). Private goes soul searching, hoping to gain skills that would be beneficial for the team’s
success and ultimately grant him a role. The movie explores a variety of themes, from self-actualization to having a healthy relationship within a team. But thanks to a bombastic script that often aggrandized many scenes in the film the resulting sequences end up feeling forced. The film would often remind the viewers that Private is on a journey to find himself with useless monologuing that didn’t progress his character. The banter among the Penguins is excellent and their name calling and abrasive behavior is automatically relatable to anyone with a close friend or siblings. But many of the outside relationships suffer from a poorly written script that hits you over the head with concepts rather than exploring them organically. The voice acting is the best part of the film by far. Many of the voice actors bring their A-game as they take on the personas of the many animals seen in the film. McGrath does a wonderful job as Skipper and brings a calculating but sympathetic aesthetic to the screen, while Knights pulls from deep down to go to a place of loss to explore all the facets of Private’s personality. All of the voices made the film feel au-
thentic, as if they were actually interacting with each other in real-time. The soundtrack also immersed the viewers into the setting by making the crazy antics almost believable. The soundtrack was actually pretty impressive for the simple fact that it made the larger-thanlife events in the movie have gravity and weight. It encompasses city music with lots of instrumentation to emphasize the hustle and bustle of the land and tropical sounds which
Coutresy of 20th Century Fox
were simpler to set the tone of the island regions. Every musical choice transitioned seamlessly and there were never any parts where the music seemed too overbearing to incorporate comedy or exposition, which many cartoon movies happen to do. “Penguins of Madagascar” isn’t a film that too many will be fond of if you’re older than 15. The script is too in-yourface to appease older moviegoers, who are more likely accustomed to movies that actually
contain scripts and plots with authenticity. The issues tackled were done with a sweet approach that comes naturally to films of this genre. Although no real sense of gravity was embedded into the issues, the music does a great job at distracting the viewers from this issue by trying to add a layer of realism to the movie. What saves this film from becoming a complete snoozefest is its soundtrack and voice acting, which breathe life into this ■H tropical tale.
HORRIBLE BOSSES 2
RATING: ★★★☆☆
“Y
BY: AMRITA KULAR, CONTRIBUING WRITER
ou three are the craziest criminals I’ve ever seen in my life — you gotta act like it!” And act like it they did in the movie “Horrible Bosses 2,” starring Jason Bateman, Charlie Day, Jason Sudeikis and Jennifer Aniston. The relative familiarity of the first film, following average men forced into unusually extreme antics by their sociopathic bosses, has been replaced by cheesy and vulgar humor. Sean Anders, the director, actually reiterates most of the same set-ups and punchlines from the original movie, only more offensive and with more discussion of bodily fluids. The story commences from the conclusion of the first movie, “Horrible Bosses.” Nick (Bateman), Kurt (Sudeikis) and Dale (Day), now liberated from their tyrannical bosses, are trying to sustain a living. The trio have all quit their occupations and gone into business together to create a novel development known as “The Shower Buddy,” a timed shower system they believe can earn millions. After an appearance on local cable, they’re asked for a meeting with a huge distribu-
tion company executive Rex Hanson (Pine), son of shrewd business magnate Bert Hanson (Christoph Waltz). They are offered a luxurious amount of money to sell their product to the Hansons, but they decide to keep the business because they think the invention is just that brilliant. After making 100,000 units for Hanson, the billionaire reveals that he’s cheated them out of the patent and they’re now $500,000 in debt. Without much choice, they decide the best course of action will be to kidnap Rex and hold him for ransom from his father — predictably, things only turn for the worse from here. It’s still a pleasure to watch Bateman, Sudeikis and Day act together and their comedic scenes. They are in sync, especially since the script seems more improvised — for instance, the scene in which they hire a bunch of people without qualifications because of their looks or circumstances — so you keep hoping it is enough to make the movie more entertaining. Still, the script never fully fulfills itself and leaves the audience hanging. The funniest cast addition is Pine, who plays Hanson’s son, Rex, and has an obvious knack for halfwit
comedy. Rex’s chronic mood swings, his exhausting enthusiasm and his tendency to beat himself up both metaphorically and literally provide the film’s biggest laughs. Jamie Foxx is the trio’s advisor on everything criminal, a man with terrible negotiating skills, and is still comedic in his gangster role, keeping up his persona in this sequel. However, Waltz is surely wasted as the heartless Hanson — he’s too nice to pass for
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
evil. And Spacey and Aniston are woefully underserved by the script, which was also cowritten by Anders. Spacey, as Nick’s boss Dave, is given only a couple of pointless rants in a prison visiting room. Aniston, as the nymphomaniac dentist Julia Harris, is not given substantial dialogue to fully portray the caliber of her acting skills. In the first movie, with her slinky actions and dirtygirl jokes, she was an amusing character. Here she’s saddled
with an arsenal of overcooked script that is too plain to be amusing. This movie is just as nonsensical as the first one but also just as funny. It’s not the best comedy released this year but it’s a good way to pass time. The plot is not particularly interesting as it is repetitive and generally predictable. The talented cast is not given more developed characters, thus the movie fails to reach the audience and be relatable. ■H
16
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
highlandernews.org
MUSIC REVIEWS FAITH IN STRANGERS // ANDY SCOTT
RATING: ★★★☆☆ BY: ROBERT LEES, STAFF WRITER
M
a n c h e s t e r producer and electronic artist Andy Stott has released his anticipated fourth album, “Faith in Strangers,” which features the careful mastering and atmospheric style indicative of his work. Light and airy with a dark, lurid undercurrent, his album marks a step forward for the artist that will please fans and entice newcomers. The album begins slowly and stays at its thoughtful pace for the first half, with synth overtures and none of the drums and bass associated with modern house and dub music. The album shows off its experimental nature in the opening tracks, with Stott’s piano teacher, Alison Skidmore, providing hauntingly abstract vocals that are heavily filtered, with only small syllables breaking through the surrounding fog. The occasional drum parts and heavily synthesized bass pop in and out of the opening tracks, sometimes discernible for a few measures, but usually rumbling like a Lovecraftian monster below the airy surface. It’s hard to classify the opening half of the album as “music” at all, as its esoteric style and strange electronic ambience make it feel more like an audiobased modern art piece designed
for contemplation rather than musical entertainment. While it starts at an extremely slow boil, akin to heating a Jacuzzi with a cigarette lighter, there is noticeable tension and unnerving aura in the air a few tracks in. All of the tracks on the album feature an odd arrangement of instruments, such as organs and theremins, which pop in and out of the songs seemingly at random.
People who buy this album expecting something in the traditional realm of techno will be disappointed, as it has none of the dance-club qualities seen in many dub or techno artists popular today. There are also harsh metallic clangs and odd mechanical hums that fade in and out of the songs. The odd schizophrenic mishmash of sounds and the jarring pacing creates audible hallucinations much like the ones you might experience if you lose your mind in a dark forest. Things reach a crescendo
during the middle track, “No Surrender,” as “crunchy” tribal beats blend with the hum and whine of the synths. The tracks start to have a much quicker pace for the second half as a whole, dropping the ethereal, cosmic feel of the first half for a much more structured experience. The sharp hooks and snaps punctuate each track with rough energy, giving the second half of the album an engaging, yet unnerving, quality. The hardest aspect of describing “Faith in Strangers” is its refusal to adhere to any specific genre or label. It transcends modern techno and house music with its minimalist, experimental vibe, and many listeners who are unfamiliar with Stott’s work may have difficulty finding any benchmark to compare it to. Skidmore’s vocals may seem reminiscent to fans of Crystal Castles, while its metallic rhythms reminded me of Aphex Twin. However, the slow, haunting pace of the album sets it apart from electronic music on the market today. People who buy this album expecting something in the traditional realm of techno will be disappointed, as it has none of the dance-club qualities seen in many dub or techno artists popular today. This album asks for a lot of investment on the part of the listener, with careful
Courtesy of Modern Love
attention needed to notice any of the intricacies woven throughout the songs. The only thing I can definitively say about “Faith in Strangers” is that it is hard to define. While it does feature a rich array of sounds, its abnormal style and discordant instrumentation may leave a poor first impression. If you are a person who enjoys music as the spice to brighten up your everyday life or tries to find poetry within lyrics, this album will likely leave you wanting. I
was only able to notice the depth and complexity of the album on my second listen, when I chose to listen through my noisecancelling headphones instead of my stereo. Still, this album is more of a personal art project instead of music, and I wasn’t won over, despite the attention to detail and obvious care that Stott put into each track. If you are in the mood for something different, the album is worth looking into. However, you may be turned off by its enigmatic style. ■H
VOID // RL GRIME
RATING: ★★★★☆
S
BY: CODY NGUYEN, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
ubgenres on top of subgenres is the name of the game for the ever-so-fickle landscape of electronic music, where it seems as though every new release brings a new classification that would leave even Darwin and Linnaeus in a state of discombobulation. However, a prominent subgenre that has managed to maintain its relevance through the years is trap: an electronic genre built to satisfy the hip-hop lover’s palate with its bass-heavy 808 kicks fused alongside hardhitting electronic synths. After exploding onto the scene in 2012 with a game-changing remix of Kanye West’s “Mercy,” Henry Steinway, colloquially known as RL Grime, has arguably grown into trap’s leading ambassador. Just two years later, we now stand on the heels of the release of RL Grime’s debut album, which, though a departure from his usual grimy, club-friendly trap sound, puts his talent, versatility and growth as an artist on grand display. For those who have followed RL Grime and his work, it would be more than an understatement to be completely taken aback by the first two
tracks on the record. “Always” is number one on the docket, a chillstep-inspired lullaby complete with skylarking synths and soothing drum-and-bass undertones led by scintillating hi-hats, rounded out with an eerily hypnotic, modulated female vocal. Next up is a collaboration with prominent acid
“VOID” serves as a very solid debut album worth a front-to-back listen from a rapidly rising star in electronic music.
house producer Boys Noize, “Danger,” which borrows the groovy sounds of deep house and fuses it with Boys Noize’s signature distorted synth. From the moment the play button is pressed, it is made clear that “VOID” is going to be more than merely a collection of 12 consecutive festival-friendly trap bangers that RL Grime has become synonymous with over
the years. That’s not to say that “VOID” doesn’t contain its fair share of hard-hitters, though. “Scylla” brings back RL Grime’s trademark brass horn synths and massive 808s. “Valhalla” deceives listeners with a drum-and-bass intro and break section leading into a drop that will leave you completely blindsided. “Core” redefines “dropping the bass” with the melody taking a backseat to the 808s that pack enough of a punch to easily blow out subwoofers. RL Grime truly saves the best for last with my personal favorite on the record: “Golden State.” It’s a fitting title for a melodic track with its bright but powerful synths backed by a heavy low end. Perhaps one of the worst decisions Steinway made with “VOID” was to include “Kingpin” in the final cut. What begins as a promising track with its subtle, yet ominous synthplay and bass quickly turns sour when rapper Big Sean lays down his lethargic, uninspired flow topped off with run-of-the-mill formulaic hiphop lyrics such as: “Counting foreign money bitch, I scream rich / I’m with foreign girls
Courtesy of WeDidit Records
who don’t speak English.” Although “VOID” is a testament to RL Grime’s versatility as an artist, the lack of cohesiveness in the album as a whole is a weakness that cannot go unnoticed. With such diversity in styles and sounds, “VOID” is more of a disjointed sample platter of Steinway’s arsenal, rather than a complete musical journey that listeners have come to expect from al-
bum releases. “VOID” serves as a very solid debut album worth a front-to-back listen from a rapidly rising star in electronic music. Though slightly hindered by one weak track and a lack of synergy, RL Grime’s versatility as an artist truly shines on the record nevertheless, which shows that “genre” is nothing but a word to Henry Steinway. ■H
highlandernews.org
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
17
VIDEO GAME REVIEW FAR CRY 4
RATING: ★★★☆☆ BY: JAMESON ADAME, STAFF WRITER
U
bisoft has released “Far Cry 4” fresh off the heels of its rather controversial “Assassin’s Creed Unity” launch. After the nightmare of an arguably incomplete series entry and all of the ensuing critical and popular backlash, Ubisoft was in need of a redemptive title that showed they still took care during the development process. In this regard — and depending on whether you enjoyed the last installment — “Far Cry 4” manages to keep its promise of delivering a game that is at least as good as its predecessor. The campaign is definitely the focus of “Far Cry 4,” and for what it’s worth, is exactly as satisfying as the campaign mode of the preceding title. By this, I mean that “Far Cry 4” has a story mode that essentially copies that of “Far Cry 3,” down to the highly charismatic villain who players will likely enjoy more than the protagonist himself. Players take control of Ajay Ghale (voiced by James A. Woods, of no relation to James Woods), an American returning to his birthplace of Kyrat, a country in the Himalayas, so that he can fulfill his mother’s last wish and spread her ashes. It is at this point that players are introduced to Pagan Min (Troy Baker), the impossibly charismatic and foppish dictator of Kyrat, who instantly kidnaps Ajay for a fancy dinner party before he is ultimately broken free by the rebel army, Golden Path. From this point, Ajay is tasked with rallying forces of the Golden Path against Min,
all the while learning about the complex love triangle between his father Mohan — the founder of the Golden Path and hero to the people — his mother and Pagan Min. Characters in the game are as engaging as they are sometimes absurd. As previously mentioned, Troy Baker as Pagan Min makes himself into a hardto-hate Bond villain of sorts, who doesn’t only revel in the evil he enacts on the populace of
For anybody who wanted to replay “Far Cry 3” but with some added weapons, characters and a new setting, “Far Cry 4” is well worth the purchase ... Kyrat, but occasionally checks in on Ajay through radio just to see how the protagonist is doing and share the thoughts on his mind. Likewise, peripheral characters like Longinus, the gun-dealing priest, are stupid in the best possible way, appearing as singular jokes that hand out missions to the player, but not staying on screen for long enough to wear out their welcome. Conversely, Ajay comes across as somewhat flat, possibly in an effort to emphasize the absurdity of NPCs, but it comes at the expense of what could have been a protagonist that players loved to identify with.
Courtesy of Ubisoft
As satisfying as the plot and characters are on the whole, they will come to the surprise of absolutely nobody who played “Far Cry 3.” Major aspects of the game, such as the charming villain, trippy scenes of the surreal and lackluster personality of the protagonist are all roughly the same as they were in the last entry of the franchise. While for some this may be a level of assurance that they might like the game, others may find that too little of the game innovates on old iterations of the franchise. Gameplay in “Far Cry 4” is also somewhat derivative of the last entry in the franchise, and of the greater Ubisoft design philosophy as well. Players will be expected to climb radio towers to reveal greater segments of the map, liberate base camps from the royal army and upgrade their character by paying skill points into a chart of abilities that will enable more varied playstyles. While it is far from innovative, these game conceits feel great and rarely leave the player lessthan-engaged as they attempt to stealthily dispatch all the enemies in an area, or else run in like John Rambo and blow everybody to oblivion. Multiplayer in “Far Cry 4” is obviously a far cry from being the game’s focus. Competitive multiplayer is somewhat limited, but may appeal to some. Playing out as two factions — Pagan Min’s mystical Rakshasa who use bows, arrows and special powers, and the Golden Path — who attempt to capture each other’s bases in two different
modes that place one group or the other on defense, or a derivative of capture the flag. Cooperative multiplayer is arguably more fun, where players are put in control of either Ajay or Herc — the hyper-American guntoting blowhard — as they run around the map accomplishing base liberations at half the difficulty they would be in an independent playthrough. Also returning from the main game is a base-creation mode that allows players to design their own bases to upload to the Internet so that others can
attempt to liberate them. “Far Cry 4” delivers on exactly what trailers and Ubisoft promised: a game that changes very little from the last, but still manages to provide an enjoyability not available in other first-person-shooter campaigns of the current market. For anybody who wanted to replay “Far Cry 3” but with some added weapons, characters and a new setting, “Far Cry 4” is well worth the purchase (or they should buy “Blood Dragon” and revel in the ■H purposeful ‘80s cheese).
18
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
highlandernews.org
P R E E M P T I V E N O S TA L G I A Awayfrom the
Sprawl: by Jake Rich, Senior Staff Writer
AND
MEDIA MEMORIES
J A K E R ICH , S E N I O R S TA F F WRITER
L
oud, excited chatter, the crackling of embers and flashing lights filled the air. There was a brief moment at the Homecoming bonfire this year when I was alone, waiting for friends to get back. Not so subtly, there was music blaring from the DJ tent and speakers around the lawn as well. As I stood alone waiting, a remix of Bastille’s “Pompeii,” the smash hit from earlier this year, came on. The song already went through its obligatory played-way-too-often period, and has since settled into the background, but I couldn’t help getting a weird feeling hearing it. The song’s oversaturation has lead me to be almost positive that when I hear it years down the line, I will associ-
ate it with this year and time period. Suddenly, I got a weird feeling that was difficult to identify — I was feeling nostalgic, but for the moment that I was currently in. I’m calling it preemptive nostalgia, because it’s definitely something I’ve felt before — and it most com-
Something I’ve always had trouble with is what most people might call “living in the moment.” I can hardly help it when I hear a song in a situation where I’m with friends or having fun and think — this is what fun is supposed to be, and I am doing it right now, and I’m
when I see a movie or marathon of a TV show with friends or anyone else I’m having a good time with. So what do you do if you’re stranded in a moment, realizing you’re having a moment, and not able to stop realizing it? There’s no perfect answer, really. But for
So what do you do if you’re stranded in a moment, realizing you’re having a moment, and not able to stop realizing it? There’s no perfect answer, really. monly, or at least frequently, comes in reference to media tied to what’s happening around me.
hearing this song, and it should be significant because that’s how it is in the movies. The same goes for
me, making that realization is just even more part of the experience. Lately, I’ve taken to whipping out
my phone, pulling up the free notepad app that comes on every phone and quickly writing down the event, name of song or other significant media object and whatever other context I need, and then putting it away. That way, I can be sure that I won’t forget whatever I just experienced. In this age of instant gratification, it can be stressful (albeit in a first-world problems manner) to have so many things happening that you want to give your full attention to each of them — and cement each of them as very important things to you. When everything is documented online or shown off publicly, how do you know which memories to cherish? Or which one will be more important to you in the future? How do you decide what to document more or less of, and which will be more important to future you? In this way, media is a double-edged sword — you can document every memory, but do you want to? Whether we realize or not, we are being saturated with media at nearly every moment, whether we are listening to music, watching a TV show, glancing at a billboard on the freeway or a plethora of other options. It’s hard to control when you have a so-called life moment — harder still to keep yourself in the moment and stop thinking about it — so when something’s happening, whether you realize it or not, enjoy it for what it is. It doesn’t matter whether you understand that it’s happening to you or not — it’s still fun to look back at memories and realize all the friends you were with, and recall all the different media associations that tie that memory to a time and place. So someday when you’re feeling nostalgic about college, close your eyes — hopefully it will feel ■H like nothing’s changed at all.
SPORTS
highlandernews.org
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
19
PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS
AFC
1. New England Patriots 2. Denver Broncos 3. Indianapolis Colts 4. Pittsburgh Steelers 5. Kansas City Chiefs 6. Baltimore Ravens
NFC
1. Philadelphia Eagles 2. Seattle Seahawks 3. Green Bay Packers 4. New Orleans Saints 5. Arizona Cardinals 6. Dallas Cowboys COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
Loyal Pittsburgh Steelers fans basking in the warmth of a sunny day at Heinz Field. Can the Steelers make a push for their first postseason appearance since 2011?
NFL: A late season review and early playoff picture CODY NGUYEN Senior Staff Writer
December marks the point in the NFL season when the sprint to postseason begins for the teams that are still in the race, and everyone else begins to look ahead to a long offseason. Off the field and on, the 2014 season has been a complete roller coaster ride. From child abuse to domestic violence, broken records to the inevitable surprises, we’ve yet to see a dull moment. Speaking of surprises, how about the Arizona Cardinals as one of the biggest ones this season? Sitting pretty at 9-2, they’re tied with the perennially great, Tom Brady-led New England Patriots for the best record in the league. Can we really see them as contenders to win it all, though? After Carson Palmer suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 10, the Cardinals are left without their starting quarterback, who was in the midst of a career-reviving season up to that point. Since Palmer went down, the Cardinals’ aerial attack has not been the same under replacement Drew Stanton, who has thrown for 540 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions since taking over. Arizona will have to lean on their dominant defense and ground attack to have any hope of clinging to their two-game NFC West lead and making a deep postseason run. Though everyone drools over the NFC West as one of the toughest divisions in football, all four teams in the AFC North sit at three games
over .500, something that has never happened before in league history. It’ll be interesting to see if the division can send three teams to the playoffs for the second time in four years, and if the Cleveland Browns can pull off their first winning season since 2007. How about that putrid NFC South? Not only are the division-leading Atlanta Falcons sporting a horrid 4-7 record, the last-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers aren’t too far behind them for the lead! With a 2-9 record, the Bucs currently stand as the fourth pick in the draft if the season ended today,
but are also only two games behind for the division lead and a home playoff game — talk about the best of both worlds! It goes without saying that only one team can win it all, but the landscape of contenders this year is quite large compared to last season, in which the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks were on another level, playing as though they were simply destined for their eventual meeting in Super Bowl XLVIII. Brady’s New England Patriots and Peyton Manning’s Denver Broncos still stand as the AFC’s creme de la creme. Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts
aren’t too far behind with their offense that puts up video gameesque numbers. The NFC landscape is very top-heavy, led by two offensive powerhouses: the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. After a rocky start to the season, the reigning champions, the Seattle Seahawks, have undergone a resurgence, putting up convincing wins over the rival San Francisco 49ers and division-leading Arizona Cardinals over the past two weeks. The Dallas Cowboys also look to be a real threat this year, led by their lethal ground attack spearheaded by fourth-
year phenom Demarco Murray. Assuming the Cowboys get into the postseason, the real question will be whether or not they can get over the hump and win a playoff game, something Dallas hasn’t done in four years. As the regular season draws to a close, every game matters that much more in the hunt for that ever-so-valuable playoff berth, which translates to us fans being treated to some of the best action of the year. Trying to predict what will transpire in the next month would be akin to getting my palm read by a psychic — fun, but probably a load of pure baloney. ■H
20
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2014
. SPORTS .
highlandernews.org
CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER
Michelle Curry (No. 15) outmaneuvers her opponent as she prepares to shoot in the key.
Highlanders remain undefeated, take home tournament championship JASON AHN Contributing Writer NOV. 28, 2014
.............................................................................
Highlanders 90 - Lady Jacks 62
On a busy Black Friday, the UC Riverside women’s basketball team played in New Mexico University’s Thanksgiving Tournament as the rest of America shopped on one of the busiest retail days of the year. The first opponent the Highlanders squared off against was Stephen F. Austin University on Friday afternoon. Prior to the game, it was UCR’s first time since the 1995-1996 season to start the season 3-0. Last week’s victory against San Francisco was also the 147th career win for John Margaritis, which eclipsed the record for most wins as UCR women’s basketball head coach, set by Nancy Simpson with 146 wins. Standout junior Brittany Crain was ranked sixth in the nation in scoring (26.3 ppg) prior to the game. Crain is ranked No. 2 in UCR
Men’s basketball splits games vs. LMU, Abilene Christian DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer NOV. 26, 2014
.............................................................................
Lions 66 - Highlanders 62
In a game that featured 49 fouls and 44 turnovers, the Loyola Marymount Lions and UC Riverside Highlanders grinded out a seesaw match that eventually went the way of the Lions, 66-62. UCR built a 13-point lead at the half, but several turnovers and a spirited effort by LMU’s Evan Payne dashed the Highlanders’ hopes of a second consecutive victory of the season. UC Riverside jumped out to an 11-2 lead and led 25-12 with 6:18 left in the half after Charles Standifer connected on a three-pointer. The Lions, who committed 13 turnovers in the
history in her career scoring average, with 17.2 points per game prior to this matchup, only behind Donna Hammond-Mares who scored 22.8 points per game from 1979-1983. Another standout player, sophomore Simone DeCoud, was 42nd in the nation with 20.7 ppg. Combined, the pair of Highlanders are two of the top scorers in Big West Conference. UCR controlled the pace of the game early, leading by as much as 21 points before the break. The Lady Jacks won the tip-off but that seemed to be the only time they had control of the ball. SFA’s lead scorer, Taylor Ross, averaged 23 points per game and was ranked 21st in the nation heading into the contest. UCR’s defense held her to four points on one-for-four shooting in the first half. On the other hand, the red-hot Crain could not be stopped as she scored 20 points in the first half. A number of Highlanders added to the 19-point first-half lead, 45-26. DeCoud had nine points, followed
by Annelise Ito with six points. In the second half, Ito and DeCoud would pick up three fouls apiece, giving SFA a glimmer of hope. The Lady Jacks made six of their first nine shots to make it a 15-point game, 60-45, but that flame would be short-lived. The Highlanders would score 18 of the next 20 points, pulling away by 31 at 78-47 before ending the game, 90-62. UCR broke a program record, shooting 63 percent from the field, including eight-of-14 from beyond the arc. In the game, Crain scored a game-high 35 points, passing Natasha Hadley (1,016) and Liz Lattimer (1,036) for 14th all-time in Highlander scoring. DeCoud and Ito scored 11 points. Currently, the Highlanders are averaging a league-best 82.0 points per game, 14.6 points higher than last season.
half, started to generate offense, closing the half on an 18-6 run. LMU’s Matt Hayes knocked down a pair of three-pointers during the run to help the Lions pull to within one, 31-30, at intermission. Starting point guard Nick Gruninger was called for his second technical foul and ejected from the contest only a few minutes into the second half. With UCR’s offense struggling without Gruninger, LMU scored seven straight points at 43-40 to reach a double-digit lead for the first time on the night. The Lions kept their cushioned lead until 61-51, when Taylor Johns started to dominate on the offensive end. The power forward scored 10 points late in the period to pull the once downand-out Highlanders to within three points, 61-58, with 1:15 left. With 30 seconds left and down by three, the Highlanders again fed the ball to Johns, but the Highlander had his shot attempt blocked by Payne. The ball fell into the hands of Hayes, and the rest of the game was
decided by free throws. The Lions made five-of-six from the charity stripe to seal the victory, 66-62. Johns led UCR with 23 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Jaylen Bland poured in 15 points while Gruninger tallied 11 points and three steals in 23 minutes of play. LMU’s Payne finished the contest with a game-high 25 points, converting 15-of-16 from the free-throw line. The Lions were extremely efficient from the charity stripe, hitting 26-of-30 (86.7 percent). The Highlanders went 12-for-19 (63.2 percent).
NOV. 29, 2014
.............................................................................
Highlanders 70 - Lobos 62
UCR’s perfect record was
NOV. 29, 2014
.............................................................................
Highlanders 76 - Wildcats 56
The UC Riverside men’s basketball team (3-3) looked ready for conference play on Saturday afternoon at the Student Recreation Center Arena as the Highlanders dismantled the Abilene Christian Wildcats, 76-56. The Wildcats never led in the contest. The Highlanders started the game with a Steven Thornton three-pointer and their
tested last Saturday evening as they faced the hosting New Mexico Lobos in the New Mexico Thanksgiving Tournament championship. Crain, who is ranked first in the nation in scoring (29 ppg), led the team with a 31-point game and six rebounds, while Ito followed with 14 and seven rebounds. DeCoud had 13 points and seven assists. UCR got off to a rough start as the Lobos scored the first four points of the game. Missed jumpers and a few turnovers saw UCR fall behind, 10-2. DeCoud then answered with a layup with 16:47 remaining in the first half, leaving the score 10-4. The Highlanders continued plugging away at the deficit as Crain stepped up and shot a jumper with 13:54 remaining, then came up with another after Ito’s defensive rebound, closing the Lobos’ lead to two points, 14-12. Turnovers were key in this game, as UCR only had six compared to New Mexico’s 14. On the last possession of the half,
New Mexico’s Laneah Bryan would steal from DeCoud and the Lobos’ Cherise Beynon would make a lay-up, bringing the score to 33-33. The hosting Lobos would not go down easily as the game would be tied a total of six times, and five lead changes occurred on top of this. The biggest lead of the game came late in the second half as DeCoud and Crain sunk back-toback shots, bringing the score to 65-55 with 4:45 remaining. New Mexico would get as close as a five-point deficit but would not be able to score more as UCR pulled away to 70 points with 1:12 remaining. New Mexico would have two more chances but would miss both a jumper and a threepointer with 26 seconds left in the game. Crain came up with a defensive rebound to seal her team’s fifth consecutive victory, 70-62, preserving their undefeated season and taking the Thanksgiving Championship to Riverside. ■H
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER Steven Thornton (No. 13) charges through opposing defenders for a layup.
offense never slowed down. With 10 minutes left in the half, the home team already lead by 18 points, 28-10, and finished at intermission up by 19 points, 41-22. The Highlanders shot 48.5 percent from the field while connecting on six-of-11 threepointers. Abilene Christian misfired on 19-of-25 shots for an abysmal 24 percent. After intermission, the Wildcats continued to struggle against the inside presence from
Riverside. The Highlanders outscored their opponents, 3811, in the paint and outrebounded the Wildcats, 47-21. Abilene Christian cut the lead to 17 points on several occasions, but could get no closer as UCR won the contest, 76-56. Johns again led the Highlanders with 14 points and 13 rebounds while Alex Larsson tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds. UC Riverside next travels to face Cal State Bakersfield on Dec. 2. ■H