COMEDY APOCALYPSE Comedy Apocalypse XII is full of fun and laughter.
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The debate lights up with a write-off over medical marijuana on the Riverside ballot. 8
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 20
FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, MARCH 3, 2015
ASUCR
ASUCR proposes constitution overhaul
Physical planning study sees room to grow
AMY ZAHN Senior Staff Writer
ASUCR passed a series of constitutional amendments at last week’s senate meeting that they hope will be ratified by students during the 2015 elections. The amendments would make it easier to recall elected officials, and also seek to change the selection process for two key executive branch positions, effectively shifting power away from the executive branch. Currently, ASUCR officials can only be removed through a lengthy process which requires student signatures from at least 10 percent of the college the official represents, and 50 percent of the total senators from the same college. “There’s no reason why it should be a ton of work for somebody else to remove somebody who’s not doing their work,” said Vice President of External Affairs Abraham Galvan, who introduced the package of amendments. The amendments require accused members of the legislative and executive branches to be brought up on charges by just one member of their respective branch, ► SEE ASUCR, PAGE 3
LYDIA TSOU / HIGHLANDER Group members actively listen while others voice their opinions and concerns at one of the two planning workshops.
COLIN MARKOVICH Senior Staff Writer
UCR held two planning workshops to seek the input of the campus community in determining the future of physical space on campus last Tuesday, Feb. 24. The first workshop, held in the HUB, was designed for students, staff and faculty while the second was
SEE WHO COMES OUT ON TOP AT
BATTLE OF THE BANDS 17
intended for community members and held in the University Extension Center. The workshops are part of a yearlong physical master plan study to identify the preferences of the campus community and explore the possibilities available for campus growth and expansion. Common themes expressed in both workshops included the
need for a larger landmark to identify the entrances to campus, renovating older buildings or constructing new ones near the Bell Tower and increasing access to parking. Meanwhile, many attendees expressed dissatisfaction with Lot 30, the University Village and the intersections near the
THE LAB
Grant studies fish exposed to oil spills AARON GRECH Senior Staff Writer
UCR researchers will receive $835,000 of a $9 million grant over a span of three years to study the cardiovascular effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on two species of fish, the coastal redfish and pelagic mahi mahi. The rest of the grant will go to the University of Miami — who is leading the project — along with the University of Texas at Austin and the University of North Texas. The grant, entitled Relationship of Effects of Cardiac Outcomes in Fish for Validation of Ecological Risk (RECOVER) is part of British Petroleum’s (BP) $500 million 10-year Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GOMRI). This initiative is a response to the 2010 BP oil spill, which occurred when a BP oil rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 workers and causing an environmental crisis. GOMRI is sponsoring five different types of grants ranging from $1.5 million to $110 million to research how the oil spill has affected the gulf’s ecosystem and the health of oil rig workers. Daniel Schlenk, a UCR environmental science
► SEE PHYSICAL PLANNING, PAGE 4
► SEE OIL SPILL, PAGE 4
[ NATALIE SHEVCHENKO ] STUDENT SPOTLIGHT First-year student and professional ballroom dancer Natalie Shevchenko represents UCR nationwide.
9 NEWS 1 • OPINIONS 5 • FEATURES 9 • A&E 13 • SPORTS 20
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