Daily Bruin – Page 178

Second Take: Don’t place same weight of parents’ college scandal crimes on Olivia Jade

Olivia Jade isn’t actress Lori Loughlin’s only daughter – just her more famous one.

Even after a quick skim through the news about the recent “Operation Varsity Blues” scandal, many may be unaware of Jade’s sister, Isabella Rose Giannulli. The alleged controversy involves a complex scheme in which William Singer, who founded a referral-based college preparatory company, facilitated the bribing of collegiate coaches, including UCLA men’s soccer coach Jorge Salcedo, in exchange for enrollment opportunities. Wealthy parents have paid Singer a collective $25 million since 2011 to help cheat on standardized tests, create falsified sports profiles and convince coaches to recruit their underqualified children.

In the case involving Loughlin, known for her role as Aunt Becky in “Full House,” she and her husband Mossimo Giannulli have been charged with fraud in relation to ensuring their children’s enrollment at the University of Southern California. Both daughters were accepted through the crew rowing program despite their lack of competitive rowing experience. Jade, however, has received the brunt of the backlash – an act of unfair targeting by the media at large.

Jade, an influencer with almost 2 million YouTube subscribers, has been singled out as a main figure involved in the scandal, no doubt because of her social media following. Her role in the matter is merely speculative, with some of the only evidence of her involvement being that she participated in a photo shoot where she pretended to be on a rowing crew.

Further, the current charges only list her parents. Yet news sources consistently include “Olivia Jade” in the headline, and one New York Times title even mentions “Lori Loughlin’s Daughter” in reference to Jade, not Isabella Giannulli, though both benefited from their parents’ actions. But Giannulli has a smaller following, and therefore less media coverage.

News sites seem to be so single-mindedly focused on Jade for the clicks, especially considering her name was struck from all records within the affidavit. A search for “Olivia Jade 2019” in Google News yielded over 35 million results Thursday, an increase from the 31 million Wednesday night.

But even the results for most of the parents actually charged – including the parents of a UCLA student – have only a few thousand stories this year. Mossimo Giannulli, who has actually been charged for the alleged crime, also garnered less media coverage, with “Mossimo Giannulli 2019” showing about 13 million news pieces Thursday, from about 11 million the night before.

The sheer abundance of stories about Jade is, quite frankly, an effort to increase page views by attacking someone who was not even charged with criminal activity. Most of the media’s attention revolves around comments Jade has made on her social media platforms about her lack of interest in education – she said in a vlog before her first year at USC that she was excited for game days and parties rather than the classes.

But she’s a 19-year-old girl currently enrolled in a school ranked by U.S. News & World Report as the No. 22 college in the nation. Her edgy tweets are in good company – they echo ideas mumbled by hundreds of students in UCLA dorms each night. The only difference is that when she tweets, it gains traction. Media outlets have used Jade’s ironic comments to judge her for her part in the alleged crimes of her parents, but joking about disliking school does not a federal crime make.

While the children of many rich parents are being relatively ignored for their parts in cheating the college application system, Jade has not been so lucky. A slew of social media posts making fun of her situation accompany the news coverage. Some Twitter memes address Loughlin, but others joke about Jade’s predicament, suggesting that her next vlog will revolve around visiting her mother in prison.

The reviews on a makeup collaboration Jade did with Sephora also called for the product to be pulled, with one commenter referring to it as “the perfect palette for cheaters.” As of Thursday, the company no longer sells the product online. The comments to all of Jade’s YouTube videos were recently disabled, as were the comments for her most recent Instagram posts.

While Jade may have known about the alleged scandal, the media should focus on the real problem – the parents who take advantage of the system. Her parents are culpable, as is reflected in the current list of individuals charged in the investigation. Yes, Jade deserves a punishment fit for her role in the alleged scandal, but not at the level of public shame she is currently experiencing.

Even her sister, with fewer followers on Instagram, has avoided such intense backlash, and the media seems only to be latching onto Jade because of her social influence. But Olivia Jade should not be crucified for her parents’ actions, regardless of the role she played or the fame she wields.

Women’s basketball works to rebound stronger after Pac-12 semifinal loss

Japreece Dean was assured by coach Cori Close after Saturday’s loss.

“(Close) just told me to move on,” said the senior guard. “We just have more basketball to play, and I think that’s what she really emphasizes is that this is not the end.”

After falling in what would have been an overtime upset over then-No. 6 Oregon (29-4, 16-2 Pac-12) in the Pac-12 tournament semifinals, then-No. 25 UCLA women’s basketball (20-12, 12-6) and Close addressed the media confident in the Bruins’ ability to do what they’ve done all year: respond.

“We will respond and we will let this experience propel us to even something greater,” Close said.

The Bruins – who have won 11 of their last 14 games – held a tie with 1:12 left in overtime against a Ducks team containing four All-Pac-12 members and Pac-12 Player of the Year guard Sabrina Ionescu. No. 20 UCLA moved up from an eight-seed to a six-seed projection in ESPN’s Charlie Creme’s latest Bracketology as a result.

“I’m very hopeful that not only our body of work but our trajectory in the last several games, as well as how we passed the eye test,” Close said. “I’m very hopeful the committee will see that and seed us accordingly.”

The Bruins will wait until Selection Monday on March 18 to find out their seeding.

Key contributors

The Bruins had a myriad of contributors at crucial times throughout the conference tournament.

Redshirt senior forward Lajahna Drummer made her impact off the stat sheet by limiting then-No. 20 Arizona State’s leading scorer forward Kianna Ibis down low for the final three and a half minutes to help UCLA to the 73-69 quarterfinal victory.

“The next couple of possessions, (Drummer) denied touches to Ibis when they were deliberately trying to get her the ball,” Close said. “That’s not going to show up on a stat sheet, but we know that was a huge piece.”

The next day against Oregon in the semifinals, senior guard Kennedy Burke scored a team-high 27 points and held Ionescu to 2-of-10 from the field in the first half.

“(Ionescu is) an elite player,” Close said. “Most of the time that fell on Kennedy Burke, and Kennedy Burke is an elite defender. She proved that in the way she contested shots, moved her feet, kept people in front, blocked shots.”

Close prefaced before the tournament the need for the bench to step up when called upon.

“Between (freshman guard) Kiara Jefferson, or (freshman guard) Ahlana Smith or (sophomore forward) Lauryn Miller – two of the three of them have to bring us a punch,” Close said.

The Bruins bench saw Jefferson nail a game-tying 3-pointer in overtime and Miller execute a block and force two consecutive turnovers on Pac-12 assist leader Ionescu.

Dean accounted for half of UCLA’s scoring in the fourth quarter against Arizona State and scored one go-ahead and two game-tying buckets in the final frame against Oregon.

“I looked her in the eye and I said, ‘We have Japreece Dean, and they don’t,’” Close said. “‘You have to lead us right now, right now.’ … And she knew.”

Oregon coach Kelly Graves – who is 6-1 in his last seven meetings with the Bruins – said he sees UCLA’s weapons making a deep push in March Madness.

“A team that’s really playing with a lot of confidence right now,” Graves said. “They have a lot of talent. We don’t have anybody on our team that plays like (sophomore forward Michaela Onyenwere and Burke). And Japreece Dean is as good a point guard as we’ve had to play. … I’ve got them being a candidate to win several games in the NCAA.”

Up From the Ashes

On Nov 8, the sky over California was filled with ash. Two wildfires, the Camp Fire and the Woolsey Fire, had ignited within eight hours of each other, forcing evacuations in Butte, Los Angeles and Ventura counties.

Among the thousands affected by the fires were first-year undeclared life sciences student Monica Campbell, from Paradise, California; first-year physiological sciences student Tyler Ray, from Malibu; second-year psychobiology student Angela Yu, from Thousand Oaks, California; and Charlotte Lerchenmuller, current president of the Sal Castro Foundation. Campbell, Ray and Yu have been tasked with rebuilding, each in different ways. For each student, the task of rebuilding has been difficult. Campbell, having completely lost a home, Ray, within a few yards of losing a home, and Yu, who was deeply disturbed by the nearby tragedies, are still managing their stress from afar but have also come to gain new pride in their communities as they see people rush to each other’s aid.

It has been four months since the Camp Fire swept through the town of Paradise and since the Woolsey Fire ripped through Thousand Oaks and Malibu. Since then, affected communities have been going through their deserted homes, cleaning up abandoned, rusted cars and the burnt shells of houses, schools and workplaces. Though the physical task of cleanup is arduous, the emotional rebuilding can be even more grueling for those affected. These communities faced the emotional turmoil of destruction but have to rebuild from afar – from their homes at UCLA.

Women’s tennis peppered with defeats across courts against Pepperdine

For the first time since February 2017, the Bruins failed to secure a point in a match.

No. 6 UCLA women’s tennis (9-3, 2-0 Pac-12) were swept by No. 20 Pepperdine (6-3) at the Ralphs-Straus Tennis Center as coach Stella Sampras Webster experimented with new doubles combinations.

The three Bruin doubles duos in the lineup had played only two combined matches this season prior to today’s match.

The tandem of senior Ayan Broomfield and redshirt junior Jada Hart won 6-2 on doubles court one; it was the only time the duo had played together all season. It was the only UCLA victory of the afternoon.

For the fifth time in its last seven matches, UCLA dropped the doubles point.

Two of the three ranked Pepperdine players – No. 13 Evgeniya Levashova and No. 61 Jessica Failla – were not part of the Waves’ singles lineup.

The Bruins struggled to gain any momentum as the Waves won five of the first six sets in singles. Across the six singles courts, UCLA managed to win just three sets.

In the only ranked matchup of the day, No. 64 Hart was outclassed 6-3, 6-4 by No. 56 Ashley Lahey.

The encounter was clinched on the second singles court as No. 10 freshman Elysia Bolton lost 6-4, 7-5 to Pepperdine’s Adrijana Lekaj.

The Bruins will next face Oregon (6-7, 0-2) at the Oregon Student Tennis Center on March 24.

UC Board of Regents tables vote to increase nonresident tuition

The University of California Board of Regents postponed a vote to increase nonresident tuition until its meeting in May.

The board tabled the vote Thursday after the Finance and Capital Strategies Committee voted Wednesday to recommend the Regents increase nonresident tuition by $762.

UC President Janet Napolitano said it has become more difficult for the board to vote on tuition.

“Voting on tuition has become increasingly difficult because in some respects it calls on the board to think about what is necessary for the institution to continue to grow and to thrive,” Napolitano said.

Napolitano said the committee recommended a modest increase in nonresident student tuition of about 2.6 percent.

“It’s basically a cost-of-living adjustment,” she said. “It keeps (nonresident student tuition) the same in constant dollars.”

She added that the revenue gained from the increase could benefit the UC in other aspects.

“These are dollars that can be used and have been used to hire faculty and staff and (teaching assistants) to support ongoing educational mission at the University,” she said.

Napolitano urged the board to vote to increase nonresident tuition, prior to the decision to table the vote.

“So I urge the board … to evaluate whether this increase is of such a nature that it should be enacted, knowing that if we don’t do this, we’re creating a 30 million hole in the budget,” Napolitano said. “I am confident that the legislature will not deposit those kinds of ongoing monies for nonresident students.”

Napolitano said the $30 million dollar hole that would result without a tuition increase will impact programs at the UC.

“How do we continue to meet our budgetary needs, run this University at the level and quality for which is rightfully known and continue to educate the next generation?” Napolitano said. “Our primary purpose is to educate the next generation of Californias. We teach for Californians, we research for the world.”

Student Regent Devon Graves said some of the issues international students face go beyond tuition and fees, such as visa costs or costs of staying on campus during regularly scheduled school breaks.

“They’re impacted by basic needs just like our resident students. They’re sending money back home,” Graves said. “We can’t just offset the cost onto these students.”

Regent Howard Guber said having nonresident students at the UC allows other students to have unique access to an international community.

“To not have that asset available to the student body would be a detriment to the University’s intellectual gravitas,” Guber said. “One of the things that strikes me is that we’re looking at them as a liability rather than an asset.”

Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said she hopes to push the California state legislature to increase state funding for higher education.

“It is absolutely incumbent upon us as the regents to raise our voices with the legislature and make it absolutely clear that this an unsustainable process,” Kounalakis said.

Kounalakis added that her office would also begin to push the legislature for more funding to the UC, considering the state now has a surplus of funds in its general state funds.

“I really call upon all the members to be part of that. To recognize that this is our opportunity and to really put as much time and effort and energy as we possibly can into urging the legislature to increase the allocation significantly this year, so that we can begin to look forward to the next few years and see how we’re going to be able to address this, not just today but over the next few years,” Kounalakis said.

Regent Chair George Kieffer said tabling the motion until the board’s next meeting would give the UC time to push the legislature to increase funding.

“The implication of tabling also is to approach the legislature in a much more aggressive way as possible as Lt. Gov. has said with respect to funding all our needs at the University,” Kieffer said.

Change of scenery for track and field as it switches to outdoors

The Bruins will be swapping their indoor spikes for outdoor spikes.

UCLA track and field will begin the second 10-week portion of its season outdoors, starting Friday at the Willie Williams Classic in Tuscon, Arizona.

Junior distance runner Robert Brandt – who had First-Team All-American finishes in both the 5000-meter and 3000-meter races at the NCAA Indoor Championships in Birmingham, Alabama – said he will take a lighter training load this week.

“I think a big thing now is just making sure I’m recovered after a long indoor season like that,” Brandt said. “A lot of kids, they’re kind of … training through indoor, but for me, it was a lot. A lot of racing, a lot of competing.”

Brandt said the narrow turns on indoor tracks such as the CrossPlex in Birmingham force runners into a strategic mindset that is not taken into consideration as much outdoors.

“Positioning is a lot more important (indoors),” Brandt said. “Whoever’s in the lead with two laps to go usually wins the race because it’s hard to pass guys when you’re tired going into the last 800 (meters) of those races. On the (CrossPlex) track it’s even harder – the turns are short … (Indoors) is definitely more strategic than outdoor racing.”

Brandt cracked UCLA’s outdoor top-10 list in both the 10,000-meter and 5,000-meter races last year with times of 29:02.14 and 13:41.23, respectively.

Sophomore thrower Alyssa Wilson was the only athlete in the country last year to qualify for the NCAA indoor and outdoor championships in all five throwing events – the indoor and outdoor shot put, weight throw, hammer throw and discus.

Wilson threw a season-best 22.23 meters on Feb. 8 in the indoor weight throw – a variation of the outdoor hammer throw unique to the United States.

The 4-kilogram NCAA women’s hammer is roughly 11 pounds lighter than the 20-pound weight and is more suitable for building momentum. Wilson said she’s happy to move on to outdoor events.

“(I) definitely (prefer) outdoors just because I have three events instead of two,” Wilson said. “I just like hammer and discus so much better than indoor shot and the weight (throw).”

The longer chain on the end of the hammer throw enabled Wilson to build enough momentum to toss 145 feet farther than her personal record in the weight throw.

“(For the weight throw), it’s better to be short and stubbier or on the bigger end,” Wilson said. “In the hammer (throw), you can range from short to giant (and) still figure out a way to throw it far. There’s more speed involved with the hammer (throw) where with the weight (throw) you just grip it and rip it.”

Wilson and freshman pole vaulter Sondre Guttormsen both said the temperate weather in Westwood eases the transition from indoors to outdoors for field athletes.

“There’s not a lot of difference, especially when we compete in California where it’s 70, 80 and 90 degrees all year,” Guttormsen said. “Of course you can have meets where the wind is swirling and changing and you get a headwind, but all in all it’s not that big of a change I think.”

Guttormsen’s hometown of Ski, Norway, receives around 1700 hours of sunshine per year whereas his new home at UCLA averages over 3200.

“In Norway, I prefer indoor better than outdoor better for sure because you never know what to expect the conditions (to be),” Guttormsen said.

Men’s tennis prepares to face UCSB, makes adjustments in light of recent injuries

Two Bruins have a chance to return to form against UC Santa Barbara on Thursday.

No. 20 UCLA men’s tennis (6-4, 1-0 Pac-12) will take on UC Santa Barbara (6-4, 0-0 Big West) at the Los Angeles Tennis Center. Although it has only competed in a dual match once since the 2013 season, coach Billy Martin said UCLA players face UCSB opponents often.

“We play them in many of the regional tournaments, besides their fall tournament we play every year,” Martin said. “Really no surprises for either coach, but I think this is one of the strongest teams they’ve had in a while, both singles and doubles.”

Freshman Patrick Zahraj has lost four of five singles matches, with the other unfinished, since his first decision of the season on Feb. 15. In the five matches, Zahraj has faced two top-50 opponents and played at three different lineup positions.

Zahraj attributed his recent results to the fluctuating playing conditions for the Bruins and said he is confident after working on his serve.

“Many changes from indoors to outdoors and back isn’t helping,” Zahraj said. “I’ve also had a couple issues on my serve, which dropped my confidence level a bit, but we did a good job in practice working on it, fixing the issues.”

Sophomore Keegan Smith returned to the courts against Utah on Friday after an ankle injury Feb. 15. Smith won his doubles match with his new partner, freshman Govind Nanda, but said he wasn’t comfortable enough with his ankle to compete well in singles.

“It’s definitely been a little bit of an adjustment coming back,” Smith said. “The first match was tough … but I’m getting more confident with it, and it seems like it’s getting better, so I think by Thursday I’ll be back.”

If Smith is back to 100 percent, the Bruins will be close to full health to face the Gauchos. However, sophomore Connor Hance, who sustained a foot injury Jan. 25, has yet to return for the team.