Volume 66 Issue 27 by The Highlander- UCR

THE HIGHLANDER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

VOL. 66, ISSUE 27

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

est. 1954

SPRING SPLASH 2018 … WELL IT HAPPENED. HEADLINED BY AN IMMENSELY LATE LIL UZI VERT, IT WAS THE HOUR-LONG WAIT BEFORE HIS SET — THE STONE-FACED CROWD, REPETITIVE MUSIC FROM THE DJ AND GROWING UNCERTAINTY OF WHETHER THE HEADLINER HIMSELF WOULD EVER ACTUALLY SHOW UP — THAT ENCAPSULATED AN OVERALL UNDERWHELMING EXPERIENCE. STILL THOUGH, UZI’S SUBLIME, NARCOTICIZED ANTHEMS AND ZEDS DEAD’S GENRE-BENDING MIXES PLAYED PERFECTLY TO A CROWD OF HIGH AND INEBRIATED 20-SOMETHINGS LOOKING FOR SOMETHING, ANYTHING, TO ALLOW THEM TO TURN UP. JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

HUMANS OF UCR

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 7

MOISES BAUTISTA, NEUROSCIENCE, SECOND-YEAR

Mastering LinkedIn 10:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m. HUB (Highlander Union Building), 268

ORI Seminar Series – Research Misconduct 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.HUB (Highlander Union Building), 268

UC Walks 2018 11:30 p.m - 1:30p.m UC Riverside Track

Mindful Meditation In Nature 12:00 p.m. Botanic Gardens

A Reading with Joshua Whitehead 1:00 p.m. -2:30 p.m. HMNSS 2212

Cosplay Workshop 7:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m. Orbach Library (Science Library), Atrium & Creat’R Lab (140)

Student GIS Interest Group Meeting 12:15pm to 1:15pm Orbach Library (Science Library), 148

UCR Highlander Chefs: Spring Workshop Series 5:30pm Market at Glen Mor

Camp Creative: A Playdate for Women 8:30am to 1:00pm UCR Extension Center

Film: Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks 6:00pm ARTSblock

Sunday

Primavera in the Gardens - Food & Wine Tasting Fundraiser 2:00pm to 5:00pm Botanic Gardens

UCR Chamber Singers: Songs for Spring 3:00pm Calvary Presbyterian Church

Dining Etiquette Skills 3:00pm to 4:00pm Career Center

Academic Merit Convocation 7:00pm to 9:00pm University Theatre

Tuesday

COMPILED BY MARTIN LOPEZ

Wednesday

Thursday

“I like to dress in suits but I like to add my own flavor to it so it does not look completely posh in a sense. This outfit in particular is a combination of classy but trashy … I order from a custom website where you can send in your own designs because you usually can’t find stuff like this in stores.”

Friday

Saturday

20 HIGHLANDER STAFF EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

MANAGING EDITOR

Quinn Minten

Myles Andrews-Duve editorinchief @highlandernews.org

managingeditor @highlandernews.org

NEWS EDITOR

ASST. NEWS EDITOR

Evan Ismail

Andreas Rauch

news@highlandernews.org OPINIONS EDITOR

ASST. OPINIONS EDITOR

Christian Monroy

opinions@highlandernews.org ASST. FEATURES EDITOR

Marcelo Garcia

features@highlandernews.org A&E EDITOR

Julian Medranda

radar@highlandernews.org

Jonathan Fermandez

sports@highlandernews.org

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Highlander 101 Highlander Union Building Riverside, CA 92521 www.highlandernews.org editorinchief@highlandernews.org

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SPORTS EDITOR

Chiraag Dave

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 Christian Monroy at opinions@highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit the completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letters 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 non-discrimination. 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.

Monday

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TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

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News

“Fired up, can’t take it no more”: UCR service workers participate in three-day strike over worsening work conditions MARK BERTUMEN Contributing Writer AIDAN RUTTEN Contributing Writer AMANI MAHMOUD Contributing Writer

Stalled contract negotiations and allegations of wage inequality prompted the largest UC employee union, which represents around 25,000 service personnel across all campuses and medical centers, to stage a three-day strike from Monday, May 7 to Wednesday, May 9. The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees chapter 3299, or AFSCME 3299, called for the strike in late April after more than a year of stalled contract negotiations. The union is striking against what they see as income disparity, higher health care premiums and the outsourcing of low-paid service jobs. Leo Tolliver, the AFSCME representative at UCR, stated, “In the next couple of days, we are hoping UC will see and understand how valuable these workers are, that these people need to be compensated fairly for the work they do.” Two other unions sympathetic to AFSCME, both the University Professional and Technical Employees (UPTE) and the California Nurses Association (CNA), participated in solidarity. Around 200 workers gathered to chant and march at the corner of University Ave. and Canyon Crest Dr., most wearing green shirts and carrying picket signs. The group was also stationed at the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. across from Lot 30 and the Corporation Yard on Linden Ave. Tensions on the ground were palpable, as many of these AFSCME members had worked or are working for UCR. Many participants echoed sentiments of disenchantment with wage disparity, outsourcing and

rising healthcare costs. In April, AFSCME published a report titled “Pioneering Inequality: Race, Gender and Income Disparities at the University of California.” The report highlights wage differences between the highest and lowest paid workers, as well as between minorities and women versus white men in comparable positions. According to the report, “From 2005-2015 … the share of total payroll cost for UC’s top 10 percent of wage earners grew from 22 percent to 31 percent, while the share for the bottom 50 percent dropped from 24 percent to just 22 percent.” The report also cites data about hiring rates and starting salaries, often emphasizing lower wages received by women and people of color and a disparity in representation among the higher paid positions within the UC system. Spokesperson for the UC Office of the President (UCOP) Stephanie Beechem wrote in an email sent to The Highlander Monday, May 7, “We cannot confirm the accuracy of the report created and written by AFSCME, and it was not part of the independent fact finding that was conducted as part of our negotiations.” UCOP also believes that service workers in the UC system are paid fairly. “AFSCME service employees at UC — including custodians, gardeners, food service workers and facilities maintenance staff — are compensated at or above the market, and in some cases by as much as 17 percent higher than comparable jobs,” they said. Jesse Hernandez, an executive board member with AFSCME 3299 and bargaining representative for UCR, feels differently. “They’re saying that we’re greedy. What they’re trying to do right now is say that we as workers are overpaid,” he said. “As overpaid workers they say that we shouldn’t be given a raise at all. Initially they had offered a zero percent increase

MATTHEW HUANG / HIGHLANDER

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

for five years.” More recently, the UC has offered a 3 percent yearly raise over four years. AFSCME 3299 is bargaining for 6 percent. Other concerns expressed by strikers and reflected in the bargaining process were rising health care costs, unsafe working conditions, retirement security and outsourcing. According to the “Pioneering Inequality” report, “UC’s own numbers suggest that it outsources work to over 7,000 contract workers—workers doing the same jobs as its lowest-paid career employees but earning as much as $8.50 less per hour.” Hernandez, also a former Latitude 55 worker, helped organize the strike at UCR. He spoke with us about how contracting out jobs affected workers like him. “We’ve seen throughout the years … our jobs are getting outsourced. I used to work at a Latitude 55 at the HUB,” he said. “Right now, there is no more Latitude 55. Latitude 55 used to be (run) by dining services — they outsourced it. Right now who’s working (it) is the outsource(d) company The Habit.” According to documents provided by UCOP, contracted out jobs cannot be used to replace bargaining unit employees “solely on the basis that savings will result from lower contractor pay rates and benefits for services customarily performed by bargaining unit employees.” However, exceptions can be made for financial needs or special services. Hernandez further spoke on the nature and breadth of the strikes. “It’s all across all UCs, so 11 campuses and five medical centers,” he said. “This is an actual strike of service … but the medical centers are also going out in solidarity on strike with us.” However, UCOP sees the strikes as depriving students of necessary services. “Some of our emergency rooms are having to redirect people with critical care needs to other hospitals because of AFSCME pulling workers off their jobs,” claimed Beechem. “Some patients have extremely serious

health needs, and now their much-needed appointments or surgeries will have to wait.” Though the strike was concentrated near Lot 19, AFSCME employees marched throughout campus as well, chanting, “We’re fired up, can’t take it no more.” Many students marched through AberdeenInverness dining hall as well as the University Lecture Hall while a lecture was in progress. One striker on the scene was Rodney Thomas, a custodial worker for over 18 years, who was protesting because of the increasing workload that custodians have received, combined with a lack of appropriate compensation. “It’s just too much work for eight hours; we need more workers,” Thomas said. “We’re shortstaffed and it’s been that way for eight years because they never replaced people after they left or got fired.” Another striker at the protest was Marina Garcia, a worker for the Early Child Services (ECS) at UCR, which encourages and enables students to “reach their full potential in all developmental areas.” ECS also helps adults succeed academically and professionally. “We’re fighting for our benefits, like insurance, which has been going up in price while we haven’t been getting raises to make up for it,” Garcia explained. “And in ECS, only three people run the building when four are supposed to be assigned, and as a result we work harder than we ought to.” Elliot Ruiz was also on the protest site, a lead senior custodian at UCR for almost three years. He took the job to help out his loved ones, but came to notice that what he was making wasn’t enough, especially after nearly two years of no raise. “My girlfriend recently had a stroke, and we’ve had to pay out of pocket because her insurance wouldn’t cover it all,” said Ruiz. “I wasn’t offered what I wanted with the lead position, but I had to get everything I could. I’m here today to see if we can get better benefits, and if my girlfriend can get what

she deserves and needs from what we’re doing here.” On Tuesday, organizations sympathetic to AFSCME came to show their support of the strike, one of which was the University Professional and Technical Employees, a workers’ union for those outlined in the union’s name. Candy McReynolds, an UPTE member at the strike, emphasized that they were there to fight for equality, in line with the reports of unequal pay between minority workers. The California Faculty Association (CFA), a California State University workers’ union for faculty, also showed their support at UCR on Tuesday, though the organization was not widely recognized as a group in solidarity before the strike. Chris Naticchia, the political action chair for CFA at CSU San Bernardino, was present. “They (the other unions) have done the same for us. When we went on a strike a couple years ago, other unions said they were going to stand with us,” Naticchia said. “I was on the strike committee at the time, and I can’t tell you what a psychological boost it is to get a letter, or a phone call, or a meeting with someone who says they’re going to stand with you.” The California Nurses Association was a recognized group standing in solidarity with AFSCME, but because UCR does not have a hospital, no one of that union was present on campus. At 12:10 p.m., a rally speech was started by Leo Tolliver, the union organizer for the AFSCME chapter of UCR. After his introduction, the microphone was given to Ellen Reese, the labor studies chair at UCR. She stated that, as one of the largest employers in California, the UC system has a standard of fairness to hold itself to. “If the standard for us falls, what is that going to mean for other workers?” Reese inquired. “It’s going to push down wages and benefits, promote pay cuts; it’s going to have ripple effects on the economy.” ► SEE STRIKE, PAGE 5

NEWS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

“Fired up, can’t take it no more”: UCR service workers participate in three-day strike over worsening work conditions

► FROM STRIKE, PAGE 4

After Reese, Tolliver took the microphone again to talk about a dispute between a striking worker and UCR Facilities supervisor Manny Sanchez the day before. He only paused when the protesters were greeted with a visit from Chancellor Kim Wilcox, who had stopped by to show his support. Tolliver praised Wilcox for all of the work he had done for the worker unions, such as the coalition meetings that took place inside of Wilcox’s own home, and continued on with his speech, pointing out that it is illegal for supervisors to call workers on strike back to work,

and announcing that a march to his office on the third floor of the HUB would take place at 1 p.m. later that day to talk to Manny about the conversation with his worker. Tolliver then gave the floor to Wilcox to say a few words. “Nobody likes a strike,” Wilcox began. “It’s unfortunate that we’re here, but I want to say thanks for everything that you do. This is an amazing campus because of you, and I especially thank the leadership and the membership for this strike and the way that you’ve conducted yourself.” Reese was available for an interview following the speech

ADRIAN DIZON / HIGHLANDER

and elaborated on her reason behind protesting. “I’m a worker myself, and I believe in solidarity among workers,” Reese responded. “The university functions better when we have morale, when there’s dignity and equality in the workplace, and the issues the union is fighting for are issues we should all care about.” Reese commented on AFSCME’s findings of disparity among UCR workers, namely between the fair wages determined by the worker unions of the UCs and the actual lower wages of workers that have been “contracted out.” “This creates incentive to contract out more and more work to reduce wages,” Reese explained, “What these people are fighting for is equal pay for equal work.” She also discussed the wage gap between male and female workers, stating that women workers are paid less than their male counterparts. UCOP, however, claims they have “mechanisms in place to respond to these issues. We encourage any employee who believes he or she is being treated unfairly to bring their concerns to the attention of the proper UC office so that they may be addressed quickly.” Around 1 p.m., the group began marching to Sanchez’s office. Strikers left their central location, chanting and marching in front of the Student Services building, past Costo Hall and inside the HUB dining hall. They proceeded to travel up the stairs

to the third floor of the HUB, and sent in a group of student workers through the doors to have a discussion with Sanchez, who was not in the office at the time. They instead spoke to Dean of Students Joe Virata and HUB Director Brendan O’Brien, expressing their concerns over the treatment of UC workers and asking Virata and O’Brien where Sanchez was and if they could contact him. Neither of those requests were fulfilled, but one student received Sanchez’s business card. Sanchez was not in the HUB, but the strikers learned his office was located in the Housing, Dining and Residential Services Facilities building on the corner of Avocado St. and Linden St., where they proceeded to march. Upon arriving at his office, the group gathered outside the building and sent a group of students to confront Sanchez and bring him out to talk. But both entrances to the building were locked despite it being normal business hours. The group then walked back to their central location. Housing services did not reply to a request for comment. The strike continued until 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 9. The immediate effects of the strike meant reduced or cancelled hours for some oncampus dining services. Several campus establishments such as Subway posted signs on the doors publicizing their

solidarity, reading, “We Stand by UC Workers.” Other facilities, mostly those contracted out such as Panda Express, remained open during regular hours. It is unclear at this time what will result from these strikes — whether contract negotiations will continue or more strikes will occur. The UC maintains their opposition to the strike, expressing concerns over patients’ health and citing competitive compensation and retirement plans for workers. “In UC’s view, it is highly inappropriate for any union to threaten services to patients and students with a strike as a negotiating tactic,” said Beechem, echoing the language of a memo sent out to UC employees detailing talking points on the strike. “We take all issues of fairness and equitable treatment seriously. The university has mechanisms in place to respond to these issues. We encourage any employee who believes he or she is being treated unfairly to bring their concerns to the attention of the proper UC office so that they may be addressed quickly. Hernandez, speaking on behalf of AFSCME 3299, said that this was more than a strike about wages. “We’re fighting for social justice, we’re trying to retire with dignity,” he said. “This affects people’s livelihood … at the end of the day what is it when our jobs get contracted out and … we don’t have a job, period?” ■H

Students urge administrators to support Costo Hall

Failure to pass Empowerment Referendum opens up conversation with Wilcox, Larive VIVIAN LEE Staff Writer

Following the Highlander Empowerment Referendum’s (HESSR) failure to meet the minimum 20 percent voter turnout required to pass increased funding for Costo Hall programs, concerned students met with administrators to express their frustrations with UCR’s handling of ethnic and gender programs. On Tuesday, May 8 at 3 p.m., about 80 students and staff involved with Costo Hall attended a nearly 2-hour long town hall meeting in the Tartan and Tweed Room inside the Student Services Building where they voiced concerns about a lack of administrative support to Executive Vice Chancellor Cynthia K. Larive, Chancellor Kim Wilcox and Assistant Dean of Students Joe Virata. Several individuals inquired about funding for Costo Hall programs, including Undocumented Student Programs (USP), an office that was established after the Trump administration removed the DACA program, increasing undocumented

students’ risk of deportation. USP is currently not funded under the existing referendum, which passed in 2015 and is set to expire in 2020 if not renewed. The 2018 referendum would have added USP to the list of programs funded through student fees. The discussion centered on the UCR administration’s failure to deliver on promised improvements that would enable the students to secure funding. Larive addressed student’s concerns, stating, “I think this was the first step in dialogue that will lead to action.” Larive added that the referendum led to a dialogue between administrators and students and said, “it’s clear that many people (are) feeling this and if we can look at this as a way to have had a discussion, then we will be moving this in a positive way.” Some students also acknowledged that the town hall meeting opened up the conversation for administrators to listen to students’ unaddressed concerns. Victor Marroquin, a third-year global studies and philosophy major involved with Chicano Student Programs, was frustrated with how administrators have been promoting

LIZELLE ORENO / HIGHLANDER

LIZELLE ORENO / HIGHLANDER Assistant Dean of Students Joe Virata (above) was one of a few administrators to respond to frustrations expressed by students in Costo Hall.

diversity as a way of “selling UCR” to prospective students and families. Marroquin opined that the programs at Costo Hall should be credited to the undergraduate and graduate students who spend their time, money and efforts toward building these programs. “Everything that we do to organize (these programs) is very grassroots and is very much on the labor of our students, the program coordinator and director. But the university will put it on their brochure and make it seem that they are doing this work but actually we don’t receive funding or any form of help from them,” Marroquin explained. “If you’re going to call yourself the most diverse university, you need to put your money where your mouth is.” In an interview following the meeting, ASUCR CHASS Senator and Student Coordinator of Asian Pacific Student Programs Grant Nakaoka said that referenda are an inefficient way of enacting changes. He added that both ASUCR and Costo Hall are to blame for this inadequacy and described the animosity between the two groups as a result of miscommunication. ASUCR and Costo Hall, Nakaoka noted, “were not

able to help out the students, but instead impeded them.” He further explained that “Certain members (of ASUCR) who were affiliated with Costo Hall … were the ones who were pushing for so many drastic changes in the elections committee bylaw.” Nakaoka added that these representatives were also “pushing for the dissolution of party affiliations and voting online … which led to the Highlander Empowerment Referendum being where it is now.” In January, laptopping and online voting were banned in a 9-1-0 vote by the senate, but some students believe that this contributed to the low voter turnout and resulting inability to meet the passing threshold. If it had passed, the Highlander Empowerment Referendum offered the opportunity to declare permanent funding for Costo Hall programs instead of reevaluating their HESSR funding every five years. Students are hoping that, through continuing dialogue, administrators will understand the difficulty of securing funds for minority programs and how the existing policies could be reconsidered to ■H facilitate support for Costo Hall.

NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

Student Voice Committee seeks more active role in improving student experience

MARK BERTUMEN Contributing Writer

As the UCR student body increases in number, the Student Voice Committee (SVC) sees feedback as vital in assuring the quality of campus services and create new ones that convenience the students further. The SVC is a group that chiefly devotes its time to the collection of student opinion via surveys for all UCR services. Upon compiling the data, the committee reports it to ASUCR with the hope that senators work to improve student life on campus. SVC Chair Jeffrey Ramos wrote in an interview that the committee has been dedicated to its cause since March of 2017, but has mostly been collecting data since then for ASUCR to use. On Wednesday, April 18, however, the committee turned its focus to implementing their findings, as the committee began working with the Rivera library to extend open hours, and later with Green Campus Action Plan (GCAP), an environmentalist committee within ASUCR, to improve the Zagster bike rental program. Ramos elaborated that the committee was mainly focused on data collection in the past because as a new committee, they needed to refine their survey process. “Now that we got … the process down, we

can move more comfortably into the area of consolidating student action and overlooking ASUCR operations as a whole,” Ramos further specified. Based on the committee’s research, students using the Rivera library late at night would find an extension of closing time from 12 a.m. to 2 a.m. to be more convenient. Implementing this change would be complicated, however, as “there are many process (sic) to account for, such as (if) personnel are available, security endeavors, and ultimately if students will come,” according to Ramos. Ramos personally believes that such an extension would benefit students if it came to fruition. Alongside extending Rivera’s hours, the committee has been working with GCAP on improving the Zagster Bike Share program on campus, which provides bikes for students at UCR to use on campus. “According to our intel, an overwhelming amount of students expressed a concern that the bikes are constantly unavailable or under maintenance,” Ramos said. “We’ll be submitting this issue to the formal committee to look into it; there needs to be more bikes available overall.” A specific number of complainants was unavailable, as Ramos explained that the

bike survey was focused more on individual and personalized feedback, “full written accounts of the bike share program rather than a qualitative (sic) number.” Ramos also pointed out that bikes may not be the only rental vehicle in the future. “In order to make a sizable impact on campus, the program will need to expand past its 50-ish bikes,” Ramos observed, “and we’ve taken into account current popular modes of transportation such as walking, skateboarding and scootering.” Skateboarding and scootering were proposed because students are known to use them on campus and set themselves up to be avenues of vehicles for rent. The latter was especially suggested because of what Ramos considers a “strong scooter presence” at UCR, “potentially even larger than the biking community. It’s important that we consider all options,” Ramos noted. When asked why Rivera’s library hours and the Zagster rental service were the committee’s current foci of action, Ramos pointed out that the SVC doesn’t have enough resources or people to handle every student issue. “The library hours research provided us with a very clear route … we provided a plan of action and thus entered the meetings (with administration) with an ultimate quantifiable

goal,” Ramos specified. As for the Zagster program, Ramos explained that the the rental service was a “common community resource. It impacts a number of our (students’) day to day lives and is an active, ongoing program which seeks development and improvement,” Ramos said. On Friday, May 2, the committee met in the ASUCR offices to further discuss the plans of their group. They currently plan on strengthening their connections with the newly elected ASUCR senators

through individual meetups. The SVC also intends to increase communications with other campus organizations on the surveys they have already performed. “A lot of campus resources are doing the same things we’ve done already,” Ramos noted at the meeting, “and we’re trying to better connect with those resources” to resolve the redundancy of their surveys. The SVC meets every Friday at 5 p.m. inside the conference room of the ASUCR office (HUB 202) on the second floor of the HUB. ■H

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

ASUCR

ASUCR seeks grant for Black Grad, discusses buying “sobriety journals” EVAN ISMAIL Senior Staff Writer

Last Wednesday’s ASUCR meeting happened in the wake of an ASUCR elections season mired by low voter turnout. Here are some highlights: Keep the 20 percent … In light of the 2018 ASUCR elections where referenda failed because of very low voter turnout, ASUCR Judicial Council Chief Justice Jo Gbujama addressed comments made during last week’s ASUCR meeting that suggested lowering the minimum threshold of 20 percent turnout, perhaps to 15 percent. “I would recommend against that,” stated Gbujama, stating that the threshold should actually be higher. He explained that referenda asking for an increase in fees serve as a tax on students and should have a large body in agreement for such tax. “Save the Bees” … Miguel Ramirez, the chapter chair for CALPIRG, announced CALPIRG’s new statewide initiative to raise awareness on the

plight of bees in California. “Bees are dying at alarming rates … we get 70 percent of our food from bees,” stated Ramirez, “It’s a really profound issue.” The campaign will begin next quarter. ASUCR grant for Black Grad … Vice President of Internal Affairs Semi Cole shared some news from his office. Cole and Vice President of Finance Jose Cortez-Hernandez established a grant for Black Graduation, covering $1,500 of their expenses. They are working to establish a grant for Raza Graduation as well. These events are held by the African Student Programs and Chicano Student Programs, respectively, and are held to recognize the accomplishments of students in their communities. “We hope to be more visible leaders in the community and be more conscientious of the needs of Costo Hall folk,” said Cole in an email sent Friday. Additionally, Cole is also working on a UCPD Text Alert System to notify students of emergencies on campus. With outreach

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

primarily centered in the residence halls, Cole said that 250 students have registered for the system so far. “We hope our efforts will help empower students will vital information about threats of safety in the community,” wrote Cole. During senate reports … CNAS Senator Priyanka Garg announced that the Research Expo will be postponed until May 22. Garg expressed issues with setting up the event as well as a lack of cooperation from faculty. The Research Expo is an event that began last year and is intended to connect students with research opportunities in CNAS and BCOE. CNAS Senator Matthew Shashaty elaborated more on the $800 purchase of 200 journals intended to promote sobriety pride. Shashaty said the notebooks will be emblazoned with a “really nice” design produced by the marketing and promotion committee and consist of a lightbulb with “ideas” written below it. “The marketing

committee and I wanted something fairly simple and minimalistic for the design and we hope everyone likes it,” wrote Marketing and Promotion Director Connie Wi, while also expressing her excitement for the project. Shashaty did not respond before time of print regarding the project’s specifics. CHASS Senator Marco Ornelas provided specifics on the commuter meal plan, the brainchild of CHASS Senator Roy Tongilava. Ornelas, speaking on Tongilava’s behalf since he was absent from the meeting, said that those who subscribe to the plan will be charged $75 on their Banner account and receive 86.25 dining dollars allowing access to all campus retail locations, food trucks and convenience stores. Also included in the cost is access to the dining halls at leasts seven times, per an email from Tongilava. The next ASUCR meeting will be held Wednesday, May 16 in the senate chambers, HUB 221. ■H

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

Opinions HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

Updating the US’ asylum laws is a matter of life or death

JUSTUS ROSS / HIGHLANDER

It is often stated that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants; this fact holds true today as much as ever, as nearly 1.5 million immigrants entered the country in 2016, the most recent year for which statistics are available. A story that does not get told nearly as much, however, is that of the small proportion of those immigrants who enter the country as refugees, numbering roughly 85,000 in 2016. Those who enter the U.S. as refugees are allowed to seek asylum if they are unwilling or unable to return to their country of origin due to “persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion,” according to the Department of Homeland Security. In 2016, around 20,000 were granted asylum out of the total refugee pool, or about 24 percent. While this percentage is not especially high, a disturbing trend is that for refugees coming from Central America, there is enormous variation in how many people are granted asylum based on which judge hears the case — with some judges granting asylum in only 3 percent of cases, while others grant in as many of 97 percent of cases. This problem arises because Central American refugees are often escaping endemic gang violence or domestic abuse, as opposed to conventional persecution as in Syria or Myanmar (two of the major sources of refugees in 2016), which do not neatly fit into the categories outlined in the Refugee Act of 1980. Therefore, there is a pressing need to revisit the Refugee Act in order to reduce the potential for judges’ biases to affect someone’s chance of gaining asylum and to ensure that those who face credible fears not outlined in the current

law are allowed to escape dangers. When two judges are allowed under the current law to grant asylum at such varying rates, it is obvious that the legal parameters that they are operating within suffer from vague phrasing that allows for a range of interpretations. In an age when the president has polarized opinions on immigration, or is perhaps symptomatic of said polarization, it is inappropriate to allow judges to process cases involving gang violence on little more than personal

IT IS UP TO CONGRESS, OR AT LEAST TO THE SUPREME COURT, TO CREATE LAW OR ESTABLISH PRECEDENT TO PATCH THE FLAWS IN OUR EXISTING ASYLUM SYSTEM. political belief. When the law is unclear about what constitutes “membership in a particular social group” (the clause which allows refugees from gang violence to argue their case for asylum), judges are required to rely on their own interpretations, which are inevitably vulnerable to political belief. Thus, liberal judges can admit refugees who have weak cases to send a message and conservative judges can bar any refugee out of spite. A revision to existing law could be used

to hold all cases to a strict standard and prevent judges from injecting biases in place of actual law. Clarification to the Refugee Act would also ensure that refugees who face dangerous, life-threatening situations in their home countries are not rejected and sent back, potentially into harm’s way. In countries such as El Salvador, the prevalence of gangs such as MS-13 results in entire communities being controlled, not by the government, but by organized crime. Attempts at resistance or defiance against the gangs risks a violent response, not unlike the response one could expect from an oppressive government. People who dare voice opposition to the gangs put themselves in danger, but because U.S. asylum law does not view this in the same light as being endangered by a government, there is a much lower chance that these people will gain asylum, making retaliation against them easy. It is therefore essential to revise asylum laws so that a broader range of people who live in dangerous situations can have a way out. If the Refugee Act is to be revised, it is important to consider a few other specific difficulties that arise for asylum seekers. Paramount among these is the language barrier presented by immigrants from Spanish-speaking Central America in English-speaking courts. Additionally, while defendants in asylum cases have the right to have legal counsel, they are not guaranteed to have it. If the asylum seeker is poor and therefore cannot afford to get their own counsel, their odds of winning their asylum case is much slimmer than for someone who does have counsel. Considering that most asylum seekers do not come from English-speaking

countries, it is critical for any revision of asylum law to account for the difficulties these people face so that they can have a truly fair trial. However, it is important to note that while asylum laws in the U.S. could and should be liberalized to a degree, to do so to a large degree would threaten the ability of the asylum system to function. Asylum is not intended for those who are facing economic hardship or other unfortunate circumstances in their home country. It also is not meant for cases of individual violence, including domestic violence. As sympathetic as such cases may be, to grant asylum to people who are not facing persecution or war or organized violence would increase the strain on our existing immigration court system, and could also delay entry for people in more imminent danger. It is up to Congress, or at least to the Supreme Court, to create law or establish precedent to patch the flaws in our existing asylum system. Ideally, the U.S. and its allies and partners around the world would work harder to promote peace and economic stability so that there is less need for people to seek asylum. Unfortunately, this utopian future is unlikely, especially under our current presidency. Rather than words and well-wishing, we need actual legal changes to happen in order to protect those people who tear up their roots and come to this country not only to better their lives, but to have a life at all. ■H Highlander editorials reflect the majority view of the Highlander Editorial Board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Associated Students of UCR or the University of California system.

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

OPINION POLL Compiled by Bri Chew, Staff Photographer

“Do you think the administration should do more to help fund Costo hall?”

Stephanie Jimenez Public Policy Second-year

TabithaBailey Mechanical Engineering Third-year

Anaya Henry TFDP Second-year

Carla Paredes TFDP Fourth-year

Ricky Cam Accounting Fourth-year

Nathan Tran Pre-Business First-year

“A lot of students use the resources there so it’s definitely beneficial to put some money there.”

“I definitely think that they should fund it some more. They are useful resources for students and really beneficial.”

“Yes, because there are a lot of programs centered towards ethnicities and we need to pay more att e ntion to these intersectional communities.”

“Yes, of course. A lot of undocumented student programs aren’t even included in the referemdum.We provide so many resources for so many students in general.”

“I don’t go to Costo Hall enough to know if it needs more funding or not.”

“Sure, especially R’Pantry.”

Trump does not get credit for the reduction of unemployment MICHAEL BEELI Staff Writer

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released new numbers on U.S. unemployment on May 4, showing that the national unemployment rate has fallen to 3.9 percent as the economy added a net 164,000 jobs last month. Although the new numbers clearly display success of the national economy during the tenure of the Trump administration, the economy still has a long way to go in terms of investing in sustainable development, empowering workers and building a fair economy for the future. The continued growth of employment that began in mid2009 is characteristic of the natural forces of an expanding economy that has moved out of a recession. Currently the economy is at “full-employment,” below what the U.S. Federal Reserve calls the long-run natural rate of unemployment of 4.8 to 4.2 percent. The rate refers to the range of workers who will be searching for or in between jobs at any given time that is consistent with a healthy economy. What the U.S. economy is currently experiencing is a shortrun dip below the natural rate of

employment, meaning that the vast majority of people searching for jobs can get them relatively quickly, and an unusual portion of what would normally be the workforce is either currently secure in a job or out of the workforce. Unless the Federal Reserve’s models are wrong, which I cannot possibly claim on virtue of not being a professional economist, then this dip will eventually rise back to the 4.2 to 4.8 percent range. This extraordinarily low unemployment number means that more firms are looking for workers than workers are looking for jobs, which is an indicator of a strong, productive, growing economy. This development is also very good news for workers, as it means that average wages, which hold as much purchasing power in 2014 as they did 39 years ago, are likely to finally begin rising as employers have to increase incentives for workers. These developments are all good and necessary news for workers and the economy; however, they are natural byproducts of a recession that was staved off with Keynesian fiscal policy during the Obama years and has now led to an economic expansion. In other words, the

Obama administration and more importantly, Congress, did what was necessary to pull the country of a recession by temporarily increasing government spending in 2009-2010 and, apart from that, allowed the economy to recover and expand by the natural cyclical force of market capitalism. President Donald Trump and the new Congress inherited an economy that had largely recovered with an unemployment rate of 5 percent, but had not yet passed on gains to workers. In 2017, real wages (adjusted for inflation) were only about 10 percent higher than they were in 1973, yet productivity has grown by 73.7 percent. Given these developments, the economy was bound to eventually start transferring a greater portion of its gains to workers as workers became less expendable; however, such wage growth is likely to be insufficient to meaningfully bridge the productivity-pay gap. The only meaningful economic policies enacted by Donald Trump so far are his aggressive environmental deregulation campaign, his signature tax cut and killing the Obama administration’s proposed rule to make 4 million more Americans eligible for overtime pay.

As a rule, these policies have excited investors and given businesses a gift at a time when they are already raking in record profits and the average wages of Americans only have about 10 percent more purchasing power than they did over 30 years ago. The Environmental Protection Agency’s campaign against clean energy and environmental regulation may be nice for oil and coal industries, but is slowing down the natural economics of the clean energy revolution. Solar energy is set to become cheaper than fossil fuels on average by as soon as 2020, without taking into account the costs associated with climate change, air pollution, environmental degradation and unsafe coal mining practices that are associated with the extraction and burning of fossil fuels. Solar and renewable energy promises a more forwardthinking, sustainable future with the potential of massive new job opportunities, yet that is a sector of the economy that Scott Pruitt and Trump are choosing to suppress. The tax cut similarly provides obvious benefits to its wealthy benefactors, but not without a cost to the federal budget deficit. Given that the economy was already growing healthily and needed no

fiscal stimulus when Trump signed the tax cut last year, the cut serves as little more than a handout to the wealthiest Americans and booming businesses from the federal treasury. The change in unemployment from the time of the tax cut is only 0.2 percent over four months, the same percent change that occurred naturally from August to September of 2017. The tax cut may have provided a small boost to the economy, but at the cost of investing in our workers and our future. Trump’s anti-labor policy continues keep the growing economic gains locked up at the very top, and his environmental policy actually is going against the progression of the free market. The economy is generally doing well as a result of prudent management during the 2008 financial crisis, but Trump’s presidency has very little, if anything, to do with these economic developments. And don’t even get me started on the current Congress. Although a president alone really can’t affect the economy all that much, if Trump really wants to help the economy, he should look into investing into our workers that are driving rising productivity and H building a sustainable future. ■

The rise of millennial feminism: Finding a voice in defeat SHYAM RAJAN Contributing Writer

Hillary Clinton’s victory in the 2016 presidential election would have been a historic moment not just for all Americans, but for women worldwide. Nearly 200 years after the Seneca Falls Convention in New York, the first women’s rights convention in the country, the former Democratic senator from New York became the first female leading Democratic presidential candidate in U.S. history. The Seneca Falls Convention set in motion a feminist movement which has evolved over the years. With such a strong history of feminist activity, it comes as no surprise that Mrs. Clinton became the first front-running female presidential candidate in American history and that her loss has fueled the transformation of feminism into its millennial form. Clinton’s long public career was as special as it was experimental. Having to field two public personas at the same time, she was forced to juggle her own personality with another. Having been called a “Rorschach Test” for

the American public,” her career and candidacy experimentally determined if a powerful, frontrunning female could succeed, and likewise, what female image was permissible in the traditionally masculine profession of politics. This experimentation included feminine characteristics like her hairstyle, adoption of her husband’s last name and the projection of a public personality which was relentlessly scrutinized for inauthenticity and unfeminine wonkishness. Some women on the campaign trail said they would “vote for a woman, just not ‘that woman.’” It appeared as if those women were still not comfortable with a female presidential candidate, claiming her to be “inauthentic,” a devastating blow in politics. It is even more damaging when considering that genuinity and trustworthiness are credibility issues that affect politically oriented women more so than men. Perhaps they were unaware that Mrs. Clinton’s persona was being carefully crafted every time she took the stage. She was forced to carry a description as an “imperfect vessel for the

feminist cause” early in her public career because she prioritized her husband’s career over her own, a label which persisted into her later political endeavors. Kellyanne Conway even criticized her for identifying with the feminist label after her loss. Apart from Caucasian women, however, women overwhelmingly voted for Mrs. Clinton. She blamed Caucasian women’s voting patterns on pressure from their husbands, a claim of apparent feminism directing women to cast votes independent of their spouses. However, not all women identify as feminists, but even those who did split their votes between her and President Donald Trump, who evaded the feminist label by saying he was “for everyone.” The public perception of Mrs. Clinton’s identification with the feminist label divided votes from women who saw in her the characteristics of a great leader, but found she lacked the necessary dedication to cement women’s rights as human rights. Nevertheless, Mrs. Clinton’s victory would have undoubtedly been the pinnacle of a feminist movement that has

grown tremendously over the past century. Mrs. Clinton’s continued presence in public has spurred fellow Democrats to criticize her for not exiting the political playing field in a sportsmanlike manner. Yet, she claims sexism as the root of this suggestion. Her surprising loss is not a legitimate reason to forget women’s achievements, nor is it a reason to ignore them by shoving their extraordinary gains under a rug of failure. Her loss does not give free-reign to men who feel her defeat indicates that women should hush up and go home. Her surprising loss made her a martyr for progressive women, motivating them to continue the sentiments that fueled their support of her as they fear a return to masculine subordination. Since her defeat, women have marched in cities nationwide, from Los Angeles to Washington to Chicago to New York. Their voices will not be forgotten. The movement’s wave is yet to peak, let alone crash on America’s patriarchal shores. Not only was Mrs. Clinton a leader, but she was an astounding role model, however imperfect, for all women

nationwide. Since her loss, a record number of women have run for political office, knowing that they must act quickly to challenge masculine power before it drowns womanhood from its precarious perch. They will not surrender. The #MeToo movement cannot be ignored in its proximity to all this. Erupting almost a year after Mrs. Clinton’s loss, not only is the movement a pronouncement of rampant sexual violence, it underscores that women will not take sexual violence lightly. They want it known that they will not submit to a secondary status under men, and that Mrs. Clinton’s loss is not a triumph for unbridled masculine promiscuity. Women have not been defeated; rather, they have been given a new and essential voice. From Harvey Weinstein to Bill Cosby, from former President George H.W. Bush to President Donald Trump, women have been speaking out against sexual misconduct forced upon them by powerful men. If Mrs. Clinton’s victory would have cemented forever the success of women, it was her loss that ensured that women won’t be ■H silenced.

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

OPINIONS

COMICS FASHION MAFIA 4 BY: MOISES BAUTISTA

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OPINIONS

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

COMICS TALL TAIL #24 BY: JUSTUS ROSS

YOUR COMIC HERE

BECOME A COMIC ARTIST FOR THE HIGHLANDER! CONTACT OPINIONS @HIGHLANDERNEWS.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

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FEATURES KIM CHI SPEAKS ON DRAG CULTURE AND REPRESENTATION AT “FIERCE, FEMME AND ASIAN: KIM CHI” BY: Marcelo Garcia, SENIOR STAFF WRITER About half of the seating in MSE 104 was filled by students eagerly anticipating the start of “Fierce, Femme, Asian: A Night with Kim Chi,” hosted by Asian Pacific Student Programs last Wednesday night. The event, which was originally meant to begin at 7 p.m., began late, giving attendees the opportunity to converse and share their mutual appreciation of Chi while waiting. Kim Chi is a Korean-American drag queen and reality television personality, who originally gained recognition for her time on the eighth season of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” where she made top three, while also drawing attention for her representation of Asians in the drag scene; Chi was the first KoreanAmerican participant on the show. Entering fashionably late, Chi performed a song for the audience in full drag. As soon as it ended, those in the front row eagerly pulled out dollar bills, which Chi promptly collected; tipping cash is a practice adopted by the drag community as a means to offset the high prices of the makeup, fabric and wigs that make drag performances possible. After her performance Chi took a seat and began the Q&A segment, where she spoke on her experiences on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” as well as the show’s impact on her life and career. “Before ‘Drag Race,’ I was so poor,” she began. “It got to a point where to feed myself I would scoop out quarters from my couch

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

hoping I had enough to buy myself a burger from McDonald’s, but now I’ve been able to pay off my student loans so thank god.” Chi now has her own makeup line with Sugarpill Cosmetics and has performed around the world, including South Korea, where she was raised as a child. Chi explained that performing drag

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

in South Korea was one of her lifelong dreams, and shared some insight on her time spent there. “After the episode (of ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’) aired, where I spoke about wanting to perform in Korea, one of the coordinators reached out to me and within 24 hours the show was sold out. And I’ve since been back five times.” Chi also commented on the drag scene in South Korea, which she described as small but growing. When asked how her ethnicity influences her drag, Chi explained how she draws from Korean fashion trends that she feels reflect in her outfits. “Korean clothing is all about dynamic silhouette, it’s not always very form fitting but it takes up a lot of space and it’s always monochromatic,” she explained. “I feel that really contributes to my aesthetic because I like to wear things that are larger than life and take up a lot of fabric.” While on the topic of ethnicity, Chi was asked about her thoughts on Asian representation on “RuPaul’s Drag Race” to which she responded: “Them being Asian wasn’t always the focus, but they were all fierce, so I can’t complain.”

She went on to express her hopes that an Asian queen would one day take the crown. Once the Q&A segment was over, Chi took questions from the audience, where she gave advice to prospective drag queens, makeup tips and answered general questions from fans. Afterwards, the audience was welcome to step down and meet Chi, who greeted every individual with her glowing personality and a smile. ■H

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

FEATURES

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

UNDER THE

KILT

For many, our lives are already consumed by college and work while trying to keep up a social life. Midterms, extracurriculars and jobs take up most of our time, making any free-time rare. Adding a relationship on top of this is difficult, but not impossible.

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

MAKING TIME FOR YOUR PARTNER

MARTHA DELGADO, STAFF WRITER

Stay Organized

Communicate

Most of us know how to keep track of our day-today activities, but not many know how to stay in that habit. Staying organized is not a new concept, if you already have experience balancing work, a social life and school; however, not many people think of applying it to their relationship. One simple way to get organized is to use a planner to write in important dates and deadlines. Doing this simple activity is useful to avoid time conflicts, and keeping track of your schedule can help you see the available time you might have for your partner.

As cliche as it sounds, communication will always be key to a successful relationship. There is nothing wrong with needing to take time to study for an upcoming test, but you should always let your partner know beforehand. Communicating with each other about these tasks can avoid any possible feelings of neglect. Remember, not all details need to be planned. There is still room to be spontaneous if you wish. A simple text asking your partner if they have time to eat together or hang out in short notice can work wonders.

Plan Ahead

Study Together

Similar to how you would plan classes, events and free time into your schedule weeks in advance, designating time in your calendar to spend with your partner is a good way to maintain a connection. If you have a schedule of your week (online calendars are a good idea), then it is simple to find the days that you are available. Whether you are just hanging out or going on a date is up to you. You don’t need to have all the little details planned out, but having that time already reserved can make it easier to plan outings than to try to squeeze time into an already busy week. Planning this can also be tailored to your individual schedules. If you find opportunities to see each other then maybe this designated time can be used to plan a date every two weeks.

Studies have shown that studying with a friend can help improve motivation and enhance problem solving skills. So, why not study with your partner? Take some time to get work done and still be in the presence of each other. Breaks can allow you both to spend time together while not neglecting your schoolwork. Whether this may or may not work depends on personal preference as some people may get distracted when studying in the presence of others. Every relationship is different and what may work for some may not work for others. Applying your time-management and organization skills into your relationships can help you maintain a healthy ■H and fulfilling relationship.

COURTESY OF PIXABAY

Campus Cope Don’t stress: Finding direction post-graduation By: Edward Dave, staff writer At the end of every journey lies a new beginning. For undergrad students, this journey will unfold in a plethora of ways. Some will dive right into the corporate world, while others will pursue a post-secondary education at a graduate school. And others will take a gap year to reflect and decompress after all of the arduous work that a bachelor’s degree commands. Regardless of your path, there should always be a tentative plan in mind to help direct your future in the best possible way. Everyone always asks fellow graduates what their plans are post-graduation. And as tempting as it is to provide inquiring minds with a full itinerary for the next few years of your life, it will most likely not be that simple. The best part about conjuring up tentative plans is that you can consciously leave gaps in there for changes and redirection. If you are unsure of what to do as these last few weeks creep up, remember that it’s okay to be lost. Sometimes we need to feel lost in order to find ourselves and realize our true trajectory in life. So instead of throwing a frenzy over watching your friends move on with their lives, take agency over your own and be cognizant of the fact that everyone progresses at varying paces. Just because your colleague is ready to embark on two more years of education right after obtaining a bachelor’s doesn’t mean you are as well. And just because someone you know nabs a job right after college doesn’t mean you should rush into the

first opening you see. Having a degree is only half the battle. And in order to prepare for the next stage, you need to take a breath and gauge what will be most comfortable for you. Never let someone convince you not to take a break if it’s for your own mental wellbeing or peace of mind. But while you’re in that space, weigh your options and research to make sure that you’re taking active steps to ensure the future you want for yourself. Another important thing to remember after graduating is that we have our whole lives ahead of us. Some people will peak in their early 20’s while others won’t peak until their 30’s and so on. Everybody hits their stride at different points. Many of us will hear many more “no’”s than “yes’”s. But all of the failure and misdirection will only equip us with the experience to nail what we finally deserve when the time comes. Trusting in the process and prepping for periods of inactivity will help you come to terms with the flow of time. Many college students forget that there are precious resources on campus that they can access. For people having trouble with getting a good grasp on their future, the career center on campus boasts a wealth of information and guidance counselors that can alleviate any fears you may have. Additionally, there are computers that allow you to log in and take aptitude and assessment tests to match you to potential careers. Life is full of mystery. And the road after graduation will be a mixed bag

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

of delight, terror, and discovery. But as many will attest to, there’s beauty in the struggle. There are people and resources around you that will be more than happy to give you a helping hand.

Many generations have gotten out of college and made a prosperous life for themselves. With that being said, there’s no reason why it should be any ■H different for our generation.

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

SPRING SPLASH AND I ARE NOT FRIENDS ANYMORE

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

JULIAN MEDRANDA Senior Staff Writer

I shouldn’t try (but can’t help myself from) finding any amusement in the pre-gaming consequences that rock the much livelier patrons at Spring Splash around me. Partially because there’s little reward in laughing at amicable college drunks enjoying themselves, never minding the spectacle when their systems need a good purge. But when that purge happens to be in a walkway where people are eating, the rich comedic possibilities at these student shows are unleashed: A parade of scowls, sympathetic pats on the back and a collective stare that says, “well that’s Spring Splash.” I shouldn’t laugh, but no one got hurt, so it’s pretty funny. This was maybe two hours in, before the nighttime cold swept in and before the biding underwhelm would reveal itself. It didn’t register with me at that point that this would be my last Spring Splash, assuming I never pay for a guest pass after I graduate (I don’t see that happening but I would have never thought I’d yawn at a Lil Uzi Vert show so who knows). For a lot of other people there, most of whom knew full well it would be the last time they would get to experience a diet festival experience on a budget with so many friends, knowing this placed the onus on them to celebrate the live music with a heightened rage and get as wasted as possible. And at 5 p.m., neither I nor the person sticking their fingers in their mouth to purge the booze they were forced to drink before entering the alcoholfree zone would recognize how paltry this year’s Spring Splash would be. The real hardship is getting through those early hours where people wait patiently for the main event and endure whatever oddities

come before. At this time, you’d be hard pressed to find anyone comically drunk to follow with your eyes. Feeling out of place, it might be easy to forget how many aneminities are offered. If anything, the night’s underwhelm arrives in spite of, not because, ASPB’s effort. At the HUB, a lonely silent disco, well, it existed. It was there, and people were too; its existence alone warrants some mentioning, right? On the opposite end, in front of Rivera’s lawn, a ferris wheel taught students the true meaning of friendship. Or something like that. A rock climbing wall, face paint station, Rockstar bar, a yerba mate stand and miscellaneous pleasantries padded out the main experience of live music. Coast Modern is a band and they play music. But first: A word on alcohol. In theory, prohibiting its sale on campus is fine. Understandable, bearable, whatever. But with most cases of prohibition, the powers that be open doors for other problems to arise. Clever smugglers sneak, among other household items, brushes elaborately housing secret compartments to store liquor, others simply hide it in places guards won’t check. That’s fine, I love it, flex on them when you’re in the clear. But it also makes it a goal to get blasted before entering. Occupied stretchers tell stories of tactical drinkers downing too much too soon, and it’s easy to chuckle when it’s not you who’s on the ground as scores of people eye you down and collectively patronize. So easy, as it turns out. EMT duties are lighter as Coast Modern plays, though. It’s early and relatively calm. They meet the prerequisites to amass something of a crowd. I’m sitting down and a small surge of people briskly follow the source of the guitars that fill the heart of the campus. It’s an unam-

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

bitious migration of people who wanna give the first band a shot and it happens at every one of these shows. The few fans Coast Modern has in front of them are offset by everyone else awkwardly throwing metal horns up and down, dancing at alien rhythms for the indie pop, surf rock wallpaper. This is not shade. It took very little time for the influx of people to disperse, leaving the small crowd smaller and the day seeming longer. For what it’s worth, the band was warmly received even by strangers, and they played to the desires of mid-day partiers. Food break: People throwing up is gross and funny but does not exactly prime the palette for overpriced dining. “You wanna smoke?” “Not really man.” It elevates the surrounding debauchery to theatrics, and I am now friends with everyone in my head so it’s ok to lose my shit and laugh hysterically internally when I’m asked, politely, if someone can head bang to the music beside me. Still not hungry though. Time is loose but artist schedules are looser: Lauv went on at some time and finished at some time and some people said some of it was great and some said some of it sucked so it really is a matter of perspective. Zeds Dead is late but my friends and I see him walk by twice so we’re confused and cold and bored. I’m in solidarity with the people at the front of the barricade stone-faced through the wait for Uzi. He is up almost an hour past his scheduled time and people enjoy it, I think. I don’t know this crowd but they like it when the music sounds like that the song on that Spongebob episode on ecstasy. Different strokes for different folks and all but I have to question the soundness of mind in transitioning from Cher or Red Hot Chili Peppers to what my ill-informed perspective can only register as dubstep or one of its cousins. Heads bang like a metal show but I’m even more confused. Friends tell me the crowd is relatively dead for this type of music and I wonder for what genre would a sea of still bodies not be considered a failure. It’s not like they don’t like this music, but the timing of it all and what seemed like a volume limit from my corner of the lawn indicated the cold reception was a product of chance. I then hear someone ask, “What the fuck is up bro,” to a bro, so things

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

can’t be too bad. So Uzi’s late, and an encroaching anxiety surrounding whether he’d play or not fills the crowd. People leave, others stay and complain. I am compelled to scan the crowd as I stand stone-faced while the DJ plays two songs by XXXtentacion and 6ix9ine’s “Gummo” (I hate that I can’t hate that song). My eyes prime to spot out people from my gender, sexuality and cultural studies class — no luck. (Also a fun game: Scan the crowd during a song like “Faneto” or “All Day,” and count how many non-black people are singing along to every word). I was almost expecting to hear R. Kelly before “The Race” comes on and I’m delighted, if not amused when my friend points out the irony in my reaction. At 9:08 I disappointingly add to the notes on my phone, “No Uzi.” As if in response, though probably a natural end to an hour of down time, he takes the stage. He’s so good, but something is off in both the reception and his set. Maybe the stage was small for someone like him, maybe the transition from genres was off, maybe the crowd was tired, maybe he was great and my lukewarm perception of the atmosphere was a product of my vantage

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

point. Regardless, Uzi took notice and seemed to be bothered that the “ragers” (he pointed these people out when they couldn’t finish his lines, funny enough) weren’t opening pits. “Those are virgin pits” he pointed out. I’m embarrassed, first because of how weak the crowd looks from my eyeview, but more so that I’m just as energy deficient. It couldn’t have been a conscious decision to place it the day before Mother’s Day, but Spring Splash landed at an inopportune time to inopportune circumstances. We could interpret this as a sign that mothers are responsible for any and all negative outcomes that night, or that these college concerts will always be eclipsed by the better experiences we’ve had at festivals and shows we’ve dropped a few bills on. Interpret it as you will, but it’s unfair to judge any experience of Spring Splash as truly novel; there’s too many factors at play. Maybe you threw up at a Denny’s at 1 a.m. after a great night out with your girls seeing prince Uzi, maybe you threw up at 1 p.m. before a sluggish afternoon with your bros. How late Uzi got there, how virginal the pseudo mosh pits were, how agreeable the dubstep (?) was with your taste, it’s all mush. ■H

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

A spoiler-filled discussion of the ups and downs of

“Avengers: I N FI N I T Y WA R

MARCELO GARCIA Semior Staff Writer QUINN MINTEN Semior Staff Writer

Marvel’s “Avengers: Infinity War” is one of the biggest superhero movies of all time. It has already made $1.5 billion and marks the culmination of 10 years’ worth of previous movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). In order to give “Infinity War” a good shakedown, two Highlander editors sat down to discuss anything and everything about the movie. Massive spoilers for “Avengers: Infinity War” and for the MCU in general ahead. Obviously.

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Marcelo: So, general impressions: What were your thoughts on the movie as a whole? Quinn: I thought it was one of the stronger entries in the MCU so far, perhaps even top five. Even if we limit it to just the Avengers movies it’s probably the second best, beating out “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Captain America: Civil War” (which should count as an Avengers movie). Lots of good action, an actually scary villain and a plot that mostly knows what it’s doing — those factors alone help it beat out most of the MCU movies. M: I agree, although I will say it has the same downfall as every post-“Guardians of the Galaxy” Marvel film. There was just so much humor that felt misplaced in a movie that was supposed to feel like a serious and desperate last stand without hope. Q: I think that humor was there but mostly faded out by the finale. After all, we have the Guardians, who are inherently kind of a comedy troupe, and we have post-“Thor: Ragnarok” Thor, which made him a lot funnier overall. But I also think they were appropriately serious after each major death. There was no humor when Thanos killed Loki or Gamora or half the surviving people at the end. The end credits were very muted, with no flashy CGI sequences. Just a black screen and words. M: I will agree with that, it definitely got serious when things mattered, none of that “Civil War” cancer where the airport fight just loses all meaning because of all the pointless humor shoehorned into it. But since we’re talking about the ending, was I the only one that just felt like the ending had way less impact than it should have? When the first person starts dematerializing it’s crazy, but by the time we see everyone just dying left and right I can’t help but just not feel anything. Q: I think the ending can only be judged based on what happens in the next Avengers movie. All those deaths will have much more impact if we see that they are all permanent and that there will be no comic book-style magic plot device to bring them back. But this is a comic book movie so I expect we can see something of that fashion happening in the sequel. As far as judging them right now, I think the impact would have been greater if they had the guts to kill off a veteran Avenger. If Cap or Iron Man had died, that would have been something. Instead they killed the Guardians (including Star-Lord, who totally deserved it), Black Panther, Vision (who everyone knew would have to bite the dust here), and a bunch of others who haven’t been around as long or who haven’t had as much impact on the overall course of the series. M: That’s another thing I find interesting about “Infinity War,” unlike every other “Avengers” movie so far, it is entirely reliant on sequels, which is fine to me, but it’s a valid criticism. As for everyone coming back to life, of course they are, it’s a comic book movie. If Thanos has the power to snap his fingers and erase half the universe, someone on a similar level that puts in a little more effort can bring everyone back. I just don’t understand how they’ll do it without it seeming too out of left field. (especially since they killed Scarlet Witch off, but we’ll get to her later). I also would have prefered if some veterans were killed off, so that we could form an attachment to some of the newbies like Spider-Man and Black Panther, who both only got one (1.5 for Spider-Man) movie of screentime.

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts And since you brought up Star-Lord, I actually despised how his character was written in this movie, it’s pretty much a betrayal of what was being built up in the past two movies. In theory him not having the guts to kill Gamora makes sense, but his character was just so one dimensional in this movie that he came across as a selfish prick, not the comedian with a heart of gold that we’ve come to know and love. Q: I know a lot of people freaked out over Star-Lord, saying he single-handedly killed all the people who died by being selfish in a critical moment (or several moments), but I think there’s an argument that can be made for each. It’s understandable that he would be unwilling or unable to kill Gamora, but keep in mind that when he does make the choice to attempt it, Thanos had already wiped reality so his gun shot bubbles, not lasers. Later on, when he interferes in Tony Stark’s plan to take away the Infinity Gauntlet, yes, he is being shortsighted, but I don’t think it’s inconsistent with his character. After all, in the second “Guardians” movie he goes into a rage and attacks his dad when the latter reveals that he was responsible for Star-Lord’s mother’s death. So we have seen already that he’s prone to losing rational control when confronted with a severe emotional shock. As far as him being one-dimensional goes, I think the same can be said of anyone in this movie. There isn’t time to try characterizing 30 heroes, even with 2.5 hours of screen time. The key is realizing that the MCU is just a three-season TV show and this is part one of the series finale. No one adds new characterization that late in a show, you keep your characters on the path they had already been walking up to that point. M: I agree, I wasn’t expecting any new kind of character development, however that doesn’t justify disregarding two movies worth of already established character progression, but I rest my case. Speaking of that, I found it weird that in that fight on Titan, Thanos already possesses more than half of the Infinity Stones. Every past Marvel villain only had one and it took all the Avengers to take them down, so why is it that five heroes can even stand a chance against someone stronger than that? Also the fact that Captain America, Black Widow and Falcon were as strong as they were against Thanos’ generals was laughable. Q: I think that comes down to a couple of factors. First, in the first two Avengers movies, they aren’t fighting someone using the Infinity Stones. Loki in “Avengers” is using the Tesseract as a portal generator, not a weapon. The whole Avengers team is fighting the alien invasion, not a demigod with a magic weapon — look what Hulk does to him one-on-one. In “Age of Ultron,” Ultron doesn’t have a stone at the end. The Avengers are fighting an army of bots, not someone wielding an Infinity Stone. In the other movies, like the second “Thor” movie, one has to wonder why there weren’t more people involved in the fights. Thor goes alone against the Dark Elves, and Cap goes alone versus Red Skull; the Guardians as a group fight Ronan but they aren’t especially powerful, plus he’s the only one actually using a stone as a weapon. Second, I’m not entirely sure on this, but I don’t think the Infinity Stones grant sudden super strength or anything, just other abilities like warping reality or time or whatever. So, Thanos is mortal, and he can be hurt, and he’s basically just a really tough guy when he doesn’t actively use the Stones’ powers. When he’s fighting Spider-Man, Iron Man and other tough heroes, it’s not unreasonable for them to beat him up easily enough, until he does start doing real supernatural stuff. M: I think my main gripe is with the first scene of the movie, where Loki (who’s definitely not dead by the way, I’m calling that) tries to kill Thanos. He gets stopped in his tracks with just one stone, so why doesn’t Thanos use that kind of power against Iron Man and Co.? Also, speaking of power inconsistencies, Scarlet Witch was the worst offender (I may be biased since she’s my favorite character from when I used to read the Avengers comics but the argument still stands). Q: Because if they actually used Thanos’ full power he’d kill all the Avengers then win in the end anyway. A restrained villain makes for a better fight when everyone is kind of weak in comparison. And I bet they didn’t want Loki to survive the encounter so they make Thanos use his powers for once. I think Loki will probably come back, since he’s been dead … twice. The

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT story is better for Thor if he doesn’t come back but oh well. Also, am I the only one that thought that Thor’s (along with Rocket and Groot’s) part of the story was the worst of the roughly four parallel storylines going on? M: Well Loki’s the god of mischief, clones and illusions are kind of his whole spiel. Not to mention that “You’ll never be a god” comment he made, which implies that actual gods (like Loki and Thor) actually have a leg up over him. Actually, Thor’s arc was my favorite part of this entire movie. We saw a new side of him, while getting a really interesting B-story that gave us a break from the cycle of finding an Infinity Stone and fighting over it. Also completely irrelevant and unimportant, but Thor looked 10 times more badass with his eyepatch and I was really dissapointed when Rocket gave him the prosthetic. Q: The problem I had with Thor’s arc was that it was really just pointless. Half the point of “Ragnarok” was that Thor didn’t need the hammer, that his power was inherent, etc. So what does he do? He spends a good chunk of time getting a new hammer, except now it’s an ax. The whole arc was interesting enough, and it was a good palate cleanser of sorts, but it seemed very irrelevant. Since it gave us giant Peter Dinklage and that fun stuff about Rocket as the captain of the ship and Thor standing in front of a star, I’ll give it a pass; besides, it was cool and amusing, consistent with Thor’s post-“Raganrok” character. And yes, Thor with the eyepatch is very neat, both from a simple character design perspective and in the symbolic sense that he has completed his path to becoming his father. But the real question, which is best: Adult Groot, Baby Groot or Teenage Groot? M: That’s only because “Ragnarok” is a trash movie that disregards years of canon that made perfect sense (I’m kidding, but not really). While it is true that his power is inherent it still just makes sense that weilding a weapon would make him stronger. This isn’t just any other ax after all. As for Groot, you can’t go wrong with Adult Groot, it’s the best and most well-developed version of the character that’s just way more loveable and deeper than the other two, who are both just gimmicky jokes if we’re being honest. Q: Hey, hey, those are fighting words. I agree on Adult Groot, by the way. Moving on, what are your thoughts regarding Gamora’s death? M: I loved it. I think it’s one of the best parts about this movie because that entire scene just gave Thanos this incredible depth, making him immediately miles above any other Marvel villain we’ve seen so far. Although I will say it was a bit weird that we didn’t see her body hit the floor, I feel like it would have made the entire thing more emotional and gut wrenching (but, hey, you’ve got to keep it PG for the kids I guess). Q: Yeah, that scene did do a lot to characterize Thanos. I’m not 100 percent sure I buy the whole thing, insofar as I sort of doubt he was that emotionally attached to her, but if we assume that he did genuinely care about his adoptive daughter, then we see what lengths he’s willing to go to in order to achieve his mission. At the same time, we see that while his mission matters to him, he also is unsure about the costs. After all, when his goal is questionably noble and would not directly benefit him personally, he had to pay a very high price to get his ultimately ideological mission done. M: I think we can at least go as far as to say that he was attached to her in his own way. But either way I think it’s really interesting to bring up that Thanos’ goal falls into a gray area. While obviously the idea of killing half the universe is horrible, in the bigger picture it just helped the future of those worlds. And he’s not even reshaping the worlds or becoming their overlord, his goal is solely for the preservation of their current state and to even improve some worlds. While he’s the villain of this story, (because this is the Avengers and they’re the “good guys”) the argument can be made that Thanos is an antihero, who is willing to take on the title of “villain” for the good of the universe. Q: Now that I think of it, all the best “villains” in the MCU are really just antiheroes. Loki was, in my book, the best villain before “Infinity War,” but that was because of how he developed into a sort of antihero over the course of several mov-

ies. In “Thor” and “Avengers,” the movies where he can be called the main villain, he really isn’t that impressive, but after that he gets more interesting. Likewise I was impressed with Erik Killmonger in “Black Panther” because he, like Thanos, does what he thinks he has to in order to benefit the world at large. Of course, Loki tries invading Earth with an alien army and Killmonger commits attempted regicide to get his way, and these actions make them villains, but there’s far more to them than the likes of the lame villains in “Thor: The Dark World” or “Guardians” or “AntMan.” They have interesting characterizations or motives that elevate them, and that’s why they are great. M: 100 percent agree, ironically enough it feels like Marvel is improving its villains while simultaneously neglecting its heroes. But switching gears a little bit, let’s talk about what the masses went in to go see. What’d you think of the big explosions on the screen? (The fight scenes) Q: I mean, we got to see some solid fights throughout. Best one was probably the fight on Titan. I remember having heard something about Thanos throwing a moon way before this movie came out but I wasn’t expecting to see him throw pieces of a moon at the heroes. The fighting in Wakanda wasn’t bad but I swear they bit way too much off the Naboo battle scene from “The Phantom Menace” in that segment. M: The Titan fight is definitely the most memorable for more than a few reasons (Doctor Strange’s Shadow Clone Jutsu made me laugh in the theater), it was also interesting that the entire fight revolved around stopping Thanos from using the gauntlet instead of just fighting him head on. Also the problem with that Wakanda fight isn’t that it’s unoriginal, it’s the fact that the scene it’s imitating wasn’t very good in the first place. Q: It’s like I said above, if Thanos was going full power with the four Infinity Stones he had at that point, there would be no fight; he would wipe out everyone quite quickly. That’s why the fight has to revolve around taking away his source of power, which in turn makes the fight a unique one among the big MCU battles. Moving on, other than the ending, were there any moments that really surprised you? M: The beginning was actually very surprising, I didn’t expect it to get straight to it the way it did, but it was great at setting the tone for the whole movie. Other than that I can’t really say that much comes to mind. Once the pace was set the movie ran with it. Q: The one big shocker that randomly got me was seeing the Red Skull return. I don’t know if they created a sort of ambiguous death scene for him in the first Captain America movie because they planned this far in advance, or if it was just a sort of ambiguous moment they thought they could take advantage of, but I didn’t think they’d take one of the few decent villains from the past and bring him back. I reasoned it out in my head and I guess the argument could be made that it all makes sense but it’s still such a weird thing to me. M: It definitely makes sense, especially when you think about how the movies always described the Tesseract as a doorway. Although it does leave you wondering who was guarding the Soul Stone before Red Skull came around. Q: Who knows. That’s probably not even worth considering. What did you think about the major costume changes that went on with most of the main characters? M: I noticed the changes but to be honest I really didn’t think much about it; I feel like overall the costumes looked about the same as they always did. Thor’s was noticeable, again the eyepatch, but even beyond that the subtle changes to his costume were nice. Iron Man’s suit was obviously changed but not much looked different. But moving back to the story, what did you think about the scene after the end credits? Q: First off, I was sad that Nick Fury died (I’d say it was the second saddest out of the final act’s deaths in terms of the performance, after Spider-Man). Second off, I didn’t quite know how to react at first because to someone who isn’t a huge expert on Marvel comics, I didn’t know who was being signalled. My friend looked this stuff up immediately after the movie and explained it to me, that it’s Captain Marvel and that she is basically the equivalent of Superman as far as strength is concerned. I guess it makes sense, since I knew she had a movie scheduled for the future, but I didn’t know she would be relevant to “In-

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

finity War.” I was wrong. I think Captain Marvel will be probably the most important element in the sequel, what about you? M: I’ll be honest, Spider-Man’s death just felt really over-dramatic and overacted, considering that everyone else died way faster than him. As for Captain Marvel, she’ll definitely be important, especially considering that every character that even stood a chance against Thanos, except for Thor, was killed off. What I actually did find slightly sad was Groot’s death, despite the gripes with that entire sequence I brought up earlier. Q: I disagree. I think because Spider-Man is, like, 15, his death is sadder because he’s the youngest person on the team; and I suspect that with his Spidey senses he knew something was wrong and therefore he had time to actually fear his death, whereas everyone else who died at the end just poofed within probably two seconds of realizing they were doomed. Honestly I don’t remember Groot’s death, it was just one in a multitude to me. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Captain Marvel can do. Technically we’ll get a first taste of that since she has her own movie coming up just before the next “Avengers” movie, but since that’s supposed to be a prequel it will only be there to establish some background. I imagine we’ll get the needed explanation from that movie, but I am really curious now why only this movie’s events were so bad as to warrant Nick Fury calling her up. Like, is she dangerous? Reclusive? He has to have been really reluctant if she wasn’t called up in any “Avengers” movie until now. M: That’s the one reason why I really don’t like the idea of Captain Marvel’s movie being a prequel, because then it simply doesn’t make sense for her to not be in every “Avengers” movie before the final one. Unless she gets the Cap treatment where she’s out of duty, but even so she was on call. To be honest I can’t say more until I know more about the movie, and until we see it for ourselves. Q: Indeed. Now I have to wait a whole other year to get the rest of the answers. So, let’s start wrapping things up. What do you predict will happen in the remaining MCU movies? We still have “Ant-Man and the Wasp,” “Captain Marvel,” the final “Avengers” movie, a sequel to “SpiderMan: Homecoming” and “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” in that order. Will everyone stay dead? Will some or all come back? From what we know so far, the next Ant-Man movie will take place just after “Civil War” and Captain Marvel’s will be before any of these movies. M: I feel like the next “Ant-Man” movie will be about as meaningless and obsolete as the first one was. I’m especially excited for “Spider-Man 2” and “Guardians 3,” since I feel like “Homecoming” and the first “Guardians” are the best two movies to come out of the MCU. Q: I’m hyping for “Captain Marvel” and the final “Avengers” film because I want to follow the story threads that Marvel has been laying out for years to come to an end. While the movies on the side will probably be good, I got hooked on the extended story idea they used, and I will be happy to see the last one so I never have to see another superhero movie again (because I have zero hopes for the DC universe movies after “Justice League”). OK, so final question: Having talked this all out above, where does “Infinity War” rank for you personally among the MCU movies? M: I’d say it’s pretty middle of the pack for me, it was definitely nice to see the payoff of all the MCU’s movies, but overall as a standalone movie, especially compared to some of my favorites, i.e., “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “SpiderMan: Homecoming” and “Captain America: The First Avenger,” it falls a bit short. Q: I’d say it’s one of the better ones. It doesn’t make it into my top five but it definitely did not fail as bad as I had expected. I think a movie juggling as many superheroes as it did could never be “great” but it was definitely good. We got the big fights and the big bad guy we were expecting, and it threw curveballs at us that I’m not sure anyone expected. Then again, I thought it would be standalone but Marvel totally lied by saying there would be no “Infinity War Part 2.” The next “Avengers” movie will totally be a direct sequel to this. I think final judgment must be reserved for when the last “Avengers” movie comes out, since no one rates the first part of a TV series finale independently of the the second part, but on its own it is quite entertaining and it fulfills most of my expectations. ■H

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TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

Highlander World Cup Halftime Group F, Part I

The 2018 World Cup in Russia is still months away, and some teams are still being put together. However, that’s not stopping the Highlander from breaking down every group to give you a comprehensive overview leading up to the first kickoff.

Sweden FIFA Ranking: 23

South Korea

World Cup Appearances: 12 First Appearance: 1934 Last Appearance: 2014 Best result: Runners-up 1958

FIFA Ranking: 61 World Cup Appearances: 9 First Appearance: 1954 Last Appearance: 2014 Best result: Fourth place, Semi Finalist 2002

Coach: Janne Andersson (Swedish), last coached IFK Norrkoping. Sweden’s coach since 2016.

Coach: Shin Tae-yong, coached South Korea as assistant coach from 2014-2017, and has served as head coach since 2017.

Players to watch: Emil Forsberg The 26-year-old Red Bull Leipzig winger was one of Sweden’s most important attacking players in their successful World Cup Qualification campaign in which his country knocked four-time World Cup winner Italy out of the competition. Moreover, he helped his team do so without Sweden’s all-time top scorer and cult hero, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. While he is not amongst the fastest wingers we will see in Russia, Forsberg is quick and tidy on the ball, possessing a natural ability to pick out a pass. However, this past season, Forsberg’s play has not been as effective, as the midfielder only scored two goals and contributed two assists in 21 appearances this season whereas last season, he scored eight goals and provided 19 assists. Given this drop off, a strong showing in Russia could help Forsberg find a renewed sense of confidence going into the 2018-2019 Bundesliga season.

Players to watch: Son Heung-min The 25-year-old Tottenham striker has been in phenomenal form, coming off of an English Premier League season in which he scored 12 goals and provided six assists in 36 appearances. For the Korean national team, he has scored a total of 20 goals in 63 appearances. Should he be selected to Shin Tae-yong’s 23-man roster, his team will heavily rely on his performance to get out of a very difficult group that includes the reigning World Cup champions, Germany. Son possesses multiple traits that make him a danger to opposing sides. He has pace, and is not afraid to use his skill to floor defenders on his way to goal, where he can both score and assist in style. After being named the Best Football Player in Asia for the third straight year, he will be looking to show Group F that South Korea is not a side to take lightly.

Victor Lindelof It is no secret that the 23-year-old center back has struggled to acclimate to his surroundings at Manchester United. However, it is also no secret that he was a key figure at back in Sweden’s successful World Cup qualifying campaign. Lindelof is undoubtedly a talented defender, as he played a significant role at back for Benfica in their victorious 2016-2017 campaign before English powerhouse Manchester United swooped in with a 35 million euro transfer. His quality on the ball and his ability to win headers makes him one of the most important figures in this Sweden team ahead of their campaign in Russia. Lindelof is still a very young player, and can look to individuals such as Colombia’s James Rodriguez, who turned his career around at the 2014 World Cup, for inspiration in his attempt to use this summer’s tournament to turn his fortunes around.

Ki Sung-yueng The 29-year-old Swansea defensive midfielder will also be a key figure in South Korea’s attempt to get out of their difficult World Cup Group. While his compatriot Son will be important from the offensive standpoint, Ki will be an important part of this team’s ability to compete in the midfield battle. In this past season for Swansea City, Ki managed to attain an impressive 88 percent passing completion rate, while scoring 2 goals and adding 2 assists. If he does not have a strong showing, Son will struggle to receive sufficient service and South Korea’s attack will find it difficult to find space and punish opponents.

Potential lineup: Nordfeldt - Olsson, Jansson, Lindelof, Lustic - Svensson, Hiljermark- Forsberg, Larsson, Durmaz - Berg Formation: 4-2-3-1 Prediction: 3rd in group, eliminated in group stage Matches: Vs. South Korea 06/18 Vs. Germany 06/23 Vs. Mexico 06/28

Potential lineup: Kim - Park, Kim, Jang, Hong, Lee - Lee, Ki, Jung, Kwon - Son Formation: 5-4-1 Prediction: 4th in group, eliminated in group stage Matches: Vs. Sweden 06/18 Vs. Mexico 06/23 Vs. Germany 06/27

■H

TUESDAY, MAY 15, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

Sports

Baseball wins series against Fullerton

JARYD BONGCARAS Contributing Writer

Game one: UCR 3 - CSUF 2 The UC Riverside baseball team (17-28, 5-12) held a Big West opponent to three runs for the first time in nearly a month on Friday, May 11, but the Highlanders fell at Cal State Fullerton (27-20, 14-3), 3-2. Sophomore Connor Cannon homered for the third time in five games, leading the team with nine home runs on the year. Cannon put the Highlanders on the scoreboard first with a solo homer to right center in the top of the second inning. Early on, the Titans struggled to score against freshman pitcher Cole Percival, but managed to eke out the tying run in the bottom of the third off a sac fly RBI. Fullerton would then go on to take a 3-1 lead by adding two more runs in the fourth. First-year Nathan Webb led off with a single in the fifth inning, as fellow freshman Dylan Orick

immediately followed up with a triple to right center. This marked the second consecutive game that Orick tallied an RBI, who would wrap up the team’s scoring efforts for the day. The Highlanders recorded three more hits the rest of the game off a pair of singles from redshirt senior Colby Schultz and a single from junior Yeager Taylor. Taylor’s single put Schultz on second base to set up the Highlanders’ best chance at finding the tying run in the top of the sixth, but Fullerton would pick up outs on the next two at-bats to escape the inning. Webb and Schultz both finished 2-for-4 as the Highlanders’ only players with more than one hit on the night. Game two: UCR 6 - CSUF 10 After a fast start on the offensive end, UC Riverside was unable to match a seven-run first inning at Cal State Fullerton, dropping a 10-6 decision on Saturday night. UCR finished with the most hits

in their last seven games, matching the Titans 13-13. Both Cannon and Orick led the team with three hits each. Cannon now has a hit in each of his last six conference games, totaling 13 hits over that span. Orick has a streak of his own as well, with seven hits over his last three appearances. Redshirt senior Tony Gudino and junior Matt Hardy also finished with two hits of their own, as Schultz recorded his fourth home run of the season late in the game. The Highlanders started game two with a 3-0 lead in the top half of the first inning, thanks to an RBI single to right field by Cannon and a Hardy double to left center. CSUF would respond shortly after, amassing seven runs off seven hits in the bottom of the first to take a 7-3 advantage. Fullerton went on to score three more runs throughout, putting up a 10-3 lead after eight innings. UCR added three runs of their own in the ninth to close out the game, which

finished in a 10-6 loss.

Game three: UCR 4 - CSUF 2 The Titans started the Mother’s Day matchup by recording two runs in the bottom of the first inning off a triple by sophomore Sahid Valenzuela. An RBI double by freshman Cole Pofek put UCR up on the board in top of the second inning. Schultz then grounded out to first base in the top of the fifth, as Webb passed the catchers tag while sliding to home plate. Webb kicked off the top of the seventh inning by blasting a solo shot over left field to break the tie game, putting UCR up 3-2. Hardy provided more insurance for the Highlanders with a sac fly in the eighth inning to bring in freshman Ari Gerber, who pinchran for Yeager Taylor. UCR was able to avoid the series sweep with Sunday’s win, as they’ll begin their weekend series at UC Irvine on Friday, May 18 at ■H 6:30 p.m.

Softball finishes third in Big West for first time in program history

JARYD BONGCARAS Contributing Writer

Game one: UCR 4 - CSUF 2 The UC Riverside softball team (3322, 10-11) won its sixth straight game Friday night as the Highlanders downed the Big West’s top-ranked team, Cal State Fullerton (33-23, 18-3), 4-2 in the first game of a three-game series. The Highlanders shined offensively in their first night game, broadcasted on ESPNU, as the team collected two early runs and out-hit the Titans 6-3. This six-game win streak matches the season-best by the Highlanders. Freshman Hailey Dolcini got the start on the mound for UCR, and tossed a complete game while only allowing three hits and two runs to the Titans, neither of which were earned. Dolcini made timely pitches all night, striking out eight batters and leaving six runners stranded. UCR took an early lead by getting the first three batters on base and scoring two runs in the first inning. Senior Jenna Curtan led-off the game with a walk, and was soon moved to third off a double from junior Hannah Rodriguez. Sophomore Emma Ramelot then delivered a single to leftfield to drive in the UCR runners to give them a 2-0 lead. Riverside would add another run in the top of the third inning as senior Chelsea Holley brought home fellow fourth-year Jenae Lockwood following Lockwood’s triple. Fullerton would remain scoreless until the bottom of the sixth inning where they added

two runs off a pair of UCR errors to cut the lead 3-2. Curtan’s crafty base-running would distract the Titan defense and brought in sophomore Danielle Ortega to touch home in the top of the seventh. This would be the final scoring effort for either team on the night as UCR held on to win 4-2. Curtan had a perfect night, going 1-for-1 at the plate with three walks. Ramelot collected two RBI and Hannah Rodriguez continued her hit streak adding a double, an RBI and a run. UCR scattered its six hits across six different players. Game two: UCR 0 - CSUF 8 The first game of the doubleheader saw CSUF take the early lead, jumping out to a 6-0 lead on six hits in the bottom of the first. UCR was held to just two hits throughout the game, both coming from Lockwood who went 2-for-2 at the plate. Hopes of a late comeback would be cut short for the Highlanders as the Titans added two more runs over three innings. The 8-0 lead put the run-rule effect into play, resulting in the game ending in five innings. This loss marks an end to UCR’s six-game win streak, the longest Big West win streak in the program’s history. It also served as the clincher for the Titans, as they needed a win and a Long Beach State loss to secure first place in the conference.

doubleheader still needed to be played, and it took the entire eight innings to decide. Fullerton wound up on top again in a tightly contested 2-1 win. Dolcini managed to keep the game close, holding the Titans to just a single run throughout seven innings. But timely hits in the bottom of the eighth from CSUF would ultimately be the difference-maker. This doubleheader marks the end of a stellar regular season for the Highlanders. UCR ended with the most wins since the 2015 season, finishing with a 33-22 record overall, 10-11 in conference. This also marks the first time that the Highlanders have ended the year in the top-three of the conference standings. ■H

Game three: UCR 1 - CSUF 2 Nevertheless, the second game of the

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

Men’s and women’s track finish off season in Big West Tournament JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

The women’s track team had a historic performance in the first day of Big West competition on Friday, May 11. Seniors Taylor Fleming and Weslie Pearce both captured their second individual Big West Championships. Pearce received the championship for her performance in the 3000 meter steeplechase while Fleming earned it in the long jump competition. The two seniors became the fourth and fifth student-athletes in program history to win multiple Big West Championships. Pearce entered the competition as the defending champion and the no. 1 seed, becoming the fourth person in Big West history to win the 3000 meter steeplechase in back-to-back years. Pearce’s time of 10:32.94 was nearly six seconds faster

than the second-place runner. Fleming’s long jump distance of 20-3.75 was the best the Big West has seen in 11 years. Fleming was the only competitor to surpass the 20 foot mark, surpassing her personal record of 20-2.50 which she set back in 2016. Fleming became only the fifth Highlander ever to win the long jump competition. Senior Faith Makau also had a good performance on Friday, finishing with the fastest preliminary time in the 1500 meter (4:36.58) to earn a spot in Saturday’s finals. Makau also had the second best mark in the 800 meter which qualified her for the finals in that event as well. Sophomore Kenady Jackson ran a new lifetime best in the 400 meter (55.89) to qualify for her first conference finals event. The women’s track team was in third place going into Satur-

day with 39 points. On Saturday, May 12 seniors Makau and Pierce combined for three top three finishes. Makau’s second place finish (4:29.72) in the 1500 meter was the best by any Highlander. She also had a third place finish in 800 meter (2:09.35). Pearce took a third place finish in the 5000 meter with a 16:54.13 time. In her first career 400 meter final, Kenady Jackson finished seventh (56.50) Sophomore Natalie Mitchell set a new personal record in the shot put on her first throw of the day (44-4.25), for sixth place in the event. The men’s team saw sophomore thrower Lawrence O’Hara finish second in the shot put on Friday, May 13 after throwing a lifetime best on his sixth throw (16.98). Senior Michael Kojin qualified for finals in both the 200 meter (21.46) and the 100 meter after posting times

of 21.46 and 10.73 respectively. Sophomore Heinrich Van Niekerk and junior Ethan Van Setten both qualified for the 800 meter after finishing with times of 1:53.90 and 1:54.51. Freshman Quinn Williams also qualified for finals in the 400 meter hurdles event (54.62) UCR’s men’s team finished Friday in seventh place with 18 points. On Saturday, May 12 sophomore Heinrich Van Niekirk and junior Ethan Van Setten finished second and fourth in the 800 meter with times of 1:51.18 and 1:51.51. Senior Michael Kojin participated in the 100 and 200 meter finals and took seventh (10.79) and sixth place (21.81) in those events. The men’s 4x100 relay team of junior Erik Cisneros, graduate student Michael Kojin, junior Nathan Noble, and sophomore Carlos Wedlow placed fifth in the event after finishing in 41.22 seconds. ■H

HIGHLANDER

HOT TAKES The next step of “The Process” is finding the right head coach

JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

The Philadelphia 76ers had a great regular season in which they earned the third seed in the Eastern Conference and made the postseason for the first time since 2012. The 76ers won their first round series against the sixthseeded Miami Heat 4-1, but got completely outplayed (and outcoached) in the conference semifinals against a scrappy Boston Celtics team. Before the series began, Philadelphia was the heavy favorite because of injuries to the Celtics as well as the two budding superstars on their roster in Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. One aspect a lot of people overlooked was the impact coaching could have on the series. Boston has the best coach in the NBA right now in Brad Stevens, and were able to gain a 3-0 lead because of that, which eventually turned into a 4-1 series win. Stevens has been the steady hand this team needed when both Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving went down. He guided this team to the number two seed in the Eastern Conference with a roster that wasn’t expected to make this much noise in the postseason. Stevens completely outcoached 76ers Head Coach Brett Brown and it wasn’t even close. Brown failed to put his players in position to succeed or make any adjustments to what Boston was doing on the defensive end. The Celtics did a great job on defense of closing out on Philadelphia’s shooters and yet the Sixers kept running the same off ball screen motion to try and create space. Boston also forced Ben Simmons out of his comfort zone by packing the paint and sitting on his passes, which led to Simmons averaging 4.4 turnovers per game. This great defensive scheme created by Stevens gave Philadelphia problems offensively. Brown didn’t have much of a response for the Celtics defensive effort, and it ended up costing his team the series. Playoff basketball is like a chess match for coaches and it seemed like Brown wasn’t interested in making a move. Instead Brown chose to stand pat and watch Boston completely outplay them. The Sixers have two surefire superstars on their team but if they want to maximize their potential they’ll need to find the right head coach to lead the franchise forward. ■H

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