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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4, 2012
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Commu n i t y we l c o m e s g r a n d o p e ning of R’ Gar den S a n dy V a n SENIOR STAFF WRITER
An empty plot of land behind Lot 30 has blossomed into the beginning of a community garden known as R’Garden, thanks to the efforts made by the UCR student organizations Sustainable UCR and Cultivate R’Space. Located near the corner of Canyon Crest Drive and Martin Luther King Boulevard, the grand opening of the R’Garden ceremoniously opened on Dec.1. Campus and community organizations will now be able to utilize the plots of land to grow fruits and vegetables, hold student fields trips and create an educational learning space. Initiated by 2011 UCR alumnus and garden organizer Fortino Morales, the presentation consisted of contributing environmental groups, public officials and student organizers. The presentation signified the collaborative efforts between campus and local organizations to promote outreach efforts through the community garden. “I just want to begin by recognizing the incredible effort, the commitment, the tirelessness that has been shown by a group of young students that we are standing here today that we are celebrating,” stated UCR Political Science professor Farah Godrej, during opening remarks of the event. “This is a result of months if not years of work by these young people.” Previous attempts at developing campus community gardens around Pentland Hills and Watkins Drive, located near the residence halls, lacked popularity and were effectively shut down over the last few years. In 2008, Sustainable UCR and the Salvation
Regents confirm appointment of UCR interim chancellor S a n dy V a n SENIOR STAFF WRITER
The UC Board of Regents confirmed Jane Close Conoley, dean of UC Santa Barbara’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education, as the acting chancellor of UC Riverside during a special meeting on Nov. 27. Effective Dec. 31, her appointment was preceded by the approval of Nicolas B. Dirks, Columbia University’s executive vice president, as the new chancellor of UC Berkeley, who will begin in June 2013. The following months will lead to the establishment of a search advisory committee that will be delegated with the duty of finding a permanent chancellor for UCR by next summer. “Jane Close Conoley has long been a nationally recognized education expert, and she is a treasured member of the UC community,” UC President Mark Yudof said. “With her serving in this interim role, I am confident that the Riverside campus will keep moving forward on several fronts, especially student success.” CHANCELLOR CONT’D ON PAGE 6
Attendees of the R’Garden opening ceremony line up to plant the first seeds in the garden.
Army sought to fund a separate garden, but due to the economic crisis, the latter program was forced to withdraw support. In the same year, UCR Chancellor Timothy White made a oneyear funding agreement of $145,723, which was used to offset start-up costs, hire student interns and support development plans. “The power of our students is...really the organic piece of our university, along with the
V i n c e n t T a /HIGHLANDER
power of our faculty,” stated White as he punctured the earth with an honorary metal shovel during the ceremonial speeches. In congratulatory support, White extended his funding commitment to three years “to make sure we keep this thing going and that with the success from fundraising...foundations and the community, this thing will eventually be self-sufficient...” R’GARDEN CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
UC campuses tagged as “most dangerous” in the nation S a n dy V a n SENIOR STAFF WRITER
UC Riverside was recently ranked the 24th most dangerous college in America, according to website Business Insider’s list of the “25 Most Dangerous Colleges in America,” on Nov. 20. The list, which uses the FBI’s 2008-2011 Uniform Crime Report, has since come under fire from UCR and number one ranked UCLA for inaccurately portraying the data. Following backlash from the titled UC campuses, the list unearthed discussion about campus safety and whether or not it can be accurately measured through statistical reporting. The website offered a secondary list, based on data retrieved from the U.S. Department of
Education by the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act or Clery Act, just one week later to further support the legitimacy of their first list. “Your headline, and the way you have used the statistics to brand certain college campuses ‘the most dangerous’ is in fact a step in the wrong direction for crime prevention. An intentionally inflammatory headline is now being widely disseminated,” stated UCR Director of Media Relations Kris Lovekin, in response to the list. According to the online publication, three years of FBI crime data were averaged and divided by the student population, in order to rank all US schools. With number one designated as the “most danger-
ous,” UCLA and UCR officials asserted that the list was “erroneous” or “mistaken.” Complaints arose over the fact that American public schools were taken into account, but not private schools. Public schools with under 10,000 enrolled students were also not included. Based on the Council for American Private Education, 33,366 private schools were reported in 20092010, which consists of 25 percent of all schools in the United States. Colleges and universities were chosen based on FBI crime data submitted by campus police departments, yet few private schools have their own law enforcement. UC officials contend that the data does not DANGEROUS CONT’D ON PAGE 2
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Volume 61
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