Volume 68 Issue 15

THE HIGHLANDER

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE

FOR THE WEEK OF TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

VOL. 68, ISSUE 15

est. 1954

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!

ISURU KARUNATILLAKA / HIGHLANDER

Inside The Barn: a closer look at the new renovations PREETI JUTURU Contributing Writer

Originally established in 1917, The Barn transformed from a farm and stable to an eatery and concert venue over the course of seven decades. Closed in June 2018 for renovations, The Barn is expected to host its grand reopening in March, according to Benjamin Eisenstein, the strategic marketing and communications manager of UC Riverside’s Housing, Dining & Hospitality Services.

“The primary purpose we renovated The Barn is so that it’s a restaurant for everyone and an entertainment venue,’’ stated Marcus Van Vleet, director of The Barn and Retail

Dining, in an interview with The Highlander.

The Barn complex is broken up into three buildings: Barn Dining, the Faculty and Staff Lounge, and the Barn Theater. Additionally, the complex also includes a ticket booth, an outdoor patio with a concert stage and a green room.

Inside Barn Dining, indoor seating consists of booths, high top tables, a banquet table, four top seating and two top seating. With an exposed-beam ceiling, the rafters are original Barn beams, charred from a fire in the 1970s. ► SEE BARN PAGE 4

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

HUMANS OF UCR

UPCOMING EVENTS: WEEK 4

CAMILA CORTEZ | BIOLOGY | SECOND YEAR COMPILED BY SOFIA BAUTISTA

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Tuesday

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Queer Studies Launch Party 2:00pm to 3:00pm Costo Hall, 245

Cognitive Brown Bag - Dr. Jimmy Calanchini 12:00pm to 1:20pm Psychology Building 3210

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Thursday

Business Etiquette Dinner 5:00pm to 7:30pm UCR Extension Center, Conference Rooms D & E

Flick Football Tournament 3:00pm to 5:00pm Latitude Fifty-Five

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UCR Music. Igor Kefalidis – New Works for Video and Electronics 8:00pm to 9:30pm EARS: Experimental Acoustics Research

UCR at the Ducks game!

7:00pm Honda Center, Anaheim

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APSP YCOP-Know Your Roots 9:00am to 3:00pm Costo Hall, 244

Women’s Basketball vs UC Irvine 5:00pm to 7:00pm Student Recreation Center (SRC), Arena

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Big Bear Snowboarding Weekend Student Recreation Center (SRC), Outdoor Excursions Shop

Global Game Jam 2020 - Hosted by Gamespawn Winston Chung Hall

Wednesday

“Coming to UCR was a new and exciting experience that I was initially nervous about, but after being here and getting well acquainted with the campus I know that this was where I was meant to go. Working at the Academic Resource Center as a peer mentor has been an amazing, life changing

Cook with ME: Iran Edition Asian Pacific Student Programs’ Lunar 4:00pm to 5:00pm New Year Festival Student Recreation Center (SRC) Kitchen 6:00pm to 8:00pm HUB (Highlander Union Building), 302

Friday

experience. By working with different students of different backgrounds, I have learned more about people’s experiences, struggles and passions which has allowed me to help facilitate growth in my mentees and myself. Seeing everyone’s passions and goals has been a beautiful experience because I get to help them reach their goals.“

Saturday

Sunday

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Monday

Entomology ENTM250 Seminar Gary Blissard 4:00pm to 4:50pm Genomics Building, 1102A Auditorium

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Inside The Barn: a closer look at the new renovations

► FROM BARN

According to Van Vleet, “What we call the Barn Dining is platform dining.” Within the building, there are four “platforms,” or sections with different food options. Van Vleet stated that by utilizing the platform dining strategy, they were able to increase food variety by about 400%.

The first dining platform is the deli concept, which offers seven to nine sandwiches daily. The platform will offer specialty sandwiches as well as made to order ham, turkey and roast beef sandwiches.

In order to reduce single-use plastic, Van Vleet stated that, “Every single cup is a souvenir cup with The Barn logo on it,” with different colored logos identifying alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

The second dining platform is the salad station. The salad station will offer fresh salads made to order, with between six and eight salads offered daily; there will also be a “Barn Signature Salad” and a “Barn Caesar salad,” according to Van Vleet.

The third station is a hot table, offering two protein entrees and a plant-based option daily. They will also offer side dishes that can be ordered either with an entree or a la carte.

The last platform is a traditional grill, where customers can purchase chicken sandwiches, burgers and specialty sandwiches made to order.

The Barn will also offer grab-and-go options and fresh soups made from scratch.

In regards to the sourcing of produce, Van Vleet stated, “Our main focus is to stay local, within 500 miles from our campus.’’

He added that members from R’Garden had reached out to him and are working on a plan to incorporate produce from the garden into the food served at The Barn.

Inside Barn Dining, the original stage was expanded and can be used as a meeting space. Seating inside The Barn was increased “by around 150%,” claimed Van Vleet, with Barn Dining able to hold around 100 people, the east patio able to hold 150 people and the main patio able to hold 200 people.

“We’re not booking The Barn when we open,” stated Van Vleet, adding that they need some time to understand when The Barn will be busy and when it won’t be.

In regards to the Riverside community

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accessing Barn Dining, Van Vleet stated that “We’re working with TAPS on coming up with a solution to get parking situated … given that we’re closing lots due to construction, it’s not in the front burner and we’re in the process of solving that issue.” Barn Dining’s official hours will be from 7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Outside, the main patio hosts the outdoor stage. Student groups have the opportunity to use the stage to practice and perform during the day. “We really want to focus on being an entertainment venue,’’ stated Van Vleet. Van Vleet said that they have partnered with a third-party talent booker and Riverside resident who has booked talent for Romano’s and other places around Riverside.

According to Van Vleet, the goal is to “understand the music scene of Riverside” when booking entertainment, and the overall goal is to bring out artists who “appeal to everyone.” The site can hold almost 1,100 people, but concerts will have minimal seating and hold around 500 people. “Our goal is to have talent on that stage seven days a week,” Van Vleet stated.

The main patio also consists of an outdoor bar, which will be operating concurrent to Barn Dining’s working

hours. “We will be primarily serving beer and wine,” Van Vleet explained. He added that The Barn’s alcohol service will be run by a third-party individual who owns The Sire in Riverside.

The Faculty and Staff Lounge, also referred to as “The Stable,” features a full bar, a green room and reservable tables.

The main dining area consists of lounge chairs, half high tables with lamps, high top tables and low top tables. “We can seat up to 70 people here,’’ Van Vleet stated.

The Stable is a fully operational restaurant, with a host that seats guests and servers taking orders. “We’ll have a buffet of the day, similar to the platform dining concept,” Van Vleet explained.

He stated that they will also have a robust appetizer menu, in case the soups or salads are not of interest to customers.

There is currently a loyalty program being developed for The Stable where customers will be able to accumulate points and gain rewards.

The bar top of the full bar is made from black walnut, which was harvested from a tree that was called to be removed during the construction of The Barn.

The full bar will offer beer, wine and distilled spirits. The Faculty and Staff

Lounge will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. “We want this place to be a campus hangout spot, where everyone can come here and have great food and great experiences,” stated Van Vleet.

The Faculty and Staff Lounge includes a green room, which will be used when The Barn books talent. There will also be a conference table in the green room so faculty and staff can have the opportunity to book the room as a meeting space.

The Barn Theater is the last building within The Barn complex. “The Taiko drum group would be there, there’s some classes that would be booked in here as well,’’ Van Vleet explained. He added that if there is a popular act going on and there are no classes in session, they would use the space as a VIP box. He also noted, however, that they are still working on the details on that.

The Barn is anticipated to host a soft opening prior to the grand opening. As of right now, there is no specific date or time for the grand opening.

“We’re super excited to deliver a great experience and exceed that,” Van Vleet expressed. He added, “We want it to be a great place for faculty, staff, students and the community of Riverside to be at.”

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NEWS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

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ASUCR

ASUCR argues over the constitutionality of bill that would address removal and vacancy procedures

AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Jan. 22, ASUCR held the third meeting of the winter quarter.

At the beginning of the meeting, the agenda was amended to include a discussion on SB-W20-001: Enacting Chapter XXXIII: Removal and Vacancy Procedures, which was tabled at last week’s ASUCR meeting. The bill would make the removal and vacancy procedures of members in the cabinet more clear and concise. The proposed change would define malfeasance and dereliction of duty in Section 5 and Section 6 of the bylaw.

Section 5, Item A defines malfeasance as “malicious intent to harm an individual physically, to engage in bribery (whether monetary or otherwise), an intense selfservice through one’s elected office, and/ or other high crimes/misdemeanors.”

Section 6, Item A defines dereliction of duty as any consistent and repeated violation of the job required by all members in ASUCR. At last week’s ASUCR meeting, ASUCR President Julian Gonzalez stated that this bill would go against the constitution because it states that the five added directors are part of the executive branch. The agenda was also amended by Gonzalez to include a closed session discussion after Roundtable and Announcements. The amendment to add a closed session discussion was approved 13-0-0.

The meeting then moved on to Public Comment. Former President Pro Tempore and former School of Public Policy (SPP) Senator Preeti Juturu approached the podium. Juturu, who authored SB-W20-001 along with Orlando Cabalo, a first-year history major and ASUCR senate intern, stated, “I find it concerning that the bill was tabled when the writers of the bill were not given a reason why ... the bill was tabled by the senate because someone did not like it ... to say that this bill is not in compliance with the constitution and bylaws is completely inaccurate.”

After Public Comment, the meeting moved on to Campus Culture/Climate Task Force Recommendations Feedback.

Mariam Lam, associate vice chancellor and chief diversity officer, and Helen Regan, professor and chair of the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology gave a presentation on the Task Force on Campus Culture which received charge from Chancellor Wilcox in May of 2019. This task force will build on the work of recent departmental and campus-wide reviews, to gather data points on campus culture from a variety of sources and develop a set of recommendations to campus leadership. The charge will include analyzing formal policies, informal processes and organizational behavior to address bullying, harassment, favoritism and toxic work environments.

Lam stated that the task force was created in response to a University of California investigation released in October of 2018 that found that former UC Riverside Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs James Sandavol sexually harassed two women he supervised with unwanted touching, intimate texts and persistent invitations to private dinners and drinks. The presentation stated that only 50% of employees agreed that most of the time, it is safe to

Orlando Cabalo and Preeti Juturu present their bill attempting to clarify definitions of malfeasance and derliction of duty.

speak up in the UCR organization.

The task force’s recommendation for UCR’s senior leadership is to build trust, accountability and transparency. This includes defining and developing mechanisms to monitor abuse of power. It also includes promoting training opportunities for improving campus culture. The task force’s recommendation for supervisors and faculty is to foster an ethical use of power. This includes training and support for staff supervisors, academic leaders and faculty by enabling things such as healthy power, gender and race dynamics. Regan stated that often, supervisors and faculty are hired as assistant professors with no training at all. She stated, “You’re just thrown in there ... it is no wonder we mess up on a regular basis.”

Lam stated that the task force found that gender and sexual harassment were not the only things wrong with UCR’s campus culture; they found all kinds of favoritism, nepotism, bullying and abuse of power across all staff lines and divisions. She stated that the new Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs Brian Haynes and the Dean of Students Christine Mata have been working to make structural changes in the management of student affairs to ensure that something like this does not happen again.

The meeting then moved on to Committee Reports. SB-W20-003_Modification of the ASUCR Labor Commissions, SB-W20-004: Chapter 6 Personnel Bylaws Revision, SB-W20-005: VPFinanceBylawUpdate-ClubFunds and SB-W20006 Bill _ SCAIP Form were all passed.

SB-W20-003 would change the name of the Labor Commission to the Labor Committee and expand on the work the Labor Commission would be permitted to do, including educating students about labor unions and their importance. SBW20-004 would outline the duties of the personnel director more clearly as well as require a quorum of five members for committees under the personnel director when they hold meetings. SB-W20005 would return fundraised money by clubs who are no longer active back to the rightful owners. Sinclair stated that the money was turned in to ASUCR and put in the ASUCR reserves. SB-W20-006 would require that candidates during the ASUCR elections be required to sign certain paperwork in order to be eligible to run.

Juturu and Cabalo then presented SBW20-001: Enacting Chapter XXXIII: Removal and Vacancy Procedures. BCOE Senator Maurice Armstrong expressed his concern with this bill stating, “The issue that I still have with this bill is that the definition of the executive cabinet including the five director positions within the executive cabinet when they are a part of the extended cabinet according to the constitution.”

Armstrong went on to state that he does think that this a great bill and that they should be discussing and defining the exact definition of malfeasance and dereliction of duty but there is no need to vote on the bill because he struggles with the terminology of the executive cabinet and director positions stated within the bill.

President Gonzalez then went on to state, “The constitution says that the five vice presidents and the president are the executive cabinet and the directors are a part of the executive branch who are nonvoting members in the executive cabinet.

What this bill would be doing is stating that all directors, vice presidents and the president are a part of the executive cabinet. This bill would conflict with the constitution.”

Chief Justice of the Judicial Council Sarai Fuentes then went on to agree that this bill would be conflicting with the constitution. She stated, “Technically, since this bill does explain how the directors are part of the executive cabinet, it would be somewhat conflicting with the constitution.”

Juturu responded by directly reading from the constitution which states in Article IV: Executive Branch, Section A, the executive cabinet shall consist of the following five executive officer positions and five non-voting director positions: president, executive vice president, vice president of internal affairs, vice president of external affairs, vice president of finance, elections director, undergraduate sustainability director, marketing and promotions director, personnel director and the transfer and nontraditional student director. Juturu stated that the bill is a verbatim of the constitution.

ASUCR Executive Director Laurie Sinclair then went on to affirm Juturu’s statement. She stated that about five years ago the past senate wanted everyone in the executive branch to be a part

LEO YUE / HIGHLANDER

of the executive cabinet. Sinclair stated that that has never made sense. The issue, Sinclair stated, is that the vote was approved but the constitution is the people’s document which means that the senate cannot change it, it can only be changed through a constitutional amendment that would have to be voted on by the student body. Sinclair stated that directors have never really been a part of the executive cabinet because they do not have a vote, they do not get paid the same and it is a different part of the branch.

She stated that because of this, they have always considered directors a part of the extended cabinet.

Sinclair claimed that she is working on creating a committee that will get together called a constitutional review committee that would update this wording in the constitution but the change would have to be voted on by the student body in the general election. Sinclair stated, “But yes, as of right now, this bill does coincide with what the constitution says.”

Executive Vice President Abigail Cortes expressed some of her concerns with the bill as well. Cortes stated, “It looks like parts of this bill are copied and pasted directly from the constitution ... I wanted to ask what the purpose of copying and pasting the constitution is?” Juturu responded stating that it is just to clarify what the constitution states and it would make it easier to have this language in a separate bylaw for future senators since she believes that not every senator or student reads the constitution in its entirety.

Cortes then reiterated her question, while also questioning what the purpose of copying and pasting the constitution onto a bylaw is. Juturu claimed that this was intended to clarify parts of the constitution that need further explanation.

Gonzalez also stated that by grouping directors and the executive cabinet together in the bylaw, the bylaw is also stating that directors would require one year of experience the same way the executive cabinet does.

After approximately 35 minutes of debate, EVP Cortes terminated any further discussion on the bill. She urged the senate to consider what she stated were inconsistencies within the bill when casting their vote. The senate voted on the bill and the bill was ultimately denied with a vote of 4-5-5.

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ASUCR hosts special elections to fill vacant president pro tempore and school of public policy senator positions AMANI MAHMOUD Senior Staff Writer

On Wednesday, Jan. 23, ASUCR held a special election to fill the vacant president pro tempore and School of Public Policy (SPP) senator positions after Preeti Juturu, who formerly held both positions, publicly resigned at the ASUCR meeting on Jan. 8.

The election began with speeches from each candidate running for the School of Public Policy senator position. Each candidate, who was required to be a public policy major, was given two minutes to give a speech. Afterwards, they’d answer questions asked by senators, executive cabinet members and directors. All candidates were asked to wait outside while one candidate gave their two minute speech.

Ana Sofia Valdez, a third year, was the first candidate to present their speech.

Valdez stated that she has a great ability to work with others and would reach out to students through social media, surveys and would hold campus discussions with students. CHASS Senator Angel Cuevas asked Valdez if she had any idea what her senator project would be. Valdez stated that the biggest project she would work on is better communication with the student body.

After Valdez’s speech, fourth-year Roshanae Brooks gave her speech. Brooks stated that she is interested in health care policy and reform. She stated that health care policy is personal to her as she has sickle cell anemia, a disorder that causes red blood cells to become misshapen and break down. She stated that she has had the opportunity to lobby to California Senator Diane Feinstein about health care policy reform, specifically, pediatric reform.

Samuel Roberts, a fourth year, was then called into the senate chambers and gave his speech. Roberts has been a public policy ambassador for SPP for two years.

He stated that he is involved with the UC Office of the President (UCOP) and has helped write a piece of legislation that proposes that a feature be added onto R’Web that will allow students to register to vote in under two minutes through studentvote.org. He also is working on legislation that would offer free Lyft rides for students on election days.

Roberts was also asked by Cuevas what

he intends his senator project to be if he is elected. Roberts stated that his project would revolve around voter registration and potentially creating a student democracy day that would make election days a school holiday.

Emily Thomas, a second year, then gave her speech. She stated that as a commuter, she is interested and invested in commuter issues on campus. Thomas said that she believes there is a disconnect between resident and commuter students at UCR. She said that if she were elected, she would want to create a committee for commuter students. Thomas is involved with the Student Relations Committee and she is working on getting Riverside county council members to visit UCR’s campus to talk about student issues. She is also the City Relations Committee assistant director.

After Thomas’ speech, third-year Brian Piche-Cifuentes gave his speech. PicheCifuentes stated that he is part of Lobby Corps and, as senator, he hopes to connect with public policy students through consistent communication with the SPP Dean Anil Deolalikarto to discuss student issues.

The last candidate to present a speech was fourth-year Javier Ramos. Ramos

stated that he has been involved in ASUCR in some capacity for the past three years.

He was in the City Relations Committee during his first year and the community director for the vice president of external affairs for the past two years. He stated that as community director he focused on local policy, specifically, renter rights.

After all candidates gave their speeches, the senate moved into a separate room to deliberate and vote on the winner. After deliberation, second-year Emily Thomas was announced the winner with 10 votes.

The meeting then moved on to the special election for the president pro tempore position. CHASS Senator Miguel Ramirez and CNAS Senator Natalie Hernandez both ran for the position.

Ramirez was the first to give his speech and answer questions from the senate.

Ramirez stated that he thinks he is prepared and ready to meet the expectations and requirements of this position. He stated that he had the privilege to work closely with Juturu, from whom he believes he learned a lot from. In Juturu’s absence, Ramirez stated that he and the rest of the LRC have taken a step forward to cover the vacancy. He stated that he is not only passionate about the position but more than capable to fulfill the role. He said

LEO YUE / HIGHLANDER

that he believes his actions over the past quarter speak for themselves.

Hernandez was then called into the Senate Chambers to give her speech.

Hernandez stated that she listens to other students during her office hours about their grievances with UCR. She stated that as president pro tempore, she would be able to create the changes that they wish to see at UCR. She said that she hopes to form and lead an open-minded committee to achieve the changes they wish to see on UCR’s campus.

After another closed deliberation by the senate to discuss and vote on the winner, EVP Cortes announced Ramirez as the winner with a vote of 11-6-0.

In an interview with The Highlander, Ramirez stated, “I feel excited about the position! The last President Pro Tempore set the bar really high, so the expectations are high. However, I feel prepared for the duties and responsibilities that come with the position.” He added that the fact that his fellow senators voted for him means they trust his work ethic and are confident that he can be a good leader. “Of course the only way to show they made the right decision is by working hard and letting my actions speak for themselves,” stated Ramirez.

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CALPIRG hosts first event of winter quarter

LIZBETH MARQUEZ Contributing Writer

California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG), the student organization that works with professional staff to tackle environmental and political issues, faced difficulties at their kickoff on Thursday, Jan. 23. The event had been scheduled to be held in room 2340 in Sproul Hall from 6 to 7 p.m.

Unfortunately, the room had recently been assigned to hold a class that conflicted with the event and CALPIRG was not notified of this. However, Laura Caldera, the chapter chair, was quick on her feet and moved the event to the Bell Tower, where a group of about 25 students gathered around to learn more about the organization.

Caldera began the kickoff by not only introducing herself and her officers, but also by introducing the organization in general. Caldera and her team are working toward a “future that is a lot greener through student power” and mobilization.

She proceeded to name the campaigns they are focusing on this year and went further into detail regarding the Plastic-Free Seas that she is personally responsible for.

Caldera’s campaign focuses on getting rid of unnecessary plastic that is ending up not only in our oceans but also in the animals that inhabit them. “We need to change the way we live,” Caldera said.

Caldera then handed the floor to Carolina Garcia, a UC Santa Cruz alumnus

who was hired by CALPIRG as UCR’s campus organizer. Garcia seeks dedicated volunteers and interns in order to get their CALPIRG to pass environmentally friendly legislation. She encourages those who seek internships with CALPIRG to get involved at their events. She handed the floor to another officer, Andrea Sanjines, who is in charge of their Save the Bees campaign. Sanjines hopes to “make UCR bee friendly by encouraging the state of California to ban harmful pesticides” by working closely with the sustainability office.

Carlee Karhn, the vice chair campaign coordinator in charge of the New Voters Project campaign spoke next. The New Voters Project campaign seeks to promote voting registration on college campuses as well as increase voter turnout at the polls.

Karhn reintroduced Carolina Garcia, who was filling in for Kate Castillo, who was not able to make the event.

Garcia briefly discussed Castillo’s Zero Hunger campaign, which is focused on diminishing the hunger crisis that many UCR students face. Castillo is working on getting healthier food in the R’Pantry so that students do not have to decide between eating badly or not eating at all.

Secretary Evelin Estrada took the stage next and introduced her project, the 100% Clean Renewable Transportation, or simply the “100% campaign” for short.

CALPIRG recently worked to get SB 100 passed. SB 100 commits the city of Riverside and the state of California to a

path of 100% fossil-fuel free electricity by the year 2045. Estrada reminded attendees that they have the power to enact change like CALPIRG did with SB 100 and more.

The campaign organizers then

encouraged students to talk to the coordinator whose campaign they were interested in and the group broke off.

The event officially ended at approximately 7 p.m.

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TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

NEWS

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Transfer experience panel discusses the reality and difficulties that transfer students face

LAURA ANAYA-MORGA Senior Staff Writer

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, ASUCR’s Transfer & Non-Traditional Student Committee hosted a transfer student experience panel in HUB 268 at 11:30 a.m.

The panel consisted of four transfer students of different backgrounds who all came with the common goal of helping other transfer students navigate their short time at UCR in the most effective and beneficial way possible. They also spoke about the common struggles transfer students face that they feel the UCR administration often turns a blind eye to.

The four students on the panel were Deidre Reyes, a public policy major and transfer from Mt. San Jacinto College, Raymond Jimenez, a business major and transfer from Santa Monica College, Nayeli Salazar, a double major in spanish and education who transferred from Riverside Community College and Jessica Perez, a neuroscience major with a minor in mathematics who transferred from Pasadena City College. The panel was moderated by Silvia Ferrer, a member of the Transfer & Non-Traditional Student Committee for ASUCR. The panel gave advice to incoming transfer students about what they would do differently if they were able to go back to their first quarter here at UCR. Jimenez told the audience that he wished he would have gotten involved sooner, which garnered nods of agreement from the others in the panel. Reyes began by saying that she would prioritize the quarter a bit more and ask for help sooner stating, “by the time I realized I was sinking the ship had already gone down.”

They also emphasized the importance of asking for help and taking care of yourself in the process. “The challenges I think I really faced was that the quarter system was so fast. Basically, I felt like I was doing homework 24/7 and nothing else. I didn’t

realize that I was going through fatigue …

I wish I would have taken breaks,” stated Jimenez. Reyes added, “If you don’t take care of yourself you are going to fall apart.”

Getting involved is often a struggle for transfer students because of the short amount of time they have on campus.

Jimenez, who is a transfer mentor for the School of Business and a member of the Association of Latino Professionals for America (ALPFA), stated that he did not begin getting involved until winter quarter of last year and he wished he would have done it sooner. He advised students to look for clubs and organizations that they can express themselves with and to ultimately, “go out and go for what (they) want.”

When it comes to more social events, a student in the audience mentioned that as a commuter they often feel left out because they want to get involved but cannot when most events are held in the evening. Reyes stated, “It just has to be a priority for you and you have to work it in to your day.”

Salazar added that she often goes back home during the day and coming back to campus for an event can be difficult but having organizations schedule events earlier in the day would make it easier.

Jimenez acknowledged that sometimes it is up to the student to look for events. He gave an example of the room they were sitting in stating, “a lot of the things that we’re talking about are helpful, but there are empty seats.”

One common struggle that was shared among the panel and for students in the audience was trying to get the classes they needed in order to stay on track and graduate in two years. Salazar gave an example of her first quarter at UCR where she was able to talk to her department and get into the class she needed but added, “as transfer students it’s tough and you have to be on top of your stuff or you’re going to fall behind.”

Eric Calderon, the director of the

Transfer & Non-Traditional Student Committee, stated from his place in the audience that this is an ongoing problem for transfer students. He said, “For us, it’s kind of hard to answer that (question) because we are all victims of a flawed system,” but through these common struggles are where they can unite and become advocates for one another.

After the panel, in an interview with The Highlander, Calderon stated that these student panels are important because the only people who can truly speak to the transfer student experience are other transfer students. “If we were to ask administration or staff they would be a little bit blinded to the experience because they’re the ones orchestrating it,” stated Calderon. He added that it is about hearing the experience of other students who already know what classes to take, what scholarships are available, student resources because it has so much more power coming from students.

The biggest lesson Calderon has learned from his time at UCR is that time is precious and there is not enough preparation. He mentioned that when transfer students get to a university, resources are limited and often times

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their transitions are not as enthusiastic and emphasized as they are for incoming freshmen. “For incoming transfer students they tell you to not put too much on your plate but your time is so limited … if you don’t get involved immediately then time’s up,” added Calderon.

According to Calderon, the transfer story requires different focuses and conversations because each one is so different. They may be older, parents, veterans and they may feel that they do not belong because of these differences.

Calderon added that many times, even asking a transfer student “what year are you?” can be difficult and not inclusive to those who took a long break after high school.

Calderon emphasized the importance of transfer students making their two years on campus as successful as possible and getting more students on boards to help advocate for one another. However, he recognizes that it may be difficult given the short amount of time they have. He added, “The transfer story is a story of redemption and telling yourself it’s not too late.”

■H Editor’s note: The moderator for this event, Silvia Ferrer, is the copy editor for The Highlander.

ASUCR and Career Center collaborate on “Present Yourself In The Best Light” event

ARMAAN SODHI Contributing Writer

On Thursday, Jan. 23, CHASS Senator Angel Cuevas and the Career Center hosted a workshop called “Presenting Yourself in the Best Light,” which focused on preparing students for professional life. The workshop included advice on resume building from the Career Center as well as free headshots

by John-Paul Wolf Photography. The event was held in HUB 302.

The Highlander briefly spoke with Cuevas. The workshop was Cuevas’ first project. Cuevas stated that he ran on the platform of increased professional development among the student body.

When asked about what inspired the structure of the workshop he explained, “I’ve been in professional organizations, who do this basically daily, so it’s not a challenge for me to copy what they already do.” A goal of the workshop was to blend in a professional and social atmosphere, similar to other professional organizations on campus.

The workshop began similarly to a normal Career Center workshop with a presentation on resume building

by Isabel Ibarra, a peer advisor with the Career Center. The presentation included the following topics: how to structure a resume, what to add to it and how to utilize LinkedIn. After the presentation, students were

LYDIA TSOU /HIGHLANDER

encouraged to discuss and network among themselves so that they could review and improve their resumes.

Students were also able to receive a free headshot or to have a questionand-answer session with Kimberly Rose Campen, a CHASS college and career specialist.

After her speech, The Highlander spoke with Ibarra, who mentioned the lack of student awareness of the Career Center’s resources. She mentioned that normal resume building workshops only include a PowerPoint presentation about the topic. She noted that being able to

talk to a student about their resume was helpful in decreasing anxiety in people seeking help with their resume.

Ibarra mentioned that many students were scared of visiting the Career Center because of concerns with the quality of their resumes. She stated, “Breaking down those barriers and misconceptions is the first step to getting students to come more to the Career Center.”

Ibarra added that she believes that collaborations with ASUCR would help to attract more students to these workshop events than if they were hosted at the Career Center.

Increased professional awareness among students was also a goal for Cuevas, especially among first and second-year students. “A lot of students don’t realize that they are missing opportunities as a freshman by not focusing on their professional development,” stated Cuevas. He noted that many students begin looking for resume-boosting opportunities in their third and fourth years instead of earlier.

The majority of the students in attendance at the workshop were fourth years, with only one first-year student in attendance. Thomas Chartrand, a fourthyear political science student, was one of these fourth years in attendance at the workshop. He echoed Cuevas’ opinion stating that “most first and second years don’t have their careers in mind until their third and fourth year, but a lot of jobs today require you to have started early in your college career.” Chartrand, who also works at the Residence Center at UCR, noted that they had trouble bringing the Career Center to the dorms to table, which could potentially increase awareness to freshmen about the resources they offer.

Cuevas said that he liked the outcome of the workshop and hopes for more of these collaborative workshops in the future, with the potential goal of providing free food in order to boost attendance.

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Opinions

8 TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

OPINIONS

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

HIGHLANDER EDITORIAL

The decision to undergo intersex surgery should be left up to the intersex individual, not their parents

O

n Tuesday, Jan. 14, California lawmakers rejected S e n a t e Bill 201 (SB 201), a measure that aimed to ban medically unneccessary treatment for intersex infants ages six and under. Democratic State Sen. Scott Wiener, the author of the measure, wrote it in an effort to ensure that those born intersex are given the space to make choices regarding their gender identity, which, so far, has not always been the case. While intersex people are much more common than one might think, with some sources suggesting that around 1 in 100 people born in the U.S. are intersex, they are also widely misunderstood, leading many parents to seek a surgical “solution” to what they see as a problem.

Unfortunately, intersex surgery comes with a number of health risks that follow a person for the rest of their lives, and while it is hard to begrudge a parent for doing what they believe is best for their child, the decision to go through with such a surgery is nothing short of a violation of the child’s autonomy.

Children under the age of six can hardly tie their own shoes, let alone comprehend the consequences of an operation

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that will irrevocably change the way they live the rest of their lives. To make matters worse, in many cases, the surgery is completely optional. The term intersex refers to a condition in which a person is born with chromosomes, gonads or genitalia that don’t quite fit the societal definition for male or female. Far more often than not, this does not at all constitute a medical emergency.

Still, some parents choose to follow through with the operation, thinking that it will allow them to raise their child in a manner more conducive with social norms. Unfortunately, many of these parents are not aware of the potential emotional and physical complications that follow such a procedure.

First and foremost, it is entirely possible that the gender assigned to the child will not be the gender said child will eventually identify with, pigeonholing them at an early age. This can very easily lead to gender dysphoria later in life, a condition in which the affected person feels there is a disparity between their biological gender and their gender identity. Such an incongruity can be highly distressing, and while refusing the surgery does not ensure the child won’t some day grow up to experience dysphoria, waiting until the child is ready to decide for themselves is not

only the safest route, but the only route that preserves their personal autonomy.

Furthermore, intersex surgery often directly impacts a person’s health, reproductive and otherwise. Most notably, a 2013 report by the United Nations special rapporteur explained that irreversible sex assignment often left individuals with “permanent, irreversible fertility and severe mental suffering.” Operations like the gonadectomy will require the child to undergo lifelong hormone replacement therapy in order to maintain the secondary sexual characteristics.

Growing up without these complications can be difficult enough. A child must be allowed to find themselves without having one gender or the other imposed upon them. Of course, finding oneself may take a little more effort than might be required of a child born with sex and gender charecteristics that are more in line with societal expectations — such would be the case regardless of whether or not the child underwent the surgery — but the resources are out there.

Educating both child and parent is important, and many groups are willing to do just that. Groups like OII-Europe have launched a toolkit for parents looking for advice

on how best to support their intersex child, and there are countless communities out there who are willing and eager to support the youth.

On the subject of growing up, however, it would be incredibly misleading to suggest that all parents who decide to go through with this surgery are intentionally harming their child. These parents are often quite aware that adolescence can be rough — such is often cited as one of the main reasons they decide to allow the surgery.

Because the majority of society does not yet fully understand intersex individuals, parents will often opt into the surgery in a well-intentioned effort to avoid potential future bullying.

Unfortunately, a hasty decision may ultimately result in the parent disregarding the aforementioned emotional impact the procedure can have on the child. Proponents for the surgery insist that the surgery is necessary for the child to lead a “normal” life, but the surgery in no way guarantees that. Three surgeons general, Dr. M. Jocelyn Elders, Dr. David Satcher and Dr. Richard Carmona, all wrote in 2017 that while there wasn’t much evidence indicating that “growing up with atypical genitalia leads to psychosocial distress,” the surgery has caused “severe and irreversible harm and emotional distress” in

the past.

This makes the decision to have the surgery a difficult one.

As mentioned before, education will be key moving forward, but not just the education of intersex individuals, but society at large. The only way to get legislation like Sen. Wiener’s SB 201 passed is to first remove the stigma surrounding intersex. Parents of children born intersex must be informed that there is nothing inherently wrong with their child. Surgery cannot remain the default option.

Times are changing but they aren’t changing fast enough.

More and more parents are deciding against intersex surgery, but those parents are still in the minority. For many, sex and gender can be incredibly confusing. If there is hope of improvement, society must move past its stigmas, and most importantly, it must listen to intersex indiviudals, because when it comes to intersex issues, their opinions matter most.

■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.

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

OPINIONS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

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OPINION POLL Compiled by Highlander Staff

“Should medically unimportant intersex operations at birth be banned?”

Kaylenne Strawn MCS Third-year

Santi Sámano Theater Fifth-year

Alex Cueva Soil Sciences Post-Doctorate

Ace McAfee Pre-Business First-year

Revere Wood Sustainability Fourth-year

Nikki Abello Sociology Fourth-year

“I think it should because the parent’s shouldn’t be allowed to choose their child’s sex.”

“Yes they should be banned because the only people who have authority over their own body is themselves. Even if they are infants, they just have to grow up and decide that for themselves.”

“I don’t think it should be allowed, if it is not life threatening then the parents should not have the last decision on it.”

“It should not be banned, but the parents should be briefed before the surgery about potential consequences.”

“I think they should because infants cannot consent to cosmetic medical procedures.”

“Yes because there have been

multiple studies on how it negatively affects the adults who undergo those operations, especially since they will have the opportunity to make those decisions in the future to make the right choice.”

Europe must mediate the US-Iran conflict to save the nuclear deal SAAD KHAWAJA Contributing Writer

Britain, Germany and France recently triggered a dispute resolution process over Iran’s retreat from the original commitments of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. As a desperate attempt to save the deal, the European allies are now pressuring Iran by threatening to reimpose U.N. sanctions in an effort to force Iran to comply with the commitments of the deal.

This dispute mechanism follows the recent escalation of tensions between the U.S. and Iran after President Trump ordered the killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, as well as Tehran’s response to abandon the nuclear deal limitations on uranium enrichment. The European allies, key signatories of the nuclear deal, also known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), are in a difficult position given their interest in preserving the deal with Iran, as well as their interest in preserving an alliance with the United States without presenting Iran as the aggressor.

Between Trump’s brazen abandonment of the deal, Iran’s retreat from its commitments and narrowly avoiding a violent escalation between the two nations, it has become clear that the only way to save the JCPOA is for the EU to act as a mediator in this potentially devastating global conflict. Rather than pushing Iran to comply with the deal under the threat of international sanctions, the European allies must learn from the failure of Trump’s maximum pressure policy and act as a peacemaker to de-escalate tensions and return to the nuclear deal. A confrontational approach by the EU would not save the Iran nuclear deal, but would instead lead to its demise.

Since withdrawing from the multilateral deal in 2018, the Trump administration has ratcheted up tensions with Iran using its aforementioned maximum pressure strategy supported by the former national security advisor John Bolton. This strategy sought to ravage Iran’s economy through imposing sanctions on the oil and banking sector in an effort to bring Iranian officials to renegotiate under a stricter deal.

However, this strategy has failed as Iran has refused any new nuclear agreement

The Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2231 regarding Iran’s nuclear program.

on U.S. terms and has ceased to follow many commitments of the deal.

Tensions have risen between Washington and Tehran and the attacks by both nations are indicative of the failure of Trump’s strategy of applying maximum pressure. It has only heightened the fear of a war that has the potential to destabilize the entire region resulting in an international game of chicken, with both sides waiting for the other to back down.

Although the intended aim of the dispute resolution process is to tackle Iran’s breaches of the nuclear agreement and to bring them back into full compliance, this approach comes with several risks. The current plan of instating a dispute resolution mechanism is one of the only ways the European allies can engage with Iran without the threat of U.S. sanctions, but resorting to this method risks completely losing the trust of Tehran, who view the European

alliance with the U.S. as an attempt to undermine and cripple their nation.

In addition to losing years of diplomatic goodwill, a return of U.N. sanctions would not deter Iran from further rolling back the commitments of the nuclear deal. Evidence of this can be seen by Iran’s response to two years of coercive policy the United States has used against Tehran, which has only led to increased conflict. The European allies must use this dispute mechanism as a means to not only extend the timeframe needed for providing economic relief for the nation, but also to act as a mediator between the U.S.-Iran conflict.

Now that President Trump has backed away from further military action against Tehran following the airstrikes in Iraq, the European allies must take this opportunity to act as peacemakers if there is any chance in saving this deal.

Considering Iran had fully complied with the terms of the nuclear agreement

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even after Trump abandoned the deal and imposed sanctions, Iran still has not left the JCPOA and remains committed to the original deal.

A potential leader during these peace talks is French President Emmanuel Macron, who has proposed opening communication between both nations as recently as last September. By extending the timeframe provided by the dispute mechanism, the best chance Europe has at mediating this conflict is through keeping the deal alive until the 2020 presidential election with hopes that a potential Democratic administration can ease tensions and rejoin the original nuclear agreement.

Despite the slim chances that such a mediation method would work given the internal turmoil within Iran and the chance that Trump would lose reelection, it is still far better than the alternative of killing the JCPOA, abandoning years of diplomacy and accelerating a conflict that H everyone has been trying to prevent. ■

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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/opinions

Come out when you’re ready: how outing can be deadly VICTORIA DAVY Contributing Writer

Beauty vlogger and makeup artist Nikkie de Jager of the YouTube channel Nikkie Tutorials recently uploaded a video titled “I’m Coming Out.” In this video, de Jager shares with her audience and the rest of the internet that she is a transgender woman. One of the more alarming points that she made in the video was that even though she was coming out, she only did so at this time because people were blackmailing and threatening to expose her. Like de Jager, many queer folks may be forced to come out when they are not ready.

Outing someone takes away a person’s autonomy. Coming out is a deeply personal and private experience.

The person might be dealing with their own feelings as well as the negative repercussions of coming out. Not every coming out experience is as wonderful and joyous as the ones seen in movies like “Love, Simon.”

Many people have to deal with homophobia, discrimination and marginalization from their community as well as their families. Outing a person violates their ability to choose who they feel comfortable enough to share such a deeply personal aspect with.

Outing a person can also

Nikkie de Jager of NikkieTutorials came out as transgender in a recent video uploaded to her YouTube channel.

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have deadly consequences.

Even though society claims that it has become more progressive, many queer folk are still harrased and murdered for being themselves. Someone who has been outed may feel cornered and the environment that they are in may turn hostile.

Furthermore, a person who has

been outed could experience depression, depending on their situation. Not every person who comes out has a safe place to go or friends to call. Hate crimes and suicide are especially rampant in the queer community. Some people who have been outed have commited suicide due to bullying. Others have been

victims of hate crimes simply because of how they identify, and many trans folks have been murdered for being themselves openly.

Coming out is a different journey for everyone.

Everyone has the right to come out on their own time, no matter what, and no one should pressure anyone to

come out before they are ready. A person may only feel comfortable coming out to a couple people. This should be kept private until they are out publicly. Even if a person has not disclosed their personal identity to anyone else, it is no one else’s business. A person will come out when they are ready to do so.

■H

Rising ocean temperature has an impact on both marine and human life

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

ESTHER CHOI Contributing Writer

The rising ocean temperature should be alarming to everyone.

This is by no means a new event, but rather one that has been discussed numerous times over the years. The ocean absorbs more than 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases. This temperature increase is a gradual process and its indirect effects are not immediately apparent, so few people recognize it as an urgent issue.

Rising ocean temperature affects both organisms in water and on land, which means that humans have every reason to care. There have been many proposals and ideas for short and

long-term solutions to combat rising ocean temperatures or climate change in general. An increase in the ocean temperature each year should be an alert to people because it affects the natural life surrounding them, ultimately affecting them in the end. It is essential to implement new policies or make changes to existing policies to better enhance the quality of nature and wildlife.

According to Lijing Cheng, an associate professor with the International Center for Climate and Environmental Sciences at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics (IAP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in the past 25 years, the ocean has absorbed enough heat

to equal the amount of 3.6 billion Hiroshima atom-bomb explosions. The upper layer of the ocean temperature is increasing about 24% faster than it did a few decades ago. This is important to note, as the upper layer is the area where a lot of marine organisms dwell. An increase in ocean temperature can do a lot of damage to these organisms since they are sensitive to even a slight change in temperature.

These marine organisms face severe consequences such as higher mortality rates, loss of breeding grounds, coral bleaching and marine disease outbreak.

These consequences have dual impacts because they also affect humans. For instance, these

higher mortality rates and the loss of breeding grounds will result in the loss of an important source of nutrition, as 4.3 billion people obtain about 15% of their animal protein from fish. Likewise, many people make their living through fisheries and aquaculture. Rising temperatures may soon result in many people losing their jobs.

Coral bleaching is also noteworthy, as coral reefs protect coastlines from erosion and sealevel rise. Loss of corals from coral bleaching directly impacts the corals, but it can also impact people. As the population of corals decline, sea levels will rise and this will lead to destruction of houses, therefore displacing people and forcing them to find a new place to live. There are other consequences that can be hard to link directly, such as having more severe hurricanes and El Nino events causing droughts and floods. Rising ocean temperatures create areas called hotspots in the oceans and these hotspots are powerful fuel for storms like hurricanes. Many experts believe that warmer oceans will intensify and speed up storms in the future.

Also, there is a higher chance of wildfires. For instance, wildfires in 2019 like the one in the Amazon, California and Australia occurred as a result of global warming. Experts said that drier areas will become drier whereas wetter areas will become wetter.

The impacts on both humans and

marine organisms resulting from an increase in ocean temperatures should bring people together as a whole to combat this crisis.

There are many different ways to combat both the rising ocean temperature and climate change.

Experts have proposed a number of short and long-term solutions.

For starters, society must make an effort to start utilizing energyefficient technologies.

This would be especially efficient because the energy society uses to power, cool and heat houses and businesses contributes directly to global warming.

Another solution might be regulating and preventing any human activities that leads to environmental destruction.

Because about 30% of the world’s heat trapping emissions come from tropical deforestation and agriculture, regulating human activities would significantly help reduce the rate at which global warming is occuring.

Humanity has an obligation to help maintain life on Earth. As inhabitants of this planet, people must take action and address these rising temperatures. Too many people believe that climate change and the rise in ocean temperature won’t affect them, but these temperature changes will ultimately change the way they live their lives irrevocably.

People should make an effort to help improve lives on Earth before it is too late.

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OPINIONS

COMICS TALL TAIL #33 BY: JUSTUS ROSS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

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Features TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

FEATURES

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

Jordyn Woodsspeaks on body positivity and dealing with fame in ASPB’s latest ‘Get to Know’ installment By: Heewon Kim, Contributing Writer

On Tuesday, Jan. 21, ASPB hosted their second lecture in their “Get to Know” series in HUB 302. The “Get to Know” series is similar to meet-and-greets and ASPB hosts these events so that a celebrity, or a media influencer, comes to speak exclusively at UCR. Last quarter, ASPB brought Kenny Beats, an American music producer. This quarter, ASPB presented the UCR undergraduates with the well-known Instagram influencer and model, Jordyn Woods. This event was the first time Jordyn Woods would be speaking to college students.

Carolyn Wu, a fourth-year business administration major and ASPB vice chairperson explained they brought in Woods because “We thought it was cool to bring her out ... to hear their story.”

Students were able to stand in line starting at 7 p.m. They eagerly waited with their R’Card in hand as ASPB members gave out admission bracelets. With the guidance of ASPB volunteers and directors, hundreds of undergraduate students safely entered the hall. Wu remarked that the event had a high turnout, stating, “We did not anticipate this many people coming today and it was a lot more than Kenny Beats.”

Although the event was supposed to officially start at 7:30 p.m., it began at approximately 7:50 p.m. Before Woods was called to the stage, the event started with trivia questions about Woods, which successfully acquired audience participation. The last question in particular sparked a wave of hands to go up. “What is Jordyn Woods’ astrology sign?” The MC on stage picked an excited fan who correctly answered, “Libra.”

Once Woods entered from behind the hall, people immediately recognized her; as she walked up to the stage, many students began to take pictures and videos.

Once the loud, booming excitement settled down, the interviewer started with the first set of questions regarding her history and how she started modeling. A modeling agency reached out to her when she was 15

LEO YUE / HIGHLANDER

LEO YUE / HIGHLANDER

years old. “I never thought I would end up modeling, I think modeling found me,” Woods said.

During Woods’ interview, she admitted that she is on the “bigger” side compared to most models, such as the ones for Victoria’s Secret. “I’m a curvy girl.

I’m a curvy model. I was shy and modeling made me connect with people and it was an opportunity to show them who I am,” stated Woods. Woods also shared the awkward moments of being a plus-size model. “When I was asked to wear a fat suit, it was awkward,” Woods explained. “I’m authentic about myself. And I have fun with everything I do.”

When Woods was asked what advice she would give to people who want to enter the modeling industry despite not fitting the standard size mold, Woods replied, “You have to be okay with rejection. The modeling agency has a vision for you. You can’t do what you want. But I’ll never sell myself short. I was offered a lot of money to do things that I didn’t want to do.”

The next portion of the interview shifted the attention to how Woods dealt with the media and the narrative they formed around her. “I learned that they control everything. I wouldn’t believe what you read on the internet. I’ve seen more negative things than positive things, and as consumers we love that stuff. I was laughing too when I was reading these,” Woods replied as she chuckled.

The conversation transitioned to what Woods reveals to the media, and most of the time she tries to keep her private life away from the public’s knowledge. “I don’t show who I am all the time but the stuff I say gets taken out of context. I do censor some of the stuff I say but what you see and hear is what you get.”

Woods then discussed some of the hate she has received throughout her career. Someone once said “she has a personality of a toilet seat.” This short anecdote sparked a sympathetic laughter from the audience.

Then, Woods discussed the way she overcame these trials and adversities: “I really found myself with my

relationship with God at my darkest time. I understood what I had to go through, and I realized there’s a reason behind why all of these things happen.” On top of the scandal, Woods experienced her father’s death about three years ago. She shared how she strongly believes that how much money you have doesn’t determine if you’ll face less problems.

Woods finished off the interview with some pieces of advice: “Mind your business and drink your water.

Wash your face. Don’t sleep in your makeup. Do what makes you happy. Don’t care about what people say.”

As the event came to an end, Woods walked down the stage to take photos with her fans. Before the event, ASPB took to social media with a post revealing how a few lucky students could get the chance to meet Woods personally afterwards. The first five people in line were automatically guaranteed the opportunity to meet her while others were given a chance through a trivia knowledge game about Woods during the lecture.

Many admired Woods’ messages on body positivity and look to her as a role model. Ravi Ranawaka, a fourth-year political science major, gave his take from Woods’ event: “I really loved the fact that Jordyn talked about mental health and how that affected her body image as someone who struggles with body issues myself.” Ranawaka added, “The ways that she found out how to love her and her body was just inspirational to me.”

Ranawaka had come with a friend, Megan Pineda, a fellow fourth-year political science major, because they were quite keen on what message Woods wanted to spread to college students. “I really liked her advice saying ‘mind your business’ and ‘drink your water’ because a lot of people in this world want to put you down and get mad when you succeed,” Pineda said.

“Sometimes you just have to think about yourself and be on your own grind and not care about what other people think.”

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FEATURES

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Rollercade: a night of skaters and gamers ALEXANDRIA ESTEBAN Contributing Writer

ASPB organized their first Rollercade on Wednesday, Jan. 22 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Student Recreation Center (SRC) North. This annual event boasted free food, video games and roller skating.

In the past, Skate Night and the R’Cade were two separate events.

This year, according to Laura Anaya-Morga, the director of special events for ASPB, the two events were combined to “make the events bigger and better than ever.” ASPB previously observed that during Skate Night, students had nothing to do while waiting to skate or after they finished skating; by combining the two events, they hoped to keep students entertained even when they weren’t on the

skate floor.

Callee Heagney, a secondyear environmental science major, expressed her preference for maintaining the two separate events. She felt the R’Cade was better on its own because it was held in the HUB. The room in the HUB was smaller than the Student Recreation Center (SRC), but Heagney thought it made the venue feel like a real arcade.

Regardless, there was a large turnout for the event, with people lining up long before the doors opened. First-timers seemed eager for their allotted 30 minutes on the skate floor. This limit ensured that there was enough time for everyone to enjoy the skating experience; even those that fell were laughing it off with their friends. As students skated around the SRC, modern pop songs blasted from the speakers, which helped bring up the energy

JOSHUA WANG / HIGHLANDER

JOSHUA WANG / HIGHLANDER

in the room.

Afterwards, people could still hang out and play arcade games set up on the first floor and video games on the second. On the second floor, free stickers and buttons were being given out; many of the stickers referenced pop culture, such as the Youtube logo or characters from Mario Bros.

There was also a Super Smash Bros.

Ultimate (SSBU) tournament taking place, which was projected onto one of two large screens. While exciting for SSBU enthusiasts, the tournament limited the opportunities for others to partake in different games. However, it was fun to watch experienced gamers compete against one another.

Food was provided and evenly distributed. Everyone who attended was given the choice between a slice of pizza and a churro or a chicken bake and a churro. Deanna De Leon, a third-year business administration major said, “The food is pretty bomb.

It’s from Costco and everybody loves Costco.” The food added toward making the SRC feel like a real roller rink.

The event was pretty crowded throughout the night, which affected how many seats were available.

Though the second floor did have a lot of bean bag chairs and glowing boxes to sit on, attendees were not allowed to bring food to the area. Many people then had to sit on the floor near the skating rink because there was not enough seating in the first floor.

The night continued on and students were able to skate and play games to their hearts’ content until the end of the event at 9 p.m. ASPB is currently accepting entries for their upcoming Film Fest, which will take place on Feb. 13 at the HUB 302 at 7 p.m.

■H Editor’s note: Laura Anaya-Morga, the director of special events at ASPB, is also the assistant news editor at The Highlander.

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FEATURES

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/features

Feature Fiction Storm

By Sabrina Hunter, Contributing Writer Her head was the lightning filled sky.

Anxiety and thunder coursing through her veins, Blood substituted by sadness, The fast beating of her heart as scattered as the rain, Trembling hands echoed the waves of a ferocious sea.

A storm raged inside her.

Daylight Funeral

By Alexandria Esteban, Contributing Writer Golden buttons sewn On a hungry maiden’s gown Pale as polished bones She doesn’t make a sound She made a deal to stay But she breaks into a run Toward one joyous day Beneath the radiant sun

However, Only the rain escaped.

Her tear stained cheeks told the story of fear.

She was afraid of her own mistakes and insecurities; Lashing out on her own body.

Others knew the rain; She knew her storm.

Stretch marks scraped across her body; Clawing at the skin on her hips.

Her voice echoed the screeching alarm that awakens her self-deprecating thoughts.

Lips sewn tight drawing them closed.

Her mind outraged by appearance and flaws, Bruising her ego.

Leaving marks for just her to see.

Her husband whispers every verse And flowers start to bloom The spring begins to thirst For the love that floods the room As their lips slowly touch Tears fall from every eye There falls a sharp hush As fate is left to decide A sad song still to learn The groom leads her to a dance Then he stops to give a turn To give her a final glance

The anger of her storm left wreckage in her soul.

But the storm slowed in two beats; Both of his heart.

He kissed her lips that broke the seal; Traced his fingertips along the flowering vines on her hips.

He knew her storm.

And he sheltered through, Until the sun shined on the dew drops along her rose red cheeks

White Picket Fence

By Christine Tran, Senior Staff Writer

It was a while before I noticed the white fence outside my house.

I don’t know how it came to be there.

My parents reassured me and said we were keeping it.

But I never felt at ease with the fence, Constantly surrounding me.

Soon, I had the idea to paint the fence.

At first I want blue, but my parents refused.

So I decided to settle on a nice shade of yellow.

But for some reason, each time I dragged my brush across the wooden boards, nothing appeared.

I would try and try, but the fence stubbornly remained white.

It wasn’t until my parents came and gently guided me, did the yellow finally shine.

It was so easy with them, but a new unsettling feeling began to linger within me.

There will be One day, where they will no longer be.

No longer will they lay their hands over mine.

But without them, what will I do?

How will I paint the fence yellow again when the color begins to fade?

I fear the time where the original white of the fence will reveal itself.

And I am left on the fence, unable to find a place within either color.

RADAR

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

‘Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’: a satisfying retelling of Goku’s timeless adventures and battles by: Adam Alvernaz, Senior Staff Writer

For 30 years, “Dragon Ball Z” (DBZ) video games have tried to capture the experience of playing through the events of the series. While these titles would capture the fighting and story aspect of the series quite well, they failed at capturing the worldbuilding aspect that makes the series so endearing.

Yet, “Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot” seeks to change that by offering players the chance to roam the open world, level up characters and enjoy the full storyline up until the end. While the game encompasses the main story of DBZ, a story that’s been retold countless times, the role-playing game (RPG) elements and large open world enhances the overall experience. All these years later, “Dragon Ball Z”’s plot is still just as exhilarating and fun for both newcomers and veterans of the series.

Narratively, the game follows the core story from the beginning of “Dragon Ball Z.” The plot mainly revolves around Son Goku’s adventures from facing off against his rival Vegeta all the way to fighting Majin Buu. The game breaks up these pivotal moments into missions to allow some time between combat and other distractions. Across the world, players are able to find food, buy items from stores and even cook meals to strengthen their party. On top of these brief mission breaks, the game also allots time for intermission periods that break up the fast paced sagas of DBZ. These brief periods allow players to explore and complete side quests to their heart’s content before jumping back into the main storyline. For me, these intermission periods were some of my favorite moments, zipping around Earth at breakneck speeds, meeting side characters and training to level up are all very fun distractions. Yet, there is a point where side quests become menial tasks for negligible xp compared

to the main story, so it does curb your sense of exploration in some ways. Aside from that, I was never bored by the tasks as the combat is very fun and can be customized to your liking.

Like any DBZ game, the main gameplay loop is based around fighting and defeating stronger opponents as players traverse their way through the main story. The combat system is simplified compared to recent games in the franchise with only one button for basic attack combos, one for dodging and dashing, one for energy blasts and one for charging up energy to use skills and transformations.

These skills are the various special techniques the series is known for, like the prominent Kamehameha. Transformations are also a huge part of gameplay as players can transform and revert at will without lengthy power up segments. Players also have a guard that can be broken but also a burst to shove opponents away. While many battles are one on one, a majority can be fought with a team by your side to aid you with their own special techniques, attacks, energy blasts, transformations and support items. Combat can sometimes feel derivative, but for players who delve into the skill trees and experiment with the gigantic community board, it can be shaped to very fine preferences.

What makes “Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot” unique is the various RPG elements that encompasses your relations with characters, leveling up skills and learning new techniques. Each character has various proficiencies in several different aspects that make players stronger, train harder, cook better and even better at finding lucrative treasure. Each person you come across, either main or side, has an emblem that can be placed on the community board to increase these bonuses. For skill

trees, players can level up their attacks to be stronger and more impactful. This breaks up the monotony of combat revolving around a few techniques and allows for players to be creative with their skills and party members. Arguably, however, the best inclusion to the game is the Z-Encyclopedia.

Dragon Ball is a franchise that has quite a lot of history behind it and the series takes pride in that. Thus, one of the main collecting side quests is filling in the Z-Encyclopedia that features a whole host of DBZ lore. By exploring and playing, the encyclopedia will collect information on characters, beasts, items, vehicles and even a massive relationship chart.

There are even collectible cards that showcase great moments from the original show and they highlight the goofy and epic scenes the series is loved for. While most of this is supplementary, it’s an absolute treat for long time fans that want to escape into the world of Dragon Ball and fall back in love with its rich lore.

Graphically, the game retains the iconic look from the anime.

In fact, the introduction cut scene is the original Japanese intro reimagined. It’s a great recreation that only spells the beginning for how stunning the rest of the game looks.

Characters retain that classic bouncy animation style that the shonen genre has become known for. To my surprise, some scenes in the game mirror some of the best scenes in the original manga. This is especially evident in the first Super Saiyan transformation as the same emotion and weight conveyed in the original is beautifully adapted.

Fans will be pleased to know that developer Cyberconnect2 did their absolute best to stay true to

Verdict:

the source material and it shows in these key character moments.

The game even uses the classic Japanese original soundtrack for its music. While English fans might miss some iconic Bruce Falcouner music that was featured in the original dubbing of the show, the Japanese soundtrack is very fitting and its used to its fullest extent. Playing through the game, I was reminded of how well-orchestrated the original soundtrack is. Especially during key cut scenes where the music conveys the struggle and glory of classic DBZ action.

For lifelong fans, “Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot” feels like the game people have been asking for ever since the series was introduced in 1989. The exploration, combat, lore and everything in between make for a fulfilling title worthy of carrying the torch for future Dragon Ball titles to follow. It’s as if the game is a dream come true from Shenron, the wish granting d r a g o n H himself. ■

“Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot” is a very satisfying experience that is full of the thrilling action and lore the series is recognized for.

It’s an absolute dream come true for fans and will enthrall even the most skeptical players to realize how electrifying the series is at its best.

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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

‘Sex Education’ season two: sexy, scintillating and sometimes serious By: Silvia Ferrer, Senior Staff Writer

COURTESY OF NETFLIX

The second season of “Sex Education” begins in a way that encapsulates the show: nearly uncomfortable, honest and hilarious. Our protagonist, Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield), is back — and, apparently, is now a convert into the world of sex-crazed teenagers that populate the show. Season two picks up soon after the heartbreaking finale episode, in which Maeve Wiley (Emma Mackey), resident tough girl, comes just a little too late to confess her feelings for Otis. The show dives fully into the love triangle between the two friends and Otis’ new girlfriend, Ola. To the show’s benefit, a couple of love triangles are also added into the mix.

While Maeve and Otis are at the heart of the show, the writers don’t limit themselves to the two protagonists. It’s impossible not to fall in love with the rest of the characters, whose effortless charisma and funny one-liners are played perfectly by a talented cast of fairly unknown actors. As if the jokes and romance weren’t enough to draw the audience in, “Sex Education” features incredibly beautiful shots of the strange town the characters live in and amplifies its themes with lovesick, lustful oldies.

Last season, the show was focused on Otis and Maeve’s underground advice business that catered to a rotation of wacky classmates with an arrange of sex problems. While

that’s still present, there’s an obvious emphasis on behalf of the showrunners to fully flesh out the lovable characters from season one and get the audience to similarly root for the new faces. Three characters, in particular, manage to gain sympathy fast: Adam, the school bully, Aimee, Maeve’s ditzy friend and Rahim, the new kid in school. “Sex Education” builds on Adam’s storyline in the new season to give the audience a deeper view of his abusive home life and his blossoming feelings for Otis’ effervescent sidekick, Eric. Their secret romance is only further complicated because of Adam’s inner turmoil and Rahim’s intense interest in Eric. The actors’ nuanced performance during key scenes ensure that this additional love triangle does not feel excessive — instead, it is just as poignant and intricate as the main pairing.

At one hour, the show is about the length of most other teen shows, but it utilizes every second of the eight episodes to maximize the amount of information and entertainment conveyed. Aimee, for example, goes through a jarring sexual experience that is both captivating to watch but thoroughly informative. The show doesn’t rely on Otis, or his sex therapist mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson), to deliver information about all of the different aspects of sex; it manages to do so through other characters in

VERDICT:

funny, weird and heartbreaking ways.

Just as the writers don’t shy away from the absurd situations that sometimes accompany sex, they also don’t turn away from its seriousness. The show is literally called “Sex Education,” and the viewer will definitely leave each episode with comprehensive knowledge about the subject.

Humor, star-crossed lovers and education aside, the show also has lovely, artistic shots that aren’t usually presented in a series where teenagers are the targeted demographic. The town of “Sex Education” exists in a liminal space that can be straight out of an American town in the 1980s — that is, if it weren’t for the British accents and the modern phones of the characters. This continues the tone of the first season, which makes for a tonally compatible series; the transition from the previous episodes into the new ones is seamless. These details could have clashed together if taken too extremely, but the setting establishes a vibrant color scheme that the characters carry into their wardrobes. There are neon stripes galore! Fortunately, the showrunners manage to strike a perfect balance between the rich landscape and the over-the-top outfits to produce wonderful shots. Even in scenes of high emotional intensity, it’s difficult not to notice the striking background.

The masterminds behind the show

are exceptionally adept using details like the characters’ clothing choices to establish a nostalgic theme; they maintain that reminiscent feel with the soundtrack. The soundtrack ranges from the 1970s to the 1990s, which not only makes for a unique listening experience, but adds a sense of cohesiveness to the show. “Sex Education”’s aesthetic is quirky, funny and charming; frankly, the show’s essence would be disturbed if it featured music from contemporary artists like Lil Uzi Vert or Justin Bieber.

There is only one deviation from the time period the soundtrack is grounded in, and it is obviously an intentional choice. In the latter half of the season, Anderson delivers a tear-jerking performance that is accompanied by Sufjan Stevens’ “Mystery of Love.” The euphoric melody, Stevens’ sorrowful voice and heartfelt lyrics are perfect for the scene and a great break from a soundtrack that is packed with oldies.

Season one left season two with some pretty big shoes to fill, but the cast and the writers manage to exceed expectations. Season two of “Sex Education” manages to intertwine amusing storylines, comedic characters, dismal situations and a literal sex education in a brilliant way. The season finale ends neatly, wrapping up secondary storylines but maintaining an ongoing conflict that sets up flawlessly for a season three.

■H

Season two of “Sex Education” will bring tears to your eyes with both its touching scenes and hilarious banter. If that’s not enough to keep you watching, the phenomenal shots of the colorful high school and the artfully crafted soundtrack will make it easy to binge-watch in a weekend.

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/arts

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

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KUCR Presents

OFF

R ecord the

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB ATTEMPTS TO BRING INDIE MUSIC BACK TOGETHER WITH ‘EVERYTHING ELSE HAS GONE WRONG’ MELISSA PEYKANI Contributing Writer

There was a period of time in which radio-friendly indie music had its Golden Age, when every song sounded slightly similar to one another. Every hit single had a self-reflective theme of youth or love or being a youth in love over a catchy synth beat, of course. This was not only true for Bombay Bicycle Club’s hit song “Always Like This” from 2009, but it is also still the case for their latest album, “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong.”

From the title alone, a listener would expect perhaps a more melancholy, self-reflective, lyrically mature album, but instead one finds themselves wondering if they have been listening to the same song for the last 41 minutes.

For a band that has been around for over 10 years, one would hope for a glimmer of change or some artistic growth. Instead, lead singer Jack Steadman sings on “I Can Hardly Speak” that he “got that ego, what do I know?” which is apparent, due to the band’s stubbornness to change with the tide of indie music.

Every track on the album has a similar format of synthsoaked instrumentation, a repeating and unchanged drum beat, maybe a sprinkling of trumpet and saxophone and backup vocals repeating Steadman’s lyrics. However, there are flashes of artistic progression with the song “Good Day” in which Steadman laments over the current state of the world with “The melting ice caps in my drink made me stop and think about time running out.” This is a poignantly relatable piece that reflects the general hopelessness that millennials and Generation Z feel on a regular basis. The lyrics echo the lack of control any of us really possess to combat issues like climate change, or the cult of toxicity that is prevalent in global politics — Steadman just ultimately wishes for “a good day.”

An additional bright spot on this album is the title track

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

“Everything Else Has Gone Wrong” which, similarly to “Good Day,” does not follow the conventional format of synth, drum and echoing lyrics the rest of the album unfortunately follows. The track “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong” is catchy without being annoying and features an electric guitar riff that works beautifully with Steadman’s spoken word like vocals.

Unfortunately, after the first five tracks on the album — like the title suggests — everything, indeed, goes wrong. What follows are six songs that blur together in an unspectacular one-note way that makes up the rest of the album. For so many bands similar to Bombay Bicycle Club that had their hay-day in the mid 2000s and 2010s, it is difficult to artistically progress without abandoning their original fan bases while still trying to appeal to new ones. For example, Arctic Monkeys, who have been

making solid indie rock music together since 2006, took a risk with their sound with 2018’s “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino,” which was negatively received by older fans of the band but appreciated by new audiences.

Conversely, the band Vampire Weekend, who have been making music since 2008, is able to make new projects that do not isolate fans of their older repertoire and still attracts new audiences. Regrettably, Bombay Bicycle Club has neither taken a risk with their sound for the sake of new audiences, nor do they appeal to their older audiences that want something different.

■H Verdict: Ultimately, “Everything Else Has Gone Wrong” is a background noise type of album. It’s best enjoyed while cleaning or studying, but not for a listener who is looking for an active and immersive listening experience.

NAMM 2020: A BRIEF GLIMPSE INTO THE GLOBAL MUSIC INDUSTRY

COURTESY OF NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MUSIC MERCHANTS

CONRAD TALAMANTES Contributing Writer

The National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) is the world’s largest music technology convention in the world. Held in Anaheim, California one January weekend every year, thousands of major and minor names in various fields of instruments and instrument accessories come together to showcase their newest products to buyers, investors and retailers from around the world. Fender, Gibson, Orange, Zildjan, Korg, Ableton — if you can think of a brand name for any musical tool, from guitars to speakers to musical triangles, you can bet that you’d see their booth at NAMM. This year the event was held from Jan. 16 to 19. And just like every other year, the KUCR team attended to provide coverage on what the next big things are in sound technology.

One of the more notable observations one would have about NAMM is seeing the vast and various cultures that all play a part in the music world. It’s not often you’ll find a stringy haired denim metalhead walking in front of a rainbow colored EDM DJ while, in the booth to the right of them, a Lakers jersey clad soul musician slaps a funky bass line. In NAMM, however, this blend of different

worlds is inevitable. Music encompasses all cultures, and chances are most of these very different people are using the same (if not similar) brands of tools to fully explore their artistic vision.

Still, NAMM isn’t just a place for the big brands to flaunt their popular products. Part of its charm comes from the countless displays that small independent businesses bring to the convention. This is where you can find truly weird and innovative instruments: the stuff you aren’t going to find at your local Guitar Center. Many of these brands have a small but impressive display in their booths with one-of-a-kind artwork, body shapes and a list of unique features. One guitar was the shape of a mermaid while a different booth had a guitar that was the shape of Bart Simpson’s head. We passed by one vendor who displayed a circular piano that the user stands inside. Another business specialized in making electric violins whose design emulated that of famous rock-and-roll guitars like the Flying V. It’s only natural that the largest musical instrument convention in the world would have big names performing in various capacities. I was lucky enough to attend one such performance to end my personal stay at NAMM 2020 with pianist Robert Glasper and multi-instrumentalist Terrance Martin. Both Glasper and Martin are giants in the jazz and hip-hop world. Besides their own critically acclaimed music, their collaborations and separate work are responsible for various key contributions to the music of Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Kanye West, to name just a few. A limited amount of first-come, first-served space was allowed in the tiny Korg room, where Glasper and Martin were joined by an entire band of neo-jazz heavy hitters. They took the small crowd on a wild exploration on the possibilities of sounds. Unexplainable time signatures, screaming horns and otherworldly keyboard tones filled the room with the tension, followed by a descent into relaxation as the horns drawled down to soft hum and proper clean piano keys and a repeat of the process.

For many musicians, NAMM is the closest one can get to pure bliss. There is something to be greatly admired about the sheer size of the music world. Across all cultures around the world, music is one of the few constants that brings its people together. NAMM serves as a monument to that fact.

While it is first and foremost a marketing event to sell products, underneath that is a celebration of all people and all things music.

■H

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HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

Men’s basketball defeats Cal Poly by over 30 points in a dominant fashion SOFIA GARCIA Contributing Writer

Last week, on Thursday, Jan. 23, UC Riverside’s men’s basketball team (139, 3-3) faced off against Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (4-14, 1-3) in an intense game that the Highlanders came out on top in. This game was played after two consecutive losses for the men’s team, and the game was being covered by ESPN3.

The game began with the lead shifting back-and-forth between the two teams and Cal Poly aggressively attacking the paint unsuccessfully. However, by halftime, Riverside had scored 48 points and Cal Poly had 29. The Highlanders kept the lead by playing smart and passing the ball to the open man. It was clear that UCR was communicating on the court and had no problem adapting and adjusting their strategy throughout the game to handle everything Cal Poly threw at them. With only eight minutes left in the game, Cal Poly instituted a full-court press. In the end, the Highlanders won by 33 points, 18 of which were scored by junior forward Arinze Chidom, who led both teams in scoring. Australian sophomore guard Dragan Elkaz also contributed 14 points and four three-pointers.

This week’s game was also played in honor of Coaches Versus Cancer and there was a moment of silence in memory of those who have been tragically lost

to cancer. The fight against cancer is a cause near and dear to the hearts of the coaches and the players. After the game, Head Coach David Patrick said that the team’s defense was better this week than the previous two games, and he predicted that next week’s game against Santa Barbara will be tough.

“We were defending for the most part, shot the ball well tonight, defended well, (Chidom) especially played well,” Patrick said. He believed that ESPN3 covering the game helped motivate the team to play better, stating, “I’d have ESPN out here every night!”

The Highlander also spoke to senior guard Dikymbe Martin and asked about winning after two consecutive losses. He responded, saying, “We weren’t playing up to our potential the last two games.”

Also, in response to ESPN3 covering the game, he said, “It’s a good feeling, being on TV, but we still play the same way.” He described the teamwork the team displayed, adding, “Communication is something they preach to us all the time, ‘talk it out.’”

Cal Poly kept attacking the rim offensively, but Riverside’s defense was stronger and their constant communication allowed them to easily adapt to overcome every strategy from the opposition.

Up next, on Thursday, Jan. 30, the Highlanders will battle against Long H Beach State (7-14, 2-3) in Riverside. ■

SOFIA BAUTISTA / HIGHLANDER

Highlander Hot Take: New WNBA labor deal will bring the league more popularity

COURTESY OF LORIE SHAULL /FLICKR

CALLIE LAWSON-FREEMAN Staff Writer

The WNBA has a widespread reputation for its lack of popularity in comparison to the NBA. The league is commonly criticized as “boring,” as critics declare that women are not able to perform the same exciting dunks that their male counterparts so often do.

However, the WNBA offers so much more than just dunking, and a recently drafted agreement stands to put players in a position to propel the popularity of the league.

As of Tuesday, Jan. 14, the WNBA and its players union have established a collective bargaining agreement that

will bring significant pay increases, as well as family and medical benefits to the league’s players.

With a rising frequency of buzzer-beating shots, engaging franchise players and a more equal distribution of talent than the NBA, the WNBA is a hidden gem.

Unfortunately, its positive attributes are mainly overshadowed in the media by coverage of the pay disparity between its athletes and those of the NBA. Issues facing WNBA players were generally known but brought to the forefront of conversation in August 2018. The Las Vegas Aces were scheduled to play the Washington Mystics, but the teams were forced to cancel the game hours before tip off after the Aces’ commercial flight was

cancelled. WNBA players waited for six hours in a Dallas airport and tweeted about the travel nightmare as some were photographed sleeping in the airport.

Over two years later, the new collective bargaining agreement will remedy some of the issues that the Las Vegas Aces’ travel fiasco and countless other incidents have exposed over the years. Initial thoughts surrounding the Aces incident were centered around the fact that NBA players charter private flights to all of their games and would never be caught sleeping in an airport. Although the WNBA had no control over the Aces’ flight being cancelled, they could have easily coordinated other sleeping arrangements for them. The comparison of the two highlighted an embarrassing neglect of WNBA players that arguably contributes to the league’s lack of popularity: WNBA players are not taken seriously enough.

According to CBS Sports, changes proposed in the new collective bargaining act include a “31% increase to the salary cap,” increasing it to $1.3 million and an increased maximum salary of $215,000 compared to $117,500 which will bring up the average league salary to $130,000. Players could also earn up to $250,000 in league marketing agreements and double that for “some top players.” Players will also receive improved mental health benefits, paid maternity leave with full salary, child care stipends, improved housing options for players and separate hotel rooms for players as opposed to shared one during travel.

Now, WNBA players will be able to live a lifestyle that will allow for discussion to move away from league mistreatment, and more toward the talent on the court.

WNBA players will no longer have to play overseas during the offseason, hide pregnancies or tweet through traveling nightmares. The new deal makes it clear that the league is finally investing in its players. It was broadly applauded as a landmark for the WNBA, and is “already paying off” as Connecticut Sun point guard Layshia Clarendon told the Washington Post. Athletes that feel taken care of and well represented can focus on their role in the game and be entertaining while doing so. This new collective bargaining agreement will also improve the public perception of the WNBA. ■H

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

SPORTS

TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

19

NFL Playoffs: The stories to know before the Super Bowl BY: Kevin Sanchez-Neri, Contributing writer

The NFL’s 100th season caps off with one of the most exciting Super Bowl matchups in recent memory — a historically great 49ers defense will take on a generational talent in Patrick Mahomes and his Kansas City Chiefs. In a year that saw five new teams enter the playoff arena, the 2019-20 postseason was no stranger to shockers and spectacle.

Here are the three narratives that led up to the big showdown.

The Titans shocked the football world — twice If you’re a fan of the underdog, chances are you were rooting for the Cinderella story that were the Tennessee Titans. The magic began during the Titans’ week seven matchup against the Broncos, when the team decided to bench the ailing Marcus Mariota in favor of backup quarterback and former Miami Dolphins starter, Ryan Tannehill. After that game, Tannehill led the Titans to a 9-3 record as a starter, reinvigorated his career and established Tennessee as a contender in the AFC. The Titans also enjoyed a breakout season from 6-foot-3inch running back, Derrick Henry. Henry took home this year’s rushing title, finishing the season with a whopping 1,540 rushing yards. Known for his explosive play-style and aggressive down-the-field running, Henry has imposed his will on nearly every team this year, and his play only improved during Tennessee’s playoff run.

With many rooting for the downfall of a dynasty, the Titans delivered. It is no small feat to make Tom Brady look his age, and the Titans defense did just that in their wildcard game, forcing two turnovers from the legendary QB — one of which came in the final moments of the game. Tennessee’s front seven showed up to play, accounting for several goal-line stops that kept the Patriots from pulling ahead. Derrick Henry ran for 204 total scrimmage yards, rendering New England’s defense completely ineffectual against the run.

In short, the Titans ended a dynasty on wildcard weekend — but their story doesn’t end there.

Next in line was the seemingly unstoppable Baltimore Ravens squad. Coming off Lamar Jackson’s electric 2019 MVP season, no one expected the Titans to put up a fight, much less, emerge victorious. Derrick Henry and the Titans defense had other things in mind.

Baltimore struggled to keep the ball safe, turning it over three times. Tennessee capitalized on all three mistakes and forced three additional fourth-down stops, propelling them to a 28-12 victory.

Within a two week span, the Titans toppled a dynasty and ripped out the hearts of the Baltimore faithful.

Mahomes on a mission

The Chiefs entered their divisional bout with the Texans with redemption on their minds – one year removed from a gut-wrenching AFC championship defeat to the New England Patriots. After falling 21-0 in the first quarter, the Chiefs were in danger of another disappointing postseason exit. Just as the game seemed to be slipping away from Kansas City, the Chiefs offense exploded, scoring 28 points in the second quarter alone giving them the halftime lead.

Muffed punts and dropped passes proved costly for the Texans, as they only managed to put up a measly 10 points, not nearly enough to keep them in the game. The Chiefs’ wild comeback victory put the world on notice and lifted Patrick Mahomes to modern-day icon status after one of the greatest playoff performances in sports history.

The Chiefs went on to take care of business against the Titans in the AFC Championship. After a convincing

10-point lead early in the game, Kansas City again stormed back with their high-octane offense. They were able to establish a 21-17 lead going into halftime, in large part due to Mahomes’ brilliant 27-yard scramble into the endzone with 23 seconds left in the first half.

The Titans’ Cinderella run ended on Championship weekend with a 35-24 defeat. Up next for Mahomes and company is the pinnacle of sports entertainment: Super Bowl LIV

Kirk Cousins likes that: more heartbreak in New Orleans If you tuned into last year’s postseason, then you might have heard about the Rams controversial overtime win over the New Orleans Saints which was thanks in large part to a missed pass interference call.

Kirk Cousins and the Vikings traveled to New Orleans to take on a heavily energized Saints squad looking for a shot at redemption. Despite efforts from the likes of the multi-position phenom, Taysom Hill, who delivered a 50-yard strike to rookie WR Deonte Harris, the Saints were unable to get out of their own way. Minnesota’s defense forced three turnovers from QB Drew Brees and Vikings DE Everson Griffen sacked Brees early in the first half, limiting the Saints’ scoring. Cousins on the other hand, delivered spectacularly. With the game on the line, Cousins threw a 43-yard bomb to Adam Thilen, setting up the Vikings for the game-ending touchdown, and putting to rest any concerns about his ability to perform under the spotlight.

In a close game that came down to a costly penalty and a missed field goal, New Orleans fell 26-20 to the Minnesota Vikings.

Superbowl Preview A recent report suggests that executives around the league believe the Chiefs will “win big” against San Francisco, per Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report.

This headline should come as no surprise, especially after a dominant two-week playoff run orchestrated by an speed-heavy offense. Not to mention, the Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes on the roster to lead the charge. The Chiefs offensive powerhouse isn’t afraid to run either, with Damien Williams showing flashes of speed and reliability in the red zone and Mahomes’ uncanny scrambling prowess. While the Chief ’s offense may be explosive, San Francisco’s defense excels the most against such offenses. The 49ers have allowed only 2 completions of 30 or more air yards in the 2019 season, including the postseason per NFL Network. Niners QB Jimmy Garrapolo has proven to be reliable all year long, and RB Raheem Mostert is coming off a 200-plus yard game against the Packers. Predicting the victor has never been more precarious, but one thing’s for certain, this year’s Super Bowl is sure to be among H the most anticipated sports games of the new year.■

Sports 20 TUESDAY, JANUARY 28, 2020

HIGHLANDER // highlandernews.org/sports

Women’s basketball falls short in close games to Cal Poly SLO and Hawaii DAMIAN GARCIA Contributing Writer

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

Coming off of a thrilling 66-61 weekend win against UC Santa Barbara (8-9, 3-1) the Highlanders were looking to establish a winning streak against Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo (4-11,1-3) on Thursday, Jan. 23.

Although three Highlanders were able to post double figure scoring nights, a lackluster offensive line in the final quarter allowed the Mustangs to mount a comeback. In the end, UC Riverside (6-12, 2-2) fell 75-70 away from home against a determined Cal Poly.

The first half of the match was all Riverside. The Highlanders were able to shoot 54% from the field, with 15 of their 38 points coming from beyond the three-point line. At the end of the initial 20 minutes, UCR went into halftime with a 38-30 lead over Cal Poly.

Senior guard Jannon Otto led the way for the Highlanders with 17 points and six rebounds. Otto was able to maintain the same level of play from her big night against UC Davis. Junior guard Keilanei Cooper contributed 15 points and grabbed nine rebounds. The third Highlander to score in double digits was senior forward Marina Ewodo, who finished with 16 points.

Although UCR was able to maintain a steady lead for the majority of the second half, it never increased past double digits. It was a lack of concentration on the free-throw line that began to diminish UCR’s lead single points at a time. Although the Highlanders were leading the conference in free-throw percentage (.742) prior, this match saw them

deviate from their previous matches and go 7-14.

The momentum shifted toward Cal Poly in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter.

With a 70-66 lead in favor of the Highlanders, Cal Poly’s freshman guard Abbey Ellis and junior forward Sierra Campisano stepped up to combine for the final nine points of the match. The Highlanders were unable to respond properly. UCR missed their three final shots while also committing two turnovers on their final possessions.

A similar battle on the court ensued as they hosted Hawaii (9-10, 3-3) on Saturday, Jan. 25. Although the Highlanders trailed for the majority of the first half, a half-time energy burst led to a 15-5 run that brought them within two of Hawaii at 40-38. UC Riverside was able to erase a 12-point deficit from the first half.

The Highlanders were adamant on staying in the game. Late in the fourth, with under two minutes of play, UCR was only four away from Hawaii at 61-57.

On a loose ball, sophomore guard Lauryn Pointer was penalized with a flagrant foul.

Hawaii capitalized on a pair of free-throws, essentially securing the victory.

Otto demonstrated her consistency, scoring even more than in her previous outing as she led with 21 points and six rebounds .Ewodo’s offensive creativity also led to her scoring 16 points and 12 rebounds, earning her third double-double of the season.

The Highlanders will be on the road again as they take on Long Beach State (8-10, 3-2) on Thursday, Jan. 30.

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Men’s tennis opens season with long Arizona trip

CALLIE LAWSON-FREEMAN Staff Writer

UC Riverside’s men’s tennis (3-2) team started their season with a long trip to the desert, where they played five Arizona teams on a road trip that spanned from Jan. 17 to 20. During the packed weekend the Highlanders faced Ottawa University Arizona, Arizona Christian University, Grand Canyon University, University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University.

On Friday, Jan. 17, the Highlanders kicked off their season-opening trip with a 7-0 shut-out win against Ottawa University Arizona (0-1). The first doubles match was a close one, with sophomore Andreas WhelanMeridiz and freshman Daniel Velek fighting for the 7-5 set victory, while the Highlanders won the other doubles sets 6-0 and 6-3.

Senior Nabil Abdullah also won the first singles match 6-4 and 7-6 to prevent a third set.

UC Riverside remained undefeated when they faced Arizona Christian University (0-1) and Grand Canyon University (0-5) on Saturday, Jan. 18. The 7-0 win against Arizona Christian was overwhelming in singles and doubles, with the Highlanders never giving up more than three points in a set.

The second win of the day was even more exciting, as it marked the first time the Highlanders defeated Grand Canyon University since 2014. The hard-fought 4-2 victory was highlighted by two 6-2 doubles match victories in the number two, which were played by senior Gilbert Chung and senior Nabil Abdallah; additionally, the

COURTESY OF UCR ATHLETICS

number three doubles matches were won by Whelan-Merediz and Velek.

Whelan-Merediz, Chung and Velek all went on to win their singles matches to secure the win. “The win versus GCU was big for us, especially after losing 0-7 to them last season. It was nice to see such a turnaround. In this specific match, everyone contributed to the win, it was a real team win,” Head Coach Mattias Johansson said in an interview with The Highlander.

The Highlanders saw their first loss of the season on Sunday, Jan. 19 against the University of Arizona (4-0). The Pac12 Wildcats were placed just outside of the

national preseason AP Top 25 poll and did not concede a single match to the Highlanders in the 7-0 defeat. Johansson said, “It is never fun to lose big, but if you are going to do that, this was a good match to do so, versus an outstanding team!” He continued, “U of A is a great team like several teams in the Big West and I feel we have closed the gap to the top teams — and we are heading in the right direction.”

UCR bounced back on Monday, Jan. 20 in hopes to end their desert trip with a win against Northern Arizona University, but failed in a 5-2 loss. Losing all three doubles matches, the Highlanders were forced to rely

on singles play points, where Chung and freshman Nikita Horunzhy were the only Highlanders to secure a win. “Guys were definitely physically worn out by the NAU match, but that’s how it is when you play tennis for UCR,” Johansson said. He added, “I think we played our worst match as a team versus NAU. I’m convinced the score would have been different if this would have been one of the first matches of the trip, but the point is that guys must be able to perform even if they feel worn out.”

Next, UCR will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada on Friday, Jan. 30, to battle against the University of Hawaii (0-3).

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