Volume 67 Issue 27

THE HIGHLANDER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

VOL. 67, ISSUE 27

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

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THOMAS HOLGUIN / HIGHLANDER

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TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

HUMANS OF UCR

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 6

TOMMY TRACZYK | PRE-BUSINESS | FIRST-YEAR

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Tuesday

COMPILED BY NICHOLAS ROH

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Wednesday

9

Thursday

“My father was in the army and we moved around five times throughout

10 Friday

Undocu Circle 12:00pm to 1:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 268

ASPB Presents: Laugh Out Loud with Wildin’ Out 7:00pm to 10:00pm Hub Plaza

General Meeting: How to Adult CARE Conversations: Exoticization 4:00pm to 5:00pm 12:00pm to 1:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 367 Alumni & Visitors Center, Johnson Board Room

Active Minds: Stress Less Recess 11:00am to 1:00pm UCR Bell Tower

Mendhi Mania 3:00pm to 5:00pm HUB269

R’ SciCom 1:30am to 5:00am Genomics Building, 1102 - Auditorium

‘me too.’ A Conversation with Tarana Burke 7:30pm University Lecture Hall

38th Annual Medicine Ways Conference 9:00am to 6:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 302

Pride Prom 2019 7:00pm to 10:00pm Alumni & Visitors Center

Not Part of the Sentence: A Conversation About Advocacy for Incarcerated Folks 12:00pm to 1:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 367

Active Minds: The “S” Screening 4:00pm to 6:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 260

my childhood. I’ve lived in Kansas, South Korea and now California.

Throughout my times living in these areas, I’ve learned the difference of cultures and it’s allowed me to obtain a better understanding of the world.”

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Saturday

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Monday

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News 4

TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

asucr e l e c t i o n r e s u lt s

This year’s ASUCR election results were released on Friday, May 3 at 5 p.m. at the ASUCR office in HUB 202. Voter turnout came in at 24.19 percent by Tuesday evening April 30. The ASUCR Judicial Council heard cases on Friday, May 3 and decisions are pending regarding campaign violations and potential disqualification. Judicial Council will hear more cases Tuesday, May 7 from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. in the Senate Chambers HUB 221.

Below are the results for the 2019 ASUCR Elections.

executive cabinet

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

president

Abigail Cortes 3,588 votes (Ran Unopposed)

Julian Gonzalez 2,435 Votes

Transfer and NonTraditional Student Director

Vice President of Finance Carolyn Chang 3,524 votes (Ran Unopposed)

OUTREACH DIRECTOR

LUNA SEBASTIAN 2,064 votes

Vice President of EXTERNAL Affairs LUIS HUERTA 2,073 votes

GCAP Director

Olenka Graham Castaneda 3,079 votes (Ran Unopposed)

CHASS SENATORS

ANGELICA ROSE GARCIA 875 VOTES

PREETI JUTURU 881 Votes

JOCELYN ORTIZ 2,421 votes

PERSONNEL DIRECTOR

NICHOLAS WONG 1,731 votes

Eric E. Calderon 2,075 Votes

Vice President of Internal Affairs

Miguel Ramirez 682 votes

Angel Cuevas 712 Votes

Yoseline Jacqueline Gutierrez De La Torre 771 VOTES

TIFFANY MENENDEZ 872 VOTES

Itzel Heraldez Rojo 715 votes

KY NGUYEN 633 VOTES

EVELIN CASTANEDA 653 VOTES

CNAS SENATORS

MATTHEW NGUYEN 461 Votes

NATALIE HERNANDEZ 395 VOTES

BCOE SENATORS

LUV AMIN 372 VOTES

Referenda The Cortez Basic Needs and Aid Referendum - PASSED P # of Yes Votes- 3,229 /# of No Votes- 903

Highlander News Referendum - PASSEDP # of Yes Votes- 2,271 /# of No Votes- 1,848

MAURICE ARMSTRONG 153 Votes

Highlander Empowerment Student Services Referendum - PASSEDP # of Yes Votes- 3,230 /# of No Votes- 993

Highlander Abroad Referendum - PASSEDP # of Yes Votes- 2,534 /# of No Votes- 1,492

LEO NGO 115 VOTES

Green Campus Action Plan Referendum PASSED P # of Yes Votes- 3,154 /# of No Votes- 763

DANIELLE VELARDE 370 VOTES

PHOEBE LY 341 votes

ASUCR CONSTITUTIONAL CHANGES RESULTS ASUCR Constitutional Amendment #1 # of Yes Votes- 2,600 # of No Votes- 750

ASUCR Constitutional Amendment #2 # of Yes Votes- 2,827 # of No Votes- 524

ASUCR Constitutional Amendment #3 # of Yes Votes-2,892 # of No Votes- 520 ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

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Several ASUCR candidates face potential disqualification over campaign violations

ADIAN RUTTEN Senior Staff Writer

An ASUCR Judicial Council meeting was held on Friday, May 3 to hear appeals from then-candidates Julian Gonzalez, Lennin Kuri, Isaiah Kim and Luis Huerta in regard to alleged campaign violations which could potentially result in disqualification. The meeting, while open to the public, was closed at times for deliberation. While all of the details concerning violations are not currently known, the items discussed during the meeting generally revolved around various campaign poster placement and approval violations.

Gonzalez, president pro-tempore of the Senate, won the position of ASUCR president. With regard to the campaign violations, during the meeting he stated, “The elections committee’s complete failure to abide by the elections code resulted in my inability to remedy the violations when I had the chance, resulting in more strikes than I deserved.” While

his and others appeals focused on the lack of timeliness with which they were notified of the violations, there is no specified time frame for candidate notification in the ASCUR Elections Code.

Speaking about the campaign violations in an interview with the Highlander, ASUCR Elections Director Laura Pullen stated, “Those strikes that those candidates got could

affect the official election results, but those will be announced by the judicial council at Wednesday’s ASUCR meeting.”

At this point no results are known from the Judicial Council hearings.

With regard to the next steps in this process Pullen stated, “After they announce the results, we’ll probably send out special election information and people can sign up for the

marketing director position and the elections director position.”

Pullen also noted that disqualified candidates are able to run in special elections, although the elections committee may seek changes to that within the elections code next year.

Another appeals hearing is slated to be held this upcoming Tuesday, May 7 in HUB 221 at 8:30 p.m. More information is forthcoming.

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LEO YUE / HIGHLANDER

UCR professor discusses misinformation surrounding vaccines

CAMERON SADEGHI Contributing Writer

A measles outbreak has spread throughout 22 states in the United States, with over 700 reported cases thus far. The Highlander reached out to Professor Richard Carpiano of public policy and sociology at UC Riverside to discuss vaccine-related issues and misinformation regarding vaccines.

Carpiano highlighted the intricacies of vaccine misinformation.

He pointed out the difference between anti-vaxxers and vaccine-hesitant individuals: “A vaccine-hesitant individual is anyone who might have concerns over side effects and safety.

As a result they may delay vaccines for their child.” Carpiano explained, “Sometimes the media tends to paint all of these people with the same brush by calling them all anti-vaxxers.”

According to Carpiano, vaccinehesitant individuals do not necessarily subscribe to the anti-vaxxer movement yet remain skeptical of vaccinations.

Carpiano emphasized the role of certain celebrities and some members of the medical community in vaccine misinformation.

According to Carpiano, celebrities such as Jenny McCarthy and British doctor Andrew Wakefield push false narratives about vaccines. Carpiano stated that McCarthy believed that vaccines had triggered autism symptoms in her child.

However, according to Carpiano, vaccines are given to children during a time when a parent sees symptoms for autism. Carpiano shared a story about Wakefield who published a study claiming that the MMR vaccine caused autism in children but that study was debunked. Carpiano noted,

“Anti-vaxxers have been around for a while. They are as old as the history of vaccines themselves.” Edward Jenner was the first person to test the smallpox vaccine in 1796.

In addition to being prominent advocates for the anti-vaccination movement, Carpiano said anti-vaxxers have spread misinformation through social media platforms. He claimed that Facebook has issues with antivaxxer misinformation campaigns.

He said that Facebook is attempting to combat vaccine misinformation, noting that “Facebook has recognized

problems with anti-vaxxer advertisements. They are looking into how to eliminate anti-vaxxer misinformation. It’s not censorship because they are a private company.”

The recent measles outbreak in Los Angeles has stirred more conversation surrounding anti-vaxxers role in vaccine misinformation. “This is really a numbers game. We have to keep levels of vaccination high enough. We are not all 100 percent covered. We do need each other so the spread is minimized,” said Carpiano.

Carpiano also stated that he

believed that there is not enough time and resources to change antivaxxers’ minds; vaccine-hesitant individuals can be reached for truthful and accurate information.

According to Carpiano, the vaccinehesitant individuals are “on the fence” and less dogmatic on vaccine issues compared to anti-vaxxers. Carpiano offered a solution to anti-vaxxer misinformation; “We need to be thinking about education campaigns, protecting the rest of the community and meeting the challenges presented by the anti-vaxxer movement.”

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COURTESY OF UCR NEWS

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TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

New “UCR-GUEST” WiFi released at UCR

MARK BERTUMEN Senior Staff Writer

UCR’s Information Technology Solutions (ITS) department released a new guest WiFi connection this past April named “UCR-GUEST.” The Highlander reached out to Rebecca Hutchins, the communication and assessment manager, for more information.

“The preparation for the new Guest Wi-Fi service was planned and tested for several months prior to the deployment date,” Hutchins wrote.

She mentioned that there were difficulties early in development due to “outdated wireless core infrastructure; however, all were addressed through the planning and testing of the services before deployment.”

According to Hutchins, the new WiFi connection should be available around and in “all campus buildings and outdoor areas with existing wireless coverage,” and that wireless coverage at UCR is influenced in part by location. She wrote that funding for creating the connection itself was provided by the ITS department and what she called the student technology fee, a quarterly payment by students included with student tuition.

In an ASUCR meeting during the week of the WiFi’s release, the “UCR

Glen Mor WiFi Reimbursement Resolution” was discussed, which addressed the matter of students living in Glen Mor that paid WiFi fees while WiFi was not working effectively. The resolution passed, and ASUCR is currently taking action to compensate those students.

Hutchins said that there are more plans to improve the WiFi services at UCR, but that progress “has been hindered over the years by aging hardware, lack of coverage, cybersecurity deficiencies and a difficult connection process,” she wrote. “The ITS department is looking forward to

NICHOLAS ROH / HIGHLANDER

improving security, usability, coverage and performance to UCRWPA, which will also be rebranded in the coming months for all students, faculty and staff.” Hutchins ended stating that their goal is to improve the security of wireless connections on campus.

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First safe-sex vending machine is officially installed on campus

ANTONIO VELAOCHAGA Contributing Writer

Last Wednesday Planned Parenthood Generation Action (PPGA) at UCR installed UCR’s first operational safe-sex vending machine at the Student Recreation Center (SRC). It is located at the SRC North building next to the racquetball courts and holds a number of safe-sex items including pregnancy tests, lubricants, condoms, tampons, pads, pain and allergy relief, Monistat and other sexual health products.

In an interview with the Highlander, Elizabeth Kavianian, the co-president of PPGA at UCR and a third-year public policy major stated that PPGA was able to successfully provide a low-priced $20 emergency contraceptive pill called EContra 1-Step in the vending machine. The official name of the installation of these vending machines is called the “Wellness Express Convenient Contraceptive and More.”

One step in implementing these safe-sex vending machines began fall quarter when PPGA released surveys to get opinions from UCR students on the vending machines and determine whether they wanted them on campus. Kavianian said that the installation of more safe-sex vending machines throughout UCR would be determined by the success of this first vending machine.

According to their website, PPGA is a national community of largely young activists who coordinate events in their communities and campuses to spread awareness about reproductive health and rights.

Through national campaigns, leadership opportunities and conferences, PPGA advocates for reproductive freedom and strives to educate the youth on sexual health.

ANTONIO VELAOCHAGA / HIGHLANDER

The reason PPGA wanted to install these vending machines was to give students the ability to purchase safesex items during the day and night without the trouble of store hours or transportation. They also hoped that establishing these vending machines would decrease the stigma, anxiety and embarrassment that students face while buying them at stores or clinics. The PPGA view these machines as a way to help reduce unwanted pregnancies and promote safe sex.

Kavianian provided an example of how Scotty’s in the HUB has limited store hours and the act of having to ask the cashier to grab sexual items can be an embarrassment for most students. Kavianian stated, “We’re trying to make sure people are comfortable and they’re not facing any of that stress.”

She said that PPGA chose to put

the first safe-sex vending machine at the SRC mainly because it was close to the dormitories and on-campus housing apartments. She stated, “It’s really accessible, but it’s also somewhat secluded and private.” According to Kavianian, this placement of the machine in a discreet area was meant to lessen the embarrassment or stress that would be present for students if it was in a more open area. She further commented that “We would love to get them in the libraries.”

Kavianian identified the implementation as a collaborative process; emphasizing the collective effort between the PPGA, The Well, Student Health Services (SHS) and the SRC. She said The Well aided in the marketing, planning and educational components of the installation. She stated that SHS supplied the $20

EContra 1-step for the machine and Scotty’s will order the products for PPGA to put in the machine. She added that the SRC staff will stock the vending machine with safe-sex products.

Monthly expense reports of the safe-sex products bought from the vending machine will allow PPGA to track the items and stock them accordingly. She said that the vending machines will be self-sustaining. An Instagram account for the Wellness Express Convenient Contraceptive and More (@ucrwellnessexpress) has been made. This account will provide educational facts on sexual health, give machine updates and advertise SRC events. Regarding student awareness of the safe-sex vending machine, Kavianian stated that “We want everyone to know about it.”

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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

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ASUCR

Students express disappointment with the distribution of Chick-fil-A as an incentive during elections week

AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

The fifth ASUCR meeting of the quarter took place on May 1 and began at 6:35 p.m.

During public forum multiple students from the LGBT Resource Center (LGBTRC) approached the podium to express their concerns over the use of Chick-fil-A by ASUCR as an incentive during voting week on Monday, April 22, due to the historical anti-LGBT sentiments demonstrated by the restaurant franchise. Multiple students from Costo Hall also expressed their disappointment that the responsibility of promoting the Highlander Empowerment Student Services Referendum (HESSR) fell on Costo Hall rather than ASUCR. The first person to approach the podium was student Crescent Rose who spoke on behalf of the LGBTRC. Rose stated that “Saving Costo Hall should not have to be on the ballot in the first place, but we all came together as a community and made our voices heard.”

Gabe Pineda, a first-year double major in theater, film, and digital production and gender and sexuality studies, discussed the use of Chickfil-A as an elections week incentive; “The CEO of Chick-fil-A is openly anti-LGBT … I am here today asking for a public apology from ASUCR, the removal of Chick-fil-A from your pre-approved vendors list and an investigation into the list of all of your pre-approved vendors.”

Pineda also expressed disappointment over the use of student fees to promote Chick-fil-A. In response to student concerns over such use of student fees, Vice President of Internal Affairs Jose Cortez-Hernandez stated that ASUCR

has no control over what vendors are on the pre-approved vendors list, responding that “The vendors are set by the university. Senators do not get to vote on who is put on that list.”

In further response CHASS Senator David Melgoza stated, “These dialogues are important; they are how we fix these issues. I and all of ASUCR deeply apologize. We should have made that connection.

I along with Elections Director Laura Pullen have started to draft legislation to remove Chick-fil-A from our vendors.”

During committee reports six pieces of legislation were discussed.

The first was SB-S19-002 Social Media Password Access. CHASS Senator Avi Idea explained that this senate bill proposes that only the marketing director have access to ASUCR’s social media passwords and control over posting on social media. Idea explained that this is to prevent any confusion over social media posts and to ensure that the marketing director has full discretion over all social media posts.

In response to this bill, CHASS Senator Mehvish Ali stated, “Does this mean that the initiative that I recently passed, the Fun Fact Friday Initiative, has to be approved by the marketing director before I post?”

In response, Gonzalez stated, “It has always been precedent that any social media posts have to be approved by the marketing director first.”

Idea then stated, “to my knowledge this has no interaction with your initiative at all.”

The bill was passed 11-0-2.

Gonzalez then addressed Ali and stated, “I understand your concern but I think it is ridiculous to assume that this bill revolved around your initiative. This has nothing to do

with your initiative. The marketing director has experienced issues throughout the year with social media posts being posted without her approval.”

SB-19-003 Additions to Election Code was then discussed. This senate bill, according to Idea, was written to clarify that the elections director and the president pro tempore are to be elected during special elections within three weeks after general elections. Senate elect is to also decide on the judicial nominee. The bill was approved 13-0-0.

Afterwards, SB-S19-004 Removal of section four, section five and section six of eligibility standards was brought to the Senate horseshoe.

According to Gonzalez, under Chapter 24 of ASUCR bylaws, sections four, five and six do not comply with the ASUCR constitution.

These sections, stated Gonzalez, state that if an elected official is ineligible any time during the year, they can leave but may then return if they recover. Gonzalez stated that, “That does not exist anymore. When you are ineligible to be in ASUCR, you cannot come back in.” These sections, stated Gonzalez, should be removed to comply with the constitution. The bill passed 13-0-0.

CHASS Senator Alex Gonzalez spoke on SB-S19-005 Amendments to Chapter XXXI Executive Cabinet Eligibility Act. Gonzalez stated that the vice president of finance used to be approved by the president but that is no longer the case, since they are now elected officials. This bill, according to Gonzalez, is just fixing the language in the constitution to be in accordance with this new change.

The bill passed 13-0-0.

SB-S19-006 was not discussed, with Gonzalez stating that this bill

discusses the same matters that Idea’s SB-S19-002 did; however, it gives credit to the author.

Gonzalez also spoke about SBS19-007, Amendments to Chapter 1 Orders of Business and Regulations for the Meetings of the Student Senate. He stated that the indigenous acknowledgement reading that the executive vice president reads at the start of every senate meeting was not updated in the ASUCR bylaws.

This bill, stated Gonzalez, updates the bylaw to ensure that the next executive vice president is reading the correct acknowledgement. The bill passed 13-0-0.

During senator reports, Melgoza reaffirmed his in-progress resolution to remove Chick-fil-A from the preapproved vendors list. Ali stated that she is drafting a resolution to increase ASUCR’s efforts to meet with Costo Hall more regularly. She stated, “We should get in touch with the student body.”

After senator reports, the meeting moved on to public comment where President Semi Cole addressed the senate. Cole stated that beginning in Fall 2019, UCR will be experiencing a ten-minute time shift in the scheduling of classes. Classes will start ten minutes earlier beginning in Fall 2019. All classes will start on the hour or half hour and the academic day ends ten minutes earlier. Cole then discussed the importance of ASUCR meeting with students outside of their communities. He then prompted everyone on the horseshoe to stand up and pledge to visit at least one office in Costo Hall in order to improve their relationship with Costo Hall.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:06 p.m. ASUCR meets every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. in HUB 261.

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LEO YUE / HIGHLANDER

Opinions

8 TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

Student engagement at UCR is lacking: what can we do?

Modernity has given birth to the “college experience,” a notion that an undergraduate degree encompasses more than just tedious coursework. It is an idea that college students receive an experience that allows them to discover their interests and sets them on a path of discovery.

College is now viewed as a place made up of many different people, clubs and organizations which all foster a sense of community while altogether embracing individualism. UCR touts its own diversity of people and ideas as a foundational element of the student experience it claims to offer. In fact, this diversity is one of the first things many people hear about the school. However, there are those who point to a noticeable disconnect at UCR between students and their community.

There are many contributing factors to the lack of student engagement at UCR. Before anyone sets foot on campus, UCR is often considered the UC reject school, a fictional ranking borne out of UCR’s lack of premier status. Many feel as though this is the easiest or one of the easiest UC schools to get into and succeed at. This reputation alone may cause incoming freshman to feel justifiably reluctant to engage with a place that they feel represents their lack of academic strength or achievement. Fortunately, there are many who view the school in terms of national rankings, and all things considered, this is still a UC campus which contributes substantially in certain fields of research such as entomology and agricultural science.

Even after students accept admission to UCR, a large percentage of them commute to school. The distance people live away from campus may reflect the distance they feel from the UCR community. This status as a commuter school makes it hard for students to get involved in various organizations and clubs because of the time commitment, which for many includes travel and gas, is just too much. A commuter, especially if they have to maintain a job, may not find it easy to participate in school activities when they simply cannot afford to spend that time on campus.

There are also problems for those who do live on, or very close to campus and visibility is one such issue. Despite

databases — perhaps linked in R’Web — could be a start.

Another finger of blame is pointed at the Associated Students of UCR (ASUCR), the student body government, as part of the senate’s responsibility is to represent and advocate for the UCR community, including all of its clubs and organizations.

This is not just to foster this community, though that should be a primary responsibility of theirs, but also to provide students with that knowledge so that they may take advantage of potential opportunities offered by those organizations such as scholarships or internships.

Students have pointed to a lackluster social media presence and an all-talk-no-action attitude on ASUCR’s part.

opportunities for community engagement to students in ways that accommodate both live-in and commuter students.

Riverside itself is not the most lively city. It is distant, often viewed as the outlands to the much more trendy and popular Los Angeles and does not necessarily embrace the university as much as it should.

Students point to a lack of student discounts in the city, and combined with the fact that many students commute home for weekends, this makes the area unattractive to students as a primary physical representation of their community. If on-campus organizations could partner with local businesses to offer improved student experiences within the city, more students

“IT FALLS UPON THE ADMINISTRATION TO PROPERLY FUND AND EFFECTIVELY MARKET OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT TO STUDENTS IN WAYS THAT ACCOMMODATE BOTH LIVE-IN AND COMMUTER STUDENTS.” Wednesday tabling efforts and various fairs or expositions like those typically occurring during orientation, outreach from clubs and organizations is limited. Email lists are rarely utilized, and unless a student already has a particular interest represented by those entities, they will likely be avoidant. It is difficult to know what the right kind of advertising should be for organizations on campus, but

Another group responsible for encouraging student engagement is the administration itself, who are the primary promoters of this school. While their efforts are understandably focused outwards, they need to also maintain the sense of community they sell to others within the school once students they have attracted arrive. It falls upon the administration to properly fund and effectively market

might opt to stay in town and ultimately bolster that sense of community that many feel is lacking.

It is difficult to only blame the people who make up the community, however.

Technology is a major concern, as both social media and entertainment media consume greater and greater portions of people’s time and energy.

Without prior knowledge of

ADRIAN CRUZ / HIGHLANDER

a club or interest in a campus issue, it is easy for students to walk by clubs they may enjoy while their heads remain buried in their smartphones. Combined with a lackluster social media presence on the part of ASUCR and various organizations on campus, this disconnect keeps students in their own bubble of friends instead of engaging with the community on a larger scale.

At a certain point, however, a large part of the onus falls on the students themselves.

There is only so much the administration, ASUCR, clubs and organizations can do before it falls on the student’s shoulders to seek out these opportunities and fan the flames of the highlander community. While there may be concerns with visibility and marketing, there are resources like the UCR website, flyers around campus and the tabling efforts from clubs. There is only so much marketing, tabling and emailing that ASUCR, the administration, clubs and organizations can do before they need to rely on discovery by everyday students. At a certain point students should want to be Highlanders, foster that sense of pride and community and not wait for the community to come to them.

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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.

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

9

OPINION POLL Compiled by Thomas Holguin Staff Photographer

“Do you feel engaged with student government?”

Marsha Jobaida Philosophy Fourth-year

Jordan Hom MCS Third-year

Jaz Richmond Public Policy Third-year

Javier Fernandez Political Science Third-year

Fatima Roldan Undeclared First-year

Alvin Chan Biology Fourth-year

“I just never got myself involved with ASUCR. But I believe that it’s up to personal preference whether or not you want to get involved with it.”

“Not really. I don’t feel that engaged. I know ASUCR does the sweaters, R’Gear, Blue books and scantrons and elections. Other than that I don’t feel or see their presence on campus.”

“So I know a couple people who are actually in ASUCR. Personally, I’m not involved with them.”

“I definitely don’t.

Even though I voted, I personally don’t feel engaged at all.”

“As a first year I am still trying to figure out what I want to be involved in but I personally don’t feel involved with student government at all. I voted though!”

“I mean I vote every election.

But, truly engaged?

No, probably not.

I care about some of the referendums but outside of that, no.”

Recent Facebook partnership with conservative fact-checker could result in suppression of left-leaning opinions

SAMUEL HARRISON Contributing Writer

The 2016 presidential election brought with it a cascade of fake news to the popular social media site Facebook, and in an effort to crack down on the spread of nonfactual information on their site, Facebook has decided to partner with fact-checking services. As of April 17, 2019, one such publisher is Check Your Fact, a fact-checking news site owned by The Daily Caller, a right-wing news publication co-founded

by Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson.

This is immensely troubling for a number of reasons. First and foremost, while the site publishes genuinely factual information, it does so with a political slant, using verbiage meant to shape readers’ opinions in favor of a more right-wing, conservative position. This partnership could result in users of the social media site not getting the full story when it comes to issues such as climate change.

Some may argue that nothing Check Your Fact publishes is demonstrably false.

Facebook spokesperson Lauren Svensson went so far as to defend the recent partnership in an interview. She maintained that Facebook is selective in choosing which fact-checking sites they partner up with.

Svenson believes Check Your Fact to be a reputable fact-checker, as it is certified by the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), a Poynter Institute network dedicated to promoting honest practices among fact-checking initiatives.

The website does indeed publish factual information, but that info is distilled through a highly conservative lens. A factchecker should not have a political agenda which becomes especially important when

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discussing issues such as climate change.

While most scientists agree that climate change is a real and substantial issue today, the few papers that promote climate skepticism are almost always from conservative sources. Sites like Check Your Fact provide a true story, but an incomplete story.

Furthermore, looking past their partisan roots, Check your Fact has a spotted history relative to other fact-checking sites.

IFCN director Baybars Orsek stated that Check Your Fact was briefly removed from IFCN’s list of signatories last November due to their failure to list the Daily Caller as one of their funding sources.

It isn’t wrong to hold a conservative opinion on a topic, but Facebook uses factcheckers to flag “false” articles, sending them to the bottom of your news feed. The fear is not that the inclusion of right-wing fact-checkers will exacerbate the already

prevalent issue of fake news. The issue is the fact that real news runs the risk of being labeled as “fake” by fact-checkers with agendas.

Because the system of fact-checking is biased, readers won’t be receiving the whole story making it impossible for people to develop a well-informed opinion on a topic. There is a large portion of the population that gets its news solely from social media. Hiding left-leaning articles at the bottom of their feed is no different from censoring the articles entirely. Information from both sides of the political divide must be readily accessible if society has any hope of understanding complex political issues.

While the popularity of Facebook has been dwindling among younger crowds as of late, the site still has over two billion active users. That is a huge amount of influence, and exactly the reason why fact-

checkers for social network sites with that sort of power should not be allowed to take a stand on issues like climate change. Many in the field of climate science fear that the fact-checker’s right-wing affiliation could lead to the issue of climate change being swept under the rug.

Social media sites like Facebook should be safe for the open discussion of political issues. Partnering with a fact-checking site shrouded in a shallow layer of feigned impartiality undermines that. Use of fact-checkers like Check Your Fact is tantamount to censorship, which is unacceptable regardless of which side of the political party line the views fall. It is encouraging to see Facebook attempting to weed out false information, but if it is not careful about who it chooses to partner up with it may create an entirely new problem for itself.

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10 TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

OPINIONS

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Democrats display their brazen hostility towards Christians around the world

ANDY LI Contributing Writer

On Easter Sunday, April 21, Sri Lanka suffered a devastating series of mass bombings that resulted in almost 300 casualties, including many international citizens as well. The attacks were carried out by a domestic radical Islamist terrorist organization with ties to ISIS, who later claimed responsibility and claimed that the attack was “retaliation for the Christchurch massacre,” which occurred this past March when a white supremacist opened fire and murdered over 50 people in a New Zealand mosque. The Sri Lanka bombings indicated that while the ground war against ISIS in the Middle East is effectively over, the organization still has the lethal capability to strike in the form of lone wolf attacks.

As the entire world mourned, leaders in the United States also sent their condolences to the victims of this act of hatred. President Donald Trump tweeted his support for the people of Sri Lanka, highlighting the violence against Christian worshippers on the holiest day in Christianity. Plenty of other political leaders also sent their best wishes as well, including Vice President Mike Pence, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky) and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California). However, what was so strange was the cold and callous reaction of many top Democrat leaders towards this tragedy.

Former President Obama tweeted his thoughts and prayers for the “Easter worshippers” in Sri Lanka. Former Secretary of State and 2016 presidential candidate Hillary Clinton almost mirrored his response word for word, using the same exact term: “Easter worshippers.” Pretty soon other top Democrats, including former secretary of Housing and Urban Development and 2020 presidential candidate Julian Castro and current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, followed suit using the exact same terminology.

What is so particularly mind-boggling and offensive about this purposeful omit-

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tance of the victims’ Christian identity is the illuminating juxtaposition of these remarks with the ones made by these same Democrats in the wake of the horrific massacre of Muslims in New Zealand just over a month ago. During that occasion, Obama, Clinton, Castro and Pelosi all made sure to condemn the “murder of Muslims” in their official statements and tweets. Notice how none of these same Democrats ever coined the term “Ramadan worshippers” to describe the Muslim victims of white supremacy.

The same exact characteristic can be said of the immediate response to the horrific anti-Semitic attack on a Jewish synagogue in Poway, California just over a week ago, also by a white supremacist. Again, national Democrats including Obama, Biden, Clinton and Pelosi all made absolutely certain to highlight the Jewish identity of the victims of the terrorist attack.

Democrats seem to cherry-pick which terrorist attacks to care about and which attacks to ignore. If the attack was carried out by a white supremacist or a neo-Nazi, for instance, then Democrats are up in arms about the ferocity of the attack, since white supremacists and neo-Nazis are on the “far-right.” But if the attack is carried out by radical Islamist groups, suddenly there’s a stronger hesitance to call it out for what it is since, after all, Democrats are terrified of losing their massive support from American Muslim voters. The irony is, the vast majority of American Muslims are equally, if not more disgusted by the behavior of radical Islamists who are

purposefully misinterpreting the Quran, and wouldn’t actually be offended at all if Democrats correctly called out radical Islamic terrorism for the evil that it is.

Similarly, when it comes to Christianity, Democrats have a very hostile relationship with this demographic cohort. A solid majority of Christians in America consistently vote for the Republican Party over the Democrat Party, primarily because of issues such as abortion and religious freedom. Additionally, American Christians tend to care far more about the plight of Christian minorities in the Middle East, where they continue to suffer tremendous abuse at the hands of local governments.

According to several major studies, Christians, not Muslims or Jews, are the most persecuted religious group in the world.

Yet according to the rhetoric coming out of the Democratic Party today, you would think that Christians are the most privileged religious group in the world.

There are a plethora of reasons why Democrats continue to exhibit insensitivity towards the Christian community both in America and in the rest of the world.

However, at the end of the day, it really comes down to two main issues: policies and votes. The fact that the majority of American Christians are pro-life, oppose forcing bakeries or florists to officiate gay weddings and support the religious freedom of churches and Christian non-profits to opt out of funding birth control or abortifacients is entirely contrary to the Democratic Party’s platform of total secularism and emphasizing leftist ideology over reli-

gious freedoms.

Additionally, as the party moves further to the left on issues such as identity politics, especially with the current obsession in the Democratic presidential primaries to nominate a candidate from a “minority group,” is particularly off-putting to Christians, since they are always portrayed as being in the majority and experiencing “privilege.” This collective mindset is unhealthy and ultimately destructive to the social fabric of the nation, as it seeks to assess the value and worth of a citizen not by their deeds or actions, but rather by their cultural identities from a position of victimhood mentality, in which the history of your cultural or ethnic identity determines the amount of sympathy you deserve.

Democrats need to understand that the vast majority of Americans are and will continue to be proud Christians. Even within the church, there remains a diverse array of political viewpoints on hot-topic issues like abortion and religious freedom.

However, Democrats must exercise a basic modicum of respect towards the Christian community. Ignoring the obvious Christophobia they face, especially in areas not traditionally part of the Western world, is totally unacceptable if America continues to claim to be the beacon of human rights and freedom for all. And most importantly, while we can all have peaceful and civil disagreements on political issues and choose to vote for the opposing party, that is never a reason to completely deny the pain and suffering of the Christian community.

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Letter To The Editor:

UC ensures integrity of Title IX process in face of legal developments, uncertainty

SUZANNE TAYLOR Systemwide Title IX Director, University of California Office of the President

Nationwide, higher education institutions are navigating a period of uncertainty around the laws that govern our response to sexual harassment, which includes sexual violence. Understandably, the UC community is concerned. As UC’s Systemwide Title IX Director, I want to allay any confusion or fear. I write to explain how some recent developments affect UC, including proposed federal regulations and California case law, and how we are responding.

I also want to underscore UC’s unwavering commitment to a fair resolution process that treats parties with respect and compassion, and results in just outcomes.

The U.S. Department of Education proposed new Title IX rules last November that would dictate how schools respond to sexual harassment complaints. UC has taken a strong stance against parts of the rules. We do not yet know when the department will issue them, or what they will ultimately require. Still, their very pros-

pect leaves many worried. As an attorney who dedicated more than a decade to the department’s Office for Civil Rights, I am troubled too. Please know that when the department eventually issues the rules, UC will respond thoughtfully, with the security and well-being of our students and the broader community as our highest priority.

Developments at the state level are more pressing. In January, an appellate court ruled that California colleges and universities must hold hearings to resolve sexual misconduct cases where the respondent is a student, sanctions are potentially severe and credibility is a central issue. UC had to take immediate steps to comply, and did so with the goal of protecting both parties and the integrity of the process. Specifically, we issued an interim Sexual Violence and Sexual Harassment Student Adjudication Framework that gives both complainants and respondents the right to an appeal with a hearing for any reason, in any case that results in suspension or dismissal.

Importantly, the court ruling does not require cross-examination by parties’ representatives — a provision in the Depart-

ment of Education’s proposed Title IX rules that is particularly troubling. In UC’s appeal hearings, a neutral person poses questions, and will exclude questions deemed harassing, irrelevant or repetitive. Additionally, parties may be visually or physically separated from each other and have support persons present, to make the experience less intimidating. The courts have signified these protections are acceptable, and we will continue to provide them. To be clear, we have no intention of adopting those aspects of the proposed Title IX rules that we believe would be harmful, unless and until we are absolutely legally required to do so.

While the interim policy is in place, a workgroup with diverse, systemwide representation has been helping to develop a long-term approach to hearings that is both legally compliant and true to our values.

The university also will ensure that our informal resolution process is as robust and meaningful as possible for those who prefer this alternative to a hearing.

I want to assure you that the Title IX and student conduct professionals on your cam-

pus care deeply and are committed to getting the student adjudication process right.

Additionally, your campus’s CARE office is dedicated to supporting individuals who have experienced sexual misconduct, and the Respondent Services office is equally committed to assisting respondents going through the Title IX process. I encourage you to draw on these resources to understand the recent interim policy changes and how they might affect you.

Combatting sexual harassment and fostering a culture of respect and accountability require an unshakable commitment, particularly in the face of change and uncertainty. UC has made tremendous headway the past few years, and we will not allow obstacles to halt our trajectory. A fair process is critical — yet of little value unless members of our community harmed by sexual misconduct continue to come forward. UC must hold the values of fairness and humanity equally close as we confront these issues. In this challenging time, our commitment to this work and to the UC community is steadfast and as strong as ever.

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UNIVERSITYUNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE RIVERSIDE OF CALIFORNIA,

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WRITE * SHOOT * DESIGN

SINCE 1954

WORK FOR AN

AWARD-WINNING

NEWSPAPER MEETINGs MONDAYS, 5:15 P.M. @HUB101

Features 12 TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

s t r A k l a W MARK BERTUMEN Senior Staff Writer

ASPB hosted its annual Arts Walk event last Wednesday, May 1, “an annual interactive arts showcase” for students to share their artistic creations, according to their Highlander Link page.

The event consisted of several booths aimed at providing “interactive arts;” students lined up at the Wax Creation station to make wax molds of their hands, and the “Stuff-a-Stuff” booth to stuff and sew up their own stuffed animals. There was also the Bubblemania section, where passersby could blow bubbles twice as big as their head, if they didn’t pop before coming off the bubble wands.

The main focus of the event, however, was the Art Installation booth, where student-artists on campus showcased their various works of art, from koi fish on a canvas made with paint and foil to a yard-high, plexiglassencased, artistic rendition of what may have been a severed rhinoceros tusk or unicorn horn.

Some of the displayed artworks were photographs, such as a series of underwater photos, or landscape photos of a sunset or a woman on the beach.

Several of the pieces were unattributed, but some of the artists whose work was featured, who requested anonymity, told the Highlander that their name was absent even though they submitted it alongside their work, while another said that

their work was attributed to the wrong person.

Under the installation tent, there were also two student vendors, one of which was Elizabeth Chu, a firstyear political science and administrative studies major, selling earrings that she had crafted by hand. She mentioned that she began selling jewelry back in eighth grade, mainly bracelets for charity, first for breast cancer and later for wells in Uganda. It was in her senior year of high school that she began making earrings. Every piece of jewelry she makes is made to order, and Chu finds merit to doing so. “I definitely think there is beauty in uniqueness and choosing something because YOU genuinely like it, not because it’s easily accessible or worn by everyone else like the kind of jewelry you get at places like Forever 21,” Chu wrote.

Another vendor at the installation tent was Gabriela Molina, a first-year studio arts major, showcasing paintings influenced by Mexican artists and the Marvel franchise.

She said that her “calavera” (skeleton) paintings were inspired by Mexican artists Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera and are her most popular works.

Molina wrote that she attended an art program for children at Bell Arts Factory (BAF), an art center in Ventura, California, and spent nine years in the program, until she was 14. She continued her work in art through high school and

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showcases artistic creations of students: painted, photographed, handcrafted and sung

eventually was asked to be a guest studio artist in May 2018, until she entered UCR in the fall of 2018. She then held her first solo art show, “Yo Soy De Adonde Voy (I Am From Where I Am Going),” as a featured artist for the Factory at the Ventura County Art Walk later in October.

As a Mexican-American, alongside Mexican artists, Molina’s art also takes inspiration from Spanish novels and Marvel comic book characters. “It’s heartwarming to get to know UCR students I would have never encountered if it hadn’t been for this vending opportunity,” she said, “as well as receiving support in the form of compliments, advice, or financial support by purchasing my art.”

Another highlight of the Arts Walk was the Bell Tower

performances, one of which was done by members of the “All That Jazz” musical theatre group at UCR, a recently established group created during Week 0 of the Spring 2019 quarter that focuses on all art forms including acting and dancing. Aryana Santos, a student and creator of All That Jazz, performed onstage herself with a cover of “I Won’t Say I’m in Love” from the movie “Hercules” by Disney.

“All That Jazz was ultimately my vision,” Santos wrote. “I realized that there weren’t as many musical theatre opportunities on campus as students would like. That being said, I began brainstorming on what a club like this would aspire to be.”

Other singing acts at the Bell Tower were performed

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by HoBeeDeeSheBop, a guitar and drums duo of “soothing beats;” Delfino^2, an alternative band that plans on making it big according to lead vocalist Christian Duran; Bruto, a solo guitarist who sang about heartbreak and mental health; G. Bautista, a solo vocalist of R&B influences and Not So Sharp, an acapella group at UCR. Dancing was also performed on stage by Dancesport, an on-campus Latin and Ballroom dance-based group, and the Oceania Dance group, alongside comedy acts by the female-based comedy campus group Girls Ganq, poetry

by UCR’s Mosaic Art and Literary Journal and spoken word by The Verbal Coliseum.

The Arts Walk concluded at 8 p.m. after every act had H performed at the Bell Tower. ■

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TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

13

CSP celebrates Cinco Mayo Nooner with dance, music and community Martha Delgado, Senior Staff Writer

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

On Wednesday, May 1 students gathered at the B ell Tower for the Cinco de Mayo Nooner co-sponsored

by ASPB, Raza Assembly and Chicano Student Programs (CSP).

Victor Marroquin, a fourth-year education and gender and sexuality studies major, began the nooner by shouting out the Highlander Empowerment Referendum and International Workers Day. “Ahorita vamos a bailar, vamos a celebrar (Now we dance, now we celebrate in Spanish). It’s week five we’re dying under all these midterms, but we’re all still here together,” Marroquin said.

Marroquin then introduced the performing band Mariachi Aztecas de Oro. “It’s a pleasure to be here at UCR for Semana de la Raza,” one of the band members stated. During one of their songs, the trumpet player, Alberto Rosito, went into the crowd to play his instrument. Rosito was in the mariachi class while working towards his bachelor’s degree at UCR. During the last songs, people got up from their spots on the steps to dance around the stage.

The nooner also featured a special performance from Rosa Martha Z arate, a community member whose work includes documenting the struggles and hardships of braceros, agricultural workers brought to the United States from Mexico under a World War Two-era program to fill vacancies brought by the war. Z arate worked with CSP to launch a research internship this quarter to teach students how

to inter view, translate and scribe. Z arate was a social justice singer who sang her original song “Primero de Mayo” to close the nooner.

“I write about community, our struggles and fight,” Z arate said. Z arate’s CD’s were also available for purchase after ward.

“I wanted her to complete Semana de la Raza given our political climate.

Ever ything that’s going on, (it’s) a call to action on the responsibilities that we have and the privileges we have as college students,” said CSP’s Assistant Director Arlene Cano Matute.

This was the second year that Maribi Avaloz, a thirdyear sociolog y and Spanish double major, was involved with working the Cinco de Mayo Nooner. “I think each year you just get more connected to it. I’m MexicanAmerican, so I can connect with (the) Cinco de Mayo Nooner. I’m really proud of this resource like CSP and other organizations,” Avaloz said.

Avaloz tabled at the CSP table with Stephanie Martinez, a fourth-year psycholog y major. Martinez attended the Cinco de Mayo Nooner last year but this year she was involved in working the nooner which gave her a new perspective. “(When) you’re helping run it, (you) see how other people are enjoying the event. I think it’s really cool and awesome to bring out our culture in a way that people haven’t seen it as,” Martinez said.

CSP’s upcoming events include Raza Grad on June 2 and the 15th celebration of Mundo Hall on May 22.

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APSP begins

Asian Pacific Islander month with a “Big Wave” Christine Tran, Contributing Writer

On Thursday, May 2 from 5-7 p.m., Asian Pacific Student Programs (APSP) celebrated the beginning of Asian Pacific Islander (API) month by hosting The Big Wave: Fashion Showcase at HUB 302. The room was decorated with bright turquoise tables with pineapple cutouts as the centerpiece. On the main stage, golden balloons spelled out the words, “The Big Wave.”

Roy Tongilava, an APSP student coordinator, takes great joy in the month of celebration. “To have a month dedicated to my ethnicity and culture is a huge milestone for my community

because throughout history we have been marginalized and underrepresented and so I think that taking this time to celebrate API heritage really helps educate the different communities.”

To start off the event, Tongilava and Jiminia Mana AlofaAfuola, another APSP student coordinator, engaged the crowd with an activity discussing the stereotypes within the API community. A statement relating to API community was read out loud, such as “the Disney movie ‘Moana’ was a breakthrough movie for the Asian Pacific Islanders,” and the audience would get up and

stand under an agree, disagree or neutral sign.

“It’s really hard for South Asians because of the narrative within the diaspora, it’s very Indianbased and overshadowed by the actors from Bollywood, but that’s not the reality of what South Asia is. It’s like with South Asia you have minorities within minorities within a minority and you lose a lot of representation,” stated Ayesha Abbasi, fourth-year political science major.

Following a brief intermission, a panel was hosted to discuss different issues within the API community, such as

misconceptions surrounding certain API groups and how the image of the model minority can hurt South Asians. A recurring topic was how the API umbrella is too big, leading to the lack of recognition and representation that South Asians receive in comparison to East Asians.

Panelist Alexis Chang, a fourth-year sociology major, believes that action must be taken to improve ethnic togetherness at UCR. “We need to be more progressive and more inclusive with all of our ethnic communities on campus … how can UCR not have the funding for the groups they

tokenize and put on pamphlets to sell to incoming students?”

The API fashion show, the main event of the night, followed the panel. There were six different traditional API outfits presented, including Cambodian, Pakistani and South Pacific-designed pieces.

Some outfits displayed were traditional wedding and performance garments and others were what they would typically wear to church. The fashion show concluded with a South Pacific-style dance that is usually meant to be presented by a high chief ’s daughter to H signal the end of an event. ■

14 TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

Third annual

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Geek On!

convention brings fans from the area to celebrate fandom

By: Martha Delgado, Senior Staff Writer On Sunday, April 28, the third annual Geek On! convention organized by Cosplay Brigade saw 636 people in attendance. The third and second floors of the HUB were filled with cosplayers from a variety of fandoms including Vocaloid, Marvel and Miraculous Ladybug among others.

The convention began with a performance from Senryu Taiko, an on-campus Japanese drumming club. Vendors filled HUB 302 while panels and tournaments were held throughout the second and third floors. The organization that hosted panels and other activities included Highlander Gaming, Gamespawn, Greenwood Film Society, Senryu Taiko, HallyUCR, After Class Gaming, Starving Artists, Underground Society of Comics and Secret Swords & Sorcery Society.

Among the attendees of the convention was UCR alumnus Guillermo Guzman, who was known for t-posing on Chancellor Wilcox last year. “This con is great because it’s a small convention but with a lot of passion and people working on it; no one feels uncomfortable and no one feels scared. Everyone feels great,” Guzman said.

Guzman’s favorite panel was Memeology 101, which was led by another UCR alumnus and past Cosplay Brigade event manager, Mark Celones. In the panel, Celones moderated a discussion on memes and their impact with Timothy Hughes and Cosplay Brigade officer Kari Hathaitham.

Hughes was the man behind the mask of Furry Boi, a protest candidate during the 2018 ASUCR elections.

“It sounds like the thing is going to be a giant joke, but in reality, it’s actually somewhat of a sophisticated and nuanced discussion about memes,” Guzman commented.

“Part of the reason (Hughes) was popular was because of his ability to make the joke; the panel was an examination of how often that’s happened in culture … Those are areas where communities band together and memes are how they bond,” explained Celones. The panel also did a case study on Furry Boi and how he gained popularity to impact the campus. “Memes are that unit for internet expression,” said Celones.

At the end of the panel, there was a raffle for framed memes. Lisette Ravard, a UCR alumnus, attended the Meme-ology 101 panel and won a framed picture of Grumpy Cat. Ravard had attended conventions since she was in high school, including the Geek On! convention last year.

Ravard commented on the importance of Geek On! and how it introduced students to anime and other fandoms. “There’s always a great variety of panelists (at Geek On!).

This one’s fun. It’s local. There’s a nice assortment of merchandise people can buy,”

Ravard said.

Media and Cultural Studies Professor John Jennings, who is known for his work in comics and afrofuturism returned to be a part of two panels entitled “Breaking Into Comics While Diverse” and “From Fandom to Career.” Brandon Thomas, writer and co-creator of “Horizon” and “The Many Adventures of Miranda Mercury,” and freelance writer Jazmine Joyner were also part of the panel about diversity in the comics industry. “I think that being a geek is something that’s really empowering now.

It’s shifted a lot where it’s a mark of honor.

It encourages people to be expressive,” Jennings said.

Cosplay Brigade told the Highlander that they wanted Jennings to return to show others who are experiencing difficulty breaking into the comics industry because of diversity-related issues that it is possible.

The convention also featured a cosplay contest where attendees could enter to win the first-place prize of a $50 gift card. The contestants and their cosplay were judged on craftsmanship, finishing quality, performance and miscellaneous, such as their innovation and special effects.

The first-place winner of the contest was Rev who cosplayed as Nemesis from the Evillious Chronicles. Rev, who is not a UCR student, had attended the Geek On! convention last year and also won first place. Rev found out about the convention through its Facebook event page, so she attended with her friend Ondine who cosplayed as Rin Kagamine from the Vocaloid series, Japanese computer-generated characters associated with voices from the singing voice synthesizer software Vocaloid.

For her cosplay, Rev referred to the character image but also wanted to take creative liberties. For her cosplay of Nemesis, the character was portrayed as angry in the series, but Rev put her own spin on it through cute makeup to make it a “cute kind of anger.” “Cosplay contests are really fun. (Winning) is always a surprise,” Rev said.

Attendance has increased with each convention Cosplay Brigade holds. Celones who is now a teacher still returns to help with the conventions. “It’s pretty mindblowing to see the power of smaller clubs making a big event,” Celones commented.

During the quarter, Cosplay Brigade has general meetings on Thursdays at 7 p.m. in HMNSS 1503. They will also hold an Anime Expo Crunch Day May 16 from 7-9 p.m. at the Creat’R Lab inside Orbach Library for people to work on their Anime Expo cosplays.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

RADAR

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TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

15

lives up to its legacy despite recent changes Adam Alvernaz, Contributing writer Early in the afternoon, students across campus prepared for UCR’s annual Spring Splash event that hosts some of the best hip-hop and EDM of all the Riverside concerts. This year’s event focused on spreading awareness about the dangers of high amounts of intoxication and an online module was required.

The event was under much scrutiny due to the changes made to their entrance requirements. Coupled with better security,

many students were turned away at the gates to ensure the safety of others. Despite these changes, there were still the usual attendees who took their pregame festivities too far and ended up inebriated before getting through the gate. Moving past the various controversies of this year’s Spring Splash, the event still holds up on its own and is some of the best of UCR’s concert experience.

NIKI Starting with Niki, she began her set with some nice, chill beats to warm up to. She definitely succeeded in entertaining the crowd, starting the concert off strong. Although the crowd started small, it slowly grew over time as she continued to bring energy and life to the event. Niki’s distinct lo-fi hip-hop style

really shined on the stage and drew in the fans with her interactions with the crowd. Despite a pleasant aura, Niki simply didn’t match up to the other headliners but her start to kick off Spring Splash was a very welcome addition to the stacked performances, even if it was on the weaker side of them.

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SAN HOLO The EDM was definitely brought with San Holo’s electrifying performance as he played some of his best beats that definitely satisfied the crowd’s need for a high-energy performer. His set started strong at the beginning with much of the crowd rushing in to see him perform. His remixes of various Snoop Dogg tracks lifted the crowd off

their feet. San Holo’s heavy use of sound effects to enhance his remixes really showed here as he brought some of the best beats of Spring Splash.

Rounding out his set at the end with “Light” was a great end to an already amazing set that really filled out the crowd and showed some of his best EDM and remixes.

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AMINE Mixing good beats with some amazingly-written lyrics, Amine brought the crowd the high-paced beats down to the more emotional moments the crowd thoroughly chilled to. While the high points of their sets were satisfying and exciting, I

felt the energy lower over time. The performance was hindered by being a l i t t l e l a t e r i n t h e l i n e u p . Wi t h t h e exception of some fan-favorite mixes, Amine wasn’t able to capture some of the better heights that other artists were able to attain.

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TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

Rae Sremmurd Rae Sremmurd delivered on being the headliner by bringing the energy to the crowd.

The group was able to carry a great performance with their stellar crowd interaction. Their charismatic attitude coupled the hype hip-hop blend helped to reinvigorate the crowd to be fully

engaged with the earbusting performance. They brought the full hip-hop experience with some really great bangers that got the crowd moving with full force. Their deserved fit as being the headliner is a change of pace compared to past Spring Splash headliners.

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Food Taking a break from the music during some of the lulls in between performances was a necessity. Looking at all that Spring Splash has to offer this year, the food truck selection was pretty disappointing. With some campus favorites like Boku Bowls and Chronic Tacos making an appearance, there were only six other trucks to choose from. While the food is majorly overpriced,

the added 40 percent discount provided by Apple Pay is appealing to those who can take advantage and get a meal for something on the cheap side.

While the food is really nothing to write home about, they’re filling enough for those who are looking for a quick bite. Returning again from Bonfire and Winter Soulstice, the Rockstar booth returns alongside a Yerba Mate tent.

ADRIAN CRUZ/ HIGHLANDER

Attractions Other attractions at Spring Splash were less than desirable as most failed to capture an audience outside of those who were in need of a serious distraction from the rest of the event.

The side attractions feel very last minute as a place setting and overall were underwhelming

at best. The mechanical shark and giant spinning swings were less desirable than what other events Spring Splash had to offer. With the added waiver system, these attractions lost a lustre that they may have had to a certain audience.

overall...

This years Spring Splash held up as being one of the greater concerts that ASPB puts on for the year. While the added module and security feels like

a detriment, I overall still felt that the performances were able to reach the standards of previous concerts that have come before it. â– H

THOMAS HOLGUIN/ HIGHLANDER

RYAN POON/ HIGHLANDER

THOMAS HOLGUIN/ HIGHLANDER

SOPHIA BAUTISTA/ HIGHLANDER

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

SPOILINGTHE

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

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Endgame:

By: Adam Alvernaz, Contributing Writer and Colin Carney, staff writer After multiple viewings of the newest Marvel Studios film, “Avengers: Endgame,” we decided to sit down and talk about our thoughts in-depth. This discussion will be about the full movie, so spoilers will be all around.

Adam Alvernaz

Starting off, what were your general impressions after leaving the theater for the first time?

After leaving I felt that the movie had delivered on everything that I had wanted to see and it wrapped up everything that I had wanted it to cover. So for me the big takeaway was just the finality of the film and how it really felt like the final Avengers movie. I really appreciated how it wrapped up all the main arcs of the original Avengers and it left me with strong feelings especially with how many emotional moments the film had throughout.

Colin Carney:

Adam Alvernaz

I really appreciated the consistency of tone with the film and how it concluded with the same emotional weight that it started with. Even with the movie’s time heist portion and the climactic battle at the end, it was still able to give an emotional ending to the infinity saga. I was impressed with how well done the ending was as I felt there were multiple traps they could have fallen into, but surprisingly they succeeded on delivering a satisfying conclusion. Of course, there’s always going to be small flaws in the film that can be dissected, but overall the experience was never hindered by that.

Colin Carney: The best part of the film for me was the characters themselves. Each Avengers film has felt like a season finale with each individual character film being like an episode in a grander tale. Each of the main characters were given a lot of development because of everything that had led to this film. So I really appreciated that, especially with how Black Widow takes a more active role in the Avengers even with Hawkeye as his character gets expanded on with his new persona, Ronin.

Adam Alvernaz

I agree, characters definitely shined as we followed the main six throughout the film. I do feel that there were some characters that were mishandled, such as Thor. “Thor Ragnarok” really set his character up nicely to be the new King of Asgard and it felt that he had really come into his own. Following this into “Infinity War” (IW), he gets fully enveloped in killing Thanos and avenging everyone he’s lost. Not to mention how much more comedic he has become and how he’s a lot funnier than when we were first introduced to him. Going into “Endgame,” we see a Thor that has really lost his way and regressed into a joke overall. This new fat Thor persona he has taken really hurt the potential of the character.

After watching it for the first time, I did agree with your point of view that he had become a joke machine and it felt very Colin Carney: played out. After the second time watching it, I felt that his story of losing everything and spiraling into a depression was a good fit for his reaction to the snap. After five years, each character has their own development. Captain America became more integrated with society and Iron Man secluded himself to a quiet life with his new family. I liked the fact that Thor was a broken man and was able to come above it. I could probably do without the various fat Thor jokes, but I did like his broken and lost character arc after IW.

Adam Alvernaz

My main problem was around how his character had turned into a joke and I didn’t really like that direction. What saves his character for me was towards the end of the film when he’s speaking to Valkyrie. Giving up the mantle of king and giving it to her I felt was satisfying as it really solidified the idea that Thor was forging his own path and to be the person he wanted to, not the person he was meant to be. Especially with him joining the Guardians, the ensuing hijinx is going to be an exhilarating tale that I hope does Thor well. Since we’re talking about characters, who was your favorite character in the film?

Colin Carney: For me personally, I have to go with Tony Stark. I feel that his character had the most impact on the universe as a whole. I know it’s stereotypical, but he has always been my favorite because of Robert Downey Jr. I was happy with his character in this film about wanting to protect his family. His interactions with his family were really compelling and hit beats that were really set up from all other movies he’s been in. I felt like Downey’s performance was spectacular in this film and that he had some of the most emotional and compelling scenes in the film.

Adam Alvernaz

For me, Chris Evans as Captain America has the best characterization of all the Avengers in “Endgame.” His whole arc is about trying to survive and sustain a society in the world that is falling apart around him. His whole character moment of reintegrating himself into society and being the hero that the world needs is very compelling. He never gives up even though he is the last standing Avenger. Him wielding Mjolnir is really symbolic of this as it really hits that idea of Steve being the saviour the Avengers needed.

I did like Captain America’s story as well, personally all the characters had something special about them in this film. I said before, but Black Widow and Hawkeye were clear standouts for me as they had received much more development than before in terms of character arc. I thought that each character had really stepped up and proved themselves to be mainstays of the cast. I really enjoyed Nebula’s character and how she was portrayed as part of the main cast.

Colin Carney:

Adam Alvernaz

Nebula’s inclusion was done tastefully and I felt that they had used her character really well. Her whole arc with 2014 Nebula turning 2014 Gamora good was done very well. I really felt that Karen Gillan and Zoe Saldana had done exceptional jobs on portraying that mixed relationship they have. One character I felt had been done and portrayed well was Professor Hulk. I am happy to finally see this version of Hulk as it brings the best of both worlds, both character-wise and humour.

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COURTESY OF WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES

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TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

How M a r v e l ’ s 11- Year venture pays off After absorbing all that the film had to offer, I did like his characters inclusion in “Endgame.” What I would’ve wanted from Colin Carney: him would probably be more setup as to how he becomes professor Hulk rather than just an explanation. Fitting all of that into an already long movie however would have been hard and I felt that after the second viewing I appreciated it more than the first time I viewed it. I really like the goofy jock dynamic that he brought to the rest of the cast and he played off of everyone very well. If there was one character that was lacking in the cast, it was Josh Brolin’s Thanos. This doesn’t mean that I didn’t like his performance or the character in this film, on the contrary I think he’s one of if not the best Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) villain. The only thing that changed for me was that he played a smaller role in this film than he did in IW, where he was practically the lead, and that due to the time travel element, the Thanos in this film was younger and different. I like that dynamic and appreciated it, and I felt that the focus on the heroes more than the villain was needed in this film, but when he was inevitably defeated I didn’t feel as emotionally relieved at his defeat as I would’ve if it had been the Thanos we knew from IW.

Adam Alvernaz

I definitely agree with that, especially after IW where we really got to sympathize and understand Thanos as a character.

I didn’t really see a problem with Thanos as in “Endgame” we see the mad titan aspect of Thanos which I felt really fit the films overall finality. I would say that it is a downgrade from IW, but it was still sufficient for the final sequence. I understand that it is very jarring going from an exceptional version of Thanos to a lesser more evil character. I still find that he is one of the best villains that the MCU has to offer. I think one of the bigger risks they took was introducing time travel, but I’m happy with the direction they took with it.

I did really enjoy the time travel aspects to the film as they offered some really great moments for our characters to Colin Carney: explore their past and interact with characters they otherwise wouldn’t have. My main gripe with it is how Tony Stark discovers it because of an offhanded experiment. I felt that it was too fast and was done just for the sake of moving the plot along. Once again, it’s just a nitpick as I really loved seeing all of the interactions between characters who are no longer alive in the Marvel universe. Some of the best character moments in the film come as a result of these interactions such as Thor’s talk with his mother Frigga, and especially Tony’s conversation with his father, Howard.

Adam Alvernaz

I think that the scenes like this were all done very well and reaffirmed some of the themes and arcs that we see our characters undergo throughout the rest of the film. When Thor talks to Frigga, we see her reaffirm that belief that he only has to be the person he wants to be. Tony talking to Howard about having kids and being a father. I am really glad for them to get the closure that they never were able to have outside of their own respective films.

I absolutely agree as I feel it rewards those who have seen every film, especially during the first Avengers film where we see Brock Rumlow and Jasper Sitwell interact with Captain America before they’re revealed to be HYDRA agents. Seeing Captain America take advantage of that to take the mind stone from them is brilliantly done and adds to their inclusion of films prior to “Endgame.”

Colin Carney:

Adam Alvernaz

Certainly, seeing all of these past characters was such a treat and added to the history of these films whilst giving subtle nods to those who have followed these films throughout. Undeniably, my favourite part in the entire film is the Avengers assemble scene in the beginning of the end battle. Captain America wielding Mjolnir and seeing everyone appear after being dusted in IW was such great fanservice and gave every Marvel fan something to smile about. I think that scene really spoke to the finality that the film carried as it is probably the last time we will see each of these characters sharing the same screen again. The cinematography in that scene is great as it mainly focuses on where the gauntlet is and each character that carries it. It gives each character a moment to shine as they each hold a part in securing the gauntlet.

That fight itself is perfect as it begins and ends with Thor, Iron Man and Captain America. The entire battle is fanservice in Colin Carney: the best possible way as it shows everything that Marvel Studios has wanted to portray since the beginning with “Iron Man” in 2008. I really appreciated the big establishing shots of both armies with their respective leaders and characters. It was done very well and looked excellent overall. For me the highlight of the battle was with Iron Man snapping away Thanos’ army and his death after.

That scene with War Machine, Pepper Potts and Peter Parker trying to console him is great. It’s a heartfelt sendoff where each character that he has built a relationship with has a chance to be next to him as he passes. Following his death, the holographic eulogy and subsequent funeral where we see all the Avengers in attendance brought tears to my eyes, especially Happy’s cheeseburger interaction with Tony’s daughter, Morgan.

Adam Alvernaz

I couldn’t agree more, it’s one of the best ways to end a characters story and arc. Ending his character with the same way it started is a perfect way to send off his character. Following that with Captain America’s ending was perfect as well.

Him talking to Bucky and Falcon knowing he won’t see them for a while is great. Bucky knows this and tells him that he’ll miss him even though Steve reassures him that he’s going to be gone for a few seconds. Then when we see him leave and return as an old man is great.

Especially with his eventual end as he returns to be with Peggy Carter and passes off the shield to Falcon. He’s done all he can for the world and he knows that he deserves to take a rest and leave the future to the next generation of Avengers. I felt that it was a great ending to his story and really fit his character perfectly. Other than that, where does this movie rank for you in the grand scheme of Marvel films.

I definitely think that the film is in the top three for me. It rewards fans for knowing everything that has led up to “Endgame” and delivers on all of the expectations that fans had after “Infinity War.” I loved everything that it had achieved and how near perfect the film was. All characters get a moment and have weight to their performances and pays off on the emotional and epic scenes that Marvel is known for.

Adam Alvernaz

Colin Carney:

It’s a great capstone to Marvel’s 22 film odyssey and I think that it is the definitive Avengers film that sets up and ends everything that the series has been leading up to. It probably will be the final film that many fans will care about watching on release. Going forward with the next Spider-Man film and the many Disney Plus TV shows, I feel that Marvel has huge shoes to fill. Marvel is leading up to something bigger and better with all of these new characters that they have to play with. While “Endgame” feels like the final story, it really is the end of the first book in a bigger universe that Marvel is planning on developing in the years to come. ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

SPORTS

TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

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Men’s golf places eighth in Big Highlander West Tournament Hot Take:

JORDAN HOM Staff Writer

The Highlanders went into the Big West Tournament in Hawaii with some momentum following their second-place finish in Santa Barbara.

However, their momentum only carried the Highlanders so far as they placed eighth overall out of the nine teams that competed in the Big West Tournament. The Hawaii rain didn’t do the team any favors as they struggled with the weather through the duration of the tournament.

The Highlanders bounced back in the second round and showed signs of life in the second round. They scored a 298 as a team, enough to make fourth place in the round, placing behind UC Davis, Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton.

In the third round, the Highlanders were not as successful with a score of 302, putting them ahead of only Long Beach State and Cal Poly. UCR went from fourth to eighth place.

After three rounds of play, Riverside was only ahead of Cal Poly in the standings.

Senior Andrew Spilman led the way for UC Riverside.

The Cardinals will flop with newly-drafted quarterback Kyler Murray

Spilman shot a 77, 73 and 74, giving him a total score of 224 and eight over par. Out of all the competitors in the tournament, he placed 17th overall.

Among the other Highlanders, junior Tyler Moore finished second best among the UCR squad in the tournament. In the three rounds, Moore scored a 72, 76 and 78. He ended the tournament 10 over par, scoring a 226 in total, finishing in 20th place.

Sophomore Sam He finished the tournament with a final score of 228, placing him in 20th place. Senior Michael Wong from Hong Kong and freshman Matthew Huo both tied for 40th place, each scoring 240 total points.

This wasn’t the conclusion that the Highlanders had in mind going into the Big West Tournament.

Spilman had a great season overall but his efforts weren’t enough to carry the Highlanders to a higher finish in the tournament. Next season, UC Riverside will be without Spilman and Wong as they are both set to graduate.

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KEVIN SANCHEZ Contributing Writer

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

UCR baseball continues hot play against UNLV, loses series-opener against Long Beach JONATHAN FERNANDEZ Senior Staff Writer

The UCR baseball team (16-28, 5-9) started their week with a game against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (25-22, 12-12) on Tuesday, April 30. The Highlanders continued their streak of great play to beat UNLV 11-7.

The Rebels had a big second inning, scoring five runs to take a huge lead. The biggest hit of the inning came from junior infielder Bryson Stott, who hit a three-run homerun.

Riverside was able to make a slight dent in the deficit, scoring one run in the bottom of the inning off of a triple from junior centerfielder Travis Bohall.

UCR also added another run in the bottom of the fourth off of a solo homerun from senior right fielder Dean Miller.

The Rebels added their last two runs of the game in the top of the sixth inning.

The runs came off of an RBI flyout from junior shortstop Trevor Rosenburg and a wild pitch from UCR that allowed freshman catcher Jacob Godman to cross the plate.

The Highlanders fought back in the bottom of the sixth, scoring six runs to take an 8-7 lead. Miller started the rally with an RBIsingle that scored sophomore shortstop Nathan Webb. That was followed up with singles from sophomore left fielder Dylan Orick and senior pinch hitter Matt Hardy who drove in a combined three runs.

Hardy would go on to score an unearned run because of

an error committed by UNLV. UCR added three more runs in the bottom of the eighth to extend their lead and margin of victory over the Rebels.

Miller and Webb each accounted for two hits and two RBI apiece for Riverside.

Junior pitcher Hayden Petrovick won his fifth game of the season despite giving up two earned runs and walking three batters in one inning of work.

UCR played again on Friday, May 3 against Long Beach State (10-34, 4-10).

The Highlanders were unable to carry any sort of momentum from their win against UNLV, and lost to the

49ers 6-1.

Long Beach State (LBSU) gained control of the game early on, and never gave it up. The Dirtbags started the first inning by scoring two runs as a result of a groundout that allowed runners to advance and a fielders’ choice. LBSU added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 6-0 lead. A two-run single from LBSU designated hitter Chris Jimenez capped off the inning for the Dirtbags.

Riverside would score their only run of the game in the top of the eighth inning when Miller homered to center field.

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

Although the Highlanders only scored one run, the offense didn’t necessarily take a step back. UCR totaled one more hit than LBSU, but they failed to get timely hits to bring in runners who were on base. Riverside left 11 runners on base while Long Beach only left four.

Sophomore pitcher Jeremiah Priddy suffered his sixth loss of the season, allowing two hits and one earned run in two innings of work.

The Highlander baseball team will take on Cal State Fullerton at home on Friday, May 10 at 6 p.m.

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For the second year in a row, the vtook a signal-caller in the first round of the NFL draft. Former Oakland A’s signee, Kyler Murray, is being hailed as one of the most talented dual-threat QB in recent years, with some analysts even comparing him to Michael Vick. His college tapes tell us he’s got the arm and the speed, but will it translate into the NFL? Murray undoubtedly had a stellar 2018-19 season with Oklahoma, but he had a strong supporting cast around him.

Oklahoma’s wideouts found themselves wide open, weekin and week-out, giving Murray some handy throwing windows. Some of his most notable struggles are his subpar decision making under pressure and his ability to stay in the pocket.

Both of these traits were the reasons why Rosen was taken in the first round last year.

Rosen’s supporting cast, especially upfront, did him no favors. He finished the season as the seventh-most sacked QB and threw only two interceptions less than the league-high. Now with some minor upgrades post-draft, Murray gets to inherit a semifunctional Arizona offense. The Oklahoma star was hardly under pressure in college, but rest assured, what he lacks in footwork mechanics, he makes up for in evading pressure.

Rosen will now likely take over in Miami and will find himself in a much better position in terms of talent upfront.

The Dolphins addressed their O-line needs in the third round, which immediately gives Rosen a chance at throwing the football without getting knocked down before his three-step. Rosen was once referred to as the most proready passer in last year’s draft, but he was hardly given a chance to showcase this with god-awful protection.

The truth of the matter is, GM Steve Keim and rookie headcoach Kliff Kingsbury are under intense pressure, probably more than anyone in the league, to produce something — anything that gives Arizona hope, or at the very least, shows signs that they are better than they were with Rosen. Kyler Murray certainly makes the Cardinals interesting again, but the NFL world will have to wait and see if he can live up to the aura of hype and anticipation that surrounds him.

I see nothing but catastrophe if Murray doesn’t work out, and Arizona football plunging into a ■H very dark era.

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

SPORTS 20

TUESDAY, MAY 07, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

Men’s tennis strives to continue improving after record-breaking season JORDAN HOM Staff Writer

UC Riverside finished the season with a 20-16 record, breaking the program record for wins. The Highlanders also tied the Big West Conference record for wins as well, but they fell short in the playoffs, losing to UC Davis in the Big West Tournament quarterfinals by a score of 4-1.

“This is the fourth straight year we have broken the records for wins,” Coach Mattias Johansson said. “It means that we are getting better year by year and that’s what I am here to try to do. Other than that, it is just a number really because the record is meant to be broken.

But there are always other aspects we can improve on and we will continue to work in the right direction.”

UCR suffered the same fate against UC Davis in the playoffs that they suffered in the regular season when they faced the Aggies on April 19. During the regular season matchup, UCR lost 4-1. In the playoffs, UCR had a few opportunities to win the tournament matchup as they won the number three doubles set. Juniors Gilbert Chung and Nabil Abdallah won the number three doubles match with a 7-5 score against Aggies’ sophomores Dariush Jalali and Chethan Swanson.

However, losing the number one and two doubles sets cost Riverside the doubles point. The Highlanders had an uphill battle they had to climb after the conclusion of the doubles matches and they were unable to lift themselves out of the deficit.

Coach Johansson said that he would evaluate the season with his players and make a few changes for next season, but overall he plans to keep things mostly the same. His goal for next season is to keep improving and advance further into the Big West Tournament.

“You always evaluate yourself as a coach. We play a lot of matches and we have a tough schedule sometimes.

There might be small adjustments made next year but overall, things will remain the same. You can’t really have regrets, just have to move forward and take one match at a time,” Coach Johansson said.

“First of all, we had the win against Hawaii (on April 7) and we have closed the gap against other

6

It was a season full of trials and tribulations for the women’s tennis team.

The Highlanders, a team comprised of mostly freshman, battled their way to a 7-13 overall record on the season. This may not inspire confidence to many, but for Head Coach Mark Henry, it was not the number of wins and losses that counted the most.

“Overall, I think it was a good season,” Henry said.

“We had a lot of freshmen that were big contributors to the season. We won some matches, and we had a lot of close matches that we didn’t win, but I think the group learned a lot and I think there is a lot of good things in the future for the group.”

For many teams, having a lot of freshmen doesn’t immediately translate into results as the players learn

JORDAN HUANG / HIGHLANDER

3

W: Jacy Boles Junior catcher Sarah Parten led the team with a three-run homer

GAME 2

8 JORDAN HUANG / HIGHLANDER

teams. We used to be the pushover team, but now, we are not the pushover team anymore. Other teams have to start respecting us and the guys should be proud of themselves,” Coach Johansson said. “They are putting in a lot of hours and working really hard. Hopefully, they will be rewarded for their efforts to advance further into the playoffs next season.”

Next season, the Highlanders will be without seniors Kyle McCann and Anderson Ju who will be leaving the program due to graduation. They will both leave the program in the top-10 all-time wins list.

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Women’s tennis sees bright future after bumpy season

RICARDO GARCIA Contributing Writer

SOFTBALL

how to play through the grind of a full season at the college level.

“A lot of the growth was just learning to get through a season of college tennis and learning how competitive it is,” Henry said. “I think the biggest change for next year is that they will know what to expect and be ready for it.”

The Highlanders finished the past two seasons winless in conference play. However, Henry has seen some improvements in the Highlanders’ competitiveness in matches this season.

“We won one more match, but some of the matches that we lost, we had a lot more chances to win individual matches, and we were closer to winning the whole match,” he said.

Despite defeating the UC Irvine Anteaters in the play-in first round game at the Big West Tournament, Henry isn’t settling.

“We know we are getting closer, it’s possible (to win in conference play). It really is more of that mental focus of ‘we can do it,’ but sticking with the things we need to do to do it,” he said.

Even though their playoff finish, a loss to topseed UC Santa Barbara, was disappointing, Henry still views the net result as successful.

“These are things we hadn’t done for a few years before, and those were big,” he said. “We haven’t been winning conference matches during the season, but to win them at the tournament should be motivation for the group, and shows we’re moving in the right direction, but we can still get a lot better.”

With the end of every season, there is always some bittersweet goodbyes to make. This season, seniors Tracy Van and Arabella Valera played their final season for UCR. Despite how their playing time was affected with the arrival of new players, Henry commended them on how they made a positive impact for the team this season.

“Without them, we wouldn’t have been able to continue to make the progress that we made.

They’re hard workers and they’re people that are really supportive,” Henry shared.

Despite the losses, Henry sees a bright future for the team.

“The whole group has improved, and there are people with so much potential that weren’t in high places on the team,” Henry said. “If they have a good summer, it could rearrange everything.”

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W: Melanie Olmos (6-10) Junior third baseman Emma Ramelot finished the game with two runs and an RBI

BASEBALL

4

6

L: Hayden Petrovick (5-2) Junior designated hitter Connor Cannon led the Highlanders with an RBI

upcoming matches SOFTBALL FRIDAY, MAY 10 PLAYING AGAINST CAL STATE FULLERTON in riverside @ 3 p.m.

BASEBALL FRIDAY, MAY 10 PLAYING AGAINST CAL STATE FULLERTON IN RIVERSIDE @ 6 p.m.

TRACK AND FIELD saturday, MAy 11 competing in the Big West championships @ 2 p.m.