The Highlander
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
For the week of Tuesday, November 16, 2021
VOL. 70, ISSUE 07
est. 1954
NEWS UC Flu Executive Order mandates that all students receive their flu vaccine by Nov. 19 UCR STUDENTS WILL BE PREVENTED FROM COMING TO CAMPUS UNLESS THEY HAVE RECEIVED THEIR FLU VACCINE.
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OF CLASSES BEING IN PERSON NEWS The seventh ASUCR meeting saw multiple reports by the Executive Cabinet and announced their opposition to Senate Bill SB-F21-009
THE MEETING CONCLUDED WITH A DISCUSSION OF THEIR OPPOSITION TO 95%
ABHIJIT REGE News Editor
The Associated Students of UCR’s seventh meeting was called to order on Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2021 in the ASUCR Senate Chamber. All senators were present, excluding senators Chavez, Alba, Vu, Usmani, La and Flores-Aparcio. In addition to the senators, the Executive Cabinet was present as well, excluding Vice President of Internal Affairs Arshneel Kaur, Vice President Elysha Castillo, Transfer/NonTraditional Director Roxanna Vazquez and Personnel Director Lina Nguy. Motions to approve the current meeting’s agenda were called for by Executive Vice President Mufida Assaf and saw the movement of Ex-Officio reports to earlier in the meeting and the addition of Finance Hearing Minutes No. 13. Through an inquiry by CHASS Senator and President Pro-Tempore Orlando Cabalo, it was clarified by EVP Assaf that the former change was made to better accommodate the Executive Cabinet. Motions to
open and approve the previous week’s meeting minutes took place as well. A public forum then began with an introduction of Mohamad Almouzzan, chief justice of ASUCR’s Judicial Branch. Almouzzan touched on how his branch finally has a judicial council and that they were able to hold their first meeting in which justices took their respective oaths of office and reviewed the rules and procedures. In addition, it was also announced that the long awaited judicial review has officially commenced. He anticipates this process to take around three months and will work with EVP Assaf to present a report on their findings in the winter quarter. They hope to find no faults but they will work with the senate and executive leadership to address any problems that may arise. In addition to these announcements from the Judicial Branch, Almouzzan also spoke on behalf of the Middle Eastern Student Assembly. He met with the President of the Academic Senate as well as Vice Chancellor Brian Hayes to discuss a variety
of issues pertaining to Middle Eastern students. Of these issues was the selection of Halal options on campus. Almouzzan is working with the academic senate on behalf of MESA to not only offer Halal options on campus but to potentially replace the closed MOD Pizza with an entirely Halal restaurant. He hopes to reach out to the ASUCR senate in order to garner further support. Other issues Almouzzan also discussed include a recognition of the Christchurch, New Zealand tragedy and an annual statement in support of the Muslim community on campus. A brief introduction was also given by the Underground Scholars during this public forum. The organization hoped to increase awareness of their mission to help those who were formerly incarcerated or impacted by incarceration. A greater presentation will be given in the following ASUCR meeting, where higher ups of the organization will talk more in detail about their mission. Ex-officio reports were then given by the Executive Cabinet.
► SEE ASUCR PAGE 4
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COURTEST OF STAN LIM VIA UCR MADISON RHEINS Editor-in-Chief
On Oct. 8, 2021 the UC issued a systemwide executive order requiring all students, faculty and staff to have their flu vaccine or opt out using a form given by their location on or before Nov. 19, 2021. This order comes as a response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the possibility of flu season overlapping with it. In an interview with UCR Student Health’s immunization and compliance coordinator Deborah Sellas, she states, “All UCR admitted and active students received a secure message in their patient portal on the morning of Nov. 8, 2021 regarding the UC 21-22 Flu Executive Order with instructions on how to comply.” Furthermore, she explained that on the following day, all admitted and active students received an email by the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Brian L. Haynes, PH.D., containing tutorials and video instructions on how students can comply. While the UC Flu Executive Order does not allow for registration holds for the flu vaccine, students will still be unable to attend campus after Nov. 19, 2021 unless they have complied. According to Sellas, the UC 21-22 Flu Executive
Order includes a declination form found in the student patient portal which shows what a student must do on campus in the event that they opt-out of the vaccine. The form must be completed and submitted to the portal. “Once the form is submitted the student will be considered temporarily compliant from the day of submission. Staff will review and update the chart for the declination exemption that expires on May 31, 2022.” Student Health Services offers the flu vaccine by appointment. Students with UCSHIP can receive the vaccination at no cost, while non UCSHIP students receive a $30 bill to their student account if they choose to get vaccinated through the school. Otherwise, local pharmacies and community health centers also offer the flu vaccine. “Each student is responsible for logging in to their patient portal and entering the date of their 2122 flu vaccine and uploading their immunization record in their medical clearances under ‘immunization record’.” To schedule a vaccination appointment with Student Health Services, students can call (951)-827-3031 and select option two during H business hours. ■
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NEWS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
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Update on UC teaching faculty contract negotiation UC lecturers are on the verge
HARU CHANG Contributing Writer
of a strike as many find themselves without contracts and proceeding precariously through the 2021 school year. The negotiation processes for the successor contract began on April 3, 2019. However, a new contract was not finalized after the previous contract expired in January 2020. The University Council-American Federation of Teachers, or UC-AFT, held a meeting with the UC Office of the President in September 2020. According to UCOP spokesperson Stett Holbrook, the contents of the meeting were kept confidential. Recently, UC-AFT called for UCOP to schedule an open bargaining session on Oct. 22 to review management’s Oct. 11 proposal, the first binding proposal since mediations began in June. It was sent by President Drake’s chief negotiator, Nadine Fishel. According to UC-AFT, the proposal demanded that UC-AFT accept its conditions by 5 p.m. on Oct. 15 and offered a $500 one-time signing bonus that would be withdrawn if the proposal was not signed on time. President Drake’s Director of Labor Relations Letitia Silas sent an email the following day, advocating for the bargaining unit to accept the proposal as-is. The most difficult obstacle UC-AFT and its members have been facing is the limited opportunity for further bargaining, according to the Sara Borjas, a UCR lecturer in the Department of Creative Writing.
UCR PROFESSOR GIVES INSIGHT INTO THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS.
“UCOP for the past two and half years, has not honored our collective bargaining rights. It is impossible to agree with someone who refuses to sincerely engage with you,” stated Professor Borjas to The Highlander regarding the UC contracts. “In practice, UCOP consistently gaslights scholars, academics, and professors — our union members … And beyond the fact that this is bargaining in bad faith, it is degrading, marginalizing and disrespectful of lecturers — who are mostly women and BIPOC, and our student’s learning. When most of our bargaining consists of those of us who work hand in hand, face to face with students, we are explaining to UCOP that supporting teachers means supporting students … We can’t actually bargain the particularities of the contract. Rather, we are arguing for basic dignity, a stop to exploitative practices, while UCOP continually cites ‘past practices’ of the university as a reason why they want to continue those practices, which is what their contract proposal reflects, and which we are asking to evolve with the rest of society.” President Drake’s administration improved their proposals on job stability and release time for UC-AFT stewards. However, UCOP remains firmly unyielding on the other 12 of the 14 issues at the core of UC-AFT’s bargain, like reasonable workload definition and UCOP’s compensation proposal amounts to a pay cut adjusted to meet the rate of high inflation.
UC administration agreed to post information about departmental workload policies on campus websites. UC-AFT pushes for three contractual improvements on workload in order to reach an agreement: the ability to file an arbitrable grievance when the work involved in teaching a course is undervalued or when workload creep increases duties without increasing pay, a clear definition of what constitutes a course worth one Institutional Workload Credit as well as criteria for when courses will be valued at more or less than one IWC, and a clarification of what work in addition to classroom itching responsibilities will be compensated through course equivalencies or other means. According to the professor, UCOP proposes and the current contract states that regardless of size, workload, structure and difficulty, all courses would be paid a flat amount around $5,000. The pay would be spread over three months and require 15-40 hours per week of instruction. Under the UC-AFT proposal, lecturers would be paid in accordance with their workload. “My experience is that lecturers are assigned these courses so that senate faculty can teach the smaller courses that require less work and graduate students. They aren’t invested in undergraduates because they don’t have to be. A consequence is when students ask for letters of recommendation for graduate school from those they worked most closely with — which is often lectures
… we do it, but aren’t compensated for service, and are juggling three other jobs just to buy groceries and often do not have health insurance. This is how we come to class and wake up daily. Students aren’t aware of experiences like this, but I want them to know why they are getting the education they are getting, and how they can advocate for themselves and those of us who care about them.” For the fiscal years 2021-23, UCOP proposed an increase in the minimum of the salary range for pre-six lecturers by approximately 5%. Pre-six lecturers at the bottom of the salary range will receive a 2.5%-5% salary increase. The UC will also guarantee all lecturers and other bargaining unit members a minimum of a 3% increase. Pre-six lecturers at the bottom of the salary range will receive approximately a 5.5%8% increase. Effective Jan. 1, 2022, UC would transition from a salary range to a salary scale. This would represent an additional increase of approximately 1.3% to bargaining unit salaries. Effective July 1, 2022, the UC also offered to apply a 1% salary scale adjustment. For the fiscal years 2023-26, UC offers 3% guaranteed salary scale adjustments for each year. A minimum 9% increase when a continuing lecturer is promoted to senior H continuing lecturer. ■
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NEWS
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UCR receives 2021 Seal of Excelencia
AMARAY ALVAREZ Assistant News Editor
UCR is among one of 10 colleges and universities to be awarded the 2021 Seal of Excelencia by nonprofit group Excelencia in Education. Excelencia in Education is a Latina-led organization that was created in 2004. The Seal of Excelencia award was launched in 2019. The award recognizes the university for its success in assisting Latino and Hispanic students excel in and complete their higher education. Being one of the most diverse UC campuses, of the 22,000 undergrad students that UCR enrolls, 10,000 identify as Chicano/Latino students and 80% identify as first-generation. At UCR, there has been a 48% increase in the graduation of Latino students from 2016-17 to 2020-21. The six-year graduation rate for Latino students has also increased to 73%, compared to the national average of 54%. Being first-generation, language barriers and inaccessibility are a few of the challenges that some Latino students face when starting their higher education. Becoming involved in on-campus organizations that help support and remind students of home is what helped fourth-year political science major, and Latino union president, Jessica Hernandez find her place at UCR. “When I first started at UCR, I honestly had a hard time adjusting and finding my place on campus. I experienced such a large culture shock, I came from a community
and high school that was majority Latino but when I started at UCR, I was one of only a handful of Latinos in my courses. Since I was feeling very out of place in the classroom I was hoping to find this kind of familiar feeling somewhere else on campus, lucky for me I came across Latino Union,” said Hernandez. “One of my friends took me to LU’s meeting and I instantly felt welcomed. Being a member of LU has honestly helped me so much during my time here at UCR. The community LU has built has played such a large role in my college experience in and outside of the classroom. LU gave me the opportunity to not only connect with the Latino community on campus but we actively reach out to the Latino community in the Riverside area. I met my best friend thanks to Latino Union, and I’ve been able to find my home away from home. That is something I am very thankful for.” The programs that UCR offers transfer students to assist their higher education journey were also highlighted and praised by Excelencia in Education. At UCR, transfer students are guided through mentorship programs that allow them to connect with other students to help them in transitioning from community college to a four-year university. When applying to UCR, there is a transfer admission guarantee for California residents who “TAG” the campus. In 2017, UCR also implemented a program that created a 2-to-1 admission ratio for freshman to
community college applicants. “The Seal of Excelencia certified institutions have been able to articulate and demonstrate they are modeling the behavior we need to see to accelerate Latino student success. They are having measurable impact in changing the face of higher education,” stated Deborah Santiago, CEO, Excelencia in Education on their website. Out of the 10 campuses selected, UCR is one of five recognized in California. The other California institutions are:
UCR HAS SEEN A 48% INCREASE IN THE GRADUATION OF LATINO STUDENTS FROM 2016-17 TO 2020-21.
California State University Fresno, California State University Fullerton, San Diego State University and University of H California Merced. ■
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ASUCR ► FROM ASUCR
During these reports, the executive cabinet detailed their many actions and accomplishments throughout the past couple weeks. EVP Assaf’s report had detailed many feats, namely when she and ASUCR President William Wang met with the office of the mayor to encourage students to reside in Riverside post graduation and how they can make the city more attractive. In her absence, EVP Assaf announced that VP of External Affairs Castillo met with councilwoman of ward 2, Clarissa Cervantes, to discuss possible future collaborations. In her absence as well, EVP Assaf announced that VP of Internal Affairs Kaur discussed the housing crisis with Campus Administrative Leadership. President Wang’s detailed report focused on his three primary goals of increasing athletic engagement, entrepreneurship and alumni engagement at UCR. This included his hopes to increase school spirit through events and giveaways, increase campus resources to support startups and to restart alumni events where alumni can return and inspire current students. President Wang also met with Director Laurie Sinclair and the President ProTempore to discuss basic needs. He met with the Provost and the Vice Chancellor to discuss this as well. Wang ended his report by discussing how he met with UCR’s housing director and proposed to help students struggling to find housing with an idea to have different housing companies and owners from off-campus housing come and help students find housing. Other reports were given by FirstTime College Student Director Lilian Romero, International Student Director
Mario Gonzalez, VP of Finance Jeffrey Tran, VP of Sustainability Alondra Martinez, Marketing and Promotions Director Wallace Fang and Ethnic and Gender Liaison Jeanine Nassar. As part of Fang’s report, he discussed how he met with Vice Chancellor Hayes to make the process of bringing outside vendors easier. VP of Finance Tran announced that a total of $154,688 were allocated for student organizations. E&G Liaison Nassar discussed how she met with African Student Programs and their Director Dr. Jamal J. Myrick to discuss events and advocacy, and how she met with the President of MESA, Alaa Mido, to discuss the issue of halal food options on campus. As part of committee reports, motions were called to open Finance Hearing Minutes No. 12 for the finance meeting which took place on Nov. 4, 2021. A total of $6,937 was allocated to a variety of programs and clubs on campus, such as $1,608 to the Student Alumni Association. Another motion was passed to open and review Finance Hearing Minutes No. 13 for the finance meeting which took place on Nov. 11, 2021, where a total of $10,863 were allocated for programs, including $1,608 for the Student Latin Association and $1,769 for the Pakistani Student Association. In addition, a grant of $1,500 was given to the American Sign Language Club to host an event in May that will welcome sign language professionals. Both meeting minutes were approved with a vote of 14-0-0. Three pieces of legislation were subsequently reviewed following its approval from the Legislative Review Committee. Senate Bill SB-F21-009 amends Chapter LV of the ASUCR
bylaws regarding ASUCR Social Media Guidelines. The bill adds a disclaimer to statements that ASUCR makes, as requested by the office of the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs, and authorizes the Judicial Council’s official Instagram page. CHASS Senator Christopher Kent voiced his opposition to the bill believing that the disclaimer delegitimizes posts and statements made by the student body and that if the school has a problem with the student government, they should come out with it themselves. This bill did not pass the senate with a vote count of 5-1-4. Senate Bill SB-F21-010 amends Chapter II of the bylaws and allows ASUCR Senators to increase the number of primary authors on senate bills and resolutions. The number of authors for legislation is increased to a maximum of four from the current number of two for bills and three for resolutions. BCOE Senator David Kiroloss expressed how this piece of legislation allows for more collaboration while removing redundancies when creating legislation. This bill was approved with a vote count of 11-0-0. The third and final piece of legislation reviewed was Senate Resolution, SR-F21-013 ASUCR Cooking Well Proposal. Written primarily by former ASUCR President Aram Ayra, the resolution calls for support for the cooking programs at the SRC. This includes a program at the SRC that teaches students how to cook and the Cooking Well office, which is not operable without the head chef who is on maternity leave. The resolution passed with a vote count of 11-0-0. Public Comment was then held and saw Abhijit Rege, News Editor from
The Highlander, taking the stand. After a brief introduction, Rege held the floor initially for any questions or concerns from the senate. Rege then posed a question to the senate inquiring about their thoughts and potential plans regarding the recent announcement that 95% of classes in the winter quarter will be held in person. CHASS Senator Victoria Nguyen responded by announcing that she, along with First Time College Student Director Romero and CNAS Senator Rachel Paredes, is working on a petition that advocates for students to be able to have hybrid options. First Time College Student Director also responded by announcing that a walkout will be held to show support for the cause on Nov. 18 from 12-5 p.m. CHASS Senator Helen Chu had spoken with faculty and noted that there are difficulties with implementing a hybrid system as quality of education will be very different and the burden will be placed on professors and teaching assistants who will have to balance the two options. Senator Kiroloss discussed how he is working with the Student Voice Committee to run a case study to gage students’ GPAs and to use the statistics to observe how the transition has affected students. Based on the statistics, one can make an argument in favor or against the change. No subsequent announcements were made, and the meeting was then H adjourned at 7:43 p.m. ■
Opinions
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OPINIONS
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
THE HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL
The key to helping students graduate lies in offering support, not making classes easier AS THE CSU DETERMINES THE BEST WAY TO PROMOTE GRADUATION OF MINORITY STUDENTS, DROPPING DS AND FS WON’T BE THE WAY TO GO. INCREASED RESOURCES WILL BE.
C
OVID-19 dealt a blow to the California State University system that was felt by faculty and students alike. When students began to drop out or take a year off because of the pandemic for mental health reasons or family obligations, the university system panicked, mostly because it’s been working to build up its graduation rate, especially among its students of color and lower-income students. While it looks to bring its hard-earned graduation rate up to 70% by 2025, it is looking at ways that it can help its less fortunate students to succeed. Some of the more controversial ways to do this include dropping grades of Ds and Fs altogether, or even having professors continue to remake their classes so they’re easier for students to pass. Examining these more controversial routes, it is important to consider what the ramifications of such implementations might mean for students overall. While the potential dropping of low grades seems like it could boost student morale and prevent them from dropping out due to low grades, there is something to be said for the lessons that failure can teach a student. This is not to say that professors reserve the right to make classes so challenging that their courses maintain high failure rates. Rather, it means that if a student does poorly in a course, it offers them the opportunity to rethink what they may have done wrong and where they can improve in order to do better next time. Or it could be a learning moment where they realize that they may not have the specific set of skills that is required for the major they initially wanted to pursue and instead give another major a try where they may find more success because it correlates better with their set of skills. About one-third of students change their majors already; to simply not offer the chance to fail and possibly find a new route to succeed, students will be placed at a disadvantage. Furthermore, it is important to note that a four-year degree simply isn’t for everyone. While there might not necessarily be the oversaturation of degrees in the job market like people think there is, you can still get a job and make a living without a degree. It is possible that experiencing a failure or even multiple failures might allow a person to come to terms with the fact that they have a skill set that is not optimized in academia. Furthermore, forcing faculty to completely remake their classes to be easier is not the way to go either. San Francisco State University put in this request to faculty to help bolster pass rates. While a good grade in a class can boost student morale and decrease the chance of dropping out, there is something to be said for a class having a level of difficulty so that it is intellectually challenging. To redesign courses so that they’re easier is not necessarily the right plan of action. A better idea would be to not put such a heavy emphasis on the grades
in the class; for example, having quizzes be worth 40% of the grade so that if a student does not do well on one, they will struggle to get their grade up for the rest of the class. Instead, professors would be wise to focus more on teaching students in an engaging manner that is not so grade focused. If such a thing were to be implemented, students may be more likely to learn and absorb material when they aren’t agonizing over the grades they get, which makes their education even more valuable. This doesn’t necessarily mean that grades should go completely out the window, but it does mean that professors can focus more on teaching, students can focus more on learning and everyone benefits in the long run. Essentially, the chance for failure should still exist to motivate students to the best of their abilities, but grades should not be the be all end all of a college student’s existence if universities want to boost graduation rates and offer a better quality education to their students. Indeed, some of the reformed classes at SFSU stated that the classes didn’t lose their rigor. The refocusing of the course on the material instead of how students were graded boosted student retention and motivation, which is proof enough that this could be applied in colleges across California and even America to boost student morale. However, the professors’ perspectives on the matter is easily important to consider. Lecturers already feel obligated to give some students As that they didn’t earn in order to increase graduation rates. But failure is still often earned; not attending class and skipping assignments is a surefire way to fail, but some students who professors no longer want to deal with may get passed. It’s a difficult balance to navigate, but what is most important to extract from
this is that the push for graduation is not what universities should be so focused on. Instead, it should be giving students an education they will retain, rather than simply As that were not earned and, in turn, inhibiting students from applying their experiences once they enter the job market. Reforming classes to help students is a very great way to go, but to remove all chances for failure is not. Students cannot appreciate success unless they experience some level of failure. Universities should instead focus their efforts on providing more office hours and tutoring resources to students who might need it, possibly following the example of UC Riverside, which offers vast amounts of academic resources for struggling students. Removing any chance for failure is not the route to success, and if universities want to boost graduation rates, they should not be doing it falsely with unearned As and no chance to fail. Instead, crafting education that is not so grade central will produce students who can face failure but who also retain what they are taught, which will push them toward success H better than any lack of Ds or Fs ever could.■
The Highlander editorials reflect the majority view of the Highlander Editorial Board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Associated Students of UCR or the University of California system.
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Biden’s infrastructure agenda is dead, and he killed it CONGRESS VOTES TO PASS PART OF BIDEN’S INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN, BUT THE MORE SUBSTANTIAL BUILD BACK BETTER BILL IS LEFT WITH AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE IN THE SENATE.
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HARRY STOLTZ Contributing Writer
Last Tuesday, the Democratcontrolled House voted to pass the long-awaited — and watered-down — Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. Though both Republicans and Democrats collaborated to write the bill, only 13 House Republicans broke with their party to pass the infrastructure bill, even after massive spending cuts as a result of negotiations. President Biden, who pushed Congress to pass the infrastructure bill, is set to sign the bill into law Monday, Nov. 8. Meanwhile, the second half of Biden’s agenda, the so-called “human infrastructure bill,” is stuck in the Senate with no clear path forward. President Biden campaigned vociferously on improving infrastructure in the United States during the 2020 election. Biden’s infrastructure framework included more traditional infrastructure like
roads, bridges and trains, but also more modern ideas of infrastructure like internet broadband and fighting climate change. These are all extremely popular ideas that polled well amongst the population. Instead of moving on with this infrastructure framework in a single bill, President Biden and the Democrats split their agenda into two separate pieces of legislation meant to be passed at the same time. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill would mostly focus on traditional ideas of infrastructure. Meanwhile, the human infrastructure bill ,that is now called “Build Back Better,” would be a much larger, broader piece of legislation. Splitting the bills and opening them up to Republican influence was the worst path Biden could have taken. Democrats have a slim 51-50 majority in the Senate — which is hard to overcome no matter what, even if Biden had played his cards correctly. However, it’s important to note that his approval ratings were astronomically
high early in his presidency. This gave Biden the opportunity to leverage power against no-vote Senators, much like his predecessors Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson. Instead of leveraging his role as president and as leader of a party, Biden opted to give negotiation control to Republicans, many of whom had voted just a few months earlier to reject Biden’s victory in Arizona and Pennsylvania. Over the coming months, all new spending in the bill was cut down from $2.6 trillion to $550 billion. Left out is funding for housing, schools, buildings, clean energy tax credits among many other things. Most surviving aspects of the bill, such as roads and bridges, water infrastructure and broadband, are reduced in scope as well. The Human Infrastructure Bill is currently stuck in Senate negotiations. This bill, better known as Build Back Better, was intended to be a much more ambitious and progressive plan, with no hope for Republican support.
Democrats would need every single vote in the Senate to pass the bill into the House. As a result of this dynamic, a single Democrat senator had a lot of bargaining power and potential to take down the bill. Democrats Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona took on this role over the course of infrastructure negotiations, bringing down total spending in Build Back Better from over $7 trillion to the current $1.75 trillion. Biden should have used his early popularity to put pressure on both Manchin and Sinema during negotiations, instead of taking the laid-back approach that he ultimately settled on. Furthermore, through leaks obtained by the media, Machin’s daughter was implicated in a scheme to artificially raise Epipen prices during her time as CEO at Mylan. Biden has the power to direct the Department of Justice to investigate Bresch. This would be an alternate way to put pressure on Manchin. The future of Biden’s infrastructure agenda is looking grim, and it didn’t have to be this way. Through opening up negotiation to Republicans, and then refusing to actively participate in negotiations himself, President Biden ensured that the best-case scenario is a watered-down plan that provides too H little, too late. ■
After two years with Zoom University, on-campus midterm season never got easier DOING SCHOOL ONLINE FOR SO LONG COMPLETELY ERASED MY MOTIVATION FOR IN-PERSON EXAMS THIS YEAR.
MADISON RHEINS Editor-in-Chief
When we were finally able to go back to school and resume semi-normal instruction, I had convinced myself that getting back into the groove of grinding for exams and having an impeccable work ethic would be muscle memory. However, I was mistaken and was quickly met with premature burnout and overwhelming stress. I had not realized how comfortable and routine online classes and exams were, so I was completely unprepared for in-person midterm season. And after experiencing it in its entirety, I now know that it’s important to avoid having unrealistic expectations for myself when adjusting to in-person exams. I had not realized how much I missed the vibe of midterms season on campus. All students have a shared feeling of distress, and it’s hard to feel alone in that sense. Seeing everyone studying late with empty coffee cups or Yerba Mate cans littering the table gave me a sense of satisfaction knowing that things were going back to normal. But I was completely blindsided by how daunting midterms season actually was. After two years of being disconnected from our professors and peers, many who were able to have in-person classes were thrown back into a normal lecture hall
setting without any preparation but the summer before. Instead of phoning it in and logging onto a Zoom call five minutes before the start time, and having the luxury of most exams being open book, myself and many other UCR students had to fall back into the old routine of difficult, closed note exams. All three of my classes for fall quarter were in-person, which meant that I had all of my midterm exams on campus. I underestimated how much time I needed to study for each exam and felt less confident after them compared to previous years. Being in lockdown completely killed my attention span, so it was hard for me to sit still and focus in a class for 1 hour and 20 minutes — let alone take an exam. I was so used to having exams with no time limit and being able to get up and do something else during a Zoom lecture that I forgot to manage my time, and as a result, I overworked myself to the point of premature burnout. My biggest takeaway from this experience is to definitely learn how to space out study sessions and give myself more breaks. I also learned that I should not be so hard on myself when it comes to in-person midterm seasons. Many students probably share this same experience, so it’s important to remind everyone that mental health and rest is what matters the most. Going back to in-person
instruction is an adjustment that takes time for everyone, and it’ll take some time until everyone is comfortable again. However, I have no doubt that everyone will be crushing H it by finals season! ■
COURTESY OF PEXELS
OPINIONS
HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
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Letter to the Editor The Nature of Relationships and Marraige Dear Editors, In the November 2nd issue of The Highlander, Fatema Shalabi wrote an opinion piece arguing that the proclivity of younger people to reject marriage in favor of long-term dating is damaging to the emotional well-being of both the romantic partners and to any potential children that they might have. However, the piece fails to properly characterize the reasons behind this proclivity, painting an incomplete picture about the nature of relationships and marriage. The essential nature of marriage is that it’s a commitment that should last for an entire life. For any other lifelong commitment, especially with a decision that will
impact every facet of their life, many people simply won’t want to make that commitment. For instance, many people think that tattoos are cool but won’t get one due to its permanence. However, for previous generations, it was culturally expected that everyone made the lifelong commitment of marriage. Once it became less frowned upon to divorce, over half of these marriages ended. This divorce rate is the consequence of an enormous cultural expectation for universal marriage: unhappy people who want to get out of their decision. What we’re seeing now in younger people is merely the reasonable course of action when faced with a gargantuan decision
ALEXANDER KING IS A STUDENT AT UCR, AND THEY CAN BE CONTACTED AT AKING035@UCR.EDU.
like marriage. And while children growing up in happily married households is ideal, having multiple households with their parents having rotating partners is often better than being raised by two people who despise each other. Marriage is a decision that can last more than twice as long as the age of the people making it, and the way people grow over time is intensely difficult to predict. If people don’t want to make a commitment that has the very reasonable possibility of being bad for them in the future, then they shouldn’t make that commitment. H Alexander King ■
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Family Thanksgiving celebrations must adhere to safety precautions AS THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY APPROACHES, FAMILIES ARE STRUGGLING TO DECIDE IF THEY’RE WILLING TO HOST UNVACCINATED LOVED ONES. IT WOULD BE WISER IF THEY CHOOSE NOT TO.
COURTESY OF PEXELS
YSABEL NAKASONE Contributing Writer
A poll in September found that nearly 20% of Americans are still unvaccinated and do not plan to be vaccinated. This percentage is concerning for a number of reasons, primarily with the increased chance of infection for unvaccinated individuals. Furthermore, unvaccinated people are ten times more likely to be hospitalized due to COVID-19. These numbers are nothing to scoff at, especially as the holiday season is coming up. For the safety of everyone, families should not feel guilty about refusing to host unvaccinated friends and family. Indeed, it would be unwise to host unvaccinated individuals at large gatherings. Large family gatherings with unvaccinated members should be out of the question. Holiday celebrations bring together multiple households, which offers the potential for the virus to spread faster and therefore endanger more people. For families hosting smaller gatherings with unvaccinated individuals, the hosts must take precautions such as hosting outside, wearing masks and keeping celebrations under two hours to limit the chance of exposure. Additionally, utilizing rapid antigen testing for guests immediately before they enter has been proposed in order to prevent infection. However, these tests are frequently unavailable and might be out of a family’s price range at around $24 each. It should be noted that these steps do not guarantee safety and are not a perfect solution. With COVID-19, there are always risks involved when it comes
to social activities. Research indicates that vaccine effectiveness without a booster against infection is decreasing, though they still decrease the possibility of hospitalization. Altogether, precautions need to be taken no matter what, and requiring vaccinations for guests is the safest and smartest option in preventing dangerous complications of COVID-19. It’s been almost two years since the world was upended by COVID-19, and the celebrations and opportunities it has stolen from families has been difficult. The time has finally come for more large in-person gatherings of vaccinated individuals. For those who still wish to spend Thanksgiving with unvaccinated family, they will need to consider utilizing Zoom or other online communication platforms to host virtual gatherings. Conversely, when precautions are taken and all guests are vaccinated, larger events may be acceptable. In order for these celebrations to happen, the best thing to do is to require vaccines for all those not medically exempt. If one chooses to remain unvaccinated, then they will have to live with being barred from in-person socializing for their own safety. It is a struggle to set these boundaries with loved ones, but it is necessary. Hopefully, unvaccinated individuals can understand that this exclusion is not because their family members don’t love them or wish to shut them out, but because they want their loved ones to be around for next Thanksgiving. ■ H
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OPINIONS
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Packed like sardines — Why UCSB’s proposed ‘mega-dorm’ is dangerous for students THIS “DORM COMPLEX OF THE FUTURE” PUTS STUDENTS AT RISK FOR A SLEW OF PROBLEMS IN TERMS OF MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELL BEING.
MADISON RHEINS Editor-in-Chief
Billionaire investor and amateur architect Charles Munger has donated $200 million to break ground on a new dorm complex at the University of California, Santa Barbara that he has not-so-humbly named after himself. Munger Hall is designed to be 11 stories, 1.68 million square feet and is set to house a staggering 4,500 students in single-person rooms with only two major entrances. Despite claims that this project is “inspired and revolutionary,” this monstrosity of a building will be detrimental to the health and safety of students. Shockingly and unlike normal dorms, Munger Hall will not have any windows in the shoebox-like rooms. So, in addition to students being in cramped rooms all by themselves, they will also be stripped of the simple luxury of looking outside or getting fresh air. Although Munger has maintained that there will be virtual windows instead, that is not remotely the same compared to the real deal. Studies have shown that the recommended daily amount of vitamin D is 600 international units for people ages 1 to 70 years. Without windows, sun exposure for students will dramatically decrease. Administration should not expect students to always be walking around outside to get vitamin D. On the contrary, many students, including myself, prefer to study and spend time in their dorm rooms. Without something as simple as a window, there will be more individuals at risk for vitamin D deficiencies. Furthermore, come fall or winter when days are shorter and it gets dark earlier, it’s very likely that those prone to seasonal depression will be hit the hardest. Students require more than just a bed, closet and desk to live a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle. And though
Munger has stated that there will be many amenities within the building to help coax students out of their rooms to socialize, these features are for the building as whole, rather than in each floor. So even though these amenities exist, they will definitely be too overcrowded for students to have any meaningful interaction. It’s clear that Charles Munger is completely out of touch with student health, and yet, administration has done nothing to stop this project from continuing. It’s shameful to let this project go on, and the fate
o f student’s mental well being should not be in the hands of this billionaire investor. If the mental health risks were not alarming enough, the physical r i s k s are equally as bad. Cramming 4,500 students into one building will be a nightmare come flu season, and this mega dorm will be a breeding ground for the flu and other infectious diseases when students start mingling. It’s disappointing to see such disregard for students’ physical well-being - especially considering
the fact that the U.S. is barely scraping itself out of the pandemic. And although individuals are encouraged to get their flu shot this year, there is still an opt-out option in terms of the COVID vaccine. It only takes a few unvaccinated students to cause an outbreak and be a danger to those who are immunocompromised, and the construction of Munger Hall welcomes this. And despite the promise that social distancing will be required and that fresh air will be vented in each room, it’s likely that it will be impossible for 4,500 students to socially distance themselves perfectly due to how compact and overcrowded everything is. Additionally, if there was ever a fire or other disaster, people are doomed. Even though there are 14 additional emergency exits, that is not enough to compensate for the amount of people projected to be living there. When there is an emergency, people often respond in a panic and could very likely crowd these doorways and trample over each other. No amount of safety drills can ever prepare a group this large when it comes to a real disaster. Considering the housing crisis at UCSB and the threat of lawsuits the school has had to face in light of these problems, it’s likely that administrators are overlooking all of these health concerns for the sake of promptly solving this issue. Instead of shooting this down and looking for more experienced architects to solve the housing crisis, it seems like they are just accepting this large sum of money and sweeping everything else under the rug. As a fellow student myself, this is very concerning and should not become the new standard of living for students. The administration at UCSB needs to stop ignoring the many risks that come along with the construction of Munger Hall and instead advocate H for their students. ■
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FEATURES
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
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Under the Kilt: Coping with missing your family BEING AWAY FROM YOUR FAMILY IS HARD; HERE IS HOW TO COPE WITH FEELINGS OF HOMESICKNESS.
SENNA OMAR Assistant Features Editor
I remember the first day after moving in. My mom and I had finally finished unpacking a bunch of stuff I didn’t really need, and at around 7 p.m. that night, it was time to say goodbye. When she left, me and my roommate sat in silence for four hours — the next obstacle: the dorm bathrooms. I put on my shower shoes and made my way to the communal showers, and with every step, I began to miss home more and more. After my uncomfortable shower, I climbed into the 6 foot tall lofted bed and tried to sleep. I laid awake for hours until finally knocking out around 3 a.m. The rest of the first week was very similar; I was trying to get my bearings and get used to being away from my family. The first time I went back for the weekend was like coming up for fresh air. I’m lucky: not everyone lives close enough to school to go back on the occasional weekend. For the last 18 years, you have woken up and gone to sleep under your parents’ roof, so a bit of homesickness is entirely normal. College is a huge place, and chances are, most people are experiencing those same feelings as you are. A
great solution to this is creating a support system. Find a couple of friends, and make new memories. Don’t spend too much time moping in your tiny bed; instead, spend time exploring college life with your new friends. Remember, your parents most definitely miss you too, and they are waiting by the phone eagerly hoping for your call. Calling your family and friends from home is a really easy way to ease those waves of homesickness. Tell them about your day, your new friends and your new adventures. If you live close to campus, spend a weekend at home, but try not to go home every weekend. Weekends are eventful in college, and for the ones who spend time on campus, surround yourself with friends to ease your feelings of loneliness. Homesickness is extremely typical in college, especially during your freshman year. College is your first time living away from home. Don’t let these feelings scare you away from the college experience. Make sure to surround yourself with new amazing people to keep you company and H ease your mind from these feelings of isolation. ■
How the donkeys at UCR became our newest fascination BRENDA JOVEL Contributing Writer
Recently, the donkeys at UCR have taken over everyone’s fascination in the Riverside area. Many have become obsessed with spotting these animals this year during the early months of fall quarter. The donkeys have always been present around Riverside, but they have lately become the newest talk of the town as many students changed from online to in-person classes. With more people on campus, a greater cult following has increased for the donkeys resulting in an official Instagram page, @donkeysatucr, whose first post was on Oct. 24 of this year. The cute animals can be seen roaming around our school in hordes, especially around the new student on-campus apartments at North District. The donkeys are mainly located near the abandoned parking lot behind North District, where they are seen feeding in the grassy areas. They are also often seen strolling around the streets where people take the opportunity to roll down their car windows and greet the animals. The donkeys have become UCR’s newest lovable animals on campus that can brighten anyone’s day, especially after enduring a long week of exams. To continue the spotting of these donkeys around UCR, we should take careful consideration of the treatment of these animals. It’s our responsibility to protect these animals that are trying to live their
peaceful lives around our vast campus. To keep the donkeys out of harm’s way, students at UCR and the Riverside residents should take caution and treat these animals with kindness and respect. Just two weeks ago, four donkeys were unfortunately killed after a car collided with them. The devastating accident took place around Box Springs near Day Street and the 60 highway onramp, according to the @donkeysatucr Instagram account. Police officials were immediately called to report the incident. There was one survivor, Baby Jordan, who was immediately rushed to the Social Equine Hospital for medical treatment. Doctors found that his X-rays had shown that he had been recently shot in the leg as well. Baby Jordan is, fortunately, recovering as many people donated to help provide him with milk and hay for a fast recovery. DonkeyLand is a nonprofit organization located in Colton, California. It is dedicated to saving and protecting the lives of donkeys so people can understand the value that these animals possess. Their Facebook page also lists the available numbers to call in case anyone confronts an emergency where a donkey is in need of help. You can visit their Facebook page for more information and to also make donations for donkeys in need. Their most recent post details another incident where a baby burro was found stuck in some-
one’s barbed-wire fence on Nov. 1. The baby, who is currently unnamed, was fortunately saved and is in need of donations to acquire milk and money for a visitation to the doctor. If you’d like to help out, feel free to send donations to save this baby burro. It is truly devastating to hear about these tragedies, but it is heartwarming to see the Riverside community coming together to support both of these baby burros. Even if they are just donkeys, they are still precious animals that are protected and watched over by Riverside residents, namely, UCR students. Whenever you spot a donkey on campus, whether it be at North District or on the streets, always make sure to respect the animal’s space. Donkeys are known to be gentle animals who are actually quite intelligent and know how to handle situations that may be fearsome. Generally speaking, the donkeys at UCR are quiet animals who mind their own business with their fellow companions. The donkeys seem rather approachable when it comes to interacting with people. They are kind animals that we should continue to look after so that they feel safe on our campus. I would have never imagined donkeys roaming UCR’s grounds when I first came to campus, but they have become an everyday topic of conversation wherever I go. Due to their popularity increasing, it wouldn’t be surprising if sales for fresh pro-
WHERE TO SPOT THE DONKEYS OF RIVERSIDE AND HOW TO RESPECTFULLY TREAT THEM WHEN YOU FIND ONE.
COURTESY OF @DONKEYSATUCR VIA INSTAGRAM
duce rise. People who run across them will often offer treats, such as fresh vegetables and fruits, helping to create a bond with one another. Many have had the opportunity to take selfies with these donkeys as well. The Instagram page has made sure to post daily content of these animals, with many posts including students feeding the donkeys or taking videos of them. It is a great way to show how to safely interact with these animals without coming off as dangerous to them. The official page also allows students to send
in their favorite donkey posts for a chance to be featured on the account’s page. Make sure to respect these animals when coming into contact with them. If you have a nice treat for them, don’t be afraid to offer it! Becoming friends with these donkeys can create a wholesome environment on campus and even feel therapeutic during stressful times. The donkeys at UCR are our friends, and they deserve to feel safe on our campus that they have chosen to roam around. Remember to treat them H with kindness! ■
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Radar TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
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COURTESY OF FRANK SCHWICHTENBERG VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS UNDER CC-BY-SA-4.0
Nine people dead and several injured during Travis Scott’s Astroworld TRAVIS SCOTT AND ORGANIZERS OF ASTROWORLD MUST BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THE TRAGEDY THAT TOOK PLACE IN HOUSTON.
T
By: Madison Rheins, Editor-In-Chief
he disaster that took place in Houston, Texas at Travis Scott’s famous Astroworld event resulted in nine deaths and multiple injuries that could have been prevented from the very beginning. This tragedy quickly went viral and caused a major public outroar calling for someone to take accountability for the lives lost that day — the youngest being only 14 years old. With the abundance of video evidence coming out, it’s clear that Travis Scott himself, along with other organizers of Astroworld, must be brought to justice and pay reparations to the grieving families. Until Scott gives a proper apology in the form of settlement payments, the artist should be barred from attending other major music events for the safety of fellow concertgoers. Houston city officials prepped for this event in advance and had many concerns with the large number of people attending. Considering the energy at the previous Astroworld, many police officers and the chief himself worried over individuals’ safety — some of which were of elementary school age. Plans were submitted to accommodate a certain number of guests from medical to pyrotechnics, but nothing could have prepared anyone for what took place that night. Even within the aftermath of this terrible event, officials have already claimed that any crowd management plan put in place was either not followed or ignored altogether. The scenes of this event were horrific. Video content has revealed the lack of readiness on the event organizers’ part in terms of supporting the hordes of people who attended. It’s explicitly clear that the event did not have the means to accommodate such a large number of people, and yet they still proceeded, regardless of the obvious safety hazard this posed. Footage from the event revealed a massive sea of people with little to no wriggle room. By nightfall, the terrible crowd
surge was inescapable. Haunting video evidence showed individuals being sucked into a pit of people and crushed at the bottom. People even recount stepping over bodies and being face to face with dead victims. As traumatizing as this is, none of what has occurred is anything new. Travis Scott is notorious for glorifying stampedes and encouraging this type of “rage” behavior. In his Netflix documentary, “Travis Scott: Look Mom I Can Fly,” there are video clips documenting just how rowdy and dangerous the crowds at his concerts can be. People can be seen rushing barriers and jumping over smaller individuals just to get a chance to be at the front. When stacking video evidence such as this next to what has just happened, it’s clear that there’s a pattern of neglect on Scott’s part when it comes to the safety of his fans. Things only got worse when the paramedics proved to be incapable of helping injured guests. A 22-year-old college student named Bharti Shahani brought the death toll of Astroworld to nine due to sustaining injuries. This likely resulted from medics at the concert being unable to treat her amidst the chaos. A video posted to Twitter shows first responders carrying the woman on a stretcher and dropping her on her head before fellow crowd members stepped in to pick her up. Other posts on social media suggest that the medics present at the event did not have extensive knowledge on resuscitation and failed to help the injured — the youngest of this group being only nine years old. Considering this, if Travis and other organizers paid more attention to the administrative details rather than hype and aesthetic, the death toll and number of those injured would have decreased exponentially. Perhaps the most disturbing detail of that night was revealed in a video posted online of two concertgoers climbing the stage trying to get the attention of the camera men recording Scott. They can be seen frantically screaming “There is someone dead” or “Stop the show,” while those on
stage refused to pay attention. These heroic guests were met with the cold shoulder from the stage crew as more people were killed. In normal cases, if someone dies at a concert, giving notice like that to the stage crew is a surefire way to stop the show. However, considering Travis Scott and his streak of bad behavior when interacting with fans, it’s not surprising that this was the outcome. If anyone is responsible for what took place that night, it is most definitely Travis Scott. As the main performer, he had the power and responsibility to stop the show as soon as he caught wind that someone was dead. People may claim that Scott was distraught over the tragedy that took place and had no idea that the fatalities occurred at all, but that is merely a way to save his public image. If Travis truly cared about his fans, then he would have stopped the show a lot sooner. In a viral video from that night, Travis Scott can be seen doing the robot as police and paramedics drive through the crowd to collect dead bodies and other injured guests. Older videos are also resurfacing of Travis stopping a show not to help fans, but to encourage the crowd to beat on another guest. Travis Scott can be seen repeatedly yelling at the crowd to “F—k him up!” in reference to the other guest who he also can be seen spitting at. Considering this past video and what has just transpired, Travis Scott is a performer who cares little about the safety of his guests and more about his own image and cultivating a mob mentality among fans. After Astroworld, people should think twice before giving someone like Travis Scott a second chance to have a platform. Young women and children are dead all because of his inability to take responsibility and put safety first. These grieving families deserve justice, and it cannot happen until Travis Scott does more than release an insincere apology statement. If there was one instance where “cancel culture” worked and stuck, this should H be it. ■
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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
A Glimpse into New-Western genre with ‘The Harder They Fall’ JEYMES SAMUELS MAKES HIS FEATURE-LENGTH DIRECTORIAL DEBUT SUPPORTED BY ENSEMBLE CAST AND PRODUCTION BY NETFLIX.
ELIAS ALMAREZ-HERRERA Contributing Writer
The opening sequence of “The Harder They Fall” displays the words, “While the events of this story are fictional ... These. People. Existed,” and what follows is a thrilling interpretation of the classic western, adventure. Its narrative follows Nat Love, played by Jonathan Majors, and his gang of quick witted outlaws as they set out on an epic revenge journey to find Rufus Black, the infamous crime boss played by Idris Elba. Power and persisting trauma inflicted by patriarchal figures are running themes in the film. On first watch, the plot takes a backseat to the prominent creative direction and compelling cast of characters. Because this movie tells the story of real historical figures who lived in largely different time periods and most likely did not have much interaction in their real lives, there is a healthy suspension of belief necessary to follow the story’s arc. Each cast member underwent an extensive process of training in weaponry usage and horseback riding, resulting in convincing command on screen. “The Harder They Fall” features a score and soundtrack that compliment the motion picture very well. Heavy usage of soul, afrobeats, reggae, hip-hop and Caribbean influence underscore the overarching ode to Blackness. Each song is used either as a transition to the next scene or is particularly curated to emphasize the messaging and imagery on visual display. Music from the legendary Jamaican dancehall and reggae artist Barry Levington underscores the close-up shots of each of the narrative’s trio of antagonists.
In the Spotify enhanced album, an immersive experience that interweaves video clips and interviews with a given playlist, Samuels emphasizes the importance of the musical influences. “For me, music and film are the same thing … It’s all just storytelling. One is just told to melody, one uses visuals but they go hand in hand,” he said. As the Wild West has come to be synonymous with primarily white outlaws engaging in quickdraw duels outside of old-timey saloons, director Jeymes Samuels introduces a fresh take on the Western genre. The Western aesthetic has pervaded public consciousness once again over the last few years, reintroducing Black figures to a narrative that has historically worked to erase them: from Lil Nas X with “Old Town Road” (2019) to Solange’s “When I Get Home” (2019) visual album and Netflix titles “Concrete Cowboy” (2021) and now the “The Harder They Fall” (2021). There is an undeniable current renaissance that recognizes that Black cowboys do and always have existed in the continental South and West. No work is without room for fair critique, however. Many of the forest and Old West town sets leave much to be desired. With the breathtaking visual effects of “Squid Game,” audiences have seen what is possible with a budget from Netflix. It does seem to be lacking in this title. Additionally, the motion picture does perpetuate some harmful tropes. Stagecoach Mary, played by Zazie Beetz, is offered some lines that build her persona up to be quite independent and capable, yet her character finds herself in a damsel-indistress role for a large part of the film. Not only
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this, but the casting crew’s own bias missed a great opportunity to break the mold of upholding ageism, colorist erasure and fatphobia in visually depicting Stagecoach Mary. Instead of faithfully representing her real-life counterpart as a stout, dark-skinned Black women, they opted to cast a thin, young and biracial woman to play the part. It is asking a lot of the audience to overlook the stance Samuels and his team have taken on desirability politics. As a new Western develops this movement that aims to represent Black communities, filmmakers hold a responsibility to create spaces on screen that acknowledge Black women at every intersection of their identities. ■ H
the film is a thrilling and exciting work of fiction writing whose buildup to the plot VERDICT: Overall, twist ending is completely satisfying.
Summer Walker gets real over her hurt and frustration in her breakup album, ‘Still Over It’
THE R&B SINGER TELLS HER SIDE OF A TOXIC AND CONTROVERSIAL RELATIONSHIP IN HER LYRICALLY-DRIVEN SOPHOMORE ALBUM.
COURTESY OF SUMMER WALKER UNDER INTERSCOPE RECORDS
KIMBERLY BEJEC Contributing Writer
“Still Over It” was released on Nov. 5 as a follow up to Summer Walker’s debut album, “Over It.” Since the release of her debut album in 2019 and the controversy over her relationship with producer London on da Track, fans were eager for the release of her second album. Composed of 20 songs, the album barely goes over an hour, with each song bringing forth immense power within a short amount of time. It is filled with raw emotion over her relationship with London and the problems she faced. The album features a variety of collaborations with artists such as Cardi B, JT from City Girls, SZA, Ari Lennox, Lil Durk, Pharrell Williams and The Neptunes, Omarion and Ciara. Summer Walker started an on-and-off relationship with London after he worked on the production of her first album in 2019. In less than a year, Walker announced her pregnancy with London, but the couple officially split up around the time she gave birth to a baby girl. Walker targets her album toward people who have interfered with their relationship, such as London’s other children’s mothers and women he cheated on her with. However, Walker directs most of her album toward London and his treatment of her.
“Still Over It” opens up with “Bitter” as it sets the pace and storytelling for the rest of the album. The song calls out London on his infidelity and the other women for posting their hookups with him on social media. The song ends with a narration from rapper Cardi B, as she tells Summer Walker, “If you are pregnant and everything, say it in a beautiful way in your music.” “No Love” is one of the more highly anticipated songs from the album featuring a collaboration with SZA. The upbeat song does not disappoint as Walker and SZA sing about going back into their relationships and doing things differently. They would choose to remain the same and keep love out of the relationship, focusing only on the lust and fun. Both artists shine in the song and their vocals pair well together. One of the strengths of the album is Summer Walker’s songwriting, as the lyrics help to convey the vulnerability and heartbreak that she feels. In “4th Baby Mama,” Walker sings, “I know you ain’t care ‘cause you always gone/ How could you make me spend my whole … pregnancy alone?” Walker does not back down from calling out her ex and letting the world know the issues she dealt with on other songs, such as “Throw it All Away” and “Session 33.” These lyrically-moving songs allow the listeners to see the depth of her despair through all the hardships she has faced. The album contains slower, somber songs such as “You Don’t Know Me,” which has Walker realizing all the time and commitment she invested into getting to know her partner while they were satisfied with the little knowledge they already knew about her. Slower songs like this match the deep lyrics to highlight the whirlwind of emotions she felt from the relationship. Walker sings in “Broken Promises” over feeling defeated about the same issues and having her heartbroken over someone people warned her about. “Unloyal,” featuring Ari Lennox, has a funky blues vibe to it that shows Walker is ready to walk out of the relationship, having been done with wasting her time.
“Insane” follows a similar vibe with its sensual R&B sound and Walker feeling fed up over feeling like a “game.” The album balances out the slow songs with upbeat songs such as “Ex For a Reason” and “Dat Right There” with Pharrell Williams and The Neptunes. This provides listeners with tunes to jam out to, while maintaining the message that Walker is conveying throughout. Through all the drama and constant heartbreak, Walker sings on “Circus” and “Constant Bull—” about how she is tired of all the mess she is in. She faces the same problems while still remaining in the relationship, wanting to leave, but having trouble in making the final move. “Toxic” with Lil Durk and “Screwin” with Omarion show the little hope Walker would have in the relationship. Despite knowing the issues the couple faced, she wants to hold on to the little bits of hope that things would change for the better. Walker’s album ends off with R&B singer Ciara reciting one of her prayers as she thanks God for understanding her pain and helping her rebuild herself. “Ciara’s Prayer” ends on a note of moving on and affirming that there will be a better future. Ciara was once in a similar position as Walker as she was in a toxic relationship with her baby’s father. Fortunately, a few years later she found herself in a healthier relationship with another man. This leaves off the album with a feeling of self-growth and hope that Walker will follow in similar footsteps as Ciara. ■ H
VERDICT:
Summer Walker tells a story through her album that gives her side of the drama and sheds light on the problems she has faced. “Still Over It” is a true R&B breakup album that confronts the drama and the pain that gives Walker the outlet to move on and heal.
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Sports TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2021
SPORTS
THE HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports
UC Riverside women’s basketball team was unable to clinch victory against Cal Baptist University
PATREACE ESPIRITU Contributing Writer
The Highlanders fell short against the California Baptist Lancers by 59-62. Their first game of the regular season was held last Nov. 9, 2021 at the Student Recreation Center arena with avid supporters filling the bleachers to cheer them on. The excitement was prominent as the game officially began. The Highlanders drew applause from the crowd as senior guard Keilanei
Cooper scored the first point of the game with an incredible layup. The team continued on with their momentum as senior guard Olivia West shot a 3-pointer to widen the gap to 12-7. With their incredible first quarter run, the UCR gap of five saw a steady increase 18-10 as they went into the second quarter. The two teams played fiercely as the Lancers tied the score to 22-22, and they both tried to outscore the other. There were five lead changes in the last four minutes of the
second quarter, with junior guard Mele Finau performing a layup to lessen the gap. Unfortunately, the team lost some of their heat as they lost hold of their 20-14 lead, ending the first half with a 10-22 scoring run in favor of the visiting team. With 28-32 on the scoreboard, they remained enthusiastic for the win as Cooper found the net with a jumper. She scored back-to-back to cut the Lancer’s lead to 32-34, keeping the tension and excitement alive. The visiting team had a steady lead throughout the third quarter, but was cut off when junior forward Anna Blount went to the net for a layup followed by a 3-pointer by West. The crowd’s energetic cheers only continued as the home team scored consecutive field goals, eventually leading 45-44. But the Lancers proved to be a challenging opponent as they
took back the lead to go into the final quarter with 47-48. Freshman guard Rose Morse cut through the tense atmosphere as the fans erupted when she took back the lead by a point. As time slowly ran out, the home team made several attempts to slow down their opponent but fell short in the end as the Lancers took the victory by only three points. It was a close game for the majority of the night with 11 lead changes between the two teams. They competed for the net relentlessly, but the Lancers got the better of the Highlanders by a slim margin. Cooper led the home team with 17 points under her name, followed by West with 11 of her own. The team’s defense was also in good hands as senior forward Daphne Gnago and redshirt sophomore forward Matehya Bryant had double-digit rebounds at 14 and 12, respectively. Despite the loss, the Highlanders are not backing down from adding another victory to their name. They will be visiting Stockton, California on Nov. 13, 2021 to go head-to-head against University of the Pacific H Tigers. ■
THE HIGHLANDERS HAD AN AMAZING NIGHT BUT FELL SHORT IN THE END.
COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS
UC Riverside men’s basketball team wins off of a miracle shot over Arizona State
AN IMPOSSIBLE FULL-COURT HEAVE FROM J.P. MOORMAN II GIVES THE HIGHLANDERS THE VICTORY AT THE BUZZER.
HANSEL CHU Assistant Sports Editor
After a tough loss against San Diego State on Tuesday night, UC Riverside traveled to Arizona for a matchup against Arizona State University on Thursday night. The Highlanders were stifled by the Aztec defense on Tuesday and were unable to make shots throughout the game. After a morning pre-game talk with NBA superstar Chris Paul, the Highlanders got their first win of the season on Thursday night off of a full-court game winner from senior transfer forward J.P Moorman II. UC Riverside jumped out to an early 8-3 lead to start the game. Junior guard Flynn Cameron came out on fire with two early triples for the Highlanders. However, the Sun Devils would climb back into the game, and a triple from sophomore forward Marcus Bagley would tie the game up at 14-14. The Highlanders would go on a three minute scoring drought, but a corner 3-pointer from senior forward Daniel Mading would break the scoring drought and give UCR the lead 1918. Other players started to hit timely 3-pointers for the Highlanders. Freshman guard Wil Tattersall sank a 3-pointer under the halfway point in the half to give UCR a 4-point lead, and triples from Cameron and Moorman II extended the lead to six with 4:56 to go in the first half. However, Arizona State would continue to chip away at the Riverside lead and
would bring it down to a two-point game, 34-32, to end the half. Cameron led all scorers at the half with 12 points, going 4 of 5 from 3-point range. Moorman also chipped in with eight points and seven rebounds. The story of the first half was the 3-point shooting for the Highlanders as they went 10 for 20 from 3-point range. In the second half, Cameron continued his hot shooting with another 3-pointer to maintain the Highlander lead. The Sun Devils would go on a little run of their own to regain the lead as a runner from graduate student Kimani Lawrence gave Arizona State the lead 38-40. A turnaround jumper from Lawrence extended the lead to five, 43-48, near the halfway point in the second half. Both teams continued to battle it out as neither schools were unable to establish a comfortable lead. A layup from junior center Callum Mcrae brought the UCR deficit to one, 55-56 with under eight minutes to go in the game. Minutes later, junior guard Zyon Pullin drove inside the paint and kicked it out to Moorman II for a corner triple that gave the Highlanders the lead 62-61 with 2:26 left in the ball game. With under two minutes left in the game, the atmosphere started to get tense as the game went down to the wire. With 1:44 left, Pullin sank 1 out of 2 free throws to tie the ball game 63-63. With under 30 seconds left, Cameron drove to the basket
and kicked it out to Tattersall for a corner triple but was unable to connect. Arizona State called timeout and with time winding down, redshirt junior Luther Muhammad attacked the basket and sank a floater to give the Sun Devils the lead 63-65 with 1.7 seconds remaining, sending the crowd into a frenzy. Arizona State would then call a timeout to reset their defense. With 1.7 seconds left on the clock and the Highlanders inbounding the ball from their own baseline, Tattersall inbounded the ball to Moorman II who heaved a desperation prayer from three quarters court and miraculously sank the
shot, which gave the Highlanders the win 66-65 and silenced the home arena. Cameron led the Highlanders with 18 points, which included six 3-point field goals. The hero, Moorman II, put up a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. Pullin again flirted with a near triple with 10 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. UC Riverside also sank a season high of 14 3-pointers in this game. The Highlanders get their first regular season win of this year thanks to a Moorman miracle and will have their home opener against La Sierra on Sunday H Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. ■
COURTESY OF DOM CONTINI VIA ASU ATHLETICS