Volume 61 Issue 26

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

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CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH

Student group Healing Highlanders wins prestigious UC President’s Award LEIDEN RANKS UCR SCIENCES IN TOP 10 WORLDWIDE Winnie Jeng CONTRIBUTING WRITER

C o u rt e s y o f H e a l in g H i g h l and e r s The Healing Highlanders’ $2,000 grant will help them provide much-needed services to students with addiction-related problems.

S a n dy V a n SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Healing Highlanders, a UCR studentrun collegiate recovery community (CRC) that promotes student recovery from addiction, has been awarded the UC President’s Award for Outstanding Leadership. They are one of two campusbased organizations that was awarded a $2,000 grant to support multi-campus partnerships in teaching, research and public service. Founded in the spring of 2011, the organization will receive the accolade during the UC Regents’ meeting on May 15.

The President’s Award is not the

student organization’s first high-profile recognition. UC Riverside named the Healing Highlanders the New Student Organization of the Year in spring 2012 for achievements in “advocacy, building fellowship and outreach to the larger community.”

“We barely had in the beginning like five members and we grew enormously with 35-40 members. I feel like we’ve also grown very close to each other because this is a student [organization] that is dedicated to basically stigmatizing addiction and promoting recovery from addiction,” said Founder and President of Healing Highlanders Mariel Bello.

This past fall quarter, Healing Highlanders hosted the 2012 California Unified Collegiate Recovery Conference from Oct. 20-21 with the motto “Igniting the Recovery Movement.” The systemwide summit drew participants from all walks of life including Peter Gaumond, the Chief of the Recovery Branch of the National Office of Drug Control Policy.

Through the organization’s efforts, other UC campuses have also followed in their footsteps by joining CRCs to support addiction counseling among peers.

AWARD CONT’D ON PAGE 5

Senators proclaim official day for Armenian Genocide Winnie Jeng CONTRIBUTING WRITER

S a n dy V a n

RANKING CONT’D ON PAGE 4

INSIDE: Editorial: The location of the proposed C-Center should remain near campus.

OPINIONS

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

During the ASUCR senate meeting April 24, 14 senators unanimously passed the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Resolution thereby establishing that day as the official Remembrance Day of Armenian Genocide on campus. In hopes of increasing public transparency, the Judicial Branch has enacted a series of changes within the ASUCR elections processes and legislative voting procedures.

Addressing the Armenian Genocide Students from the Armenian Student Association (ASA) and the Armenian sorority Alpha Gamma Alpha (AGA) convened at the ASUCR senate meeting to petition for UCR’s recognition of the Armenian genocide that occurred from 1915 to 1923.

“By honoring the survivors and consistently commemorating and forcefully condemning the atrocities committed against the Armenian people with regards to the repetition of the crime of genocide, ASUCR encourages the awareness of such atrocity in order to prevent reoccurrence of the crime,” stated the resolution. “Therefore, let it be resolved that ASUCR 2012-2013

In a recent college survey conducted by Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS) at Leiden University in the Netherlands, UCR ranked No. 36 in overall performance among the world’s top 500 universities. UCR’s natural science and engineering departments placed into the top 10 alongside MIT, UC Santa Barbara, Harvard and Stanford.

“I am delighted that our school’s brilliant faculties and students are acknowledged,” said Reza Abbaschian, Distinguished Professor and Dean of Engineering. “As we know, Leiden is one of the most unbiased indicators of college performances, basing its result only on solid research data.”

The Leiden Ranking, which based universities’ performances solely on scholarly impact, provides clear, objective and scientific results. It does not factor in any self-reported survey or reputation into its calculation.

“The ranking is developed by leading experts in the fields of bibliometrics, scientometrics and informetrics; it has 25 years of experience in providing large-scale database investigations to governmental

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UCR student Samuel O. Mbisike discusses his published book on romance.

PAGE 12

FEATURES

The Debonaires bring genrebending ska, jazz and funk to the Barn.

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT W e s l e y N g /HIGHLANDER CNAS Senator Johnny Ta (right) and fellow members of ASUCR applaud the work of Sebough Kouyoumjian and fellow supporters in helping to get the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Resolution drafted and passed.

acknowledges the commemoration the 1.5 million Armenians who fell victims.”

The historical legitimacy of the Armenian genocide is vehemently denied by the Turkish government. The U.S. government also does not recognize the event on a national level due to a history of needed diplomacy with Turkey. In 2007, the United States House Committee on Foreign Affairs approved of HR 106, which denounced the genocide.

However, HR 106 immediately lost much of its support from both Democrats and Republicans alike, who worried of Turkish interference—with the possibility of limiting airspace and ground access for U.S. troops— during the War on Terror. In response to HR 106, Turkish ambassadors were sent to the ASUCR CONT’D ON PAGE 3

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Women’s golf rallies to a fourth-place finish in Big West Championship PAGE 24

SPORTS

UPCOMING EVENTS

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STAFF

PAGE 7 PLEASE RECYCLE AFTER READING

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NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

UC medical workers threaten strike for employee pensions S a n dy V a n

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

After ten months of negotiations, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3299—a union consisting of 13,000 Patient Care Technical Workers—will hold a vote to go on strike from April 30 to May 2, according to a press release.

Union members, consisting of UC frontline patient care and service workers, are opposed to the systemwide two-tier pension reforms that will take effect July 1, 2013. Employee pensions have long since been a source of additional revenue, which UC officials rebutted as a must for ensuring the “longterm viability of our retirement program” of the university system.

Todd Stenhouse, a union representative, expressed that patient care has been “short-changed” as a result of chronic employee understaffing and increased wages for UC administrators. “At UC, the cap on pensionable contributions is up to $375,000 a year, three times plus that of employees of the state of California,” he said. “So in effect ... what they are demanding of their lowest wage workers is that they pay more so that executives can continue to receive golden handshakes [which is] an upfront to every taxpayer.”

Last month, the union released a controversial report entitled “A

Question of Priorities: Profits, Short Staffing and the Shortchanging of Patient Care at UC Medical Centers,” revealing allegations of negligent mismanagement throughout UC hospitals.

The report cited the Leapfrog Group, an organization that discloses hospital performance and patient safety. It gave the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center an F grade under the annual “Hospital Safety Score.” This information was also previously released by the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development.

The report also referred to the elimination of nearly 300 medical positions on UC San Francisco’s Parnassus campus last month.

“We’ve bargained in good faith and worked to secure a contract that puts patient safety first and honors the principle of basic fairness to the frontline care professionals at the foundation of the UC medical system,” union President Kathryn Lybarger said in a press release.

“Instead of agreeing to these basic standards, UC administrators are asking frontline care providers to subsidize chronic understaffing, growing management bloat and unprecedented executive excess at UC’s taxpayer-supported teaching hospitals.”

Director of the UCR Student Health Center Cindy Wong said that frontline care employees,

A rchi v e /HIGHLANDER AFSCME protesters stop at Hinderaker Hall in January to demand higher wages and lowering of debt.

won’t jeopardize patient care, even if people choose to strike,” said Wong.

She states that strikes from hospital workers can be dangerous, since they put patients at risk of inadequate care.

But she shared sentiments with the medical workers, who feel that they lack adequate coverage. Wong is a former Kaiser Permanente nurse.

In response to union’s demands, UC Media Specialist Shelly Meron reaffirmed the university system’s stance on the financial pull-and-tug between systemwide union workers and administrators.

“UC is a public institution, and we have an obligation to manage the employee benefits in a financially prudent way; that’s exactly what

which include nurse aids, pharmacy technicians, personal care workers and hospitality assistants, must often feel the brunt of the increasing workload, especially among a higher degree of ill patients. Even though UCR does not yet have an active medical facility, frontline care workers are employed at the Student Health Center.

“Having come from Kaiser, which is a big pro-union environment, I guess the healthcare workers have to do what they feel is right. But [with] the health center itself, we have an obligation to take care of our students, so we will do whatever we have to do to make sure there’s adequate staffing so we

Photo of the Week

we’re aiming to accomplish with these reforms,” said Meron. “We can’t afford not to make changes. If we don’t, the financial stability of the retirement program will be in danger.”

UC officials claim that the union is attempting to gain financial leverage, specifically over increased benefits, by using patient care as a negotiating tool.

“By encouraging a possible strike among our patient care employees, AFSCME is attempting to use patient care as a tool in contract negotiations and potentially endangering public health, which is completely inappropriate. Patients H are not bargaining chips,” she said. ■

April /May

30

Social Media in Your Job Search 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Hub 268

Zumbata 5:15 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

Recreation

Wesley Ng PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR

Alexander Oakland plays the ō-daiko in Senryu Taiko’s annual spring concert Saturday, April 27.

Quotebook “We’re just enjoying things like coming to America, and playing Coachella—we’ve never played a festival in America until this weekend—and just doing new things - Dan Hepinstall, as we go along.”

Upcoming Events

Tuesday

1

Cinco de Mayo Nooner 12 p.m. -2 p.m.

Wednesday

2

How To Be an Ally to LGBT People 1 p.m. - 4 p.m.

Hub 268

Challenges to Community Building on a Diverse Campus 12 p.m. -1 p.m.

HUB 260

UCR Orchestra Concert 4:45–5:30 p.m. and 5:45–6:30 p.m.

ARTS 157

3

Film Screening: Walkout 12 p.m -1 p.m.

Costo Hall 1453

IIGB Seminars 12 p.m. - 1 p.m.

Genomic Auditorium RM 1102A

4

Interview Skills 2 p.m. -3 p.m.

HUB 268

Spring Splash 2 p.m. - 7 p.m.

Bell Tower

Introduction to Hindi Conversation and Grammar 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

UCR Extension Center

Spring Into Dreams- Make Pillows for Sick Kids 4 p.m. - 6 p.m.

HUB 269

Careers for Humanities Majors 1–2:30 p.m.

HUB 355

Careers for Social Science Majors 3–4:30 p.m.

HUB 355

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

5

Sunday

6

Monday

of Skinny Lister, on their plans for the future

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NEWS

HIGHLANDER ASUCR FROM PAGE 1

U.S., where they were successful in blocking the overall passage of the bill.

“It is heartbreaking that the victims and their families did not receive the proper regards as they ought to,” said Vazgen Plouzian, whose family was directly affected by the genocide. “Not recognizing the genocide affects every Armenian in the world. Although it was in the past, we cannot move on until our history is remembered, accepted and understood.”

Plouzian further claims that recognition of the genocide on the school level will ultimately equate to recognition on the national level.

Many Armenian organizations are still actively appealing to President Obama about the acknowledgement of their racial and historical identity.

They hope that one day in the future, all forms of mass killing and genocide will be condemned and prevented.

“This is not about racial identities or beliefs. We are fighting for recognition only because this really had happened,” said Sebough Kouyoumjian, Vice President of the Armenian Student Association. “As a public school representing the state, UCR’s recognition would mean a lot to us.”

Other students, who were not affiliated with ASA and AGA, supported granting recognition to the Armenian genocide in order to create an open space for diverse student organizations to thrive.

Many international scholars, the United Nations and 43 out of 50 U.S. states—with the exception of Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia, Indiana, Iowa, Wyoming and South Dakota—have already recognized the genocide. Kouyomijian contests that as a public institution of higher education, UCR should also render recognition and commemoration of the Armenian people on behalf of California.

The resolution was immediately passed through the legislative process. Prior to its passage, President Liam Dow requested for an open ballot vote. At the end of the Senate meeting, Kouyoumijian rose up to the podium and led everyone to hold a moment of silence in remembrance of the victims of the Armenian genocide.

Judicial branch enforces senate reforms After an investigation that determined the legality of a controversial vote made on the divestment resolution, the ASUCR judicial branch enforced a mandatory disclosure policy, requiring each senator to submit his or her input about every piece of legislation prior to voting on it. The elections committee was also tasked with creating a questionnaire to ask students what issues that they care about; ASUCR senate candidates will provide responses to said issues, which will then be attached to their biographies in the next elections.

“After an extensive investigation of the situation, we have come to the conclusion that ASUCR required reading policy was not enacted in an effective manner and that the senators did not have enough time to understand the material and interpret what the consequences of passing the resolution were,” ASUCR Vice Justice Mark Orland on behalf of the

judicial branch.

Compiled by the Executive Vice President Armando Saldana, senatorial opinions will be archived and publicly available five hours in advance of a senate meeting. “If a senator does not provide a response, they will be barred from voting on said piece of legislation,” reported Orland. Senators must submit their responses at least 24 hours in advance.

Orland affirmed that the senate has the authority to vote on political issues pertaining to the student body.

But he contended that the public has limited options when it comes to asking candidates about political affiliations and beliefs relevant to them. As a result, the Elections Committee will now be required to construct and release a survey, which will be checked by a third party during the winter quarter.

“This will allow students to be more involved in the elections process as well as say what they want their student government for. This will allow members of ASUCR to maintain a level of transparency and representation to the public,” said Orland.

Led by the Elections Director,

the Elections Committee must create questions from the top 10 issues as submitted by the student body.

By providing clear responses to the issues, ASUCR will allow students to vote for candidates who best represent their views.

After Orland delivered his report, President Dow requested that he reveal all five names of the justices on the Judicial Branch.

The response of the senate to the judicial branch’s ruling was mixed.

Senator Kristina Morelos expressed her support of the enacted changes, saying, “I think this is an awesome idea, awesome recommendations.”

On the contrary, Senator Sai Patadia made clear his concerns about the structure of each branch as a result of the enforced policies.

“This will change the functionality for a couple of offices,” said Patadia.

He referred specifically to the finance committee as an example, where Controller Crystal Kim would be required to provide her opinion about the passage of student funding. In response, Orland stated the senators were only required to provide a simple response, which depended on the complexity of each piece of legislation.

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

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W e s l e y N g /HIGHLANDER ASUCR President Pro Tempore Sai Patadia reads the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Resolution before it is voted on.

Patadia asked, “In regards to powers amongst each branch, is the judicial branch allowed to make a ruling with whatever thoughts they feel are deemed appropriate to the judicial branch and overrule the

legislative and executive branch?”

Orland answered that justices are allowed to make decisions on behalf of the other branches, as long as the interpretations aligned with the H ASUCR Constitution and bylaws. ■

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NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

RANKING FROM PAGE 1

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Meetings on Mondays at 5:15pm at HUB 101

agencies and private institutions,” Leiden’s website states.

The annual Leiden Ranking measures the number of publications, citations-perpublication and field-averaged impact per publication issued by each university to determine its performance.

“I’m really excited about the Leiden report,” said firstyear bioengineering major Timothy Lin. “The science and engineering departments of our school is like hidden jewels.

U.S. News should reevaluate their methodology of ranking colleges. And honestly, I’ve never doubted that I’m working with some of the world’s most excellent peers and faculties in my research.”

Other UC campuses that also made it into the top 40 were UC Santa Barbara at number two, UC San Diego at number 19, UCLA at number 20, UC Santa Cruz at number 21 and UC Irvine at number 37.

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J o hnn y M a /HIGHLANDER Among the top 500 universities, UCR ranked 10th in natural sciences and engineering in the annual Leiden Ranking.

NEWS

HIGHLANDER AWARD FROM PAGE 1

The 25-year-old model of CRCs stems from the Center of Addiction and Recovery at Texas Tech University, which supports assisting college students through a peer support system, life skills training and academic and financial resources. In 2004, Texas Tech University was allotted a federal earmark grant through the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, which is a division of the federal Substance and Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

According to the SAMHSA, the grant supported “a model program [that] meets the highest scientific standards and its developers have the capacity to provide high-quality material, training and technical assistance to communities that wish to use the program.”

Students may experience the effects of withdrawal by breaking away from their addictions, which includes but is not limited to sex, pharmaceutical medication, gambling, alcohol and drugs. In response, Healing Highlanders applied the 12-step Recovery Program, which seeks to help students combat their obsessions with the assistance of a support group.

Associate Director for Residence Life and Healing Highlanders Advisor Audrey Pusey said, “UCR students

WRITE, SHOOT, OR DESIGN FOR THE HIGHLANDER Meetings on Mondays at 5:15pm at HUB 101

are on the cutting edge of the kind of proactive program that really promotes change.”

Pusey is a founding member of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education, which oversees a network over collegiate recovery programs throughout the country. “They create a sense of community that students in recovery urgently need in order to succeed academically and maintain longterm recovery, and they serve as a resource for students who may be continuing to struggle with addiction-related problems,” said Pusey.

According to a report by the U.S. Department of Education, substance abuse and addiction often cause academic barriers for college and high school students.

The report, titled “Strategic Plan: Fiscal Years 2011-2014,” aims to facilitate academic performance for all ages such as through the reduction of school violence and substance abuse.

“Each student touched by recovery support programs such as this one is potentially a life saved,” said UCR Interim Chancellor Jane Close Conoley.

“The Healing Highlanders show the compassion and understanding that students snared by drugs, alcohol and similar disorders so desperately need, and in so doing they transform lives and they transform themselves. We have to remember that addictive disorders are diseases like any

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

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C o u rt e s y o f dr p r e m . c o m A c c o rd i n g t o t h e N a t i o n a l C e n t e r o n A d d i c t i o n a n d S u b s t a n c e A b u s e , 1 7 p e rc e n t o f a l l h i g h s c h o o l s t u d e n t s p a r t i c i p a t e i n d r i n k i n g , s m o k i n g o r d r u g u s a g e d u r i n g t h e s c h o o l d a y.

other and we must be proactive in providing support so that these students can complete their studies successfully.”

The other President’s Award recipient was the UC Student Association, which founded the project entitled UCweVote as a

unifying force for the “Generation of Action” movement accounting for the 52,000 UC students who registered to vote last year.

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NEWS

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

THE LAB

RESEARCH NEWS FROM UCR AND THE UC SYSTEM

by Dean Mayorga, Senior Staff Writer

UCR: BCOE students participate the most in faculty-mentored research Approximately 12.5 percent of the undergraduate student body participated in faculty-mentored research during the 2011-2012 school year, according to a study conducted by UCR Office of Undergraduate Education (UE). The results revealed that student participation in research differs between colleges, with BCOE at 21 percent, SOBA at 15 percent, CNAS at 13 percent and CHASS at 11 percent.

Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education Steven Brint and Director of the UE Office of Undergraduate Research Veronica Rorive co-authored the study. According to Brint, the six-month study is the most accurate of its kind at UCR. “We feel confident that our findings are more accurate than either the University of California Undergraduate Experience Survey (UCUES) or National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE),” he said.

Brint cites the process of data collection of the aforementioned surveys as unreliable due to the process of self-reporting. The flaws of self-reporting include faulty data obtained from students who cannot adequately define faculty-mentored research.

“Our office is based on encouraging students to participate and to increase their numbers in research or creative activities,” stated Ror-

ive. “In order to do so effectively, we needed to identify the status of undergraduate student participation on campus—hence the report.

The campus serves to benefit from the study by obtaining a quantitative reference to the number of undergraduate students who are engaged in research.”

The study also shows how campus participation relates to gender and ethnicity. According to the data, BCOE enrolls 19 percent of male UCR students but only 32 percent of the them partake in research. On the other hand, CHASS enrolls 65 percent of female students and nearly 50 percent of male students, but 60 percent of the aforementioned females and 35 percent of males participate in undergraduate research.

In terms of ethnicities and demographics, the data reveals that African-American and white students participate in research at higher rates compared to Asians and Hispanics.

Now that a base line has been set by 12.5 percent of undergraduates, Brint has set his hopes on 20 percent as a new goal. “There is nothing magical about this number,” he said. “I wanted to pick a reachable goal ... that we can reach over the next two to three years, particularly if we find a way to count volunteers. Once we achieve this goal, we will shoot ■H for 25 percent.”

A rchi v e /HIGHLANDER

T h e U C R O f f i ce o f U n d erg ra d u a te Education repor ted that BCO E s tudents par ticipated in the h i g h est p ercen t a g e o f f a cu l t y- m e ntored res earch.

UCSB: Fruit fly research yields results for maintaining stem cells

C o u rt e s y o f T h e R e s e arch I n s t i t u t e F rui t flies may prove t o b e k e y t o s t e m c e l l re s e a rc h .

UCSB researchers have identified a protein molecule that is instrumental in governing the production of specific cell types. Such a find is crucial to the progress of stem cell research. By studying Drosophila, otherwise known as fruit flies, Professor of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology at UCSB Denise J. Montell and her colleagues found that the protein called Castor helps maintain follicle stem cells (FSCs) in the insect.

“This research implicates the gene Castor in stem cell maintenance for the first time,” stated Montell. “Humans also have a gene like Castor and this work raises the possibility that Castor is an important stem cell factor in humans, too.”

The team used fruit flies because they could

of

M o l e c u l ar P at h o l o g y

easily see stem cells in their native environments, which is not possible with human stem cells and more difficult with other animals, she explained.

“It is very common to discover something in fruit flies that turns out later to be very important for human health,” Montell stated.

“The gene Hedgehog is a perfect example.”

The Hedgehog gene, according to the website of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, functions in a genetic circuit with Castor “to determine specific progeny cell fates.”

With the progress made through analyzing the fruit fly, the researchers want to continue by testing the same genes or genetic circuit in mice and human stem cells.

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UCSD: Algae research conducted for medical uses In an attempt to produce a vaccine for malaria by using genetically engineered algae, biologists at UC San Diego have instead discovered ways to use algae for other possible illnesses.

According to the UC Newsroom, mice that were fed the algae—which was altered by the researchers to produce a two-protein combination that would help an organism fight malaria—”developed Immunoglobulin A (IgA) antibodies to both the malarial parasite protein and to a toxin produced by the cholera bacteria.” However, these antibodies are not developed in the bloodstream which is the entryway of malaria. Instead, they were developed in the gut and mucosal linings.

“We are not giving up on malaria but clearly other diseases that come through the gut will now also be a focus [by finding the correct protein domains],” stated Professor of Molecular Biology Stephen Mayfield who headed the study.

When asked whether or not this meant that algae would be taken

out of the equation for a malaria vaccine, Mayfield stated that he feels it actually means the opposite. He feels that more than ever, algae can provide a way to find a possible treatment.

Mayfield and his team already have other fusion proteins that they are considering and are currently testing. One of the reasons the researchers are working with algae is because it will help in providing a cheap form of treatment, if delivered orally.

On the website for the American Society of Microbiology, where the groups findings are posted, it is stated in the study abstract that “Algae are a promising lowcost system for producing vaccines that can be orally delivered, thereby avoiding expensive purification and injectable delivery.”

Mayfield contends, “I just do not see any way to make a vaccine cheap enough to treat two billion people—who have very limited resources—if we don’t go this route [of oral vaccination].” The study of algae gene synthesis took approximately nine months.

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. OPINIONS .

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

7

HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

UCR SHOULD RETHINK C-CENTER MOVE

HIGHLANDER STAFF Editor-in-Chief

Managing Editor

Chris LoCascio

Michael Rios

News Editor

Asst. News Editor

Sandy Van

Dean Mayorga

managingeditor @highlandernews.org

editorinchief @highlandernews.org

news@highlandernews.org

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Colin Markovich

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Rebecca Paredes

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Michael Rios

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Kendall Peterson

Darren Bueno

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W

hen UCR announced its intention to build a sports complex called the C-Center, it was a step in the right direction. Not only would the stadium house upwards of 6,000 people, but it would also allow businesses to rent out space in the facility, and would be accompanied by an adjacent parking structure to help facilitate the increase in traffic.

The campus community is poised to benefit in numerous ways from the construction of the C-Center. The university’s athletics program would have a spacious, brand-new building to house competitive games, raising the profile of UCR’s sports programs.

More students would come to watch athletic events, revitalizing the campus and triggering greater student interest.

Businesses would experience increased foot traffic and sales from students venturing beyond their dorm rooms and apartments on weekends. The limited parking space currently available would be expanded, resolving a qualm many commuters have had with UCR. In addition, the investment would create jobs for construction workers and likely facilitate the creation of student jobs once the facility reaches completion.

Given all the benefits the C-Center would bring to campus, it would make sense to construct it somewhere close to the heart of UCR. Original plans had called for it to replace the aging structure of Bannockburn Village. The result would have been a shiny new sports complex only a five minute walk from pretty much everywhere on campus.

But apparently those plans have been changed. Instead of building the C-Center as close to campus as possible, UCR has decided to construct the student sports facility as far from the students as possible. Instead of building it at Bannockburn, or some other reasonably close location, the C-Center is now slated to be built beyond the freeway overpass, past the wide expanse of Lot 30 and through the campus orange groves to the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and Iowa Ave. This new location has none of the features that made the Bannockburn

i l l u s t rat i o n b y

location so enticing. Most prominently, it is much further away from campus than its spurned alternative. Distance may not seem like a major factor, but for students whose main mode of campus transportation is by foot, the increase in distance is substantial. Going to a game would become less of an enjoyable activity to do on the weekend and more of an additional hurdle to overcome.

With all the good the C-Center can do for UCR, why limit its potential by banishing it to the campus badlands?

It is true that the most dedicated fans will still turn out regardless of the C-Center’s location. But that’s precisely the situation UCR finds itself in right now. If UCR wants to build its athletics program and a sense of campus community, it needs to encourage fairweather followers of UCR sports to take the first step by attending a sports game.

Isolating the C-Center from the rest of campus serves to only counteract the goals it is otherwise supposed to work toward.

Situating the C-Center at the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd. and Iowa Ave. raises another question: that of safety.

With the large number of crimes close to campus proving to be a seemingly unsolvable puzzle, UCR students have had to factor in the potential threat of crime, and understandably avoid the locations that have reputations for experiencing high crime rates. The corner of Iowa Ave. is one such place.

This is made all the more relevant by the fact that many sports games finish around 9:00 p.m.—well after the sun sets in both summer and winter. Walking from Iowa Ave. back to an apartment 15 minutes away under the darkness of night is not an exciting proposition for most everyone.

If UCR is intent on following through on this relocation, it must provide the means for swift and safe travel to and from the UCR campus and the C-Center.

A light-rail train transportation system or an expansion of the campus trolley service would be absolutely vital if the C-Center is to gain any sense of viability at its new location. Even then, there should be other things for students to do in the immediate vicinity of Martin

B rand y C o at s /HIGHLANDER

Luther King Blvd. and Iowa Ave., and UCR would have to build out that area to make the trip more enticing for students.

But it would be far easier, simpler and cheaper to return to the original plan that would situate the C-Center at Bannockburn Village. There would be no need to institute a trolley system because students would be close enough to simply walk to and from the C-Center— no public transit necessary. This would also allow students to feel safer, since there is less distance to traverse at night and the areas with the worst crime can be bypassed almost entirely.

Some may say that the Bannockburn location does not have the space necessary to accommodate a large number of people and their cars. But Bannockburn is deceptively large, and it could surely fit a stadium that holds only 6,000 occupants. In addition, there are no rules against building upward.

In fact, doing so may serve to make the C-Center even more noticeable by people travelling on the freeway.

Bannockburn holds a special place in the heart of UCR, as it is home to businesses that UCR students, faculty and staff have frequented for decades.

But these businesses can live on without Bannockburn. Businesses that are currently housed in Bannockburn could just as easily be offered lodging in the commercial spaces of the new C-Center.

And with more student traffic, they will undoubtedly become even more popular and make more money.

Even Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Brian Wickstrom has admitted that the Martin Luther King location was “not my first choice at all.” If the athletics director has reservations about the location change, UCR should at the very least reconsider the original plan.

Does UCR need a better sports center?

The answer is most certainly yes. Must it be built far from campus life, in the middle of an asphalt- and dust-filled desert? We hope the answer is no.

■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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OPINIONS

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

Back in my day student loan rates were higher J o s h ua W a g o n b l a s t STAFF WRITER

Congress has until July 1 to figure out how it is going to deal with the impending increase in student loan rates.

If a proposal is not drawn up and the politicians on Capitol Hill decide to ignore the issue, then the rates will double from the current 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent. The hike may sound bad, as if it will have a great impact on students who depend on Stafford loans. But the truth is that the rise in loan rates will not have any damaging effects and the changes will be minor.

The two most popular student loans are the subsidized Stafford loan and the unsubsidized Stafford loan. The baseline rates for each are currently 3.4 percent and 6.8 percent, respectively.

The subsidized Stafford loan’s interest rate, an extremely common loan that is typically offered to students whose parents make less than $70,000 a year, has been decreasing for the past six years. The recent debacle over the possible increase makes the looming transition—from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent—seem worse than it actually is as a result. What people fail to remember is the subsidized Stafford loan was 6.8 percent a mere six years ago.

For those unfamiliar with the system involved in student loans, loans accepted from previous years will not be affected. The 6.8 percent hike will only affect those who are planning on taking out loans for the 2013-2014 school year—good news for the soonto-be graduates. Subsidized Stafford loans borrowed in the past will not be affected since their interest rate remains at the percentage set during the years borrowed. So, there will be a minor increase for continuing students who expect to borrow a subsidized Stafford loan. Unsubsidized

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Students’ loan rates were at 6.8 percent only five years ago.

Stafford loans are not involved in the increase since they have always remained at 6.8 percent.

But the small rise in subsidized loans will not exceed what it has been in the past.

In perspective, the loan increase is hardly anything substantial. Mark Kantrowitz, creator of the informative website FinAid.org, explained that the average subsidized Stafford loan at 6.8 percent would be $3,357 during the time that the rate remains as such. The impact on loan debt for students would be $761 extra in repayment obligations over a 10-year period. If you do the math, this comes out to be about $1.58 a week. This is of course just an average, but this increase is hardly detrimental on the education system, especially if the 6.8 percent hike only lasts for one year.

The message here is for students to realize that there

is no substantial incoming negative effect that is going to put a strain on their financial obligations. This does not mean that the percent increase should be accepted with open arms. Yes, the rise in loan rates is not a significant worry.

However, any increase that can be prevented should be prevented. The reason for this is simple: if we students can owe less money then why not owe less money?

The increase to 6.8 percent has been prevented before, but it would not be a surprise if the higher rate becomes the standard for the 20132014 school year since it has been so for years prior.

Although students could end up paying a menial $6 more a month just for that year, Congress is attempting to deal with the issue. For instance, Representative Joe Courtney (D-Conn.) has proposed legislation that would postpone

An increase in student loan rates would only amount to loose change over the long run.

the loan hike for two years.

This sounds like a worthwhile idea that could give politicians time to figure out what exactly they want to do about the increase in student loans.

This does not mean that all the suggested ideas are good ideas, though. The extension of the 3.4 percent rate for two years is a solid proposal for the time being, but President Barack Obama’s plan is in no way sufficient due to the fact that he has called for a market-based rate proposal.

Lynn O’Shaughnessy of CBS’s “Money Watch” proclaims that Obama’s plan would stop the hike temporarily, but the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has made clear that despite the shortterm prevention of a rising subsidized Stafford loan rate, under a market-based solution, “the unsubsidized Stafford Loans would exceed their current 6.8 percent cap

by 2016 and then top eight percent by 2018.” Postponing one increase means allowing for another loan rate to rise instead.

The problem with Obama’s plan is that a market-based rate proposal could lead to unexpected hikes, and even though there is an 8.25 percent cap on Stafford loans, I would be more satisfied with remaining at the usual 6.8 percent. For now, Courtney has the better proposal at hand.

Perhaps students will see an increase in their student loans, but this is not unprecedented, since it has been this rate before and was even expected as of last year. Students will also see no significant financial burdens. The hope for the time being is to see if Congress will be able to keep the 3.4 percent rate intact for a couple more years. If not, why worry about a few missing quarters from the piggy bank?

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OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

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B r i n g c o l l e c t i v e b u c ke t l i s t t o U C R i v e r s i d e B r a n dy C oa t s

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

“Before I die I want to go to Thailand,” writes one of many anonymous contributors to the trending “Before I die …” chalkboards. “Before I want to die, I want to help the world,” writes another.

The project began on an abandoned house in New Orleans. The boards feature the words “Before I die” with a blank space printed multiple times.

Now, throughout numerous American cities, stenciled boards are being placed in public areas with the hope of inspiring individuals to express their life aspirations. Recently, one was placed on a wooden fence along a street in Los Angeles, Calif. This exhibition of goals and desires in a public setting encourages personal well-being, self-reflection and a sense of community.

UCR should partake in the chalkboard project in order to extend and benefit from this positive experience.

Research shows that bucket lists can be psychologically beneficial. Dr. Laura A. King’s study from Southern Methodist University shows that “writing about life goals [is] … associated with a significant increase in subjective well-being.”

Students can use the benefits of expressing lifegoals to their advantage, especially to combat the stress of coursework and extracurricular activities.

Every day, we face large amounts of homework and endless hours of studying, along with club meetings, social gatherings and family phone calls. Writing down a goal, even abstract, would allow us to momentarily break from our busy routines.

UCR currently offers a variety of psychologically beneficial activities such as Therapy Fluffies and MidTerm Nap Sessions. Bucket

L a t i t u d e 5 5 p re s e n t s s t u d e n t s ’ b u c k e t l i s t s , b u t t h i s s h o u l d b e a m o re p ro m i n e n t f e a t u re o n t h e U C R c a m p u s .

list chalkboards would be a psychologically-proven and fitting addition to the current effort to relieve stress on campus.

Chalkboard bucket lists can suit university students in general. At the beginning of adulthood, we face a point in which we ask ourselves, “What am I going to do in life?” Everybody has different answers. The chalkboards encourage individuals to reflect on their life in order to decide what is still missing. Even those who have chosen their majors and ideal career paths can inquire about other types of goals.

One participating individual says, “Before I die I want to be an actress, a good one.” Another participant writes, “Before I die I want to do things for me and not to please everybody else.”

Goals can extend beyond academic accomplishments— they can reflect a person’s sociological dissatisfaction

and motivate them to improve relationships and friendships.

These ideas are entirely appropriate for UCR students to consider.

The “Before I die …” project can generate a feeling of community. Currently, 69 percent of UCR students are commuters—a perceived contributor to the lack of school spirit. In addition, students, as well as most people, tend to gravitate to groups where they feel comfortable rather than spark conversation with strangers.

Placing these chalkboards on campus would provide us with a sense of unity because it would remind us about what we have in common and what is unique about each of us without directly asking students to converse.

Learning these aspects of each other can allow us to empathize with our peers.

When connections are made, people can find comfort and enjoyment in participating

in activities and attending events, rather than being confined by their familiar group of friends. Faculty and staff may also participate to make the impact more substantial. Overall, this would allow us insight into each other’s hopes and desires. It is not limited to extroverted individuals in the way common social activities are. Expression can be used as a tool for unity in a detached campus.

Community chalkboards allow this possibility.

The idea of chalkboard bucket lists should not to be confused with #ucrbucketlist, a current means of motivating students to complete school activities featured on Instagram. These bucket lists would reflect personal goals.

Although #ucrbucketlist’s intention of bringing students out of their shells has been successful, free-response bucket lists would enable students to benefit on a

S t u d e n t s m a y u p l o a d p h o t o s t o I n s t a g r a m a n d t a g t h e m w i t h # u c r b u c k l i s t t o s h o w o t h e r s w h a t t h e y h a v e d o n e f ro m t h e l i s t .

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deeper level by promoting self-expression and wellbeing. They would allow individual voices to be heard, while #ucrbucketlist has no capacity for collective dialogue. The chalkboard concept complements the existing “to-do” lists of students, making it a considerable addition.

From simple hobbies we want to try to decisions that can change our lives, each post allows us to better our attitudes, motivation and knowledge of our fellow students. Each of these endeavors is perfect for college students in the midst of stress, uncertainty and a fragmented student body. The “Before I die ...” chalkboards are a positive tool that enhance the lives of students here at UCR, and are easy to create and do not require much space. UCR should consider adding this interactive art project to our campus.

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OPINIONS

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

Opinion Poll

What are your thoughts on Campus Nap Time?

Maria F. Hernandez, fourth-year media and cultural studies major: Nap times are “very much needed during midterms and finals time!

It’s tough finding a comfy spot for a power nap.”

Yezenia Gonzalez, thirdyear sociology major: Nap time “is a great way to rejuvenate students so that they can do better on exams.”

Yochabel Loyola, thirdyear biology major: “It’s really convenient to have [nap time sessions] on campus rather than worrying about going all the way back to our apartments.”

Compiled

Cesar Edgar Velazquez, first-year chemical engineer major: “They’re great! They give students an opportunity to refresh themselves during the day. Its a great energy boost.”

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J in y o u n g K o

Trevor Pascoe, thirdyear biology major: “I think it’s creative and a great way of conserving funds while still providing a memorable and instructive experience.”

Response to Boston Marathon bombings reveals deep-seated prejudice Colette King STAFF WRITER

The famous Boston Marathon had a tragic ending on April 15 when two bombs set off panic, deaths, injuries and a tragedy that no one expected on that spring afternoon. As people tried to recover from the horrific event, another bomb was set off on the Internet. Comments of anger and outspoken prejudice with every tongue-biting comment appeared on Twitter. Instead of providing solace to the victims, people began to volunteer names and throw the blame at various ethnic groups, unashamed and feeling completely justified without the slightest knowledge as to who exactly set off the bombs.

One of the controversial tweets proclaimed, “Everybody do the National Security Ankle Grab! Let’s bring more Saudis in without screening them!

C’mon! #bostonmarathon.” Then on a news broadcast, Pat Robertson backhanded all Muslims by stating, “Don’t talk to me about ‘religion of peace,’ no way.” These were only two of many comments that began to point fingers at different religions and nationalities, releasing their built-up anger on people that had nothing to do with the bombings.

Even the infamous Westboro Baptist Church got in on the act, deciding not to highlight the loving aspects of the Christian religion and instead tweeting that those killed by the bombing were deserving of their fate because of some states’ legalization of gay marriage.

But as much as the Westboro Baptist Church wanted the bombing to be revenge against supporters of gay marriage, it wasn’t. Nor was it perpetrated

by Muslims, Saudis, Koreans, Chinese or whoever else were blamed in the tweets. In fact, the point of the matter is not the fact that everyone was necessarily completely wrong, but with how quickly people were self-righteously ready to attack.

One tweet by Resist Tyranny stated, “Experience and common sense tell us a jihadi muslim probably set off the bombs in Boston. #tcot.” It seems like

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Fred Phelps, head of the Westboro Baptist Church, announced plans to picket funerals of Boston bombing victims.

everyone was completely ignorant to who caused the bombings but still felt justified enough to support their accusation by “common sense.” The common sense that people claim to be having is only wrapped up in the complete ignorance some conservatives indulge in.

Setting aside the Westboro Baptist Church, which reeks of prejudice to the highest degree, America has more work to do on its racism, prejudice and just narrow-minded views on life.

Although the Boston bombings hold a much closer place in our hearts, these uncalled-for prejudicial comments do not only manifest themselves during times of crisis. The comments made after the Boston bombings are a symptom of a larger problem in American culture.

In a much calmer, less-newsworthy

event, Google opted to feature César Chávez instead of the Easter holiday on its famous Google Doodles. The catalyst for the March 31 outrage was people’s lack of open-mindedness and lack of historical knowledge. What was probably the most bothersome thing about that day were tweets from people vowing to use Bing instead of Google. If only people had that much enthusiasm when it came to bettering our country on an economic level.

Google is trying to be secular and all-inclusive in its website design, and is aiming to accommodate holidays and inspirational figures from all of history and every cultural background.

However, although Google’s motto is the direction we as America should be trying to head in, conservatives are pulling back and even becoming hostile about it, even in something as

small as a drawing on Google.

The Google Doodle reveals that even the simplest of things invoke this charge of anger that America is moving away from its “traditional” views on society. Although America claims to be the melting pot of cultures, ethnicities and religions, certain prejudices and standards still remain the same.

It seems that much of the anger these commentators have is generated from the belief that they should have an upper hand in today’s society.

The Boston Bombings reveal more concerning matters than what has already been viewed on television.

America needs to get its priorities in check by replacing the energy it uses to point fingers during a catastrophe and complain about mere internet doodles, and instead put it toward dealing ■H with the welfare of its people.

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.

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. FEATURES .

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT:

“The Other Side of Desire” UCR student Samuel Mbisike discusses his book with the Highlander

By Susan Chavira, Contributing Writer Samuel O. Mbisike, author of “The Other Side of Desire” is a third year student at UCR studying political science and international affairs. He transferred last fall from Mount San Antonio College and published his book in 2011. Mbisike sat down with the Highlander to discuss his work and he went on to talk about the philosophy of the book and what he hopes people get from reading it.

According to Mbisike, he finally completed the book after four years of strong determination. The end result was not a necessarily a novel, but a sort of love manual. According to him, his motivation was to write a book that provided insightful knowledge about what it means to love. He also wanted to prescribe healthy ways to cultivate relationships.

He chose to market “The Other Side of Desire” in the United Kingdom after being referred to the Ministry in Art publishing company by a friend in

“It is best to be very open at first and build a friendly foundation with the person you’re interested in before you finally commit to a long-term relationship.”

-Samuel Mbisike London. The book is now available in bookstores and websites all over the world. Mbisike said, “I wanted to go beyond, international.”

As a writer, his endeavors were to see people happy and provide insightful knowledge about what it means to love. According to Mbisike, although emotions can be indecipherable and therefore deceiving, he was able to study his romantic affairs and weigh the good and bad to discover undisclosed purposes behind his relationships. Mbisike wanted the book emphasize the significance of having a companion rather than a short-term fling.

“It is best to be very open at first and build a friendly foundation with the person you’re interested in before you finally commit to a long-term relationship,” Mbisike suggested. Upon entering a relationship, we throw a generation over our shoulders, he said. This means we must learn about the things our partner carries, the people he or she has met,

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his or her family background and personal experiences to have a successful bond.

He chuckled, “And by gathering this information about the person—I don’t mean to go about it in a stalking creepy way, but in a natural way.” Drawing parallels to the Internet, S u s an C hav ira /HIGHLANDER Mbisike stated that it is highly tempting to constantly look at your love interest’s Facebook wall or obsess over an ambiguous tweet he or she wrote. He also insisted that, “It’s not recommended to admire another person by means of a social network because it can develop into an obsession and love is not an obsession.”

As he put it, the Internet provides an arena for cheating and adultery. “It connects you to the whole world and if you don’t set boundaries for yourself as a person, then you don’t have no value or you suffer from low self esteem and you are in the wrong relationship,” he said. “No one will teach you, it requires self-discipline.” As he put it, it’s a matter of choice to persevere in a complicated relationship so knowing what you want is crucial. It’s all about choice, setting boundaries, discipline and becoming familiar with your love interest. His advice is to create avenues not just from one perspective, but to see how this person acts with other people, his family, his co-workers, even at the store.

“When you meet a person, invest time in them and love will grow.

If you’re not ready for a relationship, do not go into it.”

-Samuel Mbisike “The Other Side of Desire” is meant to diagnose one’s emotions whether they are passionate or a flame that can easily be extinguished. Mbisike suggested that is imperative to be familiar with such delicate aspects of yourself and the other person, your heart and health. Mbisike hopes his book will compel all from its beginning and hopefully serve as guide for those looking to be with someone else. “When you meet a person, invest time in them and love will grow. If you’re not ready for a relationship, do not go into it. You want to be in it for the long term not be someone’s ‘side chick,’” Mbisike grinned.

Samuel Mbikise concluded with the most scintillating confidence, stating, “It’s better to be alone than to be with someone who makes you feel alone. If you feel lonely, it is a sign that you should probably walk away.”

After an uplifting conversation with him, it was evident why he was able to accomplish such a beautiful thing. Mbisike carries himself with conviction in the spoken word and across the page. If you’re conflicted or desiring to tackle on a romantic experience, Samuel Mbikise hopes “The Other Side of Desire” is for you.

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o f ama z o n . c o m

Mbisike’s book emphasizes finding love and meaningful relationships. It is now available for purchase worldwide.

Samuel O. Mbisike, author of “The Other Side of Desire,” is a CHASS undergraduate student. He is also a motivational speaker and can be contacted via e-mail.

See book for details and contact information.

FEATURES

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

RESTAURANT REVIEW:

RATING: ★★★☆☆ Solid off-campus restaurants are somewhat hard to find. Students usually have to sprout wings to find quality food within a five-mile radius and do it on a student budget. Then, when something new emerges in Riverside, it seems like it is the campus’ little secret. This theory was no different when it came to the Baguette Bakery and Cafe. One would expect that the bakery, located just short distance from campus at the University Shopping Center on Blaine, would receive a flood of students yearning for warm pastries and hearty sandwiches.

However, they day I went may have been an off day.

Approaching the entrance to Baguette, the scarce patio setting was bombarded with students enjoying some sort of treats. But those treats weren’t from the actual bakery, however. Once in, the a gust of Febreze and bread welcomes any entering customer.

The restaurant is engulfed with warm, autumn colors and modern lighting hanging overhead. If it wasn’t for the waxed floors and attended tables, one would assume the restaurant had been abandoned. Finding a seat was not an issue, neither was finding the menu.

Three menus were mounted on the wall, offering seventeen sandwiches (four of which are vegetarian), six salads and four warm entrees. The one of two employees popped behind an oven door at the sound of customers pondering over meal choices. She informed us that the most popular choice was the Signature Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich. It sounded intriguing from the start, as well as the Signature Steak with Shrimp. Even though I just wanted to try

BY: MAXINE ARELLANO, CONTRIBUTING WRITER PHOTOS BY: WESLEY NG

the food and not worry about dessert, my stomach emitted sounds of a dying whale with the thought of desserts. My eyes wandered across all menus and counters in search of sweets, pastries or chocolates at least. “All we have is what is here in the basket,” the employee explained, ruffling the two baggies of oatmeal raisin cookies and cellophane-wrapped chocolate chip scones. I decided to go with the chocolate chip scones. My final order ended up to be half of the Signature Rosemary Chicken Sandwich ($4.75), the full Signature Steak with Shrimp ($8.25) and three mini scones ($1.25).

Pictures of a variety of coffees rested above the booth seating in the front of the restaurant, next to the basket of plastic bread that read “Display Only.” Top 40 music played through cracked speakers loud enough to cover the noise of oven doors slamming in the kitchen. Not long after, the order number was called.

Both sandwiches were made on ciabatta bread, even though the menu gives bread choices of ciabatta, baguette and whole grain. I was very eager to try the Signature Chicken Sandwich to find what all the ruckus was about. However, I was still searching for it by the last bite. Since ciabatta bread is known for its robust quality and hard exterior, the first bite was rather challenging for such a thin sandwich. The rosemary made its appearance within the smear of mayonnaise covering the top layer, sticking to a sheet of romaine lettuce, a single slice of tomato and shavings of chicken breast. The rosemary mayonnaise almost reconstituted the taste of the dry chicken shavings. After

Top: Interior of the restaurant.

Clockwise from bottom left: Signature Steak with Shrimp Sandwich; Front windows of the restaurant; The front counter and bread display; Beef lasagna with side salad; Artwork on a wall.

the first bite, it tasted like a Thanksgiving leftovers.

Tasting the Signature Steak with Shrimp was a happy turn of events. Because of the thickness, the ciabatta bread actually complemented the depth of the flavors. The first thing I tasted was the savory bud as the Cajun seasoning used to grill the shrimp melted with the subtle jack cheese and hearty portobello mushrooms. I realized that it was roast beef instead of steak. It was delicious nonetheless. The shrimp stayed warm to the last bite and roast beef juices nestled within the walls of ciabatta. Despite the higher price, the Signature Steak with Shrimp is definitely the most overlooked item on the menu.

I may have rushed through the sandwiches just to taste a dessert. They looked like three scoops of chocolate chip cookie dough when caressed in my palm. As I broke it in half, the moist crumbles trickled onto the table. As I took a bite, the cloud reached my tongue and dissolved instantly, leaving me with chocolate lip liner. The scone was a little too salty, a possible result from baking with salted butter instead of unsalted. When biting into a scone, one wants to indulge in rich, buttery taste instead of having it swell up in the fingers from too much salt. In the end, I felt like I had peanut butter stuck on the roof of my mouth, trying to release the thick coating plastered on the bridge.

With the balance of mediocre sandwiches and average quality sweets, Baguette Bakery and Cafe is simply another cheap eatery for students to consider. It was not a total disappointment of an establishment, but it was okay.

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TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

FEATURES

HIGHLANDER

Be heard.

Join the Highlander on Mondays at 5:15 p.m. in HUB 101. Learn more about the exciting opportunities UCR’s student media organization offers students to pursue their interests and career goals.

WEDNESDAYS @ 9AM

KUCR RADIO 88.3

Highlander HIGHLANDER NEWSROOM

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@highlanderradar

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Events this week Tuesday | 4/30

Open Mic @ Back to the Grind, 7:00 p.m.

Wednesday | 5/1

Maps & Atlases @ the Barn, 8:30 p.m.

Thursday | 5/2

Saturday | 5/4

M a x T h o ma s

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Arts Walk @ Downtown Riverside, 6:00 p.m.

Spring Splash @ UCR Bell Tower, 2:00 - 7:00 p.m.

S kinn y L i s t e r

b e lt s a y e l l whi l e p l ay in g t h e acc o rdi o n .

C am e r o n Y o n g /HIGHLANDER

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

MUSIC REVIEWS TAPE DECK HEART // FRANK TURNER RATING:

F

★★★★☆ BY: JAKE RICH, SENIOR STAFF WRITER

rank Turner is easily one of the most emotionally expressive songwriters in music right now.

On Turner’s fifth solo album, “Tape Deck Heart,” his first since 2011’s “England Keep My Bones,” Turner pours out his feelings on love and life with his clever and poignant lyrics. Though not as strong as previous albums, Turner still manages to outshine most others on this diverse, if occasionally cliché effort.

The album begins with one of its strongest tracks: the lead single, “Recovery.” Turner starts the song with just an acoustic guitar, singing “Blacking in and out in a strange flat in East London / Somebody I don’t really know just gave me something / To help settle me down and to stop me from always thinking about you,” before his backing band, the Sleeping Souls, kick in with a steadfast drumbeat and happy, melodic piano. The track builds towards a climax before Turner belts out in a near scream that if he or anyone wants to get better, they must have the right mindset.

The next track that truly captured my attention was the LP’s fourth track, “Plain Sailing Weather.” The lyrics “Just give me one fine day of plain sailing weather / And I can fuck up anything, anything / It was a wonderful life when we were together / And now I’ve fucked up everything” accompanied by a soft, strumming guitar gives the song a self-depreciating start before exploding into the next chorus with a jolting electric guitar. Turner continues this theme throughout the song, eventually detailing how his lover would “Fold your hands, speak my name like a curse” as he

tried to explain himself.

As personal and introspective of a record it is for Turner, “Tape Deck Heart’s” best song is an anthem dedicated to his punk roots and love of a good concert.

“Four Simple Words” starts as a slow piano ballad in which Turner laments that one is probably listening to him through headphones alone. It then explodes into a big drum roll and a chugging guitar.

Turner ecstatically yells during the chorus, “But I’m no good at dancing, yet I have to do something / Tonight I’m going to play it straight, I’m going to take my chance, I want to dance.“ He praises the independent, hard-working artists when he says, “I want bands who had to work for their keep / Drove a thousand miles and played a show on no sleep / Sleeping on the floor in a stranger’s place / Hungry just to do it all again the next day.” The track ends with him screaming the chorus while his band chants “wo-oh-oh “ in the background.

Turner triumphs his noncommercialized past and romanticizes the thought of such a hardworking band making it big. Turner turned to folk singing after a short time with the band Million Souls, and released four albums on the independent label Epitaph before signing with major label Interscope for this record.

The album ends with the heart-tearing ballad, “Broken Piano,” in which Turner croons in falsetto, singing about carefully destroying a piano so that one could only play minor melodies. A piano’s soft plunking and distorted keyboard hum in the background before a pounding bass drum kicks in to give the song an uplifting,

Courtesy of Interscope

Turner’s emotionally-charged fifth album contains love, despair and punk reminiscence.

hopeful quality––though a sort of sad sentimentality can be felt.

For as much of a breakup record as it is, “Tape Deck Heart” is full of optimism.

Turner’s earnestness is a bit cliché at times, but it’s that same earnestness that makes most of his songs so vulnerable and real.

Other highlights include “Losing Days,” “Polaroid Picture” and “Anymore,” though

the whole album is solid. “Tape Deck Heart” is certainly one of the top records of the year—and possibly my favorite.

For those that dismiss this record as more generic or cliché than Turner’s previous work, you are missing out. It may not be as strong as his previous records, but one would be hard pressed to find something H better and more honest from an artist. ■

#WILLPOWER // WILL.I.AM RATING:

I

☆☆☆☆☆ BY: JOSHUA WAGONBLAST, STAFF WRITER

feel that the majority of people who listen to the Black Eyed Peas solely do so because of Will.I.Am. The reason people listen to Will.I.Am is still unbeknownst to me. After giving the rapper/ writer/producer another shot, despite my typical reluctance toward listening to generic club music, William Adams has only managed to solidify my belief in his lack of creativity. I guess Will.I.Am will remain the voice of the short-skirted, shot-taking party girl.

Will.I.Am’s new album, entitled “#willpower,” is a dreadfully mind-numbing piece of work. The whole album seems to be a blend of nonsensical pop anthems that hit rock bottom during Justin Bieber’s feature on the song “#thatpower.” He sings, “Oh I’m alive I’m alive I’m alive / and oh I can fly I can fly I can fly,” but the muddled collection of trendy pop noises was doomed from the starting line.

Many self-aggrandizing artists join Will.I.Am on this excruciating adventure through over-synthesized lyricisms, including Britney Spears, Miley Cyrus and Chris Brown. They all contribute some sort of over-thetop “reach for the skies” chorus that simply feeds back into a self-

congratulatory pop fixation––one that has led to insane monetary rewards for the artists, and a generation obsessed with moronic

Will.I.Am’s newest album is terrible and makes me check my ears every few minutes to make sure there is no blood dripping from their canals... catchphrases and jumbled club beats.

Aside from the worsening beats, the lyrics are reason enough to chase away any first-time Will.I.Am mishmash listener. Songs like “Gettin’ Dumb” are testaments to Will’s lack of originality when the best he can seem to come up with is “We go out / get dumb / we drink / get dumb / drugged up / get dumb,” and so on. When it

comes to a song entitled “This is Love,” one wonders how the line “House beats housin’ / bouncin’ in the ghetto” even pertains to the dissociative title. However, I do expect a lack of uniqueness and originality since the musician has resorted to stealing others’ music.

Will.I.Am may know how awful his new music mixture is––or he has simply run out of new ideas for his pop-crazed fan club and still wants to rake in the dough. Either way, his resort to plagiarism is highly inappropriate for someone who thinks of himself as a professional artist. If readers are familiar with popular DJs Matt Zo and Arty, they will notice that Will.I.Am’s new track “Let’s Go” rips off the exact electronic beat used in the song “Rebound.”

Arty and Anjunabeats, the label that owns the rights to Zo and Arty’s song, have declared that they never cleared the rights to “Rebound.” Matt Zo has since stated that it was unethical for Will to deliberately purloin their work, even though the copyright infringement will most likely garner wanted attention to their artistry. In response to the negative publicity, both Chris Brown and Will stated that they have no idea who Zo is.

There is no reason to condemn

Courtesy of Interscope

“#willpower” is an example of everything that is wrong with Will.I.Am.

the entire album on one fluke, but British singer-songwriter Tulisa has even decided to ignite a legal battle for royalties to Will’s song “Scream & Shout.” Will.I.Am controls a massive amount of influence over a certain culture in today’s day and age, but how can anyone take the supposed “artist” seriously if he is clearly stealing the work of others? Will.I.Am’s newest album is terrible and makes me check my ears every few minutes to make sure there

is no blood dripping from their canals, but this barefaced act of plagiarism discredits all of the work Will has done thus far.

I would have been gracious enough to award the album one star purely based on the fact that some of his songs could perhaps be fun to bounce around to in a club, but I cannot respect an artist who obviously ripped off another without any acknowledgement and has such a blatant disrespect of the music world.

■H

HIGHLANDER

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

17

Debonaires at the Barn The

By Sean Frede, Senior Staff Writer // Photos by Vincent Ta and Jillian Rausa

T

he weather was chilly and overcast for the first time in a week here in Riverside, but Stranger and the Debonaires kept a summery atmosphere alive through their fusions of reggae/ska/jazz/soul/ funk—and whatever other genre of music I might have forgotten—performed in front of an intimate crowd at the Barn last Wednesday, April 24.

Stranger opened the show.

Both the guitarist/lead vocalist and the pianist walked out with dreads down their backs. The band hails from the south bay of San Diego and their upbeat music boasts the sun, beach and love. Smooth bass lines and funky organ melodies kept the audience swaying.

Their laid-back reggae rhythm put the audience in a trance. Gone was the stress of midterms and group projects.

Stranger’s sound permeated into the crowd and everyone began connecting with their carefree and trusting attitude.

In their song “All Yours,” vocalist David Ornelas said it all: “If you feel afraid don’t fret / just grab my heart / I’m all yours.”

I thought Stranger might lose the audience with their amount of slower reggae songs, but they proved me wrong when their trombonist reached front and center for a block of fast paced, ska-inspired jams.

They finished their set with “Universal Love” off their latest EP, “Above It All.” The lyrics boasted the need for acceptance of all types of love, no matter who you are: “The only truth I have seen in this time / The only way to unite / Universal love.” They finished their set by tossing out free CDs and mingling with the crowd.

Once the Debonaires got on stage, I wondered how

they would all be able to fit.

Besides a guitarist, bassist and drummer they also had an organist, trombonist, trumpet player and saxophonist. The party started from the second they began to play. I couldn’t help but notice the smiles from all members of the band, how they would joke around and make faces at one another. It led to a very fun atmosphere that the smaller Barn crowd recognized and enjoyed.

The Debonaires formed back in the early 90s right here in Riverside. Their music is inspired from the Jamaican ska revival subculture that became popular through Los Angeles and Southern California. They haven’t stuck to just one style

The trombone and saxophone hit in waves, crashing into the audience with each song. of music, instead pulling from American R&B and jazz of the past.

It’s impossible to place this band into one category.

You have to look at each song separately. Many songs start off with a very funky organ and drum beat. Others highlight the organist, who resembled a mad scientist as he slammed down on his ivory keys. Not long

after, the trumpeter came in for a solo that took me back to old school jazz greats like Miles Davis as he blasted out notes faster than a machine gun.

The trombone and saxophone hit in waves, crashing into the audience with each song.

Kip Wirtzfield, lead vocalist and saxophonist, had a very gritty and raspy voice that resonated in my chest. I felt it more than anything. The crowd really started dancing when they played their hit, “See You Again,” a song about letting go and moving on. The end of the song feels like an old 70s music soundtrack with a funky guitar rhythm and Wirtzfield belting out, “Now I’m free.”

Halfway through their set, they reverted to more reggaeinfluenced songs that put the crowd into a bit of a lull.

People began milling around and looking at their shoes.

Wirtzfield picked up on this and came back with some funk and jazz hits, including the last song they played of the night, “No Dice.” The song jumped back and forth between rapid horn notes and smooth melodic organ solos with a ghostly soul. The guitar ska rhythms put the crowd into a frenzy. A circle pit of skanking formed in front of the stage. The band knew they were doing their job when audience members began swaying their arms and legs to the beat. The Debonaires left the stage with fans chanting, “One more song!” and even if the clouds were still out, it was a bright evening inside the ■H Barn.

Clockwise from top: Kip Wirtzfeld, lead singer of the Debonaires also doubles as the band’s sax player; Wirtzfeld belts out incredible tunes as lead singer; The Debonaires exhibit depth within their band with members displaying multiple musical talents. Their music style was eclectic, containing elements of jazz, reggae and ska; Trumpet player Marques Crews adds flair to the band with his solo.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

MOVIE REVIEWS COMING OUT SOON:

IRON MAN 3

GENERATION UM

GREETINGS FROM TIM BUCKLEY

THE ICEMAN

PAIN AND GAIN RATING: ★★★☆☆

BY: PHILIP CARROLL-JOHNSON, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

O

Courtesy of Paramount Studios

“Pain and Gain” harkens back to director Michael Bay’s early days of “Bad Boys” and “The Rock.”

ver the last two decades, Michael Bay has emerged as one of the most lucrative directors in film history. His films are known for their heavy spectacle and lack of narrative and character development. Bay is praised by many for his contribution to pop culture and directorial inventiveness, but is highly criticized by fans of subtlety and nuance, making him quite the polarizing figure. Regardless of his detractors, Bay’s name over the last six years has been synonymous with the absurdist, massively budgeted and visual effects-heavy franchise, “Transformers.”

Enter “Pain and Gain,” Bay’s newest directorial effort. The film finds him in rare form; without hundreds of millions of dollars at his disposal, Bay has returned to the virtuoso filmmaking that first made him a household name.

The film follows Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) and Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) in the mostly true story of three inept, meathead bodybuilders that illegally pursue their piece of the American dream.

Writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus (of “The Avengers” and “Captain America” fame) have created a goofy take on the Coen Brother’s “Fargo,” a black comedy of criminal errors. Unlike “Fargo,” the screenwriters of “Pain and Gain” have created a half-baked farce, and as is common with Bay’s films, the humor is broad. Its themes of upward mobility and economic woes are ham-fisted at best. As the characters’ motivations are communicated through dialogue, the audience is beaten to death with the the film’s exploration of the dark side of chasing the American dream: torture, death and long prison sentences. There is no subtext or grey area.

The audience has strong expectations for explosions and over-the-top action. Bay knows that better than anyone, and he delivers. This is a film that has more ambition and artistic worth than is expected or necessarily needed. “Pain and Gain” may very well be his best film since 1994’s “Bad Boys.”

Bay has been noted as having unapologetically said that he makes films for adolescent boys. This is no lie. The director shows a dis-

tinctively new strength: the ability to introspectively parody himself. “Pain and Gain’s” heightened violence and crude comedic temperament play up the director’s now-famous visual sensibilities. This serves to illuminate both his technical brilliance and senselessness to the point where the audience becomes hyper aware of his heavy-handed orchestration.

“Pain and Gain” marks Bay’s first foray into R-rated territory since “Bad Boys II” a decade ago. This adult fare is where he truly, artistically thrives. You can see Bay smiling from the other side of the camera in some of the film’s more vulgar moments which include crushed skulls and a religiously reformed Dwayne Johnson, who attempts to woo a homophobic priest.

With a lack of CGI-based characters, Bay commands (mostly) great performances from both his leading men and his strong supporting cast, which includes veteran character actors Tony Shalhoub and Ed Harris. Shalhoub is hilarious as Victor Kershaw, a detestable rich businessman who is captured and tortured by the trio of musclemen in a lame attempt at

extorting his money. Wahlberg turns in electrifying work. This is arguably his best performance in years. As Daniel Lugo, he is kinetic, desperate and full of ill-minded ambition.

The always-charismatic Johnson is funny as the brunt of some of the film’s most comedic moments. Anthony Mackie, the usually strong supporting actor whose most notable work is the Best Picture-winning “Hurt Locker,” is the weak link of the three. One can only help but wonder if the film could have benefited from a more comically inclined actor. In scenes where both Wahlberg and Johnson fly high, Mackie falls relatively flat.

Unlike the accessible nature of the “Transformers” franchise, this film isn’t for everyone. It isn’t even for all fans of Bay’s work.

However, those who have missed the visceral and aggressive nature of his earlier work (“Bad Boys” and “The Rock”) will be ecstatic about the return to his ultra-masculine, lurid and robust form. It is ironic that that Bay seems the most free with a budget that is at least a hundred million dollars less than what he is accustomed.

■H

A Column

Fashion Instinct Style Informed:

by Thelma Annan, Staff Writer

Now that it’s officially spring, it’s time to break out those springtime colors! But from the array of options within the color family, it can be hard to determine which one to start with. As minimal as coloring detail might be, it can truly make a world of difference. Have a tough interview or nervous about a first date? Well, besides your killer personality and Colgate smile, wearing a color that best highlights your skin tone can leave a good impression.

Here’s a black book of secrets to keep in mind to help you look unforgettable for those oh-so-important situations.

To start off your colorful quest, you first need to figure out whether your skin tone is cool or warm. To determine this, look at the veins on the inside of your arm and inner wrist. If they are more blueishpurple, you have a cool skin tone.

If your veins are more greenishyellow, you have a warm tone. For

Color Me Bad

cool toned individuals, blue-based colors such as navy, ruby and white will compliment you best. And if you’re warm toned, olive, pinks and oranges are your most complimentary color options.

If the whole red fish, blue fish, warm flush, cool flush debacle is too unnecessarily complicated, try the simpler approach. Between the four basic skin shades from light to dark, decide which shade closely resembles yours. Here are some simple color selections to take for a spin or completely avoid: Light Try: Blue, Purple Avoid: Orange, White Medium Try: Pink, Ivory Avoid: Yellow, Brown Medium-Dark Try: Orange, Green Avoid: Pink, White Dark Try: Yellow, Red Avoid: Brown, Grey

Left

t o ri g h t :

C o u rt e s y

o f i v i l l a g e , p inkar g y l e , ka p e k l a s s i q

Left to right: Christina Hendricks, Lucy Liu and Will Smith You can also dress according to nation. And when it comes to acyour hair or eye color. If you have cessories, silver looks better with bright eyes, such as blue or green, warm skin tones, while gold pieces make them pop by wearing a look best with cool tones. matching colored top or statement So, now that you have the banecklace. For my redhead friends, sics down, it’s time to conquer the emeralds and other rich greens multi-colored world. But if there’s a look the most flattering with your color you really want to wear, go for vibrant hair and light skin combi- it! Don’t feel pressured to limit your

closet to three basic colors. Experiment! See which colors work for you and which make you feel your best. After all, when you feel good, you look good—and the world knows it, too. So whichever color you wear or however you wear it, make sure to wear it with confidence.

■H

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

19

VIDEO GAME REVIEW INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US

RATING: ★★★★☆

F

BY: OSCAR HO, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Photos Courtesy of DC Comics

Promotional art showcasing many of the main characters in the game.

rom the creators of Mortal Kombat comes “Injustice: Gods Among Us,” a somewhat revolutionary fighting game featuring characters from the DC Comics universe. The story is completely original and is not based on any prior written comic book. From early teasers of the game, it promises to rely heavily on story, unlike a majority of other fighting games.

The story takes place in a universe in which Lois Lane, Superman’s wife, and their unborn child have died. This leads Superman to establish a new oppressive world order where everyone lives in fear. While the story is fascinating and makes as much sense as a superhero story can, it starts off with some confusion because of the DC universe crossover. Its occasional flaws take away from the seriousness with which the game attempts to set the mood.

Many times, the story will pit the player against the same character, but from an alternate universe.

This leads to a fight between two superheroes that are almost entirely identical. It causes much confusion, even to those who pay close attention to the plot. Also, while the story is quite intriguing, it’s not entirely fresh—especially to veterans of the Mortal Kombat series. The inclusion of multiple colliding universes will seem familiar to one of the previous installments of the Mortal Kombat series, “Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.” While they are not exactly the same, the plot element does not distinguish itself from its predecessor and fails to capture the interest of

Mortal Kombat fans.

The gameplay boasts an increased amount of features, ranging from fighter move lists to extensive environment improvements which leave new and older gamers in awe. The fighters in this game are familiar to any DC fan, but some important characters in DC comics were left out for unknown reasons. In contrast, many of the other fighters are unknown to those who aren’t die-hard fans. This begs the question: Why they were included in such an exclusive list of select DC characters?

Nevertheless, there are many fan-favorite characters that boast a multitude of moves which play into their character traits and skills seen in DC comics.

There is even more variety with the fighting system.

Certain characters can change stances and moves, giving them slightly altered weapons. For example, Nightwing can go from using Escrima sticks to combining them into one large staff. This offers more experienced gamers the chance to roll out a plethora of combos into a chain of long and beautiful attacks. The environments around the fighters are also destructible and some items are usable in combat, such as gas tanks and rocket launchers. Some of the stages have multiple areas where fighters can be knocked into, expanding fighting stages two to three times the initial size.

For fans of fighting games, the developers of "Injustice" eliminated traditional rounds of fighting. It is interesting and semi-original, but falls flat because

the system makes it harder for players to save themselves with a special move if they are losing. Special moves are also lacking; instead of a multitude of finishing attacks, there is only one special move. The move itself leaves players speechless, but after multiple fights using the same move, it loses its luster and becomes annoying and repetitive.

The graphics are amazing in “Injustice.” The highly detailed DC characters and luscious environments make this game well worth every cent. Everything is designed to look better than what consoles can usually handle. Wonder Woman’s hair is specifically designed to seem like every single strand of hair is rendered meticulously by the console and game developers, proving that the attention to detail paid off on a visual level. The only downfall is that when putting so much detail in the main characters of the game, all the background characters in story mode sometimes lack detail. The graphical rendering of these other characters looks like that of the last generation of games. However, it does not take away from the game because they do not hold much screen time, anyway.

“Injustice” has its flaws, but it’s as close to perfect as a fighting game can get with available technology.

It includes many revolutionary features for a fighting game and has a compelling story with some twists and turns. The story sometimes fails to keep its integrity with occasionally awful lines and odd occurrences, but it is nonetheless pretty great and is better than any ■H other fighting games’ stories.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

Awayfrom the

Sprawl:

by Jake Rich, Senior Staff Writer

Skinny Lister at the Glass House It was a gloomy night outside the Glass House on April 15. Clouds hung overhead and darkened the Pomona Arts Colony. But inside the Glass House, a raucous noise brewed in the form of the English folk band, Skinny Lister.

The band charged their way through a constantly fun boot-stomping set, plowing through most of their album, “Forge & Flagon,” as well as a new song, “Bold as Brass.”

The band could not be contained to the stage as bassist Michael Camino took his stand-up bass into the crowd and waltzed around, at one point allowing a small kid to stand on the bass as he laid it on the ground and played.

An unofficial member grabbed a bass drum and stood on the railing barrier in front of the stage. He had an audience member hold

the drum while he banged on it. He eventually jumped into the audience, climbed on concert-goers’ backs and had me hold the drum while he thumped away. At one point, the mallet head on his drumstick flew off and I was able to scramble and grab it from the floor as he continued to play without it (I attempted to return it, but he was too busy dancing and banging away to care).

The continuous energy throughout the evening made for an extremely exciting set as the band jumped around the stage with traditional chants and dancing. Before the show, I was lucky enough to interview lead singers Dan Heptinstall and Lorna Thomas about Coachella, the origins of their band name, whose parent wrote one of their songs and more.

W e s l e y N g /HIGHLANDER Sam Brace carries a drum into the crowd for them to hold it up while he plays it.

Interview with Lorna Thomas and Dan Hepinstall of Skinny Lister : JR: Your members are from all over England. How did you all come together?

LT: We all sort of met in London, really.

Obviously me and Max have known each other forever, and he started playing traditional stuff in pubs in London, and then it sort of went from there. But we’ve actually got a Hawaiian bass player now who we kidnapped from Warped Tour.

JR: I’ve heard that Michael will occasionally stage dive with his stand up bass.

LT: [laughs] Well, not the diving, but he definitely goes surfing on it.

to bottom:

C am e r o n Y o n g /HIGHLANDER; W e s l e y N g /HIGHLANDER

JR: Who would you guys say are your biggest influences?

LT: Well my dad, and I’d say as a group we all like the Pogues. But we’re from all over so we have quite different backgrounds, [so I’d say] we’ve got quite a wide and varied taste and things like the Clash and stuff like that we all like.

JR: So, pretty diverse.

JR: How was Coachella?

DH: Amazing. It was good fun. Amazing festival. We didn’t get a chance to party this weekend, but next weekend we’re off so we’re going to party.

JR: You said earlier your dad wrote “Forty Pound Wedding.” How did you guys come up with using it as your own?

JR: With the more pop-folk Mumford and Sons style going around, what makes you guys want to do the more traditional style?

LT: He wrote it as an unaccompanied folk song. He’s been singing it since I can remember in much slower pace, and we just decided one day that it’d be pretty good if we can try and put a Skinny slant on one of my dad’s songs. We listened to his album that he’s got and that one worked, and it was fun. [laughs] We messed it up and we were a bit scared to show him at first, but once he saw it and heard it, he was up on stage and singing it with us, wasn’t he?

DH: Well, we were doing it a few years ago just in our local pubs. It was something we enjoyed doing rather than something that we thought about trying to make a career out of while being mildly successful. So we just enjoyed doing it and then it went from there to going to festivals, and it has sort of gone from there. Lorna’s dad is a folk singer and songwriter. He’s been quite influential on Lorna and Max. He wrote some good tunes that we do––we

Top

LT: We’ll be doing “Forty Pound Wedding” tonight.

DH: Very diverse. I mean, it is quite traditional English music. We do throw fragments of traditional English tunes in there that are hundreds of years old. We also do old sea shanties that are hundreds of years old. So we sort of put it all in there and try and give it sort of some pop sensibility.

DH: He did that this weekend at Coachella and managed to get out on the crowd and surf.

Top to bottom: Guitarist Dan Hepinstall (left) and lead singer Lorna Thomas (right) of Skinny Lister open the show by singing the song, “If the Gaff Don’t Let Down;” Skinny Lister closes out their set while Lorna Thomas (center) stands triumphantly on Michael Camino’s stand up bass.

do a couple of them in the set.

DH: Yeah, he joins us on stage a lot.

LT: He’s a traditional party man. [laughs]

For the rest of the interview, check out the video at youtube.com/UCRChannelH!

■H

SPORTS

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

21

Tennis teams suffer first round exits in Big West Tennis Championships Darren Bueno SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The UC Riverside tennis program had a daunting task in front of them as they headed to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden to compete in the Big West Conference Championship: win a match as the overwhelming underdog. Seeded near the bottom of the conference standings, the men’s and women’s tennis teams couldn’t muster a victory and were bounced in the first round of the tournament. The men’s tennis team lost to nationallyranked and second-seeded Cal Poly, 4-0, while the women’s championship campaign was halted by seventh-seeded UC Davis, 4-0.

The men’s team, anchored by head coach Tim Downey, started the championship tournament with consecutive losses in doubles, which resulted in the Mustangs claiming the doubles point. The duo of Jimmy Roberts and Marcus Vizcarra was defeated 8-2 before teammates Luis Gastao and Calvin Ngo were dismissed 8-5, giving Cal Poly the doubles triumph. The Highlanders needed to win four of the six singles matches to advance past to the second round.

The Mustangs, however, stopped any chance of that proposition happening with three straight set victories, which gave Cal Poly the win and a berth into the second round. Vizcarra, Roberts and Julian Ruffin all faltered in their matches, winning only a combined six games.

The 10th-seeded women’s tennis team didn’t fare any better as they were trounced by UC Davis. The Highlanders were competitive in doubles, but ultimately lost the point behind two losses. In singles, UCR couldn’t weather the Aggies’ storm as Highlanders Natalie McKay, Courtney Pattugalan and Bergeson were all defeated in straight sets, which handed UC Davis the win and ended the Highlanders’ chance at a Big West title.

Both of the UC Riverside ten-

A rchi v e /HIGHLANDER

S e n i o r N a t a l i e M c K a y e n g a g e d i n a h e a t e d r a l l y a g a i n s t U n i v e r s i t y o f H a w a i ’ i i n F e b r u a r y.

CLASSIFIEDS

The men’s and women’s tennis teams couldn’t muster a victory and were bounced in the first round of the tournament. nis teams ended their seasons with a combined four wins on the season. The men’s team led by senior Jimmy Roberts concluded the year with a 3-21 record overall and struggled against a strong Big West Conference field. The women’s tennis team ends their 2012-2013 campaign with only one win on the season, but will look to improve upon that mark ■H for next season.

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AA Information: www.inlandempireaa.org 909-825-4700 A rchi v e /HIGHLANDER Senior Jimmy Roberts serves the ball to UCSD in February, starting an intense rally.

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SPORTS

HIGHLANDER

Breana Jemison highlights strong UCR performance at Triton Invitational C o dy N g u y e n STAFF WRITER

Highlanders writer’s meeting Mondays at 5:15 in HUB 101

The UC Riverside track and field teams took the field at the UC San Diego Triton Invitational for their 16th meet of the season and they wasted no time making their mark.

Breana Jemison’s first-place finish in the open section of the women’s discus was the uncontested highlight of UCR’s performance at the Triton Invitational. Jemison shattered the competition with a personal best 48.86-meter heave, breaking her previous best set at the San Diego State Aztec Invitational.

Jemison also competed in the women’s hammer throw, breaking through with a distance of 43.42 meters, good enough for a 28th-place finish, about a halfmeter shy of her previous personal best.

Caleb Stuart also finished strong for the Highlanders in the men’s hammer throw, recording a fifth-place finish with a 58.89-meter distance. Ahmed Abdul-Rahman also participated in the event, finishing in 18th place with 40.59 meters. The duo of Terry Chiang and Chima Ikeme trailed, finishing in 20th and 21st place, respectively.

Competing in the women’s shot put was Deja Watkins, who earned a 17th-place finish with a 12.68-meter throw in the finals.

Watkins also placed 10th in the

women’s discus throw with a distance of 50.39 meters. Trailing Watkins in the discus throw was Nikki James, who finished in 19th place with a toss of 46.73 meters. James also competed in the hammer throw, finishing in 18th place with a 51.95-meter distance.

In the men’s discus throw, Travis Smith was the Highlanders’ lone competitor. After breaking a school record in the shot put two weeks ago, Smith

Jemison shattered the competition with a personal best 48.86-meter heave, breaking her previous best set at the San Diego State Aztec Invitational. finished in 24th place with a 49.69-meter throw.

Earlier in the week long jumper Ted Hooper was named the Big West Conference male field athlete of the week for his performances at the Mt. SAC Relays and Beach Invitational.

Hooper took over the top spot in the Big West in long jump with a leap of 7.55m (24’9.25”) last

V inc e n t T a /HIGHLANDER Jemison prepares to hurl the shot in a March track meet against UCSB.

week. The mark was his personal best, moving the Arcadia, Calif. native into 10th place for the Big West region and only seven inches off of the school record set by Don Barfield in 1972.

The Highlanders’ track and field team will compete next at the Big West Conference Championship on May 3, taking place in Northridge, Calif.

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SPORTS

HIGHLANDER

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

23

Baseball ends losing streak with victory over Santa Barbara C o dy N g u y e n STAFF WRITER

April 23, 2013 Toreros 3 - Highlanders 2 DARREN BUENO

BUENO’S BUZZ The Wild West The landscape of the NBA has certainly changed since the first tip-off all the way back in October.

Back then Metta World Peace boldly proclaimed that the newly equipped Lakers would rival the Bulls’ record regular season mark of 72-10. Analysts pointed at a healthy Derrick Rose as the only deterrent to the Miami Heat’s second go at a title.

Lastly, Rajon Rondo, David Lee and Andrew Bynum were all key factors in their teams’ hunt for an elusive NBA title. Fast forward to today and none of those proclamations came to pass, all largely because of injuries.

And on Friday, the NBA received quite the most shocking casualty due to injury. Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook was out indefinitely with a right knee injury. Suffering an accidental blow from Patrick Beverley in game two of the Thunder-Rockets series, Westbrook’s knee required surgery and a timetable for his return was ominous. The Thunder will have to march on without their star guard for the first time in franchise history.

Westbrook had never missed a game in his entire NBA career—a leagueleading regular season streak of 394 consecutive games played.

This is obviously a huge blow to Oklahoma City, and it opens up an unforeseen opportunity for the other teams in the Western Conference.

But which teams will benefit the most?

The Los Angeles Clippers claimed their first Pacific Division title this season amid a year where Clippers’ bigs DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin vastly improved their offensive game and Chris Paul continued to shine. If the seedings hold and the two teams meet, the Clippers are now in a better position than ever to pull an upset.

If the underrated but capable Grizzlies can manage to advance, their league leading team defense and the duo of Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph can give the Thunder fits as well.

But the team that will benefit the most from Westbrook’s injury is the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs were knocked out of the last year’s conference finals by the Thunder and I can’t see another team halting that collision this season. If Westbrook still hasn’t returned, the Spurs are the favorites to advance in my book.

With Tim Duncan defying the hands of time and Manu Ginobili back in top notch gear, the Spurs looked nearly flawless in their first round sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers and will use their team orientated style to smother the Durant-heavy OKC team.

Keep an eye out for the Spurs as they silently march their way to perhaps another NBA title. After all, it is an odd-numbered year.

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The UC Riverside baseball team dropped a heartbreaking match on April 23, giving up a walk-off homer to the visiting San Diego Toreros in the 11th inning en route to a 3-2 defeat.

Zach Varela, the Highlanders’ usual relief pitcher, made his first career start against San Diego and was able to deliver UCR a shutout game for the first six innings.

The Highlanders got on the board first with a Phil Holinsworth ground out that drove in Clayton Prestridge. Both teams traded runs up until the score was deadlocked at 2-2 going into the ninth.

A scoreless ninth inning signaled the start of extra innings. During the 11th, the Toreros got their break when Dillon Haupt homered over left field to secure the San Diego victory, 3-2.

April 26, 2013 Gauchos 10 - Highlanders 7

After starting the season undefeated in conference play at home, the UC Riverside baseball team dropped its first Big West home game to the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos.

Both teams made haste in getting on the board with the Gauchos jumping to an early 4-2 lead over the Highlanders in the first inning. UCR was able to steal the lead from the Gauchos in the bottom of the second, plating three runs.

The Highlanders’ lead did not last for long as the Gauchos were able to score

C am e r o n Y o n g /HIGHLANDER S o p h o m o re A l e x R u b a n o w i t z t h ro w s a U C S a n t a B a r b a r a r u n n e r o u t f ro m s e c o n d b a s e .

April 27, 2013

scoreless until the top of the sixth inning, in which Gaucho Robby Nesovic was able to score from third off a UCR error. The Gauchos added an insurance run at the top of the ninth thanks to Joey Epperson’s second base steal and Woody Woodard’s RBI single to right center, scoring Epperson.

Gauchos 2 - Highlanders 0

April 28, 2013

three runs of their own in the third inning, and another three in the sixth to take a commanding 10-5 lead.

UCR was able to score two in the bottom of the ninth, but it would not be enough to hold off the Gauchos from securing a road victory.

After dropping its first conference home game against the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos, the UC Riverside baseball team followed up by engaging in a lowscoring game that led to the Highlanders’ seventh straight loss by a score of 2-0.

The game would remain

Highlanders 8 - Gauchos 5

After a seven-game losing streak that included dropping two straight against the Gauchos at home, the Highlanders were finally able to pick up a victory with a 8-5 routing of Santa Barbara. The win over UCSB also allowed

the Highlanders to celebrate head coach Doug Smith’s 250th career victory.

UCR struck swiftly and in large quantity at the bottom of the first, getting off to a 5-0 lead thanks to Alex Rubanowitz’s double down right field to score three runners as well as an RBI ground out by Kevin Davidson.

The Gauchos were able to score one in the top of the second and three in the fifth to make things interesting, but the Highlanders added three extra runs in the eighth that allowed them to secure their only victory of the series against the Gauchos.

Next up for the Highlanders is a road match against UNLV ■H on Tuesday, April 30.

24

. SPORTS .

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2013

HIGHLANDER

UCR softball wins weekend series against Cal Poly Matthew Guerrero CONTRIBUTING WRITER

April 24, 2013 Titans 4 - Highlanders 1

Riverside continued to struggle in Big West Conference play as the softball team dropped its final game of their Big West Conference series against Cal State Fullerton, 4-1. The Highlanders managed to get just three hits against the Titans’ tough pitching while Fullerton banged out eight hits, including a two-run home run over the center field fence by Desiree Ybarra.

Neither side was able to score through the first three innings as both teams managed to muster just two hits combined while Highlander pitcher Alyssa Razo and Titan pitcher Jasmine Antunez got into a pitchers’ duel.

The Titans were the first to score, however, as they knocked in a run in the fourth inning when UCR failed to tag out Titan Eliza Crawford. The defensive mistake cost the Highlanders an early run.

UCR’s Kayla White was the catalyst once again for the offense as she reached base on a walk to start the fourth inning and stole second base promptly. She moved to third on a ground out and then beat a throw to home on a suicide-squeeze bunt from Alexis Pickett.

The Highlanders’ pitching again faltered in the sixth inning as Melissa Sechrest doubled to score Crawford and take a 2-1 lead that would prove to be the go-ahead run for the Titans.

Ashley Carter would single in the seventh inning and cross home plate on a Ybarra home run, which further increased the Titan advantage to 4-1.

After drawing a walk in the seventh inning, the Highlanders failed to capitalize, capping off a tough offensive day. The loss marked the 14th Big West Conference loss for

Highlander softball this year.

April 27, 2013

Mustangs 2 - Highlanders 0

The Highlander softball team came into game one of its doubleheader against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a record of 1-14 in Big West Conference games and was unable to come away with a victory, losing 2-0.

The Highlanders got fantastic pitching from Ashley Ercolano, who allowed just two runs in seven innings, but was inept offensively, failing to score a single run off Mustang Chloe Wurst. Kayla White punched three hits and Ariel Shore had two hits in an otherwise quiet lineup for the Highlanders.

Both sides were held scoreless through five innings as each side managed to get runners on base, but failed to capitalize with runs.

The Mustangs were able to score their only two runs of the game in the sixth inning, as back-to-back singles to start the inning ultimately resulted in all bases being loaded with just one out. Jillian Anderson then singled home a run to take a 1-0 lead, while Ashley Romano drove in another run on a fielder’s choice, ending the Highlander’s hopes of earning a second Big West conference win.

April 27, 2013 Highlanders 8 - Mustangs 0

The Highlanders recovered from their poor performance against Cal Poly in game one with a win, rocking the Mustangs in five innings, 8-0. Big performances by Kayla White on offense and Alyssa Razo on the mound fueled UC Riverside to its second conference triumph of the season. Razo pitched five innings of shutout ball while White

V inc e n t T a /HIGHLANDER S e n i o r A l e x i s P i c k e t t ( # 4 ) s w i n g s f o r a f a s t b a l l f ro m a F u l l e r t o n Ti t a n s ’ p i t c h e r. N e i t h e r t e a m s c o re d a n y r u n s u n t i l t h e b o t t o m o f t h e t h i rd .

had three hits for the Highlanders and drove in four runs. UCR moved to 2-15 in Big West Conference play behind Saturday’s victory.

The Highlanders came up with four runs in the second inning, keyed by an RBI single by Ashley Ercolano and a momentum-changing home run by White.

Neither side would score again until the fourth as the Highlanders came up with two more runs in the bottom half of the inning to make it 6-0. Dionne Anderson singled with the bases loaded after a catcher’s interference call, driving in both White and Alexis Pickett.

After holding the Mustangs scoreless in the fifth inning, UCR put together the dagger rally. A trio of plays set the stage for a walk-off single by White, which resulted in a rare mercy rule win for the Highlanders.

April 28, 2013 Highlanders 3 - Mustangs 2

After splitting the double header on Saturday, the softball team earned a much needed victory on Senior Day to take the series against Cal Poly. Following a huge offensive day on Saturday, Kayla White continued to be a cornerstone offensively with two hits. Alyssa Razo had a nice pitching performance for UC Riverside, pitching four innings of shutout ball, a day after shutting out the Mustangs. UCR improved to 3-15 against Big West Conference opponents this season.

White was again the spark plug for the Highlanders as a leadoff single started a rally in the bottom of the first inning that resulted in UCR’s first score.

Natalie Sanchez blasted a home

run in the bottom of the second, giving UCR a 2-0 lead as Highlander pitching continued to keep the Mustangs off balance.

Mariah Cochiolo singled in Ashley Romano in the bottom of the third, and Emily Ceccacci tied the game for the Mustangs with a two-out RBI single to left field.

The fourth and fifth innings would be silent, but the sixth inning proved to be big for the Highlanders. Escalante led off the inning with a walk and was bunted over by Dionne Anderson. Ashley Ercolano would single to put runners on the corners, and with two outs, Sanchez put a charge into a double to score Escalante for the winning run.

Alexis Pickett, White and Shore were honored on Senior Day. UCR heads out on the road to take on Cal State Northridge this week in Big West Conference play.

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Golf earns strong fourth-place finish at Big West Tournament K e n da l l P e t e r s o n SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Women’s golf traveled to San Luis Obispo, Calif. and participated in the Big West Tournament from April 21-23. The team ended its year with a surprising fourth-place finish in the tournament.

The Highlanders showed their dedication and drive to win after starting off the tournament in seventh place with a score of 325. In the second round, the team buckled down and shot a 311 that moved them up one spot and then on the final day the team shot 304 for its fourth-place spot.

Coach Eric Riehle was asked about the team’s performance in the tournament and how they improved in each round. Riehle responded, “I couldn’t be more proud and pleased with the teams finish in this year’s Big West Conference Championship. Our team goal this week was to finish in fourth place, keeping in mind that the program had never finished in the top half of the conference since UC Riverside added women’s golf in 2001.”

The last time the Highlanders finished in the top-five was in the 2007 season when UCR finished

third.

The coach was very satisfied with how the team showed its competitive drive and the will to never run out of gas. “Even after an average first round, the team responded with focus and toughness and played two of their best rounds of the year under the most pressure that we have faced. As was the case most of this season we were lead by Top-15 finishes from Amelia Ek, Savannah Vilaubi and Brittani Ferraro,” Coach Riehle said.

The team’s top performers did not let the school down as they performed well at a high level of competitiveness. Ek started off slow in the first round, firing a 82 but came back in round two, shooting a 77 and then a 72 in the final round. Ek finished with a combined score of 231 (82-7772) to place 15th.

Vilaubi ended as the top competitor for the Highlanders, finishing tied for 10th with a score of 229 (77-74-78). Vilaubi was six strokes back from third place, which was held by UC Davis’ Beverly Vatananugulkit. Hannah Lee finished 34th with a score of 251 (88-83-80) and Christy Fogerty scored 252 (87-84-81) for

36th place.

The first-year Coach Riehle had was a success. He reflected on his season saying, “[There were] several highs and very few lows. It was great to see the player progression beginning

from our first few practices in September transitioned to the performances at the conference championship.”

“My goals as a coach were to get the program turned in the right direction, engage the

players, and provide them with a great student athlete experience,” Riehle stated. “And I believe that our coaching staff did that. Everyone a part of UC Riverside golf is excited for the coming years.”

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C o u rt e s y

of

B i g W e s t C o n f e r e nc e

Senior Amelia Ek swings at the Red Rocks Invitational in Sedona, Ariz. this March.