Volume 63 Issue 21

2015

Artists bring the fire to UCR’s HEAT music festival and don’t disappoint.

12-13

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 21

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

ASUCR

Senate passes resolution to help feed hungry students AARON GRECH Senior Staff Writer

The audience was packed at the most recent ASUCR meeting as numerous student organizations including Providing Opportunities, Dreams and Education in Riverside (PODER), urged ASUCR to approve the creation of a food pantry on campus to help alleviate food expenses for students.

After a lengthy presentation and discussion, ASUCR unanimously approved a resolution that would create a development committee with the pantry’s co-sponsors.

Co-sponsors included Undocumented Student Programs and the UC Global Food Initiative which provided $2,000 and $2,500 for the pantry, respectively. After the resolution was passed, Vice ► SEE ASUCR, PAGE 6

Transparency, organization of R’Gear draw criticism AMY ZAHN Senior Staff Writer

As ASUCR’s R’Gear initiative draws to a close, controversies have surfaced regarding what has been perceived as poor organization, a lack of transparency and questionable labor practices in the student government’s effort to boost campus pride by giving out free sweatshirts.

While R’Gear’s initial release for freshmen on Feb. 18 ran smoothly, the extended release last Wednesday, the first day of a three-day event in which upperclassmen were invited to pick up a sweatshirt, sparked members of ASUCR to voice their concerns at their meeting on the same day.

“I noticed chaos,” said Senator Herman Sangha about Wednesday’s event. He and other ASUCR members noted BRI CHEW / HIGHLANDER UCR freshmen eagerly pick up their free sweaters provided by ASUCR through the R’Gear event.

► SEE R’GEAR, PAGE 6

CRIME WATCH

Suspect attacks police, arrested at A-I Three officers injured in possibly drug-fueled altercation AMY ZAHN Senior Staff Writer

AARON LAI / HIGHLANDER More out-of-state students may be taking classes in UCR lecture halls under UC President Janet Napolitano’s new proposal.

UC may restrict out-of-state enrollment SANDY VAN Senior Staff Writer

Nonresident enrollment — including out-of-state and international students — at UCLA and UC Berkeley will be capped for the upcoming fall quarter unless additional state appropriations are

made, according to UC President Janet Napolitano. UC San Diego will also be limited to a nonresident enrollment rate of no more than 20 percent. Meanwhile, all other UCs will be required to keep their in-state enrollment flat. ► SEE ENROLLMENT CAP, PAGE 6

Two police officers were called to AberdeenInverness (A-I) Residence Hall at 7 p.m. on Feb. 28 to investigate a “suspicious individual” who was acting strangely.

The individual, described as an adult Asian male, arrived at the A-I lobby at around 6:50 p.m. and began yelling profanity. When asked if he needed help by the staff, he ran out of the lobby.

When the police arrived, the suspect was “sweating profusely, seemed to stare past the officers and was incoherent when he spoke,” according to UCPD Assistant Chief of Police John Freese.

Upon being approached by the three officers who responded to the call, the suspect immediately attacked them, pushing and shoving, and had to be wrestled to the ground before being arrested and taken to a hospital to be tested for illegal drugs. All three officers suffered “minor scrapes and bruises,” according to Freese.

“We encourage everyone in our community to call 911 immediately if they observe anyone they feel may become violent or poses a threat to safety,” said Freese.

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NEWS 1 • OPINIONS 7 • A&E 11 • FEATURES 17 • SPORTS 24

SEMANA DE LA MUJER Semana de la Mujer celebrates and empowers women with a week of events. Playwright Josephina Lopez comes to UCR to encourage women to embrace and be strong. p. 17 PLEASE RECYCLE

2

NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

NEWS IN BRIEF

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

COMPILED BY SANDY VAN & AMY ZAHN, SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

State assembly member proposes tech-savvy UC campus Assemblyman Mike Gatto (D-Glendale) has proposed a bill to create an 11th UC campus geared toward science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM), despite general concerns about the university system’s current financial state. Gatto envisions “UC Tech” to be the UC equivalent of the private California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

AB 1483 would require $50 million for land acqui-

sition and start-up costs for infrastructure. Passage of the bill would also help kickstart a study to determine whether the plan is feasible and possible locations for the campus.

UC Merced was the most recent campus to open back in 2005, but the process took close to 20 years after the UC Board of Regents voted to establish the campus. It has also faced challenges of campus expansion due to the lack of funding.

The bill comes at a time

when UC President Janet Napolitano and Gov. Jerry Brown are still negotiating over how much state funding should be appropriated to the UC. The growing state surplus can be used to support the new UC with the goals of filling the overall demand for STEAM jobs, according to Gatto. Possible locations pitched for the new campus have included somewhere in Los Angeles or near Silicon Valley.

Bill aims to cap UC compensation A state assembly bill aims to cap executive compensation at $500,000 and save $80 million per year through reforms sought by Gov. Jerry Brown.

AB 837 is being sponsored

by Assemblyman Roger Hernandez (D-West Covina) and supported by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), one of the largest trade unions representing public employees nationwide.

“Less spending on UC’s bloated executive ranks means

more resources will be available for students,” said Hernandez. “This bill is directed towards a very small percentage of UC employees that take up a large portion of the UC budget, student funds and taxpayer dollars.”

Over 300 UC employees earned more than $500,000 and the top five earning employees were coaches, according to 2013 UC data. The UC has not taken a position on the bill, but UC Media Specialist Shelly Meron said 3 percent

of UC’s 195,000 employees earn more than $200,000, and among those who do, 81 percent are faculty.

Meron says that 37 percent of the funding for systemwide compensation came from clinical revenue and other sources associated with medical and dental compensation. 23 percent came from general funds and tuition, and 4 percent from student fees. The remaining funds came from the federal government, private contracts, grants and gifts.

COURTESY OF UCR TODAY

Grant to help women leaders in higher education UCR Professor of Anthropology and Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Excellence Yolanda Moses has been awarded a $346,500 grant from the Ford Foundation to address the lack of women in leadership roles in higher education in countries emerging from war.

The grant will fund a meeting in April at UCR to plan a 10-day conference for women in university leadership positions in war-torn nations across the world. The conference is set to be held in Riverside in late 2016. The grant will also fund part of

the conference.

The conference will focus on training women in university leadership roles to understand violence and sources of conflict, the challenges of rebuilding nations ravaged by war and how to improve organizational and management skills.

“In some cases, universities may be the only places where conversations can take place that may promote the change needed to prevent on-going cycles of violence,” Moses told UCR Today about the importance of having women in these roles.

■H

ONLINE IN NEWS 3/10:“Grant to study citrus greening; Progress of street construction; UC-Mexico Initiative furthered PHOTO OF THE WEEK

QUOTEBOOK “It’s no longer just trying to find a signature of life on Mars … now it’s about this virtually unlimited possibility of planets that are out there.”

- UCR biogeochemistry professor Timothy Lyons on his current research

MULTIMEDIA

f

UCR Highlander Newspaper @ucrhighlander UCRChannelH

TIM BACA

KUCR 88.3 FM, Wednesdays @ 9 a.m.

STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

“Hand Shaking Red Water Bottle”

UPCOMING EVENTS

WINTER 2015, WEEK 10

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

3/10

3/11

3/12

3/13

3/14

3/15

3/16

Jan Veizer, Unversity of Ottawa 4 p.m. - 5 p.m.

Chung Hall 205/206

Therapy Fluffies - Pet a Therapy Animal 11:30 a.m. - 2 p.m.

Bell Tower

Avoiding Plagiarism 2 - 3 p.m.

Orbach Science Library 122

Walk with the Mayor and Start RIGHT 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Bonaminio Park

Wellness Wednesday: Art & Soul - Tea Mug Decorating 4 - 6 p.m.

HUB 269

St. Patrick’s Day Dance 4 - 6 p.m.

Bryant Park

The Healthy Smoothie Class 10 - 11 a.m.

Necessary Nutrition Academy

“Skipping Church” Luncheon 12:30 p.m. - 3 p.m.

Riverside Main Library Downtown Family movie 2 - 4 p.m.

La Sierra Library

No events.

Tuesday Talk: Let’s Talk About Sex! 5 - 6 p.m.

Costo Hall 245

Recovery of HighDimensional Low-Rank Matrices 3:45 - 4:45 p.m.

Olmsted Hall 420 UCR Jazz Ensemble 8 - 9:30 p.m.

ARTS 157

4

NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

ASUCR Elections: Application deadline extended

VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER More candidates for ASUCR could join the race now that the filing deadline has been extended.

meetings on mondays, 5:15 p.m. @ hub 101

Elections may be less competitive this year than in the previous year, with less than half of the amount of candidates running for office compared to last year. With this extension, competition could increase if more students choose to run.

“The competition was positive in the sense that it made people want to go out and vote. In turn, the campus climate shifted where I feel that students weren’t as excited to vote because they felt overwhelmed by it,” Rose stated in regards to last year’s campaign.

Due to a large turnout at the candidate workshops, Rose believed that many students were interested in running.

“I did have over 50 to 60 students who came to my mandatory candidate meetings. That means a lot of students were actually interested, but only 32 went forward with applying,” Rose explained before the announcement was made.

Rose will release a finalized list of all candidates and running parties after applications close on March 13.

■H

for the highlander newspaper

The application deadline to run in the 2015 ASUCR elections has been extended from Feb. 27 to March 13 due to a pending judicial decision regarding a candidate. This allows time for potential candidates to form a party, change their candidacy or party affiliation, or apply for candidacy if they are interested in running in elections.

According to Elections Director Stephanie Rose, the judicial branch asked her to extend the deadline due to an ongoing judicial case. No additional information was provided due to the alleged sensitivity of the information and in accordance with the ASUCR Constitution, which states that the judicial branch cannot comment on pending cases.

Melina Reyes, vice chief justice, stated that the case will be resolved during closed session at the next judicial branch meeting on March 11. Reyes said that a public statement regarding the case

“would likely depend upon our decision whether or not to give a strike, or the accused’s decision to appeal (the case).”

Reyes elaborated on the challenges of balancing private and public information, especially in regards to judicial cases. “We want to be able to facilitate transparency as much as possible, but that is not always possible when we deal with sensitive and private information,” Reyes stated.

The justices have not posted any information regarding the justices or meeting times on their new website. Ravin Rathod, marketing and promotions director, stated that the judges can be reached through email at asucrjustice@ucr.edu.

Before the announcement was made, virtually all executive cabinet (ECAB) positions — with the exception of the vice president of external affairs — ran unopposed, with 24 out of the 32 candidates running with the [YOUR]SIDE political party and the rest running as independents.

write. shoot. design.

AARON GRECH Senior Staff Writer

NEWS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

UCR professor recognized as 2015 Geochemical Fellow BRANDY COATS Senior Staff Writer

Distinguished biogeochemistry professor Timothy Lyons has been honored as a 2015 Geochemical Fellow by the Geochemical Society (GS) and the European Association of Geochemistry (EAG). He is one of 10 professors this year to be selected from different universities around the world, and was given this title due to his career-long contributions to geochemical research.

“The GS and the EAG are by far the preeminent communities of geochemistry in the world,” Lyons stated. “To be picked in a given year to be one of the 10 recognized for a lifetime of achievement is a pretty big deal and so I’m thrilled.”

The Geochemical Fellow title was established in 1996 jointly by the GS and EAG, both of which promote geochemistry-related research. A board comprised of international scientists selects the recipients of the award.

Lyons attributes his success to his research team, including graduate students and postdoctorates at UCR. “Your success is largely based on making smart decisions of the people you put around you.

THE LAB, CONT’D

UCR researchers help design the next generation of batteries AMY ZAHN Senior Staff Writer

UCR researchers have made strides in preparing a battery with 10 times more power than conventional batteries for commercialization. The research team has found a way to combat the lithium-sulfur (Li-S) battery’s short lifespan, one of the major obstacles to Li-S batteries becoming widely available.

Every battery contains two electrodes, the negative anode (the “minus side”) and the positive cathode (the “plus side”). A

BRANDY COATS / HIGHLANDER UCR Professor of Biogeochemistry Timothy Lyons uses chemical methods to study Earth’s ancient ocean regarding possible life on extrasolar planets.

I’ve been really fortunate about that. That makes an award that’s really an award that’s earned by a lot of people,” he said.

Lyons noted that his closest collaborator for the past 15 years was also one of the 10 awardees, in addition to a classmate from his time at Yale University.

Lyons currently works for the earth sciences department at UC Riverside. His research involves using chemical methods to understand the composition, particularly the amount of oxygen, in Earth’s early ocean. Recently, his team was awarded a near-$8

million grant to look for life on planets beyond the solar system.

“NASA is allowing us to use our studies of the early Earth … to make inferences about planets that are literally light years away … It’s looking beneath our feet at our history so that we can look overhead to see what’s possible,” Lyons said.

Lyons recalls having an early interest in geology and collecting minerals as a child. Inspiration also came from famous geochemist Robert Berner, whom Lyons studied the Black Sea with while at Yale University. “Oceans

without oxygen were very common in the past,” he said. “It’s a very special kind of life that lives in the absence of oxygen.”

Lyons also provided encouragement for undergraduate students in science fields. “The luckiest people in the sciences or in life are the ones who find something they really love and can make a living at,” he expressed.

“In an academic career especially, the return on investment is so tangible. It’s this idea of discovery, being able to do something that nobody else has ever done before,” he said.

■H

battery has separate pathways for electrons and ions to move, operating by either charging, where ions travel to the negative side, or discharging, where ions travel to the positive side.

When the battery is discharged, the lithium ions react with the sulfur cathode and produce polysulfide.

A Li-S battery’s lifespan is so short because the polysulfide dissolves in the battery’s electrolyte — the liquid in the battery that conducts electricity and lies between the two electrodes — and travels to the anode permanently where it becomes insoluble. This phenomenon, called polysulfide shuttling, causes the battery’s capacity to decrease over time, lasting for only a few tens of charges.

The team, managed by engineering professors Mihri and

Cengiz Ozkan, targeted this obstacle. They created microscopic glass-coated sulfur particles to trap the polysulfide product, rendering it unable to travel to and deposit itself on the anode.

Graphene oxide was later added to hold the glass and sulfur together, since the glass showed a tendency to break during the cycle. This eliminates the problem of polysulfide shuttling, increasing the battery’s lifespan from 10 percent to 50 percent of a conventional battery’s.

According to Brennan Campbell, the engineering graduate student who designed the experiments and first author of the research paper, many companies are looking to use Li-S batteries for electric vehicles and military machinery in the future.

“It is obvious to most of us that there are serious issues

humanity will face in terms of energy supply, management, storage and consumption.”

Campbell said about the importance of the project.

But despite the team’s successes, there are other issues standing in the way of these batteries’ commercialization.

“Safety is a major concern in any battery system, especially for batteries to be used in electric vehicles,” said Mihri Ozkan. Campbell explained that a pure lithium anode is necessary to maximize the energy between lithium and sulfur, and this introduces a risk of the battery catching fire.

Regardless, the team remains optimistic about their commercial future. “Li-S batteries are the next wave of high performing batteries,” said Mihri Ozkan.

■H

5

6

NEWS

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

► ENROLLMENT CAP FROM PAGE 1

“Absent (of) additional funding, UC is not in a financial position to absorb more California students beyond those we currently serve. As such, campuses have been instructed to keep their enrollment of California students flat, meaning that we are not in a position to add additional California resident students for whom there is no additional state support,” Napolitano said to a state assembly budget subcommittee on education finance.

In the last five years, the UC has attempted to make up for limited state funding by garnering additional revenue through out-of-state tuition. The 2014-15 freshman class revealed nonresident enrollment at 30 percent for UCLA and 28.8 percent at UC Berkeley, which served as the highest systemwide.

All other UCs have an average of 6 percent, according to UC Media Specialist Shelly Meron.

Napolitano is planning to exact an annual tuition increase of up to 5 percent for five years if $220 million in additional state funding does not come through. Governor Jerry Brown is planning to allocate a little more than half that amount, which hinges on the UC freezing tuition and capping out-of-state enrollment for the following year. Both are in the midst of ongoing negotiations over the amount of state appropriations for the UC. Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) held concerns over the UC’s spending priorities, remarking frustrations over the UC’s attempts “to use students as bargaining chips by agreeing to admit 2,000 new out of state students, but threatening to limit the enrollment of new California students.”

She furthered that the UC has the responsibility “to educate California students, not waitlist them.”

The Riverside Faculty Association (RFA) representing

► ASUCR FROM PAGE 1

Chancellor of Student Affairs James Sandoval pledged an additional $10,000 for the program. Despite showing support for the initiative, ASUCR did not state whether they would fund the pantry in the resolution.

According to a 2012 UC undergraduate survey, 35 percent of UCR students claimed that they skipped meals to save money. In response, Daniel Lopez, a fellow from the UC Global Food Initiative and third-year business student, modeled the resolution after a similar initiative made by UC Student Regent Sadia Saifuddin.

“Because of rising tuition, increased book costs, as well as living expenses, a lot of students were left to decide whether they wanted to feed themselves or to continue going to school because food is usually the first of all expenses to go,” Lopez stated.

While senators were receptive of the resolution, there were issues regarding the location of the pantry. Senator Reem Blaik supported using the ASUCR kitchen, stating, “There are a lot of things we do not use and I would like to see those things removed since ► R’GEAR FROM PAGE 1

occurrences they witnessed such as line-cutting and students being misinformed about whether they were guaranteed a sweatshirt.

UCR faculty members supported the plan to cap out-ofstate enrollment as long as California students are given additional spots for admissions. RFA continues to be a strong opponent of tuition hikes.

Chair of RFA Patricia Morton also pointed out that higher tuition paid by out-ofstate students only benefits the campus admitting them as opposed to the whole UC system. “By admitting more than 20% of its freshman class from out of state, Berkeley and UCLA have reaped a windfall that is not available to campuses like UCR, which has a harder time recruiting non-residents,” she expressed.

ASUCR Senator Summer Shafer believes that increasing student participation should be a priority during ongoing negotiations.

“I think that the focus from both parties should be finding sustainable funding, and not how different factors can be used as a political advantage,” Shafer said.

■H

we do attend a campus that desperately needs this pantry.”

Vice President of External Affairs Abraham Galvan was worried that using ASUCR office spaces could create problems. “There would be a lot of traffic coming through AS (offices) and would bring problems with anonymity as students would have to cross through there,” Galvan elaborated.

Galvan also urged ASUCR to create a committee that would look for potential pantry locations and to see if funding the project is feasible. The development committee was added as an amendment to the resolution, which was approved.

Arturo Gomez, a second-year political science major, criticized the decision to fund initiatives such as R’Gear as opposed to the food pantry. “From what I’ve heard from friends, this is a $40,000 (sic) expenditure that could have been used to fund the food pantry, which is something of high priority to our students who are skipping meals to save money,” Gomez said.

■H Full video coverage of ASUCR senate meetings is available online at youtube.com/UCRChannelH.

While ASUCR President and R’Gear organizer Nafi Karim was not present at the senate meeting because he was cleaning up after the release, he expressed his views later in an interview.

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER CHASS Senator Summer Shafer expresses her concern about students not being able to involve themselves enough in the conversations surrounding enrollment caps.

Members of the senate organize their final thoughts before the start of the meeting.

MATT HONG / HIGHLANDER

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Elections Director Stephanie Rose announced that the application deadline for ASUCR candidates has been extended until March 13.

- Feminism Awareness Week, an event to clarify rumors regarding feminism and gender equality, has been pushed back until April.

- ASUCR approved a $3,686 allocation to improve the community garden.

He said that he was “pleasantly surprised, yet taken back a bit” at the event’s unexpected popularity, adding that additional volunteers were sought after the first half-hour to accommodate the high turnout.

Corey Willis, a secondyear anthropology major who volunteered at the event, stated that he did not witness many instances of line-cutting or much disorganization, saying that out of the thousands of students who participated, only 68 did not receive sweatshirts.

Karim also explained that students who did not fill out the online form by 11:45 a.m. that ASUCR had emailed to the student body last Tuesday could not be guaranteed a sweatshirt since demand would have exceeded supplies were this rule to be broken.

“This was our first year (implementing R’Gear), Karim said. “There was nothing that I could have based this on,” he continued, but conceded that the event could have been handled better.

Concerns were also raised when individuals such as Senator Akeem Brown and Outreach Director Jessica Urquidez noted that the sweatshirts’ tags read “Made in Honduras,” after Karim promised that he had ordered the sweatshirts locally to avoid sweatshops.

Karim explained that he rejected several overseas vendors, including one in Bangladesh that offered a price of $4.40 per

sweatshirt in favor of a local Riverside vendor at a price of $7.30 per sweatshirt. Additional fees for colors and graphics increased the price per sweatshirt to $9.21.

Although this vendor works with Hanes, a clothing company that contracts in Honduras, both companies guarantee safe labor practices.

Several members of ASUCR also felt left out of many parts of the process and expressed concerns over the high cost of the initiative.

“One of my main concerns is the transparency behind it,” said Brown, echoing Urquidez’s concerns. “I still have not seen the minutes from the summer,” he continued, referring to a summer executive cabinet meeting — which the senate does not attend — during which the cost of R’Gear was approved. While ASUCR eventually shared the minutes at the request of Highlander, as of press time, they have yet to be posted publicly. The minutes, however, only contain information about the initial stages of the R’Gear program.

The total cost of the project was $51,601.86, nearly $10,000 higher than the initial estimate of $43,800 that Karim gave the Highlander.

He attributed this discrepancy to being unsure of the cost at the time, and later noted that R’Gear only took up about 3.2 percent of ASUCR’s overall budget.

He also pointed out that while the senate did not attend the summer meeting, they approved

the minutes, which listed the cost.

“That was not hidden at all,” he said, adding that he offered to meet one-on-one with senators to discuss project updates.

Sangha, however, was not satisfied. “The senate was ‘informed’ on all of actions taken by the Executive Cabinet during their (meeting),” he said, but noted that the minutes were missing information such as directors’ reports. “I question the legitimacy of the minutes,” he continued.

“The senate was informed of all of these actions when we informally met week 1 … (but) I never was once asked for my input on R’gear.”

Mayra Guardado, an upperclassman who picked up her sweatshirt last Friday, did not experience difficulties with the event itself, but changed her opinion of the initiative when she found out how much it cost.

“That money could have been used for scholarships and grants for students,” she said. “If I would have known (the cost), I would have been like ‘why are you giving out free stuff like this?’”

While several members of ASUCR still support the initiative, others remain unconvinced.

“I don’t think it is fair that we spent 53,000 plus dollars (sic) on this initiative that is not being implemented correctly,” said Sangha.

■H Contributions made by Aaron Grech

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

Opinions

7

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R’ELECTIONS REFLECT ON US

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T

he Associated Students of UCR (ASUCR) elections are coming up in the first week of spring quarter, meaning that there will soon be campaigns for the positions available on the students’ representative body. The campaign season also means that students are about to be exposed to the best and worst of what an electoral campaign can offer.

Not only do the participants for this year have an opportunity to show our campus what they are prepared to do to make UCR’s future better, but they show us what kind of people the candidates are in the interviews, debates and everything in between. Coming off the heels of one of the most participated-in ASUCR elections in the 2013-14 school year, UCR needs to ask itself how the spirit of these elections can be held up as a symbol of pride for the school.

Though popular in its turnout, the unprofessional campaigning, mudslinging and general misconduct during last year’s campaign surely reflect poorly on a campus so focused on harboring increased school spirit. In order to improve, however, these issues with last year’s elections must be addressed, while also continuing what went well with the last elections, figuring out what made them one of the greatestturnout campaigns that have gone on for ASUCR. As has already been addressed, unprofessional campaigning was the primary problem in the last election cycle.

Candidates for office relied heavily upon the use of popular Internet memes to garner votes. While on the surface this may have seemed like an inventive and clever way to appeal to voters’ collective sense of humor, that was all it did.

Meme campaigns didn’t serve to express a party’s goals, or that of their candidates.

Instead, the attempt at wide Internet appeal

MATT HONG / HIGHLANDER

only managed to obfuscate what the parties stood for and what platforms they wished to bring to ASUCR. This isn’t to say that the elections should be without levity, but the primary focus of every campaign should always be to rally individuals behind solid stances on issues concerning UCR, and appealing to our redditing habits only manages to make a mockery of that.

In this same vein, over-saturation and over-expenditure on campaign materials led to posters and other promotional materials proliferating around the school, making every walk to class look like an advertisement for the parties in ASUCR’s elections. While it is good to see that the candidates are so eager to participate in making UCR a better environment for students, the massive amounts of party propaganda only became a source of controversy, as parties allegedly began to vandalize or otherwise tear down their opponents’ materials.

Preventing this simply comes down to creating a higher standard for our candidates, and ourselves as educated voters. Candidates need to realize that sometimes, saying more with less can show a level of resourcefulness that should be encouraged with student politics.

Using less posters with more concentrated information for the viewer would leave little doubt in the voters’ minds as to whether the person to whom the material belongs is the right person for the job.

A expense ceiling could also be useful to this end. ASUCR candidates are required to receive approval for their campaign purchases, but limiting these expenditures would doubtless be a step in leveling the politicking playing field. On top of this, more stringent limitations as to where campaign materials can be exhibited would also allow for a more amicable race, as each contender would only be given an allotted space. This would discourage

vandalism, if only because the campaign arena is perfectly balanced.

Though this may seem like an arbitrary step when the election committee (as an all-volunteer committee) has nowhere near the manpower to enforce the expenditure ceiling and the limited posting space, it is at this point that we as students of UCR must hold ourselves to a higher standard, as well as the candidates who wish to represent us. For a fair election to occur, we must be vigilant and understand that anybody willing to break these rules and cut these corners isn’t the person we want in charge of the student initiatives to enact change at the UC. All that remains to be fixed once these few changes are implemented is increasing transparency during the drives for election.

Parties and candidates in the last election rallied behind slogans and catchphrases, blurring the politics under which they ran.

While this upcoming election doesn’t have multiple parties competing against each other, it is still important that candidates represent themselves in such a way that they exist beyond their platitudes. However, like the other solutions, this responsibility falls on both the candidate vying for office, and the student body to enforce.

As Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” It is time for UCR to take that advice. We are the future movers and shakers of the world, so let us set a precedent in the here and now to see changes in the way that the country handles politics, holding not only our representatives to higher standards, but ourselves as voters too.

■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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Contact Opinions Editor Jameson Adame at opinions@ highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letter can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements.

LEGAL The Highlander is published and copyrighted by the Highlander for the students, faculty and staff of UCR. All rights are reserved. Reprinting of any material in this publication without the written permission of the Highlander is strictly prohibited. Readers are allowed one free copy of the newspaper. For additional copies or for subscription information, please contact the Highlander. The Highlander fully supports the University of California’s policy on nondiscrimination. The student media reserve the right to reject or modify advertising whose content discriminates on the basis of ancestry, color, national origin, race, religion, disability, age, sex or sexual orientation. The Highlander has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints against it. All inserts that are printed in the Highlander are independently paid publications and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the staff or The University of California or the Associated Students of UCR.

8

OPINIONS

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

Opinion Poll What are your spring break plans?

C ompiled

by

J aspery G oh

Kaitlyn Leung Chemistry First-year

Jay Amano Pre-Business First-year

Alyssa Molina Comparative Literature Second-year

Ramiro Zuniga Mathematics Second-year

Bianca Neño Biology First-year

Shreya Mahaarna Molecular Biology First-year

“Staying in the dorm, because international students’ spring break is too short to go back to my country. Maybe I’ll go to Irvine or San Diego.”

“For spring break, (I’ll) probably just hanging with friends, hanging out with family, just relaxing, taking my stress away after all these tests.”

“I recently joined Model Unted Nations here on campus, and for spring break there is actually a conference in New York that I will be attending.”

“My plans for spring break is to spend with my family, because I haven’t seen them in awhile.”

“Probably just relax, watch some movies, and then just go to the beach, do some shopping or something fun or something that will get my mind off of school.”

“My plans for spring break are probably to see my best friend who’s coming back from Northwestern, so I’ll be spending all of my break with her.”

► See more at Youtube.com/UCRChannelH

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: The importance of teaching after college F rom TR i O S cholars peer mentor , T each for A merica corps member and UCR student B randon W alke Growing up in Inglewood, I often wondered about my future. My mother died when I was five and my father was not a stable presence in my life. I was raised by my grandmother and three aunts, all of whom were raising their own kids by themselves. Despite the challenges I faced, my grandmother always told me that the one opportunity I had control over to make my life better was education. With that in mind, I kept pushing myself forward in school even when it was tough – determined to make my family proud.

After graduating high school I enrolled at UC-Riverside, excited and honored to be the first in my family to pursue higher education. But as I set foot on campus those first few weeks, I began to question whether or not I was capable

of staying here. I counted up all the ‘strikes’ I thought I had against me that made me less deserving of a spot in college: black, male, lowincome, and first-generation college student. I was further unsettled by the lack of people who looked like me I saw on campus. I often wondered -why was I the only person of color in some of my classes?

Why did black men seem to be an endangered species on my campus? And most importantly, what made my path so different from many of the students of color I went to high school with? Why had I made it to college when so many of them had not?

These questions penetrated every corner of my mind until I began to seek answers. I got involved with student government on my campus

and tapped into my power as both student and citizen – a constituent who can enact change. As I grew and progressed at UCR my experiences with the student government, opportunities abroad, professional development, and interactions with my community taught me to be much more confident in who I am.

After graduating, I landed a full-time internship in the corporate world that put me on the path to achieving my ultimate goal of financially supporting my family. But I quickly realized that driving sales in red and khaki was not for me. I felt unfulfilled. So later that year, I secured an internship with an education organization in Washington, D.C. As I learned more about the current state of education

and the inequity that plagues our system, I knew it was the cause I would take up as my own.

Too often, ‘getting out’ is the goal for people who grow up in communities like mine.

But, over time, I’ve realized that as a first-generation college-educated black male, I have to do the opposite. I need to get back in, to move home to California and help kids growing up in circumstances like mine unleash their potential and create the bright futures they deserve.

So, next year I will enter the classroom to teach secondary history in my hometown of Los Angeles. This work will be incredibly difficult. The responsibility I have to help my students achieve big goals and support them on the way to getting there is the most serious

I have ever taken on. But the stakes are too high to just walk away. My grandmother taught me that education was the key to rising above my circumstances.

Now, it is my responsibility to teach the next generation the same crucial lesson.

As I transition from “Brandon” the student to “Mr. Walke” the teacher, I know I will need to work in close partnership with the parents, teachers, and community members who have been working towards justice and equity long before I arrived.

And I also know that as a classroom leader, I can build a powerful coalition to make access to opportunity equitable.

Together, we can ensure that a quality education is not a privilege afforded to few, but a right afforded to all. I hope you’ll join us in this work.

Regarding the Mar. 3 article entitled, “Comedy Apocalypse XII: Last Laugh Before Finals” F rom L ouis V andenberg , KUCR G eneral M anager Dear Editor, I want to compliment Highlander writer Robert Lees for his well-written, wellobserved and knowledgable review of the KUCR Comedy Apocalypse 12. Lees gets into the details. He seems to know comedy well and pretty much nailed everything, the high points and where a sketch could have been improved. I liked his writerly turns of phrase, such as in his description of comic Ramin Nazer, “his face alight with mad energy.” That’s exactly right and couldn’t have been put better. Nazer’s performance was the most surreal and cracked. It was the alt/avant comic turn of the the evening. (For me, Nazer is funnier in retrospect, as I puzzle

through levels of meaning days later.) Lees understands the distinctions: Though Baron Vaughn and Matt Braunger have different styles, both are classic stand-up craftsmen, who are top-tier talents and wellknown among pro comics.

Nazer was wonderfully bizarre, Vaughn was amazing, but Braunger’s performance for Comedy Apocalypse 12 was off the charts brilliant — probably the best ever for us, and better than I have seen him do in other venues. He levitated the crowd into a giddy state with perfect timing, character bits and narrative. And he has a ton of material he didn’t even use. I noted that Nazer and Vaughn came out of the green room to watch him. You don’t

see that often, because pro comics have seen a lot of other comics and get jaded. Once a comic performs, they usually hole up in the back with their cell phones. In this case, they came out, sitting on the floor, because all the seats were taken, to watch Braunger. They know who he is and what he can do. They wanted to see him do his art, which he executed at what must be his peak ability.

And he brought it in full. Lees describes it well.

We see comedy not just as entertainment, but as a type of performed art, which produces a specialized response, laughter, in an audience. What is laughter if not a recognition of some kind of truth that bypasses conscious barriers? It’s unique, part of the

human condition and somehow therapeutic, personally and socially. Yes, it’s contradictory to take absurdity so seriously, but there’s something special that happens when we laugh.

We all know this, on one level or another. That’s a core reason that motivates the Comedy Apocalypse series. As Lees observed, we really try to recreate, in the Barn, a full-on real, adult, comedy club that you might find in Manhattan, without the booze and covercharges, but with the attitude and the talent. We also want to note that the Barn staff has done a great job in supporting our efforts.

Again, compliments to the astute Robert Lees and The Highlander.

Best regards, Louis Vandenberg KUCR Director/General Manager The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They must be 600800 words at length and include the author’s name and contact information. Topics should be UCR-centric and/or pertain to our generation of students.

Contact opinions editor Jake Rich at opinions@highlandernews. org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letter can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements.

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

9

Swag for school spirit JESSICA BAKER Staff Writer

If you passed by the HUB these past two weeks, you may have noticed the lines of students. Were they waiting around for movie tickets? No. Extra Heat tickets? No. Awaiting those students at the end of the line were free UCR sweaters — but why the free swag?

ASUCR President Nafi Karim has demonstrated a great attention to his fellow UCR classmates’ concerns, such as taking a stand against the raised UC tuition. In his R’Gear press release, he stated: “I made a campaign promise to the student body to increase campus pride, and a convocation promise to the Class of 2018 in return for your promise to do good, make a positive difference and to be a proud Highlander.” Karim has delivered on his promise to enable the freshmen class of 2018 to each receive a school sweater, which is necessary to help unify the school.

As a senior, the R’Gear initiative at first bothered me, because it focused primarily on first-years instead of the school as a whole. However, after reflecting, I realized that focusing this initiative on freshmen is necessary, because many of them may still feel doubt toward UCR. Karim noted that there is a “lack of campus pride among many students at the time here on campus” — especially among the first-year class. From my own experiences, I under-

stand his concern, since I once dreaded attending UCR, even as I arranged my belongings in my dorm room. This has changed.

I have made many memories and met many friends at UCR. It’ll always be a place that I’ll fondly remember and be thankful for, but, as a new freshmen on campus, sometimes it’s hard to believe UCR has that sort of potential, especially due to the negative reputation.

With derogatory names, like “UCRejects,” it’s hard not to initially doubt this university’s standards. So, what better way to combat these negative symbols of UCR than with positive symbols of UCR?

Sporting UCR’s colors and mascot, the sweatshirts achieve the positivity the school needs.

While these displays of school

Awaiting those students at the end of the line were free UCR sweaters ... spirit not only via sweaters, but also through social media, may seem artificial, it does reflect many students’ sentiments. UCR doesn’t have a

constant culture of displaying campus pride and, though it has been increasing, our university doesn’t have many high profile programs typical to other UCs, such as a football team, which is usually an opportunity for students to show school pride.

While the clothes are symbols to display school spirit, regardless of their requirements and prices, ASUCR should consider holding an event to coincide with the next R’Gear giveaway to avoid sticking UCR as that school that encourages school pride merely with items.

Not only will UCR students witness an increase in the display of school pride, potential

SILKEA ISLAM / HIGHLANDER

students will too when they tour campus. A change in perception by potential students is vital, because these students become the later generations excited about UCR instead of dreading it.

From my own experience, I began to dread going to UCR because I saw virtually nobody sporting any pride on campus; instead, I saw people sporting other universities’ sweaters, which sent the message to me that UCR students didn’t want to be here — they wanted to be somewhere else.

That’s an impression that UCR must change, and these H sweaters are a first step to it. ■

KEVIN CANTERO / HIGHLANDER

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.

Be there.

When news happens, be the first to get the story. Then tell the world, whether it’s a protest or a concert. Learn how you can be on the scene by coming to the Highlander’s meetings every Monday at 5:15 p.m. in HUB 101.

Highlander

ONLINE: “JUST KIDS” REVIEW, “BLADE OF THE RONIN” REVIEW, “BROOKLYN NINE-NINE” REVIEW

R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

EVENTS THIS WEEK 3/11

UCR Concert Band and UCR Orchestra - Pops Concert @ Culver Center of the Arts, 8 p.m.

3/12

UCR Jazz Ensemble @ ARTS 157, 8 p.m.

3/13

Acrylics, Fraude, New Ruin and MTBA @ Blood Orange Infoshop, 7 p.m.

3/15

Between the Tables @ Back to the Grind, 3 p.m.

CAMERON YONG / HIGHLANDER

12

ARTS & ENTE

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

We may thank the rain gods and their mercy, for last year’s downpour has been replaced with He music exploded all around the campus center. The music variety ranged from middle school nostalg dance-inducing indie band Smallpools to the entrancing beats of EDM artists 3lau and Giraffage. A the Rapper’s psychedelic performance gave off was matched and echoed only by the unholy roar of t breaking crowd. Everything was awesome.

GIRAFFAGE AND 3LAU

Entertain UCR with EDM set

The trance-heavy music made itself at home at the Vantage stage with the appearance of Giraffage.

Performing after DJ Suma warmed things up for the crowd, Giraffage took to his signature style of trance and mixed it with an upbeat, heavy bass. Students left and right got into his music with fervorous energy. The light scene dancing around the set was also incredibly spectacular, as his psychedelic performance used the stage setup and LED panels liberally to showcase images of frolicking puppies, sailor scouts, old-school eight-bit scenery and mesmerizing color vectors — even his stage name was spelled out in Japanese using the electronic equipment. Giraffage is right to self-identify his style as “left-field music,” as his unconventional visuals and beats imprinted in the crowd’s collective memory a remarkable experience.

As the last performer at Vantage, 3LAU had the short end of the stick with the crowd, who expended a lot of energy dancing to DJ Suma and Giraffage.

Identified as a progressive house artist, 3LAU knew how to mix up what would normally be a bland house track with melodic rhythms and heavy sampling. His stylized and unique beats gave the Vantage crowd the major energy boost they needed to go crazy to his music. It felt like the crowd squeezed in even closer together as it jumped and grinded in unison. If Heat ended with a bang, students wouldn’t have heard it due to 3LAU’s music ringing in their ears long after the concert ended.

SMALLPOOLS

synthy-dance party ignites Heat

As I stood in the small throng of people gathered beneath the Highland stage’s tent, I began to revel in the fact that this was not only my first Heat since my freshman year in 2012, but that it was my final one.

As I glanced around, the stage DJ, Nomad Navi, seemed about as interested in his performance as the crowd was in his small attempts to get them hyped. No matter — despite a lackluster start, I was happy to be here for the first time in three years.

I heard a cheery “Hey!” from my side. As it turned out, it was a member of my orientation group who I had barely seen since the summer of 2011. We chatted and caught up, straining to hear each other over Nomad’s beats, and I felt a sense of nostalgia wash over me — my first Heat since freshman year had brought back old memories from the first time around, and seeing someone who was one of the first people I knew on campus felt great. And as the lights dimmed, cheers swelled and we settled into our spots in the crowd, I felt ready to enjoy my last Heat with fervor — and Smallpools was a great way to begin.

Suddenly, the stage brightened. What appeared to be Bradley Cooper with a hipster-mullet (actually lead singer Sean Scanlon) came to the front of the stage with a conductor’s baton, as he directed an invisible orchestra with Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” booming over the speakers.

Soon enough, the orchestra’s flourishes were accented with thunderous bass from the drums, and the familiar chirp of the guitar on the song “Over & Over,” began.

Though a bit repetitive in song structure and style, the band’s shiny, synth-laden indie pop was the perfect way to get the crowd warmed up for the rest of the night. Jokes about the cold, dark world ahead of us after college were washed away with upbeat, danceable tunes that helped concertgoers forget their problems. Though not innovative or much different from the original, a solid cover of College and Electric Youth’s “A Real Hero” (from the “Drive” soundtrack), as well as original songs “Killer Whale,” “Karaoke” and “Mason Jar” were all highlights.

As the clock ticked toward the end of their set, the last song of the night from the band became obvious. As the familiar pounding of the staccato synths pulsated through the crowd, phones simultaneously shot up to record the band as they dove into their hit, “Dreaming.” As the crowd belted along with the band, the lyrics in the bridge stood out: “The world is in your palm now / So take a breath and calm down / ‘Cause you have been selected, you’ve been selected.”

Cheesy? Maybe a little. But on a night of rekindling past connections while simultaneously looking to the future, it was a nice reminder to enjoy college, and the opportunities and friendships it brings, while it lasts.

2015

ERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

13

Nathan Swift, Jake Rich, Jameson Adame and Christal Mims, Senior Staff Writers Photos by Vincent Ta, Cameron Yong and Bri Chew

eat. Bodies smashed, booties shook and gia-inducing Panic! at the Disco to the As Heat’s headliner, the energy Chance that stage’s massive, stuffed, fire-code-

CHANCE THE RAPPER brings energy and acid rap to UCR

PANIC! AT THE DISCO and a panic in the audience

Panic! at the Disco’s set was immediately looking to overwhelm the audience. The instant Smallpools left the stage, the crowd surged and pulsed as impatient concertgoers pressed in further to get a good view of Brendon Urie and company. Short people were pressed face-first into the chests and backs of people they may or may not have known, and everybody with long hair learned the virtues of keeping it tied up instead of hanging it loose. When the band finally took the stage, many of the crowd had already fled or at least attempted to make their way to a less congested spot.

For their part, Panic! seemed to have the perfect crowd, and launched immediately into creating the most out of the already eager onlookers. The first few songs that Panic! played came from their more recent album “Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die,” including a somewhat troubling story that preceded the song “Ms. Jackson.” Panic!’s hold on the crowd was undeniable. Each song was greeted with more enthusiasm than the last, and the stark background made for a show that made great use of the performers’ movements on stage.

Brendon Urie, whether you appreciated the content of his banter or not, proved a brilliant MC, and constantly kept the energy high.

He was so adept that once he was even used to keep the over-rowdy crowd in check. The entire performance flowed like this, as at one minute the crowd would be enjoying the show, and the next, every step became a battle just to maintain balance as you were pushed and pulled from every direction. At one point, a pantsless man even tried to desperately leave the crowd.

When it was possible to give full attention to the stage, though, the song choices were phenomenal. Though primarily pulling from their newer albums, the cherry-picked “Nine in the Afternoon” and “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” were inevitably huge hits with a crowd that listened to them all throughout middle school. Beyond that, they even covered Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” which, while it didn’t have the vocal stylings of the late great Freddie Mercury (and how could it?), still managed to enthrall the crowd in its entirety.

The highlight of the performance had to be the finale though, as Panic! broke into “I Write Sins Not Tragedies,” and headliner Chance the Rapper came out to join in the reverie. This final cherry on top left what could only be a good taste in the mouth after Urie’s “metaphorical fucking” that he promised at the beginning of the show.

Panic! at the Disco was followed up by the acid rapper himself, Chancelor Bennett — better known as Chance the Rapper. Heat’s headliner performed at the Highland stage and induced a frenzy like no other. Before he even took the stage, concertgoers pushed and shoved in an effort to get closer and to be quite honest, I thought I’d pass out from stress and exhaustion before the Chicago native even got a chance to perform. Before things could get too out of hand, the 21-year old emerged also joined by alternative jazz band The Social Experiment. Donned in a The Social Experiment hat and a black, long-sleeved shirt, he greeted the crowd and proceeded to put on a show that UCR students will never forget.

He performed several songs from his critically acclaimed mixtape, “Acid Rap.” During songs like “Pusha Man” and “Everybody’s Something,” you could almost hear nothing but the crowd rapping the verses. During “Juice” everyone yelled, “I got the juice!” while Chance grabbed a water bottle and splashed water into the crowd, and by the time he got to one of his most popular songs, “Cocoa Butter Kisses,” my own voice was almost completely shot. Chance used the entire stage to his advantage, bouncing from one place to the next in an effort to interact with everyone.

One thing Chance is undeniably known for is his unique blend of sounds. His music consists of rapped and sung vocals over jazzy instrumentals, reminiscent of old-school soul and blues tunes, and as I glanced as far as the two people pressed up against me would allow, I realized I couldn’t spot a single person who wasn’t dancing, screaming or bobbing their head to the music. Although most of his set list consisted of “Acid Rap” tracks, he made sure to perform songs like “Brain Cells” from his first mixtape, “10 Day” and “Sunday Candy,” a song that he put out late last year with The Social Experiment.

The only thing that would’ve made his set better was if he’d performed all the way until 10 p.m.

After he left the stage, a few people shouted “Encore!” and lingered to see if he’d reappear but to our disappointment, he was done for the night.

Despite the abrupt ending, Chance the Rapper and The Social Experiment definitely created a concert experience to remember.

■H

14

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

MOVIE REVIEWS

COMING OUT SOON: CINDERELLA

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org RUN ALL NIGHT IT FOLLOWS

SEYMOUR: AN INTRODUCTION

CHAPPIE // RATING: ★★★☆☆ KELLY DUARTE Contributing Writer

Director Neill Blomkamp is at it again, attempting to mix social commentary with science fiction in his latest movie “Chappie.” It seems very promising, as Blomkamp returns to South Africa, the location where he filmed the underdog hit, “District 9,” and this movie boasts the same extraordinary visuals, soundtrack and environment.

Unfortunately, he is just too ambitious with the story and tries to fit in too much in the time allotted. What the viewers get is a mess of comedy, science fiction, action and crime drama.

The movie starts off boasting the achievements of engineer Deon (Dev Patel) in the robotics field and the robots he has created to become Johannesburg’s police force. But Deon has the higher ambition of creating artificial intelligence. When a group of thugs force Deon to upload an AI into a stolen robot, Chappie is born. Chappie is an endearing send-off of Number 5 from “Short Circuit,” if he also had the ability to wield guns and throw ninja stars. While curious and highly intelligent, he’s a pawn caught between Deon and the thugs, with Deon

wanting to study the robot and use him to advance technology, while the thugs want to use him to pull off robberies to come up with $20 million they owe a gangster, Hippo (Brandon Auret). On top of that, everybody has to worry about Vincent (Hugh Jackman) attempting to destroy Chappie and use his own line of robots to enforce order in the city.

The movie’s main problem is that there are too many subplots going on at once. The idea of the creation of artificial intelligence is enough to carry the story, but Blomkamp also wants to add in elements of crime and comedy. The idea of a robot taught to be a gangster is hilarious and the comedy portion of the movie is well done, but it doesn’t fit at all with the first and final acts of the movie. The switches from a science fiction film about ethics to a gangster film and back to a thoughtprovoking science fiction film are very jarring and extremely off-putting.

Another issue with the movie is that there is nobody to root for, as none of the characters are given any redeeming qualities. Deon is supposed to be the hero of the story, but many of the actions he makes don’t sit well with the viewers, such as giving

Over-ambition killed this movie, as there is just too much that is tried to be added in.

COURTESY OF COLUMBIA PICTURES

sentience to a machine, knowing it’ll die in a few days. This goes for the thugs as well.

Vincent and Hippo are also very heavily written as villains with no dimension at all.

Ironically, the only empathetic one is Chappie himself, as we see him used and abused by several people throughout the film. Only one person seems to care about him, and perhaps that’s the point, but it’s very easy to grow tired of watching characters who don’t capture the audience emotionally.

“Chappie” does try to tackle some very big ideas about artificial intelligence, what it means to have consciousness and transcendence but it’s all left to the last 20 minutes of the film. It’s disappointing because “Chappie” has the possibility of being a great film with the material we get from the ending. Instead, it’s rushed and feels added in at the last minute.

Over-ambition killed this movie, as there is just too much that is tried to be added

in. The idea of teaching a robot to be a gangster and the idea of artificial intelligence and the transhumanist movement are great ideas for a film, but they just don’t mesh well together. It would have done fine as two separate films, because “Chappie” feels like two movies crammed together to try to make one coherent story. “Chappie” has so much potential and material to work from but the execution is what keeps this from being a truly ■H amazing film.

convenience, and most of the interconnected scenes are spliced together with little to no explanation to how the characters got there. The trio crash their car in a farm outside of Hamburg, but then magically warp to a train station in Berlin. A riot prevents Dan from reaching a meeting, but he manages to get past security, somehow, and everything works out. Dan’s daughter is acting out at school, his son hates himself and his wife is concerned that his absentee parenting is too hard on the family. A Skype call and one drive home from the airport later, and everything is fixed. The film doesn’t seem like it was actually made by people, but rather by

some screenwriting robot that analyzed every half-assed comedy ever made and decided to make a new one by blending all the distasteful elements together.

Now, the film isn’t entirely without merit. It’s mercifully short, Nick Frost appears on screen a few times and I managed to laugh three whole times throughout the screening. In addition, there’s quite a bit of nudity, which is at least engaging enough to keep my eyes on the screen rather than on my phone or on a particularly exciting stain on the floor of the theater.

Writing this review hasn’t been easy, partly because the film isn’t bad enough to be offen-

sively bad and partly because I’m convinced giving this more than five minutes of thought would mean I put forth more work than the filmmakers did. If anything, “Unfinished Business” simply offends me based on how much it represents the state of cinema today. Anything that isn’t an adaptation of a young adult novel or Oscar bait is rushed out quickly with as little work done as possible to avoid major losses at the studio when it inevitably bombs at the box office. If they really wanted to save money, why not just draw a frowny face on a peeled potato? You can get a pound of Vince Vaughns for 99 cents.

■H

UNFINISHED BUSINESS // RATING: ☆☆☆☆☆ ROBERT LEES Staff Writer

What is Vince Vaughn still doing in movies? I mean, all that stuff he did in the early 2000s as part of the “frat pack” was over 10 years ago (“Starsky and Hutch,” “Dodgeball”). You would think the novelty of his wooden acting and monotone droll would have worn off by now. Regardless, Vaughn certainly can’t hold down a plot entirely by himself. The last time he did was in the movie “Fred Claus” — remember how much fun that was? Vaughn is best when paired with a co-star or as the male supporting actor, oftentimes serving as the eccentric, comedic character to the male lead’s straight man. However, the filmmakers for “Unfinished Business” either didn’t get the memo or ran out of money in pre-production, so the audience was stuck with an unlikable, unrelatable and unfunny lead in a comedy, which tends to be a drawback when your aim is to make the audience laugh.

The film concerns main character Dan Trunkman (Vince Vaughn), who decides he’s had enough of being underfoot in the corporate ladder and decides to start his own company, joined

by Timothy McWinters (Tom Wilkinson) and Mike Pancake (Dave Franco), who I assume got his role based purely on his merits as an actor and not for any familial reasons. The film concerns the trio having to go to Germany to

secure a big sale and must compete with Dan’s old company, riotous protesters and family troubles back home that all prevent the movie from clocking in at under 90 minutes in length. Film is expensive, and if the movie was any longer the screenwriters may have actually had to spend some time, you know, screenwriting.

Now, I’m not a perpetual cynic, and I certainly can enjoy a “dumb” comedy. I like your Ron Burgundys, your “Talladega Nights” and I was even able to tolerate “Wedding Crashers,” a film Vaughn was in. I remember, after seeing the trailer for this film thinking “Hey, it might not be so bad, the trailer looks funny.” However, everything remotely funny is actually in the trailer, and everything else is just filler or Vaughn trying to act dour and serious in the scenes involving his family struggles. If “Unfinished Business” actually looks funny to you, just watch the trailer, act out all the scenes you imagine come between parts of the trailer with some sock puppets, and then do it 1,000 more times until you hate yourself and all the jokes have lost their potency. Every joke not featured in the movie trailer is unfunny, and all the jokes featured in the trailer are so drawn out and overused that they cease to become a way of making the audience laugh and instead degrade into some cruel metaphor as to the state of original ideas and creativity in the world today.

The film also suffers from plot

“Unfinished Business” simply offends me based on how much it represents the state of cinema today.

COURTESY OF 20TH CENTURY FOX

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

15

MUSIC REVIEW TAYLOR LOCKE: “TIME STANDS STILL” // RATING: ★★★☆☆ JESSICA BAKER Staff Writer

meetings on mondays, 5:15 p.m. @ hub 101

for the highlander newspaper

write. shoot. design.

Having strummed his guitar and sang his heart out for the past 10 years, Taylor Locke is no stranger to the stage, since he played as lead guitarist and singer in Rooney and in the Roughs. With his new band, Locke steps back onto the LA music scene with “Time Stands Still” — his first solo album.

Still inspired by the British Invasion, Locke’s album isn’t a crazy or ambitious departure from his roots, but he does tiptoe into more original material.

Hidden among the pleasant enough songs, there are a few gems that resonate an interesting personality you just want to get to know.

“Burbank Woman” is a soft opener that echoes a distant electric guitar and sad memories, yet at times strengthens into a boring beat that continues into “The Game.” While the slow start is not distracting, both beginning songs seem more appropriate muffled in

the background as one rides in a Chevy down some dusty freeway along a prairie. Then the album’s mood shifts into silly delight with a personal favorite: “Running Away From Love.” No matter the destination, the poppy vibe of chirpy tambourine and uplifting drums urge anyone to simply get off their feet. Ultimately, the skillful overlapping of the folkish singing maintains the fastpaced tone and is never a bore.

Locke’s voice guides listeners in a hopeful direction as he sings “see it in the distant / colors of the breaking dawn / every new horizon / leads me on and on and on.”

The loosey “So Long” and the gritty “Call Me Kuchu” are reminiscent of the Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and “Come Together,” yet are not mere copies of the British band. Piercing listeners’ ears with a high keyboard note leads the way for the electric guitar and Locke’s unusually harsh tone to declare: “We all want equality / you must heed

the call.” As the drum marches on, Locke repeatedly sings out, “Kuchu,” which lyrically and musically unites the song and its call for action. Possibly named after a documentary depicting the predicaments of Uganda’s LGBTQ community, “Call Me Kuchu” is a political anthem to act just as how “Come Together” is inspired

by Timothy Leary’s imprisonment.

Special attention should be paid toward the album’s titular song for its excellence in teardripping melancholy achieved in its instrumental arrangement and evocative lyrics. Naked of his band’s typical rock instruments, the bare sounds of the acoustic guitar are adorned with a simple yet fragile texture. The short drops of the xylophone sound more as pings of sorrow, which beautifully hollows the song of any happiness. Singing rather nostalgically, Locke carries on by accepting, “I had enough / of the push and shove / every night fighting the fight / that can’t be won.” Despite the

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acceptance, “Time Stands Still” ends on a somber note with the xylophone’s bubbling sadness, all soft and small, trailing on after the last line: “When you feel too tired to cry anymore.”

Though sticking a bit too

close to his roots and influences for a debut solo album, Locke’s new album is worth more than one listen. His songs offer not only insight into himself, but the great potential he has for his next work.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

Awayfrom the

Sprawl:

by Jake Rich, Senior Staff Writer

Forming your own opinion in a sea of pretentiousness

I

am a review obsessive.

New album coming out? What’s the Pitchfork score? New TV episode just aired? What does AV Club say? New movie? What percentage did it get on Rotten Tomatoes?

Some may call this not having your own opinion — I generally call it research, but the idea that sometimes opinions of critics seep into my own writing and opinions about a piece are certainly there.

So what’s wrong with reading reviews? Absolutely nothing. In fact, reviews can help one in forming a more well-rounded, more knowledgeable opinion on different subjects and genres you may not be familiar with.

It’s when you start falling into the trap of letting these reviews take over your opinion that you’ve gone too far.

In writing or learning about any art form, don’t let a false sense of objectivity from yourself or the review you’re reading filter your perception of a piece. The value of art and its different forms can be expressed in many ways, but one of the foremost is certainly to move you and make you feel.

Hiding behind the pretense that a certain formula of shots, melodies, words or brushstrokes will evoke certain emotions in you is not giving the piece or yourself enough credit for your own creative perceptions. If a piece moves you, for any reason whatsoever, who’s to say it isn’t worth something?

Ratings and systems of at least slight objectivity are around for a reason, but to base your entire idea of a piece around them doesn’t allow for personal growth. It is important

to recognize what perspective a review is coming from, and take it with that grain of salt that they may not have the same mindset as you. If you enjoy something in spite of it not being a critical darling, there’s no

Identifying the voice and perspective of certain critics, as well as their intended audience, can be enormously helpful in using reviews as a tool for knowledge rather than a forcefed opinion. reason to feel bad about it. You may have to defend yourself against an onslaught of people telling you you’re wrong, but no amount of badgering should stop you from enjoying your-

self.

Identifying the voice and perspective of certain critics, as well as their intended audience, can be enormously helpful in using reviews as a tool for knowledge rather than a forcefed opinion. Find a critic who shares your voice, and whose perspective you enjoy. Reading or watching a handful of their reviews can show their perspective and common themes that run through their critiques.

Find too, a critic whose takes you may sometimes disagree with but whose opinion you respect (or don’t respect, for that matter). Making your review consumption well-rounded in styles and perspectives can help you understand how different people view this certain piece that you love or hate in different ways. Though I sift through many other reviews as well,

I like to read the late, great Roger Ebert’s film reviews for perspective or inspiration for my own. Though I don’t always agree with him, and think he’s occasionally pretentious, I enjoy Anthony Fantano’s popular YouTube channel, “The Needle Drop,” for its sheer volume of music reviews, and for the difference of a video review as opposed to purely text.

You are allowed to think that T-swizzle’s “Blank Space” is catchy (I mean, come on, that hook) and obsess over the new Sleater-Kinney or Father John Misty at the same time. Whatever moves you, moves you; whether that special intangible feeling comes from someone’s garage on an acoustic guitar or a shiny pop star, you shouldn’t feel ashamed. Don’t be afraid to have your own opinion — H just be prepared to defend it. ■

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

Features

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EMPOWERING WOMEN WITH JOSEFINA LOPEZ

MELISSA FUENTES, CONTRIBUTING WRITER

M

arch is the month to celebrate women and Chicano Student Programs (CSP) is one organization that sets aside a week in March to honor women, and the contributions of Chicanas and Latinas, also known as Semana de la Mujer.

One of the organizers and committee members, fifth-year political science and ethnic studies major Cynthia Chavez shared how these weeklong events are held to influence and encourage Latina women and also women all over the world to speak their minds without fear. “It is important not only for Latina women but for all women to get together and share experiences and to be able to speak their narratives as college students,” Chavez stated.

This year the theme was “cada hebra una historia, cada

trenza de un enlace” meaning “every strand a story, every braid a bond.” The events began Feb. 28 with a conference and ended March 6 with a victorious talk of womanhood.

In between there were heartfelt monologues, basket-weaving bonding time and many girl talks. A very special discussion was held March 4 with the talented playwright Josefina Lopez.

Wednesday evening, a good handful gathered in a huge room to listen to Lopez. Light refreshments and appetizing snacks such as nachos and chocolate-covered strawberries stirred up the crowd while waiting for the talk to begin.

The lively music died down and every individual grabbed a seat.

What was anticipated as a formal conversation was actually a comedy act.

Lopez left the audience in

awe. As soon as she took the podium, she had the crowd laughing nonstop with her very blunt and carefree jokes.

Lopez is mostly known for her play “Real Women Have Curves,” published in 1996, about a young woman who is undocumented but has an urge to get educated and succeed in life. However, her family has a completely different mentality concerning her big dreams and want her to conform to the life she currently has. Another of her inspirational writings is “Detained in the Desert,” performed at UCR in 2011.

Both plays were converted into movies. Before getting down to the nitty-gritty of her life, Lopez shared clips of the movies and then showed some of her own personal acting scenes from an old show known as “Culture Clash,” which was quite humorous.

“I decided to give myself

permission to be angry,” Lopez said as she gulped back some tears. Lopez began by sharing where she came from and what it took for her to become the woman she is today. Growing up, she did not have many opportunities and was forced to work with her family in a small sewing company. After a few years of struggling, she managed to get an education and is now a successful writer. It was an emotional yet inspirational story that touched the hearts of many members in the audience as they sniffed and wiped their eyes. Lopez stated how her play “Real Women Have Curves” is actually a resemblance of her life story.

Acknowledging pain is what influenced her to begin writing.

“Being overweight, Mexican and undocumented was a good thing … I started writing ‘Real Women Have Curves’ because I started loving myself,” Lopez

shared, tears streaming down her face.

After illustrating her beautiful hardships, the downto-earth Lopez allowed the audience to ask her as many questions as they wanted. The crowd wanted to hear more but unfortunately time was up.

However, as soon as she came down from the stage, many rushed to buy a book, a shirt or a sticker to get it signed by her.

I was intrigued by her work so of course I had to buy one of her books.

CSP, as well as Lopez, hope to have touched at least one heart throughout the weeklong events. Semana de la Mujer is held annually, but women should celebrate themselves every day.

“I want women to know that they are already powerful, in fact women are so powerful that we scare the crap out of H men,” Lopez shared strongly. ■

restaurant review:

PIAD’AMORE Tiffany Liaw, Senior Staff writer

Photos by Aaron Lai

RATING ★★★★☆ LOCATION 3740 IOWA AVE. RIVERSIDE, CA 92507 PRICE $ $ HOURS 8:00 A.M. - 10 P.M., MON. - THURS.

8:00 A.M. - 11 P.M., FRI.

10:00 A.M. - 11 P.M., SAT. - SUN. CATEGORY ITALIAN, FLATBREAD, PIZZAS CREDIT YES WEBSITE http://www.piadamore.com/

P

iad’Amore has been easily one of the most anticipated restaurants that has opened in the University Village, mostly due to the “coming soon” sign that seemed to drone on for

months and the possible competition it could bring to Oven 450, another flatbread pizza spot. Regardless, Piad’Amore is much more than just an alternative to satisfy flatbread pizza cravings; in addition to the obvious pizzas,

it also contains piadas (flatbread sandwiches), crescionis (flatbread calzones) and other specialty plates with Italian cold cuts and cheeses — and most importantly, gelato.

Walking in, I noticed that every table was shaped like the iconic Piad’Amore bitten heart, and French landmark wall decals were plastered on the walls. The interior was a little cluttered with tables, although it still gave off a cozy home-like vibe and the opposing wall was lined with snacks and unpronounceable ingredients all carefully labeled with “Imported from Italy.” The pricey authentic pastas, olive oils, cookies and fruit cake only paved the way for their admirable collection of cheeses, which shared the cooler space with San Pellegrinos and hazelnut-encrusted dark chocolate Baci desserts.

“Uhh … give me just a few more minutes please,” I responded to the cashier as I glanced from section to section on the busy menu mounted on the wall while panicking a little from the overwhelming amount of possibilities. “The piadas are good; I recommend the Antonio’s Favorite! Pizza is pretty popular, but we don’t have anymore today, sorry,” she began, noticing my indecisiveness. “Pretty much all of the things here are homemade and authentic; like half the kitchen staff is from Italy.” With so many options, including makeyour-own, breakfast and light and active choices, it was extremely difficult to narrow it down to one!

After much contemplation, I decided to take her recommendation and order the Antonio’s Favorite piada, which consisted of prosciutto di Parma, buffalo moz-

zarella, cheese, tomato, olive oil and basil ($10.99). As I browsed the extensive menu, I noticed they offer a wide selection of Italian deli-style cold cuts, and as a fan of meats, I silently praised them for allowing me to have access to meats like prosciutto and smoked salmon which normally wouldn’t be found too close to school.

“Antonio’s Favorite!” exclaimed the eager Italian-accented waiter as he brought us the plate of his classic piada. Although it didn’t look visually appealing, the aromatic smell of the prosciutto di Parma was enough to convince me that this was going to be a good meal. I cut into the piada, which broke with ease, and tore away at the tomatoes, cheese and meat until I had a bite that consisted of everything. ► SEE PIAD’AMORE, PAGE 20

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FEATURES

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

21 AND OVER CLUB

ANOTHER ROUND OF BAR TALK

By: Robert Lees, Staff Writer

W

ith finals and papers looming over our heads as winter quarter draws to a close, I decided to do the responsible thing and head downtown for drinks at two of Riverside’s most popular speakeasies — The Hideaway Cafe and ProAbition. I decided to forgo simply spending a night with friends and chose instead to get to know the people who work behind the counter to better understand how to be a responsible patron.

Our stop Tuesday evening was the Hideaway Cafe, which is surreptitiously hidden underneath the Mission Galleria antiques store and Molinos Coffee off of Mission Inn Avenue. The bar is reached from a staircase that opens up at street level, and after descending the two flights of stairs opens into a room that wouldn’t seem out of place in “The Hobbit.” The entire place, which includes kitchens, several dining rooms, two bars and a pool hall, is lit with small strings of Christmas lights and faux fireplaces inset into the masonry. The beams

that hold up the floor are disguised to look like giant tree trunks, and the room is filled with the soft tones of college radio and alternative rock music. The room, which was filled with about 30 people when we arrived, was served by David, who managed to find time to share a joke with the customers saddled up to the bar while also mixing and pouring drinks for the entire room by himself. A few games of pool and two Red Stripes later, I found a spot at the bar for my interview.

David opened up after a few moments, explaining that he got into bartending through his background in security, which gave him the real-world experience needed to be hired off the street. He liked interacting with people in his work, but disfavored having to deal with drunks and other customers who tend to get rowdy and rude after one too many. His biggest pet peeve is when customers snap their fingers to get his attention, or throw things at him in busy hours.

“Just be respectful,” he stated about the best way to get service when a bar is busy. “Rather than yelling or

TIM BACA / HIGHLANDER

being a nuisance, just say ‘Excuse me, sir,’ when you come up to the bar.” A man who had been listening in from a few feet back walked up to the bar. “Excuse me, sir,” he said. “Could I get another round?”

Everyone crowded around the bar laughed.

David decided to forgo telling any personal stories, because “telling them tends to get him in trouble,” but advised that Long Island iced teas and Tokyo teas are the best value when it comes to drinking, and that it’s imperative to drink a glass of water after each drink to avoid a nasty hangover in the morning. His advice for future bartenders is to forego bartending school, as real-world experience is more than enough to get by in most businesses. When the interview was over, we continued to chat for the rest of the evening until the bar closed and we had to leave.

Our stop on Wednesday was ProAbition Kitchen and Whiskey Lounge, and I looked forward to a chance to have some craft cocktails in place of the draft beer that I’m accustomed to at most

local bars. ProAbition boasts an impressive beer, wine and spirits list, and has some of the best food in the downtown area. Its warm lighting, old-style booths and soft jazz soundtrack truly give it a ‘20s speakeasy feel. The outside patio is packed with cushions and armchairs, while the bar is the centerpiece of the restaurant, underneath a case featuring their choice single malt whiskeys and other spirits. The bartender at ProAbition was Rachel, and she was amenable to answering questions in between mixing whiskey old fashioneds and gin and tonics for the thirsty patrons.

She began with giving her take on ProAbition’s goal, which is to provide a cozy, warm environment, perfect for groups who are drinking or couples who want to share a romantic evening, adding that on the packed “nightclub” nights the music is so loud that patrons often have to scream their orders at her. Her vexations are similar to David’s, adding that snapping and waving are an easy way to draw any bartenders’ ire, as well as being boisterous when drunk. Her tip for

fast service is simple: Be ready when your bartender takes your order.

She didn’t have any tips for avoiding a hangover, as she saw them as unavoidable, but noted that knowing one’s limits was key when it came to enjoying a night out. She advised against ordering Long Island iced teas, as they could be subpar on busy nights; instead, a whiskey old fashioned was the best choice while at ProAbition. Rachel got into bartending to help pay her way through college, and stated that the best way to get a bartending gig was to start from the bottom and work your way up through the restaurant structure. After ordering another round of drinks, we made our way to the patio, bidding her a thankful farewell.

If you find someone complaining about a lack of culture or nightlife during your time at our fair school, feel free to check out the downtown bar scene as a rebuttal to their claim.

If the night is young, you should offer to take them to the Hideaway Cafe or ProAbition to show what Riverside really has to offer.

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FEATURES

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

19

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES Christian Grey demands complete control over his relationships, sexual and social.

TOUGH LOVE OR ROUGH LOVE? EDWARD DAVE Contributing Writer

S

tripped down and vulnerable? Or confident and ambitious? These are the questions that people are burning to know when they get into a relationship with a significant other. Believe it or not, there is a great division of those who prefer their mate to be one or

the other. We’ve seen relationships perpetuated through the media by movies such as “50 Shades of Grey,” which emphasizes the spontaneity and thrill of a BDSM (Bondage, domination, sadism and masochism) relationship. We know that it makes for an entertaining watch, but does that acknowledge its poignancy just because it looks appealing for one on-screen couple?

Is it true that the only way to

have an enduring relationship is to employ the usage of gimmicks and tricks to keep your mate entertained? Unfortunately with society, it’s never that cut-and-dry.

Everyone loves to create and mold things to their own liking. Having the ability to exhibit control over tantalizing situations boosts people’s egos exponentially.

A survey I conducted with 20 UCR students shows that

14 of them desired to be with someone who exemplified qualities related to ambition and confidence. The six people who responded about wanting their significant other to be “vulnerable and stripped down” are no exception to this statement. I was very intrigued to find out that people actually wanted someone who had little conviction and ability to think for themselves. Turns out that

some people like having the power to control other people, especially when their lives are going to be intertwined.

Johnny Chang, a third-year engineering major, said, “I don’t think it’s wrong if I want my girlfriend to be a little timid and unaware. I mean, I want to be that guiding figure for the both of us. That way, ► SEE TOUGH LOVE, PAGE 21

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FEATURES

NOW...

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

IT’S OVER WITH: A FAREWELL PIECE

MAXINE ARELLANO, SENIOR STAFF WRITER

“J

ust get it over with.” A fiveword sentence used for the flu shot or jury duty. But instead of waiting an hour in a waiting room, I had to wait years to get this over with: college.

“I chose UCR ‘cause it gave me the most financial aid,” 85 percent of freshmen will declare. “But it’s rising in the ranks. It’s still a UC. It’s still better than Merced,” is what most will convince themselves of. I wasn’t buying it. Four years ago and a bitter freshman, I walked across campus, in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere, to join the rest of the

UC Rejects. I found so many other students who shared the same disappointment going from the dream school to the safety school.

Some students will admit to not having a clue of what they want to do with their life, while others think they have it all planned out. We enter with a major we think will appease the world: engineering, sociology and even business. Majors and degrees we know will get us good jobs and make that baby-boomer generation pleased with us. But we all go through that same crisis when the blueprint our parents or guardians planned out does not go to plan. That headache

when we just can’t get into the material like everyone else, that cold sweat when we realize that the plan isn’t for us and that shaky knee when we tell our parents it is not what we want.

High school was like a four-year audition for college.

We do the best we can to get into the best school possible.

But then we end up here. It is then that we need to consider this: College is an audition for life. We shouldn’t have to plan our life to fit another’s expectations. If you sit in that environmental science class with more joy than engineering ever brought you, think about how the rest of your ca-

reer will be. If the only thing that perks your ears up in that sociology class is that random dude in the back talking about his creative writing class, think about your options — because that is exactly what college gives us.

They say things happen for a reason. When you find your passion, you’ll find what’s worth the hair-pulling and allnighters at the end of the day too. Sitting in the first class after that major change, or attending the first meeting to that club you never thought you’d stumble upon may be that reason. Finding the people who will share your journey and maybe even becom-

ing part of theirs — no, not just for networking purposes — but to create the life that you will lead when the time is up.

Four years later, I look back on that bitter freshman and the first steps she took to bum-fuck nowhere. I think about the first person who told me to find something I truly enjoy to make UCR worth it all. And I sit here and think of the things I have done, the bonds I have created and the memories I will take. I hope everyone can do the same and think about what UCR has given them. Because once you get it over with, you just ask yourself, “Now what?”

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“BYE, DOLL.” ► PIAD’AMORE FROM PAGE 17

One bite in and I kid you not, the prosciutto di Parma took me by surprise by how flavorful it was. I thought it was a little too salty for my taste, but my boyfriend disagreed heavily and seemed to thoroughly enjoy himself as he gobbled up all the ingredients. I must compliment the piada, however, since it was the perfect texture of a flatbread: not too hard and still maintaining the chewy characteristic of dough on the inside. As for the flavor of the entire piada, it was savory, but definitely not too overwhelming as the plain piada and tomato balanced out the cold cut.

Now came my favorite part: dessert! We received two sample options each and decided to divide and conquer by trying the pistacchio, tiramisu, frutti di bosco (mixed berries) and the Piad’Amore Special. One scoop was $2.49 and every other scoop was a dollar more, leading up to the pint size which was $11.99,

so we narrowed it down and ordered two scoops: tiramisu and the Piad’Amore Special.

Although I’m not 100 percent sure what was in the Special, I’m assuming it contained a milky and creamy base, black cherry drizzles, peanuts and chocolate chips; all the flavors were working together nicely and it was so delicious that I’m already going to admit that I’ll be back for it. The tiramisu, on the other hand, resembled coffee to me, and I really enjoyed the fact that they included actual tiramisu cake in the gelato since it added a nice touch for texture.

“I just figured this out, but you can also put a scoop of gelato into a croissant. It’s so good,” said the cashier as she reflected on the popular milky bun (ice cream in a donut) trend. There’s also a combo you can get: an entree with espresso or soda and three gelato scoops for an additional $3.99. Sadly I realized this a little too late, but it’s okay — I still enjoyed every single part of my meal.

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Prosciutto di Parma, buffalo mozarella cheese, basil leaves and olive oil find their home within a piada (top).

Piad’Amore also enhances its authentic experience with gelato (bottom).

FEATURES

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org ► TOUGH LOVE FROM PAGE 19

we both know what we want out of the relationship.” Christian Grey from “50 Shades of Grey” has a similar disposition and wanted complete control over what was going on in his romantic interactions and social environment. Some people don’t have the ability to relinquish control when they enter a relationship and desire to be in charge even if it’s at the expense of their significant other.

Is chivalry dead?

Not to everyone at least.

There are some people who still enjoy pleasing their significant other with pleasant gestures like a surprise dinner date at a favorite restaurant or sporadic gifts.

Random and recurring acts of kindness have worked well for many relationships and serve as the source of happiness for them. Brittany Nuestro, firstyear biology major, states, “I will always enjoy having a partner who knows their worth and has self-respect. It’s just inspiring.”

You don’t have to put on a facade and exhibit jerk-like behaviors to lure someone into a relationship. Being honest and candid should always be a method when beginning to know someone because having a friendship first and foremost will more than likely lead to a successful relationship.

“If someone doesn’t treat themselves right, how can they extend that hand to someone else?” Tiffany Vu, first-year chemistry major, remarked after being surveyed.

Despite how much control you may want to exhibit over your relationship, limits must still be taken into consideration as well.

When engaging in sexual intercourse or conduct, you must ask for consent before

going onward. Consent does not mean a subtle head nod or mumble: Both parties must verbally agree with an actual coherent sentence. By using that definitive method you can avoid any troubles that may arise post-sex and stay away from the abuse lane.

Grey took the first steps and actually wrote up a BDSM contract for his mate to sign in “50 Shades of Grey,” and expert Stephanie Jones, as reported by People magazine, corroborates that written or verbal consent should be sought out before engaging in sexual acts. Grey, however, wronged as soon as he didn’t cease sexual conduct and began inflicting pain on his partner. There is a fine line between intimate sex and abuse.

Don’t cross it by assuming your partner is feeling no pain. Physicality isn’t the only component of sex.

Communication should always be a salient tool because it is how you get the message across to your partner of how you’re feeling. If you aren’t adamant about the pleasure or pain you’re feeling they’ll figure nothing is wrong.

People enter a relationship and don’t understand how important it is to take precautions. Sex is a very complicated ordeal and people often downplay the severities of its consequences. You must always do everything in your power to ensure comfort for your partner. Wonderful things can come from being sexually inclined but always remember that there are multiple parties being exposed in this situation.

Your comfort and pleasure aren’t interchangeable with your mate’s and thinking so is a grave mistake. Playing a little rough underneath the sheets can be rewarding, but consulting with actual journals and documents will H lead you to a secure sex life. ■

There is a fine line between intimate sex and abuse.

write. shoot. design.

FOR THE HIGHLANDER Meetings on Mondays at 5:15 p.m. at HUB 101

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

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22

SPORTS

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

Softball tallies three homers in 15-0 demolition DARREN BUENO Senior Staff Writer

This season, UC Riverside softball is off to its best start in Division I program history after a successful weekend, hosting the Highlander Classic at the Amy S. Harrison Field.

Beginning on Friday afternoon, the game on the docket for the Highlanders was a showdown versus Howard University. Though the team got on the board first, the Bisons reeled off four runs in the fifth and sixth innings to secure a 4-2 victory over UCR. Game two of the Highlander Classic saw UC Riverside hold off the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, 8-7, in a game that featured 25 combined hits from the squads.

Heading into the seventh inning with UCR leading 6-4, UNCG’s Lacey Leary smacked a three-run homer to left field to

put the Spartans ahead 7-6.

UCR responded under adversity, however, as two runs from Shylene Helms and Taylor Wright secured the Highlanders’ first win of its home tournament.

On Saturday, the Highlanders recorded their most lopsided victory of the season, dismantling Howard University 15-0 in five innings.

Three of UCR’s 10 hits were home runs as the Highlanders moved to 18-6 on the season, which is the best start for the softball program since the transition to Division I athletics.

The blue and gold continued their winning ways on Sunday as the Highlanders recorded their first win against the last remaining tournament participant, Loyola Marymount, posting a 6-0 score for the day.

UCR remains at home for a Tuesday doubleheader against Bryant University.

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Drake Zarate (No. 24) makes a quick dash for third base.

AARON LAI / HIGHLANDER

UCR conquers San Francisco in 15 innings ALEXANDER MANZO Contributing Writer MARCH 6, 2015

.............................................................................

Dons 4 - Highlanders 0

Anthony Landazuri pitched for UC Riverside but was no

match for University of San Francisco pitcher Anthony Shew who threw for eight innings and only allowed UCR four hits in a 4-0 Don victory.

The Dons scored early in the first inning and once again in the bottom of the fifth. Connor

Hofmann hit a double to right field and reached third on an error by second baseman Joe Chavez. With the help of a sac fly by Derek Atkinson, the Dons were up by two, 2-0.

The Highlanders were unable to put a player in scoring position due to Shew retiring 12 straight from the second inning through the sixth.

UCR had its first player in scoring position in the eighth inning with two players on with only one out. But Shew wouldn’t allow the Highlanders to capitalize and struck out the next two batters.

The Dons created their fourrun cushion that same inning by loading the bases with a double from Brendan Hendriks. Relief pitcher Jared Morton walked the next batter and allowed Ross Puskarich to single. The next batter singled and two players crossed home.

The final inning for UCR would be eventful as they put runners on the corners. Vince Fernandez doubled to center and moved to third on a ground out.

Along with a walk for Dante Chupek, UC Riverside saw the next two batters strike out and fly hit to center.

MARCH 7, 2015

.............................................................................

Highlanders 6 - Dons 3

It took some 15 innings, but the Highlanders came through with the 6-3 victory over the University of San Francisco.

Following UCR’s pair of runs in the top of the fourth and sixth, the Dons countered with two runs in the sixth and eighth innings to tie the game, 2-2.

Joie Dunyon came in as a relief pitcher to close out the ninth and 10th innings. Once the eleventh came around, the Highlanders took a 3-2 lead behind Alex Rubanowitz’s RBI. The Dons would respond with a single to start the 11th frame from Manny Ramirez.

USF would replace Ramirez with a pinch-runner who moved to second off a sac bunt and ended up stealing third.

A throwing error from Drake Zarate tied the game at 3-3.

The 15th inning came around and the Highlanders struck quickly. Zarate drew a walk, and Joe Chavez hit a sac bunt to move Zarate, but ended up reaching second himself due to another throwing error, this time by San Francisco.

With runners in scoring position, Vince Fernandez hit a single to send them both home.

He would also reach home with a ground-out by Austin Colvin.

Ryan Lillie came in the 15th to close out the game and picked up his third save of the season.

■H

SPORTS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

23

COURTESY OF MARY RITCHIE

UCR Women’s Golf Head Coach Mary Ritchie brings nonstop enthusiasm and dedication to her position.

Morning chat with Mary Ritchie

MELISSA FUENTES Contributing Writer

“I would love to be at Riverside forever. Riverside is my home.

There’s a lot of change happening here at UCR and I’m very excited to be a part of it.”

Early Friday morning, Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) member and now UCR’s Women’s Golf Head Coach, Mary Ritchie, sat down with the Highlander to get an inside scoop of the team’s season and discuss her unique coaching pedagogy.

Highlander: How is your first season as Head Coach of the Women’s Golf team been so far?

Ritchie: We’re doing fantastically well. We’ve won two events already this year. In the fall we won our first event, and Brittany Ferraro, who is a senior on our team, won individually that event called the Santa Clara Colby Classic. In the fall we had two fourth-place finishes and basically we’re breaking records this year, we’re breaking scoring records.

Most of the players are improving their statistics dramatically.

We’re in the second part of the season now after about a month and a half off, what we call off-season, from the beginning of November till January our practice hours are really restricted. Jan. 5 we came back into season and we’ve already had two events, one of them was the Long Beach State Invitational and the most recent one that we came back from is the Grand Canyon where we finished in first place.

H: Last year the results would vary from sixth to seventh place, but this season they vary from first to third. What do you feel is the reason behind the improvement?

R: Well, we’re very strategic in how we practice. All of the girls have gotten better with their skills. There is a united interest in improving and in just achieving as highly as possible. Last year at the end of the season the team finished ranked 128th in the country and we’ve been as low as 60th so far, so it’s been pretty dramatic.

After last week’s event, surprisingly enough, after winning over 21 teams in the field, our ranking went up to 71st, you know,

a bit surprising. And some of that has to do with the strength of the competitors in the field. I think there are about 256 Division I programs, and they’re all playing different schedules so it depends on who is ranking the team.

Upcoming this week we have the Bay Area Intercollegiate and the number-one ranked team in the country will be playing in it, the University of Washington. I thoroughly expect that after this event our ranking will be better, if we can have a decent performance at this particular event then our ranking should go back up. There’s a tremendous amount of talent on this team and a lot of passion and they’re all excited to have a fulltime coach.

H: What are some unique techniques that you use to coach your players?

R: Oh, I can’t tell you all my secrets. Kidding! A lot of it is mental game. We focus a lot in the short games meaning from 100 yards: wedges, putting and specialty shots. We’ve done a lot of mental game techniques, some things that influence the mental toughness and their ability to handle pressure and competition. I think that in itself has been a huge component of our success this year and the receptivity of all the players. All of them really want to get better. They’re all very dedicated and when it comes to high performers who expect a lot out of themselves, and I’ll say that my athletes do, you don’t have to push them too hard because they do that for themselves. It’s like the entire team is working really hard and I don’t have to drag them to practice. In fact, it’s hard for them to take a day off. I will give them a day off and I might be giving a private lesson to somebody else and half the team shows up. I’m not conducting a practice for the team but they show up and practice on their own and that makes me really excited because I know they’re working just as hard as I am.

H: From the many offers you might’ve had, what made you decide to choose to coach at UCR? R: Literally, I did not know that this opportunity was posted. I knew the previous coach, Paul Gilbert, he coached for 12 years and I

knew him fairly well and I had met Coach Riehle, who is the director of both men’s and women’s golf, but I did not know that they were looking for a full-time women’s coach until one of my students told me about it. So I thought, you know I haven’t been coaching and teaching full-time in years because I’ve been so busy with the LPGA. I’m very involved with the LPGA teaching both club and professional divisions, and I’ve been traveling a lot so when this came up I thought, well you know let’s see what could happen here.

I live in Riverside so it kind of felt like it was meant to be. I think it’s just such a great fit for me because I am so attached to Riverside and honestly if a position

“There’s a possibility in getting into regional this year, we’re right on the bubble and it would be a first for the women’s golf team ever ...”

- Mary Ritchie had come up somewhere else where I would be making an hour commute it wouldn’t have even crossed my radar. There is a lot that I do in the world of golf that is really fun and exciting for me and commuting a long way is not one of those options. There are a lot of reasons that made this the right fit for me. The facilities that we use in the area are just top-notch golf courses and I’m fairly connected with the golf professionals in the area so it just felt right.

H: How do you handle stress and manage to do other activities you enjoy such as photography and writing?

R: Excellent time management skills and hardly any sleep.

What I’m really fueled by is my excitement for the program and since I started in July, I have never in my life gotten so little sleep. I have never been so ready to go

as soon as my eyes open. I’m compelled to do what I do, from managing to social media and planning for the future.

H: How is the recruiting process coming along?

R: Right now it’s the busiest time of the year for me so I can’t really focus time on recruiting. I just don’t have the time for it right now, but I’ve already recruited one player and I might have another one who came in for a visit yesterday right in the heart of all the business. We’re losing two players, two seniors, Savannah Vilaubi and Ferraro next year, and they’re our number one and number two players.

Next year we’re bringing Jakeishya Le who played high school golf and was very successful in her fall season, and I mean extremely successful so I’m expecting pretty good things from her. We got some really good depths, Coach Riehle and Coach Perkins did a good job in recruiting last year so that has made things easier for me to be successful this year.

H: What kind of a program are you looking to build for the women?

R: I’m looking to build a highly ranked program that is recognized.

I expect that in the next three years we will contend in regional and hopefully make it to the NCAA championship. There’s a possibility in getting into regional this year, we’re right on the bubble and it would be a first for the women’s golf team ever. It is a bit of a longrange game plan, about a threeyear plan, to get inside the top 50 but to go from 128 to right now where we’ve been 60th you can see how dramatic the change is.

The jump up into the 50s may take some time but it involves recruiting well and seeing the potential of younger players who are coming up. Right now I have two verbal commitments from two high school juniors. That’s how far back you have to go begin scouting.

You recruit well by having an excellent coaching staff and excellent facilities and results. I just brought on an assistant coach who had an amazing career in the LPGA tour with two wins and she played 16 years on the LPGA tour — her

name is Joan Pitcock — she’s starting with us this week actually, and she doesn’t live in Riverside; she lives in Fresno but she will be traveling to all our tournaments with us and supporting my coaching and adding her coaching elements. I think that’s going to put us over the edge so I can’t be any more excited than I am about her and what she’s going to add to our program. The plan is to use all of the tools that I have and all of the resources that I have to make this the best program it can be and just in a very short amount of time we’re starting to see what is possible here.

H: How do you feel about the rest of the season and the Big West Conference?

R: Well, the toughest competition in the Big West is UC Davis and right now they’re ranked 36th in the country. Right now where we fall in the ranking in the Big West is third and we’re going to battle Long Beach State for at least second place, but who knows what can happen between now and the end of April. I think that as our momentum builds toward conference, I think this event is kind of pivotal because it will show the girls in a highly competitive environment where number one in the country out of 200 and something programs is competing. They’ll really get to see where they are in relations to that team. Having a good finish there will build confidence and we’re going to make a run at conference because anything can happen.

I will say this, though, it is being played at the UC Davis’ home golf course so there’s definitely a home advantage happening there but we will have to play our best to win conference. The most important thing to me is getting in regional.

Post-season play regional happens right after conference depending where we’re ranked. We’re on the bubble of being a post-season team so that’s really what I’m looking at. There isn’t really one team I’m looking to beat; obviously it would be nice to beat all of the teams at conference. We have beaten all the teams except for Davis. We have never played a tournament with them yet, so this week will be our first time.

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24

TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

Sports

VINCENT TA / HIGHLANDER

Taylor Johns (No. 5) drives past Long Beach defenders during the first half of the conference matchup.

Men’s basketball drops final conference games, sixth seed in tournament JASON AHN Staff Writer

The Highlanders dominated the first-place Aggies several times throughout a Thursday night showdown, but came up short with a 61-59 loss.

Jaylen Bland of UCR led the Highlanders with 18 points, three of them from beyond the arc, eight rebounds and three assists, followed by Taylor Johns, who recorded 17 points, eight rebounds and dished two assists.

Coming into the game, the 13-2 Aggies were attempting to clinch the conference title. UCR, on the other hand, was 7-7 in conference, and looking to climb up the ranks.

Climb they did, for most of the game, forcing nine turnovers and gaining a 16-point lead in the first half.

Even with the large deficit, the Aggies were difficult to stop as they outscored the Highlanders by 11 points in the remainder of the half, bringing the score to 30-25 at the end of the first half. Johns also gave out three of the allowed five fouls, which limited his dominant play in the second half.

At the start of the second half, the hot Highlanders scored seven of the first nine points, leading by 13 with 9:40 on the clock. UC Davis, which leads the nation in three-point percentage, did not stay down long and drained nine straight points to bring the game to 48-45.

Then at 6:16 remaining, with UCR leading by seven points, both teams went cold. It wasn’t until 3:48 that the Highlanders scored, but the Aggies were unstoppable by then. Davis scored eight straight to grab the lead, 55-54,

with 1:08 remaining. Johns made a layup but the Aggies responded with a jumper and never looked back.

Foul trouble is what may have cost UCR the game, whose aggressive play resulted in 32 fouls compared to UC Davis’s 13.

Looking to right the ship and position themselves within the upper echelon of the Big West playoffs, the UCR men’s basketball team, despite playing at the Student Recreation Center Arena lost their regular season finale to CSULB, 59-58.

Some students decided to watch the game to support their Highlanders, despite having to miss the first part of Heat. The basketball program also celebrated senior night, bidding farewell to guards Nick Gruninger, Charles Standifer and Austin Quick as well as to forwards Steven Thornton and Colin

Gruber.

UCR’s lead scorers were Gruninger, Taylor Johns and Jaylen Bland, who all came up with 11 points. Alex Larsson also had nine points.

CSULB dominated the first half. They had an 11-point lead, out-rebounded the Highlanders 18-9 and forced 9 turnovers. The score at the end of the first half was 35-26 Long Beach.

In the second half, the Highlanders did what was necessary to win and scored 13 of the first 18 points, which brought it to a onepoint game after a three-pointer from Gruninger. The score at this point was 40-39 with 13:15 remaining in the game.

After exchanging a few jabs, both teams were tied at 44 apiece with 10:07 remaining. Then Alex Larson of UCR made a fast break layup, taking the lead and making

the future look bright for the Highlanders. Jaylen Bland then made a jumper and a pair of free throws shortly after, bringing the game to 50-47.

With 6:58 remaining, Jack Williams of CSULB scored a three, which gave the 49ers a two-point lead, 52-50. UCR would grab a tie once more, but wouldn’t be able to break it, despite a clutch threepointer from Bland with 47 ticks on the clock.

UCR did well in the field, shooting 52.4 percent, but made just six of 14 free throws, which may have cost them the game.

The Highlanders are the sixth seed in the Big West playoffs and will face off against the third-seeded UC Irvine Anteaters at the Honda Center on March 12. The pair of teams squared off in the same round last season with the Anteaters winning.

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Women’s basketball wins on senior night, set for playoffs CHRISTIAN MAY-SUZUKI Staff Writer

For a moment, it seemed that the team forgot that it was Senior Night.

Jamila Williams made sure that they soon remembered.

The senior from Moreno Valley was recognized last Thursday night, being inserted into the starting lineup after being plagued all year by an injury as the women’s basketball team took down UC Davis 61-56 in their final home game of the season.

Annelise Ito led the charge with a season-high 24 points on an efficient 11-of-19 from the field on top of eight rebounds. Simone DeCoud also added 12 points in a game where fierce defenses collided. Brittany Crain, the fifthleading scorer in the country, scored seven for the Highlanders, ending her double-digit point game streak at 37 straight games.

The Highlanders started the night shooting very poorly,

struggling against a relatively uncommon two-three zone that focused on collapsing the paint and forcing the girls to take hesitant jump shots time and time again. After Davis jumped out to a 12-4 start going into the first media timeout, Head Coach John Margaritis had seen enough. The team left that first huddle with an increased sense of urgency on offense and a ferocious full court press defense that stymied UC Davis on offense and allowed the Highlanders to storm back into the game off of turnovers, taking an 18-17 lead with with 4:43 to play.

This was only the beginning for the Highlanders, who continued the immense defensive pressure that forced Davis into wasted possession after wasted possession.

The Highlanders capped off the first half on a 14-8 over that final 4:43 to take a 32-25 lead going into the half.

The second half saw UCR build on its ignited defensive pressure, continuing to swarm the ball handlers and jump the

passing lanes, forcing constant turnovers and errant shots, and causing UC Davis to have a very streaky second half. Davis tried to quickly shut the gap that UCR had built over the previous period, but every time the Aggies came within striking distance, the Highlander defense turned on the ignition and forced turnovers, allowing the Highlanders chances to extend their lead.

Multiple times over the first 10 minutes of the first half, the Aggies cut the lead to one possession, and multiple times, the Highlander defense responded by forcing turnovers, leading to easy buckets.

Both teams went on a two-minute scoring drought with nine minutes to play, with the Highlanders completely dictating the pace of the game and completely shutting UC Davis out of the paint. However, the score was still easily within striking distance, and the Highlanders never truly blew the game open, allowing the Aggies to eventually tie the game at 55 with 1:16 to play.

But the Highlanders never faltered,

keeping the lead and never letting UCD convert on another field goal.

In the women’s basketball team’s season finale, the Highlanders fell to host Long Beach State, 76-66. Ito continued her hot shooting streak with 24 points, converting on 11 of 18 from the field. Ito also added nine boards from the Highlanders, who were outrebounded by Long Beach State 37-27. Akilah Martin added 12 points, senior Dynese Adams scored 10 points and DeCoud added 11 points and nine assists for the Highlanders, who finish the year with a 17-13 overall record and 8-8 in the Big West.

The game started very back and forth for the first eight minutes of the half, with no team building a lead greater than one possession.

However, Long Beach State seemed to take some control of the game, going on a massive 16-4 run that was capped off by collapsing interior pressure that caused the Highlanders trouble on the inside and risky defense that paid off in turnovers for Long Beach State,

ending the half with a noticeable but surmountable 14-point deficit.

Facing a loss in their final game of the season, the Highlanders turned up the defensive pressure in the second half, forcing miscue after miscue for Long Beach State. The girls simply could not capitalize, continually having trouble with the superior size of the Long Beach State bigs, and could not buy a bucket from the outside.

This allowed Long Beach State many second-chance opportunities that proved to be too much to overcome for the Highlanders, who were down by double digits for most of the second half. However, UCR made one final push, getting the score to 63-57 with 3:57 to go. However, time slowly ticked away for the Highlanders, and they simply did not have enough time to finish their comeback.

UCR, seeded sixth, will begin Big West tournament play on Tuesday, March 10. The Highlanders will face seventh seed Cal State Fullerton at the Titan Gym. ■H