Daily Bruin – Page 165

Op-ed: Improving quality of food closet would better help students who need it

Walking into the food closet in the Student Activities Center is an underwhelming experience at best.

They’re not kidding when they call it a closet.

Stacks of cans stock the walls of the tiny, cramped room, and that’s if you get there at the right time. You might be lucky enough to find some fresh fruit. Or else, you’re pretty much stuck with what’s left – maybe some canned tuna, or perhaps some tomato sauce. Just as a reminder, this is at the best public university in the nation.

Of course, that’s not to say that there’s a lack of diligent, devoted staff in the Community Programs Office working to provide for students’ basic needs. Proactive Bruins like Chidera Izuchukwu, CPO’s basic needs manager, commit much of their time to addressing the dire issue of food insecurity.

Yet, the problem is as pervasive as ever, and efforts on the part of UCLA administrators appear to be little more than superficial attempts to save face.

It is well-documented that students at UCLA and within the University of California system have high rates of food insecurity. According to the UC Global Food Initiative, a program spearheaded by the UC Office of the President, 44 percent of undergraduates and 26 percent of graduate students reported having experienced food insecurity in 2017. Not only are these students more likely to underperform academically relative to their food-secure peers, but they also experience heightened stress and mental health strain due to their insecurity.

Even more disturbing is how food insecurity disproportionately affects UCLA’s most disadvantaged populations. In the same report, the UC Global Food Initiative found that African-American, Latinx, American Indian and LGBTQ students are more likely to experience food insecurity.

Also, on average, food-insecure students are more pressed for time than their peers: Food-insecure students on average spend more time working and commuting. This means that it is even more difficult for these students to find the time necessary to access the full range of basic needs resources on campus.

When the food closet first opened in 2009, some UCLA students and their families were reeling from an economic recession. Some students were moving out of the dorms, couch surfing, using their financial aid to support their families and skipping meals to make sure they could afford books and supplies for school. In order to assist these particularly vulnerable students, the food closet began stocking nonperishable food items and networked with off-campus agencies to keep the closet full.

However, the food closet fails to adequately serve the UCLA students who need its services the most. For a start, it does not offer a wide variety of fresh, nutritious foods. Most of the food provided is canned or boxed and contains artificial preservatives associated with increased risk of diabetes, among other health issues. The reason for this is obvious: Perishable food items are typically more expensive, and their shelf time is limited. When staff can’t count on a steady supply, canned goods end up on most of the shelves.

But, for the good of the students, administrators must reach out to local organizations and businesses to find sources that can reliably supply nutritious food. It only helps that we have incredible role models to emulate, like UC Irvine, which offers a broad selection of fresh fruits, vegetables, and prepackaged foods in its spacious food pantry. UCLA’s food security infrastructure clearly pales in comparison to programs at other schools.

UCLA’s efforts are simply not meaningful enough. We can do better.

A lot is at stake. Food-insecure students face an insecurity that can touch every aspect of their lives and hinders them in numerous ways. Lower grades and less time to truly address their needs can negatively impact students’ mental health and self-worth.

If only these students actually had access to something nutritious and satisfying and didn’t need to worry about where to get their next meal – or whether it would be a can of sweet corn.

UCLA ought to devote adequate time and money to expanding its food closet by following in the footsteps of UC Irvine and other universities. Simply put, the food closet must be more than a closet – it must become a bastion of the university’s commitment to students’ health and well-being.

Farrar is a member of the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s General Representative 3 office and a first-year public affairs student.

Editorial: UCLA must transparently fix systemic problems in admissions process

You know things have gone terribly wrong when even the U.S. Department of Education is investigating you.

And the past 20 days have been pretty terrible for UCLA.

The university has had to answer to publications, administrators, state lawmakers and even the U.S. secretary of education after its now-former men’s soccer coach was alleged to have taken $350,000 in bribes to secure the admission of two students from wealthy families. The coach, Jorge Salcedo, was one of 50 collegiate athletics coaches, ultra-rich parents, CEOs and celebrities indicted for participating in what is the largest college admissions scam in recent history.

UCLA placed Salcedo on administrative leave in light of the charges and accepted his resignation March 21. The coach for 15 seasons and Bruin for 41 years has since shown up in a Massachusetts federal court to fight the charges of him conspiring to commit racketeering.

But amid the fascination with Salcedo’s fall from grace, we’ve all missed the real story: how much the university is trying to move past the scandal.

Administrators have consistently tried pinning the blame solely on Salcedo for dragging UCLA into the scam and haven’t disclosed how they will remediate the athletics admissions process. The campus has instead been filled with #UCLABound social media posts about admissions results and reaffirmations of the collegiate athletics scene in Westwood.

But it was precisely this lack of scrutiny that permitted Salcedo to bring a competitive horseback rider onto a Division I women’s soccer team, and a distinct lack of oversight that allowed UCLA Athletics to keep the student on the team for a year despite her not having competitive soccer experience or even playing a single game the entire season. The university ought to be transparently reforming its athletics admissions process, but seems content leaving it untouched.

That sluggishness to act was best demonstrated by Dan Guerrero, the athletics director, in a statement he released March 22 regarding the scam. Guerrero said prospective student-athletes are vetted by a committee of administrators and faculty after being recommended by a coach, arguing it was one of the most demanding processes across the nation.

“Despite the fact that we have confidence in the existing process, a breach of the system can obviously occur when individuals choose to act unethically, and contrary to the level of integrity that we expect,” he said.

But the failures highlighted in the scandal are not of a few individuals – they’re of the athletics apparatus. After all, it’s ludicrous to assume Salcedo alone was able to stow away the daughter of the rich president of a real estate firm onto another team without anyone’s knowledge.

It’s not enough that UCLA avoids bribery scandals in the future. Rather, it needs to harden the athletics admissions process to withstand bad actors like Salcedo and those who aided him – a process that requires trust-building with the public, not polished statements about trusting coaches and occasional internal tweakings.

In fact, that opaqueness is the reason the university has been dragged under a microscope by not only the University of California, but also the state of California and U.S. Department of Education, which are all conducting investigations or passing regulations to preclude further wrongdoing.

Yet these actions all stand to hurt those who were already done over by the scandal. The U.S. Department of Education is threatening to cut federal student aid, which would affect low-income and marginalized students – the very students who were flaunted at by the college admissions scam. And California lawmakers have proposed a variety of bills, including one to cut universities’ eligibilities to participate in the Cal Grant program – a service no wealthy student would ever need – if they fail to prevent preferential admissions from being given to applicants related to university donors or alumni.

UCLA’s low-income and marginalized students are clearly the ones losing out because of UCLA Athletics’ failure to retain the public’s trust.

Of course, the university, like any organization under fire, would naturally seek an internal reformation process. But the college admissions scandal didn’t just disgrace a long-time men’s soccer coach – it also degraded the trust Californians and applicants worldwide placed in the university’s standards. UCLA’s goal shouldn’t be to escape the news cycle but to demonstrate an earnest attempt at fixing a systemic vulnerability in the No. 1 public university’s admissions process.

That obviously hasn’t happened yet. And the longer it doesn’t, the longer students who didn’t cheat their way into UCLA will be the ones paying the price.

Music Preview: This quarter’s album releases feature long-awaited, most-anticipated comebacks

2019 began with viral singles like “7 rings.” The first few months of the year have also marked the resurgence of older and more nostalgic artists like Weezer. But as the sun rises on spring, artists are heating up with fresh records for the season. Read more for a few of Daily Bruin’s top picks for albums dropping during spring quarter.

“Free Spirit” by Khalid

Khalid will have two albums and a movie to his name at just 21 years old.

The solo artist is set to release his 17-track sophomore album, “Free Spirit,” on April 5. In an interview with Zane Lowe, Khalid said “Free Spirit” tells the story of his personal growth during the two years since his Grammy-nominated debut album, “American Teen.” Released singles include “Talk,” which features Disclosure, and “Better.” Both songs reflect the similar low-key, beat-driven vibes that defined the singer’s first record.

The upcoming LP is accompanied by a short film of the same name, which will be shown in theaters only on April 3. Although fans don’t have many details yet, they know the film will tell a visual story connected to the album’s lyrics.

With singles that resemble the sound of past tracks, it will be interesting to see if Khalid’s life changes, which inspired “Free Spirit,” will transfer into a sonic distinctiveness of its own.

“Father of the Bride” by Vampire Weekend

After a six-year break and the departure of a bandmate, Vampire Weekend is finally ready to unveil its new album to the world.

“Father of the Bride,” the indie rock band’s fourth studio release, is set to debut May 3 with an 18-song track list. Lead singer and lyricist Ezra Koenig told Rolling Stone the album will discuss the relationships between people and their communities, God, and the land they live on. But fans have already gotten a taste of Vampire Weekend’s evolved sound with “Harmony Hall / 2021” and “Sunflower / Big Blue.” Totaling four songs, the 2019 releases, contain simplistic and upbeat tracks produced by the band’s use of only a few instruments.

Despite its prolonged absence, Vampire Weekend has received a warm welcome from fans and festivals alike. Fifteen of the 51 venues for the upcoming “Father of the Bride” tour shows are already sold out, and the band is set to perform at both the Firefly Music Festival and Glastonbury Festival.

The loss of member and producer Rostam Batmanglij will likely bring about a change in Vampire Weekend’s upcoming record. This possible shift in production style will determine if the band can uphold its once-prominent place in the alternative music scene, or if it will remain a distant memory.

“Map of the Soul: Persona” by BTS

Between tour dates and less than a year after its last release, BTS is back again.

“Map of the Soul: Persona” is the band’s first record after completing the “Love Yourself” album trilogy. Billboard reported 2.6 million copies of the album have already been sold in presale, although the album does not drop until April 12.

Television appearances on shows like the Billboard Music Awards and Jimmy Kimmel Live! helped the Korean pop group gain traction among English-speaking fans. Little information has been announced ahead of the album’s release, leading fans to theorize about its content. Without a track list or album artwork, listeners will go into the band’s new LP blind. Only the single “Persona” has been released thus far. The song features just one of BTS’s members, RM, rapping on the track alone – a marked change from the typical trend of all band members having vocal roles.

The mystery surrounding “Map of the Soul: Persona” makes it difficult to predict the album’s broader reception among casual listeners, but the band’s cultlike following will ensure a decent amount of charting for its tracks.

“Amidst the Chaos” by Sara Bareilles

Sara Bareilles wrote her upcoming album while performing in “Waitress” on Broadway.

The “Brave” singer said political divisiveness had a large influence on her newest work. The news events that occurred during the time between her 2013 album and her upcoming record, “Amidst the Chaos,” allowed for lyrical growth within her music. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Bareilles said her new album will embrace the feminist movement and Obama’s presidency, among other political themes.

The album’s 12 tracks include slow singles such as the already-released “Saint Honesty,” but also hold surprises in what is yet to be heard, like “Safe Place to Land,” which features a collaboration with John Legend. Bareilles, who many know for upbeat hits like “Love Song,” will likely maintain the uplifting themes featured in older works. In “Armor,” a single from the upcoming album, Bareilles openly sings about female empowerment, showing her confidence through more mature lyrics like, “Blind men only set the world on fire, sad you can’t see it/ You brought the flame, here comes the phoenix.”

Nostalgia and socially aware lyrics will likely draw older fans into “Amidst the Chaos,” which will be released April 5.

Student makeup artist Keanu Balani highlights original looks through Instagram

Keanu Balani’s cheekbones, reflective from a slight dust of highlighter, summon his inner RuPaul, he said.

Having garnered over 39,000 followers, the Instagram makeup guru and third-year political science student said he experiments with over-the-top looks reminiscent of the most flamboyant drag queens, such as Nina Bo’Nina Brown and Jasmine Masters. He draws inspiration from abstract concepts like seasons and holidays, transforming them into a full-fledged face of makeup. Often favoring warm tones and shades of pink, Balani said he displays his original looks both through his Instagram account, and through promotional content for Hush, an online cosmetics retailer.

“Makeup is about creative expression. It sets my mind at ease and takes away the stress of school and life and has always been an escape for me,” Balani said. “It’ll be midnight and my mom will walk in, see my big beauty lights glaring and assume I’m getting ready to go out – I’ll be like, ‘No, I’m just doing my makeup for me.'”

Before working with Hush, Balani began his foray into cosmetics like most teenagers: with a simple clear brow gel, powder and spot concealer, all mischievously filched from his mother’s purse. After graduating from his private Catholic high school and being gifted the pink-hued Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette from Anastasia Beverly Hills, Balani said he felt more free to experiment with more elaborate looks. In 2016, he worked at Sephora to hone his skill, later quitting in order to focus on his growing social media presence. Balani then became one of the influencers chosen to represent Hush and collaborate with them on their video content, said Justine Acciani, the retailer’s lead video producer.

“To represent Hush, I could not care less about how many followers you have or who your connections are or who you know. When I’m putting someone on camera, I’m going to be looking at (their) face and hearing (them) speak for hours and hours,” Acciani said. “(Balani) is someone I knew I could listen to talk for hours and hours because of his dedication to his craft.”

While working on his Instagram persona, Balani said he watched YouTube celebrities like Patrick Starrr to perfect his technical skill. He foments his original designs, however, by relying on conceptual themes like seasons. For Valentine’s Day of 2018, Balani said he began by brushing a generous amount of pink eye shadow up the center of his face, blending it out for a rosy finish. He then drew an array of hearts in white eyeliner, overlaid atop the pink, to complete the look. For this year’s Valentine’s Day, Balani said he took a more graphic approach, utilizing an Amazon paint palette to outline large hearts in black across his forehead – he wanted to preserve the dreamy, romantic concept driving the previous look without replicating it to a T.

When unveiling Valentine’s Day looks for Hush, Acciani said Balani, alongside his best friend and influencer Matt Sarafa, displayed differing interpretations of the holiday. Balani touted the aforementioned speckles of pink hearts, while Sarafa donned a dark, ’90s vampire-esque brooding look. Sarafa, a third-year design media arts student, said the two have been close friends and makeup collaborators since being freshman floormates together at UCLA.

“We have adapted to each other’s style and morphed into who we are because of each other,” Sarafa said. “We’re not afraid to push gender boundaries – we’re loud, colorful and unapologetically unique.”

To convey specific holidays, Balani often rejects traditional interpretations of seasonal cheer. For Christmas of 2017, he said he opted out of popular holiday colors like red and green, instead looking toward the white and gold tinsel adorning his tree. Creating a mask of glitter over half his face, Balani first sketched an outline with black eyeliner before painting down to his neck with copper paint, glue and mounds of gold glitter. The final look garnered over 2,000 likes on his Instagram account, despite his mother’s laments over the glitter-ridden living room carpet.

“I hate copying someone’s look – I feel uncreative if I’m just copying something on my own face,” Balani said. “If I see something inspiring or I see a trend, I’ll try and take something from that trend and spin it into my own version.”

Sarafa said Balani’s continually evolving flair is a mark of his journey from a curious high school student to an Instagram influencer. Balancing life as a student and makeup artist, Balani said he will continue to create original looks inspired by concepts as simple as the newest India.Arie album, even despite his pressing workload. Amid the chaotic schedule, he remembers his humble beginnings, rife with unshaded eye shadow and cakey foundation – he emphasizes that cosmetic skill is a continual progression.

“My biggest thing is to not judge anyone’s makeup because we’ve all been there. Even if the makeup is objectively lacking, unblended and chalky, remember that no one just woke up one day and was a master makeup artist,” Balani said. “It’s not our place to go out of our way and judge them – let people have their own spiritual journey with makeup.”

Women’s tennis recovers in defeat over Cal after fifth-straight loss to Stanford

The Bruins bounced back a day after falling to the defending champions.

No. 11 UCLA women’s tennis (12-4, 4-1 Pac-12) defeated No. 15 California (9-5, 3-2) 6-1 on Saturday at the Los Angeles Tennis Center, a day after suffering a 4-3 loss to No. 7 Stanford (14-1, 5-0).

UCLA has not defeated Stanford since 2015 and entered Friday’s matchup on the heels of a four-game losing streak against the Cardinal.

Despite a recent history of losses, coach Stella Sampras Webster said the team prepared with excitement and enthusiasm before facing the nation’s reigning champions.

“You can tell that they were doing everything that they needed to do for an opportunity to play the defending champs,” Sampras Webster said. “You got to bring your best to play the best. So everyone was fired up.”

Sophomore Abi Altick and Senior Alaina Miller lost their doubles matchup 6-1 against Stanford’s Melissa Lord and Niluka Madurawe, but wins on courts one and two allowed the Bruins to claim a 1-0 lead heading into singles play.

Altick recovered from her loss in doubles play by securing a singles win against Janice Shin in straight sets 6-1, 6-1. Her point against Stanford put UCLA up 2-0 and added to her tally of eight singles wins this season, a feat that Sampras Webster attributes to Altick’s intensity.

“She is very sweet, but she’s a quiet warrior,” Sampras Webster said. “You just know that every time she goes out there, she’s going to leave everything out on the court.”

Singles losses by senior Ayan Broomfield and freshman Elysia Bolton surrendered a two point lead to the Cardinal, but a win by redshirt junior Jada Hart over Michaela Gordon put UCLA ahead 3-2 with two matches to be played out.

Freshman Taylor Johnson fell to the Cardinal’s Emma Higuchi in a second-set tiebreaker 6-4, 7-6 (7), which left the match-clinching point to be decided between Miller and Stanford’s Emily Arbuthnott.

Miller failed to secure a win in the third set and fell to Arbuthnott 3-6, 6-3, 3-6. Her loss surrendered the match-clinching point to Stanford, allowing the Cardinal to secure their fifth consecutive win over the Bruins.

Miller said she did not allow the loss to demoralize her and instead turned it into motivation for her matchup against California.

“It’s definitely rough, but I think Stanford gave us a little fuel under our fire,” Miller said. “We came out swinging (on Saturday), and I think we played really well.”

Miller teamed up with Altick and came back to claim a doubles win against California’s Olivia Hauger and Katerina Stloukalova.

“(Miller) has really awesome energy and she’s always laughing out there,” Altick said. “I’m a little more intense. I think it’s a good balance. She keeps me loose and I keep her on it.”

Miller bounced back from Friday’s singles loss and defeated the Golden Bears’ Maria Smith 6-2, 6-3. Her contributions to the team did not end there, as she proceeded to cheer on her teammates in their respective matches, something that caught the eye of Sampras Webster.

“I gave our game ball to (Miller),” Sampras Webster said. “For her to lose that match and be able to come back and have a positive attitude around the team, just shows what a great team player she is.”

Altick continued to build on her singles win streak, emerging victorious in straight sets 6-4, 6-3 against California’s Hana Mraz. Her win clinched the victory for the Bruins, as each team played out the remaining matches to finish 6-1.

Friday’s defeat marked the Bruins’ first conference loss of the season, but UCLA will head into the final six duals of the regular season on the heels of a victory over a top-15 opponent.

“We can take a lot of confidence from this weekend. We played a lot of good tennis throughout the lineup,’’ Altick said. “Hopefully we can bring that against Pepperdine on Wednesday.”

The Bruins will host Pepperdine at the Los Angeles Tennis Center on Wednesday at 1:30 p.m.

Men’s tennis claims sixth straight win in weekend sweeps of No. 10 Stanford, Cal

The Bruins accomplished a feat they had been unable to do since 2013.

No. 19 UCLA men’s tennis (10-4, 3-0 Pac-12) defeated No. 10 Stanford (12-4, 2-2) on Friday and No. 40 California (9-9, 2-2) on Saturday. The wins marked the Bruins’ first sweep of the conference duo in the North in six years. The wins this weekend boosted the Bruins’ winning streak to six games and maintained their undefeated Pac-12 record.

The Stanford match began with a doubles point decided by senior Maxime Cressy and sophomore Keegan Smith. After being down two match points in a tiebreak, Cressy and Smith won four straight points to win the match, 7-6 (6).

“(Smith) and I are really close and play well together on the court,” Cressy said. “Our serves are both massive weapons and a break, or minibreak, are enough for us to convert and win a set.”

The Bruins secured the 4-2 win behind singles victories from junior Ben Goldberg, Smith and Cressy – all in straight sets. Cressy and Smith defeated Stanford singles opponents ranked No. 8 and No. 33, respectively. Smith said after being off the court with an ankle injury for three weeks this season, he was impressed with his performance this weekend.

“I was playing pretty well, serving well,” Smith said. “The break helped a little bit, and it’s really good to be back. It pumps me up just to be playing out there and playing well.”

The doubles point against California proved to be less trouble for Cressy and Smith, as well as for the other duo of sophomore Bryce Pereira and freshman Patrick Zahraj. Both doubles teams claimed 6-4 set victories to clinch the point for UCLA.

Although California does not have four top-70 singles players like Stanford, coach Billy Martin said they still posed a great threat and the rankings system doesn’t always reflect actual performance.

“We went out on Saturday and had to play a tough Cal team at home,” Martin said. “Honestly, our players and Cal’s players may not be ranked as high (as Stanford), all of these good players can compete with anyone on a match day.”

Smith, Cressy and freshman Govind Nanda all picked up singles victories against California to claim the 4-2 win. Cressy said his 3-6, 7-6 (2), 6-1 comeback victory over California’s Yuta Kikuchi was more a credit to his mental strength than to his actual performance.

“I had to come up with a lot of strength mentally when I was down a set and 5-0,” Cressy said. “There was one little part of me (that) believed that nothing was over. I’m not playing my best, but I was able to win this match (Saturday) by hanging in there and playing the important points really well.”

Martin said the two conference victories featured the most impressive play from the Bruins this season.

“It’s just the shot in the arm the team needed,” Martin said. “I’m really just so proud of them because those were the best two matches the team has played all year.”

The Bruins will continue their run of conference play against No. 12 USC (13-6, 3-0) on Friday.

Surf & Turf Invitational brings Bruins beach volleyball four more top-10 wins

With just over a month left, the Bruins still have yet to taste defeat.

No. 1 UCLA beach volleyball (21-0) extended its winning streak, notching four top-10 wins against No. 3 Florida State (17-5), No. 4 LSU (17-5), No. 8 Florida International (11-8) and No. 10 Stetson (17-8) at the Surf & Turf Invitational in Miami Beach, Florida.

“Our big focus right now is we want to continue to improve,” said coach Stein Metzger. “We flew out here to get very hard matches. It’s all about preparation, it’s all about learning. We’re trying to continue to try and stay ahead of the pack and maybe create more separation.”

Seniors Megan and Nicole McNamara clinched the Bruins’ wins against the Hatters and the Panthers. The twins won each of their eight sets over the weekend, but they had to go over the 21-point mark twice to close out the sets against the Tigers and Panthers.

Senior Sarah Sponcil and junior Lily Justine also went a perfect 4-0 in their matches down in Miami Beach. The pair played on court two all weekend and never allowed their opponents more than 18 points in a set.

“We’re coming up against really good opponents,” Sponcil said. “We’re looking forward to whoever we have next. (Playing these teams) really prepared us for (the NCAA championship). We were tested a lot, but I think mentally we came out a little stronger.”

Senior Zana Muno and freshman Abby Van Winkle won all four of their matches in the invitational. The pair dropped three sets, but Muno and Van Winkle maintained their perfect record as a duo playing on court three.

The court four pair of junior Savvy Simo and sophomore Lea Monkhouse and the court five pair of senior Izzy Carey and freshman Lindsey Sparks each went 3-1 over the weekend. Simo and Monkhouse fell in three sets against the Tigers while Carey and Sparks lost in a three-set match against the Seminoles.

Muno said the conditions in Miami Beach closely imitated those in Gulf Shores, Alabama, where the NCAA championships are held in early May.

“I think we got the weather we wanted here,” Muno said. “It was extremely windy and a little bit of rain every once in a while. It’s the exact same environment as Gulf Shores, so I think that preparation is only going to make us stronger.”

UCLA will next play No. 2 USC (16-3) and No. 13 Loyola Marymount (15-7) at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center on Wednesday. The Bruins have topped each opponent this season, winning 3-2 against the Trojans and 5-0 over the Lions.

Metzger said his team made good improvements in Florida, but knows that the Trojans will be looking for revenge against the Bruins.

“What we need to do is get refocused on our game plans and scouting reports,” Metzger said. “Against USC, it’s a team we play more than anybody. We know them well, but we need to make sure we make any adjustments and make sure we’re prepared for them.”