Highlander University
Volume 63
of
C a l i f o r n i a , R ive r s i d e
Serving the UCR community since 1954
Issue 17
FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 10, 2015
Child Development Center Building reopens AARON GRECH Senior Staff Writer
The Child Development Center (CDC) reopened Building A on Feb. 2, four months after its closure last October due to a mold infestation. Children attending the CDC daycare who previously had to relocate to either Building B or the community center in UCR Family Housing have returned to their respective buildings. The reopening of the facility was delayed several times, with Dec. 6 and Jan. 26 both given as dates for the opening. This delay was caused by the building not passing final inspections until the latter deadline, according to Director of Media Relations Kris Lovekin. While the building was closed, the center had to accommodate an influx of children being added to classrooms in Building B. According to Julia Stewart, a student parent and fourth-year ethnic studies major, teacher-student ratios went from 1-to-6 to 1-to-8, which was problematic. “With such large ratios, I felt that my child and others were not getting the attention they need. The sleeping space was really crowded and there was no room to effectively roam,” Stewart explained. In addition, Sharee Hughes, a fourth-year psychology law and society major and student parent program assistant at the Women’s Resource Center, felt that the center was not being transparent at the time of Building A’s closure back in October. According to Hughes, this changed when students spoke up about the lack of
WRITER’S WEEK 2015 Multiple writers gathered at UCR for Writer’s Week to share their works and insights.
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AARON LAI / HIGHLANDER
CRIME WATCH
Two armed robberies strike near UCR SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer
Two crimes occurred within two days near UCR last week. UCPD has yet to determine whether the crimes are connected to one another and are currently investigating both incidents.
Located near the intersection of Canyon Crest Drive and Blaine Street, the first crime occurred at 11:20 p.m. on Feb. 1. Two females were taking out groceries from their car when they were approached by two suspects who robbed them of their cell phones and cash. One suspect was armed with a handgun, but the victims were not hurt. The suspects ran north on Canyon Crest Drive and could not be found by police who arrived soon after. Two days later, on Feb. 3, another crime occurred at 11:45 a.m. in front of Oban apart-
► SEE CDC, PAGE 6
ments. A female victim was walking on Linden Street when a suspect grabbed her phone from her hand and escaped. While pursuing the suspect, the victim stopped when she was threatened with what she believed to be a knife. The victim immediately went to the UCPD police station and reported the crime. “Cell phones continue to be a frequently stolen item. UCPD encourages our community to be alert to the fact that small electronic devices are seen as items of value for criminals and should be treated accordingly,” read a H UCPD email to the campus. ■
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ASUCR to educate community on safer encounters with police AMY ZAHN Senior Staff Writer
ASUCR passed a resolution intended to improve the relationship between law enforcement and the campus community at their most recent meeting in the hopes of making officer-citizen relations safer. Authored by Senator Akeem Brown, the Community Law Enforcement Education Act allocates $1,000 to create a campaign that educates the campus community about the cultural and ethnic diversity training that police officers in California receive. The campaign will also educate the community on “best practices” to engage in when interacting with a police officer to make the encounter safer for all parties. In addition, Brown hopes to use this resolution to gain support in the California state legislature to require officer training every three years instead of the current requirement of every five years, as mandated in penal code 13519.4. The resolution stems from recent deaths associated with police violence — such as the shooting of African-American teenager Michael Brown — and supersedes a past resolution in December which urged UCPD to require ethnic and gender studies courses, since senators discovered that California police officers are already required to take such courses. Now, Brown has turned his attention on educating the community. “If a cop tells you ► SEE ASUCR, PAGE 4
MATT HONG / HIGHLANDER
VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER
UCR’TS Walk
ASUCR
Women’s basketball
NEWS 1 • OPINIONS 7 • FEATURES 10 • A&E 15 • SPORTS 24
24 PLEASE RECYCLE