Volume 66 Issue 26

THE HIGHLANDER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

est. 1954

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

VOL. 66, ISSUE 26

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REPRESENTATIVES ELECTED, REFERENDA FAIL AS LOW VOTER TURNOUT SHATTERS HOPES FOR FUNDING R E A D A B O U T T H E 2 01 8 A SU C R E L E C T I O N S PAGE 4

H IGH L A ND ER EMPOWE R M E N T R E F E R E N D UM UN SUC C E SSF UL A F T E R VOT IN G T HR E S HO L D N OT ME T

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“I DID N’T WA NT T O B E LI E V E IT WA SN ’ T TRUE ” : VOTIN G SO F T WA R E MIS HA P CAU S E S CO N T ROV E R SY

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TH E RES ULT S A RE IN! C O LE E LE C TE D 201 8 A SUC R PR E SID E N T

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ED ITORIA L : A S UCR HA S N O R E A SO N TO B E PRO UD O F TH IS Y E A R ’S E L E CT IO N S

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TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

HUMANS OF UCR

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 6

08

KATHY LE, BIOLOGY, THIRD-YEAR

The Health Effects of Extreme Weather Events in California and Implications for Water Policy 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m.

CHASS Interdisciplinary South, 4107

Writing in Google Docs with PaperPile Citations 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Orbach Library (Science Library), 122

Coffee Chat Featuring E. & J. Gallo Winery 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Career Center

Managing Your Scholarly Identity 3:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Orbach Library (Science Library), 122

10

Global 19th Century: Rachel Teukolsky 12:00 p.m.-1:30 p.m.

CHASS Interdisciplinary South, 1111

Connecting Sustainability: 0-Waste at UCR 1:00 p.m.-2:00 p.m.

HUB (Highlander Union Building), 379

11

Hot off the Presses: Melissa Wilcox 4:30 p.m.-6:00 p.m.

College Building South, 114

BIRTHMARK, A gospel/Hip-Hop Experience, by Rickerby Hinds 8:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

Arts Building, Studio Theatre, ARTS 113

Tuesday

COMPILED BY MARTIN LOPEZ

09

Wednesday

Thursday

“I feel like I’m doing a lot, but at the same time I feel like I’m not doing enough. Like I hear people are doing ‘this, this, this and that’ and I think to myself ‘well, I’m doing this and this’ and that would be enough for me. It comes down to comparing yourself to others which you really shouldn’t do.”

Friday

12

Saturday

13 Sunday

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14

Monday

UCR Korean Alumni Chapter Annual Summer BBQ 12:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Laguna Niguel Regional Park

Swim to the C Challenge 6:00 a.m.

Student Recreation Center (SRC)

R’Family Swim Program 9:30 a.m.

Student Recreation Center (SRC), SRC

Tracking Changes: Version Control Featuring Git 10:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

Rivera Library, 140

Interdisciplinary Dance and Performance Artist Talk Series: keijaun thomas 2:15 p.m.-4:00 p.m.

Athletics & Dance Building, Dance Studio Theatre, ATHD 102

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4

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

News ASUCR

“Apologies only get you so far”: Students protest HESSR loss Highlander Empowerment Referendum unsuccessful after voting threshold not met MARK BERTUMEN Contributing Writer AIDAN RUTTEN Contributing Writer AMANI MAHMOUD Contributing Writer

The Highlander Empowerment Student Services Referendum (HESSR) failed to pass in this year’s elections, and around 35 students and staff came to voice their concerns at the ASUCR senate meeting on Wednesday, May 2. Both the over-packed audience and ASUCR senators expressed their frustrations with the election, from the “voting bug” of the polling stations to the misreportings of referenda reaching the vote requirement. Only 14.39 percent of the student population voted when 20 percent turnout was needed. The HESSR garnered the most discussion time compared to proposed ASUCR bylaw changes; if passed, the referendum would have provided more funding to UCR’s ethnic and gender programs in Costo Hall starting in 2020.

The meeting began at 6:36 p.m., Chief Justice Jo Gbujama opened the discussion on elections, highlighting what he called “three big things” concerning the elections during ex-officio reports. He began his report by addressing the allegations of ballot tampering; a rumor spread on Friday, April 27 that votes in the ballot boxes were being removed, which resulted in the insufficient voter turnout. Gbujama asserted that this was not the case, citing an email that the judicial branch sent out before the meeting on Wednesday.

“During elections week, at least three members of the (judicial) branch would help transport the ballots from polling stations to the office of Executive Director Laurie Sinclair,” said Gbujama.

“There is video evidence recording that no ballots were mishandled.”

Gbujama also discussed laptopping, a currently outlawed method of soliciting votes that allowed candidates and their associates to pressure students to vote on personal electronic devices.

Gbujama stated that he was against revisiting the method, remarking that they received no reports of voting violation against any of the candidates this year,

in comparison to the 22 violation reports last year (16 of which were laptopping-related).

Gbujama concluded by stating that low turnout was due to a lack of outreach, pointing out that there was only one pro-referendum group on the campus for the entire election.

The senate then discussed how to improve voter turnout. Gbujama explained that the senators could only do what is outlined by their constitution, which omits guidelines for recalling referenda results. The constitution itself can only be altered by a referendum calling for an amendment.

The HESSR discussion began with Joaquin Malta, student assistant for the Native American Student Programs and chair of the Referendum Student Advisory Committee (RSAC). One goal of the RSAC is to look over the budgets for the ethnic and gender programs of UCR — the main programs affected by the HESSR. Malta called for ASUCR representatives to be held accountable for the alleged mistakes that they made during the election, including the spread of misinformation during elections that the referenda had passed when they had actually not. The false information was first spread to the directors of Costo Hall. He emphasized that it was not enough to only say sorry; “Apologies only get you so far,” said Malta.

Malta also pointed out the inconsistencies in how voting was performed, stating that some of the polling sites didn’t require you to bring your R’Card to vote while other sites required you to swipe the card. BCOE Senator Patrick Le responded that he and his team created the card swipers, and he took full responsibility for any problems that may have occurred. He specifically elaborated on the “voting bug,” where a new patch that was released for the swiper program ended up doubling the amount of votes that a student already made.

CHASS Senator Marco Ornelas responded that ASUCR would learn from these mistakes, but Malta was not satisfied with that answer. “To move forward, ASUCR will just learn from its mistakes and try again next year? That’s all you’re doing right now?” Malta inquired, to which Ornelas responded, “I’m not elections director.” Discussion between the two ended when Ornelas rebutted that “(The mistakes) are for

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER CHASS Senator Grant Nakaoka raised several structural issues in ASUCR that “tie our hands” when helping students.

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER Assistant Dean of Students Joe Virata (left) and student Joaquin Malta (right) converse about HESSR.

next year’s election (because) I’m graduating.” The room was audibly astonished by the response, and order had to be called by Executive Vice President Carisha Moore, requesting that all parties be respectful to each other.

Elections Director Taylor Brown added her thoughts on the voting bug, empathizing with those frustrated by the failure to secure funding and wishing to improve upon the elections process and as a governing body in general.

“We were all devastated when we came up short. We would like to know what we can do to fix it now, before most of us leave (for graduation),” Brown said.

“I want what you want, and this is a difficult job to do.”

CHASS Senator Grant Nakaoka also sympathized with the grievances of the crowd. “This system was not designed to help students help other students,” Nakaoka explained. “You’re witnessing it right here; we can’t talk freely because of parliamentary procedure. It’s an institutional problem, and our hands are tied.” Malta concluded his allotted time by reiterating that ASUCR had nothing in their power to fix the issues at hand, not until next year.

Vice President of Internal Affairs and 2018-19 president-elect Semi Cole clarified why this is the case, stating that Chancellor Kim Wilcox put a “cap” on the HESSR when it was initially passed five years ago, meaning that the funding provided by the referendum would only be in effect for a period of five years. He also pointed out that caps are not common among other referenda. “Like people said earlier, this is an institutional problem because the chancellor himself is the one who put us in this position, where we have to vote every five years to continue funding.” CHASS Senator Mariam Alkhalili affirmed that because of this, ASUCR would be in “gridlock” when handling the issue until next year.

Nakaoka responded that there’s not a quick or easy answer. “That’s the problem,” he said, “I don’t have the answers.

I wish I did, otherwise we wouldn’t be in this situation. I think it takes a community group effort to figure this out.”

In the vein of community effort, Cole then suggested that UCR work with the other UCs to handle this sort of issue.

Moore said that, to ensure that referenda like the HESSR get passed in the future, she intends to advocate for lowering the percentage of students needed for passage from 20 percent to 15. Concerning improvement on relationships, Alkhalili said she tried to reach out to student organizations in the past, but was met with a lack of willingness from

the receiving parties to work together.

Alkhalili intended to fix these relationships with a bylaw last year that required representatives to meet together more often. “Since I started office, I was aware of the shaky relationship between ASUCR and Costo Hall, so in the fall quarter I passed a bylaw ensuring that every single (ASUCR) senator was meeting with at least two Costo Hall senators,” she said.

Later in the meeting, Assistant Dean of Students Joe Virata was called on to speak by the audience. Virata emphasized the need for greater communication between students and administration. “If this (ASUCR) body and this (student) body wants to have answers to the questions that are being raised, I’ll open the door,” Virata declared, “because I think it’s important that our administrators are accessible, that there be a willing ear on the other side.”

Virata further spoke about why the referendum did not pass, stating that more work needs to be done in the future to ensure that the campus is mobilized to vote. Soon after, an audience member went up asking when Virata could let that work be done, starting next week. Virata responded that anyone wanting to do so could meet him in his office (HUB 381) on Tuesday, May 8 at 4 p.m.

Discussion of the HESSR continued until 8:35 p.m., when the time allotted for the discussion ran out. Moore urged everyone to continue working with both themselves and ASUCR to improve the system and make sure that all referenda are passed next year. After the discussion period officially ended, a majority of the audience left the room.

The senate continued their meeting, passing bylaw amendments and announcing their senator reports before adjourning the meeting at 9:24 p.m., after nearly three hours of meeting.

•

Highlights: CHASS Senator Solomon Demeku proposed the passage of his Athletic Awareness Committee bylaws.

The Athletic Awareness Committee is intended to get students more involved in UCR athletic events and increase student engagement with UCR athletes. The committee will be under the office of the ASUCR president and members will be appointed by the personnel director. It passed 12-0-0.

The next ASUCR senate meeting will be held Wednesday, May 9 at 6:30 p.m. in the ASUCR Senate Chambers, HUB 221.

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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

5

“I didn’t want to believe it wasn’t true”: Voting software mishap causes controversy EVAN ISMAIL Senior Staff Writer

ASUCR’s 2018 elections garnered controversy last week when the turnout rate was drastically overestimated in a programming glitch.

This program, built by BCOE Senator Patrick Le, a fourth-year computer science major, was meant to track how many students had voted, and, in a case of human error, over 20,000 more students were added to the list of students already in the system. This gave ASUCR officials the illusion of a vastly different outcome; over 20 percent of students were believed to have voted, meeting the threshold for referenda to pass.

In reality, however, only 14.39 percent of undergraduate students voted, meaning the referenda failed. This angered many after news seeped out of ASUCR that the minimum had in fact been met.

In an interview, Elections Director Taylor Brown expressed that the elections committee’s work was “exemplary,” but said it was unfortunate the student body “is kind of apathetic and didn’t really turn out as we thought they would even with the incentives.”

Brown was referring to the incentivized voting system, in which students received free food and beverages upon casting their ballot. The voting process required students to swipe their student ID’s to get a ballot.

Due to human error, the number of students enrolled in the system was duplicated, leading to over-inflated turnout numbers.

“When you swiped your ID, it registered the student twice and so we had twice as many votes as we thought we did,” said Brown.

However, in an interview last Tuesday afternoon, Brown said she was skeptical of Le’s estimates throughout the week, because “Patrick wasn’t the one who put the ballots in the safe everyday.” She explained that from her perspective, the stack of ballots looked like less than the numbers they were receiving, stating, “We would look at the stack and say, ‘OK, I guess that looks like 1,500 today,’ but we didn’t know until we actually counted the votes, we were just going off of what Patrick said.”

According to Brown, rumors began to circulate around campus that they had reached the threshold by the Friday of voting week. Brown mentioned that she was tagged in a post that announced ASUCR had reached the 20 percent threshold, but stated she was cautiously optimistic, since “we wouldn’t have known until we counted the ballots.” When Sunday came, Brown and other staff spent 10 hours counting the ballots and she was severely disappointed that they “came up so short.”

The software Le claimed in an interview with The Highlander that his software had saved ASUCR between $6,500 to $8,000 since that is what was traditionally spent for a third-party to run an electronic voting system. Le’s team also built a program that optically scanned about 65 percent of the ballots, and those that had “X’s or incorrect marks were manually counted because our software could not account for those.”

Le explained that his software consisted of a cloud server that ran the website, both the

“front-end,” or what is shown on the screen, and the “backend,” or the database where students’ information is held.

This secret database consisted of three categories: Full name, ID number and the student’s college.

The problem occurred when a set of voter tables were duplicated in the system. “They would have the student ID, the name and their college and there’s another column to tell whether or not they voted,” said Le. “Some time around Tuesday or Wednesday, we were making a new patch for the website because we found a bug,” and they wanted to fix the problem before Wednesday’s votes were counted.

They had sought to build another table that only contained candidate information, separate from the table of voters. “But I guess some miscommunication or something like that, when we ran the script, we didn’t change two parameters — one of them we didn’t change what table it was being inserted to and then the source of where we’re getting it inserted to,” Le said.

Le and his team had a spreadsheet of nearly 20,000 undergraduates and “you do some code in that, and every single row is inserted into the database itself … We forgot to change that parameter so what we thought was the candidate’s Excel file, we were pushing the voters’ Excel file.” The database already had the full number of undergraduate students, but they transferred in duplicates of every voter.

“It was just a human error,” said Le, “we just didn’t remember to change that specific parameter.”

“Don’t share this info lol” Le explained to The Highlander that he had announced they surpassed 3,800 votes on Friday afternoon to an ASUCR group chat, adding that he did not know of any bug until Sunday, thinking the software was “working perfectly.”

“I announced it to the group chat and I suppose rumors spread really fast,” said Le. “I didn’t expect it to go any further than that group chat.”

ASUCR President Aram Ayra sent an email to the student body at 1:09 p.m. on Friday, April 27 explaining that they were still “a little short of our goal for 20 percent overall turnout.” According to Le, word reached the general student body around 3 p.m. on Friday that they had met the 20 percent, prompting some ASUCR members in the group chat to question the validity of this, as it seemed impossible for several hundred students to vote in such a short time span.

Brown remarked that Le’s messages to the group chat were “not consistent” and additionally felt that he was not taking her seriously when she questioned his announcements.

In screenshots of the conversation provided to The Highlander, Le wrote, “3,952 ... we made it ... but keep the votes coming.” Brown responded asking, “You’re telling me 200 voted in the past 45 minutes?”

Le responded with “I guess so,” to which Brown retorted, “No guessing! Could you imagine telling all these students one thing and then coming up short?”

Le then told Brown, “Well don’t share this info lol.” But people did share the information, without the permission of Brown, making her feel like students knew the count before

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER BCOE Senator Patrick Le (left) and Elections Director Taylor Brown (right) announce the 2018 elections results in the senate chambers on Monday, April 30.

she did as she was continuously tagged in Facebook posts.

Brown explained that, for the sake of transparency, she wanted students to know the miscount was a “misunderstanding.” However, the screenshots make it seem as though officials in ASUCR knew there was an issue, but did not heed it.

“I didn’t want to believe it wasn’t true. It seemed like there were a lot of people going to the polls on Friday because that was the biggest stack out of all the other days surprisingly,” said Brown. Brown said that the possibility of an error did not occur to her until Sunday when they counted the ballots.

Members of the chat did, however, joke about the fluctuations in numbers, reflecting an attitude seemingly ambivalent to the success of the referenda. Le said that the group chat “was never supposed to be a professional environment” but expressed that it was saddening when it was revealed that they did not reach the level. “Most of the time … from my perspective, it was never meant to be a laughing matter at all.”

The student response Student activist Justin Domecillo ran for a senate seat, but was defeated with only 334 votes cast in his favor. In an interview with The Highlander, Domecillo acknowledged that the miscount “made the vote seem much less urgent and I think it had a real impact” on voter turnout.

Domecillo initially tried to start a recall effort but abandoned that idea, writing that “it would require over 3,000 signatures and I’m not too sure that the student body can emotionally and mentally invest in such an undertaking at this time.”

He did say, however, that he is forming a group that will produce literature on the importance of engagement in student government, host weekly workshops that go over the ASUCR bylaws, constitution and referenda and walk around campus and explain to people what it means to pass the referenda.

Domecillo mentioned that Semi Cole, current vice president of internal affairs and 2018-19 president elect, expressed inter-

est in and may seek to implement some of the plans Domecillo has to strengthen students’ relationship with ASUCR. Domecillo explained that he has “a great deal of confidence in many of the newly-elected senators,” but is unsure of the Executive Cabinet, questioning “whether they will actually work for the students … in my experience, their rhetoric never quite aligns up with their actions.”

The future of elections Brown believes that paper ballots still have a place in student elections, but with one caveat: “If you have paper ballots, then maybe bring back parties.” Brown said that expanding the voting period beyond one week could be considered, but would be very tiring.

She believes that online voting with independent candidacy is the best way to vote. “Online voting increases accessibility to everyone. I don’t think it should be 24/7, close it at a certain time.”

Le, however, only partially

agrees. “I believe paper ballots can still work but I don’t believe it will be technologically sustainable.” Le favors online voting, but only at designated polling sites. “It’s always going to be difficult to force students to stand in a line,” believing that if they had parties to accompany the polling sites, the turnout would have been met.

Domecillo proposed keeping paper ballots, but opening up an online portal for referenda voting only. “I think online voting is needed for referendums (sic).

With how busy students are and how impacted our schedules may be, standing in long lines to vote doesn’t seem practical,” stated Domecillo. Additionally, Domecillo is a commuter from San Diego and suggested that time-andresource-strapped students may not put the effort into actually voting at a polling site.

How the elections are structured next year will be decided by the next elections director, whose appointment is set to be announced this week, according to Brown.

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6

NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

The results are in! Cole elected 2018 ASUCR president

2018 ASUCR election results overshadowed by low voter turnout MYLES ANDREWS-DUVE Senior Staff Writer ANDREAS RAUCH Senior Staff Writer

Semi Cole was elected president of ASUCR for the 2018-19 academic year on Monday, April 30 in a culmination of a campaign that focused on student engagement, community outreach and improving UCR’s mental health services.

The outcome was a landslide victory, with Cole earning 1,493 votes to runner-up Diana Jekki’s 967. Protest candidate Furry Boi, a student named Timothy Hughes running as a fictional character in a squirrel costume, won 113 votes as a write-in presidential candidate.

This year’s election marked ASUCR’s first paper ballot-only election since 2002.

The ASUCR senate banned laptopping, the practice of soliciting student votes by offering them technology to vote online, in a near-unanimous vote in January. The discussion at the time had focused on the security risks of laptopping, with opponents of the laptopping ban citing lowered turnout as a strong reason for retaining the practice.

The overall turnout for the election was 2,818 students, representing 14.39 percent of all undergraduates. This failed to meet the 20 percent threshold required to validate the three referenda on the ballot, meaning that, despite all three gaining large majority approval, none will take effect.

The defeat of the Highlander News Referendum means that the $1.00 increase to the quarterly Highlander Newspaper fee (currently $2.00) which would have taken effect in fall 2018 will not occur. The referendum received 1,873 “yes” votes and 593

“no” votes.

The Highlander Empowerment Student Services Referendum (HESSR), promoted by the ethnic and gender programs of Costo Hall, sought to increase the current student fee by $2.00, with the extra funding allocated to sustaining the operations of Undocumented Student Programs (USP). The referendum was approved with 1,965 “yes” votes and 369 “no” votes, but, as with the newspaper referendum, is void due to an inability to hit the 20 percent turnout threshold.

USP Director Ana Coria was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.

Speaking on behalf of the Middle Eastern Student Center (MESC), director Tina Aoun lamented the failure of the referenda. “It was very sad news for us, a staff and as students, because we saw how much work the students put into it,” Aoun said. “We knew that there was a lot of friction just to get a vote in.

I was a bit surprised, but not shocked.”

Aoun commented on the importance of campaigning for the referendum in the 20182019 academic year, given that a failure to renew Costo Hall funding before the 2020 approval deadline would result in said budget being cut. “We’ll use this year as a huge learning opportunity. It’s really about making students care about civic engagement.”

The Green Campus Action Plan (GCAP) referendum, which sought to reallocate GCAP’s funding for sustainability programs, received 1934 votes in favor and 426 against the plan.

Rumors circulated over social media near the end of elections week on Friday that the turnout had met and exceeded the 20 percent threshold, a misunderstanding that BCOE Senator Patrick Le, who handled the voting software, apologized for on Monday. “We do apologize for announcing the numbers early, and I take full responsibility for all of

this,” the senator said during the announcement.

Elections Director Taylor Brown also expressed regret for the mishandling of the results, stating, “We’re sorry for the mistakes that we made in this election, but thank you guys for voting and thank you guys for running.”

In an interview shortly following the announcement, Le elaborated on what led to the initial miscount. “There was a mistake where when we deployed it (the database to store all the votes), it referenced the wrong Excel file … and as a result it pushed in an additional 19,000 students,” explained Le. These 19,000 students, said Le, were “each matched with a Boolean value to see if you had voted or not and I used that to count how many people received a ballot. So the number that I got was 4,400 and that was because every single time a student got a ballot and the volunteers would mark them as confirmed, the count would increase two times, because there are two SIDs (student ID numbers) of the same student in the database.”

The issues surrounding the incorrect announcement and the failure to reach 20 percent turnout were central in the following Wednesday’s ASUCR meeting, where scores of students affiliated with Costo Hall programs packed the senate chambers to express their grievances. ASUCR senators agreed to increase communication with Costo Hall to ensure a future for ethnic and gender programs. Students with related concerns were invited by Assistant Dean of Students Joe Virata to meet with him on Tuesday, May 8 at 4 p.m. in his office (HUB 381). The location, at the time of publication, is subject to change.

Below are the 2018-19 ASUCR elects: Executive Cabinet

• • • • • • • • • •

President: Semi Cole (1493 votes) Executive Vice President: Andrea Cuevas (1258 votes) V.P. of Internal Affairs: Jose CortezHernandez (2376 votes) V.P. of External Affairs: Martin Cuenca (2257 votes) V.P. of Finance: Johnston Pau (1613 votes) GCAP Director: Austin Mok (2279 votes) Outreach Director: Carolyn Chang (1434 votes) Personnel Director: Nataly Morales (1480 votes) Marketing and Promotion: Connie Wi (2158 votes) Transfer & Non-Traditional Director: Vanessa Salinas (2179 votes)

CHASS Senators • Avi Idea (653 votes) • Alyssa Tocker (651 votes) • Mehvish Ali (633 votes) • Julian Gonzalez (606 votes) • Chelsea Davenport (598 votes) • Alex Gonzalez (591 votes) • Asia Ou (575 votes) • David Melgoza (564 votes) • Jacky Chang (564 votes) CNAS Senators • Abigail Gigi Cortez (409 votes) • Andy G. Veliz (468 votes) • Josiah Davis (422 votes) • Kenneth Thai (497 votes) The fifth seat is awaiting a special election or appointment because only four people ran for five seats.

BCOE Senators • Sarah Al-Khalili (145 votes) • Joel Sanchez (121 votes)

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UCR engineering team wins top prize with biogas technology VIVIAN LEE Staff Writer

One of the teams within UC Riverside’s Engineers Without Borders (EWB), a chapter under the Inland Empire professional chapter, took home first prize for the team category at the 11th annual Metropolitan Spring Green Expo on Thursday, April 19. The competition was held in downtown Los Angeles where the UCR team competed with teams from other universities, including Loma Linda University and UCLA. Another UCR team won second place for developing water-efficient scrubbers that reduce ammonia waste produced in dairy facilities.

The victory was accredited to Claudia Chaves Villareal, a doctoral student from the Costa Rica Institute of Technology. She started the project in 2012 when she began a company with a partner to provide biogas systems for impoverished communities in Costa Rica. This was requested by the communities in order to find an alternative to

the faulty biodigesters, airtight containers for aerobic digestion, which were given to them by the government. Since then, she and her project team within EWB focused on improving the current design through the problems they came across.

In addition to this, they are looking for more grants to use for improving the biogas systems and other concurrent projects. Villareal recognized how important it was for the students to be involved in this project in order to learn new skills such as writing grant proposals and using concepts learned in class.

“It helps the students apply their knowledge they learn in classes and apply it to real problems in developing countries,” Villareal said. “They extend their capabilities, not only to know the fundamentals of the sciences and technology, but also to know how to apply that in a completely different context.”

Villareal also commented on how the victory reminded the team of their accomplishments in the real world. “I think it motivates the group

to realize how this is important, because there were many welldeveloped projects that were wellthought,” she said. “But winning first place lets them know how important the (metropolitan) water district considers this project to be, because it is more applied and we have already delivered results.”

The biogas systems use pig waste as fertilizer in order to convert it into an eco-friendly gas for domestic use.

The team plans on purchasing two pigs for the family to begin the system and converting their biological waste into a type of gas. This is made in lieu of using rainforest wood for cooking fuel and other domestic uses that produce excess carbon dioxide, potentially causing more health hazards within these communities.

In addition, these families are able to sell excess gas energy and the fertilizer for other families to use.

Project leader and third-year bioengineering major Amani Sastry shared how her role has given her a new perspective on the different realms of engineering.

“As a bioengineer, I was definitely introduced to a lot of the environmental and chemical engineering side,” she said. “It broadened my perspective on the humanitarian engineering and how bioengineering can be useful in this certain field.”

Dr. Kawai Tam, UCR associate teaching professor and the faculty advisor for EWB, shared that the UCR team has consistently attended the Spring Green Expo and been placed in the top two since 2005, with an exception of one year. However, in spite of the many accomplishments she has witnessed under the Bourns College of Engineering, she feels as though the school’s reputation hasn’t kept up with their accomplishments and that more brand recognition for the school’s hard work would allow UCR to further develop its reputation. For Tam, competitions such as the Spring Green Expo demonstrate “the caliber of quality people that we mentor and mold and come out into society.”

Other project members were

delighted to be involved with the team and the progress they had made, receiving more grants and awards for their project. Stephanie Kim, the financial director of EWB, explained that the club has given her the opportunity to learn how to write for grants and develop her writing skills for other projects and expos. “We’ve been working on getting more grants and presenting our projects to more expos including Spring Green Expo and CleanTech Open,” Kim explained.

The team is currently working on providing more grants for the Costa Rica biogas system. They meet every Wednesday afternoon from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in room 147 at the Orbach Library. UCR’s chapter of EWB is also working on another project that involves installing a micro-controlled solar water pump in Tanzania.

The team is collaborating with a professional chapter of EWB at UCLA and meets every Friday afternoon from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. in Chung 133.

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Linguistics professor sheds light on evolution of “Spanglish” AIDAN RUTTEN Contributing Writer

The blending of the Spanish language and American culture has led to the creation of unique dialects and increased bilingualism. The impact and perceptions of these changes were the focus of a guest lecture given by Dr. John M. Lipski, an Edwin Erle Sparks professor of Spanish and linguistics at Pennsylvania State University last Monday.

With research centered between the studies of linguistics and Hispanic culture, Dr. Lipski’s talk focused on the linguistic development of Spanish in America due to its various iterations and cultural implications. The purpose of the lecture was also to inspire students interested or working in these subject matters to apply for the National Science Foundation’s Partnerships for International Research Education, or PIRE. Covering a time period from before current American borders were drawn, and when what is currently California was still part of

Mexico, the lecture covered periods of history when communities of Spanish-speaking, often Mexican migrants would root themselves in American society with the consequence of blending languages.

“There was a labor shortage in the Southwest during World War I, and so trains full of migrant workers were brought in,” said Dr. Lipski.

“People thought once the work was done the workers would just go back where they came from but it doesn’t work like that.”

Over the course of history, the blending of Spanish and English has led to the formation of dialects like “Spanglish,” referring to a distinctly English-influenced form of Spanish.

Dr. Lipski explained that these dialects filter up through society, so by the time academia begins researching them, the language may have already changed again. “The term ‘Spanglish’ can actually be hurtful or inaccurate. It groups some 50,000 people together under a term that they may not all feel applies to them.”

He also explained that the term “Chicano”

was eventually given credence by academia after initially carrying a negative connotation. “It used to be used by wealthier Mexicans to refer to poor people and criminals,” he said. “But over time the connotation changed and it became a source of cultural pride.”

Starting at Penn State, the PIRE program has spread, and given UCR’s diverse and largely bilingual campus, as well as its proximity to the Mexican border, it made sense for PIRE to extend its research opportunities here.

Dr. Judith Kroll, distinguished professor of psychology, linguistics and women’s studies, has conducted research through PIRE concerning bilingualism. She was a professor at Penn State before coming to Riverside, an area whose diversity continues to lend itself to the kind of research she and Dr. Lipski conduct.

“I was on the faculty there for 22 years before coming to UCR in 2016,” she said, “When I left, we had just been awarded a new PIRE grant so I was able to take a portion with me to UCR.” Dr. Kroll organized this lecture for

Bilingualism Matters, which is part of UCR’s Center for Ideas and Society. Bilingualism Matters focuses on research efforts concerning the benefits of learning multiple languages.

“Bilingualism Matters is an organization that attempts to bridge between the research and the community to address myths about bilingualism that are widely held but untrue,” said Dr. Kroll.

PIRE also provides funding for students to conduct linguistic research in other countries, something Dr. Lipski has done extensively, evidenced by the pictures he showed of himself standing on the invisible borders of countries like Bolivia and Peru. He spoke of how the changing and crossing of borders leads to the blending of language, forming unique dialects and shaping cultural attitudes.

Bilingualism Matters will host its inaugural research symposium on September 7 in Edinburgh, Scotland, where the project began as an information service for parents on the benefits of bilingualism but has since grown into an institution at the University of Edinburgh.

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TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

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Opinions

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HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

ASUCR has no reason to be proud of this year’s elections

E

lections Director Taylor Brown announced the results of the 2018-2019 ASUCR elections last Monday, and while there was quite a bit of applause and cheers for the new executive cabinet members and senators, there was far less enthusiasm from the proponents of the three referenda on this year’s ballot. Because only 2818 students voted (about 14.39 percent of the undergraduate student body), the referenda failed to meet the minimum threshold of votes to be considered valid, which is 20 percent of the student body, per Section 84.12 of the UC Office of the President’s policies. Thus, all three referenda failed — despite each receiving an overwhelming majority of “yes” votes. There was no such threshold for the executive cabinet or senator positions.

Notably, a write-in presidential candidate under the pseudonym of “Furry Boi” (AKA, second-year environmental science student Timothy Hughes) earned a sizeable 113 votes.

Hughes didn’t earn nearly as much success as UC Berkeley’s own iteration of Furry Boi, a sophomore by the name of Stephen Boyle, who won a senate seat in Berkeley’s student elections back in April while running as a joke. Nevertheless, both this year’s incredibly low voter turnout and the fact that Hughes got such a sizeable portion of the votes, despite being an actual joke candidate like Boyle, underscore the issues with not only this year’s ASUCR elections, but the state of student engagement with ASUCR in general.

It is necessary to have some kind of

JUSTUS ROSS / HIGHLANDER

minimum threshold of votes for referenda in order to make sure that said referenda actually have some form of popular support before their supporters can change student fees. However, the fact that there were only paper ballots and no online voting this year (as an effort to prevent the prohibited tactic of laptopping) doubtlessly contributed to this historically low turnout, as this gave students no option to vote without having to wait in line at polling sites in the midday heat. This is to say nothing of the fact that many classes begin their midterms around week four, the same week of the elections, thus forcing students to choose between getting in last-minute studying for the sake of their grade or waiting around in line to vote in-person, as opposed to simply being able to log in, vote and get back to their studies.

Thus, the issue is not with the threshold in itself, but the fact that the groups supporting each referendum weren’t given the option of online voting, the tool that would have helped them reach 20 percent turnout. Laptopping shouldn’t be allowed to return, and having any form of online voting invariably opens up that possibility to candidates who somehow can’t manage to obey the rules and leave busy students in peace. Still, it is incredibly unfortunate and disappointing that the referenda weren’t able to pass (despite landslide support from the students who actually voted) because of the lack of convenient online voting. It’s also strange that this threshold wasn’t applied to the candidates themselves, who will now go on to be paid — some, nearly $10,000 — for their new positions in ASUCR. Of course, you

can’t simply leave the student body without representation from a studentled government, so you couldn’t deny all the senate and executive cabinet winners their victories based on not meeting the voting threshold. However, one also has to wonder how much more ASUCR would do to promote voting and interact with the student body if the candidates did indeed have to meet a threshold to be considered legitimate.

Whether there is a threshold or not, it’s clearly unbalanced to hold senate and executive cabinet candidates to one standard and referenda to another.

Though we aren’t calling for results to be overturned at all — rules are rules, even if they are questionable — it’s very dubious whether the victories of the new senate and executive cabinet members are, in any way, more representative of what the students wanted than the “failure” of the referenda, all of which earned more “yes” votes than most of the candidates who ran unopposed.

On the subject of opposition, the fact that “Furry Boi” squirreled away 113 votes as a write-in candidate using largely grassroots campaigning is a scathing indictment of ASUCR’s value in the eyes of the students. Though each voter who wrote in Furry Boi had their own reasons for writing him in, these votes can largely be considered a form of protest, either against both of the real candidates or against ASUCR itself. His voters don’t seem apathetic about the elections as a whole; after all, if they were merely apathetic, it would have been more convenient to just not vote. Rather, even if it was just because the idea of a Furry Boi

presidency was amusing, those who voted for Furry Boi did so because neither of the other options were compelling enough to earn their vote, or because they did not believe that the winner of the presidency would make a difference in what ASUCR would do for the campus. Such protest votes are a completely valid and important means for students to express their discontentment with what ASUCR has and hasn’t done for them.

The new ASUCR regime must learn from this year’s abysmally low voter turnout and the copious number of protest votes and resolve to fix the problems that plagued this election.

The fact is that this year’s referenda will not be implemented while the new regime takes power, even with only 14.39 percent of the student body’s vote to validate that power. The onus is now on the winners of this election to reassess what has led to this and lay out directly to the students what they plan to do. If ASUCR expects to be able to say that they represent students, it’s incumbent on them to engage and be transparent and accountable with all students on not just their victories, but also their faults.

Not only is this their duty as elected student representatives, it’s their responsibility as the victors of this past election to ensure that the next one has much more student engagement, with an outcome that is actually representative of what the voters want.

■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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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

OPINION POLL Compiled by Bri Chew, Staff Photographer

“What is your opinion of ASUCR?”

Montahina Rahan Biochemistry First-year

Wesley Townley Business Third-year

Christian Lasgimosa Art History Third-year

Olivia Jensen Celluar Biology First-year

Elizabeth Osi Liberal Arts Fourth-year

Christian Rossy Political Science Third-year

“I don’t really know anything about it.”

“I think it’s great because all students get to impact the way that things go on here. They get to contribute, give back and try to push forward whatever they think is good for the school.”

“I don’t know much about it.”

“I genuinely don’t know what it is, but I know what it stands for... but I don’t know what they do.”

“I think ASUCR is cool. I guess they are making headway in a lot of things and it’s cool that Semi is president.

GO SH’OBAMA’ (Semi+Obama).

AMEN.”

“I don’t know a whole lot about it. I know about everything they put on. It’s always something cool and something beneficial for students.”

Bailey Davis attempts to level playing field for NFL cheerleaders ELAINE CHEN Contributing Writer

Former New Orleans Saints cheerleader Bailey Davis has filed a discrimination complaint against the team with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC).

The complaint asserts that there are two sets of unequal rules: One for the cheerleaders, and one for the football players. Davis lost her job after violating one of the guidelines set for her as a cheerleader by appearing on her then-private Instagram account in a semi-nude photo. However, Davis claims that she is not asking for or expecting her job back, maintaining that she wishes to settle for $1 and a four-hour “good faith” meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The goal behind the meeting is to create a new set of rules and regulations for every NFL team that features cheerleaders.

Davis’ case is shining a light on the intense policies she had to abide by during her time as a Saints cheerleader.

Gender equality, especially in the workforce, has progressed immensely since the beginning of the 20th century, with non-

discrimination laws in place and groups like the EEOC to advocate and oversee that the workplace remains free of any kind of discrimination. It’s clear, however, that the rules set for NFL cheerleaders aren’t up to par; a strict anti-fraternization policy is set for cheerleaders, while players don’t face binding rules or consequences to prevent them from approaching their team’s cheerleaders.

Some of the extra rules Saints cheerleaders have to follow include mandatorily blocking the football players on all forms of social media, and conversation going beyond “hello” or “good game” is considered fraternization.

Additionally, Davis also mentioned in a podcast interview that the cheerleaders weren’t even allowed to like a picture that had a Saints football player in it, even if someone aside from the football players posted said picture.

Cheerleaders also had to be private on social media to further ward off any football players who might not be blocked (due to the inability of the cheerleader to find and block their profile because of pseudonyms people

tend to use for their social media usernames) from finding them online. Davis claimed that the reasoning behind these rules is to protect the cheerleaders from being preyed on by the football players, saying she signed a contract which said that “they (football players) are predators.”

Not only does this incorrectly imply that all the Saints football players are inevitably going to try and approach the cheerleaders in an uncomfortable manner, but these anti-fraternization policies wrongfully hold cheerleaders accountable for making sure they don’t attract the attention of football players, a tactic often seen in victim blaming when a woman is shamed for a man preying on her.

In addition to being told to put all the walls up to ensure safety from “predatory” football players, the cheerleaders are stripped of the publicity and opportunities that could await them in their next step as professional cheerleaders or dancers. Meanwhile, the players have, again, no such rules applied to their social media presence, allowing them to market themselves online publicly; the cheerleaders,

however, aren’t granted such opportunities, especially in the digital age, where social media marketing is a powerful tool that can generate a source of income.

The threat of immediate termination also stands with fraternization offline.

Cheerleaders and players cannot be seen in the same area in public: If a cheerleader goes to a restaurant that the player is already dining in, the cheerleader must leave, and if a cheerleader is eating at a restaurant and a player walks in, the cheerleader is responsible for leaving as soon as possible. Given these constricting rules, it could make one wonder why anyone would put up with such a set of shameful policies. Kristan Ware, a former Dolphins cheerleader who also felt discriminated against during her time with the NFL, claims that there was a sense of manipulation that prevented cheerleaders from speaking out against the policy.

This double standard enforces a toxic cycle of silence about something worth being debated.

Davis’ settlement of $1 has become a symbol against the typical slew of opposition when such complaints are met with

accusations of the party simply being money-hungry: The dollar is there to show how it’s a definitive fight for equality and clarity to the policies for NFL cheerleaders, not for the money.

This settlement amount mirrors Taylor Swift’s award of $1 by counter-suing in a federal court case in which she claims she was groped by Ex-DJ David Mueller, who denied it and attempted to discredit Swift by hitting her with a $3 million lawsuit for ruining his career with a false accusation. Both of these cases carry a hard-hitting message: They’re not about making a fortune or really “winning” anything as much as they’re about pointing a spotlight on an issue that needs to be discussed and changed for the better.

In what we would think is a progressive society that is open to gender equality, the NFL has a long way to go in ensuring that the players aren’t assumed predators and that the cheerleaders have a voice in bringing attention to better an organization they wish to work for. Davis is a catalyst for a new generation of athletes seeking to establish equal expectations and reformed policies.

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UC tuition delay does not solve California’s higher ed crisis MICHAEL BEELI Staff Writer

In a victory for California’s public higher education students, the University of California Board of Regents has delayed a vote to increase UC tuition by $342 for the 2018-19 academic school year. The delay of tuition is an important victory for lower-income students in the UC system. However, the threat of future tuition increases is destined to materialize unless the state legislature takes action to prioritize the state’s higher education.

When the University of California was first formed in 1868, it was created with the promise that “tuition shall be free to all residents of the State.”

For nearly 100 years, this model was sustained; California residents were able to thrive as students in one of the most prestigious public university systems in the world without paying tuition, save for minor non-instruction related fees that didn’t exceed $25 a year in the 1920s. In 1960, The California State Department of Education, in collaboration with the UC Board of Regents, released “A Master Plan for Higher Education” for 1960-1975, which “reaffirm(ed) the long established principle that state colleges and the University of California shall be tuition free to residents of the state.”

In 1966 Ronald Reagan assumed office as governor of California and began aggressively pursuing cuts to

funding for the UC, CSU and CCC (California Community College) systems. During his eight-year tenure as governor, Reagan vigorously opposed any rise to UC funding and cut the state’s allowance to the UCs by $11 million in 1971. In 1966, California spent approximately $20,000 per student.

As UC funding initially dropped and enrollment continued to increase, the funding dropped down to below $18,000 per student in 1973, and the UCs were forced to abandon the century-old commitment to free attendance for California residents in 1975, requiring approximately $600 ($2,783 adjusted for inflation) annually.

By 1995, the UC’s budget was only 66 percent covered by the state, and as the universities expanded and added more students, UC annual tuition had risen to $4,139 ($6,779 adjusted for inflation).

Correspondingly, state spending per UC student dropped slightly to approximately $17,000 per student.

The largest runaway between state funding and and students, however, actually began around the year 2000.

From 2000 until 2012, state expenditures per student dropped from $23,000 down to approximately $12,000 per student.

The LA Times reports that the general funds the state provided for the UCs during the 2016-17 academic year was only $7,560 per student. The explanation for this phenomenon is not that California has cut funding for the UCs in

recent years; on the contrary, Governor Jerry Brown has vocally pushed a policy of modest increases to the UC budgets that are aimed at forcing the universities to make more efficient use of taxpayer funds.

The declining funding per student is an effect of the universities taking on a significantly increased number of applicants with a very modest increase in state funds. According to the LA Times, currently less than 38 percent of the UC’s budget is currently covered by California public funding, meaning that over 62 percent of the UC’s costs are covered largely by tuition and student fees, which are currently set at $12,630.

This current price of tuition, which does not include housing, nutrition, textbooks, access codes and other extraneous costs, is 21 percent of the state’s per capita income of $58,272.

Although the UC’s original vision of tuition-free education to all residents may be outdated given the increased demand for higher education in California, the current tuition prices have clearly become the main source of funding for the universities. Shifting the burden of payment upon the students is a fundamental betrayal of the University of California’s promise.

In just the past 18 years, the UC has experienced a hollowing of its proportional per-student funding from the state treasury. Unfortunately, this trend is unlikely to cease anytime soon; as the

universities continue to expand, students will have to continue to pay a greater and greater share of the their budgets.

The drastically rising tuition rates are placing incredible pressures on students: 62.5 percent of UCR’s undergraduate students have been identified as food insecure, and 57 percent of the student population are Pell Grant awardees, of which the average student’s adjusted family gross income is just $20,302. A raise of $342 in yearly tuition can make all the difference in a student’s ability to purchase sufficient food or basic items necessary to live a comfortable life.

The expansion of the universities is both important and necessary to the UC’s educational mission. Accompanying these trends however, the state of California has a duty to preserve the unparalleled quality of the system without jeopardizing its character. In the face of stagnating budgets, the UCs have done a tremendous job carrying forward as the most effective public university system in the world, but their status as icons of affordability has been left behind. Ultimately, the UCs either have to sacrifice quality or quantity if not given proper financial support. It is incumbent on Governor Brown and the State Legislature to take a bold step forward to provide for the UC, and bring students back to a time where the only obstacle holding one back from a superlative education was one’s academic record.

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OPINIONS

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TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

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Sex and the White House: Have we become desensitized?

SHYAM RAJAN Contributing Writer

Not since the Clinton presidency has sex been so prominent in American politics.

It was after his famous claim that he “did not have sexual relations with that woman” that Clinton was charged with perjury and obstruction of justice. Overcoverage and perceived political attacks shrouded the LewinskyClinton scandal. The results of the following election were due partly to voters seeking “personal morality” in their president.

Notwithstanding, Democrats found the Clinton scandal a “drag,” decreasing fervor in the Democratic base by way of political fatigue.

Neither the Bush nor Obama presidencies were marred by

sexual scandals. The Obama family was frequently featured in entertainment magazines like PEOPLE and US Weekly. They understood the art of media.

And, they understood that Democrats’ passion for Clinton had waned because media coverage of his scandal had pumped out all the juice their base had left. Certainly, it was a “drag.”

President Donald Trump is not a traditional presidential figure. Having no political or military experience, he is most well known for his reality television show “The Apprentice.” He understands the evolving media. Perhaps he is reminiscent of President Ronald Reagan, who started his career as a Hollywood actor. But, even Reagan had gubernatorial experience.

The Clintons’ marriage remained intact.

President Trump has been married thrice — his first two ended in divorce.

This is an unlikely image for a Republican, whose party claims to “stress the integrity and preservation of the family unit.”

The source of these words, President John F. Kennedy, was alleged to have had an extramarital affair with starlet Marilyn Monroe.

It was President Clinton’s words that led to the charges against him. What began as a moral issue quickly turned legal.

He was not removed from office, but the aftermath involved Larry Flynt investigating the private lives of Republican opponents.

Clinton representatives called it a “private issue,” but its aftermath led to many similar allegations against House

and Senate Republicans. Two decades later, Republicans have become targets again.

President Trump is haunted by ghosts from his past.

Currently embroiled in a legal battle with adult actress Stormy Daniels, he continues to deal with claims from other women making similar allegations of sexual misconduct. To him, the situation is legal and nothing more. Gone are the social taboos of adultery, a biblical commandment for a so-called Christian nation. Gone too is sexual conservatism. Even when confronted, President Trump knows that his lawyers are on the matter. His alleged affairs have all been tangled in legal agreements.

Women have been suing him to have their voices heard, but the president purports that he will

sue all the women who attempt to defame him. Moral character is no longer a legitimate reason for impeachment. The number of claims arisen against politicians suggests that conservatives appear as liberal about sex as liberals.

It may not be okay in the eyes of public to be sexually promiscuous, but this hasn’t stopped front-running politicians. They have prepared the proper checks and balances to assure that the consequences of their promiscuity have as little harm as possible on their livelihood. Even if these claims threaten their careers, there’s always a check around for a lawyer to keep it under wraps.

Nevertheless, the aftermath of Clinton’s scandal has not been forgotten — no one wants a H “drag” in the White House. ■

COMICS ART AND JIMMY BY: JASON LEE

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

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FEATURES

“Geek On!”

per: s o AND r p DOM L N A F and ASE D ANNUA OWC R

HI SH THE T ENTS N S T U D T I V I T Y AT N V E N T I O O A C E R ” !

C K ON “GEE

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he HUB saw a massive takeover of over 1,000 anime fans, cosplayers and gamers alike this past Sunday, for the third annual “Geek On!” event. The 12-hourlong convention was held on the second and third floors of the HUB and featured panels from various Youtubers and figures in the video game industry, as well as video game tournaments, merchandise tables and even an Idol Cafe run

by HallyUCR. A highlight of the event was the cosplay competition, where a panel of judges voted on a group of six contenders, who were handpicked from a larger preliminary group. Costumes were judged by four main categories: Sewing quality, fabrications used, quality of the finished product and a miscellaneous category, which measured any other factors of the costume such as creativity, props and cosplayer performance.

The winner of the competition was Melissa Camberos, a visiting college student from Oxnard who cosplays under the name Revolution Cosplay. Camberos dressed as the popular character Hatsune Miku. She handmade her entire dress using sewing and fabric patterns, which took two hours of every day for a full month. Since this was only the second ever cosplay contest she had entered, Camberos was excited to take first place. “It feels really great to win,” she expressed. “I’m glad that people appreciated the final product of all the time I put in.” When asked why she chose Hatsune Miku in particular, Camberos shared her experience with the Vocaloid franchise, a popular singing software.

“I always drawn to Vocaloids ever since I was very little,” she explained. “I wanted to be them (Vocaloids) and now cosplay lets me do that.” When asked about the future of her cosplay career, Camberos spoke of her plans to attend Anime Expo in Los Angeles, dressed as another Vocaloid.

In second place was Jessica Tran, a third-year psychology major from UCR, who had the most creative, if not resourceful, costume of the entire contest. Her costume was an anthropomorphic version of a mechanized Zoid from the anime series “Zoids,” which Tran excitedly noted was coming back following a 12-year hiatus.

Her arm and leg guards, helmet and guns were all made entirely of painted and glued together gym mats, which took Tran and her friends more than two months to complete. Tran was introduced to the idea of cosplay in middle school, and has been doing it ever since. “When I was younger (in middle school) I didn’t have many friends, and I was really shy,” she explained. “Cosplay helped me channel the inner part of me that was social; it really helped me come out of my shell.”

On the sidelines of the contest, among the tables of merchandise, you could find Cthulhu’s Orphanage, run by fourth-year bioengineering major, Sabrina Cheung. The small table sold squid plushies that varied in size from as little as four inches to as big as 8 feet. All squids were handmade by Cheung, who has been sewing for about 12 years. She was first inspired from an online post she saw in her sophomore year of high school to make plushies, and would eventually post her own work on Tumblr in her junior year. She never expanded on the idea until college, when

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

she would coin the name “Cthulhu’s Orphanage,” which Cheung explains was inspired by the cult of Cthulhu meme trends at the time.

Following another successful turnout, “Geek On!” will return next year with more panels, merchandise and activities.

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Campus Cope

Graduating? How to make the most of your last weeks at UCR By: Edward Dave, staff writer For many of us, UCR has been our home for several years. We entered the campus blissfully unaware of our futures, and now we will be leaving changed for the better with a new perspective on life. And through many upsets and late-night cram sessions we’ve gotten to familiarize ourselves with the campus not just as an institution, but as a safe space to test our intellectual grit and network with like-minded individuals. Good endings should have a sense of finality while also providing a sense of what’s to come. For graduating seniors, these next few weeks are a period where we can reflect on how to end this chapter of our lives and make sure the prelude to the finale is worth it.

Exploring Downtown R’side: Many students, particularly those who live on campus, have hardly explored all that Riverside has to offer. Downtown Riverside is very overlooked and has a bevy of places for young adults to entertain themselves. You can visit the wonderful Mission Inn, which has remarkable architecture and even better food. There’s also the restaurant Heroes which is a lovely place to eat king-sized meals with your pals and enjoy the lively ruckus of Riverside.

Beyond that, there’s also interesting clubs to visit like Sevilla and AV that’ll be sure to please anyone looking for a decent night out on the town. And considering how close UCR is to downtown, there’s really no reason not to explore the area even if you have to take the bus (which is free with our R’cards in case anyone forgot).

Having some nooner fun: Additionally, students who normally walk through the Wednesday nooners should take a few minutes out of their day to check them out. Not only is school spirit at its peak since a large amount of clubs are lined up around the perimeter contributing to the ambience, the events themselves are often orchestrated by cultural organizations. Sitting down and watching cultural performances and lesser known artists allows you to revel in the diversity and talent our school has to offer. The best part about them? They’re absolutely free. And there’s usually vendors that are also club-run who sell great food if you’re craving a quick bite to eat. Diversity is still slowly becoming widespread in many institutions so it’s cool to appreciate the melting pot of our campus while we still can.

ratio is stellar, so you feel as though you’re getting a good bang for your buck. Various school staff and community members with their kids make up the crowd, enjoying tunes and chatting it up. And perhaps best of all, there’s an appetizer list featuring food from La Fiamma to accompany the drinks and conversation.

These last few weeks on campus will be filled with all kinds of emotions. One day you’ll feel as though the moment you walk across the stage can’t come any sooner, and other days you’ll lament graduation because it’s one huge leap into the bleakness of adulthood. Leaving this campus isn’t as simple as driving off into the opposite horizon with your degree in hand. Luckily, if you’ve yet to make vivid memories, there are tons of hidden gems on and off campus to explore before we reach that final mark.

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Thursday Night merriment: Another event soon-to-be graduates should check out is the Thursday Night Live shows hosted by the HUB and KUCR. As a bartender stands nearby serving drinks, live bands, who often take requests or play musical gems from several generations, light up the evening. For seniors 21 and over, it’s the perfect place to unwind after a tiring session of classes or studying in the library. Although the drinks can be fairly pricey, the cocktails and alcohol-to-chaser

ARCHIVE / HIGHLANDER

R adar ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

EVENTS THIS WEEK 05/09

Student Recitals Week, Adam Siders, euphonium @ Arts Building, Performance Lab, ARTS 166, 8:00pm to 9:30pm

05/10

BIRTHMARK, A gospel/Hip-Hop Experience, by Rickerby Hinds @Arts Building, Studio Theatre, ARTS 113, 8:00pm to 10:00pm

05/11

Film & Discussion: Adio Kerida (Goodbye Dear Love) @ Culver Center of the Arts, 7:00pm to 8:30pm

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

Radar

MOVIE REVIEW MOTHERHOOD IS TOUGH IN “TULLY,” AN UNGLAMOROUS YET TRIUMPHANT COMEDY FROM THE CREATORS OF “JUNO” JULIAN MEDRANDA Senior Staff Writer

Full disclosure: I am not, have never been and never will be, a mother. Most of my insight into motherhood is informed by my own mother, other mothers and the occasional reading. Did you know creating and lugging around a miniature human being is hard work?

Crazy, I know. There aren’t too many things as uniform in motherhood as that difficulty, I gather, since there’s such a miscellany of experiences that make it difficult to label any as the “authentic” maternal experience.

So, it’s refreshing to see that the latest Reitman-Cody offering, “Tully,” weighs in on a very particular, very excruciating, type of maternal experience.

“Tully” marks the fourth collaboration between director Jason Reitman and screenwriter Diablo Cody, following “Juno,” “Jennifer’s Body” and “Young Adult” (though all written by Cody, Reitman directed all but “Jennifer’s Body”). In line with all of Cody’s previous stories, “Tully” is about a woman going through a hard time, but unlike the protagonists in “Juno” or “Young Adult,” Marlo (Charlize Theron) is here because of missteps in her decision making.

The Most Pregnant Woman Alive, Marlo starts off under the same type of stress that typifies parents of — for lack of a better word — troublesome children. We start things off with some intimate shots of her brushing her son, Jonah (Asher Miles Fallica), as one does a horse. As the film slowly discloses,

it becomes abundantly clear that he’s somewhere on the autism spectrum despite no psychologists or school principals telling it like it is. One of the many great scenes in the film that demonstrates Theron’s explosive capabilities arrives when Laurie (Gameela Wright), Jonah’s principal, pussyfoots around the most basic candor. “He’s quirky,” and “atypical” she tells Marlo, and her response is as colorful as we would expect from a script by Cody, “Do I have a kid or a fucking ukulele?” being the highlight in her diatribe.

So Jonah is a handful and then some. Thankfully her daughter, Sarah (Lia Frankland), isn’t as much of a headache, but the added stress of the new one and some implications from her brother Craig (Mark Duplass) that she may have undergone postpartum depression after having Jonah just compound the weight on Marlo’s shoulders. It doesn’t help that her husband, Drew (Ron Livingston), is too busy with work by day and obsessed with “Gears of War” by night to be the Father of the Year she might wish for. Craig suggests they consider hiring a night nanny to help out with the third kid, which Marlo rejects at first, but the demands of the overburdened mother find her dialing the phone for a bit of help.

Enter Tully.

Tully (“Black Mirror” and “Blade Runner 2049” starlet Mackenzie Davis in another dynamic performance) bears the most recognizably Diablo Cody imprint on her, and she’s possibly the first manic pixie dream girl to walk a major film in a couple years. There’s

something magical about her that is hard to describe outside of fantastical comparison, not just in her youthful joie de vivre and convincingly thorough understanding of life’s ups and downs, but in the way she transforms Marlo’s life around.

Cody inserts tons of little moments into the story to spell out in boldface capital letters that motherhood has taken a hell of a toll on the now-mother-ofthree — including a wonderfully funny montage, orchestrated to a T, post-pregnancy. The birth scene itself even stands out for being so laughably mundane, visibly anchoring Marlo’s well-being as she stares with flat affect as she does so often. But all of that suddenly changes not long after Tully comes in, and the timing of it all is so rewarding, both for Marlo and her family, as well as the audience.

While much of the film’s praise can be traced to Cody’s consistently sharp pen game, Reitman directs with a fine balance between wit and insight to elevate her script. If this were the late 2000s, our characters might have been as trenchant as they were in “Juno,” but the maturity that paints “Tully” — even when Reitman’s indulging in the wackier part of Cody’s script — is much more rich and suitable to this story.

This is especially true for Tully and Marlo, who could have been reduced to weathered parent, wideeyed child caricatures. But they’re humanized, and provided amples lines of organic dialogue that reveal how perfect of a match the two are.

Naturally, Theron shows no holes in her performance, and at this stage in her 23-year-long career as

COURTESY OF FOCUS FEATURE

an actor, it’s questionable if she is capable of a bad performance. If the 50 pounds of weight she notoriously put on for the role aren’t convincing enough of her dedication to being one with the characters, then the way she spirals in and out of distress with a subtlety few can match will surely prove her case as one of the industry’s finest.

“Tully” drew a bit of criticism from, I guess, the mommy community, because it seems to depict postpartum depression in ways many find unsavory. Look, we’ve established I’m barred from the mommy community on grounds that I’m no mommy, but it’s hard to see what “Tully” says about its particular mommy as anything other than thoughtful and sensitive to the many plights of maternity. There’s developments in the last quarter that sully some of the magic it creates earlier, but it’s rooted in the typical writing error of creating drama for the sake of plot advancement. Not so much problematic interpretation of postpartum depression as it is a

bit schlocky.

In spite of an unfittingly weak resolution, “Tully” still manages to coherently absorb its audience in Marlo’s quest to not be so damn tired all the time and align who she wanted to be with who she currently is as a mother. When she gets to talking about the Theseus paradox with Tully later in the film, it’s like a light bulb illuminates and the primal anxieties of motherhood plaguing her are put into perspective.

Verdict: “Tully” is anything but a conventional story about motherhood, and the way Jason Reitman captures Diablo Cody’s story is something extraordinary, if hilariously unglamorous. Charlize Theron is magnetic on screen alongside her younger opposite, Mackenzie Davis, and they have thought-provoking interactions that make even the sem-lackluster climax pay off in full.

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HOW “MY HERO ACADEMIA” HAS “GONE BEYOND” AND BECOME THE NEWEST HEIR TO THE SHOUNEN ANIME THRONE MARCELO GARCIA Senior Staff Writer

During the winter season of 2015, shounen fans found themselves in a predicament. At the time, the big three of shounen, “Naruto,” “One Piece” and “Bleach,” were notoriously underperforming. “Naruto” was on the tail end of the already draggedout Shinobi War arc, while “Bleach’”s monstrosity of a narrative was losing viewers faster than it was gaining them and “One Piece,” despite the compelling Dressrosa saga, was not very appealing for viewers without 700-plus episodes worth of context. With the power vacuum only growing, the community was itching for a new series to take up the gauntlet and become the next big shounen franchise.

Enter “My Hero Academia,” studio Bones’ newest project, which is still making waves after its triumphant debut two years ago in the spring season of 2016. The show is currently airing its third season, following up two seasons

COURTESY OF BONES

that were incredibly well-received by fans and critics alike. Its popularity has become so prevalent that it has been added to both Crunchyroll’s simulcast lineup as well as Funimation’s simuldub list in order to meet the demand of American audiences. Where most anime get English subs a few days after the original Japanese release and English dubs far later, often into the following season, “My Hero Academia’”s popularity allows it to circumvent these time gaps: Its English sub is released simultaneously to American audiences with the Japanese release, with an English dub of the newest episode available within the week of its airing, thanks to simulcast and dub.

Putting the show’s high praises and rapidly growing fanbase aside, “My Hero Academia,” at its core, still lives and dies by the same conventions we have seen in shounen since its inception. On paper, series protagonist Deku is as generic as they come. Initially weak and powerless, he eventually gains a special ability through a higher being’s intervention, giving him the potential to become the “Number One Hero” through hard work and determination. He also has an equally cliche childhood friend and rival in the naturally skilled and arrogant Bakugo, whose antagonistic relationship with Deku becomes increasingly brother-like.

Add the quirky, warm-hearted mentors, a female love interest that cheers our hero from the sidelines and a tournament arc, and you’ve got the formula for every other popular shounen of the past 10 years.

However, I don’t bring up “My Hero Academia’”s cliches as a criticism. In fact, they work far more as benefits for the series then detriments. The ideas presented may not be innovative, but they are executed with enough thought and passion behind them that they feel organic. Inspired by American comic books, the series follows the

superpowered students of U.A. High School, as they fight villains and train to become professional heroes. Like the X-Men, the characters are born with these abilities and learn to master them as they grow. So while the show is extremely well done and appealing, it’s popularity is not by merit of innovation but rather its delivery.

Now compare “My Hero Academia” to one of the newest shounens on the scene, “Black Clover.” Premiering in the fall of 2017, “Black Clover” was promising. Not only had its manga risen to the top of “Shonen Jump,” but the series was picked up by Studio Pierrot, the creator of some of the most beloved anime to date, including “Yu Yu Hakusho,” “Naruto” and “Tokyo Ghoul.”

The series chronicles the journey of Asta, an orphan boy who lives in a world filled with magic. Born without magic and raised alongside fellow orphan Yuno, Asta strives to become the most powerful mage in the land, the Wizard King. I could go on checking off the list of aforementioned cliches, but it’s sufficient to say that “Black Clover” meets them all. Despite the similarities between it and “My Hero Academia,” since its debut “Black Clover” has faced some of the toughest scrutiny of any anime this year. Fans wrote the series off as generic, almost unanimously agreeing that the show was an embodiment of every problem shounen faces.

So what’s the difference? What did “My Hero Academia” do that “Black Clover” desperately failed at achieving?

The problem that “My Hero Academia” addresses is a problem that “Black Clover,” the medium of anime and many series created by western networks all face: The lack a consistent and clear goal with proper motivation.

Initially, both these shows seem to have equally simple and easily understandable goals. Terms like “Number One Hero” and “Wizard King” might as well be

replaced by “the next Hokage” or “King of the Pirates.” They aren’t revolutionary ideas. However, the distinction made between Deku and Asta’s end goals can be seen when we look at their motives and what accomplishing that goal really means to these characters.

Asta’s motivation to become the Wizard King can be broken down into two simple desires: To help the poor village he was raised in, and to the show the world that even a poor orphan can become the strongest mage in the land.

But as we try to dig deeper, we discover that Asta’s character depth leaves something to be desired. Why does he want to prove himself to the world?

Because the plot demands it of him, he’s the main character and if he didn’t want to become the Wizard King there wouldn’t be a show. “Black Clover” has a clear goal, but lacks convincing motivation because its characters operate on one dimension.

Deku’s reason, on the other hand, can also be segmented into two parts: To follow in the footsteps of his idol and mentor, All Might, and to become a symbol of peace and hope for the world.

Unlike Asta, Deku’s motivation goes a step further. He wants to become a symbol of hope because that’s what All Might was to him as a child. Deku sees himself in the people he is protecting and that is what makes him want to be a hero.

Because his motives are deeper and more complex than Asta’s, Deku becomes a more compelling character.

When a story gives its audience a character to follow, the audience will be interested for a while. But when a story gives an audience a character with motives that resonate with them, the audience will truly start to care about the actions on screen.

It’s not enough to have a noble hero with a righteous goal. What viewers are searching for in the screen are people, characters they can relate to. And the second a show gives them that, viewers will watch.

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SPORTS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

Highlander World Cup Halftime The 2018 World Cup in Russia is still months away, and some teams are still being put together.

However, that’s not stopping the Highlander from breaking down every group to give you a comprehensive overview leading up to the first kickoff.

Costa Rica

ing: 35 World Cup Appearances: 1 First Appearance: 2010 Last Appearance: 2010 Best result: Group Stage Coach: Mladen Krstajic, Serbian (2017-present). Previously the caretaker coach for Serbia before being promoted in Dec. 2017.

Coach: Oscar Ramirez, Costa Rican (2015 present). Previously coached Costa Rican club Alajuelense (2010-2012, 2013-2015)

Bryan Ruiz The 32-year-old attacking midfielder is not only the captain of the team, but the most potent attacking player on Costa Rica’s national team. To date, he has made a total of 101 appearances and played an instrumental role in Costa Rica’s famous quarter final finish in the 2014 World Cup, scoring two goals in their five games. Since his stellar performances in Brazil, Ruiz signed for Sporting Lisbon from Fulham FC in London, where he has scored 12 goals in 81 appearances. He has quality both on and off the ball, and with his career entering its twilight years, should be motivated to drive his side to another World Cup miracle.

Potential lineup: Navas - Gamboa, Watson, Duarte, Gonzalez, Oviedo - Ruiz, Tejeda, Borges, Wallace - Urena Formation: 5-4-1 Prediction: 4th in group, eliminated in group stage Matches: Vs. Serbia 06/17 Vs. Brazil 06/22 Vs. Switzerland 06/27

Vasken Najarian Contributing Writer

Serbia FIFA Rank-

FIFA Ranking: 25 World Cup Appearances: 5 First Appearance: 1990 Last Appearance: 2014 Best result: Quarter finals, 2014

Key Players: Keylor Navas The 31-year-old goalkeeper is the undisputed leader of this Costa Rica side and headed to his third straight UEFA Champions league final with Real Madrid. Navas signed with Real Madrid from Levante in the summer of 2014, after his superior performances helped send Costa Rica to the World Cup quarter finals, the country’s best ever performance in a World Cup. Since that summer, he has been a regular starter at Real Madrid, accumulating a total of 92 appearances in La Liga. Over the last four years, Navas has won a La Liga title, two UEFA Champions Leagues and two CONCACAF Goalkeeper of the Year awards. His big game experience will make him a vital presence to a Costa Rica side that is looking to build on their strongest ever World Cup showing.

Group E, Part II

Key Players: Aleksandar Kolarov The 32-year-old left back and team captain will be coming off of a season in which he played a key role in AS Roma’s Champions league semi-final finish as a left back. Not only does his age and experience give him an advantage, but he has had two goals and eight assists so far in 31 games in the 2017-2018 Serie A season. Known for his ability to cross and bring the ball forward from the back, he will be a valuable part of this Serbia team that is looking to advance to its first ever FIFA World Cup knockout stage. His veteran presence will be vital to Serbia’s chances of making a strong run in this summer’s tournament.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic Known as a “complete midfielder,” the 23-year-old Lazio midfielder will likely be the most important player for this team on both sides of the field. At 6’4, he is one of the most physically imposing midfielders in the world and his technical ability has led to comparisons to former French legend Zinedine Zidane. Internationally, MilinkovicSavic had a heavy influence in Serbia’s victorious FIFA U-20 World Cup campaign, being awarded the bronze-ball. He received his first call-up to Serbia’s senior national team in 2016 for a European Cup qualifier and has appeared in recent friendlies against China and South Korea. This World Cup, Milinkovic-Savic will be looking to prove that all of the hype surrounding him is warranted.

Potential lineup: Stojkovic - Kolarov, Nastasic, Ivanovic, Rukavina - Milinkovic-Savic, Matic, Ljajic - Kostic, Mitrovic, Tadic Formation: 5-4-1 Prediction: Round of 16 elimination Matches: Vs. Costa Rica 06/17 Vs. Switzerland 06/22 Vs. Brazil 06/27 ■H

Softball sweeps UCSB to close out Senior weekend series JARYD BONGCARAS Contributing Writer

The UC Riverside softball team (32-20, 9-9) put on an offensive clinic Saturday during the first two games of the series against UC Santa Barbara (18-33, 5-13).

After giving up four straight runs in the first inning, the Highlanders outlasted the Gauchos 13-11 in game one. They then got off to a quick start in game two and picked up a 9-3 win. Things only got better for the Highlanders offensively in the third game as they finished the sweep with a dominant 14-0 performance.

Game one: Highlanders 13 - Gauchos 11 UCSB opened up the series scoring four runs in the top of the first, but the Highlanders responded with seven runs of their own in bottom of the inning to take a 7-4 lead.

Sophomore Emma Ramelot and senior Jenae Lockwood each collected RBI singles to cut the lead in half and junior Brittney Garcia gave UCR its first after she crushed a grand slam over the left field wall. Junior Hannah Rodriguez added the final run of the inning on a sacrifice-fly to score sophomore Danielle Ortega from third, putting the Highlanders up 7-4.

The Gauchos fought back to tie the game in the second inning at 7-7, but the Highlanders responded with a solo shot by Lockwood and an RBI single from Ortega to put the home team up 9-7.

Garcia drove in her fifth RBI of the game in the fourth inning, tying for the second most

RBI in a single game in UCR’s Division I era. Freshman Seanna Garewal wrapped up the inning by tying a Division I record of her own, roping in her fifth triple of the season to bring in two runs, giving UCR a 12-7 lead.

Garewal now stands as the out-right leader in the Big West Conference in triples.

UCSB kept it competitive in the sixth inning by adding four runs, but the Highlanders were able to prevent a comeback by adding a run of their own in the bottom of the inning, holding on for a 13-11 victory.

Game two: Highlanders 9 - Gauchos 3 The second game of the doubleheader marked just the second start of the year for pitcher Jacy Boles. The sophomore picked up her first win of the season, tossing a complete game and giving up just three runs on seven hits.

It was the Highlanders who got off to the hot start this time around, adding four runs in the first two innings off of two RBI singles from Rodriguez, a Garcia sac-fly and a Curtan double. Curtan’s double marks her 37th career double, which breaks an all-time program record.

UCSB added two runs in the fourth to cut the lead in half, but Riverside responded with five more runs in the next two innings to cap off the team’s scoring efforts for the day.

The Gauchos would cross home plate again in the seventh inning but the Highlanders would hang on to win game two 9-3.

Rodriguez had a stellar game, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, one run and several defensive plays from shortstop to help UCR complete the doubleheader with two wins.

Game three: Highlanders 14 - Gauchos 0 UC Riverside opened up game three with yet another quick start, bringing home four runs in the first two innings thanks to a 3-RBI performance from Ramelot, and Rodriguez tagging home off a wild pitch.

The Highlanders continued to bombard the Gauchos offensively, scoring six runs in the third inning alone to expand the lead to 10-0. Lockwood opened up the inning with a double down the right field line, as Ortega followed that up with a triple of her own to right center.

A Rodriguez fly out to infield brought in Ortega to score and wrap up the scoring efforts for the Highlanders in the fourth inning. UCR finished the game with a 14-0 victory to complete the sweep against the Gauchos.

After the game, the team honored graduating seniors Chelsea Holley, Jenae Lockwood, Tayler Misfeldt and Jenna Curtan.

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COURTESY OF UCR SOFTBALL

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HIGHLANDER

HOT TAKES The NBA isn’t soft, it’s safe

JARYD BONGCARAS

Contributing Writer

Fans and former players of the NBA tend to reminisce on how the olden days of the league allowed for more physical altercations between players. Both parties normally follow that thought by saying the current NBA is far too soft compared to how the league was from the 80s to the early 2000s.

Most will point to the hand checking rule for this shift in play — the illegal contact by a defensive player that impedes the forward movement of the offensive player — but I’m not talking about common fouls. I’m referring to when former playersturned-NBA analysts talk about how much they enjoy seeing current players get into each other’s faces and really show their “passion” for the game.

Yet, these same analysts raise questions when two players in clear dispute with one another are both given technicals. Countless times, I’ve heard TNT and ESPN analysts like Reggie Miller and Jeff Van Gundy complain about officiating being “too soft” when it comes to issuing techs and flagrants.

Yes, technical and flagrant fouls are being called more often than they were decades ago, but it’s not as if it’s without a good reason. It makes sense for refs to be harsher on more serious fouls.

Charging a tech on a player is more likely to prevent them from any further outbursts, as opposed to just calling a personal foul.

And the only reason why a ref would want to prevent anymore outbursts is to ensure safety. This explains why refs are quick to break-up any altercation between players, even if it is just petty trash talk.

The league is simply scarred from the infamous “Malice at the Palace” incident that took place 14 years ago between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons.

Pistons center Ben Wallace was fouled hard by Pacer forward Ron Artest during garbage time. Wallace shoved Artest and the two weren’t separated as quickly as they should’ve been. The incident escalated into a larger mess that saw the suspension of nine players for a total of 146 games, which led to a total of $11 million in salary being lost by these players, as well as five fans facing criminal charges and being banned from Pistons home games for life.

Though obviously an extreme case, fans and former players should take the “worst night in NBA history” into account before complaining at officiating for preventing players from getting into a fight. Trash-talk, shoving matches and player-beef are entertaining to watch, but not when it comes at the expense of the safety of those actually at the game.

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COURTESY OF NBA

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TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

Sports Baseball loses three straight JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

The Highlander baseball team’s (16-25, 5-9) first game of the week was on Tuesday in San Diego against the San Diego State Aztecs (32-15, 14-8).

The Aztecs got out to a quick start, scoring seven runs in the first three innings. Meanwhile, Riverside was struggling to get on the board and only brought in one run during that same stretch. The Highlanders responded later in the game by scoring five runs in the final six innings, but it wouldn’t be enough to hold off SDSU, who scored again in the seventh inning to secure an 8-6 victory.

Although the team was unable to complete the comeback and ultimately lost, there were still standout performers, most notably junior Yeager Taylor, who became the first Highlander this season to go 4-4 at the plate. Redshirt senior infielder Colby Schultz also contributed to the comeback by scoring two runs and hitting two RBI’s.

UCR’s bats eventually caught fire, but the team’s poor pitching to start the game put the team in an insurmountable hole. The game quickly got out of hand when freshman relief pitcher Abbott Haffar was put into the game.

Haffar was only able to get one batter out, but surrendered four earned runs before being pulled out of the game.

The Highlanders were back in Riverside for their second game of the week, the first of a three-game series against Long Beach State (20-26, 6-8) that started on Friday. In this game UCR’s pitching continued to struggle and this time the offense was unable to spark a rally, and the team ultimately fell 6-2.

Freshman starting pitcher Cole Percival gave up 10 hits for five earned runs during his six innings on the mound while Long Beach State’s starting pitcher, sophomore Zak Baayoun, only gave up five hits for two earned runs in seven innings.

The Highlanders didn’t get the performance necessary from the batters box either, as the team only had six hits in the whole game. Long Beach State, on the other hand, more than doubled the Highlanders hit total, and ended up with 15. UCR’s two runs of the game came off of solo home runs from junior catcher Anthony Lepre and sophomore designated hitter Connor Cannon.

It was more of the same in the second game of the series against Long Beach State as UCR fell again, 8-3.

The Dirtbags were able to score four runs before the Highlanders even got on the board. Riverside was finally able to score a run in the eighth inning and two in the ninth, but at that point in the game it was too little too late, especially with Long Beach scoring four runs at the top of the ninth. Cannon was once again right at the middle of the Highlanders offensive attack, finishing with a team high two RBI’s.

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COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

Women’s tennis Head Coach Mark Henry “excited” for future JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

The UCR women’s tennis team finished their 2018 season on Friday, April 27 in the Big West Tournament quarterfinals in a 4-0 loss to UC Santa Barbara. Before that loss the team won its first tournament game since 2009 by defeating UC Irvine in the first round, 4-2. The Highlander caught up with women’s tennis Head Coach Mark Henry via email to get his thoughts on this season and this team.

Jonathan Fernandez: How do you feel your season went as a whole?

Mark Henry: Overall the season went very well even though we didn’t win as much as we would’ve liked. The team chemistry was fantastic and they worked hard and improved throughout the season. Our first ever win against UCI at the tournament really helped the team have a good feeling about the year.

Fernandez: How did you feel about your two tournament matchups?

Henry: The match up with UC Irvine was fun but tough. We had never beaten them but we knew if things went right we had a chance because we had just lost to them 4-3 the Saturday before the tournament.

UCSB was the number 1 seed in the

tournament and had beaten us pretty quickly in our match earlier in the season. We knew we had improved, and coming off our win with UCI we thought we could give them a better match. They were still just too good for us, even though we felt better about the way we played them in the tournament.

Fernandez: I know this was your teams’ first conference win in almost 10 years so what made this team special or different from teams past?

Henry: This group of Seniors, adding some key younger players, the chemistry.

The team has been steadily improving but this team was definitely better and ready to compete this year. We had several close matches that could’ve gone our way early in the season and I know they wanted to show that they could do it.

Fernandez: Sophomore Sara Khattab and freshman Tia Elpusan had a great season finishing with a program record 16 matches as well as earning Doubles Big West Honorable Mentions. How confident are you with that young doubles team leading the way for your team going into next season?

Henry: I’m very excited about their future because they were able to play at this level regularly without playing close to their best tennis consistently.

Next year I expect them to be much tougher and much more consistent and that should really help the whole team continue to improve our doubles play.

They’ll definitely be the leaders starting off the fall.

Fernandez: You do have five players who will be graduating this season, (Karla Dulay, Natalie Penner, Kassie Truong, Chloe Pham and Tamila Vaksman) what have they meant to this team and what impact do you think they’ve had on the younger players who will be back next season?

Henry: (Chloe Pham was listed as a redshirt Junior but we will be losing her to graduation as well) They have been great for the program, great for the younger players, and a privilege to coach for the past four years.

They are all outstanding individuals who have given a lot to the team while also doing excellent work in the classroom as well. It’s pretty amazing to have 5 freshmen come in the same year, all stay on the team for four years, and all graduate together. Their ability to balance school and playing on the team has certainly rubbed off on the younger players. They have been great students and great people as well. They’re definitely leaving the program in better shape than when they arrived and I’m confident the returning players will H continue to push the program forward. ■

Men’s golf finishes 8th in Big West Championship JARYD BONGCARAS Contributing Writer

The UC Riverside men’s golf team shot an 885 (+21) as a team over three rounds at the Industry Hills Golf Club last Tuesday, May 1. Senior Brandon Tsujimoto led the way for the Highlanders and tied for 26th individually, shooting a UCRbest 222 (+6) in the team’s final competition of the 2017-2018 season.

Three Highlanders tied for the best round on the team as Tsujimoto (Round 2), junior Michael Wong (Round 1) and junior Andrew Spilman (Round 3) each registered a 70 in the tournament.

Riverside made the most of the par 5’s, shooting -22 as a team with a 4.63 average, ranking 4th in the tournament. As for individual feats, senior Matt Lutz had the 5th best showing with a 4.42 average that earned him a -7 mark. Lutz also led the way on the Par 3’s shooting 2-over-par with a strong 3.17 average to earn 10th in that category.

Tsujimoto notched the 8th most pars in the tournament with 35 and Wong had a Highlander-best 12 birdies, which ranked 9th in the tournament. Both Spilman and Lutz added an eagle.

The Highlanders as a team added 48 birdies on the weekend, which was the 5th best by any team.

Seniors Tsujimoto, Lutz, Andre Vu and Luke Park have all played their final rounds with UC Riverside.

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POS

BIG WEST CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP

1ST

2ND

3RD

TOTAL

8

UC RIVERSIDE

290

296

299

885

T26

BRANDON TSUJIMOTO

75

70

77

222

T29

MICHAEL WONG

70

76

77

223

T29

ANDREW SPILMAN

78

75

70

223

T32

TYLER MOORE

73

75

76

224

T32

MATT LUTZ

72

76

76

224

Women’s golf finishes 6th in Big West Tournament for third straight year JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

POS

BIG WEST CHAMPIONSHIP

1ST

2ND

3RD

TOTAL

PAR

3

UC RIVERSIDE

307

291

293

891

+27

T8

HANNAH FACCHINI

74

73

76

223

+10

T17

JAKEISHYA LE

74

82

71

227

+14

T27

HANA FURUICHI

77

81

74

232

+29

33

HAILEY WHITE

81

81

76

238

+25

T34

JULIA SANDER

79

79

81

239

+26

UCR’s women’s golf team finished its season in the Big West Tournament the same way it has the past three seasons: In sixth place.

The Highlanders finished 63 shots over par, but did manage to move up a spot in the standings on the final day. Riverside ranked third among the eight teams on the par 5 at 8-over-par, averaging 5.13 strokes.

Senior Hannah Facchini led the Highlanders with a 10-overpar 223, which was tied for eighth place. Facchini has had the best individual score on the team during the conference tourney for the past three years.

Junior Jakeisha Le had herself another great season, once again being named as a Big West Honorable Mention for the third straight season. Le shot a 71 on the final day of the tournament to move up nine spots and finish 17th overall. Her 71 score in the final round was better than any other round for the Highlanders.

Junior Hana Furuichi finished third for UCR with a score of 232 at 19 shots over par. Her score of 74 in the third round was tied for the third-best round by a Highlander in the tournament.

Sophomore Hailey White and senior Julia Sander finished 33rd and 34th respectively. White finished with a game score of 238 while Sander finished with a score of 239.26.

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