Volume 9, Issue 16

Volume 9, Issue 16 | Mar 4 - Mar 10, 2015

UCSB’s Weekly Student-Run Newspaper

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HXSTORY

COMEBACK

MOSQUITO

UCSB celebrated Black History Month with art, music, and dance at a block party hosted by BSU.

Pee-wee is getting a new movie soon. Which franchises should also make a comeback?

Will releasing genetically modified mosquitoes in Florida help curb deadly diseases?

PHOTO / 4 & 5

SCI & TECH / 7

A&E / 6

‘Protesting Sweatshops’

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

continued on page 2...

Students protest sweat shops in front of the UCen.

NATIONAL BEAT REPORT

FCC Votes 3-2 for Net Neutrality Gilberto Flores NATIONAL BEAT REPORTER The Federal Communications Commission voted in favor of new net neutrality rules that would regulate the Internet like a public utility. The five-person commission voted 3-2 on Feb. 26, voting along party lines with dissenting votes coming from the two Republicans on the Commission. The vote comes as a huge win for net neutrality advocates and President Obama who, in November, publicly expressed his support for a free and open Internet and called on the FCC to adopt net neutrality rules.

Net neutrality is the idea that all traffic on the web should be treated equally by all companies that provide access to it, and not providing faster or specialized speeds for companies that can afford to pay for it.

“The action that we take today is an irrefutable reflection of the principle that no one, whether government or corporate, should control free and open access to the Internet,” said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler.

The decision by the FCC has inspired outrage from major broadband companies and Republicans in both Congress and the FCC. Verizon released a statement in Morse code against the decision, poking fun at what it believed to be outdated regulations designed for old phone service monopolies (more on that later). Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) once tweeted that net neutrality was “Obamacare for the Internet,” after Obama an-

nounced his support for open Internet rules.

FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai, a Republican, said, “The Commission’s decision to adopt President Obama’s plan marks a monumental shift toward government control of the Internet.

It gives the FCC the power to micromanage virtually every aspect of how the Internet works.”

Wheeler dismissed these claims as false, stating that he will take a light approach and will not regulate prices.

So if the FCC, an independent agency, did not vote to pass a law, or place actual limits on companies that provide broadband service, or raise or lower prices, what exactly did they vote for?

The FCC voted to reclassify high-speed Internet service as a telecommunications service, rather than an information service, under Title II of the 1934 Communications Act. This classification means that Internet service will be treated as a public utility, much like phone service is today.

In the 1930s, American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) held a near monopoly on phone service. Due to the incredibly high demand for this new technology, the monopoly affected big businesses such as banks, importers, exporters, factories, and just about any business that required fast and efficient communication–which is pretty much every business. These businesses found themselves at the mercy of AT&T, who would shift prices according to demand. Like railroads, bridges, and ferries decades prior, phone service providers found themselves working with a technology that had become essential to business, and that all individuals and small businesses eventually needed

if they wanted to compete in a changing economy.

To keep telecommunications companies from implementing unfair pricing and discriminating against or in favor of certain companies, the 1934 Communications Act was passed, and it regulated phone service as a common carrier under a part of the act called Title II. A common carrier is basically any business that provides a service that is considered so tied to the public good or the workings of an economy that it is required to treat all users equally. These same common carrier rules will now be applied to Internet service providers (ISPs).

If the FCC vote were to go the opposite way, and Internet access was not to be treated as a public utility, then we would probably begin to see ISPs charging internet companies like Netflix or Amazon an extra fee to stream their content at a faster speed, like paying an extra toll to take an express lane.

This inhibits smaller streaming services or online shops that are competing with Netflix and Amazon and would not be able to afford the extra fee.

Today, the Internet has gone the way of the telephone, becoming the main tool for social interaction, commerce, mail, and much more. The vote by the FCC demonstrates a shift in the way the Internet functions in our society by legally recognizing it as the essential resource that it is, as essential as the phone, water, and electricity. However, some broadband companies like Verizon have expressed disagreement with the decision and intend on challenging the FCC in court—an indication that the fight for net neutrality might not be over just yet.

ASSOCIATED STUDENTS BEAT REPORT

Student Housing Cost Set to Increase Over Next 5 Years Bailee Abell

AS BEAT REPORTER

The cost of student housing at the University of California, Santa Barbara has been steadily increasing by 3 percent every year for at least 10 years. However, to combat the university’s $500 million debt, the price of student housing will increase by 4.33 percent every year through the 2019-2020 academic year, according to Housing and Residential Services Director and Chief Financial Officer of Business and Financial Planning Martin Shumaker.

In light of the university’s Long Range Development Plan (LRDP) to increase the number of attending students to 20,00025,000 by the year 2025, the university is required to have

one bed for each new student attending. The LRDP caused the construction of three new housing projects—Sierra Madre, located on Storke Road across the street from Santa Catalina; San Joaquin, located in the Santa Catalina parking lot; and an unnamed third project that will be built in the coming years.

The total cost estimate for these housing projects is $500 million.

“When we are looking at our rates, we are sensitive to the cost of attendance,” said Shumaker.

“It’s expensive to go to college, and wherever you live is a big component to that…We try to minimize [raising rates] as much as possible. We are also sensitive to how our rates compare to the local market.”

Shumaker stated that the university compares its undergradu-

ate apartment prices to those of local Isla Vista houses and apartments, and the on-campus housing prices to those of Tropicana del Norte and the housing on other UC campuses. Based on the prices reported by students, the university-owned undergraduate apartment prices are under the IV market price. According to Shumaker, the UCSB on-campus housing and the university-owned apartments are ranked seventh and fifth, respectively, compared to the housing costs at other UC campuses.

“It’s expensive to build new projects, and I think it’s really tied to this LRDP growth of the campus plan,” said Shumaker.

“There aren’t a lot of other options.”

According to Shumaker, the university explored the option

of paying a developer to construct new university housing.

However, developers are rarely used in the UC system. He also opined that steadily increasing the cost of student housing over

Photo Courtsey from Flickr

the next decade will combat the debt in a way that is agreeable to most people, rather than suddenly and drastically increasing the cost by 8 percent in one year and keeping it at that high cost.

TBL | Mar 4-Mar 10, 2015

2 | NEWS

IGNITE, UCSB Reads Collaborate on Teach-In Gwendolyn Wu STAFF WRITER University of California, Santa Barbara students gathered in the Santa Barbara Mission Room at the UCen on Feb. 25 to attend a teach-in workshop concerning the school-toprison pipeline, California’s prison system, and transforming higher education. The workshop was hosted by UCSB’s IGNITE campaign, along with UCSB Reads.

IGNITE stands for Invest in Graduation Not Incarceration, Transform Education. The statewide campaign, put on by each campus’ UC Student Association, aims to raise awareness of California’s disinvestment in education and investment in the state incarceration system. They also focus on the systematic inequalities that people of color face in the higher education system, and how students can make a change.

The event included a presentation about UCSB Reads, a campaign to get UCSB students and the Santa Barbara community reading the same book during winter quarter. UCSB Reads ties the book choice of the year to the campaign, and the 2015 book choice is Piper Kerman’s Orange Is The New Black. Assistant University Librarian for Outreach Rebecca Metzger passed out copies of the book at the IGNITE/UCSB Reads teach-in, in an effort to get more students involved with both campaigns.

IGNITE Campaign Coordinator and fourth-year political science and global studies double major Ryan Fluence and U.S. Student Association Non-Traditional/First Generation Caucus Chair Joseline Garcia shared statistics concerning the school-to-prison pipeline, and the difficulties people of color experience in higher education. For example, only one university (UC Merced) has been opened in California over the past decade, while 23 prisons/ correctional facilities have had a grand opening since.

The workshop featured parts of a presentation by Garcia, a third-year double major in global studies and art, who serves as a member of the USSA. USSA focuses on motivating students to become grassroots activists for issues

Photo by Tiffany Wu | Staff Photographerr Ryan Fluence and Joceline Garcia of IGNITE discuss educational issues and campaigns they deem important, such as “State of Emergency: A Campaign to Increase Recruitment and Retention of Students of Color,“ featured at the IGNITE/UCSB Reads workshop.

The “emergency” the teach-in focused on covered the injustices that people of color face in education, despite the Brown v. Board of Education (1954) ruling. Extreme segregation, underfunding of public education, inadequate outreach to underrepresented communities, and a lack of support for and retention of students of color leads to worsening conditions in the educational system. With an underrepresented minority, education begins to suffer— students of color feel deterred from pursuing higher education, and students in general won’t benefit from experiences shared by a diverse

community.

For Fluence, campaigns like IGNITE helped shed light on the injustices he was unaware of growing up in New Orleans. At the teach-in, he explained many of the reasons that minorities enter and stay in higher education at lower rates than other students, including resonating effects from Affirmative Action, Brown v. Board of Education, and many more.

“I did not understand how this system in New Orleans was a systematic way of holding back minorities from higher education and becoming positive members in society,” explained Fluence. “I was able to get a first-hand grasp of why the statistics of African-Americans graduating high school and entering college was so low.

It was systematically harder for them to do so, in comparison to the more privileged.”

IGNITE will continue campaigning throughout the year, launching their website, producing promotional gear, and working further with other social justice and awareness organizations, such as Associated Students’ Student Initiated Recruitment and Retention Committee, Black Student Union, and the Student Commission On Racial Equality.

“I think it has an impact on every single student in some way,” said Garcia. “The fact that the state prioritizes prison over education is the reason why tuition is so expensive. It doesn’t matter what race you are, you pay the same tuition. It’s not just a students of color issue. We have the opportunity to create change—if we don’t get involved, higher education will be accessible for very few individuals, which we don’t want.”

Protesting Sweatshops, Students ‘Die’ in Front of UCen

Hector Sanchez Castaneda STAFF WRITER

To inform students about the conditions that workers in the garment industry experience in locations like Bangladesh and to promote the adherence to fair labor laws, students from the University of California, Santa Barbara participated in a die-in in front of the UCen. The event, organized by the United Students Against Sweatshops, was held on Feb. 26.

Participants sported black clothing with the text “Fuck sweatshops” and signs that read statements like “Sweatshop free UCSB” and “We refuse to stand for sweatshops.” Third-year global studies major and USAS member Brandon Yadegari mentioned that one of the long-term goals of USAS is to inform the population of what occurs in sweatshops around the world.

“USAS plays a major role in educating the general student population specifically with regards to labor issues and substandard labor conditions for the majority of garment workers,” Yadegari said.

The day before the die-in, Executive Director of the Worker Rights Consortium Scott Nova gave a special lecture to students at the Multicultural Center.

“All of the actual production of [major brand] garments is done by contracted factories in Latin America, in various parts of Asia, to some extent in Africa, and the Middle East,” said Nova. “This dynamic of this process of outsourcing garment production has been an extremely effective tool by brands and retail-

ers to reduce production costs and increase profits. Instead of paying workers in the United States $16 or $20 an hour, garment brands and retailers have clothing made by contracted manufacturers who pay garment workers in Bangladesh 33 cents an hour or 15 cents an hour.”

Die-in participants laid down alongside funeral flowers to portray the thousands of deaths that have resulted from unfair labor conditions around the world. Some of the major sweatshop incidents that the event highlighted included the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh, where over 1100 people died when the building collapsed.

First-year undeclared major Kate Columbus expressed her thoughts on the current garment system and the deaths that have resulted from it.

“It’s hard to believe that practically all of the clothes we wear, hundreds of people have put effort in making them and many of [these people] have died just because we want a new pair of shorts or a new dress,” Columbus said.

The event lasted for two hours, spanning from 1 PM to 3 PM. Passersby stopped to read the informative stands around the event, and some grabbed signs and participated as well.

Second-year global studies major Rachel Gray expressed her concern with the UCSB bookstore and its garment products.

“I want to be sure that all that I buy from UCSB is made by people who are getting fair pay and are working in conditions that I myself would like to work in,” Gray said.

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer Students lie down in protest aganist sweatshops in front of the UCen One of the main objectives of USAS is getting UCSB to join the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Currently, most UCs are in the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. Yadegari described the difference between these agreements.

“The Accord and the Alliance represent two reactions to a pretty dire situation specifically in the country of Bangladesh in Southeast Asia,” Yadegari said. “The Alliance is a non-binding agreement.

There is no mechanism to hold anyone accountable legally in the Alliance. [In] the Accord, there’s very specific language in there that

TBL 2014-2015 STAFF WRITERS THIS ISSUE: Bailee Abell, Gilberto Flores, Hector Sanchez Castaneda, Gwendolyn Wu, Chloe Babauta, Tara Ahi, Kyle Roe, Nardin Sarkis, Sarah Beaver, Stephani Anderson, Judy Lau, Janani Ravikumar, Sam Goldman, Alec Killoran ILLUSTRATORS THIS ISSUE: Amy Chase, Carrie Ding PHOTOGRAPHERS THIS ISSUE: Leah Armer, Frances Castellon, Elyse Wang, Veronica Arvizo, Tiffany Wu

The Bottom Line is sponsored by the Associated Students of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Opinions expressed in TBL do not necessarily represent those of the staff, AS, or UCSB. Published with support from Generation Progress/Center for American Progress (genprogress.org). All submissions, questions or comments may be directed to bottomlineucsb@gmail.com or content.tbl@gmail.com.

covers things like financial support for factory upgrades and improvements for example.”

In regards to the UCSB bookstore’s association with manufacturing policy, Yadegari expressed some frustration.

“Working with the bookstore can be difficult, but they are willing to sit down and talk with us about these problems,” Yadegari stated.

“We are having some trouble getting access to the data as far as how much in revenues are coming from certain manufacturers, where manufactures are producing, this and that. These should be fairly transparent things.”

Executive Managing Editor | Marissa Perez Executive Content Editor | Matt Mersel Copy Editor | Andrea Vallone News Editor | Isabelle Geczy Features Editor | Deanna Kim Opinions Editor | Sam Goldman Arts & Entertainment Editor | Coleman Gray Science & Technology Editor | Mimi Liu Senior Layout Editor | Morey Spellman

Yadegari stated that she hopes the die-in will push students to participate in making a worthwhile change.

“We wanted the [die-in] to be a seed in people’s minds,” Yadegari said. “We hope that a lot of people saw it and understood that people were figuratively dying in solidarity with workers that actually have died and that may have possibly touched the clothes in our bookstore.”

If you wish to become a part of USAS, they hold their meetings Monday nights at 8 PM in the Social Sciences and Media Studies 2001.

Layout Editor | Madison Donahue-Wolfe Layout Editor | Mathew Burciaga Layout Editor | Maria Nguyen Photo and Multimedia Editor | Benjamin Hurst National Beat Reporter I Gilberto Flores Isla Vista Beat Reporter | Kelsey Knorp A.S. Beat Reporter | Bailee Abell Promotions Director | Audrey Ronningen Advertising Director | Parisa Mirzadegan

TBL | Mar 4-Mar 10, 2015

3 | FEATURES

Save the Mermaids at UCSB Tara Ahi STAFF WRITER The University of California, Santa Barbara chapter of Save the Mermaids is officially registered, making it the first college chapter of the environmental organization in the country. Save the Mermaids is a Santa Barbara-based nonprofit that focuses on two aspects of ocean conservation: education and exploration.

Here at UCSB, Kriste Josephson, Stefani Henderson, and Sophie Wilson lead a staff of about 15 students who act as “ambassadors to the sea.” Their activities span from educating children on the perils of plastic waste, to trips to the Channel Islands to beach clean ups.

The goal of Save the Mermaids, according to their website, is to “inspire others to use less and waste less in a fun and creative way.”

Their emphasis is to focus on patterns in daily life that can be altered and encourage people to make more sustainable choices. This includes aversion to single-use plastic, such as utensils in restaurants, plastic water bottles, and grocery bags. There are already many groups dedicated to the cause, but Save the Mermaids adds a “fun, sparkly twist” with the adoption of the mermaid identity, said Josephson, a third-year art history and Chinese double major.

The UCSB chapter formed organically over a shared passion for the ocean. Attracted to the integrative nature of their process, Josephson has worked with Save the Mermaids for two years already and became passionate about the cause.

“It wasn’t just about donating and letting someone else do the work,” she said. She explained that a huge part of the organization is education, being preventive and “starting from the source.”

This accessibility to making a difference is what plays a role in attracting students. The “mermaid” part attracts the type of people who have an existing passion for the ocean, and the social dynamic makes the work enjoyable. Joseph-

Photo by Tiffany Wu | Staff Photographer son said, “Go out and do the stuff you like to do anyways!”

Henderson grew up in Santa Barbara, always close to the water.

She describes the litter as inescapable, and the fact that the pollution is completely preventative only worsens it. This includes hikes in the mountains nearby—when the group goes to the trails, they pick up what they find to prevent the trash from ending up in the water. One of the worst types, they explained, is cigarette butts. At a cleanup last weekend, Wilson and her group collected 442 along just one block.

While disheartening, they describe the feat as inspiring as well, for the effects of their efforts are even more observable.

A critical part of the issue they want to bring to light is the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. This

Kriste Josephson and Sophie Wilson posing with Save The Mermaids signs.

disconnect is detrimental; it’s easy to not think of where a red solo cup ends up after the beer is gone and the cup is tossed away. However, it can then travel along the oceanic currents to a gargantuan trash gyre.

According to the website, there is one between the Hawaiian islands and our coast that is twice the size of Texas and that weighs over 3.5 million tons. Save the Mermaids aims to educate and persuade people to change their ways and to put an end to such destructive collections. “Waste is a design flaw,” their website says.

The UCSB club has been a year in the making and was finally registered last quarter. In the last four to six weeks, there has been an outpouring of support and registrations for new members. There is at least one cleanup each week, as well as a

host of other activities and gatherings. They hope to inspire action in people once they are exposed to what the ocean has to offer—particularly those who don’t usually venture into the water—through activities such as paddle boarding, kayaking, trips, and other outdoor activities. This atmosphere of passion and enthusiasm makes the experience enjoyable and motivating, said Wilson, a recent UCSB graduate and environmental science major.

With this new support there are many goals and collaborations underway for the near future. Next quarter, Save the Mermaids plans to partner with the club Plastic Solutions for a “Plastic Free UCSB” campaign. They hope to work with Adopt-a-Block at Deltopia and are in contact with local businesses

regarding funding and practicing “mermaid-approved” activities.

The Lucidity music festival at Lake Cachuma shares these values and works to be waste-free, and has a partnership with Save the Mermaids as well.

This shift towards a sustainable lifestyle and habit is nothing people here haven’t heard of, but Save the Mermaids hopes to go about it in a novel way; armed with preventative education and a social element, they want to help community members raise standards to the point there is a collective agreement not to be a part of this huge problem.

“How do you get people motivated? You get their ego involved,” said Henderson, a recent global studies graduate. “I bring my glass bottle or reusable cup to social situations and people ask questions.

RCSGD Fashion Show Promotes Beauty Diversity with J. Alexander Chloe Babauta STAFF WRITER Hundreds of University of California, Santa Barbara students lined up outside Corwin Pavilion on Thursday, Feb. 26, to get seats for the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity’s (RCSGD) second annual fashion show: Fashion Through the Ages.

Last year, the RCSGD brought Isis King—the first trans woman contestant on the show America’s Next Top Model—as the host, and their first fashion show was a huge success. This year, the resource center brought in an even more influential modeling icon, Miss J. Alexander. Alexander, a runway coach most known for his role in America’s Next Top Model, is a prominent figure in the fashion and modeling industries. As a gay black male figure in the modeling industry, Alexander was a solid choice to host the RCSGD’s fashion show, which promotes beauty of all kinds.

Cassie Rubio, the RCSGD’s volunteer coordinator, co-hosted the fashion show.

“Our hope for this fashion show is that we provide a space for students to feel beautiful, to feel confident, to feel affirmed and powerful in their identity,” Rubio said. “We want to make sure that we are showing how diverse our campus can be and how many students here that there actually are of different types of gender and sexual expressions.”

In addition, Rubio said that a goal of the fashion show for the RCSGD is “to make sure that we’re always trying to challenge these different hegemonic influences that try to police our bodies, whether that be through the types of clothes we’re wearing, the way we’re walking down the runway, the way we interact with each other, and the types of guests that we bring to this school.”

The fashion show opened with an interview between Alexander and the Associate Director of LGBT Services in the RCSGD, Klint Jaramillo. Jaramillo asked Alexander questions about how he experienced race, gender presentation, and sexuality in the fashion and modeling industry.

“I just walked right in [to the fashion industry], and I didn’t think there was a gay, straight, bi, transgender thing,” Alexander said. “I just went, and if it worked then it did or it didn’t. I’m not sensitive to that stuff.”

Alexander saw his minority identities more as ways to set himself apart from others rather than as sources for discrimination in the fashion and modeling industries. “I think if I stood back and thought about the

things that I did not get because I was black, I’d think about how I was blessed because I’m black, and the things that I’ve gotten because I’m black, because if I didn’t get those things, I wouldn’t be here talking,” Alexander said.

“No one can block your blessings. Those are yours at birth.”

After the interview, Alexander invited audience members to come onto the runway and compete in a walk-off—some of these impromptu models were even sassier divas than the models of the actual show.

“She sissied that walk,” Alexander said, while watching one of the male students strut and pose on the runway.

The fashion show went on with a lot of lights, cameras, and Beyoncé songs. The show included students of different gender and sexual identities, featuring some students dressed from different time periods, in accordance with the show’s theme, and many models in drag.

“It’s nice that UCSB has such a prominent and well-accepted queer community that is able to put on events like [the fashion show] so people can come together and enjoy

themselves,” said attendant Christine Amador, a fourth-year English and psychology double major. “It definitely makes me feel more accepted to be here.”

After the show, the models expressed what drag and dressing up meant to them in an interview.

Her second time participating in the fashion show, Kathleen Tang, a fourth-year mathematics major, dressed in drag publicly for the first time.

“Ever since I was little, I was really tomboyish and adults around me told me that this was ‘bad,’ so that had a lot to do with how extreme my internalized homophobia became,” Tang said. “It’s important for me to do [drag] because it’s embracing my masculine side and showing that I don’t care how I express my gender: I do whatever I want.”

Brandon Pineda, a fourth-year sociology major appreciated how the RCSGD puts on this event to defy hegemonic beauty standards. “I think this is a great example of how not everyone here is a ‘super-star America’s Next Top Model,’ but people are here however they want to dress, whatever makes them

Photo by Frances Castellon | Staff Photographer

feel pretty, and they can walk out and strut their stuff,” Pineda said.

Max Ochoa, a first-year English major, dressed up for the fashion show as a “flower child” to represent the queer community as an officer of the Queer Student Union. “I’m a pretty active member of the queer community and I just want to show our colors,” Ochoa said. “I think it’s important to normalize queerness on campus and just make it a more prevalent thing.”

The RCSGD offers programs, training services, and other resources to LGBTQ students, in addition to the work they did with the fashion show. The show’s other co-host, Manny Suarez, talked about how he benefits from the work that the resource center provides.

“The RCSGD is amazing,” Suarez said.

“They helped me out through my coming out process and without the people there and the resources provided, I would not be who I am today. It’s because of my coworkers, my bosses, the resources, and events like [the fashion show] that I’m able to express who I am without being afraid.”

Leo Migotti poses on the runway as a part of Fashion Through the Ages.

4 | PHOTO

TBL | Mar 4-Mar 10, 2015

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

BLACK BLACK HXSTORY HXSTORY MONTH MONTHBLOCK BLOCK PARTY PARTY Students join in a community gathering and express themselves through art, music, and dance in commemoration of black hxstory, black culture, and black power.

Photo by Elyse Wang | The Bottom Line

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

Photo by Elyse Wang | The Bottom Line

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

5 | PHOTO

TBL | Mar 4-Mar 10, 2015

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

Photo by Elyse Wang | The Bottom Line

Photo by Elyse Wang | The Bottom Line

Photo by Elyse Wang | The Bottom Line

Photo by Leah Armer | Staff Photographer

TBL | Mar 4-Mar 10, 2015

6 | ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

President Underwood Will See You Now Nardin Sarkis If you have a Netflix account (or know someone who lets you use their Netflix account), then odds are you were counting down the days to Feb. 27. That date, of course, marked the premiere of Season 3 of House of Cards, when all 13 episodes were made available on Netflix.

In the last two seasons, we watched in apprehensive awe as Frank Underwood deviously maneuvered his way to the top.

Now “President Underwood,” Frank represents all that is cunning and dubious in his obsessive quest for power. Yet despite his underhanded deals, deceitful politics, and unethical behavior, we find ourselves unabashedly rooting for this political juggernaut.

But why, in a country that consistently has 40 percent voter turnout, is this politicallycharged show a national phenomenon?

House of Cards’ mass appeal to people who are typically disinterested in politics can largely be attributed to the back-door world exposed in the show. I like to think our heads of state in the U.S. are more ethical than those in the show (not to say they

are completely innocent, but I am fairly confident that murder cover-ups are not on the west wing’s monthly agenda), but House of Cards opens the back door to Washington, D.C. and allows us to imagine all of the unprincipled behavior that runs rampant. House of Cards feels like witnessing a conspiracy firsthand, unraveling the next great political scandal. The genius decision to break the fourth wall between the audience and the on-screen action, which allows Frank to direct his monologues toward the camera, furthers this feeling of back door politics. When he talks to the audience, you can’t help but feel as though you are in the President’s shadow witnessing every handshake, phone call, and internal struggle. This thrill of being exposed to the shady world of politics from the front lines undoubtedly keeps the non-political majority just as engaged.

The dark world of House of Cards is also deliciously devious, which strikes a chord with so many of the coveted 18-34 year old demographic. Frank Underwood’s Machiavellian outlook seems to personify what many of us struggle to balance. We

are taught from a young age that if we want something, we must fight against all obstacles to get it no matter what. It is usually implied that murder and extremely immoral behavior are the exceptions to this rule, though as we have seen, Frank Underwood has no exceptions. He will use anything and anyone in his way to get what he wants, and while that usually involves navigating outside of the law, we seem to be attracted to his shameless actions. While in real life we know there are some lines we will never cross, no matter what the reward may be, it is strangely satisfying to watch a man with no boundaries or morals chase his goals.

At the end of the day, Kevin Spacey’s Frank Underwood always keeps us coming back for more. As well-written and produced as a show maybe, there is no doubt that you need the right cast to ultimately sell the show. Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright embody the sinister Underwoods so well that you can’t help but be entranced by their performances. So grab a rack of ribs from Freddy’s, possibly a cigarette, and curl up in bed to watch Season 3 of House of Cards, now streaming.

Illustration by Carrie Ding| The Bottom Line

The Emotional and Physical Movement of ‘In the Red and Brown Water’ Hector Sanchez Castaneda STAFF WRITER Tarell Alvin McCraney’s play In the Red and Brown Water, currently playing at University of California, Santa Barbara’s Hatlen Theater, takes storytelling elements from Yoruba mythology and Louisiana Voodoo folktales, to showcase a community that is often overlooked by many of us. Set in a Louisiana bayou housing project, this play portrays the difficulties of being African-American and having to deal with a future that may have already been decided for you. Indeed, one of the recurring issues of the play is the allure of escaping the projects, and in essence overcoming a fear that many of us face: staying home for the rest of our lives.

It presents characters that are complex and relatable, who join together to create a enthralling coming of age story.

The story is about a young track star named Oya (played by Joré AaronBoughton) and her decision to stay at home when presented with the oppor-

tunity to leave. Aaron-Boughton does a fantastic job in moving around stage, her physicality an indication of her status as a track star. Instead of leaving, she chooses to stay in the projects in order to take care of her ailing mother, Mama Moja (played by Zurian Zarate). She foregoes ambition and success and instead chooses family and responsibility.

What seems like the morally-correct move turns out to be the main source of unhappiness for Oya for the majority of the play. Although Oya’s intentions are good, she unwillingly sentences herself to a future she thought she could escape. It’s a harsh reality that keeps presenting itself throughout the story, and we’re constantly reminded about it through the use of explicit language and sexual themes, such as the decision between passion or love.

The actors do a fantastic job in portraying the complex characters of the story. At first, it might seem as though the characters are one-sided, generically good or bad; however, after a few minutes of them onstage, you re-

alize that these are human beings with faults and redeeming qualities. Shango (brilliantly portrayed by Rigoberto Sanchez) looks like a sleazy gangster in the beginning, but is revealed to have genuine concerns about the wellbeing of others. Elegba (played by Charles Grant) appears to be a harmless kid at first, until you realize he’s far from innocent.

An important quality of the play revolves around dancing and singing.

There are several surreal sequences within the play that are particularly outstanding. The most emotional moments occur in the first half of the play, and are significant because of the amazing choreography and singing that accompany.

Director Shirley Jo Finney and choreographer Christina McCarthy do an amazing job in using the whole stage to their advantage. The show is performed in the versatile Hatlen Theater, so there is not a restriction of space that has been seen with previous productions. A scene based around one

of Oya’s track meets serves as a prime example: instead of having the actor run across the stage, Finney and McCarthy created a dance that exhilarates the audience with its fast motion and loud sounds. Scenic designer Frederica Nascimento creates a memorable ambiance that elicits a good representation of a Louisiana housing project.

Vickie J. Scott’s work with lighting should be celebrated as well. Colors are successfully used alongside voice and physicality to portray more than the actors could accomplish alone.

One particularly unique feature of In the Brown and Red Water is the use of stage directions. Instead of being a silent order that actors follow, they read them out loud to the audience and indicate their actions and feelings.

It’s something that is usually done for comedic affect, and it makes character entrances more memorable than usual.

Again, it cannot be overstated how important this metaphysical aspect of the play is to conducing emotions from the audience.

While the first half of the play is incredible in many respects, it causes expectations for the second half to be unfairly high. The second half deals with Oya’s struggle to find herself and a meaning to her life. We see the repercussions of her past choices and how her outlook on life morphs based on her experiences. It’s a personal journey, but not quite the emotional triumph that is the first half. The first half could have actually been enough to make the play worthwhile. However, this is definitely not to say that the second half is unnecessary, but it does drag out the story somewhat.

All in all, the University of California, Santa Barbara’s production of In the Red and Brown Water is a prime example of how choreography, voice, and acting should mix together in the making of theater. Good performances, in company with amazing choreography and use of physicality, have produced a significant work of modern theater that should be experienced if the opportunity becomes available.

Baby, Come Back! It Doesn’t Have To Be on TV Sarah Beaver STAFF WRITER For the first time in over 27 years, a new Pee-wee Herman film is coming our way in the near future.

According to the A.V. Club, Judd Apatow will produce and John Lee will direct Pee-wee’s Big Holiday, confirmed for release on Netflix. This is exciting stuff, people. There is no doubt that hard-core Peewee fans are excited about this upcoming release, but what about other beloved and sadly forgotten characters from our past? Netflix seems to be snatching up a lot of good shows, and with this movie adapta-

tion, there are endless possibilities for the revival of other old friends, such as: Rugrats – I don’t think I’ve met one person who doesn’t at least know of Rugrats. Which makes sense, considering that a group of walking, talking babies that go on adventures without their parents noticing is hard to forget. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I’d love to see where Tommy, Chuckie, and the gang are these days. Remember Nickelodeon’s attempt at a revival with All Grown Up? We can do better! Perhaps instead of high school (or was it middle school? I don’t think anyone was really sure about that) we can see how the good ol’ Rugrats are

Illustration by Carrie Ding | The Bottom Line

doing in college. As infants, they got away with so much, so who knows what they would do in a university setting. Has Tommy moved on to pockets, or does he still keep things in his diaper? Does he still wear a diaper in college? (Is that some kind of weird hazing ritual?) Is Angelica in a sorority? Does she still carry around a demented Cynthia doll with no hair?

What kind of bottles do they drink from now? Has someone figured out how to fashion that Reptar figurine into a bong? Come on Netflix, I just gave you a whole season’s worth of material. Make it happen.

An Extremely Goofy Movie – Aside from the fact that I have no recollection of what happened in the first Goofy Movie, I’m sure we can all agree that it is quite possibly one of the best movies of all time. It has been far too long since the world has seen these odd dog-human characters, their seemingly useless, but never forgotten white gloves, and a successful Leaning Tower of Cheeza. We can only hope that Goofy married that totally groovy librarian and that Max successfully graduated from college, without his dad there. I’d love to see these characters come back to life—literally. It is only fitting that the revival of this classic Disney movie would star real actors dressed as Wilfred-esque dog-human beings and partake in various shenanigans. If Netflix, or Amazon, or Yahoo, or whoever wants to get into vaguely terrifying, avant-garde, stoner programming, look no further than the Goof Troop.

Bedazzled – Now, this is one of my personal favorites. Granted, I’ve only seen the 2000 remake of the original 1967 movie, but I’d love to see a sequel.

The original followed a rather awkward and lonely

main character, Elliot (Brendan Fraser), who stumbles upon the devil (Elizabeth Hurley). She offers him seven wishes in exchange for his soul. I probably watched this movie at least 20 times as a kid, and I’m sure if Netflix did a good enough job on a sequel, I would watch that just as frequently. Also, I’m positive that both Fraser and Hurley are free, and up for doing another one of these. I mean, they haven’t really been relevant since the first one. Come on, who wouldn’t want to see another movie where Elizabeth Hurley is the devil and attempts to steal people’s souls? The fact that this movie has yet to receive some kind of update astounds me.

Kim Possible – This is another animated show that would definitely have to star real actors. If I was scrolling through Netflix and saw a Kim Possible Movie, my life would instantly be better. Anna Kendrick would be a pretty kick-ass Kim Possible, and I can imagine someone like Josh Hutcherson playing her sidekick, and love interest, Ron Stoppable. Then there is Rufus, who cannot be forgotten. He would probably have to be animated in because of his naked mole-rat amazingness, and I’m sure by now Ron and Rufus have been offered several record deals after their hit “The Naked Mole Rap.” I’m also very curious to see how the creation of the deliciously gross “naco” would take place in real life. It always looked extremely appetizing in cartoon form, so, according to the laws of animated food, it should be even better in real life. Maybe Kim has moved on from organized crime-fighting and is saving the environment. I can see it now: Kim Possible and the Sitch in the Ozone Layer.

BADBADNOTGOOD and Ghostface Killah Make Sweet Music and ‘Sour Soul’ Kyle Roe STAFF WRITER Gangster rap and jazz could not sound more different if they tried. One genre immortalizes displays of inner-city crime over thumping bass-driven beats, while the other prides itself on free-spirited improvisation over swooping sax lines and virtuoso drumming. If you can’t figure out which is which, then a serious existential life evaluation is in order. However, just because two ingredients are different does not mean they can’t be mixed, and pleasure is often derived from contrast.

Ghostface Killah and BADBADNOTGOOD (BBNG) go together like salt and caramel on their new collaborative album Sour Soul, which dropped on Feb. 16. BBNG are a post-bop trio hailing from Toronto, Canada and winners of the Most Ironic and Internet-y Sounding Hipster Band in the Universe Award. Post-bop is a form of jazz usually played in a small ensemble, combing influences from hard bop, modal jazz, avant-garde, and

free jazz without sounding too much like any of the former. So it’s pretty open to interpretation. BBNG’s sound leans towards hip-hop, which has led to collaborations with artists like Tyler the Creator, Frank Ocean, and, most recently, Ghostface Killah.

Ghostface Killah is one of the most notable members of the legendary gangster hip hop collective Wu Tang Clan, hailing from Staten Island, N. Y. Wu Tang Clan are one of the most influential hip hop groups of all time, inspiring everyone from Kanye West to Nas to a certain Bay Area ice cream sandwich chain.

Without Ghostface Killah, hip hop would be a very different, and noticeably tamer, genre.

On Sour Soul, BBNG emulates the sound of Ghost’s previous backing bands from his solo career with a unique personal twist, marked by their intricate trademark bass and piano lines supported by a ride cymbal-driven backbeat. Guitar parts were included in almost all of the songs, and horn parts in some, helping them achieve a balanced, full sound.

BBNG maintain an air of laid-back jazzy intrigue. Their sound would be equally appro-

priate for the background music in a smoky nightclub or a detective noir movie from the 1940s. Each instrument’s part has its complexities, but the bandmates meld masterfully and never outshine Ghostface or each other. The resulting sound is a gentle succession of riffs, repeated until the flow of the notes are ingrained in the listener’s mind. A cool equilibrium is struck between bareness and a smooth, but overwhelming, cacophony.

Ghostface Killah provides the album’s narrative direction with rhymes rich in wordplay, philosophical meaning, and gangster boasts radiating ridiculous levels of bravado. Ghost’s flow is fast-paced and as rough as the streets he was raised on. His verses touch on everything from tales of making and selling drugs to solid advice for enjoying life and making the most of your criminal career. Other lines are hilarious (“My clan is Braveheart/y’all move like Paul Blarts/sloppy”), sometimes to the point of absurdity (“With the strength of ten midgets I’ma murder you son”). Others are there to add to the descriptive imagery typical of Ghostface’s music (“The velvet shirt is

crush/The diamonds in my teeth are flush/A fly nigga/Cognac sipper, keep a blade at the tip of my cane for snakes that slither”). Sour Soul differs from Ghostface’s past two albums in its lack of an overarching narrative plot line, though the New York rapper does indulge in his love of storytelling. However, he replaces much of the storytelling with insightful vignettes (“I used to rob and steal, now I make food for thought,” “Don’t walk barefooted through the grass/Cause that’s where the snake strikes”) and positive life advice promoting self-improvement, a rare feature for a gangster rap album.

Overall, Sour Soul is an excellently paced collaboration between two very different artists from two very different genres. It is a refreshing break from the electronic musicdriven production of most modern hip hop releases and a reminder of how the genre originally sounded. BADBADNOTGOOD and Ghostface Killah have released the ultimate modern take on old school jazz rap, and an already solid contender for this year’s best underground music album.

TBL | Mar 4-Mar 10, 2015

7 | SCIENCE & TECH

Insect Control Company Proposes Using Genetically Modified Mosquitoes in Florida Janani Ravikumar STAFF WRITER While Key Haven, Fla. is no stranger to combating a disproportionate share of mosquitoes, its residents are significantly less enthused about a different approach to mosquito control. By releasing the nation’s first genetically modified mosquitoes, which contain synthetic DNA and have been hatched in a lab, two viral, mosquito-borne illnesses— dengue fever and chikungunya—can be more efficiently combated.

“So the plan is that Oxitec has designed these genetically modified mosquitoes, which are autocidal, which is just basically fancy words for ‘they kill themselves’,” said Dr. Christine Wilcox, a molecular biologist who writes for Discover magazine, according to CBS. “And the way it works is they release a bunch of males, the males go out there and find some lovely ladies to spend some time with, and then all of the offspring that they produce die at the larval stages, so they don’t get to become adults.

And ideally, if you can release enough males so that you have every single female out there with one of these genetically modified males, then you’d kill off the entire population in one go.”

One species of mosquitoes in particular, A. aegypti, has developed a resistance to most chemical pesticides, hence the need for a new method of mosquito control, according to NPR. Past experiments conducted in Malaysia, Brazil, and the Cayman Islands indicate that releasing bioengineered male mosquitoes can reduce the A. aegypti population by up to 90 percent.

“It mates with the females in the wild,” said Derric Nimmo, Oxitec’s head of mosquito research, “and passes on that gene to all the

offspring. The female goes off and lays her eggs. The eggs hatch. But then they die before reaching adulthood.”

However, the risks of releasing these bioengineered mosquitoes could outweigh the benefits, and any potential relief from A. aegypti could be short-lived.

“Nearly all experiments with genetically modified crops have eventually resulted in unintended consequences: superweeds more resistant to herbicides, mutated and resistant insects [and] collateral damage to ecosystems,” says a Change.org petition by Key West resident and real estate agent Mila de Mier.

“Why would we not expect GM (genetically modified) insects, especially those that bite humans, to have similar unintended negative consequences? Will the more virulent Asian tiger mosquito that also carries dengue fill the void left by reductions in A. aegypti? Will the dengue virus mutate… and become even more dangerous?”

Still, mosquito controllers are running out of options due to climate change and globalization spreading tropical diseases, according to USA Today. There are no vaccines or cures for dengue fever or chikungunya, though U.S. cases are rare.

“The standard approach to mosquito control in this country has depended on chemical pesticides, which has resulted in selection for pesticide-resistant mosquitoes,” said Dr. Ruth Finkelstein, a professor of molecular, cellular, and developmental biology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

“Given that the mosquitoes are carrying deadly diseases, it seems that avoiding use of GM mosquitoes on principle is short-sighted.”

The public remains apprehensive about being equated to little more than test subjects

Illustration by Amy Chase | Staff Illustrator for something which may not even work. said de Mier, according to The New York “This is the first time they are releasing Times. “People can’t be experimented on genetically modified mosquitoes in the without their consent. When the mosquitoes country, and we have not given our consent,” are released, there is no way to recall [them].”

UCSB Hofmann Lab Examines Effects of Ocean Acidification on Rockfish Judy Lau STAFF WRITER Researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, received funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to study the effect of pH variability on the early life stages of the cabezon, a kelp forest rockfish.

Gretchen Hofmann, one of the seven recipients of a California Sea Grant Core Award, is currently researching the impact of ocean acidification on the early life of the cabezon (Scorpaenichthys marmoratus), a bottom-dwelling rockfish that lives in California’s kelp forests.

Scientists expect that coastal regions will be vulnerable to ocean acidification in the future as the resident animal and plant life in the kelp forests face inadequate oxygen and low

pH. The Hofmann Lab is currently examining the organism-environment interactions of the cabezon eggs and their relationship with the carbon dioxide levels in the blood as well as oxygen levels and temperature in the kelp forest habitat.

“There are currently no studies in California that look at the early stages of fish,” said Umihiko Hoshijima, a secondyear graduate student in the Hofmann Lab. “What we want to do is look at the vulnerable early stages of this fish and see how the acidic conditions impact their early development.

Through this, we hope to get a better idea of how the community as a whole is impacted by the change in carbon dioxide and oxygen in the ocean.”

Hoshijima has already developed SeaFET sensors that record pH levels and monitor the natural variability that arises from upwelling,

which occurs when winds bring cold water up from ocean depths where oxygen has been replaced by CO2.

“The higher the amount of CO2 in the water, the lower the pH is,” said Hoshijima.

“We are currently not sure of the effect of pH in the early stages of the species. A lot of studies have been done on adult fish, who have time to adjust to the changing pH of the water.

However, we want to look at how it affects the early stages of the species in terms of growth and brain development.”

The sensors will document conditions within the kelp at an existing research project site at Mohawk Reef. Subsequently, Hoshijima will collect eggs to bring to the laboratory under varied parameters based on sensor measurements.

“Once we collect the eggs, we will be able to study their growth under microscopes,” said

Hoshijima. “The eggs are transparent, so we are able to see how they grow, their energy usage, oxygen consumption, and survival capacity.”

The project will explore the importance of genetics and impacts on gene expression.

Hofmann and Hoshijima want to be certain whether the genetic makeup of certain cabezon make them more resistant to pH change.

“I want to be able to understand the impacts and the mechanism on how they affect the cabezon,” said Hoshijima. “I want to see what is happening and why it is happening on a biological level.”

Headquartered at University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the National Sea Grant College Program is a network of 33 universitybased programs dedicated to conservation and sustainable use of the nation’s coastal and marine resources.

UCSB Professors Aid in Breakthroughs on Treatments and Neurophysiology of Stuttering Umm… Stuttering is a disorder that begins during childhood and may last a lifetime for some individuals. The American SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association classifies it as disruptions in speech production, which are also known as “disfluencies.” For example, words may be repeated or preceded by “um” or “uh.”

Although disfluencies aren’t life threatening, they can negatively impact a person’s life and self-confidence. Disfluencies may hinder communication and cause one to try and hide their disorder. Presenting in front of large groups and talking with others are two examples of activities that may be extremely challenging for one who stutters. Stuttering may restrict an individual because they are concerned with how others will view and react to their “disfluent speech.”

Two new papers written by University of California, Santa Barbara professors and undergraduate students have broken ground in the areas of stuttering treatments and its physiological basis.

The first paper was written by UCSB Professors Roger Ingham, Janis Ingham, and Yoethe Wang, along with University of Georgia Professor Anne Bothe. It is a study that compares a new stuttering treatment program called Modifying Phonation Intervals (MPI) with the standard care for reducing stuttered speech, which is known as prolonged speech.

“Instead of focusing on prolonging or increasing phonation durations, persons who stutter (PWS) can reduce the frequency with which they produce short intervals of phonation while speaking,” according to the paper. Essentially, the four professors used an opposite approach to the treatment of stuttering that reduced frequency of short intervals of phonation instead of increasing long interval frequency.

After receiving the MPI treatment, 14 participants who successfully completed MPI treatment were found to be similar to adults considered normally fluent. According to the results, the participants increasingly identified

as being “normal speaker[s]” and decreased identification as a “stutterer.” Eleven of the participants received MPI treatment, while the remaining three received the prolonged treatment.

These outcomes demonstrate that there was a higher proportion of successful participants in the MPI group. The professors’ results also suggest that MPI is more effective because it assisted clients with identifying and changing speech behaviors associated with successful treatments of people who have stuttered speech.

However, Professor Roger Ingham of the Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences explains that there is no cure for stuttering disorder. “There is no cure, but there is a means of training people to overcome the handicap.

We believe that MPI is very effective for a large number of people, but not everybody. Children are very easy to treat; they are easier to treat than adolescents and adults.” People can overcome stuttering through treatment, but there is a possibility of relapse in the future.

The second paper uses diffusion spectrum imaging (DSI) to analyze abnormalities in important pathways of language areas in the brain. This paper was written by UCSB Professor Grafton and UCSB graduate student Matthew Cieslak; both Cieslak and Grafton work in the department of Psychological and Brain Sciences.

DSI is a technique for sampling water diffusion using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). When enough axons are projected through white brain matter along the same path, a strong directional component in the water diffusion samples taken can be seen.

“DSI acquires diffusion-weighted images in a particular way that enables us to construct a high-resolution model of directional water diffusion inside brain tissue,” said Cieslak.

“Previous methods typically take fewer diffusion-weighted scans and have trouble where there are complex axonal crossings in white matter.” Previous analysis technologies have had issues with complex crossings and are unable to scan as many samples as DSI scans, which explains why DSI could prove superior.

Cieslak hopes that the next step for their

discoveries and research will involve looking at the brains of former stutterers who have completed the MPI treatment. Cieslak also says that he is currently working on using techniques to identify brain damage in people who have had concussions.

“We are really interested in being in contact with people who believe that they have recovered completely from a stuttering disorder,” says Professor Ingham. “These individuals are the most significant people who we could draw upon right now.”

CLOSING WEEKEND!

red and brown

written by

in the

Stephani Anderson

TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY

directed by

SHIRLEY JO FINNEY

water

A CONtEmpOrAry COmING Of AGE StOry.

Drawing on folk tales, Yoruba mythology and contemporary poets, this riveting play - often described as a theatrical poem encompassing story, dance and song - follows the story of Oya, a a promising young track star, looking for a way out of her limited circumstances.

FEB 27 - MAR 7 UCSB HATLEN THEATER

Student tickets $13

Purchase tickets online at www.theaterdance.ucsb.edu, by phone at 805.893.2064 or at the Associated Students and Theater/Dance box offices.

TBL | Mar 4-Mar 10, 2015

8 | OPINIONS

Yes, Cal Poly is Our Rival, But Let’s Be Mindful About It Sam Goldman OPINIONS EDITOR Arizona State’s Curtain of Distraction is perhaps the pinnacle of student fans’ devotion to helping their athletically-gifted peers conquer their opponents and rivals.

When the school’s opponents are shooting free throws in the direction of the student section, the eponymous black curtain is wrenched aside and any number of creatively-dressed students spring forth to dance, gesticulate, and perform wild distractions that give their team a roughly two-and-a-half point benefit (excluding home court advantage).

But the Sun Devils aren’t the only party student body that knows how to screw with opponents. I doubt there are many sporting traditions for fans more fun than throwing tortillas onto Harder Stadium’s field, and I can’t imagine many other schools have more creative chants than our student sections.

Despite our dedication and sense of humor, there is a line to be drawn between good-natured fun and offensive disrespect that we unfortunately cross often enough.

“F**k Cal Poly”—which is unfortunately often our loudest chant at these frequently-televised match-ups—is hurled at our archrivals out of spite, not fun or creativity. “You’re-apus-sy” is hurled at opposing free throw shooters with the sole purpose of personally insulting and degrading them (in

addition to being an all-around distasteful thing to say in the first place). Any sort of healthy competitive spirit requires at least a touch of sportsmanship; our tendency at times to engage in blatantly insulting attacks (that lack substance or good humor), is a poor reflection on our sportsmanship, creativity, character, and even our intelligence—values that we as individual students, and as a university as a whole, claim to have. Is it any wonder these chants are more frequent and intense when we’re down in a game?

But this doesn’t mean we can’t still be stinging or disruptive in our chants and distractions and have fun at games. For decades (if not centuries), universities have been engaged in rivalries that have all had at least one effect: student unity and fellowship. Our hassling of our opponents, teasing them and asserting how different and better we are, in a subtle way brings us together by emphasizing our (evidently superior) commonalities. Moreover, when we feel like one, unified group, we want people to know it and to be the best together.

Sports are, after all, the most direct, adrenaline-fueled measure of our potential superiority to other universities, and simply taking the piss out of our counterparts or messing with their focus is harmless fun that satisfies a competitive spirit all universities and students share.

Chants aimed at our Cal State rivals like “If you can’t go to school, go to state…” and our fake shot clock countdown

(which can be remarkably effective) are meant to poke fun at our opponents or catch them off guard; they’re products of our creativity and competitive spirit. We sling tortillas as our unique tradition, celebrating goals and protesting poor calls, but they’re not feelings of outright spite or personal or physical attacks (especially since, no matter how hard we may try, we never seem to be able to land one on an opponent’s head). This good humor, creativity, and sense of fun still recognizes that our opponents are students as well; they’re also teasing and differentiating them from us. Heckling our opponents is a great bonding experience for those in the crowd who still have the opportunity to convert their lingering juvenility, permitted by collegiate youth, into a common passion—we just have to make sure we imbue it with a sense of sportsmanship.

So next time you go to a game, keep in mind why you and everyone else is really there, and consider your peers’ and your university’s reputation. Feel the passion, the competitive spirit, and the connection with the sea of people around you dressed in blue and gold, not a desire to simply degrade the other colors on the court or field. Cal Poly’s coming to town this Saturday; wave the giant cutouts of Miley Cyrus’ head, twerk in that banana suit, and remind them that they failed to make it into the UCs, but above all, let’s truly show them who we are.

Deltopia is Holding Isla Vista Hostage Alec Killoran STAFF WRITER Last year, I walked my friend to her home across Isla Vista on Deltopia. I walked through a rioting crowd, she walked through misog ynistic slurs, and we both walked through tear gas.

It was unacceptable to the highest degree, and it looks as though this year’s Deltopia is going to be just as big as last year. The police know this, the residents of Isla Vista know this, and yet thousands of people will be back on the streets, just like last year. Facebook event pages are filling up with RSVPs by the thousands already, and each of them promises a good time to the prospective attendees in the vaguest of language.

The fact is that there will be very few parties on Deltopia. Those who try will be shut down by the police, and if this school year’s Halloween was any indication, many Isla Vistans will either hole up for the weekend or even leave town. It is not any fun to party under increasingly draconian law enforcement and noise ordinances.

It is not any fun to deal with parking headaches, unwelcome strangers, or an atmosphere full of tear gas.

It feels as though our community will once again be held hostage on the first weekend of April. It is probably too late to change that for this year. The Facebook event pages are already up—out of town attendees have the date saved. Even if Isla Vistans manage to force the Facebook pages down, our town will still be inundated by a motley assortment of visitors looking for parties that do not exist.

The only solution to the Deltopia conundrum that seems even moderately feasible is to develop the event into a legally-sanctioned block party. This accomplishes two key objectives: it grants law enforcement an adequate ability to regulate the event, and it gives potential out of town visitors something to do. The lack of available activities is the cause of almost all the problems facing Deltopia.

The people on the street rioting and making the event miserable for the community were largely not residents. Just north of 90 percent of last year’s arrests and citations were from people not affiliated with the University of California, Santa Barbara. While that fails to account for resident community college students or other locals, it is statistically significant enough to assume that at least a majority of the rioters were non-locals.

Though the rioters’ behavior was in no way justifiable, it is easy to identify the source of their frustrations: the lack of promised parties. This leads back to the concept of a block party. It is not advisable for residents to hold a number of large, public, and personally-run parties; the danger of vandalism, theft, and property damage is too great.

Block parties are possible to organize in the city of Goleta, but they require extremely advanced planning and logistical efforts. The application for a “Special Event Permit” in Goleta requires that the applicant(s) furnish insurance for potential damages, including deposits for “Sheriff ’s Services” and “Cleaning Deposit.” It is easy to see why nobody has done this yet. With such a revolving door of students in Isla Vista and no selfgovernance, there is no single group of residents who has been capable of pulling this off.

But that does not mean that we ought not to try. A safe, fun, and clean Deltopia is what Isla Vista needs going forward.

The legacy of Deltopia and its predecessor, Floatopia, must be changed. There are enough weekends during the school year for residents to party and drink. It would be nice to have a day of live music and good food that residents and guests alike can enjoy. So for this year—brace yourselves. But we can do so much better as a community, and maybe next year we can kill the rioters with unadulterated Isla Vistan love.

Illustration by Amy Chase | Staff Illustrator

And the Oscar for Best Activist Goes to…

Nardin Sarkis This year’s 87th Academy Awards wasn’t just another glamorous night to celebrate Hollywood. Looking past the paparazziladen red carpet, A-list actors, and milliondollar gowns, this year’s Oscars served its audience of 36.6 million a surprising side of substance.

While most actors in the past have chosen to use their brief platform to thank the Academy, their co-stars, or simply wave to their moms, more and more acceptance speeches at this year’s Oscars turned into moments of political activism. Boyhood’s Patricia Arquette didn’t dedicate her award to her kids, but instead highlighted unequal women’s pay in the U.S. Graham Moore didn’t take his opportunity to thank the cast of The Imitation Game, but instead discussed his past suicide attempt, encouraging bullied teenagers to stay strong. John Legend and Common didn’t

use their acceptance speech for Best Song in Selma to thank their producers, but rather to call out racial injustice and incarceration.

Suicide, Alzheimer’s, immigration reform: these are only a handful of issues that were brought to light in the speeches of Oscar winners.

This increase in political awareness at the Oscars felt refreshingly relevant. Few if any of us will ever experience the glamour of the red carpet, the thrill of sitting next to Meryl Streep, or the larger-than-life feeling of wearing custom couture outfits.

The realization of this can make the “most celebrated night in Hollywood” feel stale and extraneous for many of us. So when we tune in expecting to see perfect plastic people indulge themselves and are instead treated to celebrities using their limelight to highlight real life issues, we are delightfully surprised. These stars took attention away from their talent and placed it onto their frustrations, making them seem more relatable than ever.

It is tempting to congratulate these stars for their 40 seconds of humility and end our conversation. We have become so accustomed to a self-absorbed industry that, even when it strays from self-glory for merely a minute, we applaud and admire.

While it is admirable to call others to action, there is nothing more commendable than action itself. Angelina Jolie recently visited refugee camps in northern Iraq, bringing attention to helpless civilians in the aftermath of ISIS. Leonardo DiCaprio has campaigned tirelessly to bring climate change awareness and has even spoken at the United Nations. Natalie Portman became a vegan activist in support of animal rights and has recently supported antipoverty organizations. These are the celebrity activists who should be celebrated and praised.

Spouting words of action should not be worthy of our praise alone. Acting on those beliefs is what makes our words meaningful.

It should be respected that more and more

celebrities are using politically charged speeches to raise awareness, but we should consider this a baby step until the same stars begin acting on what they are preaching.

For too long, the standard for celebrity activism has been too low. We never expect our favorite movie stars to interact with real-life events, even when they have arguably the largest spheres of influence.

As college students, a group that consumes large amounts of popular culture and is consistently sought after to determine the direction of media outlets, it is up to us to set that standard higher. Commending speeches like those given at this year’s Oscars is a step; supporting celebrities who have acted on their beliefs is the next. When stars begin to see fans lining up to support not just the best looking actress but the most humanitarian or the most politically active, they will no doubt begin to act on their social beliefs as well. In an industry that is always looking for “the next best thing,” with our help, it might just be activism.