ySPORTS
RCC percussionists win big
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yLIFE
Artist shares personal insights
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yOPINIONS
Editorial: Protect immigrants
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viewpoints An Associated Collegiate Press two-time national Pacemaker award-winning newspaper, serving as the voice of the students since 1922.
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VOL. XCIX, NO. 12
APRIL 26, 2018
Students voice safety concerns
Incidents and department location leave Cosmetology students feeling unsafe, isolated
Oversight toward Riverside City College’s Cosmetology department has left many students feeling unsafe. JOSHUA BURCIAGA STAFF REPORTER
Every school has a duty to provide a learning environment that is both safe and sound, but this oath hasn’t been less honored at Riverside City College’s Cosmetology department. Alyssa Lerme takes day classes at the Cosmetology department and voiced her concern about the lack of security, she said that there was an incident where a student’s car was broken into while attending class. “I don’t think there’s a lot of great security, I don’t see a lot of it here,” she said. Despite her concerns, Lerme said she feels safe. Salma Khan, another day student, recalls how a woman was arrested in the parking lot for verbally harassing one of her friends. Other than that, Khan has not experienced any other instances where her safety or the safety of others were at risk. While many day students said they feel relatively safe, night students do not share the same view, indicating that safety issues
each group of students faces are incredibly different. Monica Carlin, a night student, expressed how the safety of nighttime students has been jeopardized around the facility. “There have been times where I’ve felt a bit uneasy inside the building,” Carlin said. Carlin described an incident where a male non-student walked into the women’s bathroom and how a female student, unaware of the situation, used the bathroom with him in there. “The people at the front knew and saw him walk in there but didn’t warn any of us and anything could have happened at that point,” Carlin said. She also recalled an instance where an intoxicated woman behaved violently in the Cosmetology building as well as three different incidents where cars have been broken into. “That’s why I try to get a good spot here and park towards the street, because I don’t want my car to be vandalized or anything like that,” Carlin said.
ELIZABETH TOVAR LLAMAS | VIEWPOINTS
passing,” she said. Peter Westbrook, department chair of the Cosmetology department, has not responded to requests for comment. Sergeant Robert Kleveno of the Riverside Community College District’s Police Department brings up that security should be everyone’s concern and that there are steps that can be taken to prevent becoming a victim in the future. Kleveno said that students should always lock their -- RCC student Kathia Sanchez vehicles and keep valuables out of plain sight. He also suggests that students walk in groups and be aware of their surroundings. Kathia Sanchez, another night “I can tell you that the officers student, shared similar accounts in the district take the safety and of dangerous encounters and car security of the college community break-ins. very seriously,” Kleveno said. “I “We don’t feel safe or we feel would tell any student that … we like something can happen to any are their police department and to of us,” Sanchez said. communicate with us if there are She points out that the busy not feeling safe or if they have a intersection in front of the safety concern.” department is a safety hazard for Steps have been taken to build students. a new Cosmetology building, a “I was walking with one of move which could potentially my friends and a car was passing move the department’s students really fast and almost hit her … to a safer area on campus. it’s dark so when they turn they In March 2004, the RCCD don’t realize that there’s students She adds that the college paid for a guard booth for the parking lot across the street from the building and she sees it as a “definite improvement.”
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“We feel like something can happen to any of us.”
approved Measure C, a $350 million bond approved by registered voters living within the district. Bond funds can be used for the acquisition, design, construction, renovation and modernization of classroom buildings and other facilities on RCCD campuses or educational sites. According to a 20122013 report from the Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee, even though $173 million was allocated to RCC in 2004, it was not until April 11, 2013 that an Initial Project Proposal was submitted to the state for a new Cosmetology building. This is not the first time that the Cosmetology department has been overlooked. In a 2006 program review, it was indicated that due to the limitations created by the age of the facility, the program has had boundaries placed upon it that prevent it from working at its full potential. The department cited the need for a new facility. They made this same indication in 2009 and again in 2012. As of 2018, the building plan for the new facility has not left the proposal stage.
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April 26, 2018
News
Follett replaces Barnes and Noble
NEWS BRIEFS ‘The Hunting Ground’ screening The Students Orchestrating Change Club will be sponsoring a screening of the film “The Hunting Ground” as a part of their April and May focus on sexual assault May 3 in the A.G. Paul Quadrangle, Room 127, from 5-9 p.m. “The Hunting Ground” is an award-winning exposé that strived to tackle the disturbing epidemic of sexual assault on college campuses and school officials’ efforts to cover up the crimes. The event is free and open to the public.
Job and Career Fair
MIA MAGANA | VIEWPOINTS
Beginning May 3, Follett Higher Education will replace Barnes and Noble as Riverside Community College District’s bookstore operator. SAMANTHA BARTHOLOMEW NEWS EDITOR
After a year-long bidding debate, Follett Higher Education is set to replace Barnes and Noble as the district’s bookstore operator. Barnes and Noble and Follett Higher Education each placed bids and pitched their reasons to the Riverside Community College District for being the best suited to run the campus bookstore. The committee ultimately chose Follett Higher Education as the vendor that would offer the best programs and opportunities for students to save on the overall costs of course materials. According the the bid, costsaving options offered to students
include a more robust textbook rental program, which could be up to 80 percent savings compared to buying new books, and a varied selection of e-books and other digital learning technologies that help promote better accessibility to students for needed materials. Follett Higher Education said that they will also offer affordable open educational resources content and courseware including industry leader products by Lumen Learning. The committee stated that Follett Higher Education’s proven record of faculty partnerships, affordability focus and innovations set them apart in the evaluation, citing the fact that Follett saved California college students over $33 million in course materials in 2017. Talk of switching book operators arose during a District
Budget Advisory Council Meeting in April 2017 when Majd Askar, director of business services, brought up that the majority of the colleges in the state use Follett. Beyond course materials, Follett said they will refresh all three stores within the district with new merchandise offerings making it a one-stop shop for class and campus life essentials. During the transition the campus bookstores will be closed April 30 to May 3. The closure will result in a service gap for the purchase of some materials like scantrons and Blue books for that week. Testing supplies will be available at no charge at central locations on campus. The existing provider, Barnes and Noble, will be working closely to minimize the impact on students and staff.
Riverside City College will be hosting their annual Job and Career Fair on May 13 in the A.G. Paul Quadrangle from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The fair and parking will be free to students and community members until 2 p.m. Students are encouraged to dress formally and don’t forget to bring copies of their résumé so that employers may keep them.
Distinguished Faculty Lecture Ann Pfeifle, professor at Moreno Valley College, has been selected by her peers to deliver Riverside Community College District’s Distinguished Faculty Lecture. Pfeifle will present her lecture at each of the three colleges in the district beginning with the May 3 presentation at MVC, then May 8 at Norco College and May 10 at Riverside City College. Each of the lectures, which are open to the public and free, begin at 12:50 p.m. and a small reception will follow. Pfeifle’s lecture will discuss the family history which has undergone a revolution of sorts over the last decade. She will explore the potential benefits and the disputes associated with this renewed interest in genealogy and the production of family history by presenting her own experience with the company 23andMe and the impact of discovering her genes as a child of a closed adoption.
Career and Technical Education honored Riverside City College had 14 Career and Technical Education programs named as Workforce Stars by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office, including the Nursing program which received a Gold Star. The Workforce Stars program is a recognition program for career education programs whose students show significant gains in factors critical for advancing social mobility, including a substantial increase in earnings and the attainment of a living wage.
SPORTS
April 26, 2018
“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do.”
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- Derek Jeter
PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSICA REGUA
From left, Alan Aungst, Kheffy Cervantez, Jay Reddicks, Landon Gray, Josh Anderson, Miles Kenobbie and Steven Takeda compete at the WGI World Championships in Dayton, Ohio on April 21.
Indoor Percussion takes gold RCC wins WGI World Championship in Ohio KARISSA MARTINEZ SPORTS EDITOR
Riverside City College Indoor Percussion won their sixth world title at the 2018 Winter Guard International World Championships. The team traveled to Dayton, Ohio to compete on April 21. Their show entitled “Listen” earned a score of 97.8625 in the top class, Independent World. Rhythm X from Ohio took home the silver medal with a score of 97.5125, a mere 0.35 points behind. WGI is also known as the Sport of the Arts where music, art and a fierce competition collide to define this activity. Performers are required to have
a combination of athleticism and musical skills. “Our performers this particular year were absolutely amazing,” said Sean Vega, program coordinator of RCC Indoor Percussion. “What’s being asked physically is intense. It’s become a very physical activity. We add elements of dance and theatre.” The show consists of a “battery” of drums including snares, tenors, base drums and a front ensemble including marimbas, synthesizers, cymbals and other percussion instruments called “the pit.” This year also included a talented jazz trumpet soloist. 2002 marked the first year RCC attended the World Championships where they won with their show “The Sound of
Silence.” Since then, they have taken home the gold medal in 2005, 2007, 2012, 2015 and now again in 2018. They have never placed out of the top four. This year, there were more than 46,000 participants at the regional level and more than 15,000 at the Sport of the Arts World Championships. RCC Indoor Percussion has proven that they are a contender for gold every year. “If there’s one thing that makes RCC special, it’s that we never try to repeat any sort of formula or design. Our goal is always to try to explore completely new territory,” Vega said. If history repeats itself, RCC will continue to set new standards in 2019 in a quest to defend their world championship title.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JESSICA REGUA
Katherine Queseda playing the marimba in on April 21.
Swim and dive falls short at OEC championships AUSTIN TURNER STAFF REPORTER
After three days of championship racing at the Orange Empire Conference Swimming and Diving Championships, the Riverside City College Tigers just couldn’t catch Orange Coast College. The OCC Pirates dominated
the championships, capturing both the men’s and women’s titles while continuing their chase for state. The RCC women’s team were able to finish in second, with 533 overall points, while the men settled for third place with 553 points. Among the women earning podium finishes for the Tigers was Jaquelin Meza, who placed third in the diving competition. Freshman Monet Marquez was
also able to earn a bronze with a time of 26.66 in the 50 yard freestyle. The leading scorer for the Tigers with 44 points was the season-long standout for the team, Supavee Nilaad, who earned fourth place in both the 200 medley and the 100 breaststroke. As for the men, freshman Javier Bernal once again stole the show with a pair of runnerup finishes and a conference
title. Bernal posted a blistering time of 1 minute and 52 seconds in the 200 butterfly, good for a first place finish and conference championship in that event. Sophomore Farouk Zaoui was another top finisher for the Tigers. He placed third in the 500 freestyle, 400 medley and 200 butterfly, putting up a crucial 48 points for the team. Freshman Alexandre Piron scored 43 points, including a second place finish in the 100
butterfly stroke. Though the OEC championships have concluded, the season is not over for some. Bernal, Zaoui and Piron will each compete in the California Community College Athletic Association Swimming and Diving State Championships, beginning May 5 at De Anza College. RCC will also be competing in five relay events, in addition to the three individual competitors.
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April 26, 2018
Sports
Tennis served two OEC awards AUSTIN TURNER STAFF REPORTER
A year ago, Kayne Trustfull was playing high school tennis in his home country of the Netherlands. Now, the Riverside City College freshman phenom is the Orange Empire Conference Men’s Tennis Player of the Year. “It’s a big honor, I really appreciate it,” Trustfull said. “But it’s not only me. It was a big team effort that we did together.” The Amsterdam native has an extraordinary bond with his teammates. After all, it was teammate Thierry Van Os, who is also from the Netherlands, who suggested Trustfall to RCC. “(Van Os) introduced me to the school and I really liked the program and the coach so I decided to come here, Trustfull said. After this season, it’s safe to say he made the correct decision. Trustfull was unstoppable this season, posting a 15-3 singles record overall and an unbeaten mark of 9-0 in OEC play. In doubles he had a 9-4 record along with his partner, freshman Thomas Piddoux. “I’ve been working hard here,” Trustfull said. “I’ve been trying to improve with the team and I feel like I’ve gotten much better every week. I feel like that contributed to getting better and winning all of those matches.” Trustfull puts in a lot of hard work on the court, but studying the game off the court can be just as important. “I always looked up to the
VICTOR DURAN | VIEWPOINTS
From left, OEC Player of The Year Kayne Trustfull and OEC Coach of the Year Tom Yancey lead the Tigers to a 19-2 record this season. Trustfull went 15-3 in singles and 9-0 in conference, while going 9-4 in doubles and 4-2 in conference. aggressive players,” Trustfull said. “I like the hard-hitters, with the big forehands and serves, and that also translates to my own game.” Trustfull compared his game to a player he enjoyed watching growing up, Andy Roddick. “I for sure don’t have the serve Roddick has but he has a very hard forehand and I have the same,” Trustfull said. As talented of a player as
UPCOMING GAMES Baseball: April 26, vs Orange Coast College at 2 p.m. *April 27, vs Orange Coast College at 2 p.m. (Sophomore day) *May 4 and 5, First Round Regional Playoffs. Time TBA Men’s tennis: April 26, 27, 28 and 29, Ojai singles/ doubles Individual State Championships. Time TBA Track and field: April 27, Orange Empire Conference Finals at 10 a.m. *May 5, Southern California Premilinaries at 10 a.m. Swimming and diving: May 4, 5 and 6, CCCAA State Championships. Time TBA Beach volleyball: April 27, OEC Championships. Hosted by Riverside City College and Santa Ana College at Golden West College. Time TBA Golf: April 30, OEC Tournament at Los Serranos Gold Course at 7 a.m. *May 7, Southern California Regionals at Bakersfield Community College at 7 a.m.
Trustfull is, he acknowledges that he couldn't do it all himself. Luckily for him, he gets to learn from the now two-time OEC Coach of the Year, Tom Yancey. Trustfull had nothing but praise for his coach and mentor. “Coach is super nice to all of us and he’s a very good coach as well,” Trustfull said. “When I have any problems, I can always come to him and ask him anything and he’s there for me, as a tennis
player, but also personal.” The team clearly rallied around Yancey, as they were able to win a share of the conference championship with an overall record of 19-3 and conference record of 9-1. Just like his top player, Yancey humbly gave credit to the team around him. “(We have) great players and they’re all great leaders,” Yancey said. “You’re only as great as the
players you got.” Yancey also had a lot to say about Kayne Trustfull and the tight dynamic between the two. “For as young as he is, he’s very independent and self reliant, but when he does need assistance he’s willing to come forward,” Yancey said. “He’s been a pleasure to coach on the court, there’s not much you need to tell him. He’s wise beyond his years. He’s one of the best
RCC track and field gets first LUIS QUINTERO STAFF REPORTER
The Orange Empire Conference Track and Field Preliminary rounds kicked off April 20, hosted by Riverside City College at Wheelock Stadium. The Tigers went home with 19 first place finishes, with eight coming from the women’s team and eleven from the men’s. The men’s team crushed the competition as they placed first with 167 points, a whole 134 points over Saddleback College, who placed second, and 154.5 above Orange Coast College who placed third. Sophomore Alec Hall continued to dominate the middistance events by earning a pair of top finishes. He finished the 1500-meter with an impressive mark of 4:9.77 and earned a time of 1:55.84 in the 800. Hall is one of the top 800 runners in the state as he demonstrated when he placed first at the Bob Larsen Distance Carnival & Jim Bush Legends Invitational at UCLA earlier in the season.
As for the 3000 steeplechase, sophomore Jeffrey Robbins earned the top time with a clip of 9:44.41. Another first place finisher was freshman Jamal Palmer with his time of 10.72 in the 100. The field events yielded three first place finishers for the RCC men. Shot-putter Jordan Davis put on a show with his throw of 47’ 3.5”. Justin Reed showed off his hops, grabbing gold in the long jump with a jump on 21’10”. In the javelin, Marcos Gonzalez was the only man to break the 50-foot mark with a toss of 53.28 meters. In the decathlon, freshman Deryhan Harris edged out OCC’s Alixander Morse for the win, scoring 5454 points to Morse’s 5413. Harris was terrific in the jumping events of the decathlon, winning the long jump, high jump and pole vault. Harris was able to hold onto the victory by placing second in the 400 and 100-meter hurdles. The women were equally as impressive. They placed first with 131 points, 80 points ahead of second place Orange Coast College and 107 points more than
third place Fullerton College. The Tigers women dominated for a great part of the track events. One notable runner who continued to shine throughout the competition was sophomore Sarah Hollis. She began the conference by setting the state mark of 11:31.21 in the 3000 steeplechase. She went on to take first in the 10,000-meter run with a time of 39:26.69. The women were perfect in field events as they captured victories in all four competitions. Freshman Angelique Hudson, who holds the top mark in California in the shot put, placed first once more with a toss of 45’ 2.5”. Karen Orozco took to the skies in the pole vault, with a jump of 3.04m. In the long jump, Valentina Sanabria leaped 5.16m to grab first place and Gabriela Sanabria captured a victory in the javelin with a throw of 33.28m. Track and field continues to demonstrate how the program has earned seven California Community College Athletic Association pacing marks. The Tigers will compete at OEC finals on April 27 at RCC’s Wheelock Stadium.
LIFE
April 26, 2018
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“The hardest thing for not only an artist, but for anybody to do is look themselves in the mirror and acknowledge, you know, their own flaws and fears and imperfections and put them out there in the open for people to relate to it.” -
Kendrick Lamar
Local artist shares dark inspiration LUIS QUINTERO STAFF REPORTER
Dark shades, clashing colors, vibrant hues and surreal images are only a few words that can accurately describe Alex Howard’s artwork. Once a month Howard opens up his doors and shines light on his views of the soul. He is among a handful of artists who occupy studios that are used to present their art in the Life Arts Center building. On the first Thursday of every month The Riverside Arts Walk gives artists a spot to exhibit their work, which allows them to get recognition and make a quick buck. Artists come out to the public parking lot on University and Lemon where countless local art enthusiasts circle around vendors showcasing their work. Across from this parking lot stands the building in which Howard occupies. “I really liked the portrait of Michael Myers he has put up on the wall, it’s just so dark and evil, like I know his role in ‘Halloween’ was not a saint but it just really paints him like the movie makes him out to be,” said admirer Erick Castillo. “All his pieces are pretty dark and
gloomy, it makes me want to go home and watch a scary movie.” The dark imagery Howard paints can’t help but captivate viewers and motivate them to reminisce on their favorite scary movie. “It’s pretty dope the way he paints, the stuff he paints, it’s kind of creepy but in a cool way.” said admirer Julissa Cadena. Howard began his admiration of art at an early age drawing in notepads and sketchbooks during his free time. Once he started getting better with his sketches, people took notice. Classmates would often request him to draw illustrations for a comic book they were working on. As Howard matured, as did his art style. “Artists have a sort of responsibility to document what's going on around them,” Howard said. “I feel like my art is my diary, if you get all my art and piece them together you’ll get a roadmap of my life.” His introduction to Vincent Van Gogh really inspired his present style of art. He relates to the late artist’s work and describes his own art as trying to capture a dream on canvas, a sort of “dark surrealism.” “I remember one of the best compliments was this little kid, I was at the LA Art Walk and he was with his mom, his mom
LUIS QUNTERO | VIEWPOINTS
Alex Howard stands beside his rendition of Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night, while describing the emotional support his uncle provided him when he first began painting. was sort of bustling by not really enjoying anything and he stopped her and said ‘Mommy look, he’s creating,’” Howard said. The best recognition for him is not through awards or money but through creating an emotion that strikes people once they stumble upon his art. For many artists a muse is always needed when creating their reality on canvas, Howard
is not exempt from this universal idea. He finds inspiration through almost everything. Such as experiences from his past or just through his great admiration for nature and the beauty it holds. One person in particular that pushes him to continue with his brush strokes is his late friend named George. Their friendship began after meeting in a class at Riverside City College, they
shared each other's sketchbooks. “I was just blown away” Howard said. After his close friends death, he felt he had to pay tribute to him through his work. “I remember just thinking it was a shame, this dude had so much talent and potential and he just ended up dying, after that I just felt I had to produce, to make, to paint and create.”
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April 26, 2018
Survival requires silence
The movie ‘A Quiet Place’ inthrawls audiences with its absence of sound DANIEL QUESADA STAFF REPORTER
Nothing can be more terrifying than the thought that breaking utter silence can get you killed. The film “A Quiet Place” truly shakes audiences to their core giving them a perspective of fear unlike any other experienced in horror movies. John Krasinski, known for his role as Jim Halpert on “The Office” directs and takes on the starring role in this film. Silence is all the audience hears, and if you were as lucky as I was, you also got to hear the opening of candy wrappers and the rustling of hands in popcorn as the opening scene presents a family scavenging through an abandoned supermarket. The three young children in this family begin to communicate in sign language as the mother-
father duo in the movie Lee and Evelyn Abbott, as played by real life married couple Krasinski and Emily Blunt, began to do the same in response. The youngest of the children, no older than the age of five, finds interest in a battery operated toy he finds which immediately causes alarm but the audience still doesn’t know why they are staying quiet. This toy leads us to one of the saddest scenes in the film, in which we find out just what happens when you make too much noise. After the opening scene, the time jumps one year ahead as the audience is introduced to the now family of four in a cozy farmhouse where Evelyn is ready to give birth to another child. Lee begins to teach his son Marcus (Noah Jupe) how to take care of everything on the farm. T h e d a u g h t e r, R e g a n (Millicent Simmonds), who is a deaf actor playing a deaf
character in the film, begins going through her rebellious teen years including, but not limited to, openly hating and disobeying her parents. The Abbott family has to maintain life without sound to live in their quiet place without the risk of losing their lives. The way the family has adapted to complete silence is amazing. The things Lee Abbott does to make things manageable for his family in a place where noise inevitably brings about death, shows family devotion. The movie overall presents many great ideas that really make audiences think about what they would do in this situation. If each viewer was a character in this situation how would they handle a situation such as this. When directing this movie Krasinski had it in mind to make it centered around family. This film has its heartfelt moments because of this aspect. Fear is like no other when loved ones
COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS
are involved. The entire movie sends chills down spines and makes viewers wonder that if they make any sound in the theater they may be caught. Anyone interested in a horror movie that is not only interested in the thrill and fear aspects that are present in this genre, will feel changed after this film.
Don’t you dare shed a dollar for this film
Horror films like “Truth or Dare” continue to disappoint horror fanatics DOREENA CARTER STAFF REPORTER
Truth or dare? Dare. I dare you to not see this movie. The long-awaited horror film hit theaters on horror fanatics favorite day, Friday the 13th. Blumhouse Productions company has released other popular movies such as “Hush,” “The Gift,” and the extended “Paranormal Activity” franchise. All of their movies have two things in common. They are lowbudget produced films and they are all pretty mediocre. Yes, that is right, “Truth or Dare” was also, guess what? Mediocre. In addition to the film being your typical college setting slaughter movie, it is also extremely predictable. Yet again Blumhouse fails at presenting a well put together and believable plot. They consistently rehash old themes without making them any different. The group of friends embark on a trip to Mexico to have what is supposed to be an eventful ending to their Spring break. Olivia (Lucy Hale), meets Carter (Landon Liboiron) at the bar. Soon after he helps her get rid of unwanted company. Here, early on in the film, audience members should have been rolling their eyes at this completely foreseeable scene because everyone knows not to talk to strangers at a bar who invite you and your friends to some other unfamiliar location. Red flag. After being introduced to the
ILLUSTRATION BY KARINA GUTIERREZ
demon possessed game of Truth or Dare and having it follow them home, things only go from bad to worse. Not just for the characters in the film but for the audience
watching the movie, things never really get any better. Don’t bother watching “Truth or Dare” if you saw all the trailers that took over every YouTube
ad for the past week because congratulations, you have already seen the best parts of the film in those 30 seconds and probably saved a few dollars and tons of disappointment. The characters are not really relatable at all. The audience can quickly identify each one of them as your basic characters that are portrayed in all teen films, the common tropes of the prick, the party chick, the drunkard and the stud. The character development is boring and the chemistry between the friends is absent which makes it hard for the audience to feel connected to them, therefore making it impossible to care if they die off or not. The expositions in the plot are almost non-existent. There are so many missing pieces in the plot that it takes away from the backstory of why the game is possessed in the first place. Instead you find yourself thinking about whether you left the oven on or if you forgot to lock your car or not. The demon himself explains that the game of Truth or Dare is unavoidable, you play and eventually die or you refuse and still die. How appealing, right? The plot’s loophole would lead you to believe there may be a sequel, although it is very unlikely that another “Truth or Dare” film will be in high demand. If you are looking to waste time on a movie discount night go for it or make a smart decision and save your money for something that will hopefully be better in the near future, c’mon Hollywood.
Life Entertainment Briefs Animation Guest Lecture Students interested in the animation field will be able to attend a highly anticipated guest lecture by animation artist Shannon Jeffries. She is a Production Designer/Art Director for Dreamworks Animation known for various children’s movies such as “Penguins of Madagascar” and “Madagascar”. She is also apart in Visual Development at Universal, Warner Bros. and Dreamworks Animation. This event will take place on April 30 at 12:30- 2:30 p.m. in the Digital Library, Rm 121. This lecture is sponsored by Riverside City College Art Club and ASRCC and is free and open to the public. Chalk Walk Chalk Walk is organized by the Riverside City College Art Department and is in honor of earth week April 24 -26 on 8 a.m.– 2 p.m. Various RCC Art students create breathtaking artwork outdoors on the MLK steps for many passersby to look at their work. There is no entry fee and cash prize, games and activities will be provided. Walk by Faith 2018 Walk by Faith is a walk sponsored by Riverside Community Health Foundation. This walk promotes healthy eating and active living in the Eastside neighborhood. The 3.5-mile route, which starts and ends at Park Avenue Missionary Baptist Church, is part of the Eastside Heal Zone which empowers residents to lead healthier lives through environmental changes and education. This walk is free and will take place April 29 at 2– 5:30 p.m. at Park Avenue Missionary Baptist. Indigenous Choreographers at Riverside: Video Screening This free event hosted and co-directed by Jacqueline Shea Murphy and María Regina Firmino-Castillo is located at UCR Barbara and Art Culver Center of the Arts. The Indigenous Choreographers at Riverside (ICR) project is an annual event that brings Indigenous dance artists, Indigenous studies scholars, and dance studies scholars to campus to connect, discuss, and share work April 27 at 7– 8:30 p.m.
Views Tell
April 26, 2018
us what you think, in a letter to the editor, in an email or use #RCCnow.
Campus Conversations How do you feel about Facebook’s data misuse and are you worried other social platforms will do the same?
“I think it’s invasion of pr ivacy. We should have some sort of privacy when we’re using certain apps. I’ll probably be more careful with what I put on my social media.” - Heather Taylor
“The super rich can do what t hey wa nt a nd sell people’s information, so yes I kind of expected that. That’s why I don’t have any social media except YouTube.” - Cesar Contreras
“It’s messed up because yo u’r e s el l i n g p e r s o n a l i n fo r m a t i o n . Fo r o t h e r platforms it’ll make me not use my real real name, my address or my phone number. I’ll just be a lot more cautious.” - Liliana Canche
“ T he r e’s m i l l ion s of people whose own private infor mation was put out there. Anyone could have gotten it. There could have been terrorists that could have gotten that personal information.” - Jose Alvarez
Interviews and photos by Nahid Ponciano Campus Conversations is an open forum for Riverside City College students to voice their own opinions, views and ideas.
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Money restricts media
Corporate consolidation puts digital media in the hands of the powerful elite
news outlets owned by these six businesses. C or p or at e i n f lue nc e i s evident in a video released by the website Deadspin. The video shows how the Sinclair company requires their news anchors to relay the same message about fake news through their “must-run” segments. According to Vox, Sinclair owns 193 stations and is about to reach 72 percent of U.S households. News stories are suppressed or censored by corporate owned media outlets because it would affect their profits.
The 2016 election is an example of this. Professor Thomas E. Patterson at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government explains how the media covered the election. “In the 2016 general election, policy issues accounted for 10 percent of the news coverage,” Patterson said. Media coverage of the 2016 election hardly discussed policy issues. Instead, every day was filled with news coverage about the behavior of Donald Trump. This is why the only factors separating Hillary Clinton and Trump at the ballot were their
controversies rather than their policies. This coverage led to an uninformed public, which turned out to benefit Trump’s campaign in the long run. Russian interference in our election is another example. The Russians did influence our election, but big money interests in the U.S influence our elections as well and it’s rarely reported. T h e I n s t it u t e fo r Ne w Economic Thinking released a 2016 study revealing that as spending on election campaigns go up, the votes they recieve increase as well. “The relation between major par ty candidates’ shares of the two party vote and their proportionate share of total campaign expenditures were strongly linear,” INET said. People need to be aware of the stories the media prioritizes. For instance, Trump is always in the spotlight, distracting the public from figures such as Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and Trump’s cabinet members. Tax cuts are given to the wealthy, while programs for the poor, environmental protections and workers’ rights are becoming dismantled. The grip of monopoly on news media outlets is suffocating what is left of our free and adversarial press. Unless changes are made the public will continue to be misled.
the majority on this issue, a nine point increase from previous years. At this rate, suppor t for can nabis related laws will continue to escalate and event u ally see w idespread national approval, something that was previously thought to be impossible. There has been a huge boom in tax revenue in states that have legalized pot. According to CNN Money, after Colorado became the first state to legalize recreational marijuana it generated a total of $.5 billion in tax revenue. It makes sense for Republicans in other states to take notice and join the bandwagon. T h e r i s e of m a r ij u a n a advocates among all political parties such as the Democrats, Republicans and Independents have seemed to all pit against Attorney General Jeff Session’s staunch position on keeping marijuana illegal. This makes him seem less threatening to those in favor of it. In an article by Vox, President
Donald Tr ump abandoned a threat made by the Department of Justice that involves a crackdown on recreational marijuana in states where it is legal. Sen. Cor y Gardner is a Republican from Colorado who was a fierce opponent of recreational marijuana for a long time. Once it passed in 2012 he has since become a passionate protector of states rights on marijuana related issues. He must have seen the benefits that arrive with marijuana legalization. Rep. Tom Garrett of Virginia is an example of a Republican politician that supports marijuana legalization. He introduced a new act called the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act of 2017. According to the Los Angeles Times, if passed, this act would ma ke ma r iju ana more li ke tobacco and alcohol while taking it off the federal list of controlled substances. Ending the prohibition of marijuana is paramount. It is an untapped economic resource to a
majority of the country that could greatly increase jobs and help end the opioid epidemic. According to a study by the American Medical Association, the laws for medicinal cannabis have a direct relationship with the reduction of opioid overdose related deaths on a population level. A study conducted by New Frontier Data, a data analytics firm, found that if fully legalized across the United States it could generate $131.8 billion dollars in tax revenue between the years 2017 and 2025. The tax revenue would be used by the states to reap the benefits. The same study concluded the industry would create roughly 1.1 million jobs nationwide by 2025 and 782,000 cannabis related jobs would be created if legalized today. The U.S. is headed in this direction as the opposition in numbers begin to dwindle. This is a good sign for public schools, health agencies, local governments and more to further strengthen the states financially.
JOSHUA BURCIAGA STAFF REPORTER
Fake news outlets mislead the public, but local media outlets are just as guilty. To understand the false news epidemic, one must know who owns the news. Journalist Michael C o r c o r a n s h ow s t h a t t h e Telecommunications Act of 1996 monopolized the United States media industry, allowing a rich, narrow elite to control the flow of information. Corporations such as Disney, Comcast, Viacom, Time Warner, CBS and News Corporation own a fraction of media companies with Sinclair Broadcast Company being the rising star. “Twent y years later the deva st at i ng i mpa ct of t he legislation is undeniable: About 90 percent of the country’s major media companies are owned by six corporations,” Corcoran said. ABC, CBS, CN N, Fox, NBC, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Post are the
ILLUSTRATION BY ROCIO MACIAS
Republicans see the green in legalized pot
JONATHAN RAMIREZ STAFF REPORTER
Pot is harmless. It’s common knowledge, but Republicans are just starting to get it. Over recent years some Republicans have demonstrated a shift of opinion on the issue of marijuana laws. This recent change of heart is a step towards legalizing a substance that helps this country both medically and economically. In a Gallup poll that took place in October 2017, it was revealed that for the first time in history the majority of Republicans support marijuana legalization. 51 percent of Republicans held
8
April 26, 2018
Views
Sanctuary must be upheld
Editorial
It is a basic human need to feel safe. California Senate Bill 54 that dubs California a sanctuary state is a bill that gives immigrants a blanket of safety while living in our state. California SB-54 effectively makes California a sanctuary state by legalizing and standardizing statewide non-cooperation policies between California law enforcement agencies and federal immigration authorities. The bill was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on Oct. 5, 2017. According to The Mercury News, Beaumont was the only city in Riverside county that was in opposition of Sacremento’s decision to make California a sanctuary state. Recently on April 23 Yucaipa voted 4-1 to follow Beaumont in taking initiative to back President Donald Trump and his anti-immigrant sentiments. There are now two identified cities that do not offer its occupants nor people passing through the city the same level of protection that the rest of our county and most of our state has vowed to offer. A study released by the University of California, Riverside “State of Immigrants of the Inland Empire” states that “One in five residents in the Inland Empire is an immigrant. Migration has been a central feature of the region for centuries, and there are now nearly 1 million immigrants living in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.” That is a large population of our area, and those people live, therefore they deserve to the right to public safety. Sanctuary cities are important to the Viewpoints’ editorial staff because many of us are thriving Americans that inevitably come from immigrant families. We want to know that our loved ones and all people, alike feel comfortable enough to simply live. In places like Beaumont and Yucaipa immigrants won’t be able to
ILLUSTRATION BY ROCIO MACIAS
do all of the small things in life that most people take for granted like driving to the grocery store, or taking their car to get fixed without being threatened with deportation. We note simple tasks like this because that is when people are often pulled over for small infractions. The argument of those that oppose the bill is that there are immigrants that have entered the country illegally so they should be arrested purely on that basis. SB-54 prohibits state and local law enforcement from asking anyone about their immigration status and from sharing any information with federal immigration. If someone is stopped because of a petty crime like jaywalking, illegal food vending or owning chicken, their immigration status should not
matter. These people have families to get home to, and they most likely have the means and surely the will to pay a ticket fine. Riverside has become increasingly progressive over the past few years. As young people that have grown up in and around Riverside, we take pride in knowing that people have more protection to live freely and safely. With most of nearby Orange County also opposing SB-54, Riverside County should band together to ensure the protection of so many of its occupants is county-wide. According to UCR’s study, “this region has been shaped, in part, by the distinctive histories of Native American peoples, Spanish, Mexican, and American inhabitants, as well as transnational migrants and immigrants. And still, the region’s
story is wholly American.” Not protecting the privacy of these people keeps them from living the American dream, and pursuing a better life over all. To Viewpoints, this is a step i n e n d i n g l a w e n f o r c e m e n t ’s strategic racial profiling surrounding immigration. Just because someone is Black or Latino does not mean they are illegal immigrants or that they deserve to be harrassed when their status has nothing to do with the situation. California is a sanctuary state and it is up to the people to uphold that status. The only way to secure the safety of immigrants across the state is to hold individual cities and counties accountable. People must fight for the protection of immigrants and be heard at local town hall meetings.
Viewpoints’ editorials represent the majority opinion of and are written by the Viewpoints’ student editorial board.
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