031215 by UCSD Guardian

VOLUME 48, ISSUE 40

THURSDAY, MARCH 12, 2015

WWW.UCSDGUARDIAN.ORG

AROUND CAMPUS

STUDENT ORGS

UCSD WRITER TALKS SCI FI

C.H.E. Cafe Collective Addresses VCSA Letter The open forum discussed the letter from University officials that asked the collective to voluntarily vacate the cafe space by March 14.

PHOTO PERMISSION OF DAVID BRIN

ALUMNUS DAVID BRIN, PHYSICIST AND AWARDWINNING WRITER IGNORES UCSD GUARDIAN’S QUESTIONS IN ENLIGHTENING, IF CRYPTIC INTERVIEW ABOUT COLLEGE LIFE, SCI-FI Weekend, PAGE 6

UC IRVINE FLAG DECISION

THE EDITORIAL BOARD WEIGHS IN OPINION, Page 4

MECKLING'S RETURN a journey to bout again sports, Page 12

FORECAST

TOMORROW H 88 L 58

SUNDAY

H 85 L 59

“

SATURDAY H 87 L 62

MONDAY H 86 L 60

BY BRUCE B.Y. LEE

Contributing Writer

-JORDAN UTLEY-THOMSON

GUARDIAN WATCH

OPINION, PAGE 4

INSIDE AVERAGE CAT...................2 PROPOSED UC CAMPUS... 4 SHOREHOUSE KITCHEN.... 8 SUDOKU........................ 10 BASEBALL..................... 11

Meyer told the UCSD Guardian. “But the abilities to conceptualize formally and construct ever deeper, consistent theories as we begin to learn in high school geometry and as math majors continue to develop in their upperdivision undergraduate courses.” Dr. Patil graduated from UCSD with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics in 1996 and went on to earn a doctoral degree in applied mathematics from the University of Maryland in 2001. Many people credit Patil for devising the term “data scientist” to define his job on networking sites earlier in his career. The field of data science encompasses several subjects within mathematics, Meyer told the Guardian. “In the specific area of data See PATIL, page 3

See CHE, page 3

The UCSD Tritones performed at their Fourth Annual A Cappella Winter Show, held at The Loft this past Monday. The opening act featured the all-male American University group On A Sensual Note. Photo by Matthias Scheer/ UCSD Guardian.

UC SYSTEM

CA Assemblyman Calls for New Tech-Based UC Campus

By Brynna bolt senior

alifornia Assemblyman Mike Gatto announced his proposal for a new University of California campus in a press release on March 2. The new school, whose location is not specified in the bill, would focus on science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics as areas of study. The legislation, titled AB 1483, is comprised of two parts. The first would initiate the process of planning and building a new campus by pushing the UC system to study the feasibility of the project and potential locations. The Assembly bill further requests the appropriation of $50 million for land acquisition and initial building costs. Gatto, a Democrat from Glendale, called for a UC campus primarily concentrated on the STEM fields but that also provides an interdisciplinary

staff writer

education in the arts. In his press release, Gatto claimed that graduates of this background are in growing demand within the workforce, but that this type of education is not always readily available in the state. “Tech and creative jobs are the future, yet too many California students are unable to get the education they need here in California,” Gatto said. “It is time for the legislature to prioritize higher education with bold moves, ones that will make a meaningful difference in the educational levels and skillsets of Californians for generations to come.” Gatto further argued that the UC system is currently overcrowded, and that this has resulted in a drop in recent admissions. The press release cites acceptance rates for UC Berkeley, which had over 40,000 applicants and less than 9,000 acceptances in 2014, to support

See STEAM, page 3

VERBATIM

DO WE REALLY HAVE TO DROP EVERYTHING WE DEEM OFFENSIVE DOWN THE MEMORY HOLE, AS IF WE WERE ALL BUREAUCRATS HIRED BY THE MINISTRY OF TRUTH?”

The C.H.E. Cafe Collective held an open forum last Friday, March 6, to discuss different ways to approach UCSD administration’s letter that asked the Collective to leave the facility by March 14. In the letter written by Juan Gonzalez, vice chancellor for student affairs, administrators petitioned the collective to accept the A.S. Council and Graduate Student Association resolution to vacate the facility and reoccupy it in Fall of 2016, under the condition that “financial stability and sustainability has been achieved, student involvement has improved, funding has been secured to repair and renovate the Che facility and renovations and repairs have been completed.” According to Gonzalez, if the collective refuses to vacate the facility by March 14, the administration will proceed with a formal eviction process. The discussion at the open forum mainly revolved around whether the collective should abide by the resolution or find an alternative that may potentially include physical confrontation. Monty Kroopkin, a UCSD graduate and member of the collective, suggested that the administration’s reasoning on why the collective needs to vacate was improper. “It makes no sense for us to be out of this place,” Kroopkin said. “It does not make any sense for A.S. [Council] and GSA to buy into there being any need to be out of this space.” The A.S. Council and GSA resolution focuses on reintegration of the Che Cafe Collective into the UCSD community. However, the collective members expressed that the 2016 resolution is impractical since it is very difficult to sustain interests of the members during the lapse of evacuation. Muir College junior Ariana Padilla, a core member of the collective, described how the resolution was designed adversely to the collective. “The way it’s framed right now is [that the Che Cafe Collective] will be revisited in 2016 [to see if the conditions are met],” Padilla said. “So it’s not really guaranteed that we will be let back in our space.” Members of the collective also proposed a different approach to follow the administration’s order. According to a collective member Richard Flahive, preparation on potential cooperation is vital and urgent. “If we are going to relocate, then there definitely should be set

ALUMNI

Obama Selects Alumnus as Chief Data Scientist DJ Patil graduated from UCSD with a degree in mathematics and is a pioneer of data science. BY kriti sarin

associate news editor The Obama administration appointed UCSD graduate DJ Patil to the positions of deputy chief technology officer for data policy and chief data scientist on Feb. 18. Dr. Patil, who is the first-ever chief data scientist in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, explained the responsibilities of the unprecedented position on the official White House blog. “My role as the U.S. CDS will be to responsibly source, process and leverage data in a timely fashion, to enable transparency, provide security and foster innovation for the benefit of the American public, in order to maximize the nation’s return on its

investment in data,” Patil said. Patil added that he will focus on developing personalized health care and precision medicine through President Obama’s Precision Medicine Initiative, integrating data from multiple sources to make connected data sets and ethically executing datascience policy. According to UCSD mathematics professor David Meyer, Dr. Patil’s achievements are proof that an education in mathematics offers much more than moderate proficiency in arithmetic, and gives students an edge by encouraging critical thinking. “DJ Patil’s success demonstrates the advantages that mathematical training provides. These are not, of course, the abilities to calculate using arithmetic, or algebra or even calculus, as we learn in elementary mathematics classes,”

NEWS

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

AVERAGE CAT By Christina Carlson Aleksandra Konstantinovic Editor in Chief Andrew E. Huang Managing Editors Taylor Sanderson Tina Butoiu News Editor Kriti Sarin Associate News Editor Charu Mehra Opinion Editor Cassia Pollock Associate Opinion Editor Brandon Yu Sports Editor John Story Associate Sports Editor Teiko Yakobson Features Editor

Science and technology

Jacqueline Kim A&E Editor

Researchers Find Relationship Between Diabetes and Obesity UCSD medical scientists demonstrated how obesity-related inflammation triggered insulin resistance, causing diabetes. BY BRUCE B.Y. LEE

Contributing Writer Researchers at the UCSD School of Medicine discovered a link between obesity and insulin resistance on Feb. 23. Published in “Nature Medicine Magazine,” their study explains how manipulating the inflammatory molecule LTB4 can prevent insulin resistance, which opens up a new potential pathway to solve epidemic diabetic problems. Scientists were already aware of the fact that inflammation is directly related to insulin resistance. However, what researchers did not know was how to effectively prevent inflammation from causing insulin resistance. The study describes a new mechanism that blocks LTB4 from

BRIEFS

its receptors using small synthetic molecules called “LTB4 antagonists.” Senior author of the study, Dr. Jerrold M. Olefsky, discussed how the test subjects did not show any signs of diabetes. “When we treated animals with that compound, we produced everything we were hoping for,” Olefsky told the UCSD Guardian. “They didn’t develop diabetes. They didn’t develop insulin resistance. They didn’t develop inflammation. They were fine.” Obesity expands adipose tissue with immune cells, causing chronic inflammation. In the meantime, LTB4 is released from the immune cells and binds to the receptors of other cells such as liver, fat and muscle cells. These cells eventually become inflamed and cause insulin resistance, which is the first step to Type-2 diabetes.

BY jacky to SENIOR STAFF WRITER

▶ Price Center Arson: The sentencing hearing for the two UCSD students guilty of setting a fire in a Price Center restroom in late 2013 was pushed back a full year, according to the San Diego County District Attorney, from March 8, 2015 to the same date in 2016. Hoai Vi Holly Nguyen and Maya Land initially faced four separate charges for igniting a pair of fires and pled not guilty for all of them. However, according to Nguyen’s legal counsel Eugene Iredale, after further review of the prosecution’s evidence, both opted to instead plead guilty last September to reckless endangerment for one of the fires. Police arrested Nguyen and Land last February after a surveillance video surfaced online that placed the two in the vicinity of PC around the time of the PC fires, which were set on Dec. 3, 2013. This was the same day that the University Centers Advisory Board announced plans to open a Starbucks in place of Espresso Roma Cafe.

Researchers experimented on mice whose cell receptors were blocked from LTB4. According to Olefsky, this new mechanism prevents insulin resistance, Type 2 diabetes and the metabolically harmful effects of obesity by avoiding inflammation. Pingping Li, who was on the research team, stated that the experiment may work on humans. “In the animal work, we find that the effect is very dramatic. It’s a big effect,” Li said. “If we can find the same effect on humans, it would be a very big deal.” According to Olefsky, safe synthetic molecules that can be applied to humans are currently unavailable. “[The current synthetic molecule’s] half-life is way too long to use in people, and the doses are too high,” Olefsky said.

A pharmaceutical company is in the process of finding human-safe molecules. At first, the company will experiment on monkeys and eventually on human bodies, depending on the experiment’s safety and efficiency on monkeys. If successful, the medication will prevent people from developing Type2 diabetes and provide an effective treatment for people who have already developed the disease. The ultimate goal of the research team is to focus on finding practical medical solutions for diabetes. “If I could somehow help to develop a drug that treats diabetes, that certainly would be the long-range goal,” Olefsky said. “That would be the dream.”

Kyle Somers Associate A&E Editor Nilu Karimi Lifestyle Editor Siddharth Atre Photo Editor Jonathan Gao Associate Photo Editor Joselynn Ordaz Design Editor Sherman Aline Associate Design Editor Elyse Yang Art Editor Annie Liu Associate Art Editor Rosina Garcia Copy Editor Laura Chow Social Media Coordinator Vincent Pham Training and Development Page Layout Allison Kubo. Sidney Gao Distribution Christopher Graves, Josef Goodyear Copy Readers Andrew Chao, Caroline Lee, Micaela Stone Editorial Assistants Shelby Newallis, Jennifer Grundman, Karly Nisson, Mario Attie, Marcus Thuillier Business Manager Jennifer Mancano Advertising Director Myrah Jaffer Advertising Design Alfredo H. Vilano, Jr. A.S. Graphic Studio

readers can contact

bruce B.y. Lee

byl019@ucsd.edu

The UCSD Guardian is published Mondays and Thursdays during the academic year by UCSD students and for the UCSD community. Reproduction of this newspaper in any form, whether in whole or in part, without permission is strictly prohibited. © 2014, all rights reserved. The UCSD Guardian is not responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts or art. The views expressed herein do not necessarily represent the opinions of the UCSD Guardian, the University of California or Associated Students. The UCSD Guardian is funded by advertising. “What’s St. Patrick’s Day?”

General Editorial:

editor@ucsdguardian.org News: news@ucsdguardian.org Opinion: opinion@ucsdguardian.org Sports: sports@ucsdguardian.org Features: features@ucsdguardian.org Lifestyle: lifestyle@ucsdguardian.org A&E: entertainment@ucsdguardian.org Photo: photo@ucsdguardian.org Design: design@ucsdguardian.org Art: art@ucsdguardian.org

Advertising: 858-534-3467 ads@ucsdguardian.org

@ucsdguardian Live without regrets, Learn without borders.

@UCSDGuardian

...yes, now!

#OMG #LIKE US #FOLLOW US @ucsdguardian

DO YOU TWEET? WE DO!

@UCSDGuardian Discover where you’ll study abroad at usac.unr.edu

studyabroadusac@

#OMG! Follow us on Twitter #NOW!

@UCSDGuardian

USAC

NEWS

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

Looking for the New Business Column? Now posted every Wednesday night, after the A.S. Council meeting, online.

Gatto Says State Has the Resources to Create a New UC Campus ▶ STEAM, from page 1

this claim. Gatto compared the proposed new campus to a public version of the California Institute of Technology, which the U.S. News and World report ranks as the 10th best university in the nation. According to the press release, the new UC campus has the potential to save students money who would otherwise pay Caltech a tuition of at least $120,000 over four years. However, Gatto’s proposal for a new UC campus comes at a time when Gov. Jerry Brown and UC President Janet Napolitano are still

in the middle of negotiating the future of the UC system’s funding. UC President Janet Napolitano and the UC regents have decided to raise tuition fees as much as five percent in each of the next five years if state revenue cannot meet the system’s funding demands. In terms of how to fund the creation of a new UC campus, Gatto told the Los Angeles Times that the state’s budget now has a surplus that he believes could help. “We have the resources for the first time in a long, long time,” Gatto said. University Office of the President Media Specialist Brooke Converse

told the UCSD Guardian that the UCOP has not yet taken a stance on the bill. “The bill is currently being analyzed and we do not have a position at this time,” Converse said. Gatto said that he would prefer the location of the new campus to be in the Los Angeles area or near Silicon Valley, but he also acknowledged that the decision of where the school would be built ultimately belongs to the UC regents.

readers can contact Brynna bolt bbolt@ucsd.edu

Community Members Optimistic About the C.H.E. Cafe’s Future ▶ CHE, from page 1

guidelines,” Flahive said. “There needs to be a framework set that the administration can also honor that would allow us to come back in this space.” The Che Cafe Collective is a worker cooperative and social center at UCSD campus that hosted live music since the 1960s. Bands such as Nirvana and

Green Day have performed on the collective’s stage. With different generations of the collective members supporting the effort to save the space, the collective seemed determined to find ways to settle the issue. “I am optimistic. There is no reason for us, based on the history of the co-op, to be pessimistic,” Kroopkin said. “I think we are going be here for a

long, long time.” A.S. Council and GSA passed the joint resolution on Feb. 18 to form a Che Collective Campus Reintegration Committee. The committee will aim to make the Collective more studentcentered before the re-examination of the facility’s conditions in Fall of 2016.

readers can contact

bruce B.y. Lee

byl019@ucsd.edu

Professors Believe Mathematical Training is Essential to Other Fields ▶ PATIL, from page 1

ucsdguardian.org

science — a term perhaps coined by Patil — traditional statistics are part of mathematics, modern machine learning methods add linear algebra and statistical mechanics for deep learning and cutting edge methods, such as topological data analysis and algebraic statistics, draw upon more advanced mathematics, including algebraic topology, differential geometry and algebraic geometry.” Meyer also said that a solid mathematical education is necessary

now more than ever to understand data science and other progressively relevant fields. “Ubiquitous and increasing computational power and, more generally, automation have made many of the skill sets acquired by former generations of students obsolete,” Meyer explained. “Science and engineering education continues to instill relevant skills, however, and mathematics underlies all of these technical subjects, making it an increasingly crucial part of undergraduate and graduate

education.” Meyer added that he hopes Patil’s accomplishments will help students view mathematics as more than just a basis for calculations. “Ideally, his successes would help students understand that while we have computers to calculate for us, mathematical training goes beyond calculation to provide a foundation for deciding what and how they should calculate,” Meyer said.

readers can contact kriti sarin

ksarin@ucsd.edu

OPINION

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

OPINION The Flag is Still There CONTACT THE EDITOR

CHARU MEHRA

opinion@ucsdguardian.org

The actions taken by a small group of students at UC Irvine did little to actually affect positive change and instead reflected poorly on the university as a whole.

Students At Irvine Failed To Be Inclusive guardian watch

jordan utley-thomson

jutleyth@ucsd.edu

ILLUSTRATION BY JENNA MCCLOSKEY

ver the past weekend, sensationalistic headlines have blared, “Southern California School BANS the American Flag!” — often followed by an outraged analysis about how those darn liberal, college kids are destroying traditional American values. As is usually the case, the truth about the proposed ban has far more nuance than can fit into click-bait headlines. This short-lived piece of legislation actually prohibited all flags from any nation from being displayed in a small lobby area in the UC Irvine student government offices. Additionally, it was by no means endorsed by the majority of the 30,000 UC Irvine students, as it was passed by six students on the A.S. UC Irvine legislative committee and quickly overturned by the Executive Cabinet. Three of the committee members have since offered public apologies. One of the most concerning developments to come out of this story is that the legislative council that passed this ban has received threats of violence so serious that its March 10 meeting was canceled. No matter where you stand on flag displays, all reasonable people should agree that threatening 12 college students with violence over a minor — albeit personal — legislative ruling that has had almost

no real impact on anything for more than a day is alarmist, irresponsible and has no place in a healthy discussion about culture and patriotism. With that being said, although we at the UCSD Guardian Editorial Board recognize that these six students voted to ban flags with positive intentions and for inclusive purposes, we find that it’s a situation where the hypercorrect approach actually did more harm than good. First, it’s important to look at the reasoning behind the ban. These students believe that the American flag has historically been used in imperialist and colonial instances and isn’t conducive to a “culturally inclusive space [that] aims to remove barriers that create undue effort and separation by planning and designing spaces that enable everyone to participate equally and confidently.” Banning the flags from such a small space is only a monumental gain perhaps for those who go straight from their dorms to the student government offices without looking around. The American flag is on display throughout the campus, in front of city offices, on car bumpers and in just about every neighborhood. To pretend that the ban is a significant gesture

See FLAG, page 5

EDITORIAL BOARD Aleksandra Konstantinovic EDITOR IN CHIEF

Andrew E. Huang MANAGING EDITOR

Taylor Sanderson

MANAGING EDITOR

Charu Mehra

OPINION EDITOR

Cassia Pollock

ASSOCIATE OPINION EDITOR

Tina Butoiu NEWS EDITOR

Marcus Thuillier

SPORTS EDITORIAL ASSISTANT

Kyle Somers

ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR The UCSD Guardian is published twice weekly at the University of California at San Diego. Contents © 2014. Views expressed herein represent the majority vote of the editorial board and are not necessarily those of the UC Board of Regents, the ASUCSD or the members of the Guardian staff.

New UC Campus Proposed Alongside Tuition Hikes, Budget Cuts A legislative bill has recently been proposed to create a new UC campus that would go above and beyond students’ expectations of solving the University of California’s current fiscal crisis. The genius responsible for this idea is Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale). Assembly Bill 1483 would provide $50 million toward the allocation of land and building costs for a new campus, located somewhere near Los Angeles or the Silicon Valley. Although some members of the UC system have expressed doubts about the affordability of this project, Gatto has claimed, “We have the resources for the first time in a long, long time.” We have the resources? Let’s break this down. His magnificent proposal has appeared alongside UC President Janet Napolitano and the UC Board of Regents’ initiative to raise student tuition systemwide by 5 percent for five consecutive years due to a lack of state funding and consecutive years full of budget cuts. According to the College Board’s data, tuition at public universities has risen by 136 percent in the past decade. The entire culture of the UC system

has been permeated with financial uncertainty. Even though it has been 10 years since the most recent campus, UC Merced, was founded, its growth continues to be slowed by an absence of fiscal support. On the other hand, the regents passed a salary increase for UC chancellors across the state up to 20 percent last year. UC Berkeley Chancellor Nicholas Dirks holds the current record with an income of half a million dollars. But, according to Gatto, there’s a lot of unused money circulating throughout the system that’s going to waste. Furthermore, the 10 UC campuses have proven to be lacking in certain areas that this unique university would compensate for. Unlike UCSD, this new and improved university would specialize in science, technology, engineering and art. No resemblance at all, right? As the controversies regarding UC funding continue to heat up, Gatto refuses to be intimidated. In an interview, he said, “Maybe the answer is that simple and is staring us in the face: Create another campus.” However, financial matters are not the main focus of Gatto’s proposal. He mentioned that the

state’s budget surplus would be a convenient way to finance the addition of a new UC campus, and the systemwide tuition hike is just a minor, insignificant detail. “I think a lot of the best ideas start with something that seems a little wild-eyed,” Gatto said. The main point that he is trying to make is that many students are not getting access to the education that they deserve. The current UC system is failing to provide its students with the proper academic opportunities, and nobody’s willing to take action about it, except for Gatto. He has described the future campus as a “public version of Caltech,” words that are uncannily similar to those once used to describe the rationale for the founding of UCSD. Never mind the fact that students who attend the current UC schools could benefit from the expansion of their housing and educational facilities or from more full-time professors or even better food on campuses. Apparently, there is no point in dealing directly with the nightmarish financial crisis of the current system. It’s far easier and much less stressful to just create an entirely new school altogether.

bout 66 years ago, Eleanor Roosevelt and a diverse group of international activists came together to write a magnificent document known as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. My favorite tidbit happens to be Article 19: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media regardless of frontiers.” Since then, censorship ceased to exist, euphemisms vanished from every language and the world collectively realized the absurdity in criminalizing ideas. Hey, a man can dream, can’t he? But sometimes, I don’t mind sharing the same world with the overzealous, politically correct crusaders who are just a generation away from ensuring that the entire English language qualifies as one big micro-aggression. They’re responsible for such wonderful headlines like “UC Irvine Student Government Bans National Flags From Campus Area” — thus causing that “Oh my God, I’m not even reading ‘The Onion’ right now” moment. OK, enough with the coyness. You’ve likely seen how the UC Irvine student council has been skewered across the political spectrum already, so I won’t have to bother. However, the writer of the resolution, Matthew Guevara, is correct on principle. The American flag does indeed mean many different things to many different types of people. Having said that, he is wrong in practice. Do we really have to drop everything we deem offensive down the memory hole, as if we were all bureaucrats hired by the Ministry of Truth? Nobody can do this forever. Somewhere along the line, someone or something will exhibit an idea repugnant to your fundamental beliefs. It’ll make you shake. It’ll make you furious. You might even want to weep. And you have to respond, but you won’t know how to do so after living a sheltered life lacking in any meaningful dissent. This whole flag-banning situation has got me listening to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” for like the 30th time. On that album, the character Pink experiences a life of personal isolation — symbolized by images of a towering wall — beginning with a childhood dominated by an overprotective parent. In the song “Mother,” Roger Waters wistfully sings, “Mother, will she break my heart?” You don’t want to be like Pink’s mom, or worse, a Guevara. On the contrary, it’s much better to be a Roger Waters. I disagree with almost all of his views, but I respect both his willingness to creatively engage in an exchange of ideas, no matter how controversial. That’s the kind of liberalism both progressives and conservatives can respect. The alternative is a climate of fear in which opinions are discouraged and expression is severely curtailed. It would be a brave new world controlled by nanny politicians who shelter the people, and certainly for their best interest. And every time these control freaks accommodate someone’s discomfort, it’s just another brick in the wall. Mother, did it need to be so high?

OPINION

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

GOT ISSUES? SEND YOUR LETTERS TO OPINION@UCSDGUARDIAN.ORG

Banning of Flags Could Be Perceived as Doing More Harm Than Good ▶ FLAG, from page 4

that is helping tons of students is insulting to those who do come from foreign countries, who probably have a much deeper understanding of cultural inclusivity through experience than to feel offended by a flag in a student government office. It’s overcorrecting a problem in a manner typically done by well-meaning people who tragically misinterpret the real issues at stake. It’s even arguable that banning all national flags, as the resolution did, is not only an overreaction to a limited problem but actually harmful in itself because it implies that cultural differences should

be hidden away. Cultural studies across every UC campus advocate that the differences should be celebrated, explored, understood and, most importantly, taught. A truly inclusive space would foster these ideas through open conversation instead of trying to paper over cultural differences by pretending that they don’t exist — also known as the “ostrich method” of problem solving. Furthermore, as the resolution itself admits, the U.S. flag is a symbol open to subjective interpretation, and, for many students, that interpretation is personally patriotic. Both bornand-bred American and immigrant students can boast a connection

to the American flag, and, for the latter group, their native flag as well. We would typically applaud any student trying to make the UC campuses a more inclusive place because, let’s face it, we certainly could use it. But for six students to try and make a decision like this for a whole campus while insisting it’s for the benefit of a large number of students is counterproductive to actual strides toward greater equity on our campuses. Before we overcorrect, we should ask students if they have a problem first and then see what they’d like to do about it, instead of imposing a decision that the majority clearly did not agree with in the first place.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

The C.H.E. and What the Battle All Means Dear Editor, Vice Chancellor-Student Affairs Juan Gonzalez has issued a letter to the Che Cafe asking members to vacate the building by March 14 or the 5-day eviction notice will be served, sparking backlash from the collective and members of student government. F or whatever reason, the administration does not want the Che here. This letter uses safety to justify the separation of the Che from the space, citing a January 2015 report that states the building is unable to support a fire sprinkler system. However, California Building Standards, which the UC system follows, clearly state that sprinkler system requirement only applies to new buildings. That same report also cites fire marshal requirements. Yet, University Centers Associate Director John Payne says of the fire marshal’s 2014 follow-up inspection that the facility is “good in terms of fire safety.” Since the fire safety issue is resolved, there is reason to question administration’s agenda. A building that needs repairs is not necessarily completely unusable. Recent A.S. Council and Graduate Student Association resolutions call for the Che to program outside the space for a year and a half (called the reintegration/interim period), with the possibility of getting the building back at the end. With a history like the Che’s, the collective has reason to be wary of conditional re-entry. In his article, “The Spirit of the Che,” Scott Kessler explains that, more than

once, the University has claimed the building needing costly repairs to meet health and safety requirements. In response, students took the repair of the Che into their own hands, at a fraction of the quoted cost. There are certainly Che allies in A.S. Council and the GSA. The resolution calls on the University to enter the interim as well. Yet, the administration is waving the eviction like a pistol, threatening to shoot and end it all now if the collective doesn’t move. Student government members have made it known that the letter does not represent their hopes for the Che. The Che has been a safe, sober space to explore non-mainstream ideas for decades. The collective has hosted countless events, from film showings to concerts to art shows. Chancellor Khosla states, “It is vital ... that the larger number of those who are comfortable with the campus climate do not overwhelm the voices of smaller populations who are not comfortable.” But he fails to acknowledge the 22 percent of students (University Centers survey) who believe the Che is not low priority. Student action and voices, directed at chancellors and student government, have historically been an effective barrier between the coops and destruction. If the space is seized, there’s no guarantee it can be returned to the people who make it a welcoming and unique environment. Furthermore, this opens the door to labeling other student coops “unsustainable.” If the administration can take away student run spaces, what do we really have? — Raquel Calderon Muir College Junior

WEEKEND

Q&A

David brin Interviewed by

Allison Kubo // Staff Writer Jennifer Grundman // Editorial Assistant

USED WITH PERMISSION FROM DAVID BRIN

erhaps the pithiest description of UCSD alumnus David Brin is that he’s a man with a wide breadth of talents and opinions. Over the course of his life, he has established himself as a respected physicist and an award-winning science-fiction writer whose work has spanned comic books and Hugo Award-winning novels. He denounces Yoda as a purely evil character, “Star Wars” for an antidemocratic agenda and believes we are either heading for a “Star Trek” future or an utterly dystopian one. As an interviewee, he’s a slippery man who would rather break free of interview questions and deliver his thoughts on topics of his own choosing. We let him.

David Brin, on the best thing a college student can do:

Put a map of the university on the wall, and, once a month, throw a dart at it. Now if you really want to, you can take a leaky pen and shake it over it. Same effect. Wherever the dart or ink spot lands — if it lands near or next to a building — you gather together your best pal [and] go to that building on campus, along with a set of D&D dice and a rubber ball. Stand outside the building and use the appropriate die to roll a random floor. Go to that floor. Roll [the ball] down the hall. Wherever the ball stops, pick it up so no one trips, knock on the door and say, “Excuse me, what do you do here?” Now, you can stretch your mind and see what my point is […] Now, that’s the difference between coming here and doing this by rote, and deciding that by the time four years are up, you will have squeezed this place.

On the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at UCSD (on which Brin collaborates with):

The Arthur Clarke Foundation wanted to create a center for academic excellence exploring the wellsprings, the boundaries, the efficient practice and the limitations, of imagination. Arthur combined science and art and perceived no intrinsic chasm between them. [Director] Sheldon Brown and I and a few others decided that there would be no better place in the world for such a center of research than here at UCSD, where official boundaries between categories are merely suggestions and collaborations between faculty are as frequent as threeleaf clovers. That supposition turned out to be right, when every dean on campus signed on to support the new Clarke center. But it’s only one example of many on this campus, where distinguished scholars are unafraid of being on a first-name basis with students as collaborators in exciting research and exploring bold ideas. If any place on Earth represents what we hope for the 21st century, you’re sitting on it.

On the divide between the humanities and arts and STEM fields:

This chasm is now easily bridged by men and women of good will. Above good will is the trait of curiosity. Does the adventure outweigh your prim need for egotistical boundaries? I am old enough to remember when the question didn’t have an obvious answer. Today, the finest minds at almost any university would answer ‘yes.’ How well they execute such collaborations is another matter.

On his writing process:

My process is not as disciplined as it ought to be. I suppose it’s so, but it doesn’t feel like it. I’ve done better, swifter writing with an outline. But it’s not as fun. When I start a story and truly have no way to know where it’s going except some general notion. It’s kind of like falling in love — you get a wider range of emotions. Those include frustration, agony and procrastination. But the rewards are very good.

On the current age and advice for everyone:

Our grandchildren will either live in hell or in “Star Trek.” What could be a more fascinating era? If you had to choose a time, how could you choose any other? Be insatiable. Satiation is one of the great hallmarks of sanity but not when it comes to curiosity. There is an admission of self-imposed limitation. You have to be able to say ‘Thank you, I’ve had enough’ when it comes to food, chemicals and life’s other pleasures but not in curiosity. If you accept any limits there, then you are not militant enough a member of this revolution; you don’t deserve to call yourself a citizen of wonder. But there’s hope. You can always find a way to become more insatiable.

WEEKEND

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

#12899814.0

Volunteers are needed for a genomics research study that will help to improve our understanding of human genes and how they relate to the face and voice. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA •

Men and women of all races and ethnicities who are 18 years of age and older

•

Ability to speak, read and write English

WHAT IS INVOLVED

You will be asked to answer a pre-enrollment questionnaire and participate in a measurement session. Measurements include: •

• •

Height, weight, BMI Digital photos of hands and feet Voice recording Blood draw

3D photography of your face and ears BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATING

•

Assisting in scientific research Advancing human genomic studies

•

Compensation for your participation $100 for the first 300 participants

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO VOLUNTEER FOR THIS STUDY, PLEASE CONTACT:

FACE@HUMANLONGEVITY.COM HUMAN LONGEVITY, INC. FACE STUDY PI: DR. RHONDA ROBY

REV. 20150224

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

WEEKEND

USED WITH PERMISSION FROM COLUMBIA PICTURES

FILM REVIEW

chappie “Chappie” has strong robot drama, but its humans are a little squishy, exacerbating a weak overall storyline. Directed by Neil Blomkamp Starring Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Yo-Landi Visser, Hugh Jackman Rated R Release Date March 6

obody can ever accuse director Neill Blomkamp of not being a fan of robots. The director has made a name for himself by creating some of the most realistic and viscerally “worn-in,” nearfuture sci-fi realities in film. Blomkamp’s robot suits in “District 9” had real weight to them, and the welding of man and machine in his “Elysium” was alarming in its realism. With “Chappie,” Blomkamp has gone all the way

RESTAURANT REVIEW

and made a robot his main character. Interestingly, the film almost has two separate plots: The first and largest follows a roboticist (Dev Patel) in his journey to create true artificial intelligence, and the curious and impressionable robot Chappie (voiced by Sharlto Copley) that results. The segments of the film that follow Chappie as he learns his first words, human values and even the stirrings of faith are immediately arresting in terms of the pathos Blomkamp’s

technical wizards at Weta Workshop (the geniuses behind “The Lord of the Rings” and “Avatar,” among many others) have managed to create. The problem is the film isn’t all Chappie. As fantastic as Copley’s performance is — a long-time collaborator with Blomkamp since he played the sniveling Wikus “hero” in “District 9” — we have to put up with other human characters and plots. This second main plot follows Hugh Jackman, who plays an ambiguously ex-military office jock, as he tries to … sabotage the entire city of Johannesburg in order to get his R&D project funded? His plan, and this plot, is all very unclear and downright silly in many places. The key problem is that this is the plot that takes over Chappie’s central plotline, starting in the last third of the film. To be frank, it

turns what could have been a very thoughtful picture about artificial intelligence into your basic Hollywood big-budget slugfest. It’s criminally disappointing in this regard. Other elements and scenes are laughable. The big, traditional Hollywood shootout is somehow both too grievous and grotesquely funny at the same time, and will probably go down as one of the worse climactic battles this year in cinema. Characters we don’t care about bite the dust left and right, characters we do care about bite the dust in really strange and funny cuts of footage that invite scattered laughter from the audience. Chappie’s relationship with his “parents” in the midst of all the gunfire is the only strong thing about this scene. It’s a hard movie to dislike simply because the Chappie segments are

so strong. The characters that raise Chappie (down-on-their-luck counter-culture types who paint as readily as they rob armored cars) are all really fascinatingly flawed characters, and the values that Chappie picks up from them as his “mommy” and “daddy” are easily the best parts of the film. Patel’s roboticist himself comes across largely as a wet blanket and has some pretty terrible lines. But it’s entirely possible that struggling through his and Jackman’s scenes is really worth it, just to see a scene of Chappie petting a dog. The effects work is simply magic, and “Chappie” may not be a film ready to enter into the pantheon of great and thoughtful science fiction, but its eponymous hero certainly is.

— nathan cook

Staff WRITEr

PHOTO BY MATTHIAS SCHEER/ UCSD GUARDIAN

ALBUM REVIEW

ROCKLAND by Katzenjammer Release Date March 10

$$ HOURS: Mon. to Tues. 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Wed. to Sun. 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. (barista and pastries open at 7 a.m.)

he experience of every responsible brunch enthusiast starts miles away from the restaurant. It is hard to feel adventurous in the morning, so, to avoid possible disappointments, it’s always best to take a look at a restaurant’s website prior to your visit. This is when Shorehouse Kitchen, a restaurant conveniently located near UCSD, starts to win a foodie’s heart. The site is easy to navigate — the “About Us” section includes exactly what a potential client wants to know; instead of a long and useless history of the eatery, it tells us about top-notch ingredients used to make a delicious Shorehouse Kitchen brunch. Local beans? Real maple syrup? Pastries baked right before you eat them? The UCSD Guardian could not miss this! What makes Shorehouse Kitchen ideal for UCSD students is its location. Whether you have a car or not, you can get to this place in less than 20 minutes. It is also a block away from the bus stop, which makes quality breakfast food closer than ever. The restaurant is not only conveniently located but also designed in a very clever manner. From the outside, it looks like a little farmhouse or a fancy horse stable, a great move that rightfully convinces customers that all the food Shorehouse Kitchen serves is fresh and organic. The “house” itself is divided into four sections. First, you’ll notice a small outdoor waiting area with four tables and umbrellas — a great deci-

LOCATION: 2236 Avenida De La Playa La Jolla, CA (858) 459-3300 sion considering there are often a lot of people waiting to be seated on a busy Saturday morning (the waiters seem to have a “no-rush” attitude). The second section is a small coffee bar where you can grab a coffee made from Calabria Coffee Roasters beans and a pastry to go. The third section consists of indoor seating. It is almost empty in the morning but gets busier as the sun goes down and the cold sets in. Last but not least is the patio. This is where the most action happens, creating a vibrant and cheerful atmosphere of the restaurant. Occupied by families, couples and groups of young people, Shorehouse Kitchen becomes the center of attention in a quiet La Jolla neighborhood. In spite of rather long working hours, Shorehouse Kitchen is specifically renowned for its late breakfast — offered until 2:30 p.m. It is not surprising, since the restaurant is well-equipped for providing you with the first meal of the day. Craving eggs? Shorehouse Kitchen has three types of omelets ($12.50), five types of benedicts ($12.50 to $13.50) and simple egg and toast options ($6 to $9.90). Woke up late, hungry and looking for something meaty? Take a look at the “More Favorites” section with Brioche Breakfast Grilled Cheese ($12.50) stuffed with bacon, sausages, eggs and tomatoes, Short Rib Hash & Eggs ($13) or Pork Carnitas Chilaquiles: tender pork and two eggs served over a mix of Mexican-style vegetables. Sweet tooth never satisfied? Delicious buttermilk

$$$ or cornmeal pancakes ($7 to $10) with the option of fresh blueberries (+$1.50) or two slices of Caramelized Tahitian Vanilla Bean French Toast ($10 or $12 with grilled pineapple, fresh berries or bananas and Chantilly Cream) will do the trick! Shorehouse Kitchen does not add anything revolutionary to the breakfast experience. However, while the food is well-made to average, one should still give Shorehouse Kitchen some credit for its impressive variety of drinks. There are 13 types of soda ($3.25 to $3.50), including Mexican Coke, 14 kinds of coffee drinks ($1.75 to $4), 13 different beers ($4 to $6) and, ladies and gentlemen, “the freshest orange juice around” made from Valencia Oranges — the most popular juice oranges in the U.S. Keeping in mind how hard it is to find good fresh-squeezed orange juice, do yourself a favor and order a 9-ounce glass of O.J. ($3.50) or a 12-ounce glass ($4.25) or even one liter ($11)! And don’t forget, mimosas contain orange juice too, so consider grabbing a glass of Shorehouse Mimosas ($7) to complete your brunch. Shorehouse Kitchen is a traditional brunch place that does not disappoint. With its convenient location and late breakfasts, what would be a rating of 3.5 for an average customer becomes a solid 4.5 for a college student. Why not a 5.0? Well, because we all are still broke.

— Olga Golubkova

Staff WRITEr

Norwegian girl group returns with its most varied, if messy and chaotic full-length yet.

dmittedly, there is something charming about those strange phrases that get churned out of online translators. Lines like “He’s acting just like a Snuffleupagus/ That makes my people uneasy/ …/ In my emo prison I’ll be” are, in short, an amalgam of random words that just had to be pulled out of Google Translate’s hat. Right? Except those verses weren’t churned up by an online translator. They’re actual lyrics written rather earnestly by Scandinavian pop quartet Katzenjammer. It’s not the first time that the band has been, well, weird. Aside from the fact that its name means “cat’s wail” or “hangover” in German, the group has been the embodiment of eclectic and eccentric since breaking out in the Oslo scene 10 years ago. Its debut “Le Pop” was essentially a psychedelic clown fest, and its poignant follow-up “A Kiss Before You Go” embraced Baroque pop steampunk. Unsurprisingly, there was no telling what the brilliant and bizarre Katzenjammer had in store with its latest album, “Rockland.” What has resulted from the minds of the four multi-instrumentalists is an LP that hasn’t fully planted its feet in one crazy theme as its predecessors have. The quartet restlessly travels across a variety of narratives, from a Western saloon in the twangy opener “Old De Spain”

to a charming Celtic landscape in the jig-rousing riffs of “My Dear.” There’s no real overall tone that connects these disparate tracks. At one moment, the band gets in touch with its grungy side in the incomprehensible “Oh My God” (see above for a taste of its lyrical ridiculousness), and in the next, the musicians are plinking away at a toy piano in the delightful “Dry Pop.” In the big picture, the album is a mess. But perhaps that’s what makes each individual track so charismatic, unabashedly showing off Katzenjammer’s versatility in this organized chaos. “Rockland” is a bit of a misnomer, as none of the tracks can really be considered rock. Instead, they boldly stride on a tightrope of indie folk-slash-chamber pop. Nah, scratch that. This is Katzenjammer: They’re as slippery as an alley cat sneaking around, refusing to be labeled or owned by anyone — or in this band’s case, a genre. This album might not be as coherent as the group’s past works, but that’s okay, because every single song is teeming with the talent and effort that these snarky ladies put in. “Rockland” should probably have been called “Katzenjammerland,” but does it matter? We’re warmly welcome to it.

— Jacqueline Kim

A&E EDITOR

WEEKEND

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

ALBUM REVIEW

Hand. Cannot. Erase. by Steven Wilson Release Date March 3

Ambitious progressive rock artist falls short lyrically despite impressive arrangements.

oncept albums have always blurred the musical line between genius and pretentiousness. For those who don’t know, concept albums are a set of songs that all connect in some way, usually through a single story or narrative. Steven Wilson’s new album “Hand. Cannot. Erase.” was compared to Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” — sometimes considered the best concept album of all time — by “Visions,” a German magazine. This made some people curious. Frankly, “Hand. Cannot. Erase.” is enjoyable, but it’s not going to rewrite music history like Pink Floyd’s album did. Wilson’s genre here is progressive metal, which would be like if normal metal chilled the fuck out and went to college to get a degree in literature or jazz studies. True to the form of that niche of music, there are just as many scorching guitar solos as there are jazz-inspired chord changes and Igor Stravinsky-esque timesignature choices, and Wilson is an expert at putting those elements together, as he does most flawlessly on “Ancestral” and “3 Years Older.” Rather than setting the volume knob at 11 and the guitar distortion at full blast, Wilson appreciates subtlety and gives equal time on the album to every dynamic and feeling. This constantly creates arriving points, peaks and releases moving from wild “Regret #9” to calm, gloomy

“Transience” to the creepy sonic pinnacle of the album, “Ancestral.” Sonically, the album doesn’t quite stack up with the cataclysmic highs and lows of “The Wall” (if we’re sticking with that comparison), but “Hand. Cannot. Erase” might have come close in overall quality if the lyrics could carry the album’s theme in a graceful way. But they don’t, at least not consistently. Sections of thoughtful, gloomy lyrics are occasionally interrupted by cheesy, tired lines like, “I feel I’m falling once again/ But now there’s no one left to catch me.” Good concept albums are like good literature: It’s fun to pick through the words to find hidden symbolism and meanings, so when the lyrics on a few songs fall short, the whole album does. In an album this complex, there are plenty of redeeming values to mention like the telling narrative in “Perfect Life” or the wispy female vocals in “Routine,” but when you’ve been told that it will stack up to a masterpiece, the faults really stand out. So here’s a favor for you: “Hand. Cannot. Erase.” album is decent. Listen to it with that expectation and you’ll probably enjoy it. You might even find it to be great.

New Year, New Goals! Start Your Graduate Degree at APU.

— Kyle Somers

ASSOCIATE A&E EDITOR

find more content online at ucsdguardian.org

Occupations that require a master’s degree are projected to grow the fastest over the next eight years, making graduate school a worthwhile investment as you prepare to impact your field. Start planning now and further your career goals with a graduate degree from Azusa Pacific University, one of the nation’s top Christian universities.

Join the

4,200+

graduate students currently advancing their education at APU.

Choose from:

Business and Leadership MBA, Management, Leadership, Accounting

Health Care Athletic Training, Physical Therapy, Nursing

Education Educational Leadership, School Counseling and School Psychology, Teacher Education, Higher Education

Helping Professions MFT, Psychology, Social Work

Find your program today! apu.edu/programs

CLASSIFIEDS

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

CLASSIFIEDSSUDOKU Sleeper Sofa Microfiber - $175. Sleeper sofa microfiber. Excellent condition. Used by only me, now in storage and need to clear it. Listing ID: 125416649 at ucsdguardian.org/classifieds for more information

ucsdguardian

Level: 1 2 3 4 Level: 1 2 3 4

www.ucsdguardian.org/classifieds

or er your vision, our mission.

Create custom apparel to promote your student organization with Triton Outfitter's new Made TO Order program!

outfitters@ucsd.edu

LA JOLLA INSTITUTE NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT REPORT CENTER FOR NOVEL THERAPEUTICS

Level: 1 2 3 4

made t

Level: 1 2 3 4

www.ucsdguardian.org/advertising

Level: 1 2 3 4

Full and Queen Futon Mattresses - $100. Tri folding mattresses like new - were covered when used. There is a queen and full size. These are not the kind that go on American futon bed frames. These could go on any platform style bed or on the floor as tall cushions. Asking $100 for each. Listing ID: 127977696 at ucsdguardian. org/classifieds for more information

Level: 1 2 3 4

Level: Level: 1 2 3 4 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 Level: 4 Level: 1 2 3 4

Vintage Golden Oak Dresser Piece - $15. I sold the dresser this case from about 2 yrs. ago, but recently found this piece that belonged to it. If you are refinishing or repairing an antique dresser and need a piece, this could be it. Solid oak, medium golden brown. Dresser was 192030s era. Listing ID: 128532833 at ucsdguardian. org/classifieds for more information

Level: 1 2 3 4

.com/

FURNITURE

Level: 1 2 3 4

ELECTRONICS 17.3” HP Laptop...Intel i5, Beats Audio, Bluray, Works Great - $300. 17.3” (dv7-4180us) Intel i5 @ 2.5 ghz, 6 gig, 640 gb, Beats audio, Blu-ray/ dvdrw. Excellent extended battery and charger. Windows 7 (Factory reset) dual graphics. Works great, attractive condition (a few scratches on the outside). Listing ID: 129530619 at ucsdguardian.org/classifieds for more information

Level: 1 2 3 4

Nice Pink Aluminum Beach Cruiser with 7 Speeds - $140. Aluminum frame and crank as well as many of the other parts, so it’s lightweight and those parts won’t rust. Front and rear hand brakes for safety, and comes with a goofy squeaky toy for a bell. Attractive condition and no issues. Everything works! Full size bike for teens or adult, tires are 26” in size. Listing ID: 129122615 at ucsdguardian.org/classifieds for more information

VISIT

Complete the grid so each row, column and 3-by-3 box (in bold borders) contains every digit, 1 to 9. For strategies on how to solve Sudoku, visit www.sudoku.org.uk

Level: 1 2 3 4

Schwinn Mountain Bike - $25. Schwinn mountain bike. 24” wheels, low mileage, stored indoors since new. Listing ID: 129530594at ucsdguardian.org/classifieds for more information

Nikon D3200 Lenses, Tripod, Case - $700. Like new condition Nikon D3200, includes two Zoom Lenses 55-200mm and 18-55 mm wide angle and telephoto lenses. Tripod, carrying case, strap, cleaning kit, SD card, extra battery, charger, USB, owner’s manual. All equipment in original boxes. Listing ID: 129530618 at ucsdguardian.org/classifieds for more information

Level: 1 2 3 4

Fuji Bike for Sale - $800. Selling my Fuji A6 SL 6066. The frame alone cost me over $1000. Only rode it a couple of times, so it’s in like new condition. It’s just a little too large for me, so I’m selling it to buy a smaller one. Listing ID: 129530596 at ucsdguardian.org/classifieds for more information

Level: 1 2 3 4

Pink iPod Nano - $40. 8gb pink nano. Listing ID: 129122647 at ucsdguardian.org/classifieds for more information

BIKES

Guardian Classifieds are FREE for the UC San Diego community.

The University of California, San Diego (UCSD) is the lead agency for the Center for Novel Therapeutics (CNT) project. The proposed CNT would conduct novel therapeutic, prevention, diagnostic, and imaging intervention-directed research and seeks to bring together necessary multidisciplinary expertise to discover new, more effective treatment, diagnostic, and prevention interventions, and shorten the time required to bring these new interventions to clinical trials. The project would include the design and construction of an approximately 120,000 gross square foot (GSF) building within the UCSD Science Research Park (SRP). The 30-acre SRP is located at the eastern edge of the campus just west of Regents Road, and was graded in 2002 to create five building pads to accommodate future growth of 650,000 GSF total. Utilities and infrastructure were also installed at that time to support the planned build out scenario. CNT would be the second building to locate in the SRP. The CNT is envisioned as a three story structure that would include one level of underground parking and is identified as Building Lot #4 in the SRP Design Concept. Utility connections are locally available in the SRP. The project site includes Building Lots #2 and #3 which would be paved for surface parking until such time as a building program for those lots is identified. The project would seek to achieve Leadership in Energy Efficient Design Gold rating from the U.S. Green Building Council. A public hearing to take public comment on the Draft EIR will be held at the time and place described below.

what do

you need?

let us

Tuesday, March 31, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. UCSD the Ida and Cecil Green Faculty Club

help.

Enter the UCSD Campus via Muir College Drive and follow the signs to the Faculty Club parking lot P206. Park in spaces marked “Reserved for Faculty Club”. Enter the building on the west side and ask the receptionist for a parking pass to place on your car dashboard. The hearing will be held in the Faculty Club’s Seuss Library. Directions can be found at at http://facclub.ucsd.edu/mod_AboutUs/Directions.aspx Written and oral statements from interested persons or groups will be accepted at the hearing for entry into the administrative record. A transcript of the hearing will be included in the Final EIR. Copies of the Draft EIR may be viewed at:

http://physicalplanning.ucsd.edu/environmental/pub_notice.html

or by contacting the UCSD Physical & Community Planning Office, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0074, (858) 534-5352. Public review of the Draft EIR will extend from March 3 to April 16, 2015. Any comments regarding the accuracy of the project EIR should be directed to the UCSD Physical & Community Planning Office at the above address.

price center east, level 3

ucsdguardian

asgraphicstudio.ucsd.edu

.com/

858.246.0972

SPORTS

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

M. TENNIS

BASEBALL

Tritons Defeats Division-I Foes Donatella Extends Shutout Streak UCSD takes two straight wins, but falls to UC Irvine, West Florida. BY liam leahy

staff writer Playing in one of this year’s busiest weeks, the No. 17 UCSD men’s tennis team competed in a slew of matches for the 126th Annual Pacific Coast Doubles. Lasting from last Thursday through this Tuesday, the team took a pair of wins against Villanova University and Georgetown, followed by a pair of losses to UC Irvine and the University of West Florida. The Tritons now hold an 8–6 record on the season. The Pacific Coast Doubles ran from Thursday through Sunday at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club, and it was seniors Axel Bouillin and Rajeev Herekar (9–2 as a duo) who made it the furthest for the Tritons, reaching the quarterfinals before defeat. Their tournament began with an 8–4 win over Georgetown pair senior Alex Tropiano and freshman Marco Lam. They then became the only Triton pair to progress past the round of 64 thanks to a 8–4 victory over second-seeded Oklahoma State’s sophomore Arjun Kadhe and senior Jakob Sude. Wins over San Diego State and ClaremontMudd-Scripps pushed them past through the round of 16 and into the quarterfinals. However, in their quarterfinal match up against UC Davis, the pair took the first set 6–2, but dropped the second and lost the final set in a hard-fought tiebreaker. The rest of the UCSD men’s tennis team began the week well elsewhere as it nearly completed a shutout of Division-I opponent Villanova at Northview Courts. The Tritons won all their doubles matches and triumphed in five of the six singles matches to take home an 8–1 victory. Junior Horea Porutui grabbed the first victory in the singles with a comfortable 6–1, 6–1 win over Wildcat sophomore Bradley Noyes in the number two spot. Bouillin took a 6–1, 6–3 victory over senior Mark Miller in the number one singles spot and paired up with Herekar to take a 8–5 victory in the number one doubles spot. A number-six singles spot victory for Triton sophomore Alexandre Mialue over Wildcat

senior Michael Rosengren (6–3, 6–1) rounded off an impressive day for the Tritons. The Tritons, without Bouillin and Herekar, also started Sunday off well with a 4–3 home win over another Division-I foe: Georgetown. The Tritons managed to take three out of six singles matches, including wins from freshman Eric Tseng and Porutui in the number one and number two slots, respectively. UCSD also managed to take two of the three doubles matches to best Georgetown. “We’ve been preparing all week for this,” UCSD head coach Timmer Willing said, following the back-to-back Division-I victories. “Anything can happen because they’re a short version and when we won [the doubles] they really gave us a little lift.” The Tritons then suffered a tough 5–2 defeat against Division-I opponent UC Irvine at Newport Beach Club. Despite their recent momentum, the Tritons lost all doubles matches and picked up just two singles wins from six matches. Porutui (6–4, 7–5) in the number one slot and senior Kona Luu (6–4, 7–6) in the sixth slot were the only two Tritons who brought points to the UCSD scorecard. On Tuesday, the blue and gold wrapped up the week with a tough 9–0 loss against topranked Division-II squad West Florida, who is now on an incredible 37-game winning streak. Bouillin and Herekar were narrowly defeated 9–8 in the No. 1 doubles spot. UCSD also dropped No. 2 doubles 8–0 and No. 3 doubles 8–4. The singles had little more success, though No. 3 player Porutiu took a set to his opponent. Bouillon and Tseng, in the first and second singles’ spot, were dropped in straight sets by nationally ranked opponents. After a busy week, the Tritons look to build on their successes as they host No. 2 Hawaii Pacific University on Saturday, March 14, the final home game of the season. The Tritons had lost 7–2 earlier in the season at Hawaii Pacific.

readers can contact liam leahy

lleahy@ucsd.edu

MONDAY, MAR 23RD PC BALLROOMS A/B 10:00PM free food! free scantrons! free blue books!

Triton ace on fire as baseball records huge sweep of Chico State. By john story

associate sports editor The No. 28 UCSD baseball team extended its win streak to five after a four-game series sweep of California Collegiate Athletic Association rival No. 20 Chico State. The Tritons now stand at 17–7 overall and place first in the CCAA with a 13–3 conference record coming off their fourth-straight conference-series win. With 16 games played, UCSD is enjoying a four-game advantage over second-ranked Cal State Monterey Bay (9–3) in the conference. The Friday night opener at Triton Ballpark offered a marquee matchup on the mound as junior right-hander Triton ace Justin Donatella (4–1) swapped innings with Chico State All-American senior right-hander Luke Barker (1–1). Donatella prevailed in the end with a 6–0 shutout win after just over seven frames. He also struck out nine to bring his total to 42 strikeouts in 2015, the best of any pitcher in the CCAA, and lowered his ERA to 0.28, which is another conference best. “Really the focus for me today was winning pitches,” Donatella told the UCSD Athletics Department. “I try to make it just like every other start, but there’s going to be a little adrenaline going whenever you play these guys.” With his unbelievable 31-inning shutout streak and superb performance in the Chico State series in tow, Donatella was recently named one of the Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week at all levels of collegiate play. Saturday’s doubleheader brought the Tritons a 10–7 win in game one and a 4–3 victory in the seven-inning nightcap. Sophomore outfielder Jack Larsen stretched his conference lead in RBIs to 27 on the day, adding five. Larsen also produced two doubles in game one and a triple in the nightcap. Senior southpaw Chad Rieser (0–0) was credited with both saves on the day, bringing his season total to three. Rieser followed fellow senior southpaw Trevor Scott (4–2) in game one and transfer junior right-hander Alon Leichman

PHOTO USED WITH PERMISSION FROM UCSD ATHLETICS

(4–0) in the second game to end their winning decisions. Rieser dug himself out of a tough situation in game one with the tying run at the plate in the ninth inning for the first save. “In those kinds of situations we always talk about slowing the game down.” Rieser said. “Taking it pitch-by-pitch, focusing on the game and slowing down my breathing.” Sunday’s 4–2 win completed the sweep with junior right-handed pitcher Troy Cruz (3–2) taking the mound to bounce back from his previous two losses. Redshirt freshman left fielder Justin Flatt and freshman third baseman Tyler Plantier, had productive days at the plate with the former extending his hit streak to nine games and the latter producing three RBIs. “We’ve been trying to talk all week about the mental toughness it takes to play against a team like this,” UCSD head coach Eric Newman said. “Every game was a good game — every game was tight at the end and you really saw guys embrace the opportunity throughout the weekend to make a play.” UCSD will break from play for finals week, but pick up again at home with a split-series against Cal State San Bernardino scheduled to start at 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. While the first pair of games will take place at home, the series will move to San Bernardino for the final two games, both on Sunday, March 22. The Tritons are expected to extend their winning streak against a struggling San Bernardino squad who sits in ninth place in the CCAA.

readers can contact john story

jstory@ucsd.edu

T H E U C S D G U A R D I A N | T H U R S D A Y, M A R C H 1 2 , 2 0 1 5 | W W W . U C S D G U A R D I A N . O R G

SPORTS

UPCOMING

CONTACT THE EDITOR

BRANDON YU

sports@ucsdguardian.org

UCSD

GAMES

Swim/Dive W. Water Polo M. Crew Track & Field Baseball

3/12 3/12 3/13 3/13 3/13

AT NCAA Championships VS Cal State Northridge VS Gonzaga University VS San Diego Challenge VS Cal State San Bernardino

MIGHTY MECKLING Design by Sherman Aline

Amid the trials of cancer, senior Peter Meckling emerged this year in triumph.

Written by Brandon Yu // Sports Editor

veryone loves a good underdog story. Whether it’s a group of college unknowns forcing a miracle on ice or a determined dreamer getting carried triumphantly off the Fighting Irish turf, it’s always nice to see the little guy find some success. But for UCSD’s senior sabreur Peter Meckling, life in the summer of 2013 took a much graver turn than the average againstthe-odds scenario. Born and raised in Colorado, Peter grew up as a soccer player alongside his twin brother, Billy. For a fencer who now competes at the collegiate level, Peter entered the world of sword fighting at a late age when he and his brother entered an introductory fencing summer camp at their mother’s suggestion. “We didn’t really start fencing until the end of the sophomore year of high school,” Peter said. “We just tried it. We ended up being pretty good at it, so we kept going and competed locally and a little bit nationally.” Within a year after starting out, Peter’s natural talent for the sabre suddenly factored heavily into his college selection process. “We looked at fencing schools that were also good engineering schools, which is why I ended up here [at UCSD],” Peter said. “I talked to Coach Josh [Runyan]. He knew we were applying, so I wasn’t just a walk-on.” After touching down in La Jolla, Peter forged some of his strongest relationships with teammates and coaches in his first two years while also making a mark in competition. He recorded a handful of impressive podium finishes and even handed his brother, of University of Notre Dame, his only loss at the NCAA West Invitational in his freshman year. Halfway through his time at UCSD, things seemed to be going well for Peter. On Friday, June 14, 2013, school was out, and summer had begun. Peter’s parents, whom he hadn’t seen in six months, planned to stay in San Diego for the break, and he was happy to see his brother and sister. However, before fun was to be had, Peter had to get an ultrasound that afternoon for a protrusion in his testicle that he had noticed for some time. “I had never had an ultrasound, but it seemed to be taking a really long time,” Peter said. “When we went out to the car, and we were just leaving the parking lot out of Thornton Hospital, the doctor called and said, ‘Yes, Peter has cancer.’” Yet after hearing the official diagnosis of testicular cancer, Peter kept calm and put on a brave face for his family. “We talked about it a little but mostly we avoided it,” Peter said. “I didn’t want my mom to be scared, so I was trying to be strong. I didn’t want my brother and sister to freak out, especially my sister. I was worried, and I’m sure my parents were worried, but it was switched into the back of my mind.” Amid the shock, there truly was little time to dwell. The following Tuesday, when Peter went to visit the oncologist for a check-up, a convenient opening for surgery was available on the same day, and, soon enough, Peter was in and out of a successful procedure. Furthermore, a CT scan following the surgery indicated that

PHOTOS USED WITH PERMISSION FROM UCSD ATHLETICS there was a 75-percent chance that the cancer would not return. As junior year rolled around, Peter re-focused on an engineer’s daunting course load, and he returned as squad captain to the sport he loved, where he and his teammates openly joked about his partially removed manhood. After a tumultuous summer, things appeared to return to normalcy. “By the time winter quarter came around, I wasn’t worried anymore,” Peter said. “I had done three CT scans by then, and none had shown lymph nodes growing, so I thought it was a thing of the past.” However, just as the cancer seemed to be behind him, disaster struck again in the middle of winter quarter. During Peter’s fourth CT scan, his doctor discovered that the cancer had returned, and a lymph node had to be removed. Surgery was scheduled for spring “I didn’t want my mom break in three weeks, but NCAA Regionals were com- to be scared, so I was ing up that same week. trying to be strong. I Peter panicked initially, but didn’t want my brother with the possibility of qualifying for NCAAs, he attempted and sister to freak out, to turn his attention toward especially my sister. I fencing. was worried, and I’m “I fenced at Regionals, and I was doing well,” Peter said. “I sure my parents were beat a lot of good people, and worried, but it was then I just fell apart. I just menswitched into the back tally lost it all. I lost matches I shouldn’t have lost, so I didn’t of my mind.” [get a chance to] make it to nationals.” Despite the disappointment at Regionals, Peter underwent another thankfully successful surgery over break, after which his coaches and teammates came to visit him. “It’s hard to be there [in the hospital],” Peter said. “It was really

good when my teammates, even my coaches, came to visit me. It was really good to see them to help me get through that.” With a 99-percent chance that the cancer had officially gone, Peter then looked toward a formidable road to recovery. In the spring, he lived with his mother off campus, slowly battling the lingering pain from the surgery, which put Peter’s senior year as a fencer in doubt. “I wasn’t allowed to lift anything for like a month,” Peter told the UCSD Guardian. “I carried a notebook around with me to class, and that was all that I could carry.” Yet slowly but surely, Peter progressed. He caught up on school that summer and spent time regaining his strength. In mid-November 2014, he finally re-entered competition at the UCSD-hosted event BladeRunner. The two-day schedule of matches was the first action he had seen since his struggles at Regionals in March. “It felt pretty great,” Peter said. “I spent a lot of time recovering, a lot of time not being able to fence at the level I wanted to fence at. BladeRunner showed that I was getting back there — that for as long as I’d been out, I could still fence. It was a really good feeling.” Since then, Peter has competed fully this season and recently wrapped up his collegiate career with a sixth place finish at 2015’s NCAA Regionals behind some of the best fencers in the nation. Additionally, Triton freshman David Hadler took third in the foil and will represent UCSD at the national championships in Ohio next week from March 19 to 22, during which Peter will surely be cheering on his teammate. As for himself, Peter will look back on his journey these four years as a great experience with the sport he loves, one that has helped him through the life-threatening hardships he has faced. “Fencing has probably been the greatest part of my college experience so far,” Peter said. “All my friends are fencers. All of my greatest memories have been with fencers at tournaments. It would have been really tough without them. These guys and girls have all been there for me.”