THE HIGHLANDER
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE
est. 1954
FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2018
VOL. 66, ISSUE 17
41st annual Writers Week brings literary luminaries to UCR
ASUCR ANNOUNCES FIRST CANDIDATES FOR 2018 ELECTIONS
HIGHLANDER STAFF
The 41st annual Writers Week was carried out from Feb. 12 to Feb. 17, bringing a total of 20 writers to the UCR campus to read from their selected works and address questions. From UCR faculty, alumni and internationally recognized artists spanning several generations, the voices heard throughout the event resonated with audiences young and old. ► SEE WRITERS WEEK, PAGE 12
aspb presents: MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER
winter soulstice 2018 lineup
EVAN ISMAIL Senior Staff Writer
H.E.R. Marc E. Bassy K. Forest Friday, February 23, 2018 | 7 PM SRC (Student Recreation Center) North Gym COURTESY OF PEXELS
On Wednesday, Feb. 14, ASUCR held their 11th senate meeting of the academic year in HUB 221. Elections Director Taylor Brown announced the names of those set to run for an ASUCR position in the 2018 elections. The candidates announced during the meeting had permitted Brown to release their names publicly and may not represent all of the candidates that filed. The deadline to file for candidacy is Tuesday, Feb. 20. Carisha Moore, the current executive vice president, was announced as a presidential candidate, along with Diana Jekki, a fourth-year double major in political science-law and society and English. During the meeting, Moore said why she was running, “I genuinely wasn’t going to run, but in light of all the things that have happened in the past few weeks, I thought it was best for the students, for ASUCR, and for all of us, so if you need help, I promise to always stay unbiased in this position.” In an interview later in the week, Moore,
a third-year biology major, further explained what motivated her to make the decision to run. “A lot of factors influenced my decision in choosing to run. From the beginning, I decided, no, I’m not going to run because after three years of ASUCR it kind of burns you out, I was ready to move on in a sense.” However, Moore said that with several issues beginning to surface such as other candidates that may run for president, coupled with encouragement from supporters to run and a desire to maintain “all of the work we had done,” Moore “realized it would be better for ASUCR, for UCR and for the entire campus if I ran for president.” Moore explained that she believes the student body deserves a leader who is very passionate about student issues. Though recent events in ASUCR did not shape her will to run entirely, Moore felt that “UCR deserves someone that isn’t about drama and looking good ... all of the stuff that is happening, UCR deserves more.” In regard to her plans if she is elected president, Moore hopes to increase female representation in ASUCR, since, in her view, there has been a dearth of a female perspective in the executive cabinet in the past few years. Though
she acknowledged that she does not have concrete plans at the moment, Moore expressed desires to address housing and food insecurity, work more effectively with Costo Hall and expand ASUCR’s community outreach. Moore also said that she feels optimistic about elections and is excited because elections will be “so much different than last year.” She cited the banning of political parties and laptopping as well as ASUCR’s preparation for a changed electoral landscape as a positive step in fruitful elections. “Everyone has a clean slate, so definitely I see how this will be a healthy and positive election year,” said Moore. In an interview The Highlander, Jekki explained that she was running because she owes her “strength and growth to the institution” and is “saddened by how it has turned into a political machine in the past few years and I’m at the point where I have contributed all I can to the offices I have served and that President is the only place left where I still have the opportunity to grow and learn.” ► SEE ASUCR, PAGE 4
Armenian students protest for the recognition of Armenian Genocide EVAN ISMAIL Senior Staff Writer
On Thursday, Feb. 15 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Bell Tower, the Armenian Student Association (ASA) protested Turkey and the United States’ refusal to recognize the Armenian Genocide. ASA students covered their mouths with duct tape while sitting down and
holding signs that “spread awareness on Turkey’s and the United States’ denial of the Armenian Genocide,” said ASA Vice President Angela Burmayan. The demonstration is held on UC and Cal State campuses every year to remind students of the importance of the issue, with the duct tape meant to symbolize the US’ failure to acknowledge the Genocide. Among the around 20
participants were students from the UCR ASA chapter as well as the Middle Eastern Student Center. The Armenian Genocide, which began in April of 1915, occured after actors in the Ottoman Empire and later Republic of Turkey systematically arrested, deported and executed the Armenian population in Turkey. The Genocide, which claimed the lives of 1.5 million people, ended in 1922. According
to the activist organization United to End Genocide, only 387,000 Armenians were left in Turkey in 1922, down from a population of over 2 million in 1914. The Turkish government has refused to recognize the atrocities as there are accusations that the death toll was inflated and that many of the deaths were the result of starvation and World War One casualties. 28 countries have since recognized
the ethnic cleansing as genocide. In 2014, on the 99th anniversary of the Genocide, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed condolences to the Armenian people, stating that the atrocities during World War One were a “shared pain” and encouraged Turks and Armenians to respect each other. ► SEE GENOCIDE, PAGE 4
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