Volume 61 Issue 09

highlandernews.org

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

FEATURES

INTERVIEW WITH SCHOOL OF MEDICINE DEAN G. RICHARD OLDS ON PAGE 10

FEATURES

NPR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT ARI SHAPIRO SPEAKS AT UCR ON PAGE 12

Highlander University

Established 1954

Students fight for food trucks on campus Dean Mayorga STAFF WRITER

Fed up with the current choices of food on campus, several UCR students could only think of one solution: food trucks. Hence, a proposal for the idea was presented to representatives from the office of Housing Services and Student Affairs on Nov.13. ASUCR senators Brian Leung and Chris Salvador, along with Ambassador of Student United Way (SUW) Elliot Thompson and third-year transfer student Jorge Serafino, are collaborating on the project, which will allow local food trucks to serve on university grounds.

Vice Chancellor of Student affairs James Sandoval, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Housing Services Andy Plumley, Executive Director of Dining, Catering & Conference Services Cheryl Garner, and Assistant Vice Chancellor and Dean of Students Susan Ortega attended the meeting.

“We actually really enjoyed the presentation and are going to set up a series of meetings to talk about the possibility of what type of program we can build up,” stated Garner.

The proposal to permit food trucks on campus was originally devised by Thompson. For him, the idea addresses what he sees as a lack of culinary diversity and awareness towards health issues, which affects many college campuses. Thompson also explained how he thinks it is a better way of business for the university and serves more along the lines of pragmatism as compared to an actual restaurant atmosphere. “[For a restaurant], you need permits, you need property tax, you need years of development. It took them one year to get Subway on campus and even still it’s been delayed for about a quarter…With a food truck, you bring them on [and] they’re independent people but they also have very good insurance,” stated Thompson.

Salvador also pointed out the need for more affordable food.

“Like 40 percent of the students here [come from a] combined family income of $60,000 and we need to be mindful of that,” he

of

C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e

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24th Annual Students of Color Conference held at UCR Toni Louie

SENIOR STAFF writer

S a n dy V a n SENIOR STAFF writer

From Nov. 9-11, UCR hosted the 24th Annual Students of Color Conference (SOCC), a three-day systemwide event that addressed the structural and social issues of racial, ethnic and gender inequalities.

SOCC is one of the oldest conferences held by the UC Student Association (UCSA) and it takes place at a different UC campus every year. The initial planning stages date back to early July, when UCR delegates won the bid to host the conference—for the first time in over 12 years.

Organized by the UCR Planning Collective, a 24-member committee, third-year students Adriana Cruz and Remie Rahman were the co-coordinators of the event. UCR SOCC was the largest conference in UCSA history, which consisted of 100 high school students and all three tiers of higher education in California.

“First, to be among 1,200 students of color from across the system and to hear both the different perspectives on UC, state of California and national issues but also to hear the commonality in terms of...the matter that seemed to be on the mind of most students [which] is access to education, and higher education in particular,” stated Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs James Sandoval.

W e s l e y N g /HIGHLANDER Dancers from various UCR student organizations perform at the Student Recreation Center.

With assistance from ASUCR, grassroots organizations and many UCR student organizations, SOCC became a reality in the second weekend of November.

Encompassing the immense diversity of UCR, the theme of this year’s conference was “R’Stories: Embracing our Struggles as Tools for Transformation.”

Unlike previous conferences, the UCR SOCC included common ground clinics and seminars, along with a local high school component on Saturday. Other unifying events included graduate mixers, which were specifically reserved for UC alumnus.

Students attended “closed space” cauSOCC CONTINUED ON PAGE 3

UC regents approve 2013-14 budget, possible 6% tuition increase S a n dy V a n SENIOR STAFF writer

In protest of future tuition increases, student demonstrators temporarily halted the UC Board of Regents meeting which took place from Nov. 13-15—just one week after voters approved Proposition 30. Convening at the UCSF Mission Bay, the regents passed the 2013-2014 fiscal budget, which included a request of $267 million in additional state funding, meant to prevent a 24 percent increase in student tuition over the course of four years. Additionally, the regents delayed talks of possible professional degree increases, at the request of Governor Jerry Brown, who attended the meeting.

As a result of the passage of Governor Brown’s Prop 30, the UC regents did not enact systemwide tuition increase of 20 percent, or $2,400, for the 2012-2013 academic year. Prop 30 funnels nearly $6 billion of income and sales tax revenue into the General Coffers for K-12 and public safety, but temporarily deters tuition increases for higher education in California. The tax measure is expected to reduce the state budget deficit to

$1.9 billion, along with projected surpluses by 2014.

“We’ve had cuts. We’ve had a lot of cuts.

And with Proposition 30 we have some revenue...Together it puts the state in a very solid position for a sustainable balanced budget for years to come,” stated Brown.

Governor Brown, an ex-officio member on the UC Board of Regents, made a rare appearance at the UC Regents meeting. On the heels of Prop 30’s passage, Governor Brown participated in discussions about tuition and fee increases for UC students; with many falling between the ages of 18-29, students were a large part of the demographic’s 28 percent of the total state electorate this year.

The regents predicted an increase of six percent for the following year if additional state funding is not provided to the UC. Yet, Governor Brown expressed the unlikely chance of shifting additional state funds, deeming the request untenable.

“Students and families will be angry and shocked if, after voting for a [six billion dollar] revenue increase, they continue to pay more and get less from the UC,” stated

UCSA President Raquel Morales, “The potential annual six percent fee increase [is] an unacceptable attack on the accessibility and affordability of the UC system, with the continued disinvestment from our education.”

However, UC President Mark Yudof expressed the likelihood of obtaining a multi-year funding agreement between the universities and the state legislature. “The University of California, for the first time in my four years here, finally has a good shot at attaining a sense of fiscal stability,” he said.

While UC Provost Aimee Dorr warned that Prop 30 is “not a magic bullet,” she praised it as an opportunity to pursue alternative revenue routes such as capital improvement and expedited expansion of online courses.

Through the Working Smart program, the UC aims to save $500 million over a period of five years with 34 aggressive cost-saving measures. Governor Brown urged the expansion of online courses to accommodate the immense reduction in classroom sizes and faculty-to-student ratio, while being “judiUC REGENTS CONTINUED ON PAGE 5

FOOD TRUCKS CONT’D ON PAGE 5

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Volume 61

Issue 09

2

NEWS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

HIGHLANDER

Key battleground districts in the Inland Empire shift Democratic C r i st i n a G r a n a d o s STAFF writer

The Inland Empire was painted a Democratic blue this past election, a region that in the past has been known to vote Republican red. Districts in the Inland Empire shuttled California Democrats such as Mark Takano and Dr. Raul Ruiz to the state assembly and Gloria Negrete McLeod to the state senate. By hitting the two-thirds threshold, Democrats have now obtained a supermajority in the state legislature—the first time since 1883.

The 2002 Census, led to a new redistricting measure, which greatly encouraged bipartisan gerrymandering, guaranteeing little to no competitive election for each California district. It even ensured that the incumbent party won all but one of the 265 newly-drawn congressional election districts.

To counter such practices, Californians voted Proposition 20 into law, which permitted the California Citizens Redistricting Commission to draw equally-proportioned districts. As a result, Demo-

crats dubbed their campaign as “Battleground California: Democrats on Offense,” which signified their political dominance in many districts.

In Riverside, Ontario and Cathedral City, the Latino population is close to or over half the total population. Based their past voting behavior, Latinos are more prone to vote Democrat, which has led to an expected electoral shift in these cities. According to the 2010 US census data, the Latino population in Riverside was 49 percent, as opposed to 38 percent in 2000. Statistically speaking, Latinos tend to vote along Democrat party lines, attributing to the recent political shift.

For the U.S. House District 41, Democrat Mark Takano, representing Riverside, was sent to D.C., and is the first gay person of color elected to Congress. Upon his win, Mark Takano released a statement that promised he would use “common sense Riverside values,” as well as help “create good-paying jobs, to ensure that college remains affordable and workforce training programs remain available…”

G ra p hi c b y W inn y W o o T h e C a l i f o r n i a D e m o c r a t s h a v e o b t a i n e d a t w o - t h i rd s m a j o r i t y i n b o t h h o u s e s o f t h e s t a t e l e g i s l a t u re .

A win was taken by Congressman-elect Dr. Raul Ruiz who dominated in a district with approximately 40 percent of voters who were registered Republicans as opposed to almost 39 percent Democrats. Mary Bono Mack, the former incumbent of that district, had to win over 20 percent of her constituents who are not affiliated with a party or claim other political parties. Ruiz

is the son of farm workers, yet his campaign pushed the fact that he is a physician by profession and is dedicated to serving the community.

Former California State Assemblywoman Gloria Negrete McLeod was also elected to Congress; McLeod defeated the incumbent Joe Baca for California’s 35th congressional district. With both candidates as Democrats, this was one of the

first districts to hint at the coming political shift in the Inland Empire.

For San Bernardino, both candidates were Republican, and Gary Miller won with 55 percent of the total vote. Barstow and Corona also elected GOP party candidates to the U.S. House of Representatives, Paul Cook (R-Barstow) and Ken Calvert (R-Corona).

■H

November/December

UPCOMING EVENTS Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

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Transgender Remembrance Display 8 a.m. - 8 p.m.

Exhibition

Smoking Cessation: Healthy Living 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Health Service Building

Tuesday Talks Family Talk 5 p.m. - 6 p.m.

Costo Hall

Meditation and Relaxation Class 12:15 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Student Recreation Center

Thanksgiving

Women’s Basketball vs. Princeton 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

SRC Arena

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Freshman: Your Career Game Plan 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

HUB 268

Japanese Drumming by the UCR Taiko Ensemble 12 p.m – 12:30 p.m.

ARTS Building Amphitheatre Steps

Women’s Volleyball vs. Washington State.

7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

SRC Arena

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Women’s Basketball vs. Northern Arizona 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

SRC Arena

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Weekday Carillon Recitals 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

Bell Tower

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Peace Corps Information Session 12 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

HUB 260 THE TEMPEST, Auditions 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Arts Building Studio Theatre, ARTS 113

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NAMES, a film by David Campos 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.

Arts Building Studio Theatre, ARTS 113

LGBTQ Grad Student Hours 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Costo Hall 245 LGBT Resource Center

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Saturday

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Lunchtime CEPCEB Seminars Learning: Brand U BPSC 252 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

12 p.m. – 1 p.m.

HUB 260 Genomics Auditorium RM 1102A

Men’s Basketball vs.

Northern Colorado 7 p.m. – 9 p.m.

SRC Arena

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Bioinformatics Workshop: Introduction to R 10 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Genomics Auditorium, RM 1102A

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UCR Sings! by UCR Undergraduate Students 4 p.m. – 6 p.m.

Arts Building Music Rehearsal Hall, ARTS 157

Scan this QR code and visit us at www.highlandernews.org

8

Bookmaking: Trio of Gift Books 10 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.

UC Riverside Extension Center Holiday Carillon Recital 3 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Bell Tower

NEWS

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

CSU delays tuition hikes for “super seniors” Michael Rios SENIOR STAFF writer

Heeding pleas from Governor Jerry Brown and students across the state, California State University (CSU) trustees decided to delay their votes on proposed tuition hikes that would affect the system’s socalled “super seniors” or undergraduates who are beyond their fourth-year of study.

The proposed fees would affect students who have accumulated over 150 semester units. The plan was to give students an incentive to graduate earlier and clear class space for incoming freshmen.

The fees included a $372 per-unit supplement for students who have accumulated 160 units, a $91 per-unit fee for students who wished to retake classes and a $182 perunit fee for a course load of 18 units or higher.

The proposed tuition hikes were met by fierce opposition from students across the Cal State universities who vilified the fees, calling them an extra financial load.

“It would put a bit of a burden on me as I do already work three jobs—and I’m not rare in that sense,” stated Cal State Dominguez Hills undergraduate Gregory Lewis in a press release.

“Administrators refer to us as commodities,” said Natalie Doradobut, an economics major at CSU San Bernardino.

“We’re not theoretical compo-

R o b e rt H u s k e y /DAILY TITAN C h a n c e l l o r Ti m o t h y W h i t e ( c e n t e r ) w i l l l e a v e U C R t o h e a d t h e C a l S t a t e s y s t e m c o m e J a n u a r y 2 0 1 3 .

nents in a business model.”

Governor Brown, who was a prominent supporter of the recently-passed Proposition 30, also voiced his concern over the “incentive” fees.

“This is no time to be raising fees of any kind,” he stated in a press release. “Voters gave us billions in new revenue, now we have to use that very judiciously.”

Empathizing with student concerns over tuition hikes, incoming CSU Chancellor Timothy White formally asked for a 10 percent reduction to his salary of $421,000 to $380,000. In a letter to the CSU Board of Trustees, White expressed his attempts to alleviate some of the monetary

struggles facing CSU students.

“As I join the faculty, staff and students who have experienced cuts, salary freezes and increased fees, I too must do my part. This is the basis of my request to reduce my own compensation to contribute to the rebuilding of this great university,” stated White in his letter.

Amidst the growing concerns shared by both students and the governor, CSU trustees decided to postpone the vote. Instead, they decided to focus their efforts on a budget proposal, which involves seeking more funding from the state.

The primary focus of the new budget proposal was to

raise enrollment by 5 percent. The enrollment rate from 2011-12 academic year was just over 29 percent. Enrollment increases will cost $156 million, but would only generate about $70 million in revenue. Other funds would go to faculty and staff who have not received a pay increase in years, while the remaining funds would go to necessary maintenance repairs across the universities.

The 2013-14 CSU budget, which asked the state for $372 million in additional funds, was approved by the Cal State trustees on Wednesday, Nov. 14. The new budget will bring spending to about $4.5 billion ■H per year from the state.

SOCC FROM PAGE 1

cuses, where one would align with groups of a certain gender, race and ethnicity that they identified with. During the common ground period, attendees were all given name tags and different numbers. Individuals were then asked to find others who held the same number, in order to create a more “open space” amongst strangers. “[For] people who never attended the SOCC, it can be overwhelming sometimes...you have all these terms thrown at you and you all of a sudden have to critically think about ethnicity, race and gender and how they all intersect and intersectionality,” stated Rahman.

Fourth-year Reyzana Biddle expressed interest in a workshop held by the Youth Justice Coalition (YJC), despite the fact that it drew a smaller crowd compared to workshops such as the overcrowded Media on Students of Color.

The YJC facilitated a workshop, which was aimed at stemming the state’s school to prison pipeline.

“Say you’re expelled from a school in San Bernardino, you can’t go to any other schools in San Bernardino,” stated Biddle, who felt that the conference offered her greater insight about grassroot initiatives.“If you want something to change, then you need to initiate that. You can’t wait around for someone else to be a leader or something, you have to do that,” she said.

On Sunday, seminars were led by various keynote speakers and focused on the topics of workers’ rights, genocide awareness and the prison-industrial complex.

Working mainly behind the scenes, Rahman wanted the seminar session to address specific topics. “Let’s focus on issues that affect us as students and people of color, but issues that we kind of disregard because it doesn’t affect us directly, but indirectly affects us,” she said

W e s l e y N g /HIGHLANDER

Gr a d u a t e st u d en t K a el yn R o d ri g u ez l ea d s t h e S t en ci l Yo u r Vo i ce w o rks hop.

Open session workshops were available to all and campus breakouts included a student call to action rally at the Bell Tower. Keynote speakers included UCR professor of ethnic studies Dylan Rodriguez, who spoke vehemently against the excessive use of law enforcement on university campuses.

During an interview with the Highlander, fifth-year student Henry Lopez asked, “Why would they want to militarize an intellectual space?” in response to Professor Rodriguez’s speech.

“UCR has a responsibility and a great opportunity to promote acceptance among ethnic groups in higher education,” stated Lopez, who encouraged the planning committee to spread the message of SOCC, rather than allowing it to end on the last day of the conference.

Lopez felt that certain parts of the event were not structured to allow a common ground to develop, where individuals could collaborate to develop an action plan and address issues facing people of color. However, taking away from the conference, Lopez expressed his personal goals to reduce the violent tensions found in east Riverside between people of color with the message, saying, “There are no guns or gangs in higher education; this is a safe space for you.”

“I just really grew to appreciate the people I was working with in planning the conference...

So I just thought it was just really powerful to see people who’ve never been involved get involved and get involved in something so big for like their first thing..It’s never too late to get involved and try to help make a difference, make a ■H change,” stated Rahman.

3

The new Highlander debuts winter 2013.

Join our cast and share the spotlight once we’re ready for showtime. Come to our weekly meetings on Mondays at 5:15 to learn how you can get involved with the big changes coming to your student newspaper next quarter.

NEWS

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

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Spanish-speaking Riverside locals hit with phone scam Melisa Bivian Contributing writer

Several Spanish-speaking Riverside residents have reported that a mysterious caller, claiming to be affiliated with UCR, is promoting costly language classes and then failing to deliver. Local community members are told that they simply have to pay a fee of $150 to enroll.

If the offer is refused, the resident is then threatened with deportation by the caller, unless payment is delivered within 24 hours.

Residents who have already complained claim that the caller also informed them about scholarship opportunities. “They only asked for their name and phone number and then told them that they would be receiving books at home

and that they would contact them later,” said a staff member that spoke with Kris Lovekin, director of media relations.

Callers are very direct with the residents, but do not always call them back as promised.

When additional calls are made to the residents, the caller states that they have been allegedly calling nonstop but there was no answer. Afterwards, the caller warns that the resident must pay a fee by a certain date or they will have to go to court.

“The people are targeted with phone calls in Spanish,” stated Lovekin. “So far police have not been able to determine who is making the calls.” Assistant chief of police at UC Riverside John Freese asserted his intention

UC REGENTS FROM PAGE 1

faculty-to-student ratio, while being “judicious” in spending.

Other discussions included increases in out-of-state enrollment, which averages 8.8 percent through the UC system. UC student regent Jonathan Stein criticized the measure as “clustering” of non-residents into larger universities.

On the eve of Nov.14, UAW Lo-

to find those responsible through ongoing investigations. Freese and the UCPD are following any lead that they have, but for now they want the public to be aware of the caller.

A notice was sent out to the public in La Prensa, a Spanish Language newspaper. In addition, Lovekin also stated, “We have to put the notice on our UCR Today website so that it will be searchable. We have to let staff members know in the registrar ’s office, in case people call in to check on the story.” Riverside residents are being notified to disregard the call and to simply hang up. They do not have to complain to the authorities if they hang up, but if residents have sent money to these callers, the case H should be reported as fraud. ■

cal 2865, also known as the UC Student-Workers Union (SWU), hosted a sleep-out event at the regents meeting. Led by UAW event organizer and UC Berkeley sociology major, Charlie Eaton, students rallied against acts of UC privatization such as tuition hikes and increases in professional degree supplemental tuition (PDST).

PDST is stacked atop of the typi-

G ra p hi c

by

W inn y W o o

Many Riverside locals have been targeted with phone scams claiming UCR affiliation.

cal undergraduate tuition and packaged for those who enroll in certain UC programs such as in areas of law, medicine or dentistry. Vice Chair of UCSA Erik Green argued the privatizing nature of increased PDST, which turns more academic programs into professional ones, as a form of revenue creation. Over 50 professional programs throughout the UC system would be affected,

such as those at the UCR Extension Center.

The UC Board of Regents temporarily removed the PDST discussion from their agenda, at the request of Governor Brown, who also has the authority to remove budgetary items from the state budget.

The next regents meeting will take place from Jan. 15-17 at the UCSF Mission Bay. ■H

J i l l ian R a u s a /HIGHLANDER Riverside is solely represented in the Galleria Food Truck festival with the Cupcake Place truck, as pictured above.

FOOD TRUCK FROM PAGE 1

need to be mindful of that,” he said.

However, the food truck proposal faces issues of its own.

“I think there is a number of issues that I think we’ll need to flesh it out a little bit,” stated Garner. “I think we’ll need to look at things like franchise agreements, things we’re allowed to do [and] things we’re not allowed to do based on having some contracts in place, things we’re allowed to serve [and] things we’re not allowed to serve based on purchasing agreements and even legalities in terms of the county...”

Riverside County is one of two counties in the state that provide access to food trucks on a temporary basis. In the case of the Culinary Chameleon, UCR’s own food truck, General Manager of Safety, Sustainability and Projects for Din-

ing Services Gustavo Plascencia explained the exception. “[We] are a state entity so we follow the state food code that does allow food trucks, so that’s what allowed us to have a truck on campus even though no other trucks are allowed in the county,” he said. The 32-foot truck cost an estimated $250,000, according to UCR Today.

“We have to make sure that we identify the food trucks that our students are looking to have here on campus,” stated Sandoval. “We have to make sure that the food trucks identified meet university standards for distribution of food and that we can logistically support them here on campus. The other side of it is, it will cause us to curtail some of the other dining services because we won’t get as much business in HUB dining. So we want to make sure we can curtail the services in a manner that works best for our employees.”

In spite of the hurdles, Garner went on to say that she does not foresee any “major stumbling blocks.” For her it is simply a matter of further dialogue to avoid ruining a good idea.

If the idea does materialize, then it would most likely start off as a one-day event for the incoming winter or spring quarter, in which operations for the UCR dining services would be temporarily halted. According to Thompson, a portion of the proceeds made by the food trucks would go to the university, either by a percentage or a flat rate fee.

“Cheryl will be working directly with Elliot and ASUCR to finalize the details of the program. I think that we need to do everything that we can to enhance the student experience here,” said Sandoval.

“I’m very responsive to finding a special day that we can highlight H food trucks from our region.” ■

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

NEWS

HIGHLANDER

UC application deadline extended for Hurricane Sandy victims Lauren Green CONTRIBUTING writer

The University of California, along with many other universities across the nation, has decided to extend its application deadline from Nov. 30 to Dec. 15, in an effort to accommodate students caught in the aftermath of “Superstorm Sandy.”

Hurricane Sandy, a disastrous category four hurricane turned “superstorm,” ravaged the East Coast in late October. According to LiveScience, the hurricane has left millions without electricity and shelter, while taking the lives of over a hundred people. In the wake of devastation, many colleges applicants are often left disadvantaged in the admissions process, which has encouraged UC officials to provide further assistance.

In an interview with the Highlander, UCR Admissions Director Emily Engelschall said the decision to extend the deadline was part of a systemwide effort. Although UCR does not receive many applicants from the east coast, notable effects of the storm were felt indirectly by Californian students. “[Some] of the California SAT centers were closed because the tests were being shipped and couldn’t physically make it out of the east coast...so students across the country may have been inadvertently affected by Hurricane Sandy because the test centers closed,” stated Engelschall.

According to U.S. News and World

L e e na B u t t /HIGHLANDER T h e p r i m a r y f u n c t i o n s o f t h e U C R O f f i c e o f t h e R e g i s t r a r i n c l u d e m a n a g i n g u n d e rg r a d u a t e re g i s t r a t i o n a n d a c a d e m i c re c o rd s .

Report, more than 70 U.S. colleges and universities have extended their application deadlines to assist those who have been adversely affected by the storm.

“The admissions directors at all the UC campuses talked...it was really a response from what we were hearing nationally that other universities were doing, so we thought that we needed to take a look at the situation and make sure that we were accommodating students as much

as the other ’s were just to be fair to them,” Engelschall said.

This is not the first time that the UC system has made exemptions due to instances of natural disasters. In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina swept through the state of Louisiana, the UC ensured that those impacted by the storm would be granted an extension in the application process.

“There have been steps put in place for other similar circumstances.

[In] Katrina, some students were

displaced from their universities... but we made accommodations for students who requested to come to UCR,” Engelschall said.

As a result of Hurricane Sandy, the UC Application Center and the Help Desk will allow a two-week application extension, during which prospective applicants must provide proof of how they were delayed by the storm. SAT test and Subject test scores will also be accepted until ■H Jan. 2013.

. OPINIONS .

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

On June 6th, the Supreme Court refused to strike down a California law that offers state residents reduced tuition rates at California colleges. The law’s opponents argue that the bill, which does not distinguish between lawful residents and illegal immigrants, violates a federal law that prohibits states from giving college benefits to illegal aliens on the basis of residence within a state. Unfortunately for the law’s detractors, the Supreme Court wouldn’t even hear their challenge.

Lawyers for a conservative immigration-law group that backed the appeal claim that the law is patently unfair to the thousands of full-bred American high school graduates who apply to California colleges from other states each year. These students will have to pay as much as $20,00 more for college tuition than the illegal immigrants (and many other California residents) that the bill aids. Others have argued that the bill gives preferential treatment to illegal immigrants - it is just one more derivative of affirmative action, bent on taking positions away from the hard working, middle-class Caucasians who really deserve http://ulife.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/rick-santorum-660x320.jpg

HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

An extra day for Thanksgiving Break would give students time to visit family and save UCR money.

C o u rt e s y

of visit-bcn.com

Extend the Thanksgiving Holiday We are now in the eighth week of the fall quarter, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Thanksgiving has always been an awkwardly placed holiday, occurring only on Thursdays with no conveniently placed Saturday or Sunday to form a long weekend. In the case of UCR and some employers, an additional Friday is shoddily pasted to the Thanksgiving holiday to create the resemblance of a long weekend. And though employees and students everywhere are grateful for the additional day, it is the Wednesday before Thanksgiving that would actually be most appreciated by students and employees alike. In extending the Thanksgiving holiday to include Wednesday, UCR would not only make its students and employees happier, but also save money and decrease the attrition of students and staff who otherwise take the day off.

If one were to step foot on the UCR campus on Wednesday, Nov. 21, they would likely find the population on campus to be little more than leaves being swept about by gusts of wind. The usually busy HUB contains only a smattering of people. The University Lecture Hall, its 500-person seating capacity normally ignored in an effort to cram as many students into breadth requirement courses, allows students the only opportunity to stretch during the entire quarter. And only on this day is it possible to find a space in Lot 30 within a couple of minutes. For all intents and purposes, the campus is deserted the day before Thanksgiving. Any casual observer could be excused for mistaking Wednesday for the actual Thanksgiving holiday.

The overnight transformation of UCR from a thriving campus community into one of the fabled ghost towns of the pioneering days of the Old West is due to the departure of students who wish to spend the extended weekend at home with the family. Data from the University of California Office of the President shows that over 1,200 UCR students are not from the state of California. This number actually understates the number of students who return to see family for the holidays, as many students are from Central or Northern California, and a trip back home takes just as long for them as someone from Colorado. A student who wants to spend time with family in San Francisco for Thanksgiving must travel

HIGHLANDER STAFF

over 430 miles, an expedition that can easily take over eight hours. By the time he or she arrives, Thanksgiving is already over, and not all families have the luxury of being allowed Friday as an additional day off. By not granting students the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving as a holiday, UCR is forcing students to make a decision between attending their classes and attending the Thanksgiving reunion of their friends and family. Every grain of sand that runs through the hourglass is precious. Can students really be faulted for opting to spend their valuable time in a cozy dining room with their loved ones instead of in a cold lecture hall?

Even students who are from the Riverside area would benefit from a holiday on Wednesday. As anyone who has cooked a Thanksgiving dinner will attest, preparation is most of the work. Should a student decide to host a Thanksgiving feast, he will only have Thursday—the day of Thanksgiving—to prepare. Anyone would be hard-pressed to stuff the turkey, heat the rolls, steam the vegetables, bake the pumpkin pie and prepare for a mob of guests in just one day. What’s more, all these delectables must be purchased in advance. Not all stores are open on the day of Thanksgiving, and even then one has to contend with the hordes of people snatching up every last turkey in sight. A quick shopping trip can easily mutate into an hours-long expedition, the last thing anybody would want before expecting additional people for a Thanksgiving meal.

This is the reality of the Thanksgiving holiday—the day before Thanksgiving is equally, if not more, important than the day after. Many students already realize this and simply don’t attend class on Wednesday. In turn, professors realize that student turnout will be low and cancel class. What’s left are scores of unused classrooms with the lights on and electricity wasting away, a valuable day of instruction that is practically abandoned, and students and staff who spend their day listlessly waiting only for the day to be over. The creation of a holiday on Wednesday has the same purpose as the institution of allowing students and employees the Friday off: it prevents attrition and saves resources for when people are actually interested in coming to work or school.

UCR students would not be the only ben-

eficiaries of an extended Thanksgiving break.

Campus faculty and staff also have family in other states and need to prepare for the Thanksgiving holiday as much, if not more, than students. Families would appreciate having their loved ones close for an additional day.

Supermarkets and other businesses would see increased revenue from students and staff as they have more time to purchase goods to prepare for Thanksgiving. And the university itself would save money by cutting its losses and shuttering the campus on a day that most of the campus population has already left.

Compensating for the additional day off would be simple: all UCR has to do is start the fall quarter a day earlier. Students already must attend the Thursday and Friday of Week 0 as compensation for Thanksgiving; the Wednesday before Thanksgiving could just as easily be moved to Week 0. The Riverside Unified School District and other local school districts, as well as semester-based colleges such as California State University, Fullerton, already grant their students weeklong breaks for Thanksgiving. It is true that they operate on the semester system, but if allowing students a week for Thanksgiving Break is possible, adding only a day to the Thanksgiving holiday should be just as feasible even for a quarterly school like UCR. For many families, Thanksgiving dinner is a time-honored tradition. And there’s nothing like eating a warm, delicious meal surrounded by people you love and know love you. UCR students shouldn’t have to decide between the success of their academic career and the people they love. UCR staff don’t need to have to choose between earning a day’s pay and their families. UCR professors shouldn’t be forced to decide between lecturing before a cavernous classroom and spending time with relatives.

UCR can save money. More importantly, it can improve the happiness of its students and employees. The campus is already unofficially closed on the day before Thanksgiving. All it has to do is make it official.

■H Highlander editorials reflect the majority view of the Highlander Editorial Board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Associated Students of UCR or the University of California system.

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7

Don’t quit on democracy T i m R. A g u i l a r Staff WRITER

What happens when your candidate doesn’t win an election? You secede from the Union, of course. In response to the recent presidential election, petitions seeking peaceful secession from the Union were initiated at the “We the People” website, a forum created by the White House affording Americans the ability to engage their government. At approximately 4:22 p.m., Nov. 13, the Great State of Texas led the charge with 84,841 signatures. The second greatest number of signatures was 42,327 for the legalization of marijuana.

The State of Louisiana’s petition to secede from the Union trailed the marijuana petition by nearly 12,000 signatures. Apparently, more people would rather get high than secede. I must add that secession is sought at the state level and the legalization of marijuana is a national referendum.

Obviously, marijuana supporters aren’t aware of the petition.

There is also a petition to deport all persons signing a secession petition, which appeared to be gaining momentum and had more signatures than fifteen secession states, at last count. According to recent immigration counts, the void resulting from deportation, in this case, could easily be replaced by immigrants seeking citizenship. Maybe Mexico will agree to take our secessionists.

So what might happen if Texas were to secede? Ironically, in 2009, Texas Governor Rick Perry hinted that anti-Washington sentiment could lead Texans to secede. He said, “…

Texas is a very unique place, and we’re a pretty independent lot to boot.” Last week, a spokesperson for Perry said, “Governor Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it. But we cannot allow Washington’s tax and spend one-size-fits-all mindset to… drive our nation down a dangerous path to greater dependence on government.”

Perry’s reference to Texans’ independence and his fear of greater dependence on government certainly does not take into account that Texas’ second largest economic sector is the Federal Government. It is a little outfit referred to as our U.S. Armed Forces. Of course we would have to pull all of our troops out of a foreign country and with them all of our government contracts with Lockheed Martin, Boeing and a dozen other major companies developing highly classified technology. Naturally, we couldn’t justify outsourcing jobs to DEMOCRACY CONT’D ON PAGE 9

The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They should be 600-800 words in length and include the author’s name and contact information.

Contact opinions editor Colin Markovich at opinions@highlandernews.org for more information.

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8

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER

What should replace Stacked Deli?

Rehearsal studio Unnati Gandhi

contributing writer

You’ve probably noticed all those club posters that cover the doors of the building directly across from the HUB. I’ve stopped and looked at the posters many times but never did I wonder what was behind the doors that the posters were covering.

There is a student lounge located on the second and part of the first floor where students can hang out in between classes, but there was also a big empty space on the first floor not being used. What could have been here? The space used to house a restaurant called the Stacked Deli.

The restaurant had been on the UCR campus until last year when it shut down for good. I wondered what the student body was going to do with this empty space. Were they going to turn it into a storage facility like the Exchange now is, or build it into something that would be useful to not only UCR students but the Riverside community in general?

It would be beneficial to the students and community of Riverside if the empty space was transformed into a studio or rehearsal space of some kind where students would be able to practice their artistic skills, such as dancing or music, and not have to worry about distractions.

Even though the UCR campus has an arts building where a room like this does exist, having the studio by the HUB would make it one of the many centers of attention and non-music

majors would be able to have access to this studio. Building it would set UCR apart from the other UCs. This studio would only increase the standards of UCR and help the school reach a higher potential.

One of my friends is a member of the dance team 909 and told me that the team practices in front of the Student Recreation Center. This is inconvenient because of all the people who are walking, scooting, skateboarding, and biking past. This results in the creation of distractions and an unsafe environment for the dancers and the pedestrians, not to mention the awkward and embarrassing sensation of having people watching you dance. Obviously, these dancers don’t mind dancing in the public eye but when someone messes up on a move and people are watching, it can be humiliating for everyone. If only there was a place where dance teams could practice without having to worry about being run over by someone on a bike. Not only that, but the weather is changing. It is getting colder and the sun sets sooner, turning everything pitchblack by the time it is 7 p.m. It only seems reasonable to have a secure, safe and warm place where students can practice.

But dance teams wouldn’t be the only groups of people who would benefit from a new rehearsal studio.

The studio would be useful to any bands or musicians. Use of the space should be free for students, since we are already paying to go to school,

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of hellamusic.co.uk

A performance studio would give UCR students a place to practice their art.

but potentially charging non-students could bring in revenue for the school depending on whether UCR would allow the Riverside community access to the rehearsal studio.

There would have to be an hourly fee or payment put into place for any non-UCR student that wants to use the studio. UCR already grants the local sports teams use of the sporting arenas such as the soccer fields and the basketball courts; the people of Riverside would be able to use the studio as well.

If the studio was built, there would be a series of changes that would have to be made in order to make the room ready for artists to

practice in. The walls would have to be soundproofed so those in the student lounge on the first floor aren’t disturbed. The room needs to be built so it is welcoming and at the same time useful. But no matter what the room is comprised of, the main purpose of the studio would be a place where UCR students and the Riverside community can express themselves. I am aware that there are rooms located elsewhere in the HUB where activities are always held, but those rooms would not be properly equipped with full-wall mirrors for the dancers, acoustic walls for the musicians, and anything else other artists would need for the room.

Even though it would require lots of money and hiring of qualified people to refurbish the empty space for the studio, in the end the time and money would be worth it.

The studio would be a major asset for the students of UCR and community of Riverside. It would bring us more recognition and UCR’s popularity would increase among incoming, future, and foreign exchange students, as well as other universities. Turning the empty space into a rehearsal studio would be a smart choice because it would definitely bring a greater impact not only to the UCR campus but a greater impact to ■H the students and community.

Puppy playroom Sean Frede Staff WRITER

Puppies! Who doesn’t love those little guys? Whether it’s a Golden Retriever, Yorkshire Terrier or a Great Dane, those first few months of a dog’s life are just a little slice of heaven with their wet noses, tongues, and angel-soft fluffy coat.

How can you not like that smell when you dig your face into their loose fur—a mix between wet soil, lavender, sunshine and rainbows.

Puppies seem to be capable of solving anyone’s problems. The UC Riverside Mental Health Outreach team has been bringing puppies to the HUB lawn during finals week and allowing students to pet and play with those little bundles of joy in order to help relieve the stress of finals. But are students only stressed during finals week? I think not. The entire quarter is a constant hurricane of stress and the only thing to stop this whirling stress storm is puppies.

This vacant Stacked Deli has a lot of promise for becoming a venue that can drastically help our fellow students. More restaurants, some say. Others plead for yet another quiet place to study. I even heard one student wishing they would turn it into a weed clinic. Now I don’t know if weed can reduce stress, but I’m one hundred percent certain puppies can solve the problem. This empty spot needs to be filled and I think puppies can do the job, just like how they can fill that hole in your heart after a breakup or a hor-

rible test score. Puppies do the trick.

I am petitioning to turn this spot into a puppy playroom and adoption shelter to help at-risk, stressed-out students.

Finals are brutal, don’t get me wrong. But what about the papers throughout the quarter that we have to write, the onslaught of midterm tests and hours in lab—not to mention having a job on the side? The students here on campus need a place to go to relieve the constant stress in a healthy way. Who has time to mingle with the overflow of frat guys in the weightroom anyway? Instead of lifting weights or running on the treadmill and hearing about what your local “bro” did over the weekend involving a snorkel and two avocados, let’s open up the closed doors to the Stacked Deli and fill it with glorious puppies.

According to a CNN, a test sample of 76 employees were examined for stress. The study discovered that everyone started the day with the same amount of the stress-related hormone cortisol, but the employees that brought their dogs to work reported much lower levels at the end of just one work day than the ones that didn’t bring their pups. The study also discovered that the dogs appeared to be “communication energizers,” livening conversations among employees. So now you’re telling me that puppies not only reduce stress but also create conversations? Students have the opportunity to not only relieve stress and who

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o f s t u f f p o in t . c o m

A puppy playroom would help calm stressed-out students.

knows? Maybe they can even meet the love of their life after cuddling up to the cute, smashed-in face of a puppy pug. Now that’s a Ryan Gosling love flick if I’ve ever seen one.

People may say that there are many problems involving a room with puppies: who will pick up all the puppy poop? Who will feed these beautiful beasts? And what will happen when the puppies get bigger? I think these problems are easily solved. We can create a workstudy program that is in charge of taking care of the puppies, hiring students to clean and feed them. Just like that, more jobs have been cre-

ated on campus for our struggling students. Others might ask, “But what about students who are allergic?” Toss them a few Zyrtec and a little black lab with blue eyes—I dare someone to sneeze at that. Why not work at turning this into an oncampus animal shelter, giving the puppies a chance to have a great home so their love can be returned for the rest of their lives? In the end, if people are really bothered with having puppies on campus then I think the majority can agree we don’t want those people on campus, anyway. I mean, who doesn’t love puppies? Honestly.

Imagine a room filled with the beautiful noise of puppies barking, their little paws reaching up to your ankles, just begging for you to pick them up to lick your face. All the stress from the test you have later has lessened and because you are more calm you get a better grade than before. I’ve heard how Chancellor White walks through the campus with his dog during finals week to ease the stress on students. Now we have the chance to create that beautiful feeling year round. Let’s make a step forward in thinking about the mental state of our students. Bring on the puppy playroom.

■H

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

9

High expectations for the United States energy market J o s h ua W a g o n bl a st Staff WRITER

The war in Iraq was said to be all about oil, oil, oil.

Many were certain that the United States’ dependency on the product would never cease. Although the country’s reliance on the commodity is not predicted to completely dissipate, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has recently announced good news for Americans. The IEA’s chief economist said at a news conference in London on Nov. 12 that the United States can expect to become the world’s largest oil producer over the next five years. In accordance with the previous declaration, the IEA also stated that the U.S. will become a net oil exporter by the time the year 2030 rolls around, resulting in the country becoming self-sufficient in energy five years later.

Does this seem too good to be true? There are lingering skepticisms from each end of the spectrum, but if the Paris-based organization is correct, then our nation’s populace should be prepared for a global shift in geopolitical strategies and trade, two possibly lucrative facets that should see full support.

For all the geology majors out there, you may be keen on knowing that the recent predictions by the IEA are a result of oil companies’ new horizontal-drilling technology, which can breach the shale deposits that are mainly scattered throughout the middle of the country. The correlation between unlocking the shale gas resources and the United States’ prospective production increase led to the IEA’s projections, since oil imports are believed to see a continued decline.

The decreasing importation of oil is a sign that the United States is becoming less dependent on other countries, and although this is an advantageous transition, many experts are doubtful of there

being great domestic benefits.

The reasons for doubt come from the speculation that a higher cost of shale extraction could be incurred over time. Gail Tverberg of “Business Insider” tackled this issue when he took into account the problem of diminishing returns. As easy-toextract oil becomes less and less available, the exhaustion of oil reservoirs leads to extraction from more difficult sources, where the cost of removal rises. This means that although an initially cheaper trend will be seen, there may be an unexpectedly high cost later on. But we do have many years, and these are all just initial worries. Plus, as the impending switch looms over us, it is important to understand the primary benefits of energy production.

People will have expectations of lower gas prices and energy efficiency in homes, but it is important to realize the correlation of larger oil production and its benefits.

For one, the price of gasoline will presumably stay in the same range, but the United States will still have lower costs in comparison to the rest of the world. When it comes to lower costs in the home, senior fellow for energy and environment at the Council on Foreign Relations, Michael A. Levi, said that these expectations (i.e. cheaper energy costs for appliances and improved gas mileage in cars) are unlikely due to the fact that these are all supply and demand-based.

One positive result, Dr. Birol notes, is that power plants would be able to utilize the cheaper natural gas from the shale deposits and ultimately shed costs. So the benefits will be seen in America’s industries, rather than in terms of the individualistic aspects, where the domestic remunerations will go overlooked.

However, the payback will be seen abroad.

The geopolitical ramifica-

DEMOCRACY FROM PAGE 9

these companies, so they will either return to the United States or forfeit their defense contracts, resulting in the collapse of the third-largest economic sector in Texas. Do not fear, Texas will still have its oil. But oil giants like Conoco Phillips, Marathon, Exxon-Mobil, Tesoro and Valero will be forced to decide residency in the Republic of Texas or the United States of America, because foreign interests cannot own our natural resources. Whether these companies choose to remain in Texas or not, employment opportunities will increase in the United States and add to our economy.

These developments would certainly interest the likes of Chevron and Shell.

And given that minorities in Texas number 13.6 million and whites 11.5 million, Texas will have to pass laws suppressing the minority vote in order to maintain

tions can have a significant effect on relations with the Middle East, and this is the reason that the foreseen rise of U.S. oil production is a positive prediction. The United States will soon have lessened strategic interests with the capricious oil-producing regions that could span many years. The need for international interference in this area will no longer carry a burden on the shoulders of the federal government as long as there is a rise in energy production in the United States. The IEA mentions that up until 2035 the United States will become “all but self-sufficient” in terms of net oil production. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), which includes Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia, among others, will still maintain 50 percent of global production by 2035 as outlined in the IEA’s World Energy Outlook. This raises an extremely pertinent question: is there a possibility of the United States joining OPEC? A keg can only be tapped once, and the shale reserves will supply the nation with trillions of barrels of oil, but this is no infinite surplus. Although imports will see a reduction, this will not account for every barrel and no consumer is independent of an international market. These are the reasons that a strong relationship with OPEC is a viable option in consideration of our future energy supply and a leg-up on share of the market.

The oil production market will see a radical change over a long period of time as the United States begins pumping millions of barrels of oil a day. Relationships with countries, especially in the Middle East, will change. Trade will be largely speculated when the U.S. begins seeing a rise in oil exports. Reuters addressed analysts’ inquiries on the topic of major trade routes, especially the Strait of Hormuz. This shipping

conservative rule or enact immigration laws that send people of color packing.

And while Texas spends its oil money increasing the size of and dependency on government to protect its great border to the south and build a navy to protect oil exports from piracy, they will always have cattle, goats and cotton.

Unless of course the basic principles of supply and demand infuse the United States and grow this industry.

Make no mistake, the U.S. will be devastated by the departure of Texas and its declining $1.32 trillion gross state product following its secession.

Border patrol agents will be forced to move further north and will find themselves having to deport white Texans in addition to brown, which can become very confusing. Then there are the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders left hanging in the balance. And what will become of American football without Texas stadiums built to signal incoming alien air-

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Oil production in the United States is projected to drastically increase.

highway, located between the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, is a place that had before seen a flood of about 17 million barrels of oil a day in 2011. An energy-independent United States (a looselyused term) would have to the weigh the pros and cons of continuing to safeguard these trade routes as they join the global market. The Straits of Hormuz are predominantly used to ship oil to Asian markets, including Japan, India, and China, and a lack of U.S. presence would leave the territory in Iranian control, a fear the United States has had since tensions increased in 2008. The United States completely evacuating the area is implausible, and a reckless decision since the need for foreign oil could likely become a concern once again. The United States should maintain a presence, but a minimal one. Relations with the Middle East will be fragile as the Unites States begins showing a stronger presence in the trade market that is largely influenced by Saudi Arabia and other OPEC members.

How will the United States thus handle their prospects after the IEA determined

craft?

Okay, I may have gone a bit too far, but the idea of seceding from the Union goes against everything we have fought for as a nation: our independence from tyranny, our civil liberties and our rights.

And while we are not perfect, we have a system of democracy that gives us the best chance to get it right, but this can’t happen if we quit on each other. Seceding is saying, “I give up” and Americans don’t give up. But there is something very valuable that we have lost. We have lost our universal pursuit of justice for all, not only for a segment of our society, but for everyone. We have had leaders, from both sides of the aisle, raise and lower taxes. We have gone to war and bled together and the bloodsoaked ground did not distinguish between Democrat and Republican, white or black. Since the Civil War, we have differed, but we have never given up on our system of democracy. The laws that

that the U.S. increase in oil production would hasten a global switch in trade? The main forecast by IEA chief economist Dr. Birol is that the Middle East will create hegemony in the Asian energy market where the consuming class is growing rapidly.

The assumption is that the U.S. will set their sights on North and South America. An attempt to compete with Russia in the European market is another possibility for future trade, but has not yet been addressed.

I do not see these predictions as an utterly negative feature; most people see this as a positive expectation for the United States in terms of growth and our economic well-being. The only downside is overestimating the possibility for energy independence, which may backfire in terms of cost. The upsides are mostly seen in the foreign world anyhow, with increased trade, bettering relationships, and creating a reliable ally for energy industrialization. There seem to hardly be any downsides since the U.S. could use a top-dog rating during this time of a feared drop-off from the “fiscal cliff.”

■H

govern our democracy are not perfect and require scrutiny, but if we give up on each other we will never have the opportunity to make a more perfect union.

Since the birth of this nation our Founding Fathers differed and argued passionately about what was best. The Federalist Papers enumerated government’s authority and the Bill of Rights proclaimed the rights of people. These were opposing documents that would lay the foundation for a nation that values leadership and freedom. And as a nation of free people we stand strong, but fail when divided; a proposition I believe that is quite evident today. Not all will be pleased, ever, with every outcome, but it is our opportunity to show politicians and the world how to step across the aisle. Democracy is a living organism infused with passion, in a constant flux, evolving and striving for equality and justice. Don’t give up on it or each other! God help this country.

■H

The opinions expressed in the Opinions section belong solely to their authors and do not represent the Highlander Editorial Board or the University of California, Riverside.

. FEATURES .

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The UCR School of Medicine is poised to be the pride and heart of UCR’s future. The tumultuous accreditation process did not stop administrators, students and community members from building the School of Medicine, but its purpose is far from being completed. Now that it has secured funding, Dr. G. Richard Olds faces the task of carrying out the school’s unique missions and establishing UCR as the university by the community, for the community.

Dean Olds graduated from Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. He specialized in infectious diseases and went on to teach at Brown University and in 2000, became a professor and chair of medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. In 2010, Olds was hired as the founding dean and vice chancellor of health affairs for the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine.

Olds had more than enough positions open to him, so why did he choose to come to Riverside? Because he had a belief. A belief that he could help create a new kind of medical school that would be capable of addressing the medical problems of the future, not just the medical issues of today.

Dean Olds drew plenty from his past experiences working as an infectious diseases physician in third-world countries. The first-hand experience he gained working with patients in Costa Rica, China and the Philippines opened his eyes to the pitfalls of the American healthcare system. His time there strongly influenced the ideas he now has for the UCR School of Medicine.

For instance, a medical school’s primary job is to educate and train quality physicians, but Dean Olds believes some medical schools have lost sight of that goal. In the pursuit of federally funded research and various other accolades, some medical schools in this country have forgotten that their priority should be to put out great doctors.

In order to obtain great doctors, he says time, money and effort has to be invested into good students. This philosophy is central to Dean Olds’ community pipeline programs. These programs will reach out to K-12 students, undergraduates and postgraduates, in hopes of strengthening the pool of future medical school applicants.

The UCR School of Medicine is based on a community-based model, which is common along the East Coast.

Therefore its arrival at UCR is not just a first for the campus, but for the entire West Coast.

The community-based model is unique because it stresses cooperation over competition. Local hospitals and clinics will serve as learning centers for UCR’s medical students, while local physicians will be recruited as teachers for the school. This is all part of an ingenious plan to improve the quality of current health care in the Riverside community by forcing physicians to be on top of their fields.

More importantly, the dean emphasized the kinds of students that the medical school is looking for. “We should have physicians that come from our communities, because they can do something that I can’t do…they understand the patient from a different perspective.” He went on to stress the importance of selecting med school students on other criteria besides high academic scores. While a high GPA and MCAT score are strong indicators that an applicant is competent enough to pass the academic rigor of medical

with w e i v r nte

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HIGHLANDER

Dean of UCR School of Medicine

G. Richard Olds

by Sireena Sy, Senior Staff Writer

school, no test score can guarantee whether or not an applicant will make a good doctor.

The UCR medical school is not only important to the community, but to the country. Its innovative educational model and community-based ties make it the ideal med school for the 21st century. “We artificially, in this country, have separated wellness into schools of public health and illness into medical schools,” argues Dean Olds. “We need a little more merging of those.”

“We need to be advocates as physicians, not just for the health of our individual patients, but for the health of our communities. And that’s a different kind of doctor than we’re currently training today and that’s the kind of doctor that we want to train.”

As Dean Olds enthusiastically describes his A-list administrative team, he mentions employees that left their old posts and risked their established professional careers all because they

Leena Butt, Photographer

also believed in the Dean’s vision.

From senior associate dean Raul Ruiz, recent congressman elect, to Emma Simmons, a former dean at Brown University, I realize that the people in the offices surrounding me are all at the heads of their fields. In the words of Dr. Olds, “How do you get any better than a team like that?”

Dean Olds cites his father as his main inspiration for coming to Riverside. Olds’ father was the chancellor of Springfield College in Massachusetts. As head of the college in 1964, his father offered an honorary degree to Martin Luther King Jr. in spite of the controversy at the time. The dean describes the inspirational life of his father, a man who had an important past with MLK and went on to restore Alaska Pacific University, making it the first bankrupt university in the United States to close and then re-open.

Looking to his father as a role model, Olds says, “If it’s worth doing, if you really believe that it’s something that

needs to be done, the fact that it’s going to be hard, the fact that people think you’re nuts, the fact that people are telling you a million reasons why you shouldn’t do it; it’s still worth doing it…because you have to believe in what you’re doing.”

The UCR School of Medicine is more than ready to take on the future of a changing health care system and a changing America. With Dean Olds heading the new school, there are no limits to the things Riverside students can accomplish. The dean came to Riverside with this same belief and recipe for success: “It was an opportunity to do something different, something that I believe is better for our country.

And if I’m right, then 20 or 30 years from now everybody will be doing what we’re doing…That’s a unique opportunity to actually build a school on a different idea or a different concept and if we can succeed, we’ll change everyone else. And you don’t get many chances to do that.”

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HIGHLANDER

FEATURES

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

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CANNED

by Grant Boughter, Contributing Writer Wesley Ng, Photographer On Pierce lawn on Wednesday, Nov. 14, UCR’s Inter-Fraternity Council (IFC) raised 1,611 cans in partnership with many of their counterpart sorority organizations during their canned foods drive. IFC is a coalition of nine fraternities who organized this event to, in the words of Ali Anwar, president of Phi Kappa Sigma, “make a positive impact on the Riverside community.”

Anwar said that these cans go to Second Harvest Food Bank, where they will be distributed among Riverside’s underprivileged neighborhoods during the holiday season. He continued by saying that in addition to the food donations, IFC is also working with an anonymous private philanthropist in order to make 15 personalized gift baskets, complete with children’s toys and cash donations.

As I perused from one fraternity’s letters and couches to another’s passing food vendors and other miscellaneous booths, I wondered how UCR students are really making a difference during this month of November, a month that is supposed to center on giving thanks. After two interviews and a few minutes, all I could hear was the overbearing screeching of lead guitar from ASPB’s bands for their Wednesday Nooners.

So I asked this of Julius Dorfman, a brother from the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha, who agreed that one of the most prevalent things about fraternities on the campuses they inhabit are the negative stereotypes about them. So in philanthropic events like these, it helps to combat that reputation. I pressed further and asked if he thought those negative stereotypes were deserved.

“Honestly,” Dorfman said, “that’s not really the case anymore, especially not on this campus... and it helps to do things like this and give to the less fortunate.”

“So, do you plan on having more canned food drives?” I asked.

“We definitely do plan on doing this again,” Dorfman said. He continued in earnest, “And hopefully, next time, we’ll be able to raise even more cans.”

Testing this fraternity’s philanthropic depths, I asked, “How else do you serve the community?”

“We do various things,” Dorfman said. For example “A lot of men came out here recently.” He was referring to the “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” event hosted by UCR’s very own Women’s Resource Center and the sorority Alpha Chi Omega just recently on Sunday, Oct. 21, which raised awareness of acquaintance rape and sexual assault. He motioned to the quad and continued, “[They] put on high heels and walked around the bell tower. It was like a metaphor, brought into like a physicality.”

“How else do you serve?” I asked.

Dorfman brought to light his fraternity’s tradition of cleaning up Linden street, just off of University. “And also we just had the Fireman’s Challenge, where we actually raised over $1,600 for Riverside

County’s fire department... and we’re going to be having that every year.” I felt that this brought me much closer to answering my most pressing question: can UCR students truly make a difference?

I was still being inundated by overbearing, whaling classic rock licks, when I spotted Assistant Vice Chancellor Susan Allen Ortega inspecting the donations and talking with some of the event coordinators. I stepped aside with Ortega and had an exceptionally loud conversation with her over the ambient Nooner musical distractions.

She told me how UCR “is very supportive of student philanthropy. And obviously, you know, we have distinction for the degree philanthropy our students do.”

UCR has been ranked number one in student participation in service activities in the nation by the Washington Post. This is an undoubtedly big deal. Having so many fraternities, sororities, and other campus organizations dedicated to community service, UCR students are in a unique position to do good works. Students are getting with the service oriented spirit of November. Giving back to the community and donating to those in need can inspire other students to join a group on campus dedicated to doing the kinds of good works that they might want to support, and make a difference.

This goes a long way in answering my question. If UCR’s student body is nationally renowned for our philanthropic endeavors, and our fraternities, sororities and other campus clubs and groups are truly dedicated to serving the community and those in need, then I’m left with a resounding yes!

Yes, as UCR students we can all find a way to give of ourselves and honestly make a difference.

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2.

3.

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1. A student brings canned food to Alpha Phi Omega’s tent. 2. Deepak Sharma, Massood Kadir, and Ali Anwar at the IFC canned food drive’s table. 3. Students being greeted at the table.

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NPR White House Correspondent

Ari Shapiro visits UCR for

“UCR PRESENTS” SERIES TOP: Ari Shapiro talks about why each candidate should or shouldn’t have won.

BOTTOM: UCR student Elliot Thompson asks Ari Shapiro a question.

by Lauren Green, Contributing Writer Vincent Ta, Photographer Ari Shapiro, a White House corespondent and NPR journalist who covered the recent Mitt Romney Presidential Campaign of 2012, visited campus to speak in the Highlander Union Building on the evening of Monday Nov. 13, Room 302. The crowd that showed up was so large that the entire hall HUB 302 had to be utilized in order to make room for the participants. In addition to students, the event saw a large turnout from the greater UCR community, including Riverside Mayor Ron Loveridge. The event was sponsored by public radio station and NPR-affiliate KVCR. Shapiro’s ability to capture an audience quickly became clear. Charismatic, animated and humorous, Shapiro is a talented storyteller who has been celebrated as a “journalist’s journalist”. In his first public talk since the campaign, he appreciated the chance to review this recent chapter of his life and finally relay his own story about following the Mitt Romney campaign. A chance to, as he says, “stop describing the trees, and to look at the forest.”

After covering the Romney campaign for more than a year, Shapiro said that he “never really knew Romney until the cameras were off.” He defended Romney’s lack of charisma in the public eye and said that once alone with the team he saw a “different side” of Romney with “wonderful qualities that couldn’t be captured on film.” He described him as “congenial” and “able to defend his policies” in private, but “awkward and uncomfortable” once the cameras turned on.

A highlight of Shapiro’s talk was his ability to see both strengths and flaws of each candidate. Inside his critiques were jokes about both parties, and he was able to see what the candidates had in common, as well as what was different.

He went on to say that the best part of the campaign was seeing the variety and diversity in America.

In Shapiro’s his past interviews addressing his position as a journalist, he said “that the point is to let people speak for themselves and let the audience make up their minds”. As a journalist, he said, his “job is to inform, not to coerce” people into making decisions about politics.

Shapiro said, “America is a purple country

represented in Washington [D.C.] as blue and red in groups.” He did mention however, that the deadlock in politics happens because the moderates are “being crowded out of Washington.”

Shapiro also noticed that Romney’s campaign was an uphill struggle. During what he called the “angry birds primary,” nearly every Republican candidate was catapulted to the top of the polls even momentarily, which was a significant hurdle for the Romney campaign to endure.

2010 was a successful year for the Republican Party, whose members were not in the mood to “fall in line.” Shapiro expressed how they wanted a true, redblooded conservative—yet Romney was a Mormon governor from Massachusetts who was formerly pro-choice and progay. However, the incumbent Obama had less work to do. Shapiro argued that Romney was impressive and beat a lot of odds by making it so far in this presidential race.

For Shapiro, Romney’s downfall was ultimately his inconsistency. Romney was “forced, for votes sake in the primary election, to tack far right, and then later forced to flip to a more moderate stand-

point.” Thus, Romney, out of necessity, had to say whatever would win him votes in the campaign. In addition, he had a hard time attracting minority and women voters because of inconsistencies concerning the two groups’ futures.

Finally, Shapiro said that the election was the “frame in which all the stories of America were unfolding” and that America is like an example of “pointillism” artwork, in which “no one person will represent America,” but rather a series of dots that collectively make up a big picture. Moreover, he found when he interviewed people to ask the tough questions, “the most compelling things that I heard usually had nothing to do with politics.”

The night concluded with a Q&A, during which Shapiro enthusiastically provided insight, both funny and candid. He ended with provoking thoughts about the next steps for US politics. He stressed that this election would have been an important one regardless of who won, and he left the audience to ponder issues of immigration, women’s rights and particularly the immediate future of the Republican Party—all of which will show H up in the upcoming future elections. ■

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A big year for the Eaton Science Fiction Special Collections Cristina Granados, Staff Writer While it only happens about twice in the average undergraduate’s career, the time has come once again for Science Fiction and Fantasy writers and enthusiasts to submit their short stories to the bi-annual Science Fiction Shorty Story Contest. Every two years, the Eaton Science Fiction Conference is held at UC Riverside and is the host of the short story contest. The conference is named after the special collection of science fiction at UCR, and will be held April 11-14.

To kick off the collection’s first event of the year, a Science Fiction Collective Lecture was held on Thursday, Nov. 15 to introduce graduate students to the concepts of working with primary materials and making them aware of the opportunities to be held in doing so.

Those interested in the Eaton Collection or pursuing archival research were encouraged to attend. Three panelists participated in the event: Dr. Sherryl Vint, a professor in the English Department at UCR; Jess Nevins an archival librarian at Lonestar College, who is also best known for his published annotations of the graphic novels of Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen; Greg Prickman, who is the head of special collections at the University of Iowa and whose collections include extensive Science Fiction and graphic novels. After the panel was held, registered participants were invited to meet the participant scholars.

Melissa Conway, who is a science fiction enthusiast, received her Ph.D in medieval studies from Yale University, and realized that there was a surprising connection between the two.

She was the opening speaker of the Science Fiction Collective Lecture and head of Special Collections and Archives at UCR, co-organizer of the Eaton Conference, published author, and recipient of literary and scholastic awards since 1985.

“Maybe I was always vaguely aware of how medievalism and fantasy have incredible areas of overlap. What I didn’t expect to find was how much Dante shows up in science fiction and that has been a real treat. I can name over 50 works where Dante is in some way referenced,” said Conway.

Conway, who has always been a self-proclaimed science fiction enthusiast, spoke in an interview with the Highlander and shared a quote by Jules Verne that captures the role of science fiction writers: “What one person can imagine, another person can create.”

“I think it’s a really creative, imaginative and far reaching field. I think it influences us in so many ways that we’re not even aware of. I look at an iPad, I talk on an iPhone; those things were imagined in science fiction before engineering could really do it. Engineers brought these ideas to the floor out of people’s imagination, making science fiction into fact; it’s really exciting to see,” continued Conway.

In medieval times, people truly did believe in fairies and elves, science was still very primitive. Despite our current knowledge, fantasy authors are still fascinated with those archaic days. Take the “The Lord of the Rings” movie trilogy for example. The costumes, weapons and mannerisms can be very much associated with medieval times.

Discussions and comparisons

like these can be made in almost every science fiction work, and since fantasy is an acceptable genre for the upcoming short story contest stories taking place in medieval settings can be expected.

The Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy is the largest publicly-accessible collection of science fiction, fantasy, horror, and utopian literature in the world. The massive collection is available on the fourth floor of UCR’s very own Tomás Rivera Library. According to the editor at Wired magazine, the Eation Collection is one of the top 12 “Geeky Destinations and Smart Side Trips.”

UC Riverside’s Eaton Science Fiction Conference is a premier academic conference devoted to the study of all aspects of science fiction as a literary genre and social phenomenon. At the conference, the genre of science fiction as well as fantasy are discussed by prominent academics coming from fields like film and culture to literature and illustration. Both genres are known for their number of dedicated followers, fairs held and culture in general.

The conference was first held in 1979 by George Slusser, a former professor at UCR who became the longtime curator of the Eaton Collection. The conference is an important international event and has been held all over the world in the decades since its initiation. UCR has cosponsored the conference at London Polytechnic University, Texas A&M as well as in The Université de Neuchâtel.

The last conference was held on May 16-18 of this year, and was the first to call for student

//

Jinyoung ko, Photographer

Melissa Conway talks about the Eaton collection at UCR.

submissions in a competitive environment. First place went to Edward A. Laag, a graduate student at the UCR Department of Earth Sciences; Second place was awarded to Andrew Warren a graduate student at the UC Irvine department of English.

With literally the sky is the limit, there is no feasible barrier on science fiction and fantasy except to not write about reality.

This genre has commented on society andinspired generations of invention, so who knows what can be found in this next batch of 6000 word short stories from the creative minds of the educated writers.

The short story contest will be chaired by Nalo Hopkinson, an

associate professor of creative writing at UCR, and a recipient of the World Fantasy Award, the John W. Campbell Award and author the recently published novel “The Chaos” which was released this past spring. The deadline is Dec. 7 and first prize winners will receive $750 while second prize winners will receive $500. The flyer states that “Stories must be recognizable as Speculative Fiction, which can include science fiction, fantasy, horror, or utopian/dystopian literature.” Stories cannot exceed 6,000 words and must be submitted to eatonconference@ucr. edu with the subject line “2013 Student Science Fiction Short ■H Story Contest.”

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Simple Simon’s Bakery and Bistro Jessica Martinez, Contributing Writer Leena Butt, Photographer

RATING: ★★★★★ From the outside, Simple Simon’s Bakery and Bistro in downtown Riverside looks like a high-end sit down restaurant with floor to ceiling windows and a fancy logo, which is why I was shocked once I actually stepped in. Right away my ears were greeted by the loud chatter of the 1 o’clock lunch guests as I surveyed everything around me. Red bricks lined the walls with a wide open industrial ceiling. Tall wooden booths were lined up against the walls with tables scattered in between. The atmosphere was relaxed, which immediately made me feel welcomed. The menu was displayed on two large green hanging chalkboards behind the tall long counter which reminded me of an old fashioned soda shoppe.

The person taking my order was friendly and patient as I glanced at the many choices, especially the sandwiches.

Grilled Pastrami, Tuna Melt with Swiss, Italian Grinder, Chicken Apple Sausage, Vegetarian and many more. Each one made my mouth water more than the next through its description.

There was also a variety of soups and salads. At the suggestion of the person helping me, I ordered the Grilled Marinated Chicken Breast sandwich which came with my choice of potato salad, pasta salad, fresh fruit or raw veggies; I chose the SIMPLE SIMON’S CONTINUED ON PAGE 14

Grilled marinated chicken breast sandwich

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SIMPLE SIMON’S FROM PAGE 13

Left: Restaurant exterior. Right: Pumpkin pie topped with a dollop of whipped cream.

pasta salad. I then walked along the long counter to pay at the register. After getting a fountain drink, I made my way to one of the wooden booths along the wall to wait. No more than five minutes later, my name was called over a microphone which reminded me of a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s or Burger King. Not surprisingly, the

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comparisons stop there.

The moment I picked up my tray, I caught a whiff of my food and instantly my taste buds were dancing. The distinct smell of olive oil and pesto instantly hit me. The first bite was glorious.

And the next, and the next, and so forth—you get the idea. The olive oil that I had smelled was coming from the bread, which was warm and crisp, yet moist.

Every bite was flavor-filled. The sandwich also came with provolone cheese, tomato, romaine, Parmesan, pesto and Caesar dressing. And of course the chicken. Although the other ingredients complemented each other well, the bread and the pesto are what made the sandwich. The pesto sauce, which is made of basil—an herb especially popular in Italian dishes— also consists of olive oil, which is why those two flavors were very rich. Not wanting to neglect my pasta salad, I took a bite and was instantly pleased. The red bell peppers gave it a hint of spice which made for a zestier flavor.

The cold pasta contrasted nicely with my warm sandwich.

When ordering food, one cannot help but look at the display of the many desserts offered at Simple Simon’s. There was a variety of pies: Apple, Pecan, Pumpkin and Strawberry Rhubarb. I couldn’t resist a slice of the pumpkin pie with some whipped cream on top. From the first bite, the flavor was rich and extremely moist. You can definitely tell it’s pumpkin pie. The crust was just the right amount of crunchy. It was the perfect way to top off my meal.

Although everything is served on plastic plates, do not be deceived—you are receiving a high quality meal. The menu options are a bit pricey; for example, my sandwich and pasta were $9.95, but the quality and size are definitely worth the price. Everything, from the bread to the pastries are made fresh from scratch. You can even purchase a bag of their specially made bread to take home with you! They also offer a breakfast menu which includes omelettes and French toast and is served 7-10:30 a.m. on weekdays and 7:30-11:00 a.m. on weekends.

Lunch is served until 5 p.m. on weekdays and 4 p.m. on Saturday. An assortment of beverages is also offered, including coffee, lattes and bottled sodas as well as beer and wine for the 21 and over crowd.

If anyone is looking for a new eatery to try here in Riverside, or even for a place to study for a couple hours if you don’t mind a bit of noise, Simple Simon’s is a charming place to go—especially if you’re looking to try something unlike your ordinary fast food or sit down restaurant.

Simple Simon’s is simple yet extraordinary, and we are lucky to H have them here in Riverside. ■

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

C o m e dian J ad e C at ta -P r e ta

j o k e s wi t h t h e c r o wd a b o u t h e r e x p e ri e n c e s a s a c o m e dian .

C a m e r o n Y o n g /HIGHLANDER

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THe Hate M A SL

A Spoken Word Revolution

Clockwise from top: Crystal Cheatham and J Mase III sing about a lost loved one. Regie Cabico shares his experiences about being a member of the queer community. Emotions performs spoken word.

Written by Jacqueline Balderrama , STAFF WRITER Photos by Cameron Yong Spoken word performers stormed the Barn on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 6 p.m. to confront today’s hatred against the LGBTQ community. These poets and musical performers represented not only people who are queer and/or trans, but more specifically those of color. The Barn set up rows of chairs before the stage while in the adjacent room, organizations were tabling, passing out flyers, and selling trans awareness T-shirts, and a brief open mic took place before performers took the stage at 7:30 p.m.

First, a representative from PRISM of La Sierra University informed the audience that because the university is Seventh Day Adventist, they did not allow a Slam the Hate event on campus. This set up the evening for compelling performances from the LGBTQ community for hate awareness. J Mase III, a black, trans, queer poet served as the MC and introduced Crystal Cheatham.

Cheatham, a gay, Christian singer-songwriter, performed both covers and original songs on her guitar.

These included Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning,” and originals about breakups and her own sexual and religious identity. Through her stunning voice, various themes emerged, both hopeful and empowering. While the lyrics were not overtly gay in theme, they suggested themes of defiance and an open love for God. Next, a former student from Cal Baptist University shared their story about being expelled for marking their gender as female on the school application and

consequently being charged with fraud. They emphasized the distinction between sex and gender. Moreover, love became the focus of the event while the speaker expressed that challenges are what shape our lives.

A brief video presentation then introduced Emotions, a therapist, activist, poet and entrepreneur. Emotions, who identifies as an African American, masculine, lesbian B.O.I. (born obviously incredible), recited spoken word and poetry. They were political and colorful in confronting social norms as well as turning hate into love.

Lines like “I just want to love you,” were repeated and “let your spirit breathe,” reflect the social norms and assumptions that the LGBTQ community faces. In the last poem, “B.O.I.,” Emotions said, “I’ve always followed somewhere in between,” then confronted the homophobic world by acknowledging its oppressive structure.

J Mase III, an organ donor and author of a chapbook titled, “If I Should Die Under the Knife, Tell My Kidney I Was the Fiercest Poet Around,” took the spotlight in her own performance of original poems, which she recited aloud with fiery enthusiasm. These ranged over subjects of love, sexual freedom and misunderstanding due to social norms. Furthermore, she dedicated a poem to a murdered, transgender woman. Here, J Mase III, unpacked the meaning of the greeting, “Hello,” and the following question of “How are you or what are you?” This poem in particular encouraged compassion. Her presentation was interactive and energetic with audience

participation and poems full of innuendos that kept the audience laughing. Then she and Cheatham performed “You’re Just Too Good To Be True” for a friend who committed suicide in 2011. Cheatham played guitar and sang while J Mase III performed spoken word interludes.

They stressed that when you’re fine, you forget about others. It’s important to support one another.

The final performer of the evening was Regie Cabico, whose performance incorporated themes of both religion and sexual identity. His presentation was highly entertaining and comedic as he wove in stories and poetry into his conversation about growing up in a FilipinoAmerican, Catholic family. He recited one poem about an ex-boyfriend by comparing his anatomy to poetic terminology then enacted a story about living in an apartment with two other gay roommates and himself being the only butch gay man. His astrology poem was particularly thrilling as he took out a box of chocolates and asked for the audience’s signs. He’d then stand before a Sagittarius and say a hilarious and hate-slam poem, and then graciously offer them a chocolate.

Overall, Slam The Hate was packed with music, poetry and a drive to both create awareness in a homophobic world and empower the LGBTQ community. As Cabico said at the end of his performance in a one-sided dialogue with his mother, “Don’t ever think that I am not your son or love you any less.” The theme of the night ■H was acceptance.

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Comedy Apocalypse at the Barn

By Grant Boughter, Contributing Writer // Photos by Cameron Yong Comedy came to UCR last Wednesday, Nov. 14. The Barn, in conjunction with KUCR, hosted UCR’s sixth Comedy Apocalypse.

Five stand-up comics entertained a three-quarters full audience; the show was thoroughly entertaining throughout its two hour duration.

As the audience settled into the Barn’s green plastic chairs, the show began with apocalyptic, Baroque-era orchestral music, over which a voice from the sound booth announced the event in an ominous bass. First up were the hit-and-miss comedic stylings of the night’s MC Omar Nava.

Nava’s first act was by far the least funny of the evening; the crowd’s reaction to him was, in turn, unenthusiastic. He opened with an ill-humored jumble of political jokes, and painfully continued through his set until it was time to announce to real talent to come.

Next up was the absolutely hilarious Jade Catta-Preta, whose set was 35 minutes of nonstop laughs.

She opened by commenting on the breasts of women in the front rows,

and continued to land one side-splitter after another. Nothing was off limits to this comedian. Everyone was poked fun at, from Steve Irwin to Anne Frank and even Catta-Preta’s own face.

Following Catta-Preta came the night’s funniest act, delivered artfully

by Sydney Castillo. Castillo jumped into improvisation, exclaiming, “Where […] am I?” Without missing a beat, he proceeded to take fake bids from the audience on himself, throwing his voice into the typical, fast-paced auctioneer stereotype: “I see 80. Who’s got 95? 95 for this big, strong brother. 95, let’s see 100…”

Castillo continued to deliver nearly an hour of pure hilarity in this fashion; his racially-flared style killed. He left the audience heaving and roaring for more.

Despite his appearances on Comedy Central, HBO and “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” the next comedian, Kevin Shea, was a bit of a letdown.

His low energy act didn’t appear to resonate with the crowd. Although his jokes were fairly humorous, they

were stifled by his staggered delivery. The energy that Castillo had previously instilled drained from the crowd by the middle of Shea’s act; it was easily noticeable how the audience’s attention had wandered. Many got up, for the first time that evening, to buy food, go to the restroom or just leave.

Finally, it was time for the night’s headliner, Dan Levy. This MTV personality and winner of HBO’s funniest college comedian contest wrapped the night up in an anticlimactic tone. His set was welldelivered and wrangled sufficient laughter from the audience, but by no means did it dazzle. Most comically noteworthy, perhaps, is that Levy couldn’t seem to get the name of the venue straight; he frequently referred to the Barn as the “funny factory fry Barn.”

After Levy concluded his act and the lights came back on, the performers were met with booming applause.

There may have been a few tedious, even awkward moments throughout, but the show was a great success. The audience’s satisfaction was palpable in that final ovation.

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Clockwise from top left: Sydney Castillo shares stories about his family. Omar Nava warms up the crowd. Dan Levy shares his experience about sharing the same name with a Canadian TV host.

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MOVIE REVIEWS aLSO THIS WEEK:

Life of Pi

Red Dawn

Rise of the Guardians

Silver Linings Playbook

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Rating: ★★★★☆ -4.5 By: Grace Kang, Senior Staff Writer

After five years and four movies of disco ball vampirism, lupine six packs and Kristen Stewart’s monotone delivery, “The Twilight Saga” breathes its last in “Breaking Dawn—Part 2,” and it’s well overdue. The final installment of Stephenie Meyer’s monster plays out like a primetime episode in the Friday night graveyard slot, as director Bill Condon (“Chicago,” “Dreamgirls”) returns to wrap up the mess he made in “Breaking Dawn—Part 1.”

Our heroine Bella Swan nee Cullen (Kristen Stewart) emerges from a fatal childbirth scene as a brand-new vampire. All it took was a string of near death experiences, suicidal attempts and a brutal C-section to get there.

As the stylized opening credits sequence—the best scene in the movie by far—fades, we learn that Bella now has the ability to read books from across the room and spot dust mites inching along the carpet, no doubt what she’s dreamt of since childhood. “Part Two” is all about fan service and pleasing the Twi-Hards with the rich, vampire husband, the ridiculously ripped best friend, and the creepy, telepathic CG baby. Bella is living the all-new American dream for self-insertion fans, and the cameras are all too happy to oblige with first-person shots. Aside from their daughter Renesmee’s (Mackenzie Foy) unfortunate name and uncannily rapid development, weeks go by in a dreamy haze of deer hunting, extreme arm wrestling and honeymoon contact sports. But vampire sports camp has to come to an end sometime.

Irina (Maggie Grace), a vampire of the Denali coven,

makes an unannounced visit just in time to witness little Renesmee hovering a good 30 feet in the air to play with snowflakes. She mistakes the girl for an Immortal Child—a vampire who is turned at a very young age and, unable to control their childish impulses and newfound bloodlust, becomes a mass murdering abomination— and reports the perceived crime to the ruthless Aro (Michael Sheen), leader of the Volturi. Alice Cullen (Ashley Greene) foresees the impending conflict between the Volturi and the Cullens, and warns Bella, Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and the rest of the Cullen family before vanishing with Jasper (Jackson Rathbone). The storyline transitions into a worldwide search for Witnesses (which I, at one point, mistook for the search for the next Avatar) who are willing to attest to Renesmee Cullen’s non-Immortality, because really, she’s just a miracle kid. Their eventual allies range from a pair of borderline racist depictions of Amazonians to the rakish Lee Pace who plays a vampire veteran from the American Revolution.

Every other vampire has super special powers (including mental projections and electric shocks), and of course Bella has to have the incredibly rare ability of being a “Shield.” I kept waiting for Charles Xavier to wheel in from around a tree and invite everyone to his school for gifted children.

But this is all just a way of passing the time until the movie gets around to the final showdown.

We got the cheesy romance and superpowers. Now we want carnage.

“Breaking Dawn—Part 2” features the same CG wolves (who are thankfully silent

this time around), and gems of dialogue (early on Edward lovingly tells Bella, “We’re the same temperature now”) we’re all used to, as well as the general campiness slathered over any scene that involves the comically sinister Volturi. The computer animated violence is a real treat, complete with decapitations that are reminiscent of popping the heads off Barbie and Ken dolls.

It’s impossible to take this movie seriously, and it’s clear that at this point no one really cares. A little bit of digging and embedded between scenes like Jacob’s striptease for Bella’s dad and Michael Sheen’s general flamboyance, the audience can catch glimpses of the “Screw this and screw you, and you, and you…” projected by the actors who are obviously eager

Courtesy of Summit Entertaiment

to put this “Twilight” business behind them. Critiquing the plot or dialogue or characters would be a waste of time, because this isn’t really a movie; it’s a motion picture fan book.

Let’s pick on one thing. Just one. If we can get past the fact that the 18-year-old female protagonist has just married a century-old vampire and had a baby demolish its way out of her uterus, fine. Young people have done far stupider things. But the thing that is definitely, unarguably not okay is when in “Part 1” Jacob attempts to kill Renesmee, and then imprints on her instead. For those not well-versed “Twilight” lingo, imprinting is when (usually) male shape-shifters get that tingly feeling the moment they meet their one and only. Jacob is

16-years-old. Renesmee is a baby.

Even drink-my-blood-and-turnme-please Bella flips out when she finds out that her friend—who was crushing on her not too long ago—has laid his “moronic wolfy claim” on her newborn daughter.

However, this too settles down before the end of the first act.

Because it’s just a little pedophilia, right? No big deal. Oh, no, no, no.

Bottom line: fans of the series will be satisfied with “Breaking Dawn – Part Two,” because it wrings every drop of sappy sentimentalism it can out of each scene. Anyone who isn’t a “Twilight” fan won’t care. If this is a must-watch for you, catch the matinee instead of the evening show unless you want screeching pre-adolescents to spice up your cinematic experience.

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INDEPENDENT MOVIE REVIEWS Revisiting: Martha Marcy May Marlene Rating: ★★★★☆

By: Rebecca Paredes, Staff Writer Courtesy of Fox Searchlight

Thelma Annan

Fashion Instinct Black Friday: Shopping Survival Guide

As I stepped into the surprisingly spacious screening room of Downtown Riverside’s Culver Center, I expected “Martha Marcy May Marlene” to be a cookiecutter psychological thriller. The independent film was released early 2011 at Sundance Film Festil, but only saw a limited release.

What I saw instead was a film that is as much about questions of identity as it is about the tenuous nature of youth and the necessity of belonging. It was awesome.

Written and directed by Sean Durkin, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” follows a woman’s escape from an isolated cult based in upstate New York. The first few minutes of the film are devoid of any spoken lines; instead, Durkin emphasizes the natural sounds of life on the cult’s farm.

We see women hanging clothes on a clothesline and tending to children while the men chop wood. The opening scenes feel unsettling, but the audience can’t quite identify what’s wrong until we see the men eating dinner, followed by the women taking their turn at the table. Their nonchalance about the dinner shifts makes everything seem routine, and the absence of spoken word makes the entire opening absolutely horrifying.

The story begins in a period of transition. As the title character, Martha (Elizabeth Olsen) escapes into the surrounding forest in the early hours of the morning, one of the cult’s men calls after her retreating frame: “Marcy! Marcy May! Where ya goin’?” Even though she has no idea where she’s headed without her cult identity, Martha makes her way into town and takes up residence in her sister’s beautiful lakeside home. There, in an environment as far from the cult as she can get, Martha struggles to settle into a new idea of normal.

The audience learns about her cult life in the form of flashbacks.

These scenes are presented as vivid memories, and Durkin seamlessly transitions into these flashbacks by using elements from present-day Connecticut to cut back to the cult. Time is used as a

tool, and its purpose is to slowly reveal the horrors of Martha’s cult life. We learn about Patrick (John Hawkes) the cult’s gentle-voiced leader, father figure and enforcer.

Hawkes’ performance as Patrick is terrifying. He manages to instill a sense of power into his voice without ever wavering from a cajoling murmur, and his eyes are constantly watchful over his clan’s every movement.

Elizabeth Olsen’s debut performance is phenomenal. Her slow descent into paranoia as Martha

fears the cult has found her feels genuine because, somehow, Olsen packs Martha’s past, everpresent sense of fear and need for belonging into her performance.

Olsen must balance many emotional roles; as the title suggests, “Martha Marcy May Marlene” refers to her character’s different names assigned by the cult in order to dissociate herself from her identity, and Olsen wears these roles with a quiet, haunting ferocity. After this role, Olsen will no longer be “that sister that’s not

Mary Kate or Ashley.”

After the cult finds Martha, the film ends on ambiguous note.

Surprisingly, it’s not a frustrating end; like its beginning, the story ends in period of transition from one stage of life to the next. As an audience, we hope for the best because Durkin has turned Martha into a character we emphasize with. His ending effective because it’s the most emotionally resonant, and Martha’s wide-eyed stare lingers with its viewer for days afterwards.

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Let’s be honest, we all enjoy a good sale, right? Especially in today’s economy. Rushing to the next shopping sale is the only way I can get a good workout these days. Thanks to my favorite holiday, Black Friday, there are plenty of benefits for your closet and wallet. Here are some tips to get the most out of your Black Friday without it getting the most of you: 1. Research: Research store hours and compare stores by the biggest sales offered. Several stores do not participate in sales as actively as others. Make sure where you are buying is really worth the day’s hassle.

2. Prioritize: Black Friday is the time to splurge. I suggest focusing on big purchases that would have taken more than half your bank account had you bought them any other day.

Make a list of the things you absolutely need, as well as one for those that can be held off on.

3. The Early Bird Gets the Worm: A lot of stores will be opening at midnight. Go early, stock up on snacks and drag your best company with you.

Sure it might seem a little extreme, but at the end of the day you’ll be glad you did it, with victory bags in both hands and an experience to share. Some stores even offer an early bird special, which means, if you shop before 9 a.m., you can get an additional discount.

4. Comfort: You will be standing in extremely long lines, so be comfortable doing it. Wear clothes that are easy to slip on and off if you plan to try clothes on.

5. Shop Online: Claustrophobic? Not a people person?

Some retail stores offer the God-sent blessing of online shopping. Being someone who has been on both sides of the Black Friday frenzy I suggest avoiding the long lines and staying within the comforts of your home.

6. Extreme Couponing: On this hectic day, “Extreme Couponing” is no longer just a show on TLC, but a method of shopping survival. Printing or saving coupons through your phone’s email function can help you save even more on your purchase, ultimately leaving more in your wallet to spend or save.

7. Keep Your Receipt: Make sure to ask about the return policy and keep your receipt! You never know if you might need to exchange or return an item.

■H Happy shopping!

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER

MUSIC REVIEWS LOTUS // Christina Aguilera

Rating: ★★☆ ☆☆

By: Jillian Rausa, Contributing writer

A year after the release of her album “Bionic” in 2010, Christina Aguilera returned to the spotlight as a judge on “The Voice,” and made a visual statement by showcasing her glowing fake tan and some new “hardware.” Apparently a couple of years and a revamped look is all it took for Aguilera to emerge—as literally seen on the album artwork— with her seventh album “Lotus.” The album features 17 tracks and symbolizes the renewal of Aguilera’s rightful place alongside new vocal powerhouses like Adele and Jessie J. “Lotus” introduces a new Christina, who embraces experimentation with musical genres that alternate from dance to pop and even soul.

The album’s hit single “Your Body” is reminiscent of a classic radio hit with its catchy lyrics and pulsating rhythm. “Let There Be Love” and “Circles” follow suit by effectively

capturing the growth of Aguilera’s music career since the old Mouseketeer days. Music producer/songwriters Alex da Kid and Max Martin collaborate to highlight Aguilera’s dynamic vocal range in effortless transitions between each techno-infused number.

However, as talented as Christina Aguilera is, not even powerful vocals can salvage lyrically inferior tracks such as “Red Hot Kinda Love” and “Shut Up.” The juvenile lyrics (e.g.

“Oh baby I’m burning up / I wasn’t trying to fall for ya”) clearly lack depth and become annoying, which leads me to question the originality behind the songwriting. Aguilera is neither a Jonas Brother nor is she a teenager, so I expected hits on par with the caliber of “Fighter” and “Beautiful,” both singles released at the peak of her career, but instead I was presented with a jumble of shal-

low, nonsensical lyrics. The help of feature artists and fellow “The Voice” coaches, Blake Shelton and Cee Lo Green, actually serve to point out the weaknesses in “Lotus.” “Just a Fool,” which features Shelton, is the top selling song on the album with “Make the World Move,” featuring Cee Lo Green, not far behind.

But aside from the lyrical train wreck, “Lotus” is an absolute improvement from “Bionic.” The ballads, married with Christina Aguilera’s incomparable vocal talent, hold the album together; “Sing for Me” and “Blank Page” articulate relatable, empowering lyrics that evoke vulnerability and emotion relevant to her past scandals. These prevent the album from becoming an utter waste. “Lotus” is now available on iTunes and Amazon, but I personally wouldn’t spend my own money on it.

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Courtesy of RCA Records

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

21

¡DOS! // GREEN DAY Rating: ★★★ ☆☆

By: JAke RICH, Contributing writer Courtesy of Reprise Records

So let me set something straight— I consider myself a pretty big Green Day fan. I’ve defended the band when people said they sucked, and I still think that their lyrical themes are far more honest than those of many other artists out there; a lot of their previous work is underrated.

That being said, their latest installment “¡Dos!,” the second in a trilogy of albums, is one of the weakest albums they have ever released. Not to say there isn’t a handful of decent material on the disc, but the overall content quality I’ve come to expect from Green Day has certainly been downgraded.

The lyrics of “¡Dos!” are what set this album apart as contrived, and although the album effectively conveys the party atmosphere that lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong described, the final product is a bit bland. Despite the semi-interesting look at the overwhelmingly trashy vibe at parties in “Makeout Party,” the lines “Do you wanna spin a bottle, play a game of chicken? / Well, it’s a tongue twister ‘til your lips are bleeding,” don’t sound particularly authentic coming out of 40-year-old’s mouth. “Nightlife” offers possibly the worst lyrics of Armstrong’s career, as feature artist Lady Cobra raps, “Gonna make a move before I get bored / If you wanna explore my vocal cord,” with all the intensity of eighth grade poetry.

Though the music is not particu-

larly innovative, it does well in showing off the stylings of Green Day’s garage rock alter ego, The Foxboro Hot Tubs, with a sense of edgy fun and amped up guitars; however, the few highlights of “¡Dos!” vary in style.

The deeply personal “Lazy Bones” is particularly striking in light of the recent drunken tantrum that landed Armstrong in rehab; he sings, “I don’t want your sympathy, I don’t want your honesty / I just want to get some peace of mind,” over a deafening driving guitar with strong back-up vocals from bassist Mike Dirnt. In contrast, “Stray Heart” is a simple, yearning doo-wop number with a bite that steals its bass-line from the Supremes’ “You Can’t Hurry Love.” The album closer “Amy” is a tender acoustic tribute to late singer Amy Winehouse, in which Armstrong laments lost life and talent.

What we really end up with is a very imbalanced album that packs only a small amount of punch. Sure, its sleazy fun does alright for a while, but this

is the same band that made anxiety problems (“Basket Case”) and being a cranky old man (“The Grouch”) sound fun—or at least put some per-

spective behind them. Expect more from this band, and here’s to hoping the trilogy closer “¡Tre!” doesn’t disappoint.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER

Illerside B-Boys at the Barn

Left: Dancer Way FunkShui Chen shows off his moves. Right: Dancer Starscream competes in the finals.

Written by Nicolas Austin , contributing WRITER Photos by Cameron Yong On Nov. 15, the Barn played host to the Illerside B-Boys Jam Out! Dance, during which dancers throughout UCR and the Inland Empire came together to display their groovy and outrageous dance skills. Illerside B-Boys is just one of the few dance crews on the UCR campus, but they accomplished their mission by establishing a positive environment in which they could help people bring out their inner dancer.

The event kicked off at 8 p.m., but I arrived 30 minutes early to witness some extreme warm-ups, which involved two jam circles where dancers cheered one another on as one dancer after anoth-

er showed off their talent. The air was filled with the aroma of hot wings provided by the Barn, but there were more people dancing in the cyphers than eating. In addition to B-Boys, there were also poplockers who avoided the ground techniques in favor of solely focusing on jerking their bodies between moments of frozen poses.

Things got real around 8 p.m. as the event gained momentum. Once the rules had been explained, the dancers took the floor; in the first round, groups of three to four contestants went head to head in dance battles. Judges picked the best performer from each group, and that person qualified for the next round.

Alyssa Palencia was the only female participant in the dance off, but she was more than capable of

holding it down for the ladies. She was one of the few dancers to make it to the Semi-Finals, and she later jokingly described the event as a “big sausage fest,” and added that, “It doesn’t matter what gender you are; it’s just about having fun.” The music was provided by the Inland Empire’s very own DJ Megatone, who provided a wide variety of music from old school hip hop to house music.

The finalists of the competition were Junior Guzman a.k.a. Starscreen, a 17-year-old high school student and B-Boy from Riverside, and his opponent Way Funkshui Chen, a pop-locker and freshman at Cal State Fullerton. After an intense dance battle, Funkshui pulled off the win and $100; Starscreen earned a snapback hat for his dynamic performance.

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SPORTS

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

23

Women’s volleyball emerges victorious on Senior Night C o dy N g u y e n Staff wRITER

November 16, 2012 Gauchos 3 - Highlanders 1

The misfortunes continued to pile for UCR’s struggling women’s volleyball squad (7-22) after a hardfought match ended with a 3-2 defeat at the hands of the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

The Gauchos took an early 1-0 lead thanks to a 2523 victory in their first set, which consisted of mostly back-and-forth scoring by both teams.

In the second set, the Highlanders showed that they were not going down without a fight, as they emerged victorious by a persuasive margin, 25-16.

A nail-biter of a third set ensued. With the Highlanders trailing 20-17, a 5-0 run gave UCR the lead, 22-20.

The Gauchos showed resolve, going on a 4-0 run of their own to snatch the lead right back. With the score tied 25-25, an Ashley Cox kill and Gaucho error iced the set in the Highlanders’ favor.

UCSB took the fourth set, 25-23 with mostly back-andforth scoring by both teams.

A 4-0 Highlander run in the beginning of the final set instilled confidence in the team, but the Gauchos were able to cut the deficit to one point with a 3-0 run of their

Kendall Peterson

Kendall’s Fastball NBA Western Conference

J in y o u n g K o /HIGHLANDER Highlander Tyler Dorsy returns the ball against the UCSB Gauchos.

own. With the score tied, 9-9 the Gauchos caught fire yet again and embarked on another 4-0 run to put them in position to walk out of hostile territory with a win.

Match point for UCSB, 14-11, Leah Sully scored on a kill, sending the Gauchos home happy, and leaving the Highlanders with the bitter taste of defeat for the 22nd time.

November 17, 2012 Highlanders 3 - Mustangs 2

The graduating seniors of the UC Riverside women’s volleyball team were honored in a pre-game ceremony for Senior Night prior to squaring off against Cal Poly.

Cal Poly gained an early 2-0 advantage in the first set, but the Highlanders countered by scoring 11 of the next 14 points, gaining an 11-5 advantage that the Mustangs were never able to threaten, allowing the Highlanders to take set one 2517.

In the second set, the Highlanders took an early 3-0 lead and never looked back. With the Highlanders leading 20-15 in the set, the Mustangs were able to rally and score four straight points to cut the lead to a single point. It was to no avail, however, when Amanda Vialpando’s kill sparked a 4-0 Highlander run on their way to winning the second set, 25-20.

With a sweep looming

over their heads, the Mustangs opened the third set by scoring seven of the first 10 points to set the tone for a 25-18 victory.

After taking a 1-0 lead, panic set in at the SRC Arena as the Highlanders let a 2-0 set lead slip away when the Mustangs forced a fifth set with a momentum-swinging 25-15 victory.

Vialpando made her final home game one to remember, dominating the fifth set with five kills, one to initiate match point for the Highlanders who emerged victorious, 15-11.

The Highlanders improve to 8-22 for the season with Saturday’s win, and travel to Honolulu for their final regular season contest on ■H Nov. 23.

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Last week I discussed who will finish in the top five seeds of the Eastern Conference. This week let’s shift to the Western Conference which is more difficult analyze because of the fierce competition.

Memphis Grizzlies have been playing great this season and are currently first, but won’t finish first, because the reigning Western Conference Champions Oklahoma City Thunder will finish first with their two star players, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook leading the way.

The San Antonio Spurs are going to finish second without a doubt, only because of their great coach Gregg Popovich and their veteran roster of guards Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and forward Tim Duncan. They are the most consistent team in the league and unless the Thunder stumble, the Spurs will take the second seed.

Memphis Grizzlies will not uphold their strong start this season and will finish in third place. However, do not by any means disregard this team as a threat to make it to the conference finals. They are young and have great chemistry with each other.

Sadly, the Los Angeles Lakers will be outbeat by their neighbor, the L.A. Clippers. Last year the Clippers were a sleeper team and surprised a lot of people when they made the playoffs. This year they have added more depth to their roster. This season the Clippers will be a team to reckon with.

The fifth and final spot will be the Los Angeles Lakers. They will be led by their future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and new attribute Dwight Howard.

They are currently in the tenth spot but I believe they can pull themselves out of the pit and grind out the rest of the season to make the playoffs by May. The wonderful thing about the NBA is how any team on any given night can win. These are only my predictions and here’s looking forward to a great NBA season.

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. SPORTS .

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2012

HIGHLANDER

Women’s basketball moves to 3-1 with win over Bakersfield M a tt h e w G u e r r o Contributing WRITER

November 12, 2012 Highlanders 79 - Pepperdine 71

UC Riverside’s women’s basketball team traveled to Malibu to take on Pepperdine on Monday, Nov. 12 following a tough loss to open the season. The women survived a late push by Pepperdine after getting off to a hot start to move to 1-1 on the season.

The Highlanders broke out of the gate leading it 16-8, led by Tre’Shonti Nottingham’s six points and eventually took another huge run later in the first half to take a 42-23 lead, before the Pepperdine wolves scored the half’s last six points to end the half with the score at 44-29. However, despite the strong finish by Pepperdine at the half, UC Riverside shot over 50 percent from the field, and even outran the pack of Wolves with 14 fast break points, easily scoring in transition.

The second half would not be so kind to the Highlander women, as a large run by Pepperdine would cut UC Riverside’s lead down to size, eventually resulting in a 71-71 tie.

Pepperdine used three pointers to open the half with a 15-3 run and another run of 12-2 to cut UC Riverside’s lead. However, Pepperdine’s

run was not enough as late free throws

by Highlander Kiara Harewood and a career high 29 points for Nottingham sealed a close game.

November 15, 2012 Highlanders 94 - Utah State 90 OT

Utah State struggled from the field in the first half, but a late comeback that was capped off by a late three pointer, sent UC Riverside close to the edge of defeat. However, UC Riverside battled back in overtime to play defense and capture a win against a tough team to improve to 2-1 in regular season play.

The game opened with a strong run by Utah State, as they sprinted out to a 17-3 run. Tre’Shonti Nottingham, the hero of the late thriller against Pepperdine, was the only person to score during the run, drilling a three pointer two minutes into the half. But, turnovers and fouls let Utah get out ahead.

UC Riverside then went on a huge 17- 9 run and with 11 minutes left, the score was 21-20 in Utah State’s favor.

Natasha Hadley and Brittany Crain drilled shots that led UC Riverside to an explosive run, outscoring Utah State 19-4 by halftime with the score at 39-30 UC Riverside.

The offensive side looked to have the game in the bag. However, Utah State used some second chance points and layups to chip away at the lead.

MICHAEL RIOS

RIO-SIDE C arina G l a s s e r /HIGHLANDER Tre’Shonti Nottingham dribbles against Utah State’s zone defense

With just 16 seconds left, Utah State Center Franny Vaaulu hit a clutch three pointer to tie the game at 81 a piece. UC Riverside came out in overtime led by Nottingham who would drill four clutch free throws to seal the deal for UC Riverside.

November 18, 2012 Highlanders 75 - Bakersfield 63

Tre’Shonti Nottingham dropped 29 points again, proving to be an adept scorer and offensive catalyst for UC Riverside, as the Highlander went on to beat CSU Bakersfield 75-63.

UC Riverside has been on a roll since their first loss of the season, beating Pepperdine, Utah State and now Bakersfield.

Nottingham notched an incredible 15 free throws, scoring over 20 points

in her third straight game as she set a record for most free throws made in a game for UC Riverside. Brittany Crain also notched 15 points for UC Riverside as the second leading scorer. The game seemed to dictate a less offensive approach for UC Riverside.

They shot just 32 percent in the second half, compared to 44 percent in the first half. It would be UC Riverside’s stingy defense that would alter Bakersfield’s flow and hold them to under 40 percent from the field the entire game.

A large run in the second half from the Highlanders gave Riverside a comfortable lead, but Bakersfield came within five points with just over five minutes remaining, the score at 58-53. However, Brittany Crain showed her clutch gene to score the next six points, and UC Riverside ■H closed out the game strong.

Highlanders bounce back after losing low-scoring defensive battle to Fresno State Jayvee Valencia Contributing WRITER

November 14, 2012 Bulldogs 39 - Highlanders 30

Coming off their Chicago trip that ended in a 0-2 record, the UC Riverside men’s basketball team returned home to the Student Recreation Center on Nov. 14, but they fell short, losing in a defensive battle against Fresno State 39-30.

In the first half the Highlanders turned the ball over 13 times while shooting 20 percent in field goals. But defensively, they forced the Fresno State Bulldogs to nine turnovers and held them to 21 percent shooting.

The second half was the same story as both teams ran set offenses that took more than 25 seconds on the shot clock. That led to forced jump shots and missed layups because of tight man-to-man defense.

“We didn’t want to waste a lot of effort in half court offense because it wasn’t there… we did have pockets where we tried to get out and you saw guys play in space but neither team giving up those kind of situations and so it turned into a prototypical possession game,” Coach Jim Wooldridge said on the offensive pace of the game.

The Highlanders went on to lose the low-scoring game with a final tally of 30-39. This loss brought the team’s overall record down to 0-3.

Fastbreak points were key in the game. On the probability of what fastbreaks could have done, guard Robert Smith said, “We definitely could have turned it up on the fastbreak, I feel that would have helped us out but we were just playing the game how it was going.”

Forward Chris Patton stated, “Get-

ting a couple of easy buckets would be nice, I’m not really sure if there were any fastbreak opportunities or not… we were struggling in the half court and the other team as well but because both teams were struggling so bad, we were just grinding it out on what the game plan was.”

The Highlanders shot 27 percent in field goals but free-throw shooting was a crucial stat in the possessive game. UCR was 2-7 in free-throw shooting and 4-12 overall.

“Free throws definitely hurt us coming down the stretch. We need guys to step up and just knock them down, that would have gave us a slight chance.” Robert Smith said.

Chris Patton added on free throw woes, “It’s all mental.”

November 17, 2012 Highlanders 89 Fighting Missionary 76

The UC Riverside men’s basketball team won its first game of the season by shutting down Division III Whitman College at home in the Student Recreational Center.

The Highlanders were tested early as Whitman College made a barrage of three-point shots, making 9-21 in the first half. Most of their buckets came in transition, from dribble handoffs and on drive and kicks. UC Riverside responded by getting early offense off of defensive rebounds and breaking a stingy 2-2-1 trap leading to layups and dunks.

Wooldridge knew that a switch from a man-to-man to a zone defense would keep Whitman out of rhythm.

“Our defense was behind their offense, they look like they were shooting the ball in rhythm… the three point shot helped them but eventually broke their back… we were able to stay close to bodies out there and

T s u n g S u /HIGHLANDER Guard Robert Smith lays it up against Fresno State’s defense

contest a little bit better,” Coach Jim Wooldridge said.

Riverside shut down Whitman’s shooters as they held them to 12.5 percent from the three-point range in the second half.

“With that zone we were able to help each other a lot more and then once we got that rebound, we were able to push… so once we got it we just took off and got easy layups,” said forward Josh Fox. On the offensive end, Josh Fox, guard Robert Smith and forward Chris Harriel attacked off the dribble drive while forward Lucas Devenny was active with his rebounding. “Lucas Devenny’s 15 rebounds, we probably don’t win without those 15 rebounds,” Coach Jim Wooldridge said on the impact of Lucas’ rebounding creating possessions.

Tajai Johnson scored off the dribble with layups on the fastbreak contributing with nine points while Davin Guinn scored six points on open jump shots and putbacks as well as grabbing five rebounds. Chris Harriel had a great all-around performance with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists with one steal and one block.

Josh Fox followed up with 18 points.

Chris Harriel commented on the team attacking off the dribble drive, saying, “I feel we have a lot of guys that are good with the ball and in transition, since they were pressing us a lot we had no other choice but to attack.”

Following their win, the Highlanders are now 1-3 and will travel to Anchorage, Alaska to participate in the Great Alaska Shootout Nov. ■H 21- 24.

Students don’t know the UCR fight song Student support is usually a key factor in determining the outcome of a college basketball game.

Fans usually come out in support of their team, wearing the school colors, cheering for the team and doing something as simple as singing the school’s fight song.

It’s become increasingly clear, however, that the latter usually doesn’t occur during UCR home games.

During timeouts at the SRC arena, the band and the cheer squad usually perform the school’s fight song in an attempt to boost the spirits of the crowd. But nine times out of 10, they are the only ones in the entire arena singing the song.

The students sitting on the bleachers simply don’t know the words. It’s a little hard to imagine why. The big screen at the SRC arena even includes the lyrics of the song, but students still don’t sing it.

The entire song is no more than 53 words long.

It last just over a minute and it is played at just about every home game at UCR. There should be no excuse not to know the words by now.

So here’s a challenge I’m proposing to the students reading this column: the next time you all attend one of our home games, learn the fight song and help boost our school spirit up a bit.

One can simply go online and search for the UCR fight song. The lyrics and the theme song are both on YouTube and are easy to find and even easier to learn.

Come on, UC Riverside. We’re the only Division I school in the Inland Empire and we’ve come a long way since the school was founded in 1954.

There is a lot to be proud about. So let’s all learn the song and make sure the crowds at the Student Recreation Center sing at the top of their lungs the next time there is a home game.

Go Brave Scots!

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