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UCR hosts early voting polls, voter registration for campus community E r i c G a m b oa SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Approximately 65 voters from the UC Riverside community participated in last week’s early voting for the June primary election. The prospect of having future early voting opportunities was jeopardized following a low turnout, but was revived on May 23 when 43 additional students, faculty and staff voted at the Student Services Building. Event organizer Laurie Hill noted that new voter registration efforts were also a success with a total of 27 registrations completed—not including the ASUCR-led registration efforts that were held at the Bell Tower. “I believe we will be able to provide early voting for the November national election,” stated Hill in an interview with the Highlander. Although the on-campus booths were tailored toward attracting the campus population, the polls were also open to anyone registered to vote in Riverside
County. Early voters were able to submit their choices for U.S. Congress, the California Senate and Assembly, Riverside Mayor, Riverside County Supervisor and county judges. The retirement of Ron Loveridge, who has served as Riverside’s mayor since 1994, has prompted a seven-person race for the position. The level of competitiveness in the elections is also evident in congressional districts; last year’s redistricting of the 41st congressional district has turned part of Riverside—namely, the 57,000 residents living east of Highway 91—into a battleground district, reports the Press-Enterprise. The voter registration and early voting initiatives held by Student Special Services are part of a larger movement on campus that has emphasized the importance of student political involvement. This trend has been notably present among ASUCR senators whose efforts resulted in voter VOTING CONT’D ON PAGE 6
New UCR institute to focus on immigrants and religion
g o r d o n h u a n g /HIGHLANDER The INTN building, which is the institute’s new home.
E r i c G a m b oa SENIOR STAFF WRITER
UC Riverside’s Institute for the Study of Immigrant Religions will make its debut on June 1. The center will serve as an archive for a plethora of religious information ranging from oral histories provided by immigrants to scholarly research. The new institute is housed within the UCR Center for Ideas and Society (located in the INTN building) and is being funded by an unspecified grant from the Office of the Chancellor. “We want to understand the struggles and successes of different immigrant communities as they INSTITUTE CONTINUED ON PAGE 6
g o r d o n h u a n g /HIGHLANDER Posters guided members of the UCR community to the Tartan and Tweed Room for early voting in the June 5 primary election.
Senator proposes 10% cap on nonresident UC enrollment S a n dy V a n STAFF WRITER
California Senator Michael Rubio is proposing a constitutional amendment (SCA 22) that would entail a UC systemwide 10 percent cap on nonresident undergraduate enrollment. “Recruiting out-of-state students for the purpose of balancing the UC budget contributes to the perceived privatization of the system and undermines public support for restoring funding,” stated Rubio in the SCA 22 document. Although UC policy currently places the same enrollment cap at 10 percent, the policy is being violated at several UC campuses and is not legally binding. “All UC campuses are attempting to increase nonresident undergraduate enrollment. The supplemental tuition those students pay helps fund classes and services for California resident students,” stated Vice President of Budget Patrick Lenz, in a conference discussion with the advocacy group UC for California. Out-of-state and international stu-
Graphic by Irin Son Senator Rubio’s proposal would limit out-of-state enrollment at the University of California to 10%.
dents pay an annual rate of $34,729 versus California residents who pays an estimated $11,851 in tuition and fees. The California state budget cuts have doubled the UC tuition within the last 10 years, leaving UC administrators scrambling for alternative sources of revenue. SCA 22 falls in line with the UC policy of retaining a 10 percent cap on non-resident enrollment, yet many UC campuses have started to stray from this policy over the years. The SCA 22 introduction points out
that non-resident enrollment rates at the UC have doubled from 2009 to 2012. This has resulted in surges to out-of-state enrollment especially in more competitive universities that have a larger pool of applicants. UCR currently has a 7 percent non-resident acceptance rate, yet the rate is much higer at other campuses such as UC Los Angeles (14 percent) and Berkeley (18 percent) for fall of 2011. Opponents of this proposal have criticized the aspect ENROLLMENT CONT’D ON PAGE 2
THIS WEEK’S EVENTS TUES 5/29
Japanese Drumming - UCR Taiko Ensemble 12:10 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Arts Building Amphitheatre Steps
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The Last Laugh feat. The Wayans Brothers 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. Student Rec Center
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Viva Peru! - UCR Andean Ensemble: Mayupatapi 8:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. Arts 166
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Volume 60
Issue 30
NEWS
NEWS IN BRIEF COMPILED BY CRISTINA GRANADOS,
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& ERIC GAMBOA, senior staff writer
CSU RECEIVES RECORD 743,000 APPLICANTS Application rates to the California State University’s 23 campuses are up 5 percent from last year. The increase in applicants has translated into a higher level of competitiveness among applicants since the university expects to be admitting around 350,000 applicants (nearly the same number as last year). The increase in competition is coupled with an enrollment freeze for spring 2013 and the implementation of a waitlist for the following year. Conditions
for the CSU could become even more grim if Governor Brown’s tax initiatives fail to pass in the November ballot; under this scenario, the CSU would receive a $250 million trigger cut. “The CSU is caught between a huge demand to attend our universities and a state that simply is not providing adequate funding for these students,” stated Eric Forbes, CSU assistant vice chancellor, in an article by the Los Angeles Times. “We are facing a tipping
point in terms of the promise of access that is at the heart of the CSU mission.” Initial reports have indicated that the increased demand and unstable financial setting will result in 20,000 to 25,000 qualified students being rejected by the CSU. Nonetheless, the CSU has demonstrated a priority on enrolling California students; CSU officials anticipate that the incoming class will likely consist of 95 percent California H students. ■
UC BEING SUED FOR WITHHOLDING OFFICERS’ NAMES ON DAVIS TASK FORCE REPORT Two California newspapers, the Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times, are suing the University of California for failing to release the names of the officers involved in the pepper-spray incident at UC Davis. The two news outlets, who are owned by the McClatchy and Tribune companies, believe that they were “[left with] no choice but to bring this petition to protect the public’s right of access to this important information,” reports the LA Times.
The hold on the release of the officers’ names was part of the university’s settlement terms with the Federated University Police Officers Association (FUPOA); the latter sought to withhold the names for privacy and safety reasons, especially in light of the death threats that had been received by one of the involved officers whose name was made public. After this court decision was made, reporters at the Sacramento Bee and the Los Angeles Times petitioned the
university but were unsuccessful in obtaining the names through the California Public Records Act. Alameda Superior Court Judge Evelio Grillo pointed out that the injunction against the release of the names does not warrant the regents’ withholding of the officer names in future cases. Prior to the legal scuffle with the FUPOA, UC officials had expressed their support for the full release of the task force report includH ing all officer names. ■
EXTENDED FAMILY VOLUNTEER FOR DOUBLE-BLIND ALZHEIMER’S DRUG TRIAL Alzheimer’s Disease, an almost untreatable health condition associated with memory loss among older individuals, will be put to the test in a double-blind clinical trial in Colombia. The project will be led by experts from the University of California such as Ken Kosik, co-director of UC Santa Barbara’s Neuroscience Research Institute. ENROLLMENT FROM PAGE 1
of privatization leaning towards more affluent non-Californians, which results in diminishing access and opportunity to California residents. Others, however, have argued that the move is practical considering the university’s need to find new sources of revenue to compensate for dwindling state support. “I don’t agree with this proposal because it limits a student’s choice on the school they wish to attend. It’s kind of [like]…Mitt Romney’s
The tests will be conducted on a Colombian family of approximately 3,000 individuals who share common DNA, lifestyles, diets and a predisposition to Alzheimer’s. Kosik, along with Eric Reiman from the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix, are tackling a unique form of the disease that is passed down by a mutated gene. Since the trial will be double-blind,
neither the researchers nor families will know whether they will be receiving the new drug Crenezumab or a placebo. Crenezumab’s ability to delay or even prevent dementia among those with the genetic mutation will be under scrutiny and the results may be available within two years. The $100 million clinical trials were approved by federal offiH cials and will begin in early 2013. ■
statement [of how students] should have just shopped around. Well this is what [students] want to do,” stated first-year ethnic studies major Stephanie Souza, who felt that the move would restrict the educational opportunities of out-of-state students. “On the one hand, you want to restrict services to California students; on the other hand you want to have enough money to serve California students and a lot of money that you serve California students with comes from out-of-state tuition,” stated UC Riverside Associated Dean of
CSU CHANCELLOR ANNOUNCES RETIREMENT AFTER 14 YEARS OF SERVICE Charles B. Reed, who has served as chancellor of the California State University system for 14 years, will be retiring from his position. Reed announced his decision on May 24 and will remain as chancellor until a replacement is selected by the CSU Board of Trustees. “Throughout my time here the CSU has grown by more than 100,000 students and I have been honored to sign more than a million diplomas. I take great pride in the CSU’s mission to serve California’s students and I am proud to have played a role in carrying out that mission during these critical years,” stated Reed in a statement addressed to the CSU community. During his tenure as chancellor, Reed revamped the CSU’s efforts to attract students from minority backgrounds and endorsed outreach programs aimed at high school students. “In my four years in California, the chancellor has been an effective and reliable ally in the fight to keep alive for future generations of Californians the promise of an affordable, top quality education. We have worked as partners in Sacramento, attempting to persuade the state’s political leadership to reverse its chronic disinvestment in public higher education,” stated UC President Mark Yudof in a press release. Yudof noted that Reed was a strong advocate of expanding the federal Pell Grant program to enable more Californians to receive a higher education. The chancellor indicated that he had been considering retirement for some time, but first wanted to conclude the CSU’s search for new campus presidents. The retirement comes in the midst of a nine percent tuition increase for fall 2012 and the possibility of further cuts if H Governor Brown’s tax initiative fails to pass. ■
Student Affairs Peter Graham, who questioned whether SCA 22 accounted for the benefits of higher levels of out-of-state enrollment. One such benefit would be the possibility of having an expansion of in-state student enrollment through non-resident funding. “A strict 10 percent is a way of tying the hands…so it’s really a question of is the money being reinvested in California students,” stated Graham. Meanwhile, fourth-year chemistry major Shane Matta accepted SCA 22 from the rationale of a taxpayer. “I
think there should be a cap for outof-state students because it’s kind of unfair [that] someone who lives in California [and pays taxes]... can’t get in because someone in Alaska is coming,” stated Matta, who also pointed out that enrollment for outof-state students would result in even higher levels of competitiveness for the UC. SCA 22 will need a two-thirds majority vote in the Senate in order to pass. The Daily Cal reports that the Senate may act upon the proposal as H early as June 15. ■
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UCR research shows positive link between child rearing and happiness Dean Mayorga CONTRIBUTING WRITER
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A series of studies conducted by researchers from UC Riverside, Stanford University and the University of British Columbia have found that parenting is associated with higher feelings of happiness and “meaning” than non-parents. The research, compiled in a paper titled, “In Defense of Parenthood: Children Are Associated With More Joy Than Misery,” is scheduled to be released in the upcoming issue of the Psychological Science journal. The UCR team includes Professor of Psychology Sonja Lyubomirsky and doctoral candidate Sarah Katherine Nelson. “Why is the scientific study of happiness important? In short, because most people believe happiness is meaningful, desirable, and an important, worthy goal,” states Lyubomirsky on her personal website. Nelson and Lyubomirsky have worked on the project for two years now. “In our first study, we analyzed data from a sample of almost 7,000
Graphic by Irin Son The study authors noted the association between happiness and child rearing was most prominent in older and married parents.
that was representative of the United States population. In this study, we looked at three questions in particular—respondents’ ratings of their happiness, satisfaction and thoughts about meaning in life....We found that parents overall reported more happiness, satisfaction and thoughts about meaning in life than people without children,” stated Nelson in an interview with the Highlander.
“The findings for happiness and satisfaction were especially strong for men and people ages 26 to 62.” The second of the three-part survey asked parents and non-parents to rate their emotions and meaningfulness as they went about their days. “Again, we found that parents reported more positive emotions and more meaning than non-parents,” stated Nelson. The final por-
tion asked parents to write about all of their daily activities and how they felt in each activity. According to Nelson, parents reported more positive emotions and meaning when they were caring for their children than when they were involved with other daily activities that did not involve their children. The study’s abstract addresses the view of parents in both the schol-
arly realms and in depictions by the media. The study also compliments “recent evolutionary theories [that] have posited that parenting is a fundamental human need,” stated Nelson. While the research measures the happiness of parents, it does not address negative emotions. Nelson was clear in explaining that the researchers are not suggesting that people should have kids or that non-parents are unhappy. Also, it was noted that younger and unmarried parents report relatively less happiness. “I think this paper is just a preamble to much more research that needs to be done,” she stated. “We are currently working on answering the question of when parents might be happy or unhappy. As our results from the current study touched on, certain types of parents are associated with more happiness (e.g., men) and other types are associated with less happiness (e.g., unmarried, young). We want to further investigate these questions to better address H the complexities of parenthood.” ■
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HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
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$3.1 million in grants awarded to UCR’s Upward Bound program Carrie Meng STAFF WRITER
UC Riverside was awarded $3.1 million in grants by the U.S. Department of Education to fund the Upward Bound program for the next five years. Established in 2002, Upward Bound provides opportunities for students in nearby communities to succeed in high school and achieve their goals of college admittance. The program is directed towards students who are either going to be first-generation college students and/or come from low income backgrounds. James W. Sandoval, vice chancellor for student affairs, stated, “I know how hard the Upward Bound staff has worked to establish a model program; that effort has paid off with this phenomenal accomplishment that will provide a tremendous benefit to our community,” in an interview with UCR Today. This year, 1,500 educational institutions across the nation applied for the grants and only 780 were selected. Each school was required
to submit a 72-page paper about their plans for the program in the upcoming years. “Competition was really steep so it was really great to be selected,” said Alicia Velazquez, director of the TRIO Programs at UCR, in an interview with the Highlander. Upward Bound is part of the Federal TRIO Programs that cater specifically to students from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. The program is divided into Upward Bound Classic and Upward Bound Oasis; the former works with students from Moreno Valley, Perris and Rubidoux, and the latter works with with students from Banning and Beaumont. Next year, Upward Bound Oasis will also be working with Riverside County’s Norte Vista High School. “I’m excited. I’m really excited because it’s going to be an opportunity to branch out into Norte Vista and bring more students into the program. We want to help as many students as we possibly can but the federal government is really pushing all of their programs
to do a lot more with a lot less,” stated Velazquez. She noted that there will be an increase in the number of students accepted into the program, which begins this September. Enrollment will increase from 66 to 85 in Upward Bound Classic and from 50 to 63 in Upward Bound Oasis. “We really needed to increase our numbers so that way we can reach out to more students,” she said. Students accepted into Upward Bound continue receiving program services until they graduate from high school. Such services include one-on-one academic advising, tutoring, college campus visits, cultural activities and a six-week summer program held at UCR. Assistance is also provided to parents who are filing financial aid forms. Second-year UC Riverside student Carla Arredondo joined Upward Bound during her sophomore year at Banning High School. “The program provided me with the resources necessary for success. It was really comforting to know that there were always people there to
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UCR T o d ay
Upward Bound students pose during a visit to UC Riverside.
help when I needed guidance,” stated Arredondo in an interview with the Highlander. Upward Bound counselors also assist students during the college application process by reviewing transcripts and reminding students of important deadlines. UCR student Christopher Hernandez joined Upward Bound
as a junior at Beaumont High School. “I’m the first person in my family to go to college, so all the applications—SATs, FAFSA, college applications—were new to me. I learned every little thing about applying to college from Upward Bound,” stated Hernandez in an interview with UCR H Today. ■
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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
NEWS INSTITUTE FROM PAGE 1
G o r d o n H u a n g /HIGHLANDER Among the notable races in the primary elections is for a new Riverside mayor.
VOTING FROM PAGE 1
registration booths being held on campus for the past several months (as early as February). UC Riverside staff have also advocated on behalf of student involvement. “Increasing youth political participation is critical in the formation of a responsible citizenship. Several research studies have shown that youth voter participation leads to reduced at-risk behavior, increased academic success and to greater civic participation later in life,” stated Francisco Solá, staff advisor of UC Riverside’s Latin American Student Association and the Salvadoran student organization (USEU), in an interview with the Highlander. Solá noted that Lov-
eridge’s retirement has made the June primary election “critical to UCR” due to the unique relationship shared between the city and university. Loveridge has been part of UC Riverside’s Political Science Department since 1965 and currently teaches the political science course “Local Leadership in California” (POSC 170). Similar early voting opportunities will be held in the coming weeks at locations such as the Galleria at Tyler mall. The results of the early elections will be revealed at the conclusion of the June 5 primary election. According to the Riverside County Registrar of Voters, election results will be announced H shortly after 8 p.m. ■
work to make a home in California. We hope the archive we are building will be a resource not only for scholars of American religion but for immigrant communities themselves,” stated UC Riverside Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Jennifer Scheper Hughes in an article by UCR Today. Hughes will be codirecting the institute alongside UC Riverside religious studies professors Amanda Huffer and Michael Alexander. The institute will initially place an emphasis on immigrant communities in the Greater Los Angeles area prior to expanding to religious communities throughout the nation. Among the subjects of preliminary research projects identified in a press release by the institute are American Hindus, Iranian Jews, Mexican-American Catholics, Latino Muslims and Chinese-American Buddhists. The co-directors have noted that the inspiration behind the institute’s creation stemmed from the diversity of UCR stu-
HIGHLANDER dents and the university’s location in a particularly multicultural part of the nation. “We looked at the faces of our students, many of them firstgeneration college students. Their families had stories to tell that weren’t being told,” stated Alexander in an interview with UCR Today. Alexander and his colleagues noted that UC Riverside’s standing as the most diverse UC campus and sixth most diverse campus in the nation provided them with an ideal setting for which to begin gathering information. Another ideal condition was the fact that UC Riverside stands as the only research university in the Greater Los Angeles area that has a PhD program in religious studies. “Through research, archival activities, and hosting professional conferences and workshops, we hope to position UC Riverside at the forefront of study in US urban immigrant religions,” stated a press release by the new institute. The co-directors envision that the institute’s archives will be used to conduct unprecedented research
into the dynamics of religion and the post-immigration experience. “When it comes to the religious practices of these groups, there has been no grand overview of generational relationships between their new life here and their religious practices,” Alexander told UCR Today. “Is [religion] significant in the process of citizen-making or incorporation into American life? Do immigrants find stability in a new community by gravitating to the old community’s religious practices? We are collecting data and asking questions.” UC Riverside graduate students involved with the institute have already spent numerous months preparing for the debut by compiling data and gathering documentation from every major religion and dozens of regionspecific faiths. The institute’s official launch, which will feature panelists from local universities and a presentation by the South Asian American Digital Archive, will take place at the UCR Alumni and Visitors Center and is free H to the public. ■
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. OPINIONS .
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 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
C o u rt es y
Neil deGrasse Tyson greets students on Senior Day at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
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T h e D a ily C a r d i n a l
STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE ABILITY TO CHOOSE COMMENCEMENT SPEAKER It’s that time of year again— spring quarter is coming to a close and commencement is only a few weeks away. Soon students will sit alongside their peers under the Riverside sun in one of their last days as UCR undergraduates. But commencement is much more than just a ceremony to receive your diploma. It’s one of the last impressions a university leaves on its students, and every year each of the seven distinguished speakers play a huge role in inspiring students and sending them off into the world with a memorable final experience at UCR. In an effort to strengthen school spirit, develop cohesiveness and bolster a sense of community among students, we at the Highlander Editorial Board have come up with a proposal designed for students of each graduating class to select their commencement keynote speaker. This would be a great opportunity for the UCR community to come together and make commencement special and unique to each class. We are in no way insinuating that any of UCR’s commencement speakers have been subpar. On the contrary, UCR has attracted numerous well-known and respected individuals from the likes of Professor of Anthropology Yolanda T. Moses in 2004 to Professor of Creating Writing
Chris Abani and Chancellor Emeritus of UCLA Charles E. Young for 2012. But it is important that UCR students have the ability to choose their own speakers. A concerted effort by a graduating class of seniors to find a renowned speaker can be as memorable as the speech itself, and it would be a great way for people to work together on a meaningful project to finish off the school year with a bang. At commencement, students are recognized for their accomplishments at the university, and how better than to feature a speaker brought to campus through the collective work of those students? As of now, the deans of each college choose the speakers. While the deans receive suggestions from other campus sources, they ultimately make the final decisions. It is also important to note that the Office of Event Management and Protocol is prohibited from paying speakers to come to campus, and deans are also discouraged from doing so. So it is completely feasible for a student-led committee to work with the deans in recruiting a speaker. Seeking famous speakers is by no means a shallow concern. Big names like Neil deGrasse Tyson, the famed astrophysicist and world-renowned science orator
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reason we can’t either. However, since UCR’s commencement is split up into seven different ceremonies corresponding to the different colleges, it is unlikely that a single guest speaker would attend all of the ceremonies. So perhaps the university could host a general commencement at the Riverside Convention Center before individual ceremonies took place. While this could incur an additional cost, housing UCR’s entire graduating class under one roof to listen to an internationally recognized keynote speaker brought to Riverside as a result of students’ hard work and persistence is well worth the extra cost. Commencement is a ceremony for students. It’s an event to celebrate UCR students’ achievements and reward them as they cross the finish line. Working together to bring a bigname speaker to UCR would be a rewarding and well-deserved experience that’s special to each H graduating class of seniors. ■ 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.
Derivatives’ dangerous effects on U.S. Anthony De Alwis STAFF WRITER
Derivatives. Everyone has heard of these opaque financial instruments that only the wizards in Wall Street seem to understand, but what are they exactly? In the financial sense they are essentially a contract between two parties to trade an asset at a certain time or specific market condition. That is the explanation you will probably hear from someone on Wall Street right before the scoundrel forecloses on your home, but in reality a derivative is a bet. If you have ever bet on a sports game or used the insurance option in game of blackjack congratulations, you have entered into a derivative contract. The bet made on, say, whether a certain team will win a basketball game is deriving its value off the outcome of the game. So in this scenario the bet is the derivative contract and the game is the asset, and whether your team wins or loses is the payment structure. Now you are probably wondering, “Well, if this is the type of business that is going on in Wall Street, how is it any different from gambling?” The difference is when you lose a bet you have to pay up and if you don’t there is a distinct possibility you might get your legs broken—that is if you’re dealing with the mob. But in Wall Street if bets go wrong Uncle Sam or rather the US taxpayer foots the bill and firms like Goldman Sachs leave with their legs intact. Derivatives like credit default swaps were created with the best intentions to hedge risk associated with market forces, but as the old saying goes: the road to hell is paved with the good intentions. There are many types of derivatives; options and futures are some of the most well known and have been around for centuries. Yes, centuries. The first known futures contract took place in ancient Greece between the philosopher Thales and owners of olive presses. Thales predicted there would be a bountiful harvest of olives in the months ahead and negotiated a contract to buy the use of the olive presses in the future at a specified date. The owners agreed to the contract since they were going to be paid that day for their use sometime in the future. Thales prediction came true, and there was a large harvest of olives and he had control of all the presses which he rented out at exorbitant DERIVATIVES CONT’D ON PAGE 8
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who spoke at the University of Wisconsin-Madison inaugural Senior Day earlier this month, would draw attention to the school. Students raised the necessary funds to bring Tyson to campus, and generated a significant media buzz thanks to their success. Many major media organizations follow top commencement speakers across the nation, and if UCR were to land on the list it could boost the university’s already increasing notoriety. It could also cost students and the university very little to bring big-name speakers to campus. Students could form a committee in charge of polling the student population on who the speaker should be and then reaching out to them. The committee could also be responsible for fundraising efforts, like donation campaigns. Although the task may seem daunting, UCR students are more than up to the challenge. Even the University of California is no stranger to studentorganized commencement events. In 2009 Michelle Obama spoke at UC Merced’s first commencement ceremony as a result of a massive student-led campaign, which included letters sent to her office, friends and family, and a Facebook campaign that shipped off over 900 Valentine’s Day cards to her. If Merced can do it, there is no
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HIGHLANDER
Secrecy, a corrupting influence on democracy T i m R. A g u i l a r STAFF WRITER
Freedom of information and disclosure is as critical to our electoral process as freedom of speech. Unfortunately, today’s free speech hides behind an iron curtain of secrecy, and the people are denied the opportunity to determine the funding source behind campaign ads funneled through the U.S. Chamber of Commerce or Super Political Action Committees, as a result of the 2010 Citizens United ruling. In our world of commerce we demand disclosure and truth for the purpose of protecting the people from insidious and corrupt marketing tactics aimed at exploiting consumers. Yet, in the single most important political event in our country, special interest is allowed to hide behind organizations and not disclose their identity. If these well-financed conservative nonprofit organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Crossroads and Americans for Prosperity wish to exercise their free speech then they should be required to stand up and be counted instead of cowering behind secret membership in organizations designed to promote special interests. Our political system has taught us that big money loves more money than it does politics. This was the case when ultraconservative zealot Rush Limbaugh referred to Georgetown’s law student, Sandra Fluke, as a slut and prostitute in a debate over women’s contraceptives. It did not take long before Limbaugh’s talk show lost millions in advertising dollars. And when the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), a right-wing spe-
DERIVATIVES FROM PAGE 7
rates. On paper these financial machinations seem simple but their complexity lies in the details of the trade, and a credit default swap (CDS) is a prime example of a simple financial instrument with lurid details. A CDS is similar to an insurance policy entered into between two parties. Say you are an investor who buys a bond but is uncertain whether the bond issuer will keep paying interest; you decide to enter into a CDS with American International Group (AIG). The contract states that as long as the bond keeps paying interest the investor will pay AIG an insurance premium for insuring the bond, and if that bond doesn’t pay out interest it defaults and AIG will pay the investor the amount owed to him after the default. Seems like a great deal—the investor gains protection and AIG gains premiums— it’s a win-win for everyone. Except in this contract AIG does not have put away money to pay the investor if the bond defaults and there lies the devil in the details. According to a Frontline documentary, “Money, Power, and Wall Street,” CDSs were created in the 90s by a group of hot shot bankers at a conference in Florida. The purpose of these creations was to mitigate risk associated with loans. They were first put to use during the Exxon Valdez spill when Exxon took out a letter of credit from JPMorgan to serve as guarantee for lawsuits. Usually banks have to put aside funds to meet the obligation if Exxon does not pay,
cial interest group pushing a corporate agenda, was exposed for their support of unpopular social measures such as the privatization of education and anti-environment legislation, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Kraft Foods and other corporate giants ended their relationship with ALEC. However, make no mistake—this is about revenues and politics and not the social conscious of Corporate America. It is simply good business practice for companies to distance themselves from socially unacceptable activities that lead to a reduction in revenues. This is why disclosure is everything to a democracy that claims freedom as its highest priority. Privacy is not an entitlement when one dumps millions of dollars into a public forum designed to select our leaders. This concept is so basic in principle and yet so difficult to achieve because of the influence special interest has in Washington, but all is not lost just yet. This month a U.S. Court of Appeals, in a 2-1 decision, declined to stay the enforcement of a federal ruling requiring organizations that run election-related television ads to disclose their donors. This decision reinstates a 2003 regulation that mandates organizations paying for electioneering ads to report all donations of $1,000 or more dating back to January 2011. Electioneering ads make reference to a federal candidate, but stop short of advocating for their election or defeat and air 30 days before a primary and 60 days before the general election. These are typically mudslinging ads designed to exploit sound bites and employ smear and fear tactics to promote special inter-
est. They are not bound by truth nor are they required to divulge their source of funding— until now. Judge Amy Berman Jackson wrote in her decision, “Congress intended to shine light on whoever was behind the communications bombarding voters immediately prior to elections.” Arguments advocating for disclosure claimed that current practices undermined the 2002 McCain-Feingold Act, a finance reform law requiring disclosure of funding sources. Certainly the people of this country are entitled to know that a corporation opposed to a candidate’s position on the environment has been assessed $400 million in fines, penalties and judgments for violating environmental
laws, as is the case for Koch Industries and David H. Koch, past chairman of Americans for Prosperity Foundation. And while the Court of Appeals’ decision provides a glimmer of hope mandating disclosure, two advocacy groups sought a reversal, claiming it infringed on their free speech rights. What special interest is truly asserting is “Because I am wealthy the rules don’t apply to me and I should have the right to say what I wish without recourse and not be required to divulge my identity.” Secrecy is the cornerstone of corruption and freedom cannot thrive in a political system that does not place equal importance on the freedom of information as H it does the freedom of speech. ■
but in this case JP Morgan entered into a CDS contract with another bank, paying a premium to have the risk transferred to them. That transaction led to creation of a portfolio of CDSs on various company bonds known as Synthetic CDOs. Synthetic CDOs are made of many CDSs with varying degrees of risk which parties can buy into and earn premiums from the bank as long bonds don’t default—the higher the risk, the higher the premium. The synthetic aspect is referring to the fact the investor does not own the asset but is betting on the future outcome of the asset. It were these instruments that were used in the Goldman Sachs-Abacus deal which reaped large profits for Goldman when the reference securities tied to the housing market became worthless. There is a reason why insurance companies are some of the most highly regulated companies in the US—they provide protection to consumers from unforeseen circumstances, and to provide protection against calamities they have to be well capitalized to meet those obligations. A CDS is a form of insurance but thanks to heavy lobbying from big banks, CDSs and other types of derivatives were exempt from any type of regulation and were allowed to be traded in the Over-The-Counter or OTC market. AIG was a large player in the CDS game, selling them on CDOs (collateralized debt obligations)— securities made up of home loans—to anyone willing to buy naively, believing that the housing market will only go higher and
higher. Moody’s and other rating agencies gave AIG an AAA rating, the highest rating of credit worthiness, which meant they did not have to set aside funds to pay those obligations if they came due. Then in 2008 the housing market crashed and CDOs became worth less than the paper they were printed on and AIG found itself indebted to a myriad of investors and institutions. The proverbial straw that broke the camel’s back was the failure of Lehman Brothers, which exposed AIG to large commitments it had promised to pay if Lehman went bankrupt and AIG could not pay. If AIG was allowed to fail it would have taken down the entire financial system with it and put us on the road to, as Wall Street super lawyer H. Rodgin Cohen dubbed it, financial armageddon. By the end of 2010 the Bank of International Settlements valued the OTC derivatives at $601 trillion dollars, including CDSs and other derivatives. The Great Recession should have opened our eyes to the dangers of CDSs and the need for regulation in OTC derivatives market, but thanks to heavy lobbying from banks and investment firms regulation of these devices have been halted. Instruments like CDSs could have destroyed the entire financial system and the entire economy and still they are allowed to be traded freely. No wonder Warren Buffet called them “Weapons of Mass Destruction.” Congress and the president need to act and bring this dark market to light. Rules
need to be passed that regulate companies that issue CDSs and have them put aside collateral to meet their obligations even if they are AAA rated. The ratings agencies also need to be better regulated and a specific set of rules need to be set by the SEC for a company to receive a AAA rating. A primary rule should be that any firm who engages in CDSs must have enough collateral to meet all obligations if they came due at once and if they don’t they need to unwind their positions. Another solution is to reinforce the Volcker Rule, which bans proprietary trading by banks. The original draft was only 10 pages, but thanks again to lobbying efforts by large banks it has now ballooned to 300 pages of exemption and loopholes. The Abacus deal performed by Goldman Sachs would have never happened if the Volcker Rule existed. Goldman chose the securities which they knew were toxic waste and, using Synthetic CDOs, traded the credit risk to unsuspecting clients who assumed the assets were safe and when the market crashed reaped huge profits. A clear conflict of interest which many would perceive as criminal yet no Goldman Sachs executives was ever charged with securities fraud. If we don’t start to regulate the derivatives we could wake up one day and find ourselves in crisis similar to 2008 or worse. The purpose of derivatives was to mitigate and hedge risk. Lets make sure these instruH ments are being used the right way. ■
C o u rt es y o f l at i m es . c o m Fred Wertheimer, president of the reform group Democracy 21, supports the disclosure of political television ad donors.
HIGHLANDER
. FEATURES .
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
9
UCR AROUND THE GLOBE
UCR Student, William Lee shares his travel stories from his studies abroad.
SEMESTER AT
SEA
Photos Courtesy of William Lee
NAME: William Lee YEAR: Senior MAJOR: Psychology AREA OF STUDY: Elective COUNTRY: All around the globe!
While the majority of you were in class, I spent the last four months circumnavigating the entire world. My travels took me all over—the Bahamas, Dominica, Brazil, Ghana, South Africa, Mauritius, India, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, China, Japan and Hawaii. My advice to anyone who is considering traveling is to go now, go hard and don’t regret it. You’ll never see things the same way. What traveling the world did for me was open my eyes to many of the misconceptions that (ignorant) Americans hold about developing countries. I expected to see poverty at its worst. I was ready to fight off thieves. I clenched onto my camera at the turn of every corner. But after sailing away from the first country, I rediscovered something that we often take for granted in America—the genuine and kind-hearted human being. On my adventure around the entire globe I’ve encountered the most gentle of strangers, the kindest of native locals and above all the happiest amongst the most impoverished. I encountered indigenous tribes in the Amazon and in Ghana, homeless children in Vietnam and India, and I witnessed the harsh lifestyles of the townships in South Africa. The sights I saw and encounters I had were reminders that poor people are not necessarily the worst of people. If there’s one thing I’ve learned after traveling to these 12 countries, it’s that people are genuinely friendly and not everyone poor and needy is out to screw you over. It’s hard for me to pick out a favorite moment or place from my travels, but I can say that some of my most cherished moments were the interactions and conversations I had with the local peoples. They opened up their homes and their arms to us. They trusted us just as much as we needed to trust them. Most importantly, they were just as eager to learn from us as we were to learn about them. Despite this, I still witnessed the painful realities of poverty and the fact remained that I couldn’t help them all. I’ve looked into the eyes of a starving mother and her child and apologized for not being able to help them. I’ve shaken hands with men who, despite our inability to feed every hungry child, thanked us tremendously for our small efforts. The feeling of leaving a place and its wonderful people knowing that life is not going to get any better for them while you are returning home to your life of privilege and relative affluence is a bitter one. So bitter that it forces you to contemplate whether or not you deserve the things that are given to you. Watching the news and reading about poverty in developing countries can only tell you so much. But once you’re on the receiving end of that tight, warm hug and find yourself guests in their homes eating their food and enjoying their hospitality, it’s a totally different experience that shatters your preconceptions and shifts your cultural lenses. The beauty of a program like Semester at Sea
lies not only in the significance of a cross cultural experience but it also allows for a window of opportunity to accomplish the things you may not ever get to do after starting a career and living a professional working life. It’s not difficult to comprehend that life is short and that, years from now it’ll be a whole lot easier to regret the things you didn’t do in your life rather than the things you did do. In the past few months, the following have been crossed off my bucket list: sleeping in the Amazon rainforest, snorkeling in Mauritius, cage diving with great white sharks, climbing Table Mountain, cleansing what’s left of my soul in the holy city of Varanasi, exploring the Taj Mahal, eating Kobe beef in Japan, visiting the city of my ancestors in China and much more that I cannot mention. You can only learn so much from professors and textbooks before personal experience comes into play. I see travelling not just as a way to be free and enjoy your life, but as a way of opening your mind to new things and educating yourself through hands-on experiences. Most Semester at Sea alumni will agree that the program did in fact change their lives. I, however, would not take it to that extreme. It’s more like Semester at Sea gave me a new outlook on life. I was right, most Americans do not travel. We do in the sense that we usually go somewhere to aimlessly gaze upon other Western marvels, to bask in the beauty of paradise or to brag to your Facebook friends about your check-in at the biggest club in the Bahamas. But my travels have helped me realize that if you really want to be away from home, engage with the people there and lose yourself in the culture. In all honesty, you are not truly experiencing any foreign place unless you are feeling uncomfortable on some level. When you are in a different place and you are with different people-nothing else matters. Eat the food that may give you diarrhea, ask the homeless man for directions, drink with complete strangers and embrace it. Traveling is not necessarily always about the destination. Half the fun for me was the journey of being lost and finding my way to the next city. Whether it’s jumping out of a plane in Australia or jumping out of a taxicab into the dark streets of Ghana, it all begins with stepping outside of your comfort zone. It will be hard but you’ll have to leave that little bubble of arrogance we call America. So has studying abroad helped me to grow in any way? I’m now more culturally sensitive, more geographically aware and have discovered my passion for adventure. Toss me out into Panama for the next two months with a backpack and some malaria pills and I’ll find my way to Belize. As a matter of fact, by H the time you read this I’ll be gone again. ■ The opinions expressed in UCR Around the Globe belong solely to the author and do not represent those of the Highlander Editorial Board.
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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
Speak Out
FEATURES
HIGHLANDER
Policing and Protest in the UC System & Beyond Part 2 By Sandy Van and Chelsea Santos // Staff Writers Photos By Jonathan Godoy
The last event in the “Speak Out!” series, “The Symposium on Policing and Protest in the UC System & Beyond - Part 2” took place at the University Theatre on Friday, May 25. Each of the event’s three panels addressed police intervention and police presence in response to student protests throughout the UC system. An introductory short video titled “Who Does the Law Protect?” covered the main topics of Friday’s agenda, which revolved around the Irvine 11, other protests in the UC system and a talk by Angela Davis. “At UCR, dissent is implicitly discouraged and explicitly criminalized. An atmosphere of fear is produced by conservative coordinated efforts to intimidate,” said Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of the History of Art Patricia Morton. Morton stated that student protesters are often reprimanded and repressed while attempting to enact political change through demonstrations. Morton referred to the aftermath of the Jan. 19 protest at UCR where student activists received letters from the office of student affairs, warning that they had infringed on university policy. UCR’s previously released “Guidelines for Protest” received enormous condemnation, as seen in the petition signed by nearly 800 individuals. UCR biochemistry major Shaheen Nasser and alumnus Taher Herzallah were two of the 11 individuals arrested after interrupting a speech made by Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren at UC Irvine in 2010. Nasser expressed disbelief about his arrest and criminalization for his attempts to express political criticism against the Israeli government. “It’s directed at all forms of student political activism who want to change the system,” stated Nasser, who felt that the punishment had been overly critical of his actions and felt that he was persecuted on the grounds of his cultural identity and not for the political message he was attempting to deliver. At the same time, Herzallah felt an institutional bias within bureaucratic alliances that developed over the misdemeanor charges from Tony Rackauckas, the Orange County district attorney who he claimed used militarized means of retrieving personal data. “The climate throughout that day was...thick with police presence and the pageantry of police intimidation, and amounted to a massive show of force against the students, faculty and staff,” said Professor of Ethnic Studies Dylan Rodriguez, who referred to the Jan. 19 protest at UCR. In reference to the 1998 murder of Tyisha Miller, Rodriguez specified that police brutality has been used as a “generic” reference, therefore minimizing the severity of sanctioned police practices. Rodriguez continued to elaborate on the idea that the generalized acceptance of police presence within public universities has resulted in
the criminalization and suspicious profiling of minorities. Lastly, Rodriguez emphasized that the continued deployment of law enforcement on non-violent protests is not an “isolated” issue, but encompasses a much broader representation of police violence in society. The first public forum period remained brief with commentary on understanding police protocol, the need for greater student political education and developing more open dialogue in addressing police violence through preventative means. The second round of panelists was then introduced by CHASS Dean Stephen Cullenberg. Panelist Gina Dent, an associate professor of feminist studies at UC Santa Cruz, retraced her connections to the suicide of Chancellor Denise Denton and association with Angela Davis. In response to a 2005 tent encampment on campus, riot police were deployed from UC Berkeley to Santa Cruz, which led to enormous outcries by faculty members, and garnered over 200 signatures in protest. Dent portrayed Denton as having a “complicated position” in encouraging the creation of cultural programs, yet advocated open student activism. Dent referred to this storyline to convey the overall perspectives that were changed as a result of Denton’s suicide and the deployment of armored law enforcement. In her following story, Dent illustrated a trip that she took with Angela Davis to Columbia in order give a weeklong seminar on feminism. As they traveled to Bogota, masked assailants bombed the back of the room in which they resided, but only with the intention of welcoming Denton and Davis. The assailants celebrated their visit with roses, but the hostile nature of the bombing conflicted with their intended non-violent message. “Our job as police is to keep the peace and ensure the safety of people that are attending these meetings,” UCSF’s chief of police stated in a YouTube video, which was shown to open the last panel. In the video, Occupy Cal protesters at the November 2011 protest were shown standing face to face with the police. As if their assembly was considered threatening, police officers responded by repeatedly pummeling students with clubs. Another clip depicted the pepper spraying of UC Davis protesters during the same month. While police brutality has been rampant on UC campuses during Occupy protests, it has also been a concern elsewhere. The third panel of speakers expanded on the presence of police terrorism in other areas of the world but primarily shed light on alternatives to secure the welfare of communities and campuses. Associate Professor of English Vorris Nunley noted why it is necessary to find alternatives to police intervention. He posed examples of the injustice perpetuated by
Top photo: Angela Davis Bottom photo: Brittnay Proctor
policing such as the case of Marian Williams, an African American woman who, upon an encounter with her violent husband, shot a gun through the roof of her house to protect herself. Believing that she had been protected by the Stand-Your-Ground law, she nonetheless received a 20-year prison sentence despite causing no harm or injuries to her husband. “Apparently, black women don’t have ground to stand on,” Nunley said. “If I’m discomforted, it’s because we need a change of rhetoric. It’s important that we have rhetoric because indeed, this is a struggle over rhetoric.” Nunley stated that rather than using the euphemism “police brutality,” we must not hide what it is—police terrorism. In discussing alternatives to policing, Nunley SPEAK OUT CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
HIGHLANDER
FEATURES
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
11
31ST ANNUAL
POW WOW! by Reanna Jimenez, Contributing Writer Richard Lin, Photographer The University of California Riverside Sports Complex was home to the 31st Annual UCR Pow Wow that took place on May 25 and 26. With over a dozen tents all strategically circled in the middle of the grass baseball fields on the corner of W. Blaine Street and Canyon Crest Drive, the UCR Sports Complex was transformed into a Sacred Circle where this inter-tribal social gathering celebrated Native American culture and traditions. This year’s event began Friday night at 5 p.m. when a ceremonial blessing of the land and dance took place inside the Sacred Circle. The blessing prepared the land for the traditional singing, dancing and storytelling that the various tribes would partake in until Saturday night at 10 p.m.
This year’s theme was “Honoring Our Warriors.” As UCR students, families, vendors and other Native Americans gathered at the beginning of the evening, they were met with the sounds of the Bird Songs. Nona Chubb explained how the traditional songs tell the stories of the Native Americans’ journey around the world twice and how they populated the world. “They teach the youth about their roots and the creation and migration of our people.” Chubb said, while she extended her arms out to gesture to all the young children and elderly dressed in their regalia and ready to dance. Chubb said to all watching, “We are celebrating life.” As the Bird Songs continued, three men began singing and shaking their rattles in sync with one POW WOW CONT’D ON PAGE 14
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FEATURES
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
HIGHLANDER
THE DIGITAL WORLD WITH RYAN SIMON PRE-E3 2012: SONY & MICROSOFT
WRITTEN BY RYAN SIMON, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Sony is going to have to focus on their new handheld, the PS Vita. Microsoft will be pushing more multimedia features for their Xbox 360. What is there to really get excited about? SONY: CONTENT IS KING
Photo Courtesy of aggiegaming.com
This year’s E3 places Sony and Microsoft—the two “hardcore” gaming behemoths—in an awkward position. Both companies have acknowledged that they will not be announcing any next-generation game consoles at their respective press conferences on June 4. Gamers are then left wondering how either company is going to combat Nintendo’s inevitable Wii U hardware and software blowout.
Any gamers hoping for a console announcement from Sony are going to be sorely disappointed. Sony cannot afford to release a new console at this point. They only recently started turning a profit on their PS3 hardware, and they absolutely have to push the struggling Vita. Showing a new console would only serve to cannibalize both PS3 and Vita sales. Considering Sony has suffered major company-wide financial losses, they will need to play to their strengths in a gaming market that is beginning to tire of current content offerings. Don’t expect to see too much about the
PlayStation Move either; Sony’s motion control peripheral has failed to meet sales expectations and has been largely ignored by consumers. Sony will have to draw gamers in with a variety of exclusive content. Games like “The Last of Us,” “Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time,” “The Last Guardian,” “PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale,” “God of War: Ascension,” and some surprise announcements will be the driving force for PS3 gamers. As for the Vita, it’s really anyone’s guess as to what Sony has planned on that front. What I can say is that if Sony doesn’t find a way to further differentiate Vita games from PS3 games, many consumers will be left confused as to the purpose of the Vita. Sony got away with selling the PSP as a portable PS2, but many consumers are finding it hard to justify a $250 portable PS3 with the Vita.
Photo Courtesy of cheatcodes.com
Exclusives like “LittleBigPlanet” and “Killzone” will certainly help the Vita regain some sales momentum, but Sony needs to entice consumers with some intriguing surprise announcements. MICROSOFT: MORE MULTIMEDIA The Xbox 360’s success can
be summarized by two things: Xbox Live and multimedia. Microsoft’s momentum in the online gaming space is astounding—no competitor has been able to match Microsoft’s prowess in this area. It has turned the Xbox 360 into the go-to console for most hardcore gamers that enjoy playing online with friends. What has made the 360 attractive to casual gamers or even non-gamers has been its superb multimedia functionality. 360 users are spending more time watching videos and listening to music than playing games. Expect this aspect of the 360 to be a major focus at Microsoft’s press conference. I wouldn’t be surprised to see another dashboard update that focuses on more multimedia content. Then there’s the Kinect, Microsoft’s motion capture device. Having sold over 18 million units worldwide, it has been a great success for Microsoft and I expect to see a lot more of it at E3 this year. The hardcore gamers may not be impressed with it, but casual gamers have been eating it up along with motioncontrolled games like “Dance Central.” Microsoft is also keen on using the Kinect as a way to navigate the 360 dashboard, so I can definitely see Microsoft further integrating Kinect features into the 360’s user interface. As for more traditional gaming content, it’s hard to say what Microsoft has planned. Other than “Halo 4,” there’s been very little talk about exclusive hardcore software for the 360 in 2012. The 360 has never really been about exclusives, and it looks like Microsoft will continue to rely on their third-party software partners to satisfy gamers. IS THAT IT!? Unfortunately, there’s not much hype surrounding Microsoft and Sony right now. If anything, a lot of fans on both fronts are rather disappointed by the announcement that neither company has any plans to counter Nintendo’s Wii U release anytime soon. Microsoft and Sony better have some really interesting surprises up their sleeves if they hope to stand a chance against Nintendo’s console announcement. If Microsoft and Sony are betting that Nintendo is going to drop the ball, they’re going to be more disappointed than the 360 and PS3 fans now stuck with last H generation hardware. ■
FEATURES
HIGHLANDER SPEAK OUT FROM PAGE 10
suggested civilian policing review boards consisting of ministers, community organizers and others involved in public policy to sanction and hold police responsible. Other alternatives mentioned included community groups that protect and create safe spaces for women, which have served the masses across the country, and circle sentencing, a practice based on Aboriginal and Native American notions of justice. Circle sentencing involves a
collective body of community members who allow the perpetrator and victim to speak and decide the sentence for the perpetrator. Such alternatives do not aim to impose punishment, but rather promote restorative justice in communities to which justice has been foreign. UCR Alumna Brittnay Proctor, who had been a strong student activist on the campus during her undergraduate years, recalled the criminalization of her body without the presence of UCPD, but rather UC administrators.
Along with fellow student activist Danielle Benjamin, Proctor addressed the African Black Coalition Conference in the Spring of 2010, where UC President Mark Yudof had been called to speak. Proctor and Benjamin stated that in the weeks prior to the conference, Yudof had openly policed and criminalized Palestinian students for expressing their political activism at UCI. Proctor and Benjamin openly denounced President Yudof’s course of action following the UCI 11 incident. UCR Chancellor Timothy White believed that Proctor and Benjamin “hijacked the confrence” by placing a spotlight on the Irvine 11, and later condemned the students for “derailing the conference with their political agendas.” In the months that followed, Proctor felt that the narrative and language used made her out to be crazy, barring her from the community with which she identified. She mentioned friends and understanding members of the community who helped her surpass the backlash she experienced. “I learned the importance of balancing mental health in my activist efforts and the work itself. Deliberate self care and community care creates safer spaces,” Proctor insisted. “Energy should be invested to create safe spaces within and outside of the university, not based solely on the work needed to be done, but spaces that deal with mental health and community care.” Angela Davis, who is a professor emerita of history of consciousness and feminist studies at UCSC and a nationally distinguished political activist was the last speaker of the panel. Drawing from her association with the Civil Rights Movement, Davis gave a snap-
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
13
shot of the history of protest, drawing a parallel between the past and present. Davis emphasized the instrumentality of protests on UC campuses in bringing a focus on issues affecting larger communities. Among the few historically significant developments in protests discussed, Davis narrated the targeting of UCSC student and activist Alette Kendrick for demonstrating at a student meeting with the UC Regents in 2006. Following her arrest by the Santa Cruz police, Kendrick faced a felony charge and three-year suspension from the university. In a landmark deal, the administrators dropped the charges, allowing Kendrick to finish her degree. Davis continued with a focus on the promise of police abolition. In South Africa a white policeman found guilty for killing the son and husband of a black South African woman faced the truth and reconciliation commission. When the woman was asked what she wanted to happen to the policeman, she said she wanted three things: to know where her husband was burned and killed to gather his ashes, for the man to spend time with her and become her son and for someone to lead her across the courtroom so that she could embrace him. Davis stated, “I conclude with this as a gesture of imagining ways of addressing the worst possible issues in an abolitionist context.” The symposium was spearheaded by Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural Studies Setsu Shigematsu and co-sponsored by the Center for Ideas and Society, College of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, CHASS F1RST, the department of ethnic studies and the department of media and cultural H studies. ■
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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
POW WOW FROM ON PAGE 11
another. They invited all the Bird dancers to join them in the Sacred Circle. Three Native American women entered the circle, faced the men singing and moved their feet to the beat of the rattles. Each song was matched with a unique dance. At times the women took small steps side to side; other times they moved their knees to the rhythm of the music. Victoria Castro, a bird dancer of 12 years, said she enjoys keeping her culture alive while dancing.
FEATURES
She said, “It is a good feeling to be dancing with my sisters and brothers.” As the Bird songs and dancing continued inside the Sacred Circle, the audience along the outer edge of the circle grew larger. Amongst the audience was six-year-old Noah Little Hawk Toro and his grandmother Helen Toro. “Little Hawk” was dressed in his red and yellow regalia and he indulged in his nachos while watching his brother, Michael Spirit Bird Toro, perform the Gourd Dance with
his cousin and grandfather as the sun began to set on the Sacred Circle. The Gourd Dance, which is also known as the Warriors Dance, is performed in honor of battles fought by warriors during their migration from the northern plains (Oklahoma). Spirit Bird stood behind his cousin in his red and blue outfit.“Spirit Bird”was one of the youngest to partake in the Gourd Dance, but he is highly respected by the older men because of his discipline and dedication to the warriors. 12-year-old Spirit Bird followed behind his cousin and grandfather, who are all Shoshoni Black Foot, and danced close to the outer edge of the circle to the rhythm of the drums while shaking the gourds (rattles). While the dancing continued, guests were able to treat themselves to traditional Native American foods. A favorite amongst the crowd was frybread, which consists of deep fried flat dough that can be decorated as a dessert with honey, powdered sugar and cinnamon. Frybread can also be enjoyed as a meal and is the base of a Native American taco that is garnished with meat, tomatoes, cheese and lettuce. Either way, frybread won the crowd’s approval. Other vendors sold hand made Native American jewelry, clothes, bags, dream catchers and artifacts that all contributed to this cultural event. For two days UCR’s Sports Complex was transformed, allowing participants to taste, hear and witness the beauty of H a Native American Pow Wow. ■
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MISC Tuesday Big Book Study Noon-1 p.m. St. Andrews Newman Center 105 Big Springs Road, 92507 ---------------AA Information: www.inlandempireaa.org 909-825-4700 ---------------EGG DONORS WANTED: Women 21-29, help an infertile couple and make $6500+! Apply at www.bhed.com ---------------Thursday Lunch with Bill Noon - 1 p.m. Discussion St. Andrews Newman Center 105 Big Springs Road, 92507 ---------------WINE FOR EVERY TASTE Canyon Crest Winery in the Canyon Crest Towne Centre across from Ralphs: Tastings, custom labels, private parties www.canyoncrestwinery.com 951-369-9463
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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
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R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Jinyoung Ko/HIGHLANDER
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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
COMEDY
AP OCALYP SE
Top left photo: Bobby Miyamoto Top right photo: Jimmy Dore Bottom photo, left to right: Paul Gilmartin and Jimmy Dore
BY EMILY WELLS, SENIOR STAFF WRITER // PHOTOS BY JINYOUNG KO
KUCR continued its highly successful “Comedy Apocalypse” series Wednesday night at the Barn— this time as the “2012 Election Year Political FaceMelt edition.” For the fifth installment of the series, four critically-acclaimed comics were featured, and the audience couldn’t get enough. While the theme of the evening was political, the performers used a wide range of comedic styles, making for a truly memorable show. The MC, Omar Nava, set the tone for the show. He opened with jokes about how finals week makes it difficult to distinguish homeless people from students, due to students’ lack of hygiene and minimal effort to clothe themselves. He did a great job making jokes that were relevant to a college student’s life, and garnered an appropriately strong reaction from the audience. He went on to make light of his ambiguous racial identity, describing the awkward ways in which people ask him what race he is. Nava’s biography for the show states, “A graduate of Rice University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Omar decided that mankind needed more comedy and fewer machines...Nava hopes one day to combine his interests in engineering and comedy by creating the ultimate ‘comedy machine,’ which would benevolently rule the planet, directing the fate of nations with clever puns and smart alec quipping.” This quirky personality shined during his performance. Next up was Bobby Miyamoto, who has appeared on Comedy Central and CBS’s “Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson.” Miyamoto continued the pattern of race-based jokes, with self-deprecating humor regarding his last name. He described a scenario in which a girl didn’t want to marry him because she didn’t want to take his last name—even though her last name happened to be pronounced like a type of male genetalia. He also used a lot of observational humor, saying, “fast food places now have 2 windows...I feel like if they wanted to speed it up more they’d add a third window there you could tell them where they fucked up your order.” The headliner, Jimmy Dore, is a frequent late-night television guest on shows such as “Jimmy Kimmel
Live,” “Make Me Laugh,” “The Late Late Show on CBS” and NBC’s “Late Friday.” He is also a regular on Current TV’s “The Young Turks.” His one-hour Comedy Central special “Citizen Jimmy” was chosen as Best of the Year by iTunes, and after Wednesday’s performance, it was easy to see why. Dore opened with making jokes regarding general society. He especially criticized the institution of marriage and how it ties people down, saying that saying “I never thought I’d say this, but I just want the same rights as a gay guy!” Religion wasn’t off limits, either. Dore proclaimed, “I went to Catholic school for 12 years. People ask me why I’m not Catholic—it’s because I went to Catholic school for 12 years.” Dore also performed his “Left, Right and Ridiculous” act, which functioned similar to “The Daily Show” with Jon Stewart. Dore provided comedic commentary between political video clips, and even invited up a guest, comedian Paul Gilmartin, who acted assumed the character of a conservative Congressman as Dore asked him questions. Gilmartin played the part of a stereotypical bigoted Southern Republican incredibly well. At one point, Dore had to turn to the audience and remind them “this is satire!” because people were getting so worked up over Gilmartin’s comments—the sign of a true comedic success. The performance concluded by bringing the night’s three other comics onstage to participate in the commentary as a panel, often riffing off each other’s jokes. Gilmartin and Dore repeatedly roasted each other for their respective dated references to obscure 1980s films that didn’t land with the college crowd. The repeated bombing of their references and subsequent embarrassment generated as many laughs as any other point in the night. Not one audience member could have left the Barn without cracking a smile. Once again, the Comedy Apocalypse comes out a winner, and further solidifies its unique position as a fun way to bring a long quarter to an end. UCR students would do themselves a disservice not to attend the next installment in the H series. ■
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
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MUSIC REVIEWS BORN AND RAISED // JOHN MAYER
RATING: ★★★☆☆
BY: LAURA PENNA, CONTRIBUTING WRITER
After a two-year hiatus and a vocal chord surgery, John Mayer has returned to the industry with a bang. Mayer’s highly anticipated new album, “Born and Raised,” was released Tuesday, May 22. The album’s 13 tracks seem to show a more innocent and raw form of Mayer’s already soothing, bluesy music. Mayer, after his controversial interviews with Rolling Stone and Playboy in 2010, during which he made sexist and racist comments, seemed to admit his remorse with “Born and Raised.” This comes through in tracks like “The Age of Worry” and “Shadow Days.” The album’s single “Shadow Days” continually resounds in the chorus, “I’m a good man, with a good heart / Had a tough time, had a rough start / But I finally learned to let it go.” His lyrics in this album are vulnerable and honest, much different than his days of “Your Body Is A Wonderland.” In this respect, Mayer was incredibly successful in redefining and representing himself as a new, more respectable musician. From the start with “Queen of California,” the new album captures its audience and shows a side of John Mayer that needed to be heard. Of course, the album still maintains Mayer’s classic sound. With intricate guitar riffs and simple vocal melodies, “Born and Raised” has that calm, bluesy tone that fans have come to love. However, some of the tracks sound too much alike. “Shadow Days” and “A Face To Call Home” seem to be in the same key and bear a striking resemblance in their in-
Courtesy of ilovemusicpop.org, whenthegramophonerings.com
troductions. Instead of adding to the album’s cohesiveness, they sound repetitive and slightly amateur. Unfortunately, the album’s captivating beginning doesn’t last through the end. The album’s biggest downfall is the eighth track, “Love Is A Verb,” which sounds like an educational sing-along for elementary students. Mayer sings, “love is a verb/ it ain’t a thing,” in the first lines of each verse. Not only is it a cheesy way to introduce a complex topic, it’s uninteresting and brings the validity of the entire album to a screeching halt. Mayer should have completely focused on his newfound maturity from his two years away from the music industry and media, but instead brought in a strikingly literal tune that ruined its continuity. Fans of Mayer’s past albums may beg to ask if John Mayer’s days of romanticism are in the past. While the album presents a new type of romanticism based on freedom and maturity, there are a few tracks about women. The first of which is a track entitled “Something Like Olivia.” However, it mostly speaks of the hope of finding a woman similar to Olivia, not as before when Mayer may have overly sexualized her. Despite the few failures on the album (“Love Is a Verb” and “Walt Grace’s Submarine Test, January 1967,” a slow and cliché narrative song), the album beautifully represents the nostalgia and easy-listening folk for which John Mayer is known. “Born and Raised” is a perfect way for fans to say, “John Mayer, welH come back.” ■
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TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2011
. SPORTS .
HIGHLANDER
Smith, Stuart and Swafford advance at NCAA West Prelims P r a n av B h a k ta SENIOR STAFF WRITER
UC Riverside sent eight athletes to compete at the NCAA West Regional Preliminary Round, which was held this past week at the Mike A. Myers stadium in Austin, Texas. In order to move past the preliminary round and onto the national meet, each Highlander athlete needed to come in the top 12 places in their respective events. Out of the eight, Travis Smith, Caleb Stuart and Ryan Swafford were the only Highlanders to advance on to the NCAA National Championships. This is the first time in Highlander history that the track and field program has sent three athletes to the national round. UCR will also be the only Big West team this season having more than two athletes qualify for the national competition. Travis Smith in the men’s shot put set a mark of 18.48m, claiming a new school record in the process. His mark positioned him in 11th place, as he qualified to move on to nationals. Smith also qualified himself for the Olympic Trials “B” standard meet. Ashley Gatewood set a mark of 48.48m in the women’s javelin, as she finished in 13th place, missing 12th place by 0.03m, which would of qualified her for NCAA nationals. Gatewood also competed in the hammer throw event, where she finished in 37th place with a
PRANAV BHAKTA
P-BHAK’S CORNER A r c h i v e /HIGHLANDER
throw of 54.66m. Raquel Heflin finished in 19th placed in the women’s 800m with a time of 2:08.63. Deja Watkins finished in 21st place with a 50.0m throw in the women’s discus. The qualifying mark set in the event was 51.30m. Ted Hooper took part in the men’s long jump, but the sophomore from Arcadia could not post a mark on the board, as he fouled on three of his attempts. Caleb Stuart’s throw of 63.60m in the men’s hammer throw set a new school record. The 63.60m mark also enabled Stuart to easily quali-
fy for nationals, as he finished in fifth place. Ryan Swafford had a bad start as he fouled on his first attempt. On his second attempt though, Swafford set a personal best with a jump of 15.80m in the men’s triple jump, placing seventh. Demajeria Dubose ran a 4:31.59, placing 19th place in the women’s 1,500m distance finals. Dubose was the 32nd seed after the first round, but her 19th place finish moved her up 23 places. Smith, Stuart, and Swafford will travel to Des Moines, Iowa to compete at Drake Stadium in the NCAA National Championship from June H 6-9. ■
Wickstrom’s changes In his first year as UC Riverside’s athletic director, Brian Wickstrom has accomplished many changes and continues to push for more. Wickstrom, since taking the position of former athletic director Stan Morrison, has stated that he wanted to get the local Riverside community and the student body involved in home games. He also wants to bring a competitive atmosphere in the athletics department itself. In my three years at UCR we always heard about plans to make UCR athletics better, but we never saw action. Wickstrom has changed that entire attitude by making significant changes. The first change on the list was changing the UCR logo to make it more identifiable and collegiate-looking than the previous logo. While I was not sold at first with the new design, the logo has since grown on me, and I believe it was the right thing to do. Reaching out to the community has been another goal of Wickstrom’s. Men’s soccer is the most evident of this outreach. The local community along with students have come out in numbers to watch matches, especially with the team having a winning season and scoring its first Big West postseason berth. The student body is not engaged as most would like, but I believe Wickstrom, who has been a huge advocate for the CCenter, has the potential to bring in the student body as well. A current proposal in play is sand volleyball replacing men’s tennis. Any change comes at a cost, and I would hate to see tennis go, but sand volleyball, I believe, will be more appealing—especially if the money saved would fuel more competitiveness in other areas of UCR’s athletics. Through a series of resignations and unrenewed contracts, Wickstrom is in the process of filling a number of coaching vacancies in several programs. With these new coaches, Wickstrom looks to change the atmosphere in the athletic department, in line with the department’s motto: “BUILDING CHAMPIONS.” Change is always hard to accept, and push for it is just as hard. For that I commend Brian Wickstrom for pushing change in his crusade to make UCR H athletics prevalent. ■
SPORTS
HIGHLANDER
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
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ATHLETE OF THE MONTH Ryan Swafford
MEN’S TRACK & FIELD This past Sunday marked the end of the season for UCR sports. Some notable athletes in the month of May included baseball’s Vince Gonzalez, who had an amazing 19-game hitting streak. Track and field had Travis Smith, Caleb Stuart and Ryan Swafford dominate the Big West competition and all advance past the NCAA West Regional Preliminary to the NCAA National Championship round. These great performances made it a tough list to choose from, but Junior Ryan Swafford gets the nod for the Highlander Athlete of the Month. Swafford dominated throughout the whole season, and he kept that consistency in the month of May as the regular track season came to a close. The triple jumper from Murrieta, California won the individual triple jump championship at the Big West Conference Championships with a jump of 15.71m. Swafford easily defeated second place finisher CSU Long Beach’s Michael Vaughan, who had a mark of 14.81m. Swafford had a
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breakthrough season in 2012 as he posted top marks in the triple jump on a consist basis and remained healthy, unlike last season when he had to call it quits at the 2011 Big West Championships due to injury. Swafford continued to add to his list of accomplishments this season with a jump of 15.80m at the NCAA West Regional Preliminary round. The mark was good for Swafford to qualify for NCAA Championships where he will compete with the best collegiate athletes in the nation. Swafford also continues the Highlander tradition of having success in the triple jump. Allison Wilder, who graduated last year, was also very successful in the triple jump in her time here at UCR, having been named a two-time All-American. Swafford’s ultimate goal is to compete in the Olympics. That goal is now within reach thanks to his performance this season. Swafford will have his senior year to further master his craft and prepare for a H future Olympic bid. ■
P h o t o C o u rt es y
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Ryan Swafford and Coach Basler at the 2012 Big West Championships.
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SPORTS
TUESDAY, MAY 29, 2012
HIGHLANDER
Baseball defeats USC, gets trampled by Mustangs in last three games
B rya n T u t t le /HIGHLANDER
Dylan Stuart throwing a pitch against Cal Poly Sunday afternoon.
K e n da l l P e t e r s o n SENIOR STAFF WRITER
May 22, 2012 Lions 3 - Highlanders 0 The UC Riverside baseball team faced off against the Loyola Marymount Lions last Tuesday afternoon. The ball game was ugly for the Highlanders as they only mustered three hits and left nine men on base which transpired into a 0-3 shutout loss. Riverside’s starter Mitch Patito (3-4) went seven innings before being pulled. Patito allowed three runs on six hits, walked three batters, and got seven Lions to strike out. Patito last year as a reliever had a 5.75 ERA compared to this year’s 3.98. Vince Gonzalez, who recently had his 19-game hitting streak broken on May 20, is now on a two-game drought with no hits. Gonzalez went 0-3 with one walk and two strikeouts. Offensively, the Highlanders were able to get five walks but had nine batters who went down on strikes. The three hits by UCR were from Eddie Young, Phil Holinsworth and Nick Vilter. Young went 1-3 with a walk and both Holinsworth and Vilter went 1-4. UCR found David Andriese in scoring position twice in the game. He walked in the second and reached once again on a fielder’s choice in the fourth. But he would be left on third base on both occasions. The Highlanders play their final road game against USC before heading back home for a stretch of three home games. May 23, 2012 Highlanders 14 - Trojans 9 The UC Riverside baseball team faced off against the USC Trojans last Wednesday
night in a slugfest. The Trojans started off the gates fast with a 4-0 lead but the Highlanders countered back with runs each in the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh innings to secure a 14-9 victory. Both the Trojans and UCR came to the ball game with hot hands, as they both combined for 28 hits and 23 runs. This victory was Riverside’s second highest number of runs scored in a game this year. Donovan Gonzales, who is usually not part of the rotation, started for the Highlanders. He was ousted after only four innings. Gonzales allowed five runs on five hits, walked one batter and got three Trojans to strike out. David Andriese had the most momentum for Riverside as he went 3-6 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Andriese on the year now has seven multi-hit games, along with five multi-RBI games. Another Highlander, Eddie Young, was also hot, going 2-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Vince Gonzalez continued his slump with a 0-4 performance. However, Gonzales has reached base 21 consecutive times. Offensively Riverside may have stroked out eight times, but on the positive side they achieved 10 RBIs compared to only eight in their last four games. May 25, 2012 Mustangs 11 - Highlanders 2 UC Riverside baseball squad faced off against the Cal Poly Mustangs this past weekend. They looked to finish the season on a good note but came up short in the first of three games. UCR was outhit 7-16 en route to a 2-11 loss. UCR had a terrible time in the pitching department. Highlander pitchers allowed 16 hits, 11 runs, two triples and three hit batters. Eddie Orozco (5-7) started on the mound
for the Highlanders and was pulled after seven innings. Orozco allowed six runs on 11 hits, walked two batters and got six strikeouts. Mustangs pitcher Joey Wagman was enormous with 11 strikeouts and allowed one run on six hits. Riverside managed to score twice in the sixth and the ninth. In the sixth inning Eddie Young doubled to right center field and later scored on a RBI single by Vince Gonzalez. In the ninth, AJ Beckly was hit by a pitch and scored on an RBI double from Kyle Boudreau for Riverside’s second and final run of the game. Only four UCR plays reached base safely. Young went 2-4 with one run scored. Both Gonzalez and Boudreau went 2-4 with one RBI and Clayton Prestridge went 1-3 with one walk. Gonzalez continued his reached base streaks to 23. May 26, 2012 Mustangs 15 - Highlanders 9 UC Riverside’s baseball team finished the second of three games against the Cal Poly Mustangs this past Saturday night. The game got out of hand for Coach Doug Smith and his players as they allowed 15 total runs, eight in the third inning that put them down 0-10, en route to a 9-15 loss. In the game, Riverside tied their most allowed hits with 16 and set a mark on runs scored with 15. Trevor Frank, who has had success this year, was ousted after two innings pitched. Frank allowed nine runs on eight hits and two walks. Vince Gonzalez was the only Highlander with hot hands as he went 3-5 with three RBIs. Then a few Highlanders heated up towards the end. Eddie Young went 2-4 with two runs scored and one RBI. Devon Bolasky went 1-3 with two RBIs and AJ Beckley
BASEBALL STANDINGS BIG WEST GAMES Team CSU Fullerton Cal Poly Long Beach State UC Irvine UC Davis UC Santa Barbara Cal State Northridge UC Riverside Pacific
ALL GAMES
W
L
PCT.
17 16 15 13 12 10 10 9 6
7 8 9 11 12 14 14 15 18
.708 .667 .625 .542 .500 .417 .417 .375 .250
W
L
35 36 28 31 27 28 23 22 16
19 20 27 25 30 28 30 32 40
PCT.
.648 .643 .509 .554 .474 .500 .434 .407 .286
went 1-1 with two runs scored and two walks. UCR did not score until the sixth inning and made their best mark in the seventh. Jake Gallaway and Rubanowitz achieved walks for UCR and Steponovich singled up the middle to load the bases. Young singled to center and Rubanowitz later scored on a wild pitch. Clayton Prestridge singled to right for two RBI and Bolasky doubled to left for two RBIs. May 27, 2012 Mustangs 6 - Highlanders 0 UC Riverside baseball (22-32, 9-15) finished their season off with Sunday’s game against the Cal Poly Mustangs. UCR looked to end their season on a good note, but sadly ended in a sweep, losing in a 0-6 shutout loss. Riverside allowed a 16-hit performance by their opponents for the third consecutive game. Dylan Stuart (7-7) started on the mound for the Highlanders. Stuart allowed five runs on 12 hits, two walks, and one home run and got one strike out. Riverside was 8-7 this year when Stuart started for his team. Stuart looks to achieve better next year as he’ll be returning to the team next season. The Highlanders will lose seniors Vince Gonzalez, Gavin Mills, Eddie Orozco and Bart Steponovich. Mustangs pitcher Bryan Granger had a great game for his team as he went six innings and allowed zero runs, five hits and got three Highlanders to strike out. Kyle Boudreau and Alex Rubanowitz for UCR went 2-3, Gonzalez went 1-3 with one walk and Phil Holinsworth went 1-4. Boudreau with his two-hit performance achieved his fifth multi-hit game and finished the year on a three-game hitting streak. Vince Gonzalez ended his season with 24 consecutive H games in which he reached base. ■
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