Volume 67 Issue 03

THE HIGHLANDER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

est. 1954

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2018

VOL. 67, ISSUE 03

D V E rs ty UC to dedicate more than $7 million to faculty diversity efforts

For more news...

• Diversity.........................................................pg. 4 • R’closet...........................................................pg. 5 • Asucr................................................................pg. 5 • Business in Riverside............................PG. 6

f UCR Highlander Newspaper @ucrhighlander HighlanderTV NEWS 4

OPINIONS 7

FEATURES 11

RADAR 15

SPORTS 19

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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 9, 2018

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HUMANS OF UCR

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 2

SAGAR SAMANTARAI, ECONOMICS, FOURTH-YEAR COMPILED BY THOMAS HOLGUIN

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Healing through R’Garden: Succulent Planting & Resiliency Zine Workshop 12:00pm to 1:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 367

FIFA 19 Tournament 3:00pm to 5:00pm Latitude 55

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R’Water Collaborative Workshop 9:00am to 1:00pm CHASS Interdisciplinary South, 1109

Wellness Wednesday: Let’s Chalk About It 11:00am to 1:00pm HUB Upper Patio

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Kohl’s Recruiter Meet & Greet 1:00pm to 4:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 379

Women’s Soccer Vs UCI 7:00pm UCR Soccer Field

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Senior Open House 11:00am to 1:00pm Career Center

Apply to be a Highlander Orientation Leader!

5:00pm Student Life Office HUB 229

UCR Health Miles for Medicine 5K Fun Run/Walk 6:30am to 12:00pm California Citrus State Historic Park 9400 Dufferin Ave, Riverside, CA 92504

CPR/AED/First Aid 9:00am to 4:00pm Student Recreation Center (SRC), Conference Room

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

“The best advice I’ve heard: Be a practitioner of truly helping others by

Friday

first learning how to help and love yourself. Also, ‘f*** UCRTAPs’.”

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Saturday

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SPORTS EDITOR

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The Highlander accepts letters from the campus community. They must be 600-800 words at length and include the author’s name and contact information. Topics should be UCR-centric and/or pertain to our generation of students. Contact Opinions Editor Michael Beeli at opinions@highlandernews.org by Wednesday if interested in writing a letter and submit the completed letter by Saturday at noon. Letters can and will be rejected if it does not meet requirements.

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The Highlander has a media grievance procedure for resolving complaints against it. All inserts that are printed in the Highlander are independently paid publications and do not reflect the views of the Editorial Board, the staff or The University of California or the Associated Students of UCR.

Sunday

Catalina Island Camp and Snorkel 12am Student Recreation Center (SRC), Outdoor Excursions

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Clothesline Project 10:00am to 4:00pm UCR Bell Tower

Monday

MULTIMEDIA

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS ADVERTISING INFORMATION Please submit Classifed ads by calling 951-827-3457 or by emailing Highlanderads@ucr.edu PAYMENT Visa and Mastercard Make checks payable to The Highlander Newspaper No refunds RATES Classified: $2 per line; 17 characters (spaces, dashes, etc.)

HOUSING ROOM FOR RENT Located in Moreno Valley.

15Min to UCR - $550 includes Wi-Fi. Deposit of $300 before move in.

Contact 949-230-1935/ Prefer male student MISCELLANEOUS HOUSE CLEANER/HOUSEKEEPER URGENTLY NEEDED This will be a part time, live-out position from Tuesday to Friday.

The position includes childcare and light housekeeping Must be able to interact with children Speak English, and non smoker $800 weekly, 6 to 7 hours daily MUST HAVE REFERENCES You can reach Mrs Claudia at claudiapredacoop1960@gmail.com

Worldfest Education Abroad Fair 10:00am to 2:00pm Rivera Library, Rivera Library Walkway

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TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

Transfer Success Zone manager discusses Zone’s objectives MARK BERTUMEN Senior Staff Writer

1600 transfer students were enrolled at UC Riverside this fall quarter. This is just a hundred shy of the projected fall enrollment by Emily Engelschall, director of Undergraduate Admissions at UCR. In response to threatened budget cuts last year due to an excessive amount of freshman students compared to transfers, Engelschall has collaborated with several departments of the UCR campus and all 114 community colleges in California in an effort to raise transfer student attendance at UCR. In order to retain these new transfers, UCR established the Transfer Success Zone, a transfer studentcentered support program inside of the Academic Resource Center.

According to the website the zone is “a space for transfer students to utilize for studying, holding club meetings, and lounging. The Transfer Success Programs Coordinator host student success seminars and social mixers to help students successfully transition to UCR.” Nina Cerna, Transfer Success Programs coordinator, was interviewed on how the Zone came to be, what it is today and why Engelschall, in an email to the Highlander, stated that it was “an important piece of the puzzle.”

Cerna said that she had only been coordinator for about a year, highlighting the nature of current transfer student recruitment efforts.

“This position was new to the ARC as of winter 2017. I actually came in from outside UCR, and I worked with transfer students at other institutions and community colleges. We hit the ground running once I started.”

According to UCR News, Provost Cynthia K. Larive said that in the past UCR “had put barriers in place that kept transfer students from coming.”

When asked about this, Cerna responded that “they could have been academic. We may have required more from students based on their major and the college they were coming from, which meant that they would have had to stay at their college longer before they could transfer over to UCR.” She later said that the various colleges on campus have to communicate with Undergraduate Admissions on managing the requirements.

She then emphasized the importance of Undergraduate Admissions in increasing transfer enrollment and the Zone’s role in keeping them at UCR. “Admissions brings the transfers in, and I am a small piece of the puzzle,” Cerna clarified, “because there’s a number of different positions on campus that all work together in preparing transfers

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

academically and with student support resources, so that we can maintain retention and hopefully lead them to graduation. We need to make sure that there’s no ‘transfer shock.’” By transfer shock, Cerna refers to the academic difficulty a transfer student can face for the first few months at a new school due to disorientation in the new environment.

“In my role I’m assisting in the

transition,” Cerna later stated. “I’m connecting them to campus resources.

The Transfer Success Zone was made in January, and it’s a place for transfer students — actually, it’s all-inclusive — to come and study. It’s where we facilitate workshops and bring in other departments to do so.”

The Transfer Success Zone is located on the first floor of Skye Hall ■H in Room 156.

UC to dedicate more than $7 million to faculty diversity efforts

AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

The University of California announced on Wednesday, Sept. 26 that it plans to pledge more than $7 million every year to expand on its existing programs to strengthen faculty diversity as well as create new programs.

In a press release, UC President Janet Napolitano stated at a UC Board of Regents meeting, “We know that students’ academic performance and career aspirations are enhanced when faculty of similar backgrounds serve as role models … Moreover, teaching, research, innovation and service thrive when all members of our community are welcomed and supported. That’s what we want at UC.” In an interview with the Highlander, Danielle

of programs that will promote faculty diversity, such as those that strengthen the pipeline of graduate students who plan to have a career in academia.

According to the press release, in the past year, 44.1 percent of new ladder-rank hires were women and 17.1 percent were from underrepresented groups.

However, the gender, racial and ethnic makeup of faculty varies by discipline. Both women and ethnic minorities are more represented in the non-STEM disciplines versus the STEM disciplines.

“The Accountability Sub-report on Diversity: Faculty Diversity Outcomes” claims that, “recent successes in gender and racial/ ethnic diversity can be attributed in part to significant UC investment in promising practices in developing the academic pipeline, and in faculty recruitment and retention, including the efforts of the Advancing Faculty Diversity grants and the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER Program.” However, the report states that more aggressive efforts Smith, Media Communications Specialist at are needed. The University, according to the the University of California Office of the report, should focus on all components of President (UCOP), wrote that this funding will the academic pipeline: “from preparation for support system-wide programs that enable the professoriate, to aggressive recruitment UC to recruit and retain diverse faculty, efforts, fair and inclusive selection processes, like the President’s Postdoctoral Fellowship retention and academic climate, and leadership Program, which provides financial support and accountability.”

When asked what outcome she ultimately and career training for talented scholars who hopes this initiative has on the UC system, are interested in faculty careers at UC. “Several other specific systemwide and Smith wrote, “UC hopes to further our campus initiatives are laid out in this item progress on expanding faculty diversity by from last week’s Regents meeting. Such supporting initiatives that address all aspects programs have shown strong results thanks of the academic talent pipeline: preparation to $2 million in state funding for each of the for future faculty, aggressive recruitment past three fiscal years,” Smith wrote. The efforts, fair and inclusive selection processes, funds allocated will support a broad range and enhanced faculty retention.”

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NEWS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

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R’Closet provides professional attire for students CHRISTINE TRAN Contributing Writer

On Wednesday, Oct. 3 at 10 a.m., students gathered around the Bear’s Den for the official opening of UC Riverside’s R’Closet. In a collaboration between the Career Center and the Associated Students of UC Riverside (ASUCR), R’Closet is a resource that gives students access to professional clothing that they may not be able to afford on their own. From now on, all UCR students will be able to take up to three professional wear items of their choice from the R’Closet per quarter for free.

The idea of R’Closet was developed to meet the increasing need for professional clothing among low-income students as well as to educate them on what professional wear looks like.

“Sometimes employers will come in and comment that our student

was not as professionally dressed as a student at another campus,” said Linda LaTendresse, Associate Director of Employer Relations and Recruiting, “We have a lot of students who have financial need and it is expensive to purchase professional wear.

Nothing would break our hearts more than a great employer being here and a student feeling like they did not have anything to wear and this is one little way we can help.”

ASUCR and the Career Center collaborated for two years to make R’Closet a reality.

They researched how feasible the project would be, looked at over 30 other campuses’ career closets and debated between a rental or gifting program. In the end, R’Closet became a gifting program because ASUCR and the Career Center wanted to ensure that students would have clothing

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

that “they can feel empowered in,” according to ASUCR President Semi Cole. Along with their efforts, donations have come in from the faculty and staff of UCR, as well as employers like Kohl’s and J.C. Penny.

In April of this year, R’Closet held a soft opening, where in a period of nine weeks they gifted 173 items and saw over 443 students throughout one quarter.

If students continue to engage with this resource, the Career Center will be able to look into expanding R’Closet. “Our hope is to be able to purchase full suits – maybe doing sets of 20 suits of all sizes and colors – and so if students have to set up interviews they can come in and borrow a full-on suit that is brand new,” said Marlenee L. Blas Pedral, a Career Counselor for

Employer Relations & Student Employment.

From now on, R’Closet will be providing the attire for interviews as well as new jobs on campus.

Part of the budget for this project was put toward funding student positions within R’Closet. As ASUCR President Semi Cole stated, “We want to be able to have students helping students to drive us all forward.”

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ASUCR

ASUCR holds first meeting of the quarter, CNAS vacancy filled

AIDAN RUTTEN Senior Staff Writer

ASUCR held its first meeting of the quarter o n We d n e s d a y, O c t . 3 , and started the year off by filling the vacant CNAS senator position with third-year biology major Kenneth Thai.

The meeting saw public comment from various organizations such as CALPIRG about voter registration initiatives.

In order to familiarize t h i s y e a r ’s s e n a t e w i t h the staff, several ASUCR staff members introduced themselves so as to help senators navigate towards potentially useful resources.

After moving to approve the finance committee staff, a special election was added to the agenda in order to fill a

vacant CNAS senatorial seat. During ex-officio reports representatives from the Middle Eastern Student Center spoke about their initiative concerning racial and ethnic self-identification on applications for oncampus jobs and graduate students. They want to add at least one new category called “Middle Eastern, North African” or MENA, reflecting similar choices such a s t h e “ S o u t h We s t e r n Asian North African” o r “ S WA N A , ” c a t e g o r y being added elsewhere.

According to the representatives, there are people who feel as though the choices for race and ethnicity on job or school applications are too limited and often people will mark ‘white’

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

despite not actually identifying as such.

ASUCR President Semi Cole then gave a broad overview of the goals and efforts of ASUCR while also welcoming the new senate. He spoke about wanting voter registration initiatives to be undertaken, as well as a potential plan to promote CPR training for people in various leadership roles, such as fraternity members.

He also talked about a potential program to help connect the homeless to relevant services.

Next, Elisa Chang, the UCR Chapter Campus Relations Coordinator of CALPIRG, spoke about the initiatives her organization is promoting, including S a v e t h e B e e s , Vo t e r Registration and

Affordable Te x t b o o k s .

S h o r t l y a f t e r , D r. B r i a n Haines introduced himself as the new Vi c e President of Student Affairs and also encouraged everyone to register and vote.

His office is located in Hinderaker 2108.

Official business saw the finance committee approved and the next item was a review of the budget meeting where $9,291 were allocated to five different organizations including a Chinese student organization, Project Sunshine and the Society of Wo m e n Engineers.

Tw e l v e organizations await approval for next week.

Next on the agenda, the special election was held to fill the CNAS senatorial seat.

Tw o

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

candidates, Thai and second-year biology major Zachary Lipps each gave a speech and answered a few questions.

After a ten minute closed session, Thai was elected by a vote of 8-0-4.

During public comment Ti n a , the chapter president for Period, an activist group who strives for more menstrual care options for women, addressed the senate in hopes of collaborating on ways to get more free menstrual products in bathrooms across campus. After no further announcements the meeting was adjourned at 7:28 p.m.

ASUCR meets every We d n e s d a y a t 6 : 3 0 p . m . in the Senate Chambers on the second floor of H the HUB in room 221. ■

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TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

Electric scooter company to address safety concerns within and beyond UC Riverside MARK BERTUMEN Senior Staff Writer

Electric scooters placed throughout UCR and the city of Riverside have led the university to revise current policies on motorized vehicles on campus. According to Assistant Chief of Police John Freese, this is mainly due to “the new scooter issues related to “Bird” (the company that has currently released the scooters on campus) and similar companies.”

The revisions are currently being carried out by the Communications and Policy Coordination Group (CPCG) and its subcommittee.

Bird was contacted via email for its own remarks on the safety concerns, and the Highlander spoke with Rachel Bankston of Bird’s media department. According to Bankston, “Rider education is very important for Bird, and we are committed to partnering with every campus we operate within to ensure that the student body, faculty and staff, and visitors safely embrace our affordable, environmentally friendly transportation option.”

Bankston stated that Bird hopes to “improve and enhance the wellbeing of our riders and communities

through concrete action,” which includes the creation of speed limits for the scooters, the uploading of driver ’s licenses through the app, age confirmation, in-app scooter tutorials and safety instructions.

In the interest of safety, Bankston reported that “Bird was also the first in the industry to offer free helmets to its riders. To date, Bird has distributed more than 50,000 free helmets to riders.” She also mentioned Bird’s establishment of the Global Safety Advisory Board, which will “create, advise, and implement global programs, campaigns, and products to improve the safety of those riding Birds and other e-scooters.”

Bankston additionally provided a spokesperson’s statement on Bird’s plans to do business in Riverside, which is as follows: “Riverside shares Bird’s vision of getting cars off the road to reduce traffic and carbon emissions. We are thrilled to offer our affordable, environmentally friendly vehicles to the city and we hope to work closely with city and campus leaders to build a framework that works for everyone so the community can have access to more transportation options.”

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MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

Riverside among top U.S. cities for entrepreneurship AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

Riverside was recently ranked No. 19 on MSN Money’s list of the best cities to grow a business.

The list, “30 Cities Where Small Business Owners Are Thriving,” highlights places where entrepreneurs are thriving using GOBankingRates, a personal finance resource, which in turn uses data from the Kaufman Index to determine which city is providing the most promising environment for entrepreneurs.

The study took into account the rate of new entrepreneurs, startup density, the cost of living, projected job growth for the area and a variety of other factors.

Riverside ranked ahead of big cities such as Atlanta, Sacramento, Orlando, Charlotte and Nashville. According to the list, Riverside has a startup density, the number of newly established employer businesses to the total employer business population (in 1,000s), which is higher than more than half of the other cities on the list. Riverside has 92.4 startups for every 1,000 businesses. Riverside’s rate of new entrepreneurs is 0.36 percent of the adult population.

Riverside’s ranking is enhanced by ExCITE, a partnership between business leaders, UCR and the city and county of Riverside. This startup accelerator helps support new technology businesses through funding, professional resources, and access to lab space and specialized equipment.

According to their website, ExCITE’s mission is to facilitate the successful acceleration of startup companies engaged in entrepreneurial research and development of advanced technologies with the intent

to create high-tech jobs in the county of Riverside. They attempt to do so through facilities, networks, mentorship, management and access to financial resources, in turn creating diversified, high-paying careers in Riverside County.

Riverside’s entrepreneurship could also potentially be linked to the Entrepreneurial Proof of Concept Center’s (EPIC) Small Business Development Center (SBDC), which is a UCR and Riverside County initiative.

EPIC SBDC provides innovators and entrepreneurs with guidance on the development of their SBIR proposal, a program intended to help small businesses conduct research and development, and STTR proposal, a program that expands funding opportunities in the federal innovation research and development arenas. EPIC SBDC also assists innovators and en-

“RIVERSIDE RANKED AHEAD OF BIG CITIES SUCH AS ATLANTA, SACRAMENTO, ORLANDO, CHARLOTTE AND NASHVILLE.”

COURTESY OF PEXELS

trepreneurs throughout the phases of the grant process.

UCR’s Office of Technology Partnerships has also been credited for Riverside’s ranking on MSN’s Money list.

The Office of Technology Partnerships supports innovation and entrepreneur-

ial activities on campus through EPIC and Create’R”Lab, which is an innovative learning environment in which students, faculty and researchers can experiment with tools and technologies that will allow them to deepen their H knowledge and extend their research.■

COURTESY OF CITY OF RIVERSIDE

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TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

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Opinions HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

Step forward for UC standardized testing policy reveals an uncertain future

T

he University of California Board of Regents announced they will be commissioning a study to examine the relationship between the SAT and ACT tests and college success at a Sept. 24 meeting on the UCLA campus, amid speculation that the system may be considering making the tests optional in admissions applications. The Regents’ willingness to recognize the fundamental shortcomings of these tests as flawed predictors for student success is refreshing, yet it leaves a number of critical questions unanswered about the future of a college admissions process that, for better or for worse, has been marked by relative continuity and predictability for the past several decades.

The University of California is facing pressure to scrap the standardized test requirement. A major study of 28 different unnamed colleges and universities by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) found that when these schools dropped the SAT/ACT requirement, the institutions saw increases in the number of applicants that were Pell recipients as well as from “racial and ethnic groups that have been traditionally underrepresented in college populations.” Furthermore, a number of distinguished colleges and universities, like Pitzer College, New York University, George Washington University and the University of Chicago, have already dropped the requirement.

In line with this momentum, the UC Student Association has pushed for the dropping of the standardized test requirement in line with its goals to advance equity outcomes in admissions. Caroline Siegel-Singh, president of the association, said that “we see the SAT and ACT as a gatekeeper to keep certain students out.” Regent Eloy Ortiz Oakley, the chancellor of California Community Colleges, has also endorsed the tests’ abolition, saying “it’s more a measure of wealth than it is of preparedness, and it really does nothing to help a University determine who is the best applicant – so I think it should just be gone.”

There is a growing body of evidence that supports Ortiz Oakley’s position: The NACAC study found that high school grades are the single most important predictor of college success, and while the report found that standardized test scores paired with high school GPA “do a marginally better job” of predicting college success, there is much debate on whether that measure of success is evenly distributed across different student populations. A separate study by the same group reported “with almost 123,000 students at 33 widely differing institutions, the differences between [SAT/ACT] submitters and non-submitters are five one-hundredths of a [college] GPA point, and six tenths of one

VANESSA ZAMORANO / HIGHLANDER

percent in graduation rates. By any standard these are trivial differences.”

What the SAT and ACT do predict incredibly well, however, is a family’s income, education levels of the test taker’s parents, likelihood of being of Asian or white ethnicity and whether the test taker had previously taken the PSAT, an additional, preparatory paid exam. These measures of course aren’t enough cause to justify the scrapping of tests alone.

The fact that the tests are an inferior measure of academic achievement to just high school GPA, paired with the natural feedback loop of exclusivity it seems to create with wealthy, educated, white and asian families, presents very reasonable grounds to call for the repeal of the tests as a mandatory admission factor.

After all, wealthier and more-resourced students enjoy significant advantages in the realm of standardized tests. The tests themselves typically cost $64.50 and $67 per test for the SAT and ACT with writing sections, respectively. Wealthier students enjoy a lot more flexibility in knowing that they can take the tests multiple times with less worry about their or their family’s finances.

Even more unequal is the test-prep industry, where students and parents willing to spend on their test scores are capable of buying top-tier or repeated instruction that many of their less privileged peers could never gain access to.

Siegel-Singh shared an experience of her own on this phenomenon, saying that high scores can be “bought,” and claiming that a friend of hers spent $7,000 on SAT test preparation and as a result was able to increase her score by 400 points – close to a perfect score.

The SAT and ACT are clearly flawed, and are often said to favor the ability of students to “beat the test” rather than demonstrating their knowledge. To drop the SAT and ACT in their current form as rigid requirements would be an academically, socially and morally just decision by the University of California, a conclusion that is hopefully supported by the study recently commissioned by the Regents.

On the other hand, although the dropping of the SAT and ACT as requirements has been met with minimal enrollment and admission challenges for colleges and universities that have done so as of yet, it also seems clear that more widespread shedding of the tests as admissions requirements does have the potential to upend the continuity of the admissions process the country has seen for the past five decades. Former Harvard University President Drew Gilpin Faust has famously said “We could fill our class twice over with valedictorians,” and the College Board has reported that 47 percent of all high school students in the country graduate within the range of an A+ to A- average.

The primary value of these tests is that they help distinguish further between the vast

numbers of students that have comparable GPAs, especially those who might have graduated with the same GPA with a very different level of rigor in their studies. The issue of course, is that in doing so, the tests typically do just distinguish between wealthy, educated, white or asian students and others, giving preference to the former.

In the absence of these tests as a sorting mechanism, however, it’s very conceivable that college admissions could become drastically more unpredictable, and much more weight would be placed on the other parts of students’ applications, like their essays and descriptions of their activities. These concerns become even more salient after reading UC President Janet Napolitano’s statement, which noted that reviews of how the UC uses tests and whether any changes need to be made is now even more important as the university system has increased the pool of candidates eligible for admission and is experiencing “an unprecedented growth in demand.” Perhaps this is what the system needs to demonstrate fairness to underrepresented populations, yet such a concept is untested on a national scale and should not be taken lightly.

Making the test submission optional seems like a reasonable and constructive, if imperfect, solution. While it will likely increase the presence of underrepresented student populations, it conceivably could segregate the means by which two different groups prepare for and apply to their higher education. Nonetheless, it would balance the scales between traditional and historically underrepresented student groups, and would grant students more flexibility in putting together their application.

A potential way to help preserve the continuity of how admissions have worked for the past several years while avoiding the aforementioned problems, would be to firstly remove the requirement of submitting an SAT or ACT, and secondly introduce new, superior forms of standardized testing. Less important are the specifics of such a test and more important is one, or even multiple, standardized tests that do accurately predict college success without being linked so clearly to parents’ education, wealth and race. The introduction of a test such as this is obviously a tall order; however it is surely possible, given the variety of ways in which students can showcase their potential.

One way to assist in the process would be to better integrate this standardized test directly into activities and curricula in students’ own high schools. Doing so could offer more equitable standards of instruction, and utilize school resources to increase financial accessibility for all students. Of course private preparation services would still exist for those willing to buy it, but at least all students

would get a baseline of cursory preparation.

In essence, the route to outcomes on the test would become much more similar to GPA, where every student goes through a normal class, but also may purchase private tutoring if they choose to.

As for the actual structure of the test, uniformity of a single test, with a choice from a variety of subjects for the test taker to focus on, could provide much needed equity and consistency for and amongst students, especially if test preparation became an integrated portion of these high schools themselves. A wide use of examinations similar to the SAT Subject Tests, however, could also offer increased flexibility to students who may struggle on parts of a general examination but have an exceptional ability in a subject they’d like to demonstrate. Accompanying this change however, would require similar commitments to public instruction and affordability, not to mention that colleges and universities would necessarily need to value these examinations more than they do currently.

Another group of examinations that act in generally the same manner, yet are not widely considered in admissions decisions, are Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. AP exams fulfill one of the previously mentioned requirements for an updated standardized test, as the preparation for the tests is taught for a nearly an entire academic year in a normal class setting. AP examinations are highly rigorous and are indicative of academic commitment to and mastery of a subject – colleges and universities should value them more highly when evaluating admissions. The possibility of this arrangement, however likely, would be highly beneficial for students looking to showcase their interests, skills and record to colleges on a more individualized level. One major hurdle that would additionally need to be cleared in this process however, would be the exorbitantly high cost of taking AP examinations, currently set at $94 per exam.

Current standards of testing for college admissions are broken; the fact that over 800 colleges and universities in the country do not require any test, while all others unconditionally do, shows the extent to which there is division regarding the topic and how many institutions are turning away from the flawed SAT and ACT today. Reviewing the SAT and ACT is a critical step that the UC Regents have rightfully taken, yet larger questions regarding the future of testing for admission decisions still remain.

■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.

TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

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OPINION POLL Compiled by Lizelle Oreno Contributing Photographer

“What type of music do you like?”

Tylor Pham Undeclared Second-year “I just like rap.”

Terry Mach Biology Second-year

Tiffany Tran Pre-Business Second-year

AJ Arsalane Biology Second-year

Daniela Gamero Public Policy Second-year

Adrian Wong Environmental Science Second-year

“I like hip-hop because it’s very poetic in nature, and it spits on many of the issues within today’s society.

Like Mos Def, Fire.

MF Doom. Then back in the day we had Biggie and Tupac.”

“I like to listen to R&B because I’ve grown up on it. It’s the best genre to listen to when you’re jamming out with your friends on long car rides, or to the beach. I can feel the music in my body, and I like the rhythm.”

“I like rap music because it makes me feel good. I like how artists rap about their life, and how they came up from nothing to something.”

“I personally like Christian music. I myself am a Christian, and hearing music makes me feel really calm and peaceful.”

“I like to listen to R&B and chill type of EDM. I really like it just for the chill vibes.

I like Chance the Rapper, but then some more obscure people like Mura Masa.”

Imperfect flu shot, perfect reasons to still get it ELAINE CHEN Contributing Writer

The NationalFoundationforInfectious Diseases (NFID) recently published some startling statistics: more than 80,000 people in America died of the flu in the winter of 2017-2018, the highest number seen in over a decade. While this information is scary, it’s more important as an informative statement: one that recognizes the consequences of not taking proper steps to reduce chances of transmitting the flu. The estimates were released in an attempt to get more Americans vaccinated; less than half of America got vaccinated two flu seasons ago. Although 90 percent of last year’s flu victims were over the age of 65, the sickness still managed to kill 180 children and teenagers, which is still a record high count according to the Centers for Disease and Control and Prevention (CDC).

Despitetheastoundingnumbers,theflu season that recently passed was considered average, which leads to the question of how it managed to affect more people.

The answer is mixed: the effectiveness of last year’s vaccine, in a report from the CDC, was estimated to be only around 40 percent. Such a number might further fuel the anti-vaccination movement that we’ve

seen grow recently, spurred on by even our own president, who spoke about favoring a slower process of vaccination for kids.

Additionally, a spike in the number of people opting out of flu vaccines can explain the deadliness of the recent season.

Amongst the “anti-vaxxer” movement, the reasons for choosing to not get vaccinated range from religious and philosophical to citing a long-disproven report that links vaccines to autism. Even this past summer, a nurse made headlines after announcing her anti-vaccine stance, presenting a concern for how workers in the medical field can manage to cast their doubts on vaccination.

Getting back into the flu shot specifically, there’s already plenty of skepticism surrounding this one form of vaccination alone. After all, people who choose to opt out of the flu shot commonly blame the fact that the vaccination isn’t always effective — which is true, but it’s still better than not getting vaccinated at all. What this argument doesn’t take into consideration, however, is that there’s a difficulty in creating these vaccines that may or may not work for everyone, and it’s due to the tricky way that flu viruses are constantly mutating. In addition to the

slightly unpredictable nature of this virus, it takes up to six months to create the vaccinations and ship them off to medical providers. Given the long and complicated production process of vaccines, the way they are generally created is based off of public agencies trying to predict which specific strains of the flu will make an appearance in the oncoming flu season.

And despite how frustrating it may seem at taking a gamble towards a vaccine may not protect you, there are little to no downsides at getting vaccinated. Nevertheless, it still offers the chance of being immunized against the flu, something that isn’t offered to those who choose to not get vaccinated at all.

Even after making the predictions based off of clinical research and looking into the types of strains that showed up in the years prior, it typically takes up to two weeks for the vaccines to start working, which is why experts believe it’s better to get vaccinated in the fall, right before flu season kicks off towards the end of fall or beginning of winter. So to the anti-vaxxers who believe the misconception that the flu shot causes the flu, there are two answers to how catching the flu after vaccination is still possible: one can fall ill within the

COURTESY OF PXHERE

interim period between getting the flu shot and the vaccination starting to work, or the vaccination could be fighting a different strain of the flu that’s not infecting the body.

Overall, in the last year, despite what seems like a low effectiveness rate, the flu shot still managed to cut back on a person’s risk of having to go to the doctor’s office by 40 percent. Last year’s vaccine had an adverse effect on people in highrisk groups (elderly and children), but in

general, doctors are urging anyone ages 6 months and up to get a flu vaccine in order to decrease the risks of transmission. Last year’s vaccine was unable to prevent the certain strain that took 80,000 Americans, but despite the apparent low rates of effectiveness, to receive a flu shot contains the chance of preventing hospitalization and death — common complications of a simple flu.

■H

Letter to the Editor:

Why a lack of mental health awareness in college can lead to crushed dreams

JIMMY LAI / HIGHLANDER

BY MICHAEL RIOS

Sometime during my third year at UCR, I gave up on a lifelong dream of becoming a physicist.

I remember the exact moment it happened. It was during a math exam in the Physics 2000 lecture hall. I was at my desk, struggling to solve the problems on the sheet in front of me. I started panicking because I knew if I didn’t do well on this test, that was it for me.

I had failed tests in STEM classes before. And when you consistently perform poorly on something, you inevitably face the heartbreaking possibility that this may not be what you’re destined for, despite your best efforts.

As I sat there, I started thinking about the painstaking journey I had gone through to get to this point. I thought about the hours of studying I devoted to this and other tests – far more than all

my classmates. I had to. The very act of learning something new had always been a struggle for me. My memory was faulty, I was unorganized, I couldn’t focus on my readings, I couldn’t concentrate on what professors taught during class, and I couldn’t consistently retain the little information I did learn.

I didn’t know it then, but the reason behind most of my academic struggles was a lifelong mental disability: Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD).

The process of studying for math and science classes is challenging enough on its own, but when you have ADD, that process is far more agonizing than it is for most. For me, it was like trying to start a car with a defective motor. Every time I turned the key on the ignition, all I would ever get were whimpers from the engine; it wouldn’t work no matter how hard I tried.

When I finally realized that all the studying I did wasn’t enough and that I

probably wasn’t going to do well on the math exam, I nearly cried in the middle of the lecture hall. As time began to run out, I accepted my fate. I grabbed the test and handed it to my professor, telling him one simple thing: “I’m done.”

That statement had two meanings.

The first was literal: I was finished with the exam because I ran out of time. But the second meant something more. I convinced myself then and there that no matter what happened next – even if I miraculously passed that test or if I had moderate success in other STEM courses – I knew I didn’t have a future in physics.

I was done.

Not long after that painful concession, I decided to focus on other passions. I declared a major in the humanities and took classes that would eventually help me land a job in journalism, a profession I love and continue working in to this day.

Although I performed relatively well in those non-STEM courses, studying for them continued to be difficult. I still couldn’t concentrate and retain information as well as other students.And whenever I got a B or C on a test, I’d get frustrated because I knew the amount of work I put in should have resulted in an A. My problem wasn’t with STEM. My problem was something else. So I decided to figure out what it was.

I did some research about learning disabilities, and that’s when I first suspected I had ADD. Using the health resources available at UCR, I eventually set up an appointment with a psychiatrist, who confirmed my suspicion and diagnosed me with the condition.

When I received the news, I felt relief

– relief because I finally had validation that my failures weren’t my fault.

Professors who questioned my work ethic and classmates who looked down on me for failing to reach their level of academic success had the wrong impression of me. The truth is, I did everything I was supposed to. The issue wasn’t that I didn’t try hard enough. The issue was that I didn’t have an understanding of my mental health.

Because I had no way of knowing I had the condition at the time, how could I fix it? It was only after I independently researched the disorder that I discovered I had it, and only then could I find a solution.

For me, that solution was medication.

With it, I focused better, read faster and actually absorbed the information presented to me.

The problem was that I was only able to treat my disorder shortly before graduating. This meant that it was too late for me to improve my academic record.

To this day, I’m convinced that if I had known more about mental health care earlier in college, I could have treated my disability and avoided the pain of losing a dream. Don’t get me wrong – I’m fulfilled in the career I have now. But every now and then, I think about what could have been, and I’d hate for other students to experience what I did. But I fear some likely will.

Mental health care continues to be a stigma that few college students are willing to discuss. Because of that, some of them probably don’t even know they’ve been struggling with a disorder that can unfairly limit their success. As was the case with me, those students

won’t realize it’s possible to address the issue until it’s too late.

So to prevent that, I urge college campuses to take a more active role in raising awareness about the matter, to make health resources more accessible and to ensure all students know what they can do to address mental challenges – because it’s not just ADD. Other conditions, including anxiety and depression, create unnecessary barriers, too.

Students shouldn’t have to go it alone.

With the start of the new school year, now is the perfect time to begin educating them about the issue and making them aware of the resources they have at their disposal. It can give them the fighting chance I didn’t have.

But every situation is different.

Readers shouldn’t try to self-diagnose and prematurely conclude they have a disability when that might not be the case. It goes without saying that the responsibility of diagnosing health conditions and determining the way to manage them should be left to trained professionals.

I’m not an expert. What I am is someone who unnecessarily dealt with loss because of a lack of awareness about mental health care. So if there’s even the slightest chance my story can bring more attention to the subject and help others avoid what I experienced, I’m compelled to tell it.

■H Editor’s note: Michael Rios is a UCR alumnus and former Highlander editor.

TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

Features

11

Burgers, ice cream and festive activities

draw in students for another successful Highlander Poolooza MARTHA DELGADO Senior Staff Writer

Over 500 students attended the fourth annual Highlander Poolooza on Friday, Oct. 5 held at the Student Recreation Center (SRC) pool complex. The successful event has been a collaboration between ASPB and the SRC for the past three years and was initially created in 2015 to encourage students to visit the renovated SRC.

“Over 500 students attended the fourth annual Highlander Poolooza on Friday, Oct. 5” On the windy Friday afternoon, the line to enter the event wrapped around the SRC South Building. Once inside the area, students were greeted by the sunny and busy pool area.

The student DJ, Erik Garcia, blasted upbeat tunes as students explored the different activities scattered throughout the area.

Among the activities were a spinning wheel with prizes, a photo booth and flash tattoo table. On the other side of the

CODY DAVIS / HIGHLANDER

pool was a food truck from The Habit and a Frostbites Frozen Delights stand where people received a scoop of vanilla ice cream that they were able to mix with mango, strawberry, blue raspberry or passion fruit.

The seats surrounding the pool were soon filled with excited students enjoying their food as they de-stressed after the first week of fall quarter.

Some attendees gathered around the flash tattoo station as they sorted through the options.

Inflatables in the shape of toucans, palm trees and pineapples were scattered across the pool ready for attendees to use. The crowd cheered as one brave soul jumped into the water. Shortly after, the lazy river filled with people lounging in the pool.

Out of the two photo booth stations, only one survived the wind. The background for the instax

booth was blown away and attention turned to the red, green and teal balloons spelling UCR that became the new background for the photo booth.

The balloon UCR sign was surrounded by a variety of games: giant jenga, spike ball, water pong and corn hole.

By the end of the events, the pool was filled with people as the sounds of giant jenga crashing down rang throughout the field area. Students with plates of The Habit charburgers and cups of Frostbites desserts filled the chairs surrounding the pool.

Highlander Poolooza continues to be a successful event that attracts many students each year. The attractions and gratuitous food options make it a worthwhile experience for any students, regardless of the weather.

■H

f ly i n g s a m a r i ta n s

offers pre-med students the chance to serve and learn DANIEL TSAI Contributing Writer

Upon hearing good Samaritans, one would imagine an individual passing out meals to the homeless or donating money to a health organiz a t i o n . H o w e v e r, a t U C R , we have our very own “Flying Samaritans”— also known as Flying Sams—who not only volunteer in the Riverside community by but also visit El Hongo, Mexico every third Saturday of e v e r y m o n t h . Wi t h t h e help of donations and membership fees, Flying Samaritans travel across the border to offer their services to poor disadvantaged communities.

On the third Saturday of every month, members of the club join health care professionals to visit a medical clinic in El Hongo, Mexico.

There, they offer free health screenings and medication to impoverished patients that otherwise would not have access to adequate health care.

At the clinic, the Samaritans have stations such as o p t o m e t r y, triage, dentistry and d o c t o r ’s rooms where students can shadow medical professionals.

In addition, Flying Samaritans also serve the local Riverside

c o m m u n i t y.

Members participate in local cleanups with Keep Riverside Clean and Beautiful (KRCB), where they pick up trash by local railroad tracks and streets. Flying Sams also partners with UCR organizations such as Overflow—a community service club that dedicates their time to helping the homeless by passing out small lunches and hygienic supplies every month—and attend its homeless movement on Massachusetts Av e n u e .

Flying Samaritans at UCR was established in 2005 and has been partnering with Cal State Fullerton to operate t h e i r M e x i c o c l i n i c s . To g e t h e r, t h e y ’ v e t r e a t e d thousands of patients.

Wi t h o v e r 2 0 n e w m e m bers in just three months and over 250 patients, the club is thriving.

Through free medical clinics, orphanage visits and countless presents delivered during the Christmas holidays, the Flying Samaritans have been able to make a lasting impact in El Hongo.

In fact, many kids that grew up with the clinic have expressed their desires to become health professionals and help eradicate the poverty

endemic in El Hongo.

Flying Samaritans’ team of experts and board members have successfully established a family setting at the clinic.

Tw o former Flying Samaritans Pharmacy Coordinators, Gennesi Mendez and Obaid Khan, purchase medications and manage the pharmacy station of the clinic. Citing the c l i n i c ’s familial atmosphere, Khan said “Our patients are not just a name on a file, they are a part of our Flying S a m a r i t a n ’s f a m i l y. We s e e h o w t h e y do each month and hope they are in a healthier shape.

The pharmacy is the last stop for our patients and it is very rewarding to see their smiles and appreciation!

Many people join Flying Samaritans to help others beyond themselves, especially through the Mexico medical missions. Paige Lee, a second-year pre-med student, said, “through Flying Sams I’ve been able to help an underserved community get the medical attention they need and make amazing friendship and connections.”

Members like Lee love

COURTESY OF UCR FLYING SAMARITANS

“Many people join Flying Samaritans to help others beyond themselves” going back to the clinic because they get to see the improved health of familiar faces and build long-lasting friendships.

L i z e t h Va l l a r t a , a r e c e n t math major graduate, commented that the missions are “such an eye opening experience that allows us to see how working together with our mixed knowledge, abilities and donations makes a big impact in a c o m m u n i t y. ” Overall, Flying Samaritans presents

opportunities for students that strive for a health career in the future to apply their knowledge to community service. The shadowing experiences and clinical patient interaction form a supplement to members’ academic medical education. Flying Samaritans strive to embody what a “Good Samaritan” is and have made an impact in El Hongo, Mexico while building character and experience.

■H

12

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

Radar

Marcelo Garcia Senior Staff Writer

“Venom”

is the mildly enjoyable, incohesive mess that everyone saw coming

As I sit down to write this article (directly after I left the theater), “ Ve n o m ” c u r r e n t l y s i t s a t a 3 1 p e r c e n t o n R o t t e n To m a t o e s a n d a 7 . 1 on IMDB, with the former (which despite what the following paragraphs may lead you to believe) being a pretty accurate reflection of the overall quality of the film, while the latter makes me lose my faith in the future of humanity as a species. But even with bad critical reception, I can confidently say t h a t “ Ve n o m ” i s a n e n j o y a b l e m o v i e , not as the dark thriller of an antihero story that the trailers actually promised, but as a weird, twisted r o m a n t i c c o m e d y.

This movie is genuinely hilarious, and for anyone that does eventually watch it, which I do hope is either

by DVD rental or online streaming (because this movie isn’t even worth two of the 10 bucks that go toward seeing it in theaters), your enjoyment of this film relies entirely on how you approach it. Be warned that the remainder of this review contains spoilers for the entire film, but again, if you actually care about the m o v i e ’s p l o t a n d i t s c o n t r i b u t i o n t o the Spider-Man mythos you’re setting yourself up for inevitable disappointment.

The introductory thirty or so minu t e s a r e h a r d l y n o t e w o r t h y, i f a t a l l memorable. After a small sequence i n v o l v i n g a r o c k e t ’s c r a s h l a n d i n g a n d a n a l i e n s y m b i o t e ’s e s c a p e , w e meet Eddie Brock and learn about his popular investigative journalism series. Long story short, Brock attempts to expose a CEO conducting sketchy and unethical experiments.

This CEO is Carlton Drake, the main a n t a g o n i s t o f t h e f i l m w h o ’s s t u d y ing the effect of symbiotes on human hosts for unexplained reasons.

His motivation is never really clear, and it becomes even more confusing when he aids an attempted alien invasion (even though his apparent goal at the start of the film was to s a v e h u m a n i t y ) . F o r t u n a t e l y, a f t e r this extremely boring set-up, a se-

ries of events unfolds to unite Eddie Brock with another symbiote (which c a l l s i t s e l f Ve n o m ) . T h i s i s t h e p o i n t at which the movie really kicks into gear and comes into its own as the beautiful, chaotic mess that it is.

As soon as Eddie merges with the symbiote, the movie devolves into a weird, diluted parody of “Upgrade.”

But unlike “Upgrade” (which was a boring, shitty 90s action movie that somehow found itself in 2018), “ Ve n o m ” h a s s o m e e n j o y a b l e m o ments and a few takeaways.

The action sequences are enjoyable for what they are, with the car chase scene from the trailer being particularly compelling.

T h e r e ’s a very 90s Batman-esque moment ( w h e r e t h e s y m b i o t e h e l p s B r o c k ’s m o t o r c y c l e m a k e a s h a r p t u r n ) t h a t ’s very satisfying to watch. The final f i g h t b e t w e e n Ve n o m a n d R i o t i s O K at best. The action sequence suffers the same problem that the Transformers franchise did, the problem being that the lack of color contrast made the giant CGI fights look like a j u m b l e d m e s s . Ve n o m i s b l a c k , Riot is slightly less black (almost a gray), and combine this with the fact that the fight takes place at night and you can see how the scene

is a bit hard to watch.

T h e e n t i r e f i l m ’s p a c i n g i s s o wonky that every scene feels like a slapstick comedy skit – one minute Eddie Brock is scarfing down a halfeaten chicken drumstick he found in the garbage and five minutes later h e ’s s t o r m i n g i n t o a h i g h c l a s s r e s taurant to submerge himself in their l o b s t e r t a n k w h i l e f u l l y c l o t h e d . I t ’s a surreal experience, not to mention the ultimate meme that is this movi e ’ s e n d i n g , w h e r e Ve n o m b i t e s o f f a s t o r e m u g g e r ’s h e a d a s t h e c a s h i e r w a t c h e s s i l e n t l y. E v e n t h e c l a s s i c Marvel post-credits scene in this movie just feels so far from reality that I genuinely have no idea what t o n e t h i s m o v i e w a s g o i n g f o r.

This scene is very short, but it pretty much encapsulates what this film is. Eddie Brock goes to a prison to interview an inmate under maxim u m s e c u r i t y. T h i s s e r i a l k i l l e r i s n o n e o t h e r t h a n Wo o d y H a r r e l s o n i n a Raggedy Ann wig, who has one of the most awkward dialogue exchanges in the entire film. His final line teases the possibility of a Carnage sequel, which considering the peculiar situation of who exactly has the rights to Spider-Man, may never happen.

■H

COURTESY OF SONY PICTURES RELEASING

V e r d i c t: “Venom” is a genuinely terrible movie that’s a slap to the face not only to its source material, but to longtime Spider-Man fans (especially after “Homecoming” reminded audiences just how good a Spider-Man film can be). I would never recommend seriously watching it.

However, if you’re looking for some quick laughs and fun with friends on a boring Friday night, “Venom” is just the right thing.

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

13

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” is an embodiment of the problem with modern children’s movies

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

MARCELO GARCIA Senior Staff Writer

“The House with a Clock in Its Walls” follows a young orphan named Lewis, who moves in with his uncle, Johnathan (Jack Black), following the death of his parents.

Shortly after arriving, Lewis discovers that his uncle is a warlock, his neighbor Ms. Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett) is a witch and that the house they live in contains a magic clock hidden in its walls (shocking, I know).

Any opinion you’ve made for yourself about the film from its trailers will remain about the same after a watch; it’s plot is extremely straightforward.

Whether or not that’s a bad thing depends entirely on if its plot was appealing to you in the first place.

While its storyline is compelling, and with select scenes containing elements of some extremely i n t e r e s t i n g worldbuilding, I can’t help but feel that these aspects speak more towards the quality of the 1973 novel than the merit of the actual film. And while I haven’t read the original work by John Bellairs (for all I know it could be as mediocre as the film), the main concern I have with “The House with a Clock in its Walls” is that the film reeks of untapped potential. Its main downfall is its PG rating and classification as a family film. I understand that the original story was a young adult novel, but stories of this sort tend to enjoy more leeway and freedom

to explore darker themes than a PG rated movie does. Unfortunately, multiple scenes in the film introduce darker aspects that are never really taken anywhere in the interest of maintaining a family friendly character.

This is a real shame because even with a PG rating, this movie has some pretty creepy elements which end up being the most interesting parts of the entire film.

There are even certain scenes that hint at leading to horror-esque plot elements, but end up feeling extremely watered down.

This leads me to believe that this film is trying to be a change of pace from 90 percent of children’s movies these days.

Which is a great idea; creating smarter and more compelling family films that can make a lasting impact on impressionable youth, while also not traumatizing them, i.e., any child growing up in the 70s who saw “The Exorcist” at nine, can introduce children to real life themes and ideas earlier on in life in a more friendly setting. And while I can appreciate these possible intentions, every other decision this film makes contradicts them completely, because as interesting of a premise as “The House with a Clock in its Walls” is, it’s executed in the most generic and uninteresting way possible.

Themes like grief, death and the importance of self-identity are very

“Unfortunately, multiple scenes in the film introduce darker aspects that are never really taken anywhere in the interest of maintaining a family friendly character.”

prevalent in this film, and are ideas that Lewis consistently grapples with throughout the story. Since our introduction to his character, the one interesting thing about Lewis is how he’s going to overcome these issues. But instead of offering any real insight or meaningful perspective on this issues, they’re more so used as plot devices than actual opportunities to send a message.

Lewis’ parents die so that he can move in with his uncle, the grief of losing them is pretty much a non-factor after the first twenty minutes (although it is readdressed towards the end in a very rushed way) and his lack of self-identity is simply there to create conflict once the movie is running out of it at around the one hour point.

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Now, this isn’t to say that I expect every children’s movie to be some profound statement on life or the world around us.

I’m simply stating that oversimplifying real world conflict all the time not only makes for an extremely uninteresting genre, but also fails to resonate with the demographic that it’s targeting.

■H

Verdict:

“The House with a Clock in its Walls” is an extremely average film which, despite its potential, doesn’t do much else then just get by. Audiences who were initially interested in its premise may find some enjoyment, but anyone else is advised to pass.

Be informed.

H The Highlander Newspaper is a great way to keep up with current events and news around campus. If you are interested in the newspaper’s articles or pictures, we offers opportunities in writing, photography, and design. Join us every Monday at 5:15 p.m. in HUB 101 to learn more.

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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

15

Men’s soccer drops conference opener against UC Irvine JARYD BONGCARAS Senior Staff Writer

The UC Riverside men’s soccer team (2-8-1, 0-1) opened up conference play with a 3-1 loss against UC Irvine (7-4-1, 0-1).

The Highlanders struggled to find the back of the net and contain the Irvine offense for most of the night. They had several opportunities in the first half but failed to capitalize, instead giving up two goals in the 20th and 35th minutes, respectively.

UCI put in their final goal of the night in the 58th minute, thanks to a well-placed lob pass that went over the UCR defense, leading to a short pass to UCI redshirt sophomore Christian Gutierrez who eventually found the net for a 3-0 lead. The sequence served as a theme for the entire night, as UCR failed to convert on deep passes and defend against UCI’s chances.

“Disappointing result, we just had a bit of an off night,” Head Coach Tim Cupello said after the game, “We’ve been on a roll for the past couple of weeks, but tonight we were a step too slow defensively.”

UCR failed to find a rhythm throughout the match, which showed as the team constantly avoided the middle and attempted attacking from the side. UCI on the other hand, worked the Riverside defense all night and was able to weave its way through the open center of the pitch.

Through this, Irvine dominated the pace of the game thanks to their stellar ball placement, causing the Highlanders to play catch-up for most of the night.

“They were crowding the center of the field, so it was hard to get the ball out there,” Cupello stated, explaining that, “We tried to get the ball out wide. We got some dangerous services from wide areas that we just didn’t finish. There were a couple of times we got the ball about eight yards out, and slow rolled to the keeper instead of a strong finish.”

Riverside would eventually score their only goal of the night in the 90th minute, off a 20-yard free kick from sophomore David Aguirre. This marks the second-year’s fourth goal of the season, three of which have been scored in the 85th minute or later. The team had seven shots in the game overall, and five on goal. Junior Edwyn Gutierrez added three saves on the night.

UCR continues conference play on the road this Sat. Oct. 6, when they’ll play Cal Poly. Live streaming is H available on BigWest.TV and the game starts at 7 p.m. ■

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

Men’s golf looks forward to next tournament after 12th place finish UC RIVERSIDE

PLACE

R1 R2

R3

TOTAL

TYLER MOORE

14

73

69

71

213

EDWARD YI

T51

79

73

74

226

MICHAEL WONG

T58

80

77

71

228

ANDREW SPILLMAN

T61

75

79

75

229

MATTHEW HUO

68

86

79

77

242

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

T h e H i g h l a n d e r s m e n ’s g o l f t e a m t o o k p a r t i n t h e N i c k Wa t n e y I n t e r c o l l e g i a t e which took place at Fresno State University from Oct. 1-2.

Riverside finished the tournament in l a s t p l a c e , b u t H e a d C o a c h R i c k To d d d i d n ’ t s e e h i s t e a m ’s p e r f o r m a n c e a s a d i s a p p o i n t m e n t . “ To u r n a m e n t w e n t good. I saw some good things and I saw some mediocre things, but overall t h e t e a m ’s c o m i n g t o g e t h e r, ” To d d explained.

“Just the start of a making of a team.

So everything is going good.”

The Highlanders s t a r t e d o f f s l o w l y, shooting a 307 in the first round of play which was the highest score in a round by any team in attendance. After this disappointing start, Riverside improved in the following two rounds and finished with s c o r e s o f 2 9 8 a n d 2 9 1 , r e s p e c t i v e l y.

To d d e x p l a i n e d t h a t o n c e a t e a m goes down, the feeling of chasing the opposition can make it difficult to spark a comeback. The third-year head coach also attributed their last place finish as a byproduct of the team still g e t t i n g t o k n o w e a c h o t h e r. “ W h e n y o u bring in new guys the first little while i s , y o u g o t t o m a k e a t e a m , ” To d d s a i d . “ I t ’s l i k e a n y t h i n g . A n y b u s i n e s s o r

a n y p r o f e s s i o n a l t e a m . Yo u s e e t h e s e professional teams with all these superstars and they lose their first three games. Why? Because they’re not a team.”

The Highlanders did have a couple of bright spots in the tournament as junior Ty l e r M o o r e s c o r e d a t o p - t e n f i n i s h a n d f r e s h m a n E d w a r d Yi f i n i s h e d t o p two on the team for the second straight tournament.

To d d b e l i e v e s M o o r e still has much more potential, saying, “He has no idea how good he can be,” before adding, “I think he’ll win a tournament this y e a r. ” To d d was also complimentary of Yi s a y i n g , “ H i s golf course IQ is off the charts. He hit some mediocre shots that turned into bad breaks that cost him a few shots, but once he figures it o u t h e ’s g o i n g t o be one of my best players and it won’t b e t h a t l o n g e i t h e r. ” Riverside won’t be back on the course until Oct. 15 when they participate in the Bill Cullum Invitational in Simi Va l l e y, C a l i f . , g i v i n g t h e m p l e n t y o f time to reflect and learn from their f i r s t t w o t o u r n a m e n t s . To d d s a y s h i s primary message to his team will be t o “ j u s t k e e p w o r k i n g h a r d . T h a t ’s a l l you can do. The more you practice, the harder you work, the luckier you get.”

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“HIS GOLF COURSE IQ IS OFF THE CHARTS. ONCE HE FIGURES IT OUT HE’S GOING TO BE ONE OF MY BEST PLAYERS AND IT WON’T BE THAT LONG EITHER.”

16

TUESDAY,OCTOBER 9, 2018

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

SPORTS

Women’s soccer

stays undefeated after drawing Cal Poly JOSE FLORES Contributing Writer

continued pressing forward in desperation to take the three points. On more than one occasion, star senior midfielder Madeline Feist was able to shake off defenders and take a shot on goal. Although none of her 9 shots beat the keeper, Feist, like many of her teammates, demonstrated the hunger that the team has had to maintain on their 10-0-2 run this season.

Head Coach Nat Gonzalez expressed how proud he was of the effort his players demonstrated throughout the match. Gonzalez spoke positively of his players, saying that “the girls did everything we asked” and that it was just a matter of “being patient.”

Yet, Gonzalez left room for constructive criticism by suggesting they could work on the “final pass and final execution” during plays.

This could be of use for their upcoming games against UC Santa Barbara on Oct. 7, and against UC Irvine on Oct. 11, both of which will be played at home.

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COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

Despite the belief that no excitement lies in a draw, UCR’s (10-0-2, 1-0-1) game on Friday night against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (1-9-4, 1-1-1) was a notable exception. The Highlanders faced the Broncos in their second match of Big West Conference play, seeking to remain unbeaten after defeating Fullerton the week before.

Although the Highlanders

weren’t able to finish any of their opportunities in front of goal, they demonstrated their tenacity. With 22 shots in the entire match, they had double the amount of attempts against Broncos junior Sophia Brown in goal. Along with plenty of shots, UCR had 7 corner kicks which led to a clear opportunity for senior defender Allyssa Troy but hit the crossbar.

Once in overtime, UCR

“Balls to the wall”:

Jakeishya Le and women’s golf impress at Wyoming Cowgirl Classic

WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL

3

Redshirt sophomore middle-blocker Yuliya Ushakova team-leading 11 kills

upcoming Games Thursday, Oct. 11 @ UC Davis at 7 p.m.

Saturday Oct. 13 @ UC Irvine at 7 p.m.

MEN’S

JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

The women’s golf team traveled to Palm Desert to take part in the Wyoming Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate from Sept. 29 through the 30. The Highlanders led by senior Jakeishya Le, who won the individual tournament, played well enough as a team to earn second place. This is the second time in Le’s career that she has won a tournament’s individual honors.

Head Coach Mary Ritchie explained Le’s impact on the team saying, “She’s been a team leader both on the golf course and in the classroom. She was a Big West Scholar Athlete last year and she sets her goals high and she works really hard.”

Le recognizes as a senior that this is her final season to make an impact for this Riverside program and Ritchie has noticed her senior taking the “last chance for romance,” phrase that her coach uses often to heart, but with a bit of a twist. Ritchie shared that Le actually uses the phrase “balls to the wall,” to express her desire to leave it all on the course in her final campaign with the Highlanders.

The second place finish came on the heels of Riverside’s 12th place finish in the Golfweek Conference Challenge in Vail, Colo. Ritchie explained that the main difference between her team’s performance at the Cowgirl Desert Intercollegiate and the Golfweek Conference Challenge was the team’s ability to putt. Ritchie described the team

UC RIVERSIDE

PLACE

R1 R2

R3

TOTAL

JAKEISHYA LE

1

71

76

71

218

PING HUANG

T12

77

76

75

228

HAILEY WHITE

T26

77

84

75

236

MACEE AGUIREE

T45

82

78

82

242

SERENA CHON

52

76

86

82

244

as “very cautious” on the greens in Vail, but since that performance, putting has become the Highlanders’ big emphasis for the year and improvement is already being shown, as showcased by their recent finish.

Sophomore Ping Huang also had a very impressive tournament, finishing tied for 12th place with a score of 228. The duo of Le and Huang has caught their coach’s eye and praise as the top two players.

The team Ritchie currently has is the smallest team she’s coached since joining UCR in 2014, but she believes it’s her best yet. “The beauty of the team is the depth that we have,” Ritchie said. “Despite having the smaller squad in my five years here I feel like anybody can shoot par or under on this team.”

Riverside’s talent was on full display during the tournament as every golfer on the team was less than 10 strokes behind the teammate who finished ahead of them. Junior Hailey White finished third for UCR and only eights shots shy of Huang, who has garnered high praise from her head coach.

Ritchie is very excited for how special this team can be in the very near future. “I feel like we are headed in a really great direction,” Ritchie said. “I feel very optimistic about our team’s performance this year and we opened up with a pretty decent first round at Vail in that tough competition.”

Despite her team’s early success, Ritchie emphasized that these results were just the beginning saying, “We’re just getting warmed up right now.”

The Highlanders kick off their next tournament, the Aggie Invitational, in Las Cruces, N.M. on Oct. 8.

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0

SOCCER

1

0

Goal by junior defender Uros Ilic in 104th minute

upcoming Matches Wednesday, Oct. 10 vs UC Santa Barbara @ 7 p.m.

Saturday, Oct.13 vs UC Davis @ 7 p.m.