01.12.12 | UCSD Guardian

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2012 WWW.UCSDGUARDIAN.ORG VOLUME 45, ISSUE 22 INSIDE THURSDAY Height: 4 ft. Wind: 3-7 mph Water Temp: 59 F FRIDAY Height: 3 ft. Wind: 2-5 mph Water Temp: 59 F SATURDAY Height: 3-4 ft. Wind: 1-4 mph Water Temp: 59 F SUNDAY Height: 4 ft. Wind: 2-6 mph Water Temp: 59 F LOW $3.51 Valero, San Diego - South 2029 La Media Rd. & Airway Rd. HIGH $4.39 Chevron, Pacific Beach 1575 Garnet Ave. & Ingraham St. THURSDAY H 70 L 42 FRIDAY H 70 L 41 GAS PER GALLON NIGHT WATCH FORECAST SPOKEN SATURDAY H 71 L 45 SUNDAY H 63 L 45 As Per Usual .......................... 2 New Business ........................ 3 Spin Cycle ............................. 4 Letters to the Editor............... 5 Best of 2011 .......................... 6 Sudoku .................................. 9 Sports .................................. 12 THURSDAY FRIDAY That’s the challenge and excitement of competing in the MPSF conference. We face the best night after night.” KEVIN RING MEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH SATURDAY SUNDAY SURF REPORT BY JAVIER ARMSTRONG AND JJ MAGALLON Staff Writers Roots, UCSD’s first vegan restaurant, opened Monday, Jan. 9. According to UCSD spokesperson Christine Clark, the restaurant — located in Muir College below Pines dining hall — is part of a growth plan initiated approximately five years ago; the growth plan itself is part of a master plan developed in 2000. The plan, which included the 2009 closures of Muir College dining hall Sierra Summit and Mexican restaurant Mercado, designated Roots as Mercado’s replacement.   Housing, Dining and Hospitality wants the all-vegan restaurant to reflect the department’s commitment to serving the dining requests of the campus community, Clark said in an email.   “It’s a healthier option for everyone,” Muir Senator Elizabeth Garcia said about Roots. The Stewart Commons Dining Renovation and Roots restaurant construction started Jan. 1, 2010. Pines dining hall, which replaced Sierra Summit, cost an estimated 8 million for its year-long construction, according to “Facility Design Project of the Month, Nov. 2010: The Pines” published Nov. 1, 2010 in Foodservice Equipment and Supplies Magazine. According to a March 15, 2011 report released by UCSD Facilities Design & Construction, Roots cost an estimated $792,000 in construction fees. The restaurant will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. As with all dining halls, the restaurant will accept dining dollars.  “I think that Roots will be popular because Muir is located near the center of everything,” Garcia said. Aside from Roots, one more restaurant is scheduled to open on campus within the next two years. University Centers is in the final stages of approving a new Mexican restaurant at the Old Student Center to replace the Grove Café, which A.S. Council shut down in Spring Quarter 2010. According to “Admin. Consider Grove Café Replacement,” published Sept. 30, 2010 in the Guardian, the Grove Café, which was previously a student-run venture, left A.S. CAMPUS LIFE New Vegan Restaurant Opens in Muir College STUDENT ACTIVISM STUDENTS ORGANIZE “RADICAL RUSH WEEK” BY NICOLE CHAN Associate News Editor Students from the People’s Assembly at UCSD and the Student Sustainability Collective are hosting Radical Rush Week to strengthen and expand the campus activist community. For the event — which will run from Jan. 11 to Jan. 18 — organizers are arranging buses to next week’s Jan. 19 UC Board of Regents meeting at UC Riverside. “We want to recreate the energy we had when tents appeared in front of Geisel Library [last quarter],” Thurgood Marshall College senior and organizer Kevin Quirolo said. “We would like to get more core people who are really involved and not just on the sidelines. The central goal is creating more of an activ- ist community. We already have one, but [we want] to expand the one that exists and make it more visible to the public eye.” According to Quirolo, Radical Rush Week was created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of January 15, 1992 — the date on which UCSD police broke into the General Store to seize the building after failed negotiations between Groundwork Books and UCSD administration. According to the Nov. 7, 2004 UCSD Guardian article “Property of UCSD?”, then- University Center Director Jim Carruthers had informed Groundwork Books that it had 30 days to decide whether or not to become a commercial vendor or to be controlled by the university. Radical Rush Week celebrates the enduring Co-op Union and hopes to continue the development of a progressive political community on campus, Quirolo said. The week-long rush features different events at and around the Old Student Center, ranging from panel discussions at Porter’s Pub, performances, workshops and a documentary marathon at Groundwork Books. Radical Rush Week culminates Jan. 18 with buses leaving from campus to UCR for the UC Regents meeting. The first event, a panel on “U.S. militarization from Guantanamo to Home Soil,” coincides with an international day of action for Guantanamo Bay. Sociology professor Charles Thorpe, visual arts professor Ricardo Dominguez, literature and ethnic studies professor Fatima El-Tayeb and literature professor Luis Martin-Cabrera hosted the first discussion Jan. 11 at the Porter’s Pub. panel “Reclaim Education: Why We Must Act,” which continues today at Porter’s Pub. Radical Rush Week continues with Disorientation Day, a quarterly event that See RADICAL, page 3 See ROOTS, page 3 “SOMEDAY I’LL BE A REAL BOY” ANDREW OH/CALIT2 Mexican restaurant also planned to open next year in Old Student Center, replacing Grove Cafe. ANDREW OH/GUARDIAN Visual arts professor Ricardo Dominguez was one of the participants at People’s Assembly’s “Radical Rush Week” kickoff panel at Porter’s Pub on Jan. 11. HEY GIRL, IT’S THE BEST OF 2011. PAGE 6 UCSD researchers funded by the National Science Foundation are creating a realistic robot named Diego-San at Calit2.

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THURSDAY JANUARY 12, 2012, VOLUME 45, ISSUE 22

Transcript of 01.12.12 | UCSD Guardian

Page 1: 01.12.12 | UCSD Guardian

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2012 WWW.UCSDGUARDIAN.ORGVOLUME 45, ISSUE 22

INSIDEThursdayHeight: 4 ft.

Wind: 3-7 mphWater Temp: 59 F

fridayHeight: 3 ft.

Wind: 2-5 mphWater Temp: 59 F

saTurdayHeight: 3-4 ft.Wind: 1-4 mph

Water Temp: 59 F

sundayHeight: 4 ft.

Wind: 2-6 mph Water Temp: 59 F

LOw

$3.51Valero, San Diego - South 2029 La Media Rd. & Airway Rd.

HIGH

$4.39Chevron, Pacific Beach1575 Garnet Ave. & Ingraham St.

ThursdayH 70 L 42

fridayH 70 L 41

GAS PER GALLONNIGHT WATCHFORECAST SPOKEN

saTurdayH 71 L 45

sundayH 63 L 45

As Per Usual ..........................2New Business ........................3Spin Cycle .............................4Letters to the Editor ...............5Best of 2011 ..........................6Sudoku ..................................9Sports ..................................12

Thursday friday

That’s the challenge and excitement of competing in the

MPSF conference. We face the best night after night.”

Kevin RingMEN’S VOLLEYBALL HEAD COACH

“saTurday sunday

SURF REPORT

BY JAVIER ARMSTRONG AND JJ MAGALLON Staff Writers

Roots, UCSD’s first vegan restaurant, opened Monday, Jan. 9.

According to UCSD spokesperson Christine Clark, the restaurant — located in Muir College below Pines dining hall — is part of a growth plan initiated approximately five years ago; the growth plan itself is part of a master plan developed in 2000. The plan, which included the 2009 closures of Muir College dining hall Sierra Summit and Mexican restaurant Mercado, designated Roots as Mercado’s replacement.   

Housing, Dining and Hospitality wants the all-vegan restaurant to reflect the department’s commitment to serving the dining requests of the campus community, Clark said in an email.   

“It’s a healthier option for everyone,” Muir Senator Elizabeth Garcia said about Roots.

The Stewart Commons Dining Renovation and Roots restaurant construction started Jan. 1, 2010. Pines dining hall, which replaced Sierra Summit, cost an estimated 8 million for its year-long construction, according to “Facility Design Project of the Month, Nov. 2010: The Pines” published Nov. 1, 2010 in Foodservice Equipment and Supplies Magazine.

According to a March 15, 2011 report released by UCSD Facilities Design & Construction, Roots cost an estimated $792,000 in construction fees.

The restaurant will be open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. As with all dining halls, the restaurant will accept dining dollars.  

“I think that Roots will be popular because Muir is located near the center of everything,” Garcia said.

Aside from Roots, one more restaurant is scheduled to open on campus within the next two years.

University Centers is in the final stages of approving a new Mexican restaurant at the Old Student Center to replace the Grove Café, which A.S. Council shut down in Spring Quarter 2010. According to “Admin. Consider Grove Café Replacement,” published Sept. 30, 2010 in the Guardian, the Grove Café, which was previously a student-run venture, left A.S.

cAMPuS LIFe

New Vegan Restaurant Opens in Muir College

STuDeNT AcTIVISM

STuDeNTS oRGANIze “RADIcAL RuSH Week”

BY NICOLE CHANAssociate News Editor

Students from the People’s Assembly at UCSD and the Student Sustainability Collective are hosting Radical Rush Week to strengthen and expand the campus activist community.

For the event — which will run from Jan. 11 to Jan. 18 — organizers are arranging buses to next week’s Jan. 19 UC Board of Regents meeting at UC Riverside. “We want to recreate the energy we had when tents appeared in front of Geisel Library [last quarter],” Thurgood Marshall College senior and organizer Kevin Quirolo said. “We would like to get more core people who are really involved and not just on the sidelines. The central goal is creating more of an activ-ist community. We already have one, but [we

want] to expand the one that exists and make it more visible to the public eye.”

According to Quirolo, Radical Rush Week was created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of January 15, 1992 — the date on which UCSD police broke into the General Store to seize the building after failed negotiations between Groundwork Books and UCSD administration.

According to the Nov. 7, 2004 UCSD Guardian article “Property of UCSD?”, then-University Center Director Jim Carruthers had informed Groundwork Books that it had 30 days to decide whether or not to become a commercial vendor or to be controlled by the university.

Radical Rush Week celebrates the enduring Co-op Union and hopes to continue the development of a progressive political community on campus, Quirolo said. The week-long rush features different events at and

around the Old Student Center, ranging from panel discussions at Porter’s Pub, performances, workshops and a documentary marathon at Groundwork Books. Radical Rush Week culminates Jan. 18 with buses leaving from campus to UCR for the UC Regents meeting.

The first event, a panel on “U.S. militarization from Guantanamo to Home Soil,” coincides with an international day of action for Guantanamo Bay. Sociology professor Charles Thorpe, visual arts professor Ricardo Dominguez, literature and ethnic studies professor Fatima El-Tayeb and literature professor Luis Martin-Cabrera hosted the first discussion Jan. 11 at the Porter’s Pub. panel “Reclaim Education: Why We Must Act,” which continues today at Porter’s Pub.

Radical Rush Week continues with Disorientation Day, a quarterly event that

See Radical, page 3

See Roots, page 3Researchers at UCSD’s California Insitute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) are working on a realistic robot called Diego-San.

“someday i’ll be a Real boy”

Andrew Oh/CALIT2

Mexican restaurant also planned to open next year in Old Student Center, replacing Grove Cafe.

Andrew Oh/GuArdIAn

Visual arts professor Ricardo Dominguez was one of the participants at People’s Assembly’s “Radical Rush Week” kickoff panel at Porter’s Pub on Jan. 11.

Hey giRl, it’s tHe best of 2011. Page 6

UCSD researchers funded by the National Science Foundation are creating a realistic robot named Diego-San at Calit2.

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Closed QUArters By Kat Truong

CSU Students Protest Reinstated Israel Study Abroad ProgramBY KASHI KHORASANIStaff Writer

The CSU Office of International Programs has reinstated its study abroad program to Israel after an almost decade-long suspension. Cal State students at or above junior-level standing can still submit late applications for the program, which will start sending students to the University of Haifa in Fall 2012. CSU and UC officials froze their study abroad programs to Israel due to security concerns after the U.S. State Dept. issued a travel warning during the Second Intifada in 2002. Also known as the second Palestinian uprising, this was a period of height-ened Palestinian-Israeli violence that resulted in a large amount of civilian casualties.

The travel warning remains in effect, but CSU Director of International Programs Leo Van Cleve announced last calendar year that study abroad to Israel would be reconsidered due to pres-sure from Jewish organizations, legislators and Israeli diplomats.

“We had an external group as well as our own risk assessment manager and our Director of International Programs travel to Israel and do an assessment of the security situation,”

CSU Spokesperson Erik Fallis said. “That assess-ment came back and it was felt that the excep-tion could be made based on the conclu-sions of both the exter-nal party and our own.”

The UC system conducted its own risk assessment in 2008 and began sending students to Israel again in Fall Quarter 2009.

Both decisions — to initially shut down, and later reboot the program — were founded only on security mat-ters, according to Ines DeRomaña, UCEAP Principal Security Analyst.

“There were clearly security issues for several years, and then we were able to reinstate it in 2009-10 when the security situa-tion improved,” DeRomaña said. In late 2009, 389 signatories endorsed a letter to then-UC Davis Vice Provost William Lacy protest-

ing the system-wide reinstatement on the grounds that the program would be inherently discriminatory against Muslim and Arab students. A similar open letter was sent to CSU Chancellor Charles Reed a few weeks ago, with endorsements from students, alumni, staff and some-70 faculty members.

This letter cited a State Dept. doc-ument that confirms that U.S. citizens with Muslim or Arabic names have, on occasion, been given “Palestinian Authority Only” passport stamps.

The letter also called for a com-parable program in Palestine, and included other arguments pertaining to safety and limited university funds.   “We received the letter, but they did not meet with us. It did not affect the program’s reinstatement,” Fallis said. “It was solely a security decision. We have a policy that when a state is put onto a list of travel warnings by the US State Dept., then we do not have our students travelling to those loca-tions. There is built into the policy the possibility of exceptions being made.”

Fallis said that the sole pro-

gram to Israel will be coordinated by the CSU system-wide office with a single Israeli research uni-versity, the University of Haifa. “The university that was cho-sen did appear to be in a more secure location,” Fallis said. Thurgood Marshall College sopho-more Emmanuelle Berdugo studied at Hebrew University last quarter through the UC Education Abroad Program. “Overall the experience was amaz-ing; I wasn’t stopped from doing anything I wanted to do except for going to the West Bank,” Berdugo said. She also spoke of the mea-sures taken at universities to ensure the safety of students. “Even when I entered my dorm, I had to show my ID card. To enter the school you have through metal detectors and your back-pack is checked,” Berdugo said. According to Fallis, a CSU risk assessment team was also dispatched to Mexico late last year, but it is unknown how far along the process is.

Readers can contact Kashi Khorasani at [email protected].

oPinionThe choice should come from the students. PAGE 4.

Page 3: 01.12.12 | UCSD Guardian

THE UCSD GUARDIAN | THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2012 | www.UCSDGUARDIAN.oRG 3

Survey Showed Student Interest in New Mexican Restaurant

After three councilmembers resigned at the end of last quarter, the room seemed

a little empty Wednesday night.A.S. President Alyssa Wing and

Associate Vice President of College Affairs Leonard Bobbit took the extra responsibilities of speaker and clerk respectively, which kept the meeting running s m o o t h l y .

A s s o c i a t e Vice President of Student Services Leigh Mason announced that, although it doesn’t seem so from the outside, CLICS is currently open as an available study space for students.

Engineering Senator Parminder Sandhu is still excited about engineering-on-a-stick, a free hot dog-on-a-stick event originally planned for last quarter that was delayed to Week Four of this quarter.

“I taste tested the product yesterday and it is amazing,” he said. “Make sure you get a lot of mustard.”

He later opened up a straw poll to determine the proper ratio of cheese-on-a-stick to hotdog-on-a-stick, and more specifically, the ratio of classic cheese on a stick versus pepper jack cheese-on-a-stick.

These are some major life-changing decisions and council treated the issue with respect.

Wing gave an update on the Division I referendum, which students will vote on later this quarter.

“It has gone through [the Office of the President],” she said. “The [student vote on] the referendum will likely be pushed back from Week Five, which I announced last fall.”

Vice President of Finance and

Resources Kevin Hoang announced that applications have opened for the now-vacant Associate Vice President of Student Organizations. The former AVP, Lynne Swerhone, resigned last quarter following the approval of the Division I referendum.

W i n g mentioned that the application for Associate Vice President of Local Affairs is also open after the former AVP Ryan

O’Rear resigned for personal reasons.

The new Speaker, Jesus Romero, was elected Wednesday night. Vice Chancellor Penny Rue dropped by with updates about various campus affairs, including mid-year UC budget cuts of approximately $200 million.

“Mid-year revenue did not keep up with [the state’s] optimistic projections,” she said. “The mid-year cuts will be absorbed by UC reserves, but we will probably feel it in the next fiscal year.”

Councilmembers were on the edge of their seats when Vice President of Student Life Meredith Madnick announced the first Councilmember of the Week for the quarter.

“The first Councilmember of the Week is Associate Vice President of Student Advocacy Bryce Farrington!” Madnick said.

Despite the traditional “Moves like Jagger” playing for him, Farrington opted for a slow high-five walk around the tables.

Four other members of council had an opportunity to strut their stuff in a council-wide audition to represent council in the Kappa Alpha Theta KAT walk. Work it, guys. Bring sexy back to council.

Council Fills Vacant Positions, Debates Cheese and Hotdogs

NewNATALiE [email protected]

Business

features live music, spoken word, workshops and film screenings. As part of Disorientation Day this Friday, Jan. 13, the Black Student Union, People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty through Education, the Food Co-op, the General Store and Company 157 Theater Production, among other student orgs, will be tabling and recruiting in the Old Student Center for students to protest the UC Regents meeting.

According to the event’s Facebook page, members from the resource centers, campus departments, faculty and staff will attend. Disorientation Day culminates with Disorientation Disco, a benefit concert for the Che Café hosted by MEChA. The concert, organized by MEChA officer Amanda Baines, will

feature live music from local bands The Shag Rats, The Sloths, The Short Eyes and Eskera.   The organizers of Radical Rush Week also aim to educate students on why they choose to protest, Sixth College junior and organizer Sean Estelle said. “Part of the reason we planned radical rush week was to hopefully get more people involved rather than just the core group,” Estelle said. “We want to educate the people about the issues of why we protest.” Radical Rush Week, unique to

UCSD, intends to increase student activism on campus, Quirolo said.

“A lot of it is because there isn’t a lot of political consciousness on this campus compared to other UC campuses,” Quirolo said. “There may be, but it’s focused more on national events and not the events that affect us here. There are a lot of politics that affect us here, like the California

government and the Regents.”

Readers can contact Nicole Chan at [email protected].

▶ Radical, from page 1

Council with $180,000 in debt. The space has since been relinquished back to University Centers. No opening date for the new venue has been set.

“We have designated the space for an authentic Mexican restaurant, something along the lines of a taco shop,” University Centers Advisory Board Director Sharon Van Bruggen said.

Van Bruggen said that the restaurant proposal will be

distributed publicly as soon as possible, although a 2012 opening is unlikely.

Van Bruggen added that that University Centers made the decision to recruit a Mexican survey after gauging student interest via a survey about food options and that she hopes the new restaurant will increase traffic in the Old Student Center.

University Centers must obtain approval from the campus retail committee before leasing the

space. Retail Committee takes into account the nearby businesses in order to gauge whether or not a new restaurant would hurt the existing vendors financially. University Centers will then write a request for proposal. Once the proposal is approved and distributed publicly, restaurants can apply to lease the space.

Readers can contact Javier Armstrong at [email protected].

▶ Roots, from page 1

Join The Guardian.Because ucsD Doesn’t Have a Journalism Program. apply aT ucsdGuardian.orG/Jobs.

“We want toeducate the people about the issues of why we protest.”

sean estelleRADiCAL RuSH WEEk

ORgANizER

People’s Assembly to Bus Students to Next Regents Meeting

Page 4: 01.12.12 | UCSD Guardian

OPINIONMadeline [email protected] THe ediTOR

4 THe UCSd GUaRdian | THURSdaY, JanUaRY 12, 2012 | www.UCSdGUaRdian.ORG

Gov. Jerry Brown has basically given California voters an ultimatum in an attempt to

shore up the 2012-13 state budget. Either we approve his proposed five-year $35-billion tax increase in

the coming November elections, or California public school funding will get cut — in the form of a $4.8 billion slash to a strained education system.

But these are just numbers, and it is difficult to see past the -illions. Let me put it more concretely: If California voters don’t vote in this tax increase, then the public school year could be shortened by a full month.

Let’s put aside the fact that California public schools have suffered terrible budget cuts recently, especially after Brown’s 2011-12 budget fiasco. And let’s also put aside the fact that due to this budget fiasco, the school system was forced to swallow a $330 million in cuts with the crucial effect of losing state funding for school bus services. Instead, let’s take a look at the other side — the tax increase.

Brown is betting on the fact that his $94-billion budget will balance itself once voters approve billions of dollars in tax hikes in November. It’s a budget gimmick at its very best, a prediction that billions of dollars of excess revenue will emerge out of the cracks of the American wallet and fix the budget. In short, he is crossing his fingers and hoping that voters care enough about public schools to forgo personal wants and needs.

And now, reports are emerging that Brown’s projected tax increase is an over-exaggeration — a $1.5-billion overexaggeration.  According to the Legislative Analyst’s Office and the Los Angeles Times, Brown’s initiative would generate only $5.5 billion, a far cry from his projected $6.9-billion intake. He is too liberal, it seems, in his estimated tax intake from top-income earners.

This column isn’t a rant against politics. It’s a rant against cheap tricks and risky ultimatums — the result of bad politics. There is no quick-fix solution to this mess of a political issue, but Brown need not be married to the idea of this tax increase for the sake of a tax increase. Other options, pursued by more economically successful states like New York, center on tax codes designed to promote economic growth. It’s a plan that has been promoted by the state commission a couple years ago — a new one is in the works right now. It’s time to listen up.

So in summary: California’s 2012-13 budget is not balanced. It is far from balanced. Gov. Jerry Brown hopes that voters will vote in a several billion-dollar tax increase, because without it, the budget will stay unbalanced. And to do so, he is threatening to make even greater budget cuts to an already struggling public school system. Schools will lose valuable teachers, maintenance staff, school buses and possibly even a full month of the school year.

I miss free food.

Untangling the Mess of a Costly Ultimatum

Spin Cycle

Margaret yau

UCSD found itself the center of a racial controversy at the end of last year. The Civil Rights Division of the U.S.

Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the UCSD Medical Center on Dec. 6, 2011 for employment hiring practices that supposedly discriminate against non-U.S. citizens.

The lawsuit claims that the medical center expressly required its non-citizen applicants to provide a green card as a verification of employment, though other forms of identification like Social Security cards or driver’s licenses were sufficient for U.S. citizens. According to the nationwide Immigration and Nationality Act, anti-discrimination laws prevent employers from placing unnecessary verification burdens on potential employees due to national origin or citizenship.

In response to the lawsuit, the UC San Diego Medical Center settled, agreeing to pay $115,000 in a civil penalty charge but more importantly, to implement new hiring practices free of discrimination from nationality or citizenship. In addition to supplemental human resources training for their personnel, the

department is set to ensure that compliance with employment eligibility verification extends to the rest of the University of California.

It is certainly a win on the employee discrimination front, but the financial effects of having newly hired non-citizens turn out to be illegal immigrants provides more negative consequences for the state than good. A study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform claims that illegal immigrants cost the state $10.5 billion a year. These kinds of consequences are the reason why the center is so stringent with application documentation in the first place, but that does not make such discriminatory practices acceptable.

What is important is that these violations of federal discriminatory law do not happen again in UC campuses or elsewhere. These laws were put there for a reason — to give potential job seekers with non-citizen credentials a fair chance in the job market. Employment eligibility verification ought to be standardized across the board based on proof of residency — citizenship cards or green cards — in order to keep the field level.

Medical Center Hiring Practices Need to be Standardized for Non-Citizens

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is flaring up again. A petition was placed on the desk of the California State University

Chancellor last month claiming that an Israel study abroad option is an endorsement of apartheid. This letter — signed by 81 CSU faculty members and 46 students and alumni — cites concerns over safety, discrimination, budget cuts and political issues related to the lack of an equivalent study abroad program in Palestine. These are legitimate concerns of student protection and funding that exist for many other travel abroad programs, but not enough to prevent thousands of students from seeking a first-hand education in Israel. The issue of the Israel-Palestine conflict is extremely complex, but if there is a demand to study in Israel, CSU should allow its students to pursue it in the name of education. CSU initially brought the Israel study abroad program to a halt in 2002 because the country landed on the U.S. State Department’s travel-warning list. The petition that came out in early December insists that students face dangers in Israel, citing events where one American student lost an eye and another was killed in 2010, though they were not in Israel as part of study abroad programs. While these are unfortunate instances, the issue of safety goes deeper because there are other factors to consider.

Safety is a concern for many study abroad destinations — some arguably more dangerous than Israel. To go on a study abroad trip is an inherently dangerous decision — from diseases, to crime, to the naïveté that comes with living in a foreign country. Dr. Samuel Edelman, executive director of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East, insists that the idea that Israel is unsafe for students is a way to de-legitimize the country. Statistics on the safety of different abroad programs are difficult to come by, as many students live at universities not affiliated with their U.S. college. Yet, every country has its horror stories, such as a University of Colorado student who contracted a serious case of E. coli in India in 2005, a Barnard College student who was raped in Mexico in 2001 and three St. Mary’s College students who were attacked while studying in Guatemala in 1998. Therefore, if universities cut off ties with every abroad destination that threatened a student’s safety, students wouldn’t manage to cross any borders.

Additionally, the CSU isn’t planning on sending their students over to Israel with no support — instead, the system sent its director of international programs and its risk assessment manager to the country to scope out the safety of the current environment. The University of California did its own safety assessment and was

able to reopen the travel abroad program in 2009. As long as safety measures are taken and students understand the possible dangers, CSU students should have the option of studying in Israel.

And the reality is, students do want the option. According to the most recent Open Doors data (generated by the Institute of International Education), demand to study abroad in Israel increased 60.7 percent from the 2008-09 academic to 2009-10. Currently, Israel is pushing 17th place for most popular study abroad location, with 3,146 American students visiting in the 2009-10 academic year.

There is value to be derived from studying in a historically rich place like Israel, which also holds the title of being the only democratic country in the Middle East. One major complaint addressed in the petition against the abroad program was that students could face discriminatory treatment in Israel based on race and ethnicity. This is a reality, but a school system should not hold a student back from studying in a country where human rights violations occur, because traveling abroad can be an essential opportunity to move out of one’s comfort zone and experience how the other half lives. Discrimination occurs in every country, which

Controversy Abroad Safety concerns and political turmoil have threatened the CSU system Israel study abroad option,

but in the end, student interest and study abroad benefits will determine its viability.

Angela ChenEditor in ChiEf

Arielle SallaiMargaret Yau

MAnAging EditorS

Madeline Mannopinion Editor

hilary LeeASSoCiAtE opinion Editor

EditoriAL BoArd

The UCSD Guardian is published twice a week at the University of California at San Diego. Contents

© 2011. Views expressed herein represent the majority vote of the editorial board and are not

necessarily those of the UC Board of Regents, the ASUCSD or the members of the Guardian staff.

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photo illustration by rebekah hwang/Guardian

See AbroAd, page 5

ediTORialS

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THe UCSd GUaRdian | THURSdaY, JanUaRY 12, 2012 | www.UCSdGUaRdian.ORG 5

Dear Editor, The position taken by today’s

editorial “The Fine Print” is repre-hensible to say the least. I’m hoping its central location on the opinion page does not signify its endorse-ment by the Guardian’s Editorial Board. The author implies that dis-crimination against transgender and gay employees is OK if there will be more Carl’s Jr.s in California. It boggles my mind that the Guardian would allow such statements to be printed. I’m used to disagreeing with libertarians, but this was just too much. There’s a pretty simple solu-tion to not paying for discrimination lawsuits: Don’t discriminate.

Furthermore, I do hope that when all of you undergraduates (including the author) graduate, you find a job that provides government-required benefits and aren’t fooled into taking a job as an “independent contractor” just because the CEO doesn’t want to cut into his bonus. Why be “pro-business” if doing so only helps the few at the top, which most of you will never be? Being pro-economy necessarily requires being pro-worker.

In conclusion, I’m sorry to say that these regulations don’t just “sound appealing,” they are ethically mandatory.

—Rene Patnode

Ph.D. studentDepartment of Sociology

Dear Editor,Students at Phillips Academy

Andover can take four classes per semester in high school only if three of them are AP. Otherwise, they take five classes, and a few, with permis-sion, take six. Over 300 students from that prestigious prep school alone matriculated at Harvard or Yale over the past decade (an aver-age of 15 at each per graduating Andover class).

Other Andover students include, on average per graduating class: 12 matriculating at Stanford; 11 at U Penn; 10 at Columbia; nine at Princeton; eight at Georgetown, Duke and Brown; seven at Cornell, Johns Hopkins and Dartmouth; six at U Southern Cal, Tufts, and Amherst; five at NYU, Boston U, U Chicago, MIT and Washington U-St Louis; four at Trinity College (Conn.), Carnegie Mellon U, Middlebury College, Boston College, and Geo. Washington (D.C.); three at Vanderbilt U, Northwestern U, Tulane U, Bowdoin College and U Michigan (Ann Arbor).

Mindless racking-up-of-points to skip the freshman year isn’t as important as gaining admission.

Some California public high schools over-emphasize quantity — for example, North Hollywood High has had students take with them 20, 21 or even 22 AP tests scoring 4 or 5 to UCLA or Cal.

—Richard ThompsonAlumnus ‘83

The MenTal fiShbowl By Alex Nguyen

Israel Waivers Provide an Alternative Option

leTTeRS TO THe ediTOR

▶ The Guardian welcomes letters from its readers. All letters must be addressed, and written, to the editor of the Guardian. Letters are limited to 500 words, and all letters must include the writer’s name, college and year (undergraduates), department (graduate students or professors) or city of residence (local residents). A maximum of three signatories per letter is permitted. The Guardian Editorial Board reserves the right to edit for length, accuracy, clarity and civility. The Editorial Board reserves the right to reject letters for publication. Due to the volume of mail we receive, we do not confirm receipt or publication of a letter.

Worker Protections Are Not Optional

must mean the true area of contention is the political implication that comes with an American university system endorsing trips to Israel.

 This is a matter of academic freedom — the freedom for students to study and experience worlds outside of their own. David Klein, a mathematics professor at CSU Northridge and the man spearheading the petition, says the fact that CSU can actively cut ties with “institutions that participate in apartheid” is in fact an exercise of academic freedom. He rationalizes this statement by comparing it to the United States preventing its students from traveling to Nazi Germany during World War II. Ultimately, the Israel-Palestine conflict is such a complicated issue that it is difficult to determine what is correct. Many countries have political enemies (for instance, we have study abroad programs in Seoul, but not Pyongyang) and there are not arguments about why there aren’t programs in both sides of those conflicting states — therefore, the demand for

equal programs in Palestine and Israel is an overreaching request. There are some ways that CSU students could still travel abroad to Israel without the school system showing a preference of Israel over Palestine. According to Adrian Beaulieu, dean of international studies at Providence College, it has been a common trend since 2004 for universities to put bans on study abroad trips to Israel, but students can get around the bans by fulfilling requirements, such as gathering signatures for specialized waivers. Stacey Tsantir at the University of Minnesota, explains that petitions to study in Israel are one of the most common and are often approved. Therefore, CSU could essentially ban trips to Israel without stifling those who are especially committed to the journey.

It is most important to make sure that the students are properly educated in order to make an informed choice on studying in Israel. It shouldn’t matter if 81 faculty members are against the program — the choice has to come from the students.

▶ AbroAd, from page 4

Quality Education Trumps Quantity

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“Midnight in Paris” isn’t Woody Allen’s best, but it just might be his most fun. While wan-dering the streets of modern-day Paris, a down-on-his-luck screenwriter (Owen Wilson) hitches a ride aboard a time-traveling stagecoach to a prohibition-era soirée hosted by F. Scott Fitzgerald. From there, he shoots the shit with Hemingway, submits his novel to Gertrude Stein, falls in love with Picasso’s muse and has a particularly memorable run-in with Salvador Dalí (a show-stealing Adrian Brody) among many others. The result is

The BesT of 2011

The Guardian & hiaTus presenT

FeaTurinG: ryan GoslinG, Bon iver, Beyonce, saxophones, The arTisT & BreakinG Bad.

selecTed By:Ren ebel • Hiatus editoRaRielle sallai • Managing editoRandRew wHitwoRtH • associate hiaTus ediTorillusTraTions By jeFFrey lau/guardian

BesT filmsThe Artist

Somewhat of a curveball coming from the lead actor-director team behind “OSS 117”: Austin Power’s more subtle, more French counterpart “The Artist” proved not only a fond love letter to the golden silent era of film, but one of the most beautifully composed and perfectly cast showbiz films of the last decade. Amidst this year’s sea of high-budget, high-tech critical darlings, “The Artist” reveled in minimalism — reinforcing the sheer power of profound singular images (Jean Dujardin’s downtrodden antihero George Valentin is consumed by quicksand in a scene from a box office flop), adventurous storytelling, and, of course, the incomparable artists themselves — an ensemble seemingly plucked from 1920s Hollywood helmed by John Goodman, James Cromwell, Berenice Bejo and the im-mensely talented Dujardin. (RE)

If you didn’t think Softie “The Notebook” Gosling could transform into a shotgun-toting, en-gine-revving, head-stomping badass, you were dead wrong. Insert “Bronson” director Nicolas Winding Refn’s eye for style and passionate love for American car-fetish exploitation films of the 1970s and a strangely unnerving villain courtesy of Albert Brooks, and you’ve got a match made in action pulp heaven. Admittedly, there’s nothing all that smart about “Drive” (save for a certain instant-classic kiss scene), but that’s precisely what made it so refreshing. And with gripping performances from all parties and a near perfect score (Kavinsky’s excellent “Night-call” conjuring images of leather interiors and purple neon-lit overpasses long after you’ve left the theater), brains are simply better left splattered on Ryan Gosling’s boot heel. (RE)

See films, page 8

Some 50 feature films into his tremendously influential career, Werner Herzog, master of the documentary, shows no signs of easing. “Into the Abyss” profiles Michael Perry, a Texas death row inmate responsible for a senseless triple homicide during a carjacking. Aside from the film’s stark, “In Cold Blood”-esque objectivity and illuminating interviews with not only the accused and the victimized but also the families, friends, accomplices, lovers, law enforcement and lethal injection technicians involved, “Into the Abyss” is above all else a confirmation of Herzog’s expert storytelling and willingness to stray from the dramatic web of accusation and loss that is the criminal justice system, focusing in-stead on the hopes and poetic humanity of the condemned. (RE)

Drive

Into the Abyss

Midnight In Paris

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THE UCSD GUARDIAN | THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2012 | www.UCSDGUARDIAN.oRG 7

BesT songs“Countdown” - Beyonce

There’s not a lot of monogamy on the pop charts these days (just a lot of crotches, courtesy of Rihanna and LMFAO), which is what makes Beyonce’s marital bliss on “Countdown” such a joy to hear. In a playful paradox, the singer proclaims her loyalty to her man (You’re still the one I need / I will always be with you) over music that’s far less unified, throwing in a random assortment of sounds dating back from the ’70s to the ’90s, including a Boyz II Men sample, afrobeat horns and schizo drumlines. (AS)

“Holocene” - Bon Iver“Holocene” is the kind of sublime acoustic song everyone can cry to. It’s elusive — bandleader Justin Vernon’s falsetto is mostly unintelligible and many lines sound like they should end in an ellipses (the chorus-closer “I could see for miles, miles, miles”) — but the movement of the rising and falling chords make it the perfect song for a lost highway. (AS)

“County Line” - Cass McCombs

Cass McCombs has raked in the Dylan comparisons over the course of his quiet career, and “County Line” — the organic and minimal Nashville Skyline-like ballad off this year’s fantastic Wit’s End — has become prime evidence among critics. But beneath the creeping bassline, liquid organ bliss and paper-thin drumbeat lies the wrenching croon and surreal imag-ery of a confident artist all his own. (RE)

“Bay Of Pigs” - Destroyer“Ambient disco” is not necessarily a genre known for infectious music (or, for that matter, existing), but 2011 was just that kind of year. The 11-plus minute closer on Destroyer’s blissfully bougie Eurotrip Kaputt builds slow-moving synth ambience under Dan Bejar’s abstract poetry to a psychedelic sing-a-long groove, falling comfortably between high art and radio gold. (RE)

BesT alBumsBon Iver, Bon Iver - Bon Iver

Bon Iver, Bon Iver is the perfect example of a band using their sophomore album to establish their aesthetic while managing to evolve their sound in the process. Containing everything from abstract folk to one of the year’s sincerest attempts at soft rock (the inevitably uplifting “Beth / Rest”), Bon Iver represents one of the most well-developed folk al-bums released in quite some time. Bon Iver is also home to an inimitable anthemic quality, with tracks like “Holocene” and “Perth” standing out as some of the most TV drama soundtrack-ready songs of the year. Bon Iver never succumbs to saccharine emotionalism though, with Justin Vernon’s abstract, often perplexing lyrics providing the perfect accom-paniment to all the melodic poignancy. (AW)

What do you get when you combine a warbly, heavily accented voice, sparse keyboard work, and the occasional off-kilter drum machine? Surprisingly, the most innovative electronic album of 2011. Refining his blend of emotive pop, minimal R&B and skittering electronic manipulations, Blake managed to meet (if not exceed) the hype created by his astounding string of EPs in 2010. On songs like “I Mind” and “To Care (Like You),” Blake engages in the kind of skewed, almost dance floor-ready abstraction that made his early EPs such revelations. Whether he’s cooing daintily (as on the ethereal “Lindis-farne” suite) or dropping beats, Blake consistently imbues his music with the kind of anything-goes attitude towards compo-sition so often absent in recent dance music. (AW)

The record in 2011 most capable of evoking a specific aesthetic space was without a doubt Destroyer’s excellent Kaputt. Meditative ambient drift, disco rhythms, and a variety of delightful woodwind solos provide the perfect foggy bed for Bejar’s poetic, often absurd ramblings. This is a substantial change for Bejar, whose earlier albums tended towards either jangly rock or theatrical computer-driven soundscapes. Particularly remarkable is Bejar’s willingness to cede key emotional moments to his talented studio band: Many of Kaputt’s finest moments can be found in the ambient synthwork or the aforementioned woodwind solos. These elements all combine to create one of 2011’s most complete, masterful sonic experiences. (AW)

“Niggas In Paris” - Jay-Z and Kanye West“What’s 50 grand to a mothafucka like me?” asks Jay-Z in Kanye West col-laboration “Niggas In Paris” — a line that would make any Occupy Wall Street protester shake a fist. Fortunately, it’s hard to be resentful when the stars are having so much stupid fun — emphasis on the stupid. Exhibit A: Kanye rhymes “Jay” with “fish fillet.” Exhibit B: The comedy “Blades of Glory” is sampled — twice. Clearly, intelligence isn’t their game. Instead, being stoked off wealth and fame is, and it’s a lot more fun that way. (AS)

“You Can Count On Me” - Panda BearThough Panda Bear’s Tomboy hardly lives up to his 2007 release Person Pitch, album highlight “You Can Count On Me” had the year’s best vocal melodies not already re-released by the Beach Boys. (AS)

“Lotus Flower” - RadioheadThom Yorke usually sounds freaked out, but on “Lotus Flower” he breaks out his inner Prince and gets sexy. In a dreamy falsetto he describes un-furling with a woman like lotus flowers (whatever that means), with only double-tracked drums and a handclap here and there disrupting the flow; for once, the focus is solely on the groove. (AS)

James Blake - James Blake

Kaputt - Destroyer

Take Care - Drake

At a time when everyone from Common to the fake Ghostface Killah blog seems to be convinced of Drake’s inadequacy as a rapper, it’s universally surprising that Drake would be the source of one the year’s best hip-hop albums. On Take Care, Drake skillfully shifts between sparse, dark R&B introspection (“Shot For Me,” “Marvin’s Room”) and more straightforward rap tracks like the excellent Rick Ross collaboration “Lord Knows.” Even on the album’s more ambitious songs (see the Jamie xx-sampling title track), Drake proves his skill in any environment, displaying a versatility rare among rappers these days. (AW)

See songs, page 8

See albums, page 8

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a witty comment on our grass-is-greener romanticization of the past, and a vi-brant history lesson from one of cinema’s most celebrated living auteurs. (RE)

MORe BesT FILMs▶ films from page 6

The MuppetsYou’d be forgiven for thinking that a Muppets reboot, 12 years after the last veritable yet critically lukewarm theatrical effort “Muppets from Space,” might not exactly be a surefire family winner for the digital age. But the duty of breathing life into these lovable puppets’ dusty vaudevillian humor could not have been placed in better hands. The glowing (human) costars Jason Segel and Amy Adams, Segel’s own charming and consistently hilarious script, a few relentlessly catchy show-stoppers penned by Flight of the Conchords’ Bret McKenzie and a load of phenomenal cameos (never again will you witness Zach Galafianakis singing with the voice of Joanna Newsom) all land “The Muppets” a bright spot alongside the best of Henson’s cherished oeuvre. (RE)

Tree Of LifeThough critics panned “Tree of Life” for its sheer overreaching ambition (ex-hibit A: an extended sequence chronicling the creation of the universe takes us on an detour to a world of CGI dinosaurs and single-celled amoebae), Ter-rence Malick’s return-to-form after his five-year hiatus can hardly be called an artistic flop. Brad Pitt and Sean Penn deliver expectedly brilliant performances and Malick’s breathtaking photography (understatement) and non-linear nar-rative so effortlessly capture the pitfalls of machismo and disjointed memories of childhood loss. Most captivating, however, is the simple story of these kids — the most realistic and emotionally spot-on portrait of brotherhood I’ve experienced in the theater. (RE)

MORe BesT sONgs▶ songs from page 7

“Are You…Can You…Were You (Felt)” – shabazz PalacesShabazz Palaces is full of contradictions. Discordant beats mix with top-pling piano chords, creating a sound that would be totally chaotic if not for the easy flow of ’90s jazz-rap legend Ishmael Butler (Digable Planets), who unifies the track with one cool refrain — “It’s a feeling!” Indeed, and the best hip-hop of 2011. (AS)

“Bizness” – tUne-yArDsBe jealous, Adele; though she won’t be featured on “Vh1 Divas” anytime soon, tUnE-yArDs’ Merrill Garbus has a voice that’s impossible to ignore. On “Bizness” she aims for every note — from deep croons to a symphony of short, high-pitched yelps — giving every second of the track at least a taste of her soulful wails. (AS)

MORe BesT ALBUMs▶ albums from page 7

Father, Son, Holy Ghost - girls A cherished lo-fi band’s transition to a polished, high fidelity sound is always a dicey prospect, particularly for a group as thoroughly hyped as San Francisco’s Girls. On Father, Son, Holy Ghost, their sophomore album, Girls defy this tendency, taking advantage of their cleaner sound to create one of 2011’s most well-crafted rock albums. What makes the album so exceptional is Girls’ ability to evoke diverse facets of rock music’s past (notice the contrast between the Queens of the Stone Age-evoking “Die” and the airy folk of “Just a Song”) without ever sounding uninspired or overly referential. (AW)

Smoke Ring For My Halo - Kurt Vile In a year whose best albums were often characterized by glittery synthesizers, R&B crooning and saxophone, Kurt Vile was perhaps the staunchest defender of traditional, no-bullshit American rock & roll. On tracks like “Society is My Friend” and “Runner Ups,” Vile pairs lush layers of guitar with his gritty, pessimistic drawl. His loose sense of composition and keen ear for melody make Smoke Ring for My Halo almost endlessly re-listenable. (AW)

Space is Only Noise - Nicolas JaarPairing minimal techno’s affinity for sound design and rhythmic experimentation with a skewed pop sensibility reminis-cent of peer Matthew Dear, Space is Only Noise represents one of the most exciting of 2011’s large crop of dance crossover records. That it is such a success is in part due to Jaar’s relentless effort to fill every inch of his compositions with atmo-sphere. Even when instrumentation is at its most minimal (see the standout “Space is Only Noise if You Can See”), Space is replete with synthesizer texture, fascinating samples and almost unnoticeable rhythmic subtleties. (AW)

Black Up - shabazz PalacesFrom the stark, hipster-baiting “PBR&B” of Frank Ocean and The Weeknd to the loose, absurdist update of Southern rap championed by A$AP Rocky and Main Attraktionz, 2011 saw a lot of hip-hop’s boundaries being challenged. None were as revolutionary as Shabazz Palaces, whose blend of dusty jazz samples (a relic of rapper Ishmael Butler’s days in Digible Planets), the damp sonic experimentation of UK dubstep, and neo-tribal Africanisms made for some of the most strik-ingly unique music of the year. Equally stunning are Butler’s lyrics, which float effortlessly between abstraction, clever wordplay, and mysticism. Throughout Black Up, which morphs continuously due to Butler’s refusal to linger too long on any one musical idea, Shabazz Palaces prove themselves to be one of the most creative, free-spirited bands of 2011. (AW)

House of Balloons - The WeekndOver the course of three remarkably consistent albums, Toronto’s The Weeknd quickly became one of the year’s most fascinating (and often mysterious) new artists. Though all three 2011 releases are excellent, it’s on House of Balloons, the first part of the trilogy, that The Weeknd does the best job at creating the dark, druggy R&B on which they made their name. On tracks like the moody “The Morning” or the depraved two-part epic “House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls,” singer Abel Tesfaye spins desperate tales of drug abuse and sexual manipulation over spacious, atmospheric R&B. What’s most remarkable is the extent to which Tesfaye uses the three albums to create a remarkably cohesive narrative presence, hammering out a complete persona that makes his work absolutely captivating. (AW)

Smother - Wild Beasts2011’s most underrated album belongs to falsetto-loving UK pop quartet Wild Beasts. Though it was far more restrained than their 2009 near-classic Two Dancers, this year’s Smother showcased the band’s keen ear for composition, as well as their ability to evoke a great deal of tension with a minimal palate. Each song on the album, from the lusty stomp of “Plaything” to “Loop the Loop”’s, heartsick musings, uses the same set of sparse musical tools: tasteful guitar, deliberate drumming, and the occasional synthesizer or piano line buried relatively low in the mix. In spite of their Spartan musical ingredients, Wild Beasts use excellent songwriting chops and R&B’s sense of vocal drama to create one of the year’s most refined, emotionally visceral albums. (AW)

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The BesT of The resTBesT TV sHOWBreaking Bad

There is something innately satisfying about watching someone go evil. There is something even more satisfying about watching Bryan Cranston of “Malcolm in the Middle” fame discover the depths of his capacity to poison kids and plant bombs in order to get exactly what he wants. Four seasons in, and the show considered “Weeds” on, well, meth has continued to show off its ability to produce more stunning cinematography, exuberant acting and witty dialogue in each 45-minute episode than lesser dramas could produce in an entire season.

It’s a series that doesn’t take itself too seriously, the murders and tortures and meth aside. Even when the season villain Gus (played with particular aplomb by Giancarlo Esposito) gets half of his face blown off by a bomb, he manages to casually step out of the room and straighten his tie before crumpling to his death in a completely disgusting, nearly funny display of justice. “Breaking Bad” certainly knows how to send its villains out with style, until that is, you realize the show’s greatest villain is still alive. It’s now just the protagonist.

BesT NeW ARTIsTKendrick Lamar

Cut from the same cloth as Big Boi’s Sir Lucious Left Foot and Kanye’s landmark My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kendrick Lamar’s debut Sec-tion.80 proved much more than well-funded imitation. Like Kanye, Lamar’s work brims with ambition: he weaves his dynamic stories through the interjections of a mysterious fireside narrator, and his production is big and bold — full of samples and unexpected vocal melodies, often resembling fully developed songs rather than mere beats.

Surprising however, and unlike Kanye, Lamar does not concern himself with maintaining stale rap conventions of narcissism and wealth, instead rapping about ethnic lines, apathy, self-medication and the disillusionment of Reagan-era youth. Even more surprising: it isn’t corny — a mark that can be attributed to Lamar’s cutting-edge hip-hop sensibilities, and the simple fact the guy is damn smart. Who knew some of the year’s most intellectu-ally gratifying lyrics and drippiest weed jams would come from the same album?

Kendrick did, of course. “You wonder how I could talk about money, hoes, clothes, God and history all in the same sentence,” he spits on elec-trifying jazz closer “Ab-Souls Outro.” If this is hip-hop’s new direction, get excited.

INsTRUMeNT OF THe YeARsaxophone

One of 2011’s most surprising musical developments was the emergence of the saxo-phone as an omnipres-ent feature of many of the year’s best albums. From the wild, glee-ful squeals on M83’s “Midnight City” to the plaintive, medita-tive solos that decorate Destroyer’s monumental Kaputt, the sax was an almost inescapable part of 2011’s musical landscape. Even the previously-withdrawn Bon Iver joined in the sax frenzy, employing avant-jazz baritone sax master Colin Stetson to contribute to many of Bon Iver, Bon Iver’s fin-est moments. Everyone from Lady Gaga (on the ridiculous “Edge of Glo-ry”) to indie pop weirdo Eleanor Friedberger (see “My Mistakes”) indulged in a little sax action, contributing to the formerly-maligned instrument’s baffling (but welcome) rise to prominence.

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T H E U C S D G UA R D I A N | T H U R S DAY, J A N UA R Y 12, 2012 | W W W. U C S D G UA R D I A N . O R G 9

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THE UCSD GUARDIAN | THURSDAy, jANUARy 12, 2012 | www.UCSDGUARDIAN.oRG 11

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12. One-to-one learning with world-renowned faculty.

Every year, UCSD graduates choose the PharmD Program at the Universityof Michigan College of Pharmacy. In fact, nearly 20 percent of ourPharmD enrollment is comprised of alumni from California universities.

What accounts for Michigan’s popularity among Golden Staters? First, we are consistently ranked among America’s top pharmacy schools. Secondly,we consider a lot more than GPA and PCAT scores when evaluating yourapplication.

Earn your bachelor’s degree at UCSD, and then earn your PharmD at U-M.That’s what many UCSD students do every year.

To learn more about the PharmD Program at Michigan, visit our Web site atwww.umich.edu/~pharmacy. Or contact the College of Pharmacy at 734-764-7312 orat [email protected].

Still looking for a reason to make Michigan your pharmacy school? Consider these:

Your future never looked brighter.

Olympic training center, and clocked times fast enough to make the Sri Lankan National Team. Running in the Asian Athletics Championships in Japan, Merrill won the Bronze Medal with a time of 56.83 to solidify her spot in the 2011 World Championships in Daegu, Korea. There she ran a 57.05, her second fastest career time, but failed to make the finals. Now, Merrill continues to train with U.S. Olympian Sheena Tosta in Chula Vista, where both athletes are preparing for a run at the 2012 London Olympics — all this from an athlete who nearly saw her college career come to a close after being forced to undergo reconstructive surgery to repair a torn ACL her freshman year.     Merrill is not the only Triton to graduate and continue training. Linda Rainwater, UCSD’s school record holder in the high jump at 5’10.5”, continues to train in preparation for the U.S. Trials. Rainwater became the NCAA Division II Champion in the high jump in 2010 and the national champion in the heptathlon in 2008. Since graduating in 2010, she has been working as a volunteer coach for the UCSD track team. Kelly Fogarty and Stephanie LeFever joined Rainwater as assistant coaches upon graduating in 2011. Fogarty was only tenths of a second off the U.S. Nationals Qualifier last year with a time of 11.52 in the 100m school record and her 23.55 school record in the 200m. Fogarty also garnered All-American her senior year. LeFever came in second last year at the NCAA National Championships in both the high jump and the heptathlon. Her long jump distance was within three inches of qualifying for the Olympic Trials.    The dedication and ability shown by our alumni is indicative of our school becoming an academic as well as an

athletic presence. UCSD is showing signs of becoming much more than our popular bumper sticker: “The smart ones.” We have as much to boast about our brawn as our brains. Our athletic program is evolving into something bigger than Division II athletics, a division that is becoming more and more obsolete. UCSD is becoming good enough to stand toe-to-toe with the big dogs of Division I.  We have the coaches, like Brian McManus and his perennially competitive women’s soccer team, Charity Elliot with her No. 2-ranked women’s basketball team and Patti Gerkins leading our softball team to a 2011 NCAA National Championship. Senior Alex Henley, who picked up her third NCAA Championship title last year, was nominated for Division-II Athlete of the Year honors and is looking for more national titles this year in addition to an Olympic dream. I myself am a two time-reigning NCAA Champion in the javelin, and I am determined to take another national title on my way to competing at the London Olympics.    The outside world has already taken notice of the ground-breaking research that UCSD is doing — they may soon be recognizing the university for the athletes it’s producing. Unfortunately, our student body doesn’t seem to realize how good we really are, and how good we will be in the future. For a glimpse of UCSD’s athletic prowess, check out the No. 2 nationally ranked women’s basketball team this Saturday against the only other undefeated team in the CCAA. A win on Friday will signal the best starting record ever for the Tritons, and more widely may signal to the student body that our athletic department is something to be proud of.

Join The GuardianBecause ucsD Doesn’t Have a Journalism Program. aPPLY onLine aT uCSdGuardian.orG/JoBS.

In the campaign, Eberts led the Tritons with a match-high 14 kills, along with three service aces and five assists. Brunsting did well in directing the offense, setting up opportunities for Andrullis, who finished with six kills, and junior opposite Johl Awerkamp, who recorded eight kills. “After some adjustments on our part we came back and beat Hawaii in three sets the second night, earning our first ever victory over the Univ. of Hawaii in Hawaii,” Ring said. “It was a nice confidence boost for this team to get an MPSF road victory so early in the season.”   On Wednesday, Jan. 11, No. 14 Loyola-Chicago swept the Tritons in their first official home game of the season. In the first set, the Tritons raced out to a 6-1 lead off three consecutive points from Lennon. But the momentum then swung to Loyola-Chicago’s side, as the Ramblers ended the set 21-25.    UCSD kept it close in the second set, going down 23-25, and forced the overtime in the third set, although UCSD faltered defensively and ultimately fell 25-27. The Tritons were just edged in kills, with the Ramblers tallying 40 to the Tritons’ 37. But UCSD really struggled on its side of the net. The Tritons committed 22 errors to Loyola-Chicagos’ 13. Lennon led the Tritons in the attack with 13 kills, a season high for the sophomore, while fellow sophomore Brady put up substantial figures, with nine kills on two errors. But UCSD’s normal standout, junior Eberts had a difficult night, ending the game with a -.071 hitting percentage, recording seven kills on nine errors. The loss drops the Tritons back down to .500. UCSD will now look to bounce back, as the players hit the road in preparation for two more non-league matches in the Grand Canyon tournament to be held in Phoenix, Ariz.

On Saturday, Jan. 14, the Tritons face the New Jersey Institute of Technology and on Sunday, Jan. 15, UCSD will take on the hosts, Grand Canyon University. The Tritons’ next MPSF match will be against the top team in the country, No. 1 UC Irvine, but Ring says UCSD is all too excited for the bout. “That’s the challenge and excitement of competing in the MPSF conference,” Ring said. “We face the best night after night.”

Readers can contact Rachel Uda at [email protected]

▶ HOWE, from page 12▶ mEn’s vOllEyball, from page 12

Tritons to Play in Grand Canyon Tournament Olympic Goals for UCSD Postgrads

John hanacek/GUardian

Page 12: 01.12.12 | UCSD Guardian

SPORTSRACHEL [email protected] THE EDIToR

12 THE UCSD GUARDIAN | THURSDAy, jANUARy 12, 2012 | www.UCSDGUARDIAN.oRG

By Rachel UdaSports Editor

This season, the men’s volleyball team goes forward after graduating Phil Bannan, who head coach Kevin Ring

called “probably the best player we’ve ever had.” Bannan — All-MPSF Second Team selection as well as UCSD school record holder in assists and service aces — is replaced by sophomore setter Mike Brunsting, brother of senior All-American UCSD outside hitter Roxanne Brunsting. The sophomore leads the Tritons with 77 assists this season. “New players, either returners who played a back-up role the previous year or new players to this year’s squad are now put in a position where they can take the

reins,” Ring said. “Mike Brunsting, a back-up setter last season, is now our starting setter. Sebastian Brady started last year as a freshman, but with Calvin Ross finishing his eligibility we now have Greg Smith and Fred Stahl geared up and ready to play the middle blocker position.” In 2012, UCSD will contend with inexperience while in one of the most competitive conferences in the country. With only one senior on the roster, UCSD’s starting seven is made up of five underclassmen and two juniors — freshmen Chris Andrullis and Kevin McGinnis, sophomores Mike Brunsting, Vaun Lennon and Sebastian Brady. “Where there is a lack of match experience there is also a level of ‘youthful’ exuberance,” Ring said. “I like the hard work and dedication of the guys on this year’s

squad. We want to raise our ‘low end’ level of play, at the same time working to raise the bar for how well we can play.  If we can do both, we’ll be making incremental improvements throughout the season.” UCSD is 2-2 in 2012, beating Brandon College in an exhibition match 3-1 before splitting games with the University of Hawaii. Playing at the University of Hawaii campus, UCSD lost the first match in straight sets, but rebounded on the following day to win 3-0. Ring’s young squad seems to be stepping up to the learning curve. In their 0-3 loss to Hawaii, the Tritons recorded a .000 hitting percentage on 26 kills and 26 errors. The next day, UCSD rallied to upset No. 11 Hawaii in a game that was broadcast on Fox College Sports Pacific.

Fencing Places Third at Colorado Invite

UCSD’s swimming and diving team swept Claremont Mudd Scripps in their first conference meet.

nolan thomas/GUardian

MEN’S/WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

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VS CSU EAST BAYVS CSU MONTEREY BAYVS NEW JERSEY ITVS GRAND CANYON UNIVERSITY

UPCOMING

UCSDGAMES

By MaRgaRet yaUManaging Editor

UCSD Men’s and Women’s Fencing took to Colorado Springs, Colo. on Sunday, Jan. 8 and Monday, Jan. 9 for their first meet of 2012, the NCAA West Invitational hosted by Air Force Academy. The women’s team placed third overall, although the Tritons got good results from Division I competi-tion, first and second place finishers Northwestern and Stanford. The women defeated Cal Tech 26–1, Air Force 16–11, the University of Florida 14–13 and Swarthmore College 24–3. The women’s team was carried by junior Lexy Stanley and sophomore Munira Gesner, who finished with sabre records of 13–4 and 12–4 respectively. Sophomore Amrit Khalsa led the Tritons in foil with a score of 10–5, and senior Casey Gilcrist took epee, going 9–5. The men’s team placed fourth overall behind the University of Notre Dame, Air Force and Stanford, who placed first, second and third respectively. The Tritons had winning records against Cal Tech 25–2, Florida 20–7 and Swarthmore 23–4. Junior Joseph Schenkel had an impressive showing in foil, posting a score of 12–3 and sophomore Luc Ginestet went 12–6 in epee. Other strong showings were posted by freshman Adam Campbell-Kruger with a 12–6 in epee and sophomores Bryan Abilay (10–8) and Nick Bartuzik (9–6) made impressive showings in sabre. Both fencing teams will compete this weekend, Jan. 13 to Jan. 16 at the Division I Junior NAC competition in Portland, Ore.   

Readers can contact Margaret Yau at [email protected]

    Graduation’s just as daunting for UCSD athletes as it is for any other undergraduate. Like any other postgrad, most find what work they can or head to graduate school. But for some, the end of college does not mean the end of their sports careers. This goes without question at schools like UCLA, Oregon and USC, whose top-round draft picks in the NFL

and NBA make headline news in much bigger newspapers than our humble Guardian. It may seem a surprise then, that even UCSD — a Division II school — has its share of world-class athletes on the rise.     Christine Merrill is a name that headlined many an article in this publication. Merrill is the school record holder and 2009 NCAA Division II national champion in the 400 hurdles. Following her success in La Jolla, Merrill continued to train at the Chula Vista

Left, Center

Nick [email protected]

Tackle

Student-Athletes Find Success After Graduation

See mEn’s vOllEyball, page 11

Facts &Figures

14Number of kills Carl Eberts

recorded in the men’s volleyball team’s upset over No. 11 University of Hawaii.

20.0The average scoring margin for the women’s basketball

team.

57.04Freshman Jaclyn Amog’s race-winning time in the

100m in UCSD’s last meet.

14-0The women’s basketball team’s overall record this

season.

1-7The men’s basketball team’s record in CCAA play in the

2012 season.

nolan thomas/GUardian file

Men’s Volleyball Preview

nolan thomas/GUardian file

The men’s volleyball team is 2-2 heading into the Grand Canyon tournament this weekend.