Volume 67 Issue 29

THE HIGHLANDER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

25 Allies Program Community OUTreach Educators/CORE

Peer Connections Mentoring Program Conference

BlaqOUT Conference

Conference

Tabla Conference

geekOUTucr

Prop 8 Protests

Hater Preacher Kiss-in

Queering the “C”

Draglicious Drag Ball

Celebration

Lambda

Snow Camp

Nancy Wears a

T* Camp

Presente!

“Decolonized Your Mind”

Blood Drive Discrimination

Common Ground Retreat

Asterisk Trans*

“Sound Mind, Body, & Spirit” UCLGBA

Western Regional Conference

QPOC Conference

Trans Remembrance Display

Lambda Awards

LGBTQIA Student Leadershio Scholarship

Allies Program Community OUTreach Educators/CORE

Peer Connections Mentoring Program Conference

BlaqOUT Conference

Conference

Tabla Conference

General Assembly

Tuesday Talks

CCC + LGBTQ + SUMMIT

UQ Conference

General Assembly

Allies Program

Trans Allies Program

David Bohnett CyberCenter !

Allies Program

Protests

est. 1954

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

VOL. 67, ISSUE 29

Trans Allies Program

Tuesday Talks

CCC + LGBTQ + SUMMIT

UQ Conference

Asterisk Trans*

geekOUTucr

Presente!

“Sound Mind, Body, & Spirit” UCLGBA

Western Regional Conference

prideful years: celebrating the LGBT Resource Center’s advocacy, outreach and support

David Bohnett CyberCenter

“Decolonized Your Mind”

pa g e 10

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TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org

HUMANS OF UCR

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 8

JIMMY LAI | MARKETING | FOURTH-YEAR

21

Tuesday

COMPILED BY MARTIN LOPEZ

22

Wednesday

23

Thursday

“The most wholesome memory I have from working here is from my time

Creat’R Cafe 10:00am to 11:30am Orbach Library (Science Library), Creat’R Lab

Ngatu Workshop 1:00pm to 3:00pm HUB 355

Last Words: Giving Victims a Voice Workshop by David A. Romero 12:00pm to 2:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 379

Residential Life x ASPB Present: #UCRHIPTIP with Karamo Brown 7:00pm to 9:00pm Pentland Bear Cave

CAPS Drop-in Hour with Nicole 1:15pm to 3:45pm Costo Hall 245

THAT Pool Party 2:30pm to 5:30pm Student Recreation Center (SRC), Pool

Mindfulness-Based Sustainability Workshop 12:00pm to 1:00pm INTS 1109

Performing Difference Lecture 12:30pm to 2:00pm College Building South, 114

38th Annual UCR Pow Wow 5:00pm to 10:00pm Riverside Sports Complex

“Heroes” 7:30pm to 9:30pm Hi-Desert Playhouse 61231 Highway 62 (29 Palms Highway) Joshua Tree, CA 92252

24 Friday

covering the relocation of Family Housing. I interacted a ton with the kids and parents. Soon after it was published, one of the mothers thanked me personally and told me how much it meant to her. It was at that moment I realized that the photos I took actually made an impact in the community around me.”

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Saturday

26 Sunday

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ASUCR

Cortez Basic Aid and Needs Referendum takes center stage at ASUCR Senate meeting CAMERON SADEGHI Contributing Writer

LEO YUE / HIGHLANDER

On May 15, the seventh ASUCR Senate meeting of the quarter was called to order at 6:33 p.m.

During senator reports, President Pro Tempore and CHASS Senator Julian Gonzalez addressed the recent shooting threat directed toward UC Riverside.

Gonzalez claimed that the UCPD and UCR, as a whole, did not properly inform UCR students in the aftermath of the shooting threat: “We got to our classes and there were like five people in there because we weren’t feeling safe due to UCR doing a bad job of informing students about what was going on.”

UCPD emailed the campus that they were investigating the threat at 12:28 a.m. on May 10, and sent out email updates on their progress throughout the morning until they reported that a suspect was arrested at noon.

Vice President of Campus Internal Affairs Jose Cortez-Hernandez shared an update on the Cortez Basic Needs

and Aid Referendum during public comment.

According to CortezHernandez, $230,000 will be directed toward basic needs and $90,000 will go toward financial aid per academic year.

Cortez-Hernandez stated that he plans to present the full budget on Week 9 to the ASUCR Senate.

The Highlander reached out to CortezHernandez regarding the Referendum’s funding allocation to the R’Pantry. In an email response, Cortez-Hernandez stated that the Basic Needs working group has not decided the amount of money to be allocated to the R’Pantry. However, according to Cortez-Hernandez, the Basic Needs working group said that the passage of this referendum will make R’Pantry and other basic needs funding no longer an issue.

BCOE Senators Sarah Al-Khalili and Johnathan Thai were absent. Thai’s absence was excused, while Al-Khalili’s absence was not. CHASS Senator Jacky Chang was also absent for this week’s meeting (excused).

H The meeting adjourned at 6:53 p.m. ■

UCR Provost appointed UC Santa Cruz Chancellor

AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

After 14 years working at UCR, Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Cynthia Larive was appointed as chancellor of the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) by the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) on May 16. In a campuswide email, Chancellor Kim A. Wilcox announced that she will be appointed as the eleventh chancellor of UCSC effective July 1, 2019.

Larive is a UCR alumna and received her doctorate in analytical chemistry from UCR. She began working at UCR in 2005 and according to Wilcox, began her administrative service in 2012 as chemistry department chair. She was then appointed divisional dean for physical sciences and mathematics in the College of Natural and Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) and also served as interim dean in 2015 through 2016. She then took on the role of provost from her position as vice provost for undergraduate education.

Wilcox stated that during her time at UCR, Larive secured necessary Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) re-accreditation, worked with Dean Kathryn Uhrich to recruit two Nobel Laureates to our faculty and made progress toward a 2:1 ratio goal of California resident freshmen to transfer students. He also noted that Larive strengthened UCR’s commitment to shared governance through increased consultation with Academic Senate colleagues.

She has had a personal role in improving graduation rates, advocating for increased diversity among faculty and graduate students and working to improve the climate for all members of our campus community, stated Wilcox. On a personal note, Wilcox

stated, “I will miss Cindy’s keen insight, collaborative spirit and fearless optimism, as I know many will across UCR. But

of Dr. Larive’s academic credentials and knowledge, combined with her incredible dedication and passion for UC, make her

COURTESY OF UCSC

today, I’m proud to welcome her as a fellow chancellor of the world’s greatest public research university system.”

In a UC press release, UC President Janet Napolitano stated, “The breadth and scope

the ideal visionary for UC Santa Cruz.”

She also stated, “Her wealth of experience will help propel the campus to further its research mission, increase student and faculty diversity, and elevate its international

profile.” The UC Board approved her salary at $425,000.

In an interview with the Highlander, Larive stated that she looks forward to advancing the research mission of UC Santa Cruz. She also stated that she hopes to work to promote student success through experiential learning opportunities and improve graduation rates, “especially for first-generation and low-income students.”

She also stated, “I am so proud of how the UCR faculty and staff worked together to improve the student experience, raising graduation rates and doing so in a way that keeps a level playing field for students from all backgrounds.” Larive stated that she hopes that some of the lessons she learned at UCR can help UCSC students succeed at even higher levels than they do now. “I hope that I am remembered as a thoughtful, collaborative leader who helped to foster an inclusive and welcoming community,” stated Larive.

As a UCR alumna herself, Larive stated, “I know that in my heart I will always be a Highlander and will enjoy watching UCR continue on the amazing trajectory Chancellor Wilcox has fostered.”

In the campus-wide email, Wilcox invited campus nominations for the interim provost, who will serve until Larive’s permanent successor is appointed. Nominations for qualified candidates should be forwarded to interimprovost_search@ucr.edu by May 31, 2019. After consultation with the Academic Senate, Wilcox stated that he hopes to have the interim provost in place by July 1. A national search will be launched in the fall to identify the permanent provost and executive vice chancellor.

A celebration of Larive’s accomplishments will be held Monday, June 10 from 4:00 p.m. to H 6:00 p.m. at the Alumni & Visitors Center. ■

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

NEWS

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

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ASUCR

ASUCR hosts first free ramen and study lounge session ANTONIO VELAOCHAGA Contributing Writer

ANTONIO VELAOCHAGA / HIGHLANDER

On May 16, ASUCR hosted a new study session program for all students called “Use Your Noodle.” The study session lasted from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in HUB 367. The program gave out free ramen noodles and provided a space to study for students. The program was developed and coordinated by CHASS Senators Chelsea Davenport and Avi Idea. According to Idea, the program is intended to decrease food insecurity and provide students with an area to study. “We wanted to target food insecurity because UCR has the highest rate of food insecure students in the UC system,” continued Idea.

The session had seats and tables for students to do their work and pick foods to add to their ramen such as chicken breasts, tofu, green onion, zucchini and frozen vegetables. “Ramen has a stigma where it’s the college food that’s cheap and unhealthy and we wanted to change that a little. So we have healthy options,” said Idea. Hip-hop and jazz music played in the background of the session, of which over 50 students were in attendance. Idea stated, “Sometimes students don’t have a great place to study …

We wanted to provide a space where they could kick back, relax and study in a nice place.” The students that came were eating, working and socializing with others during the study session.

Idea and Davenport both thought the program was a success. Idea stated, “I think it’s pretty great. I think it’s been a great success for being its first time.”

Davenport agreed, saying “I’m amazed at how well it went. I am thrilled that that many people came and that we were able to feed everybody.” CHASS Senator-Elect Preeti Juturu, who volunteered at the event, commented, “I think it went better than anticipated.” Idea concluded that these study and free ramen sessions would occur every Thursday from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. until the end of finals “so we have opportunities to improve.”

■H

UCR developing plan to distribute excess food from residential halls CAMERON SADEGHI Contributing Writer

A plan to transfer excess food from residential halls to a student community kitchen is in development at UCR. According to Wellness Coordinator Audrey Michelle Lim, untouched food from residential halls will be repackaged to other students on campus by student volunteers.

Lim projects that the food recovery plan will roll out fall of next year.

Currently, there is no set date for the completion of this plan.

In an interview with the

Highlander, CHASS Senator Avi Idea claimed, “They are working on a student kitchen to be on the third floor of the HUB; that way we don’t have as much food waste.”

Both Idea and Lim foresee challenges in executing this plan.

Lim identified challenges with food and student safety: “A lot of the challenges come with food safety and student safety. With the food recovery side, it is more so making sure to train everyone to handle food safely to keep students consuming and packaging safe.” Idea adds, “It’s already a logistical nightmare with

facilities and putting the kitchen on the third floor of the HUB is a huge venture. This project has been in development for a really long time.”

Several student organizations are working on this plan. According to Lim, the student planning committee consists of members from: Circle K, Swipe Out Hunger, Chemistry Club, R’Pantry student volunteers and Highlander Chefs.

UC Riverside Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) department is also a part of the process. Lim stated, “We are working with EHS right now. We want to make sure that

we are meeting their standards.”

Idea stated that, “Not a lot of students know about it yet. It’s not there yet. Everyone working on it in development are very excited.”

However, Lim indicated that the student organizations working on this plan target a certain population of students to ask their view of the issue.

Lim concluded: “If students are interested, then they will want to develop this plan. We need a lot of student volunteers especially when you are talking about large-scale food recovery from dining halls.”

■H

NICHOLAS ROH / HIGHLANDER

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TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/news

Student action group campaigns for SB 24

ANTONIO VELAOCHAGA Contributing Writer

On April 3, the Senate Health Committee approved the SB 24 bill after it was approved by the Senate Higher Education Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. This bill, which is also known as the College Student Right to Access Act, would require all California public universities to have abortion medication at all oncampus student health centers by Jan. 1, 2023.

Last year the bill was presented by Senator Connie Leyva as SB 320, but it was vetoed by former Governor Jerry Brown. Senator Leyva reintroduced the bill to the California Legislature on Dec. 3, 2018. Elizabeth Kavianian, student campaign leader for the SB 24 bill and co-president of Planned Parenthood Generation Action (PPGA) at UCR stated that the bill’s goal is to make abortion treatment more accessible for college students.

She said the bill will be presented to the California State Assembly likely in June of this year. It will need to be signed by Governor Gavin Newsom if it passes through the assembly.

According to Kavianian, justCARE: Campus Action for Reproductive Equity reached out to PPGA at UCR to join the SB 24 campaign. JustCARE is a campaign movement that began to break down restrictions to abortion care on California college campuses. Kavianian stated that Students United for Reproductive Justice (SURJ) started the justCARE campaign and they reached out to reproductive rights groups in California to support SB 24.

The justCARE website allows Californian citizens to sign a petition that supports the SB 24 bill. “We started doing tabling events, teach-ins and lobby days,” said Kavianian regarding what PPGA, SURJ and other reproductive rights organizations throughout California did to promote SB 24 on campuses.

The justCARE campaign has highlighted recent research that estimates that every month 1,038 students from the 34 UC and CSU campuses, “seek abortions from off-site health care facilities, including many who return to campus to complete their medication abortion.”

Kavianian and the justCARE campaign emphasized the obstacles that college students must go through: setting aside time to go to the abortion clinic, paying for the treatment and any other difficulties students might have.

“We are trying to make sure nothing hinders student success,” Kavianian said. The central goal of SB 24 is

“ensuring that every pregnant person in California who wants to have an abortion can obtain access to that care as easily and as early in pregnancy as possible.”

SB 24 will have other requirements for public universities which include: providing 24-hour, backup medical support by telephone to patients who have had abortions by medication techniques at a public university health center, one-time fees associated with establishing a corporate account to provide telehealth services, billing specialist consultation and maintaining a system of financial reporting on all aspects of the fund.

“If a person is pregnant they will find out, on average, between six to eight weeks which means they have a small window,” Kavianian stated. Kavianian indicated that if the bill is passed, the medication that would be available is a two-part pill that must be taken within the first ten weeks of pregnancy.

JustCARE added that providing the abortion medication at the student health centers would require four steps: confirm the pregnancy is within ten weeks, affirm that the abortion is the patient’s decision in order to best approach the pregnancy, provide the set of pills with instructions and instruct the patient for what to expect and then give information on how to access care in case of an

LYDIA TSOU / HIGHLANDER

emergency.

Kavianian stated that the first pill is meant to be taken with a physician licensed to provide the medication and the second can be taken wherever and whenever they choose. Then a follow-up meeting with the provider of the medication will be held one to two weeks after to confirm termination of the pregnancy. “It’s very simple.

Very safe,” said Kavianian.

JustCARE claims that the student health centers ought to be given funding for the medicated abortions and receive more training and equipment to expand the health centers’ contraceptive services. SB 24 will provide $200,000 of grants to each on-campus student health center. Kavianian said SB 24 is supported by private funders, requiring no student fees needed for implementation of the bill.

SB 24 bill’s goal is for California student health centers to help students receive early and accessible care to “help them stay on track to achieve their educational and other aspirational life plans” according to the official text of the bill. Kavianian stated, “We want student support. We want the student health center to support and we want any administrative support.” Kavianian said that the PPGA will be phone banking and attending more lobby sessions for the rest of spring quarter.

■H

LYDIA TSOU / HIGHLANDER

Opinions

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

OPINIONS

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

7

HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

ASUCR has potential, but they must learn from past mistakes

U

CR’s Associated Students serve several purposes, the most important being their representation of students from each distinct college within the university. While in theory this should be an opportunity for students to gain knowledge about local politics and, ultimately, an appreciation for civic duty, ASUCR has often fallen short of this ideal.

While no government or bureaucratic system is perfect, they are vital to the functioning of a society. It can be easy to dismiss a college’s student government, but it is important to keep in mind that they do have a level of authority relevant to students, whose fees can be increased, for example, and as such should be examined seriously and held accountable for their decisions. ASUCR’s members get paid more than any other UC student body government, but it is incredibly difficult to justify that salary given their general lack of efficacy.

ASUCR has done good things for students in the past, including adding solar charging booths, hosting a women’s march and helping to pass referenda like the Highlander Student Empowerment Referendum and the Highlander Abroad Referendum. However, the organization has also faced many difficulties over this past year, including a lack of student engagement and transparency

MARTIN LOPEZ / HIGHLANDER

“IT CAN BE EASY TO DISMISS A COLLEGE’S STUDENT GOVERNMENT, BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT THEY DO HAVE A LEVEL OF AUTHORITY RELEVANT TO STUDENTS, WHOSE FEES CAN BE INCREASED, FOR EXAMPLE, AND AS SUCH SHOULD BE EXAMINED SERIOUSLY AND HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR DECISIONS” as well as some less than ethical behavior.

Transparency is a major issue, having been brought up by students several times during recent meetings.

Notices for meetings and legislation are rarely given 48 hours advance, and are, in fact, sporadic at best.

This lack of adherence to the bylaws was subsequently dismissed by the judicial council when they sided with current Executive Vice President Andrea Cuevas on a variety of issues, including the firing of Parliamentarian Jose Rodriguez and the lack of 48-hour notice for meetings. These actions are not the problem, but they are a symptom — the true problems lie in the vagueness of the bylaws and an insular mindset whereby members of an organization fail to protect the students they’ve promised to represent and instead opt to protect their own colleagues.

Student engagement is another issue for ASUCR. The past two years’ elections have been riddled with problems, the most notable of which being a lack of participation in voting among students. There are

many factors at play with regard to this particular issue, as outreach efforts could be lacking, accessibility to information about candidates and referenda has been difficult and student apathy towards community engagement might be lacking no matter how visible the elections are.

Aside from the lack of turnout, vote counting problems and elections code violations have also resulted in difficulties which, it could be argued, were mostly fumbled by all of the branches of ASUCR. The fact that senators must pass three pieces of legislation per quarter incentivizes a kind of race to the bottom where senators have the option to pass arbitrary bills and so do not feel pressured to engage further.

Recently the student government was called out for not visiting Costo Hall, suggesting a lack of attention to the needs of the communities residing there. Even after President Semi Cole asked that everyone stand and pledge to make an effort to meet with said communities, only one senator made the effort to visit the Middle Eastern Student Center.

This being said, when judging ASUCR’s members it is important to consider the fact that they themselves are busy students with other obligations, and as most students are quick to say, college life is stressful. It is unreasonable to expect the student body government, or any government for that matter, to appease everybody all of the time.

A balance must be struck between ASUCR’s capabilities and its individual members’ own capacities.

Although it can seem often appear as though ASUCR is largely self-interested rather than earnestly engaged with the students they represent, their power is limited in the grand scheme of things. Most if not all of the resolutions passed in the Senate are promises to take further action on a matter. The school administration has far more power to affect students’ lives and experiences, considering their oversight of drastic decisions.

This is not meant to smear ASUCR. They have accomplished goals that have bettered the lives of students on campus, and the

organization continues to serve as an opportunity for students to gain a better understanding of the role of government in people’s lives. There have, however, undoubtedly been instances of oversight, negligence and corruption, and it is up to students to hold their representatives accountable. ASUCR needs to improve on communication, as most of the student body is completely unaware of their government and representatives.

Moving forward should ideally entail students being more proactive on campus. While there are significant issues with ASUCR, as there are likely issues with many student governments, it is imperative for students to vote, hold their elected officials accountable and stay abreast of the issues that may have an impact on them and their community.

■H Highlander editorials reflect the majority view of the Highlander Editorial Board. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Associated Students of UCR or the University of California system.

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TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

OPINION POLL Compiled by Lydia Tsou Staff Photographer

“Do you like ASUCR?” Navin Velazco Mathematics Third-year

Nathan Wong Mechanical Engineering Third-year

“What is that? I actually haven’t heard about it..

The events they host do seem enjoyable, so I would join.”

“Yeah but I don’t really follow what they do. But what I think they do is find what students like and see how to appeal to them.

They try to be equal and fair.”

Carmen Graciano Environmental Engineering Third-year “Yeah I do like ASUCR. I have a friend, Julian Gonzalez, who’s the president now.”

Victoria Osio Political Science First-year

Austin Houston Biology Fourth-year

Emily Rivas English Second-year

“I think their election scandal is kind of interesting, how a lot of people broke it. Free sweaters were nice, but I haven’t really interacted with ASUCR this year. I’d like to see more engaging events fromthem.”

“To be honest, I don’t even know what that is.”

“I have no opinion because I’m not informed enough about ASUCR.”

Magic mushroom medicine: a potential new method for treating depression and addiction

SAMUEL HARRISON Contributing Writer

Denver recently passed legislation decriminalizing psilocybin mushrooms and the rest of the United States might do well to follow the Coloradoan city’s example. It isn’t surprising Denver voted to decriminalize the substance, seeing as they were one of the earliest cities to legalize marijuana for recreational use, but they should not be the last. Magic mushrooms have been the subject of several recent scientific studies intent on furthering the field of medicine; further decriminalization throughout the U.S. would allow medical research to fully explore their potential as a powerful tool in the fight against mental health issues.

As with most other nonprescription drugs, there is a common fear among many members of society that the use of psychedelics could lead to depravity, and that drugs like mushrooms offer no apparent health benefits. The sixties brought with them horror stories of hallucinating hippies losing their minds and leaping out of windows to their grisly deaths, establishing a stigma that haunts society to this day.

Many of those who have participated in studies researching the medicinal effects of psilocybin are likely to find these old urban legends of people defenestrating themselves a little laughable.

Though further research is required, psychedelics have been shown to potentially improve mental health significantly.

Mushrooms seem to play some role in combating depression, alcoholism and drug addiction. In a study conducted late last year, participants reported a significant decrease in heavy drinking days after treatment. Patients were screened and selected with the utmost care, and the drug was administered in a controlled medical environment with trained staff on site should the treatment ever become too intense.

A 2016 research article

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

published in the Journal of Psychopharmacology in Oxford, England suggests that psilocybin has the potential to reduce existential distress in users. The research article concludes with promising results, explaining that psilocybin “produced substantial and enduring decreases in depressed mood and anxiety in patients,” with said effects “[enduring] at least 6 months.” Larger studies with a more diverse selection of participants are desperately needed in order to properly assess the generality of these results.

There are a number of theories as to why magic mushrooms enjoy such high success rates. The mystical experiences psilocybin provides when it hits the receptors in one’s brain are reportedly highly therapeutic, improving one’s ability to cope with bouts of melancholy.

The mushrooms combat depression without the “emotional blunting” effects of more traditional

antidepressants.

One study published in the neuroscience journal Neuropharmacology looked at 20 individuals diagnosed with depression as they underwent two dosing sessions with the psychoactive substance.

Participants were scanned using a functional MRI before the dosing and again a day later, and posttreatment scans revealed increased amygdala responses when shown pictures of positive expressions.

Several of the participants went so far as to report feeling “emotionally re-connected” and a greater sense of acceptance.

All this being said, while decriminalization removes the harshest of penalties for owning the drug, it doesn’t mean the drug is legal. The law simply means that arresting individuals for using the drug is law enforcement’s lowest priority. Future legalization is by no means off the table, but for now, the

primary benefit of this legislation is allowing researchers to get their hands on the drug with greater ease than before. That being said, Oregon may soon have a measure on their 2020 ballot regarding the legalization of psilocybin mushrooms, and Californian activists are attempting to establish a similar ballot initiative.

As was the case with marijuana, public perception of magic mushrooms could shift dramatically over time. Until then, activists will be crossing their fingers and hoping that psilocybin will eventually be approved by the FDA. Mushrooms may or may not be the 100 percent fix for depression and addiction doctors are looking for, but there is enough promise here to warrant further inspection regardless.

Psychedelics don’t just make for a pleasant Saturday afternoon — they could very well have the power to heal some of the toughest cases of ■H depression and addiction.

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

OPINIONS

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

9

Caster Semenya’s race to equality in Olympic Sports

VICTORIA DAVY Contributing Writer

The Olympics are a time when athletes get to put their talents on display for the world to see. However, South African women’s runner, Caster Semenya does not get the chance to do the same. Caster Semenya was born with higher levels of testosterone in her body. This gives her more of a masculine physique, deeper voice and a supposed advantage over her other female competitors.

Semenya and the International Association for Athletics Federation (IAAF) have been in court to define what it means to be a woman in track and field. The IAAF argued that having high levels of testosterone gives her an unfair advantage, and they ask that females with higher levels of testosterone either compete against men or take medications to alter their chemistry. Caster Semenya identifies as a woman and wants to compete against women. Semenya lost the case but is appealing the decision. Semenya has been fighting since 2009 to keep her medals as well as her testosterone.

The IAAF has made Semenya undergo many gender tests, and they claim that her elevated testosterone levels give her a competitive advantage.

Based on Semenya’s identity as a woman, she should be allowed to compete with the rest of the women, no matter what her hormone levels are.

She was born with higher testosterone, it was not something she added to herself like steroids. Why should she be punished for an advantage she was born with? On the other hand, a man

like Michael Phelps — who has a larger wingspan, joint hyperextension and a lack of lactic acid — is celebrated. The Olympics are for athletes to compete against others and show off the natural talents they have honed with years of practice. No person should be made to feel like they do not belong because of something they can not change.

Not allowing Semenya to run as a woman is tantamount to telling other people with differences that they are not welcome in athletics just as they are.

The IAAF is trying to punish Semenya

for who she is. This sends a message that those who do not fit the status quo are unwelcome and can face backlash and punishment for their differences.

Be that as it may, people believe that because Caster Semenya has higher levels of testosterone, she has an unfair advantage over other female competitors. Testosterone reduces fat and stimulates muscle mass. All these factors can increase a runner’s chances of winning. If other female runners do not have the same advantage it can seem like the race is rigged in Semenya’s

favor. It would seem to others that she should run with people who have the same type of advantages as she does to make sure everyone has a fair chance.

Despite all the controversy that surrounds Caster Semenya’s biological makeup, she should be allowed to run against the gender she identifies with.

She knows who she is and her high levels of testosterone is something she was born with and should not change.

Caster Semenya did not enhance herself in any way and should not be punished for something she cannot control.

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COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Tr u mp’s r ec kl e s s e con omic ag g r essio n a ga inst C h ina wi ll r esul t in an in e vita bl e hu m il ia tio n f or A me r ic a

ANDY LI Contributing Writer

On May 10, President Trump announced 25 percent tariffs on $200 billion worth of Chinese imports, and China retaliated with their own tariffs on $60 billion worth of American imports. Although a temporary truce was initiated at the beginning of March, talks broke down after the Chinese government refused to meet Trump’s excessive demands that directly interfered with China’s internal legislative policies on trade and economic governance. Despite Trump’s goal to save America’s dying manufacturing industries, these tariffs will end up severely hurting American consumers while simultaneously endangering our export markets in China.

President Trump seems to suffer from a delusional understanding of how tariffs work in the first place. By making it more expensive for American consumers and companies to import products from China, he is indirectly raising the costs of domestic products as well. At the end of the day, buyers pay the tariff, not the Chinese. Tariffs work as a de facto sales tax in a regressive manner that punishes middle, working and lower class Americans — those who depend on more affordable imports from foreign markets.

China, unlike the United States, has an authoritarian, state capitalist model of governance. The People’s National Congress recently abolished term limits, which essentially means incumbent President Xi Jinping could continue to serve in office for decades to come. Trump, meanwhile, suffers from double-digit underwater approval ratings in the critical Midwestern swing states that helped him win the presidency in 2016 and the Democratic Party controls the House of Representatives. From a political perspective, it is far easier for the Chinese government to respond and retaliate against Trump’s aggressive impulses because the Communist Party of China is not directly accountable to voters in the same way

Congress and Trump are every two to four years.

China has plenty of time to weather the storm. Patience and long-term planning are China’s biggest advantages. Additionally, under their state capitalist model, China can easily manipulate its currency, thereby countering the effects of tariffs by continuing to lower the prices of their exports in foreign markets. Meanwhile, Trump spends his presidency endlessly attacking the Federal Reserve Chair on Twitter, accusing him of not lowering interest rates enough, which Trump believes is keeping the economy stagnant. Because of the Federal Reserve’s independence from Congress and the executive branch, Trump has little to no power over the current value of the US dollar.

China’s biggest advantage by far is the sheer size of its population. Boasting over 1.4 billion citizens, there are almost five times as many Chinese consumers as there are Americans. The Chinese economy is already larger than the United States economy. Most importantly, Chinese buyers are far cheaper than American buyers, which gives them more power in moving and influencing international markets, because their cheaper demand is exactly what makes the Chinese market so desirable for American and other export nations in the first place.

Since 1978, China was a closed economy and a far poorer nation than it is today, and even then, it survived the effects of extreme communist ideology. Ever since paramount leader Deng Xiaoping’s policy of “reform and opening up,” the Chinese economy has skyrocketed at the fastest recorded rate in human history, while impressively engineering the single greatest lifting out of poverty of 600 million people. But Trump’s trade war against China isn’t just about the fact that the Chinese buy far less than they sell, which creates a trade deficit against the United States; far more importantly, China is quickly emerging as a global leader and competitor in artificial intelligence, space exploration, military prowess and

telecommunications.

Just recently, the Trump administration utilized unfounded fear-mongering to bully our European allies into banning Chinese company Huawei, the world’s secondlargest smartphone producer, from being able to introduce 5G technology into the European Union. Surprisingly, several major U.S. allies, including the U.K., France, Germany and Italy broke ranks and refused to support the ban. Additionally, the Trump administration has obsessively criticized China’s new Belt and Road Initiative, a global trade and infrastructure project that involves massive Chinese loans to Eurasian and African host nations with the stated goal of creating more efficient trading routes. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has nervously attacked the BRI as a form of “predatory lending” and accused China of “economic imperialism” without any authentic evidence to back up his wild claims. Unfortunately for Pompeo, the BRI has made unprecedented progress in the last year, with Italy being the newest G7 nation to join the agreement with China.

It is important to understand the context of the trade war not as a mere matter of economic imbalances, but rather as a clash of civilizations that have extremely different political systems. Many China hawks in the Trump administration fear China’s rise will prove to the rest of the world that it is a viable, if not more desirable, alternative to Western liberal democracies. The United States has attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to counter China’s influence in the South China Sea with warships constantly being sent into Chinese territorial waters. Trump himself has repeatedly used the thorny dispute of Taiwan as a wedge issue against China by threatening to support Taiwanese separatism from the mainland if he cannot get a trade deal. However, given the blustering failure of Trump’s North Korea strategy, it is unlikely that his threats will amount to anything other than the irrational bluffing of a paranoid politician. Since 2017, China’s military presence in the South China Sea

has doubled in both scope and volume, and historically, the United States has failed to score a single military victory over People’s Liberation Army.

Despite the creative yet absurd falsehoods that the Trump administration weaponizes on a daily basis to slander the Chinese economy, Trump’s hypocrisy will end up biting him in the foot. Accusations of intellectual property theft are particularly rich, considering CIA whistleblower Edward Snowden’s exposure of America’s continuous spying on Chinese companies, which only ended after the Chinese successfully destroyed these espionage activities upon learning of their existence. And for a president who rails against “socialism” with boundless glee, Trump’s support for the use of taxpayer dollars to subsidize dying manufacturing industries and farms being hurt directly by his counterproductive tariffs reeks of big government intervention – something Republicans traditionally abhor. Banning Chinese products from entering the domestic market is, arguably, the most socialistic policy a right-wing administration could possibly implement, and yet, it will only cause the Chinese economy to become more resilient and stronger as they inevitably trade the American consumer market for newer markets in Europe and Asia. The less China depends on America, the less leverage we have over them in the long run.

However, with the 2020 presidential election on the near horizon, Trump’s biggest threat by far is a slowing economy and failed promises to the same Midwestern farmers that put him in the Oval Office.

Chinese counter-tariffs are designed specifically to make it extremely difficult for the agricultural industry in Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania to export their products into China. Over the last few months, farmers have already lost millions in sales due to these same tariffs.

Until Trump is willing to sit down and negotiate in good faith with China, defeat and indignity for America is all but certain in this grand economic struggle.

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FEATURES

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TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

FEATURES

25 prideful years:

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

Campus

celebrating the LGBT Resource Center’s advocacy, outreach and support

spotlight

Mark Bertumen Senior Staff Writer

Christine Tran Contributing Writer Walking into 245 Costo Hall, the room is decorated with colorful posters and inspirational quotes. A shelf near the entrance contains a variety of LGBT books and graphic novels available for anyone to read. Students sit on the couches talking about their day while others enter the center casually, as if they are arriving home. For the past 25 years, the LGBT Resource Center (LGBTRC) has provided support, education and advocacy for LGBT students on campus.

In 1993, UCR became the first university in California to have a professionally staffed LGBT resource center. In 2019, the center celebrated its 25th anniversary, and a quarter century of hosting and helping with the development of programs, services and outreach events.

“The center is important because we provide education, advocacy and

community for those on campus who need it. And places like this are special to me because I was a student who utilized these places and now I work for those students who were like me,” said Megan Rush, the LGBTRC program coordinator.

One of the LGBTRC’s biggest programs is their Tuesday Talks Series. Since 1998, every Tuesday at 5 p.m., the center has provided a confidential space for open discussion about topics relating to the LGBT community. The discussions are staff facilitated and the topics rotate every week, from stories about coming out to gender presentation in fashion.

“For me, attending Tuesday Talks is a nice physical reminder that there are other queer people on campus and that there are people in general here who support and understand you, and I really appreciate the center for giving us a space for all of us to converge,” stated Margarita Manzo, a first-year creative writing major.

Another significant program provided by the center is their group of Community Outreach Educators (CORE). CORE is a peer education program where student volunteers are trained to educate others regarding sexual orientation, gender identity and about the LGBT community in general. Nancy G. Tubbs, director of the LGBTRC said, “CORE started out with a handful of students speaking on panels and now we have 50 students RYAN POON / HIGHLANDER formally involved in the program.”

RYAN POON/ HIGHLANDER

“The center helped me feel comfortable navigating the spaces, having those conversations. It also helped me foster inclusive language, like ‘them’ pronouns as my standard. It’s made me incredibly comfortable with my sexuality and my gender expression, something that for many queer people you grapple with and question over the years,” shared fourthyear Alex Camacho, co-president of Queer Alliance.

Much of the success that the center has originates from student involvement and advocacy; for example, the annual Dragalicious Drag Ball was founded by students. Drag Ball is one night where the center shines a spotlight on student drag performances, dance routines, spoken word, fashion and comedy. Earlier this quarter, the 16th Dragalicious Drag Ball raised $1,700 for student scholarships.

“My performance at that Drag Ball was a Marcel Marceau. He did mime performances, reinvented it, and he did one about masks. He’d paint it and put it on his face, acting as a sort of caricature.

For me, (my favorite part of the Ball is) the storytelling; I love to tell stories, I love to kind of push myself as an artist. As a performer, as a drag queen, I have to put on a face to be able to perform, to be able to have that confidence to tell a story,” said third-year linguistics major Crescent Rose.

Alongside hosting events, the LGBTRC and students have worked to implement policy changes on the UCR campus as well. Together, they pushed for Stonewall Hall, gender-inclusive housing and multi-stall restrooms on campus and the preferred name policy. Currently, they are working on the California Gender Recognition Act, which recognizes non-

binary identities.

“I think one thing to remember is the power of student voices but also in collaboration with staff and faculty. It takes all members of the campus community to be behind the efforts to make a case on a college campus that this is a resource the university should invest in,” commented Tubbs.

The center’s outreach and influence has stretched beyond the campus of UCR as well. In the last couple of years they have hosted conferences such as ASTERISK, the Trans Conference, BlaqOUT and Presente! as a way to highlight the LGBTQ community throughout the region as well.

This fall, the center is hosting the second California community college LGBTQ summit. One of the goals of the summit is to help students return to their respective campuses and advocate for spaces like the LGBT resource center.

The passage of the Highlander Empowerment Referendum in the recent ASUCR elections secured the center’s presence and future more than ever. With their funding safe, the LGBTRC will continue to address LGBT-related policy issues across campus. Along with that, the center wants to continue addressing mental health awareness and expand their CORE community outreach educators program.

“I hope every UCR student knows that everyone is welcome to come to the center. We have folks of every sexual orientation and gender identity coming in. Even though a student might not be LGBTQ themselves, they probably have friends and family who are, even if they might not know it yet, or even in the future will have children who are LGBTQ. Take advantage of these resources while you can,” said Tubbs.

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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

FEATURES

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

11

The Eaton Collection of Science Fiction and Fantasy celebrates 50th anniversary

LYDIA TSOU / HIGHLANDER

CHRISTINE TRAN Contributing Writer

On the fourth floor of the Tomas Rivera Library lies UCR’s Special Collections & University Archive. Inside the archive are brightly lit cases of books in honor of the 50th anniversary of the creation of the Eaton collection, but the sci-fi and fantasy books on display make up only a small portion of the entire collection.

A science fiction fanatic’s wonderland, The Eaton Collection of is one of the world’s largest collections of science fiction, fantasy, horror, utopian literature and related genres. Currently, it features over 300,000 items, which includes a variety of books, pulp magazines, fanzines, shooting scripts from science fiction films, comic books, anime, manga and collectibles.

In 1968, then UCR University Librarian Donald Wilson acquired and recognized the potential of the 7,500 volume personal library of Dr. J. Lloyd Eaton. From there the collection grew in size under the curatorship of George Slusser, a comparative literature professor who later went on to teach the first science fiction studies courses at UCR. The current curator, J.J. Jacobson, continues to add to the collection and is now strongly pursuing collecting in the realm of afrofuturism and alternative futurism.

“The collection spreads out in a lot of different directions and sometimes we have to wrestle with that a little bit. It starts to go into what is science fiction or what is fantasy: how do we want to classify things? One of the biggest challenges also is moving away from white male dominant stories … there is a lot more to science fiction then what was represented

in the fifties or sixties,” stated Andrew Lippert, the special collections processing archivist.

According to Lippert, the academic value of science fiction and the fantasy genre has been questioned for a long time. As a part of its mission to be an outstanding resource for research and study, The Eaton Collection began hosting the Eaton Science Fiction Conference in 1979. The conference is devoted to studying all aspects of science fiction as a literary genre and social phenomenon and was a stride forward in affirming science fiction as a field of study.

“Someone who is in the history department can use science fiction to ask what it is saying about culture and the time period it was created in. For example, (at The Eaton Collection) the pulp magazines are an interesting case study because we have full volumes of them; you can look at

them from a historical perspective and see the real change over time within publishing and advertising,” said Lippert.

Since the introduction of The Eaton Collection, UCR has become a center for science fiction studies. Courses in science fiction and related topics are taught by UCR faculty in a range of disciplines.

UCR also runs the Speculative Fictions and Cultures of Science (SFCS) graduate program, where students can explore intersections among speculative fiction, science and technology studies, and traditions of speculative thought.

The Eaton Collection is available for viewing Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The entire collection can also be accessed using the library’s online catalog. Researchers need to register in the Special Collections Request System and are advised to request materials at least 24 ■H hours in advance to avoid delays.

Creative writing panel features industry experts offering their insights on getting work published

NICHOLAS ROH / HIGHLANDER

ASHLEY PEREZ Contributing Writer

The “Publishing Roundtable: Writers, Agents, and Editors Talk About How to Get Your Work into the World” event was held on Wednesday, May 15 at 2 p.m. in INTS 1111. The event was hosted by UCR Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing Susan Straight, with around 30 students in attendance. The panel of guest speakers included Tod Goldberg, Sarah Bowlin, Olivia Smith and Alex Espinoza.

The event started with Straight greeting everyone in the room and making sure that there were enough seats for attendees.

Straight said, “This is one of my favorite things to do on campus, it’s everyone from different departments, from the sciences to the arts. This (event) is for everybody because everybody wants to write.”

Bowlin, a former editor at New York’s Riverhead Books and Henry Holt & Company, was the first to speak about her

experiences. Bowlin quit her editorship after growing tired of having to “beg” people to take a chance on the book and sitting in on meetings all day. “I wanted to be the first line of advocacy for a writer. Yes, I have to handle the business aspect of publishing, but (agents) are the first line of defense,” she elaborated.

“I think I have 600 unread emails. It’s a bit embarrassing to admit, but I really like getting to know the material so I know what I’m working with. And that’s why agents are important, but sometimes I find gems in the slush pile,” Bowlin added when describing the process of choosing material (books) she wants to sell as an agent. After Bowlin said this term, Straight explained that the “slush pile” used to be a pile of submissions from authors that agents or publishers received via mail, but after the advancement of the internet that pile has turned into a “virtual slush pile.”

Smith is co-founder and executive editor of Unnamed Press, an independent publisher

of literature based in Los Angeles. Her experience was different as a smaller firm competing with the “Big Five,” which are the big name publishing companies, such as Penguin. Her company publishes 12 titles per year, which gives enough consideration to each title. “I prefer to work with agents, since they know what I like. I’m much more likely to open that email, than to go try to look through the slush pile, which is kinda scary to think about, since there’s thousands and thousands of submissions,” Smith mentioned.

Espinoza, a UCR alumnus, spoke about the publishing process of his two novels, “Still Water Saints” and “The Five Acts of Diego Leon.” He kept going to writers’ conferences and writing, but it was hard since as an author, success is never guaranteed. He met his current agent at one of those conferences. “I remember calling Susan (Straight) saying ‘I don’t know what I’m doing!’” he recounted. But despite his doubts, he was shocked at the amount of

money he was offered.

Goldberg is the New York Times bestselling author of 14 books and director of the Low-Residency MFA Program in Creative Writing at UCR. He found relative success with his first book, but after it received bad reviews, he started writing books he “would want to read” rather than books meant to make a profit. Goldberg mentioned that the life of an author was like a rollercoaster; sometimes there will be success and failure. “If you go about life feeling like you deserve something, instead you’re going to get something served,” Goldberg joked.

“What I want you all to see is that there are many layers of publishing but what is important is the story behind it. If you’re doing it for the money, only few people will achieve that,” Straight concluded.

The workshop ended with the panelists taking audience questions. This workshop was the last of the creative writing department’s events for Spring 2019 ■H quarter.

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Radar

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” IS A WELCOME ADDITION TO THE TRILOGY, FEATURING THE BEST ACTION IN THE FRANCHISE

COURTESY OF SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

COLIN CARNEY Staff Writer

Following the release of the first film in this series in 2014, the John Wick franchise has succeeded in delivering captivating action and breathtaking choreography. Keanu Reeves’s titular assassin masterfully dispatches waves of killers and mercenaries. We follow Wick as he shoots, punches and stabs his way through scores of enemies in a wider world of organized crime constructed around him. Though the series featured an interesting take on a revenge story, the main draw of the first two films were the expertly choreographed action sequences that elevated the franchises narrative.

“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” picks up immediately after the events of the second film. Wick hides in the safe haven Continental Hotel following his killing of a member of the High Table, the governing body of the criminal underworld, and earning him a $14 million bounty on his head. What follows is an action packed adventure from beginning to end, as Wick attempts to escape the reach of the High Table and survive. His journey is coupled with the introduction of a High Table adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) who is tasked with punishing those guilty of assisting Wick in previous films, such as the manager of the New York Continental Hotel (Ian McShane) and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne).

The plot of this third installment is nothing to be impressed by. More often than not, it is simply used to justify and connect each subsequent action set piece

and further build the criminal world of Wick. Plot points from previous films are successfully brought in through the adjudicator’s investigation of Wick’s associates in New York. This rewards those who have seen the previous films by integrating past characters into the new story. Though entertaining due to its action, the plot eventually fades into the background and becomes forgettable. For instance, a brief overseas detour removes Wick from New York only to have him return shortly with a new objective. Though this international detour was coupled with entertaining action, the purpose for his visit became irrelevant in the final act of the film. More than anything, it felt like a justification for a change of scenery for the action. With that being said, however, the true selling point of these films is the fight scenes, which the third installment expertly delivers on.

“John Wick: Chapter 3” is held together by an action packed narrative involving every assassin in the world going after Wick, often resulting in one fight picking up immediately after one had already finished.

This could easily become exhausting if the fight choreography wasn’t up to the challenge but luckily this film does not disappoint. The film delivers on some of the best action sequences in the franchise including one of the most entertaining knife fights in film. Each action scene is unique and different from the previous one, as Wick seamlessly utilizes the environment around him to creatively eliminate his opponents.

Accompanying the beautifully choreographed combat is expert cinematography as the camera tracks each punch, gunshot and kick. The months of training

Keanu Reeves and his fellow actors went through to perform these fights pay off as each fight will entertain and captivate fans.

Additionally, the third installment in the series also manages to bring back several returning characters as well as a few new faces. Keanu Reeves continues to entertain as the titular assassin and his combat skills are again spectacular. As mentioned previously, Laurence Fishburne and Ian McShane return to their roles from the first two films and deliver performances consistent with their previous appearances. Some of the new faces to the series include the aforementioned adjudicator, the High Table’s top assassin Zero (Mark Dacascos), The Director (Anjelica Huston) and the dog-loving assassin Sofia (Halle Berry). Though each character has their moment to shine, such as several great fight scenes with Zero, Berry’s Sofia stands out the most. Her introduction is accompanied with a bit of dialogue that teases a long and fascinating history she has with Wick (sadly never elaborated upon) and an amazing gunfight that pits her and her dogs against several opponents. Though each addition to the cast stands out in their given scenes, many aren’t given enough screen time; once they serve their purpose to propel the plot they are almost forgotten.

Overall, “John Wick: Chapter 3” delivers on the action that the series is known for. Expert fight choreography is present throughout as each fight is new and unique, keeping the audience’s interest fixed.

Sadly, the story doesn’t surpass the original, though it serves its purpose of justifying the action and ■H providing a consistent plotline throughout.

VERDICT THE THIRD INSTALLMENT IN THE JOHN WICK FRANCHISE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT, PROVIDING SOME OF THE BEST FIGHT SCENES IN THE SERIES. THOUGH THE STORY ISN’T AS INTERESTING AS THAT OF ITS PREDECESSORS, IT MANAGES TO CAPTURE THE AUDIENCE'S ATTENTION AND CONNECT EACH EXCITING ACTION SEQUENCE TO THE NEXT.

COURTESY OF SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

13

“The Sun is Also a Star” a cheesy young adult flick that remains endearing despite its flaws SILVIA FERRER, STAFF WRITER “The Sun is Also a Star,” the movie adaptation of the young adult (YA) novel by the same name, features “Grown-ish” star Yara Shahidi and newcomer Charles Melton in a nauseating romantic drama.

The film follows Natasha (Shahidi) and Daniel (Melton) through a visually stunning, if hasty, day in New York City as they go from strangers to lovers. The cinematography is fantastic as it splits from impressive shots of the city to beautifully edited snaps, but that’s about the one and only redeeming quality of the movie. Despite a timeless story at its core and some interesting contemporary elements, the subpar acting performances and cheesy writing make the film only tolerable.

The film begins similarly to the YA novel and remains pretty faithful throughout. Natasha is desperately searching for a way to keep her family from being deported when she meets Daniel, a charming aspiring poet, by

chance. The way they meet is cute (if a tad too dramatic), but it almost immediately veers into being awkward. Sure, Daniel is smitten with Natasha right away, but that doesn’t seem like an excuse for his overly forward, cheesy lines. Shahidi, for her part, can’t seem to work with the script either, delivering her lines in such a stilted, unconvincing way that their connection seems weak. It’s not that the actors are lacking chemistry, as they share both intimate and intense scenes where they demonstrate how well they can work together. Instead, tt seems like the script leans so much into the unrealistically romantic dialogue of YA novels that even the actors are unable to pull it off.

The incredible cinematography allows enough of a distraction for the actors and the writing to settle in. As Natasha and Daniel walk through the streets of Manhattan, their casual admiration of famous landmarks and ordinary townhomes highlights the dazzling color

of city lights and beautiful landscape shots. Each shot is an ode to New York City: the trash on the streets is nonexistent, the colors are brightened and saturated and the sunlight glitters. The captivating, nearly magical background accentuates the budding love story between the costars and manages to keep the audience’s attention during the drawn-out scenes of romantic bliss. While the cinematography is nearly perfect, the editing and camerawork have its flaws. Sometimes the shaky camerawork distracts from the scene, and Natasha’s narration over edited photos of the stars, her parents or the city start to feel excessive and unnecessary halfway into the movie.

The film’s established premise is made more interesting by its contemporary characters and their politically pertinent story arcs. Natasha is an undocumented Jamaican immigrant who spends a significant portion of the movie dashing from office to office for a solution to her

family’s deportation. Daniel is a firstgeneration Korean American who longs to be a poet— a goal that his parents destroyed with their own hope that their son becomes a doctor. As their love story unfolds, the two bond over their shared obstacles. The movie doesn’t give itself a pat on the back for representing people and issues that are prevalent in the United States; instead, it highlights the threedimensionality of its characters and allows the unique circumstances to shape what turns out to be an ill-timed love story.

The plotline of “The Sun is Also a Star” is fairly interesting, but the writing is done so poorly that even the actors have a hard time making the corny script feel realistic. The cinematography pulls most of the weight of the film, contrasting the lackluster performances with a remarkable city backdrop. While the modern issues and small details add another layer of potential to the film, it falls flat overall due to a poorly written script.

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COURTESY OF WARNER BROS PICTURES

Verdict: “The Sun is Also a Star” is not great but does offer a romantic, if unrealistic, reprieve from the action movies that have been recently dominating theaters. Its cheesy love story, modern issues and incredible cinematography are sure to draw audiences in, even if the writing falls flat.

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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

Foldable phones: ADAM ALVERNAZ Contributing Writer

From seemingly nowhere, a recent smartphone innovation adds a second screen that folds over itself. These new foldable smartphones (“folds”) are the newest trend with many manufacturers already having a product. Samsung’s Galaxy Fold was the trailblazer that kicked off the race for folds while other companies like LG and Huawei have already started to make foldables. This recent trend has led Google to confirm and start production on foldables. While Apple, One Plus and many others have yet to comment, it’s safe to speculate that foldable phones are in the works for all smartphone manufacturers. Diving deeper into these phones reveals the faults these devices will succumb to when released to market.

Many of these issues spawn from the design and the drawbacks consumers will be met with.

Design wise, foldable phones occupy an interesting spot in the current smartphone market, featuring a bulky design and ignoring normal camera locations. Many newer smartphones have started to adopt an all-screen phone with minimal borders or bezels. Many foldables relegate the camera to the backside of the screen to keep a bezel-less design. Foldables also feature a bezel nook on the backside for better placement of cameras and a speaker. This offers some interesting design choices that can really clean up an otherwise unsightly issue that all traditional phones face today. Foldables might have better bezels, but they still have issues to tackle in their display department.

One of the most outstanding issues that foldable phones face are the issues that arise with dual-screens. Having two screens come together to form a gigantic display is impressive, but it comes with many different sacrifices. For one, folded-

up phones have terrible single displays as they are quite small.

Over time, the smartphone market has been making its way toward larger screens with higher resolutions. Sacrificing this for two mini screens that combine into a larger unfolded one is itself an issue. Sacrificing the main single display for a stretched display is risky as many applications may not support or fully adapt to what the unfolded screen may offer. These screens are going to have a defined bend that will cut the screen between the two halves. This is going to be a downside to anyone who prefers the all-screen display that many current smartphones offer.

Foldables as a whole will have major issues handling drops and cracks. The folded screens could be easily cracked when exposed, rendering the dual-display pointless. Some foldables might not even be able to work without both sides being fully operational.

The lack of protection of the inner screen should worry any consumer interested in buying, as the phone will be inherently prone to cracking. This is massive and contributes to the overall fragility of the device. With more phones becoming shatter-resistant, this could pose a major issue that some manufactures won’t have an answer to. Consumers will also be displeased when a price jump reveals itself to be larger than predicted.

Many still cannot be dismayed by the allure of a foldable smartphone, but there’s one thing that is sure to turn consumers away: price. Many companies who have announced their line of foldables have also announced the bar to entry. The foldable front-runner, Samsung’s Galaxy Fold, has revealed the starting price to be set at a whopping $1,980 dollars. Huawei’s Mate X dials in at around $2,600.

With these kinds of prices, many consumers are going to be immediately turned off and away from foldables. The demand for cheaper smartphones has been

t s e w e n e th y d o b o n t gadge r o f d e k s a

around ever since the release of the iPhone 5c. Apple has found major success in this market with their budget iPhone XR series.

I don’t see any manufacturer being able to successfully make a budget foldable and make a reasonable profit. These prices are going to turn a huge part of consumers away from foldables, but the battery life may be enough to lure consumers in.

Focusing too much on downsides to foldables is harsh, as there are definite benefits to owning a high-end one. One such area where foldables are better than traditional phones is battery life. For years on end, consumers have always looked for solutions to extending their battery life, preserving it or investing in mobile charging solutions. Each of these are solutions, but they require consumers to spend more just to get extra juice in their phone. With the advent of foldable phones, battery life complaints are sure to be a thing of the past. With the added space of another display, more batteries can be fit into the device to hold significantly more charge.

As batteries get slightly better over time, foldables will have a huge advantage by having a higher charge capacity. Apple’s iPhone XS Max tops out at 3,174 milliamp hour (mAh) with Huawei’s Mate X runs at 4,500 mAh. Foldable phones are on the way this year whether the consumers are ready or not.

While there are some plus sides to owning a phone that folds, the downsides are detrimental to the overall usability of these devices.

Despite the early adopters, most consumers will likely overlook the phone in favor of something more traditional and cheaper.

With more foldables on the way, there is some hope for a different company to make use of the technology in a more simple and practical way. As time marches forward, foldable phones could be the next big innovation or a H footnote in smartphone history. ■

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SPORTS

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

15

SAVE YOUR BREATH: LE’VEON BELL’S TIME WITH THE JETS WILL COME AND GO

KEVIN SANCHEZ Contributing Writer

History tells us that star running backs will probably not be the same player on their second team. Le’Veon Bell is only a few years removed from being a part of arguably the league’s most dynamic trifecta, a group that consisted of Bell, Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger.

Two years later, the trio is no more, with Bell and Brown moving on to New York and Oakland, respectively. Many see Bell’s tremendous skill set as an immediate upgrade for Gang Green’s Sam Darnoldled offense, but will he be the same player he once was with Pittsburgh?

The RB out of Michigan State is no stranger to headliner news, as he has been suspended multiple times for drug-related violations and is

coming off an absentee season.

Bell has produced some monster numbers and stellar highlight-reel moments, but despite this, he still has not played to his fullest potential.

In a perfect world, we can say that Bell will have an injury-free season and stay out of trouble. Does this mean peak Le’Veon? History says no.

The unfortunate truth is that RBs are expendable, and James Connor helped solidify this concept. After DeMarco Murray won Offensive Player of the Year, his career fell off the radar. Just last offseason, after signing a four-year, $30 million contract with the 49ers, Jerick McKinnon suffered a torn ACL ahead of the season opener. He was coming off a breakout 2017-18 season with the Vikings as a passing-game threat but was niftily replaced

by Matt Breida, who ran for a

respectable 814 yards.

Reports have already been made that Adam Gase, new Jets head coach, was not on board with signing Bell, creating friction with the recentlyfired GM, Mike Maccagnan.

Much speculation can be made as to why Gase was not interested in throwing tens of millions of dollars at Bell, but it wouldn’t be completely out of left field to deduce that he buys into the idea that RB talent is easy to find.

This is not to say that Bell will not have a good debut season with the Jets.

Chances are he will make an immediate impact, but no one expects to see another 2017 caliber season with offensive linemen that aren’t Alejandro Villanueva, Marcus Gilbert and Maurkice Pouncey.

Only time will tell if that “‘patience”’ that Bell is H known for will be tested. ■

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SOFTBALL’S POSTSEASON RUN COMES TO AN ABRUPT END

RICARDO GARCIA Contributing Writer

This wasn’t the ending the Highlander softball team had in mind to conclude the season.

After finishing the regular season with a 26-25, 8-13 record, the Highlanders competed in the NISC Championship tournament in Reno, Nev. Their first game was Thursday, May 16 against Fresno State (3618, 14-10), their second meeting of the season against the Bulldogs following a 12-0 six-inning shortened loss in February at the Stacy Winsberg Tournament in Los Angeles.

This time around, the Highlanders scored first to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Bulldogs quickly rallied in the bottom of the first inning, as they batted around and rocked junior starting pitcher Jacy Boles for nine runs. However, the blame could not be solely saddled on her pitching as the defense committed three errors to extend the inning.

UCR wasn’t willing to wither quietly, as junior shortstop Emma Ramelot’s three-run homer in the top of the second inning brought the Highlanders back to within 9-5.

In the bottom half of the inning, Boles wasn’t able to quell the Bulldogs’ bats for long, as she allowed back-to-back solo shots from senior center fielder Vanessa Hernandez and junior third baseman Schuylar Broussard to push Fresno State’s lead back up to six. Another home run, a tworun blast courtesy of freshman shortstop Vanessa M. Hernandez, pushed the lead up to eight and put the Highlanders in danger of losing by the mercy rule.

UC Riverside, however, willed their way back to within three runs after a five-run top of the third inning. After Bulldog freshman starter Danielle Lung loaded the bases, a walk by freshman outfielder Nadia Witt and two-run single by junior first baseman Melanie Olmos pulled UCR to within 13-9. A passed ball by sophomore reliever Danielle

East brought in another run to cut the Bulldog lead to 13-10.

Fresno State quickly rallied to push the lead back up to seven, after another error-filled inning by the Highlanders. Both teams were held scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning, when junior outfielder Kaitlyn Jennings homered to left field to secure a mercy-rule win for the Bulldogs, 18-10.

For UCR, Boles pitched 4.1 innings and allowed 18 runs, 11 earned, on 15 hits and 123 pitches. Freshman catcher Kristin Smith finished a perfect two-fortwo with two runs scored.

For Fresno State, reliever East earned the win after 2.1 shutout innings on two hits and one walk.

Shortstop Hernandez finished two-for-three with three RBI and a run scored.

Looking to avoid elimination the next morning, the Highlanders faced the Loyola Marymount Lions (37-19, 11-4), who lost to the Nevada Wolfpack in their first game of the tournament.

The Highlanders tasked Olmos

with the start, as she looked to save the season.

After scoring 10 runs in a slugfest, UCR’s bats were held in check all game long, en route to a 10-0 shortened loss to end the season.

After the Lions scored first in the top of the first, the Highlanders found their best chance to tie the game in the bottom of the second inning as they put two runners on against LMU senior starter Hannah Bandimere. However, junior right fielder Kayla Curtan struck out to end the Highlander’s threat.

The game quickly slipped away in the top of the fourth inning, as LMU scored four times to take a 5-0 lead.

After adding a run in the top of the fifth, the Lions scored another four times, capped off by home runs by sophomore first baseman Delanie Wisz and sophomore pinch hitter Megan Martin to push the Highlanders to the brink.

Sophomore reliever Linnay Wilson induced a double-play by senior second baseman

Brittany Garcia to end the 10-0 beatdown, and the Highlanders were eliminated from the NISC tournament. It was the second consecutive year UCR was knocked out by LMU following a runner-up finish in last season’s tournament.

The loss also dropped the Highlanders below .500 (26-27, 8-13) for the season, their first sub-.500 finish since they went 23-31, 4-17 in 2014.

For UCR, Olmos suffered the loss to end the season (612), allowing an earned run on three hits. Ramelot, senior first baseman, and designated player Amanda Lynch, and senior shortstop Hannah Rodriguez collected all three of the Highlander’s hits for the game with one apiece.

For the Lions, Bandimere earned her 17th win of the season with five scoreless innings, allowing two hits and a walk.

The softball team will be losing seniors Lynch, Rodriguez, Garcia, Bayleigh Heineman, and Rebecca ■H Faulkner to graduation.

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Sports 16

TUESDAY, MAY 21, 2019

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JOHN OBER III AND QUINN WILLIAMS BECOME BIG WEST CHAMPIONS IN SANTA BARBARA

JORDAN HOM Staff Writer

Two Highlanders had a successful outing in Santa Barbara at the Big West Tournament on Friday, May 10 and Saturday, May 11.

Freshman John Ober III won the Big West title when he scored a victory in the javelin throwing event. Ober threw the javelin 61.64 meters, ahead of junior Adam Gockel from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, who finished with a second place throw of 60.98 meters.

“Anytime a freshman can win a conference title in our competitive conference shows tremendous grit,” Assistant Coach Candice Fuller said.

“John did a great job of managing his adrenaline and remaining focused on winning which allowed him to control the competition from the start. He (John) has a lot to be proud of and I couldn’t be more pleased with his performance.”

Ober also participated in the discus throw where he placed 20th with a throw of 43.56 meters.

Sophomore Quinn Williams also triumphed in Santa Barbara, winning the men’s 400-meter hurdle event, making him a conference champion. Williams ran a time of 51.34 seconds, placing him slightly ahead of Cal State Fullerton sophomore Charles Kelly. His final time was nearly a second faster than his victory in the preliminary round where Williams finished in 52.14 seconds.

Williams also competed in the men’s 110-meter hurdle, where he finished with a time of 14.94 seconds, securing 13th place.

“I have challenged Quinn all year to strive for personal greatness and to fight the urge to just be good enough,” Assistant Coach Eric Fremd stated. “He bought in one hundred percent, focused on his execution details and ended up winning a conference championship.”

Other Highlanders who had successful outings in Santa Barbara include freshman Tanner Anderson, sophomore Hana Johnson, junior Natalie Mitchell, junior Kenady Jackson and junior Heinrich Van Niekerk.

Anderson ran a time of 1:54.46 in the men’s 800-meter, finishing third overall in the preliminary round. Anderson followed up his third place finish with another third place finish in the finals round with a 1:52.50 time.

Johnson placed third in the triple jump event with a distance of 12.39 meters.

Mitchell participated in the shot put

event, throwing a distance of 13.83 meters. She finished in third place.

Jackson was spectacular in the women’s 200-meter event. In the preliminary round, Jackson placed second with a time of 24.08. In the final round, Jackson set the UCR program record in the women’s 200-meter.

Jackson ran a time of 23.92 seconds,

placing fourth overall.

Van Niekerk finished second with a time of 1:54.65 in the men’s 800-meter run. Van Niekerk placed eighth in the final round, with a time of 1:58.09.

The season ended on a positive note for many of the UC Riverside athletes. A few athletes will participate in the NCAA H Regionals in Sacramento, May 23-25. ■

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UCR BASEBALL LOSES TO GCU AND CAL POLY, DESPITE RECORD-BREAKING HOME RUN FROM CONNOR CANNON JORDAN HOM Staff Writer

LLOYD KAO / HIGHLANDER

UC Riverside (17-33, 6-13) faced off against Grand Canyon University (32-20, 18-9) on Tuesday, May 14, losing by a score of 10-7.

Junior first baseman Connor Cannon has been on a home run tear this season, setting the UCR program record for most home runs in a single season when he hit his 17th home run of the season against the Antelopes in the second inning.

However, Cannon’s efforts were not enough against Grand Canyon University.

The Antelopes caught fire in the third and fourth innings, scoring eight out of their 10 runs in those two innings alone. In the third inning, GCU senior third baseman Tyler Wyatt hit a double to left center field to clear the bases, scoring three of his teammates.

GCU senior center fielder Preston Pavlica continued the Antelopes momentum during the fourth inning when he slammed a tworun home run to center field, giving the Antelopes the 6-1 lead.

During the third inning, UCR freshman second baseman Damien Sanchez hit a double to left center field. Sophomore shortstop Nathan Webb grounded out which allowed Sanchez to third base. Junior center fielder Travis Bohall sent Sanchez home for the Highlanders second run of the game,

hitting a single to right center field. Senior third baseman Yeager Taylor ended the inning for the Highlanders after grounding out to second base.

The fourth inning was no better for the Highlanders pitching as the Antelopes extended their lead to 9-2. GCU freshman shortstop Jonny Weaver scored a run after a hit from junior right fielder Quin Cotton.

Wyatt scored Cotton and senior second baseman Austin Bull after hitting a single to right center field.

GCU only scored one more run while UC Riverside scored a total of five more runs for the duration of the game. UCR freshman catcher Jacob Shanks drove in two runs for the Highlanders.

Bohall continued his dominance, achieving three hits during the game and a total of 10 hits in his past three games.

Cannon finished the game with three hits, two RBIs and two runs scored.

The Highlanders also faced the Cal Poly Mustangs (26-26, 15-5) on May 17 and 18 in San Luis Obispo. UCR lost the Friday game by a score of 12-3. The Saturday game didn’t fare any better as they went down by a final score of 7-4.

Up next, UCR will face off against the University of Oregon Monday, May 20 at the Riverside Sports Complex before a three-game series against the UC Irvine ■H Anteaters.