Daily Bruin – Page 17

Student attributes success in ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ to hard work, drive

The third time was the charm for Lorenzo Rangel-Santos’ “So You Think You Can Dance” audition.

The fourth-year dance student is currently competing on season 16 of the TV dance competition where he has advanced to the academy round in the show’s most recent episode. After auditioning for the past two seasons, Rangel-Santos said he discovered that including flips and tricks in his routines displays his highest caliber of talent to audiences watching at home.

While he said hip-hop and ballet classes at UCLA helped prepare him for the diverse styles of dance the show requires, it was his newfound confidence in showing his personality to the shows’ cameras that allowed him to succeed in his latest audition.

“I just wanted to make sure that I was presenting the best version of myself in the case that it would be televised. And I also wanted to make sure that I just stayed true to who I was,” Rangel-Santos said. “I wanted them to know who I am, through my movement, and also through my personality.”

Developing a stronger mind came through increasing his adaptability in terms of choreography, Rangel-Santos said. Although he defines his style as hip-hop with influences from street styles and martial arts, Rangel-Santos said it was taking classes in all types of dance – such as ballet and modern – that aided him most with his audition. On the show, dancers would sometimes be asked to freestyle during the audition, he said, so preparation in other dance genres prepared him to choreograph his own small dances on the spot.

Modern style dance classes at UCLA brought choreography utilizing the floor to the solo Rangel-Santos presented on the show, he said. Meanwhile, ballet classes taught him the foundations of dance and improved his technique so he could use it in his hip-hop style. These classes increased his physical flexibility, Rangel-Santos said, which helped to remove any stiffness from his dancing which he had received critiques on from judges in his past auditions.

When performing on TV, he said he had to adapt his movements to be bigger and exaggerated to translate the energy of the dances to those who were not actually in the room watching. He would watch recordings of himself in order to correct any movements that came across as subdued on-screen, and aim to improve them the next week, he said.

“I felt like my body was constantly being molded, and so I just allowed my body to be malleable so that it was ready to adapt to anything and everything that was going to be thrown at me,” Rangel-Santos said.

Alumnus Oscar Tsukayama, who Rangel-Santos took dance classes with, said he remembers seeing him show his work ethic by repeating the same dance routine in class until it was perfected. Dedication and persistence is important in a competitive setting like “So You Think You Can Dance,” where success is dependent on hard work, Tsukayama said.

“(People in the dance classes) would start bouncing out and sitting on the sides because they were just tired and beat up, but (Rangel-Santos) is one of the few people who kept on going back on the floor and would consistently practice before and after class,” Tsukayama said.

Along with its competitive nature, the reality-show aspect of “So You Think You Can Dance” can be challenging for contestants to succeed in, Tsukayama said. Hip-hop dancers can come off as being serious or intimidating because of the style’s “gangster” nature, he said.

However, Rangel-Santos shows audiences his upbeat personality through playful choreography, Tsukayama said. When he discovered he made it to the competition round, Rangel-Santos did a backflip and hit the “woah” onstage, which Tsukayama said showed audiences not only his dance ability, but the enthusiastic energy he brings to the show.

Rangel-Santos’ optimistic mood transferred off-the-air as well, said Juliette Martinez, a second-year dance student who participated with him on this season of the show. While competing in the contemporary portion, she said many of the hip-hop performers provided an excited energy that spread to other participants. Rangel-Santos’ positive personality showed itself onstage as he did flips to keep the audience engaged, Martinez said, but also lessened dancers’ nervous feelings while waiting backstage to perform.

“I feel like a lot of the hip-hop dancers were very positive, because hip hop is just more fun,” Martinez said. “(Rangel-Santos) was very good at keeping everybody’s spirits high and positive, and he works really hard.”

It might have taken Rangel-Santos a few years to make it as far as he has in “So You Think You Can Dance,” but he said his present experience has shown him that he was not prepared in the past. It gave him the opportunity to master more choreography styles and learn to be fully himself onstage – giving audiences a glimpse into who he is through his movement and persistent refusal to fail, he said.

“When you embrace failure as a comrade, I think many wonderful things happen,” Rangel-Santos said. “When you’re able to just be vulnerable about your flaws and honest with yourself, it’s good as an artist but also just as an individual and as a person.”

Alumna pushes YouTube literary community to take a leaf out of diversity’s book

Christina Mitchell fell in love slowly, then all at once with “The Fault in Our Stars.”

After reading John Green’s novel, the alumna said she scoured the corners of YouTube to see how others had responded to the book.

In addition to the John Green enthusiasts she originally sought, Mitchell found an entire online book community – labeled BookTube – dedicated to discussing literature and issues percolating the publishing scene.

Her BookTube channel, “Christina Marie,” focuses on literature-based content and commentary regarding diversity within her online community. Characterized by Mitchell’s focus on representing herself authentically as a black creator, the channel also has occasional forays into unboxing and storytime videos.

“I’m a firm believer of not having to ask permission to be who I am,” Mitchell said. “If I don’t say what I say or make sure my voice is heard, I’m not being my true self, but I’m also limiting the opportunities for someone who is just like me to hear themselves in media.”

Mitchell’s YouTube account originated as a beauty channel in 2012, but she said she wasn’t willing to expend the often exorbitant costs required for high-quality makeup tutorials, like high-end cameras.

Opting instead to post her latest eye shadow looks on Instagram, Mitchell changed her channel’s focus to books. She said she initially decided to review books she had recently read and enjoyed, such as “The Fault in Our Stars,” rather than focusing on a specific genre.

However, Mitchell’s content began to focus more on diversity and inclusion in the wake of the 2016 shooting of Philando Castile – an African American man who was shot by a police officer after being pulled over.

“I was upset that my community was staying quiet while all this was happening – I’m over here in my corner struggling and suffering and being afraid for my life and everybody else is just doing their own thing,” Mitchell said. “It felt like the community needed to do better with blending what people experience in their everyday lives with books.”

In response, Mitchell released a video on her channel titled “BOOKTUBE, SPEAK UP!” which criticized the BookTube community for remaining silent in the face of police brutality and systematic racism. In the video, she urged those in positions of privilege and power to use their platforms to speak out against such injustices.

“There is so much violence going on within this country because so many people in positions of power continue to stay silent,” Mitchell said in her video. “Stop the silence. Do it because it’s the right thing to do.”

As seen in her video, Mitchell uses her platform to foster discussion within the book community about its lack of diversity, and subsequent impact on minority groups, said Maureen Graham, another BookTube creator. She said Mitchell saw the lack of agency from BookTube on such issues and decided to speak out herself, asking for constructive solutions such as creators utilizing their followers for social change.

“(Mitchell) shows her willingness to call (BookTube) out, but in a way that is constructive and in a way they can learn from if they take those things to heart,” Graham said.

Before she began to create more outspoken videos, Mitchell said at first it was difficult to express herself authentically on YouTube, given the politically charged nature of certain content on her channel. She did not want to adhere to stereotypes typically associated with black women.

“When I was trying to figure out what I was doing on YouTube, I really was aware of being that loud, boisterous, opinionated black woman to where I was trying to not be,” Mitchell said. “I was trying to mimic a lot of what I saw, which was primarily white women.”

Later, she said she developed more confidence in her opinionated persona as a black creator as she grew more comfortable being on camera.

“I have thoughts on almost everything and I’m not afraid to share them. I’m also not scared to have those difficult conversations that people should be having,” Mitchell said. “It really just came with me being becoming more in tune with who I was and finding what I was actually passionate about online in a social media space.”

Mitchell further addressed these issues when attending BookCon in 2018 where many BookTube creators were present, said Hannah Azerang, a fellow YouTuber and friend. After noticing the lack of diversity among those attending, she said Mitchell produced several responses detailing her disappointment with the community, such as her video “Is BookCon Truly Diverse?” As a result, Mitchell was given a panel this year to ameliorate the issues she spoke upon.

“She talked about issues people don’t always talk about, like why black creators get less subscribers and less views overall than other creators, and then she created an actual change,” Azerang said.

With her YouTube channel, Mitchell said she hopes to shine a light on how the publishing industry works and its effects on marginalized communities. She said oftentimes minorities feel like they don’t have the authority to ask for reflections of themselves and their experiences in books – Mitchell urges these groups to demand for increased representation in the BookTube community and wider literary world.

“Those stories still need to be told not for the sake of people who are living those experiences, but to also introduce those people who are in the majority to lives and perspectives outside of their own,” Mitchell said.

The new Honors program is hard. But the problem is that it might be undoable.

This post was updated July 7 at 12:19 p.m.

Gold and purple cords mark the students who graduate from the honors program at the end of four years.

But as it stands, not many will make it out with flying colors.

This past fall, the UCLA College of Letters and Science Honors Department announced its College Honors Pilot Program, which will create new requirements for students within the Honors department.

Currently, students must achieve a 3.5 cumulative GPA and complete between 36 and 44 units of honors coursework by their senior year. In addition, not all honors units coincide with major courses, making it difficult to balance the two. The pilot program goes further, requiring students to complete at least three experience-based courses, such as research or entrepreneurial studies. As seniors, they must maintain their coursework load and complete a culminating project or capstone in their senior year – possibly balancing it with the capstone already required by their major.

The Honors department has long promoted itself as an organization that helps students stand out in the academic pool, and the pilot program hopes to create a more connected and collaborative department.

But rather than being hands-on, the new requirements for the pilot program are all-consuming.

In order to be truly immersive, the Honors department has the responsibility to provide tailored counseling in order to combine honors material with the material for students’ majors. Students within the Honors department are often already inundated with work, making an increased honors course load difficult at best, and a deterrent at worst. Ultimately, the pilot program has the potential to force high-achieving students out of the department because they will have even more work with no increased reward.

And that is just what’s happening.

Navkaran Gurm, a first-year public affairs and economics student, said the Honors department has failed to consider the differing needs of students.

“As a public affairs and economics double major, I have found it difficult to finish the honors requirements,” Gurm said. “An honors program shouldn’t prevent students from pursuing dual degrees. To me, an honors distinction is not worth sacrificing my academic experience.”

Instead of helping students with existing requirements, more are added. And for students with double majors, leadership positions or jobs, the honors program quickly becomes out of reach.

Many honors students dedicate their time to building a robust resume outside the classroom. But with such stringent academic requirements on the part of the program, their endeavors suffer – along with the communities that benefit from them.

Ironically, the program designed for high achieving students leaves them in the dust.

Jennifer Lindholm, the director of the Honors program, previously told the Daily Bruin this new initiative was created to deliver on a request for an increased sense of community.

But any semblance of community within the program is bound to be overshadowed by an increased work-load. Rather than building a community, the pilot program prevents students from being part of the rest of UCLA. Instead, they are forced to choose between an honors title and a college experience.

And it’s not like the existing community knows much about the program anyway.

Lucy Scott, a third-year economics student in the Honors department, said she had no idea there were changes being made to the program.

This lack of communication from the Honors department is nothing new – faculty also feel the effects of constantly shifting programs.

“This year I turned away about 150 students,” said Peter Katona, a public affairs professor whose class experienced an influx of students after it was added to the Honors registrar.

This lackluster communication is a detriment to the students and faculty who are part of the program – especially considering the careful planning required of students to complete their required coursework.

And the quiet addition of the pilot program only furthers this harmful pattern.

Unit requirements vary wildly between majors – a general chemistry student has 90 units of coursework to complete for their major alone, making completing extra honors units a difficult task. But more often than not, students with busy course loads are pushed further into the periphery without proper support or guidance.

In order to create a program that serves its students, the Honors department must work with them on an individual level. An honors certificate is a symbol of an education supplemented by the challenge of honors coursework – not overwhelmed by it.

Granted, honors programs are made for students who are well-equipped to handle this level of coursework – in fact, students asked for this change in the 2010-11 UCLA Academic Senate 8-Year Program Review Process. But by failing to provide the necessary flexibility and counseling, the Honors program is merely loading on the coursework – and effectively excluding certain students in the process. The requirements of this program are not being rejected by students because they are too difficult, but because they are often impossible to complete for high-unit major or double-major students.

Succeeding in the Honors program shouldn’t force students to sacrifice other worthwhile endeavors.

For now, though, a gold and purple tassel might mean just that.

Editorial: Admissions policy audits are first step to heal wounds of flawed admissions system

They say time heals all wounds.

But when those wounds are six figures deep in dirty money, the University of California better hope they heal sometime soon.

On June 20, the UC announced in a press release that it conducted an internal audit of its admissions process with the UC’s Office of Ethics, Compliance and Audit Services to identify improvements that will be made in its college admissions procedures. These internal audits come on the heels of the highly publicized Operation Varsity Blues college admissions scandal, which revealed several universities had accepted bribes to admit students to their athletics teams.

More specifically, UCLA was thrown into the national spotlight when it was revealed former men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo allegedly accepted $200,000 to funnel two students into the university disguised as student-athletes.

These audits are a step in the right direction, and they show the UC isn’t just waiting for an ugly news cycle to blow over.

But let’s not sing their praises just yet.

Big promises – such as tightening up the admissions process – have historically been an easy out for the UC. It has been documented for some time that transparency surrounding decisions it makes or doesn’t make hasn’t been one of the institution’s strong points.

The internal audit that was conducted was the first of two planned audits – the initial audit providing a tentative list of observations and recommendations for general admissions procedures, with the second looking into selected areas of the process, such as application verification controls and student-athlete participation. The second audit is slated to be completed by the end of 2019, and the individual plans for each campus are scheduled to be completed by the end of July.

As it stands, the UC’s press release about the first audit is shrouded in vagueness and general terms for proposed policies, such as “clearer documentation” and “stronger procedures.”

But the UC should know that a statement is just the beginning.

The scandal in March called the credibility, integrity and overall fairness of the college admissions process into direct question. That is not an easy reputation to overcome.

If the UC truly wants to regain the credibility jeopardized by the scandal, it better be prepared to provide the public a clearly communicated auditing process – at the very least.

UC President Janet Napolitano said in an interview with The New York Times that the UC saw where improvements could be made to the admissions system to reduce the likelihood of another case like Salcedo’s.

Clearly, the UC knows the ball is in its court – but promising to hold oneself accountable is always a slippery slope.

As long as the University constantly updates and involves the public with the process in a meaningful manner, it has the potential to regain its communities’ trust.

Of course, proposing policy changes following a huge scandal is the least the UC could do. But when other complicit schools such as USC and Stanford have done little beyond firing their guilty athletics coaches, the UC’s self-recognition of existing flaws within its admissions system is a refreshing change of pace from other schools’ relative inaction.

A scandal this big was bound to leave a wound – one that will require more than a bit of work to heal.

But with the right approach, perhaps the UC can avoid an ugly scar.

UCLA swim and dive hires former Ohio State coach Jordan Wolfrum as head coach

The Bruins are diving into the fall with a new coach.

UCLA swimming and diving has hired former Ohio State associate head coach Jordan Wolfrum as its new head coach.

Wolfrum worked with the Buckeyes for five years, starting as an assistant coach in 2014 and getting promoted to associate head coach in 2016. She coached the Ohio State women’s team during her entire tenure, along with the men’s team when it began competition in 2017.

Under Wolfrum, the women’s team went 48-9 in dual meets and earned four top-25 finishes in five seasons. In addition, the men’s team went 12-4 in its two seasons with her as coach, including finishing in ninth place at this year’s NCAA Championships.

“I know (Wolfrum) comes from an athletic department with an excellent, winning culture and she’s no stranger to high athletic expectations,” said UCLA Athletics Director Dan Guerrero in a statement. “I know the future of the program is bright with (Wolfrum) at the helm.”

Before her stint in Columbus, Ohio, she spent time as a volunteer assistant coach with Stanford.

Wolfrum was a two-time team captain and a four-year letter winner as a student-athlete at St. Cloud State, graduating in 2009.

Wolfrum will be taking over for Cyndi Gallagher, who had spent 38 years with UCLA Athletics as a student-athlete and a coach before choosing to retire at the end of the 2018-2019 season.

Judge postpones hearing of former UCLA doctor charged with sexual battery

This post was updated June 26 at 8:16 p.m.

A former UCLA doctor appeared in court Wednesday for charges of sexual battery against former patients and sexual exploitation connected to his practice.

James Heaps, a former UCLA obstetrician and gynecologist, appeared at the Airport Courthouse for a scheduled preliminary hearing. Judge Yvette Verastegui postponed the hearing to July 30.

Earlier this month, Heaps pleaded not guilty to all three criminal charges, which were made in connection to two former patients. Several civil lawsuits have been filed against him since, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Heaps’ legal counsel attempted to file a waiver that would allow his attorneys to appear on behalf of him in court for future trials. Verastegui did not grant the waiver.

Tracy Green, a California lawyer, was previously the only representative for Heaps, but was joined Wednesday by UCLA School of Law alumnus Leonard Levine.

Green was not immediately available for comment.

Lawyers Darren Kavinoky and Jennifer McGrath appeared in court as well on behalf of two women who have made allegations against Heaps. Kavinoky and McGrath filed two civil cases against Heaps in mid-June following his arrest.

“We are here for (the victims), and we also want to bring to light through this process what UCLA did and did not do to protect the health and safety of the women in the community and the women who have made the criminal allegations,” McGrath said. “We have an interest in understanding what UCLA knew and when they knew it.”

UCLA sent a campuswide email June 10, informing the UCLA community of the investigation and arrest of Heaps. The university’s initial Title IX investigation into complaints against Heaps began Dec. 22, 2017.

Kavinoky said a representative from the California attorney general’s office also appeared in court, allegedly to file paperwork preventing Heaps from practicing while legal deliberations continued.

Heaps’ bond was originally set at $70,000 following his arrest, but he was released on his own recognizance, meaning he was permitted to leave without posting any bail after promising to appear in court as required.

Kavinoky said he and McGrath are handling cases of about a dozen more victims who have come forward. He said they plan on filing more civil cases in the weeks to come.

The Quad: Centennial class seniors share best and worst experiences at UCLA

UCLA’s Centennial Celebration and the Class of 2019 share a few things in common: both come with milestones that call for remembrance.

As UCLA rings in its 100th year, graduating seniors simultaneously look back on the highs and lows of their college experience.

Whether it be fierce feelings of homesickness or shining academic achievements, here are a few graduated seniors’ best and worst moments at UCLA.

Aliya Habib, biology student minoring in global studies

Habib felt her best moment at UCLA was when her UCLA Recreation team won an intramural softball championship. Habib had worked with UCLA Recreation since she was a freshman, and her senior year was the first year she played on a team.

After not playing softball since middle school, she said she enjoyed getting the chance to get back into the game.

“When you work for competitive sports you think, ‘This is just IM,’ so you don’t take it so seriously. And then you actually play and you’re like, ‘Oh, I see the other side of this now, this is intense,” Habib said.

But the wins of college were accompanied by tough losses as well. For Habib, her Chemistry 14C class was this downfall.

“I got my first midterm back and I didn’t even think I was going to pass the class. It was the lowest grade I’d ever gotten in my life,” Habib said.

Millie Unti, microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student

Unti said her best moment was when she traveled to Washington, D.C. to present her research at the American Society of Stem Cell & Gene Therapy Conference. Originally, Unti said that she wanted to attend the conference to observe. But after encouragement from her principal investigator to apply, she sent in her abstract.

Unti was shocked by the result.

“Not only did I get accepted, but I also got a travel award, so I got that award on my abstract which was really great because I don’t think there were any other undergraduates presenting there,” Unti said.

Millie Unti, a microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics alumna said presenting her research at the American Society of Stem Cell & Gene Therapy Conference was one of her best moments in college. Conversely, receiving a C in Math 32A was one of her worst. (Liz Ketcham/Photo editor)

Beginning her sophomore year, Unti worked at the lab of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics under professor Donald B. Kohn. She worked on the project the three years she had been in the lab.

Despite this success in her research, Unti still experienced tough moments in her academic career. She said her worst moment at UCLA was when she got a C in Math 32A. While one C does not seem like the end of the world, she said that during a graduate school interview she was asked why she received the grade.

“My face probably went horribly pale and I was like, ‘What? Why are you asking me this?’” Unti said.

Luckily, the school did not hold the C against her and Unti will be attending Cornell University for graduate school.

Meagan Beriont, communication studies student

Beriont said the best thing she could have done while at UCLA was to embrace LA as a city. Even with lots of friends, being on campus could feel isolating, so she would go into the city to explore, find good places to eat and go to workout classes, she said.

Beriont wanted to scope out new, amazing places and form opinions of her own.

“I spent my sophomore year exploring all the best ice cream in LA,” Beriont said. “I would just go every week and try a new ice cream place based off this arbitrary list someone made about the best ice cream in LA. So now I’m an ice cream fanatic and know all about the best places for ice cream.”

For those wondering, Jeni’s and Scoops Westside make the top of the list.

Meagan Beriont, a communication studies alumna, said that she enjoyed exploring LA during her time in college. However, she said one of her worst experiences was living with her roommate fall quarter during her freshman year. (Rachel Hefner/Daily Bruin)

The city served Beriont well, but her freshman year roommate did not. Beriont said that her worst moments were during fall quarter of her first year, as she and her roommate did not get along.

Beriont said looking back she does not know how she got through it.

“I was 3,000 miles from home, had one tiny room and didn’t even feel comfortable being there,” Beriont said. “That was really awful.”

John Kinnear, history student

One of Kinnear’s most memorable college moments did not occur on UCLA’s campus. It was over the summer in the Bay Area.

Kinnear, who was born and raised in Southern California, said he had never been to the Bay Area until this past summer when he drove up to visit friends he met at UCLA.

“I stayed with my friends for almost the entirety of the summer,” Kinnear said. “I was just couch-surfing and sleeping in my car and every day we’d go on some adventure. We’d go camping, or go explore the city.”

Conversely, Kinnear’s worst moment was more a change of his way of life. He said his worst moment at UCLA was having to make the decision to quit the rowing team.

Kinnear said he decided the best thing he could do to improve his life was to leave the team, even though it meant leaving behind friends and a sport he loved during his last year at UCLA. Fortunately, he stayed good friends with many of his former teammates.

Dash Wada, English student

One of Wada’s best moments, on top of his fraternity bid, was when he achieved his personal record for rowing.

His motivation, he said, was meeting a girl from Washington who was visiting UCLA. When he found out his team was due to compete at the Windermere Cup, a competition in Washington, seeing the girl he met at school became one of his goals.

In a bid to get a seat in the boat competing in order to see her, Wada worked hard.

“I didn’t talk to anyone on the team for like a week, I just trained.” Wada said.

Wada shaved off a total of 35 seconds off his 2k erg test time and landed the last seat left in the boat.

“It was the most ecstatic moment of my college career, it was epic,” Wada said, “I’ve never been that wholesomely happy ever.”

Though Wada was excited about the race, he did not end up having enough time to see the girl while in Washington.

While achieving his person record in rowing holds Wada’s best moment, rowing also holds Wada’s worst moment. Wada said his worst moment at UCLA was when his boat placed 10th at nationals, two years in a row. He said the first year, they expected to do much better and were very disappointed with the race.

The following year, the situation was a bit different.

“This year, none of us thought we had a shot and it ended up getting some of the best racing of my life,” Wada said.

Even though the team still got 10th place, Wada and his teammates were excited about being so close to victory.

“When you lose by the margin of a thousandth of a second, at least you got to be there and at least you thought you had a chance, there’s nothing like that, that’s exciting,” Wada said.

Together the Class of 2019 creates thousands of stories, adding thousands of pages to our campus legacy. Each of these graduates experienced ups and downs, but they made it to the end of their college journey a little bit older and a little bit wiser.

“Just go. Say yes to everything. Do it,” Wada said. “College is here, and you never get to do college again. So do it as aggressively as you can.”