Daily Bruin wins 22 awards at 2019 college media contest

The Daily Bruin won 22 awards at the 2019 California College Media Association contest Saturday.

PRIME, the Daily Bruin’s quarterly arts, culture and lifestyle magazine, won three of the publication’s seven first-place awards. PRIME also received a third-place award for Best Magazine.

The Bruin’s Instagram took first-place awards for Best Social Media Platform and Best Social Media/Single Story. The publication also earned first-place awards for Best Headline Portfolio and Best Arts & Entertainment Story, a third-place award for Best Overall Newspaper Design and a third-place award for Best Podcast.

Below is a list of the Daily Bruin’s 2019 CCMA awards:

First Place:

Second Place:

Third Place:

Women’s tennis heads to Arizona to fight off Sun Devils, Wildcats

UCLA will travel to Arizona to open its Pac-12 slate this weekend.

No. 6 UCLA women’s tennis (7-2) will face Arizona State (5-4) and Arizona (8-3) on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

UCLA only played one match since their Feb. 23 win against California due to rain cancelling their match against UC Santa Barbara on Feb. 28. In their most recent match, UCLA suffered a defeat to rival USC 4-1.

“Any loss you have, you learn a lot about your team,” said coach Stella Sampras Webster. “There were things we saw out there that we needed to work on. We’ve been working on shot tolerance, shot consistency, movement, shot selection, serves and returns.”

Sampras Webster said the coaching staff has been working individually with players to fine-tune their skills and keep their confidence levels up.

UCLA whitewashed both the Arizona teams on back-to-back days in the regular season last year. The Bruins also dropped only the doubles point against the Sun Devils in the 2018 Pac-12 championships to seal a berth in the finals.

The Sun Devils’ most recent wins against the Bruins have been 4-3 encounters in 2016 in Westwood and in 2017 at the Whiteman Tennis Center. The Bruins are undefeated against the Wildcats over the past 10 years.

UCLA maintains a 58-18 all-time record against Arizona State and a 65-8 record against Arizona.

“Hopefully by the end of the regular season, we’ve figured out a lineup that is best for us,” Sampras Webster said. “Regardless of where in the lineup people are playing, we find out a lot during the regular season.

UCLA is one of three schools, including Stanford and California, to feature three top 50-ranked doubles teams in the latest iteration of the ITA Division I rankings.

The Bruins’ third doubles team in their three most recent matches has been the No. 48 tandem of senior Alaina Miller and sophomore Abi Altick. The pair is 6-2 this season and 2-1 in dual matches.

“I think we are a much better doubles team than we were in the fall,” Miller said. “If one of us makes a mistake, it doesn’t seem as bad if we laugh it off. (Altick) and I are really good at that. That’s how I release pressure.”

This weekend will be the first conference games for freshmen Taylor Johnson and No. 10 Elysia Bolton.

“I know this is my first season,” Johnson said. “I don’t know how everything works but I’m really excited to start competing against all the Pac-12 schools.”

The Bruins only dropped one regular season conference match last season – a 4-3 loss to the Cardinal. UCLA lost to Stanford 4-2 in a rematch in the Pac-12 championships final.

Softball returns home for last nonconference tournament of season

After three weeks, the Bruins are back home.

No. 2 UCLA softball (17-1) will conclude tournament play this weekend with the UCLA/Long Beach State Invitational, its fifth nonconference tournament of the 2019 season. The Bruins will host Robert Morris, BYU and Liberty on Friday and Saturday, before heading south to Long Beach, California, on Sunday for matchups against Boston University and Long Beach State.

Freshman catcher/first baseman Colleen Sullivan said she was looking forward to the upcoming tournament, and that UCLA will continue to use its games against programs outside of the Pac-12 to gain momentum going into conference play.

“I think this is a good opportunity for us to fine-tune some things,” Sullivan said. “The great thing about playing six games a weekend in preseason is that we get to push our mental and physical (capabilities), and when we do that, we get to see exactly what we need to work on.”

Last weekend at the Judi Garman Classic, the Bruins suffered their first loss of 2019. After only giving up one run between two games against No. 4 Florida, UCLA fell to then-unranked Michigan on Friday. The Wolverines held the Bruins to only one run for their lowest offensive output of the season. UCLA’s second-lowest run production came on Feb. 7 against UT Arlington in Hawaii, which held it to two runs in a narrow victory.

Freshman pitcher Megan Faraimo held Michigan to one hit and no walks in the game’s first five innings before the Wolverines scored three runs in the sixth inning following a fielding error.

Assistant coach Lisa Fernandez said the Bruins must take advantage of their spells away from home to continue their development into a championship-caliber team.

“We were able to test some individuals and see how they would respond, and so it was a good learning opportunity,” Fernandez said. “For us, you never fail, you’re always learning. As long as we are continuing to move in the right direction and grow, that’s what it’s all about.”

Sullivan touched further on the loss that ended UCLA’s 16-game winning streak, noting that the Bruins’ perseverance will reset their mentality going into the weekend.

“At the end of the day, we didn’t lose because of them – we lost because we beat ourselves,” Sullivan said. “No one can own the game, and exactly when you think that you’re the best, the game is going to show you that.”

Freshman utility Kelli Godin said she is looking to take advantage of the Bruins’ first home games in three weeks but that they have to stay focused on the road as well in order to stay afloat.

“Being home is great because we have our families here supporting us and all of our fans, so the energy is different here,” Godin said. “I personally really enjoy playing at home and everyone on the team does because of the atmosphere.”

Fernandez also highlighted how the games in Long Beach propose a positive challenge for the Bruins, despite the comforts of playing at Easton Stadium for the two days prior.

“Being on the road is a great experience for the girls to learn how to play in those conditions, whether it’s fans or surfaces or weather,” Fernandez said. “When it comes down to the end, we’re going to be away from home, and so we’re going to have to do some great things (away).”

UCLA will face Robert Morris on Friday at 7 p.m. to start the invitational.

Men’s tennis opens conference play against Utah away from home

UCLA will start Pac-12 play on the road.

No. 20 UCLA men’s tennis (5-4) will travel to Salt Lake City to face off against Utah (12-3) on Friday in its Pac-12 season opener. Coach Billy Martin said he wants his team to begin conference play on a high note and is looking for his team to peak as the NCAA tournament draws nearer.

Play will be held indoors at Utah’s George S. Eccles Tennis Center which sits at an elevation of over 4,000 feet – something Martin said the team will need to adjust to.

“The match (at Utah) is always very difficult for us because of the altitude,” Martin said. “To be at 4,000 feet all of a sudden, that little tennis ball flies. We’re playing indoors which will make it a little slower, but it’s a big home-court advantage for them.”

The Utes have not been beaten at home this season, and they are riding a streak of six seasons with a winning record on their home courts. The Bruins, meanwhile, are 5-4 on the year, with each of their four losses coming either on an opponent’s home court or in neutral territory.

Sophomore Bryce Pereira said while the altitude difference will play a factor in doubles play, he has adapted to those conditions before.

“We’re getting there a day or two early, so we’ll get used to it,” Pereira said. “I’ve played in the (high) altitude a bit in the juniors. I’ve played in Utah and Colorado before, so altitude isn’t a foreign thing for me.”

The Bruins have never lost to the Utes in all 14 of their previous matches. Last year, the Bruins bested Utah with a 4-0 win on Senior Day to clinch the Pac-12 title.

UCLA’s last dual match was a home victory against Grand Canyon. After dropping the doubles point to start the match, multiple Bruins rallied to clinch the match for the team.

Freshman Mathew Tsolakyan – who made his ITA singles ranking debut this week at No. 106 – said he will need to start his match more aggressively if he is to avoid another slow start against Utah.

“If you’re aggressive off the bat, that will help you a lot,” Tsolakyan said. “You can’t start the match in a passive way. You have to try and push your opponent back and use (the open court). We’ll have to practice (to adjust to the altitude), but when the match starts, you can’t worry about those things.”

Martin said sophomore Keegan Smith, who has missed the previous four matches due to injury, will likely be in the lineup.

Senior Maxime Cressy will likely return to the lineup at the No. 1 singles spot. Cressy was unavailable for the match against Grand Canyon due to his participation in the Oracle Challenger Series in Indian Wells, California. Cressy will likely face Utah’s Dan Little, who is ranked No. 64 in singles.

“We know a lot about (Little),” Martin said. “He beat Martin Redlicki two years ago (at UCLA). He has a huge serve which is even bigger in the high altitude. Though, he’ll be going against Cressy who has a huge serve and who likes to be aggressive, so it will be an interesting match between those two.”

Play is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. on Friday.

Alumnus’ architecture photos commingle geometry with narrative in overlooked spaces

A passerby may stroll through a parking structure and see mundane cars and concrete, but Minh Tran notices a geometrical symphony of lines, angles and captivating shadows.

Architecture photographer and UCLA alumnus Tran, who goes by Minh T, said he scouts and photographs fragments of underrated structures in Los Angeles, incorporating elements of geometry, simplicity and escapism into his work. By sharing his photographs with his 186,000 Instagram followers, Minh T said he aims to transport viewers into otherworldly temporal and spatial settings. Minh T’s photographs tap into tactical combinations of light and shadow, color and human presence to elicit a spectrum of emotional responses, he said.

“My architecture photography is about capturing a mood or a feeling in a space,” Minh T said. “The feeling is never about the whole building, it’s about a little glimpse of sunlight falling onto the steps or a curtain flowing by an open window.”

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Minh T uses Instagram to reach his followers and enhance the sense of escapism in his photographs. Instead of tagging specific locations or buildings, he often tags general vicinities like “California” to prevent associating a space with reality. (Taylor Lee/Daily Bruin)

Reducing a scenic landscape or a building to its essential, geometric elements brings clarity to his imagery, Minh T said. By specifically focusing on imposing angles, strong diagonals and blocks of light within structures, Minh T said his photographs attain a refreshed perspective of everyday places.

[RELATED: “Photographer, UCLA professor to feature immersive exhibition in Los Angeles”]

His attention to these aspects manifests in a visually appealing Instagram feed, Minh T said – the curvature of whitewashed arches in one photo is juxtaposed with rigid, rectangular black stairs in the next. Yet, Minh T said there is more than meets the eye because, rather than being purely visual, his photographs aim to allude to fragments of a story that are open to interpretation. One photograph features a man in a black suit and brimmed hat, his back turned to the lens as he walks along a wooden pier – where could he be going and why?

“A still image leaves room for imagination because it’s not spelled out,” Minh T said. “Questions like, ‘Who is this character? What is this place? What time of day is it?’ help build a story that is visual but emotional as well.”

In an attempt to create notions of escapism, Minh T said he prefers to photograph neglected sites in small towns or colleges, like California State University, Northridge, or Santa Monica College, which are rarely recognized for their architectural qualities. Obscure locations facilitate the viewer’s ability to focus less on location and more on being transported to the feeling the place gives them, Minh T said. To further amplify the effects of transportation, Minh T said he wields the Instagram geotagging feature in a specific way. Instead of tagging the exact location that the photograph was taken, he chooses to tag general vicinities like “California,” to prevent associating a specific place with reality.

Tiffany Smith, a professional dancer who collaborated with Minh T in the summer, said she was initially surprised by his choice of location for the shoot – a corner around the bend from the restrooms near Santa Monica College’s track. Smith said the seemingly ordinary space looked sleek and futuristic in Minh T’s photographs. While these qualities stave off nostalgia, Smith said her pose, in which she twists her body and contorts downward, still embodies a sense of inner conflict by expressing a want for more.

“That corner we were in was not anything that I would have found spectacular, but he had a vision through the camera lens that I couldn’t see at all,” Smith said.

Vinny Balbo, another professional dancer, said he also worked with Minh T in a number of low-key spaces like the Sepulveda Dam, parking garages and a community college in Minneapolis. Balbo said the two have collaborated in different spaces to create moods and snippets of interpretive stories. At times Balbo engages in pedestrian activities like walking along a corridor and gazing out a window pensively, while in others he said he adopts dynamic poses to show feelings of excitement or release.

“If you look at the work, the model is never quite the subject in full, but a little piece of the whole picture,” Balbo said. “(Minh T) more so shows the emotions through the body language interacting with the structures.”

[RELATED: “Photographer showcases graduates’ personalities to make shoots more memorable”]

Balbo said Minh T’s incorporation of characters and their movements provides perspective, context and emotion in the middle of everyday places to emulate different worlds or a different point in time. In one photo, Balbo leans backwards dramatically against a yellow facade, his arms stretching towards the sky while his shadow casts a triangular shape on the wall behind him. He said his movements elicited a sense of simultaneous sinking and reaching out, lending the picture a longing sentiment; determining what the character longs for is up to the viewer’s discretion.

As of late, Minh T said he is experiencing a creative shift in his artistic photography style as brighter, bolder colors pop into his feed. He said his 2014 Instagram aesthetic featured desaturated and monochromatic shades, which emulated a tranquil and, at times, melancholic mood. Reds, pinks and oranges figure into his current photographs, and Minh T said these posts receive greater responses from the Instagram audience. Although the posts are vibrant and eye-catching, Minh T said they still capture sober notes of reflection – solitary characters wander unidentifiable terrains, as if contemplating something.

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Minh T collaborated with Vinny Balbo, a professional dancer. Balbo said Minh T’s shots take place in everyday places but provide characters and emotion to emulate different worlds. (Courtesy of Minh T)

Minh T said developing a signature style was a meandering process as he experienced many creative twists and turns through fashion, graphic design and architecture during his college career; the rise of Instagram led him to combine his love for the three. Shapes, shadows and colors of different structures exude a graphic element, while models in brand clothing articulate Minh T’s love for fashion, he said.

“My work changed when I told myself I was going to see things with intention, like the pattern on an oak tree or the filigree on leaves, instead of just looking around,” Minh T said. “The goal is to create an image that is memorable, that changes you and changes somebody else.”

Movie review: ‘Captain Marvel’ introduces first female lead just in time for new Avengers era

After 11 years, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has its first leading woman – and she doesn’t disappoint.

Marvel Studios has released 20 films since the 2008 debut of “Iron Man.” In that time, the series has expanded to include spy thrillers, heist movies and cosmic comedies all sprawling over the most expansive cinematic universe ever created. Now, “Captain Marvel” takes the MCU where it has never gone before – the ’90s.

But for those clamoring for the good old days of Blockbusters and beepers, it takes a while to get to there.

“Captain Marvel” opens with Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) on an alien planet, six years after a mysterious crash wiped her memory. Carol is now aiding a team of Kree soldiers in their generations-long war against the shape-shifting Skrulls, while team leader Yon-Rogg (Jude Law) teaches her to control her newfound photon energy powers. When Carol is sent on a mission to stop the Skrull leader, Talos (Ben Mendelsohn), from kidnapping a Kree spy, she is eventually captured and brought to Earth, where the story of her past begins to unravel.

The first act of the film – composed mostly of dream sequences, flashbacks and exposition dumps – doesn’t particularly start “Captain Marvel” off on the best foot. The plot feels rushed, and amid all the space jargon, we miss out on major details about the Kree-Skrull War, the two alien races’ traits and Carol’s relationship with her team. But when Carol arrives on Earth and teams up with then-S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), the pacing, humor and plot finally come into their own.

Much of the film follows Carol uncovering her past, a plot point that can typically fracture a narrative and strip its lead of any real character. However, Carol’s personal journey fits organically into the greater plot, and unlike other cliche amnesia-stricken protagonists, she still retains a relatable and witty personality full of sarcastic quips and emotional outbursts.

[RELATED: Movie review: ‘Avengers: Infinity War’]

Larson shines as the titular character, and her instant chemistry with Jackson is a blast to watch. The two have great banter, and it is refreshing to see Jackson take a more youthful approach to the typically jaded Fury.

Mendelsohn stands out as well, joining the list of Marvel villains with tangible and sympathetic motives alongside Loki, Killmonger and the Vulture. He manages to bring both humor and heart to the role, despite often being held back by his overbearing prosthetics. Yon-Rogg is a compelling character, thanks to Law’s nuanced performance, but he winds up being a missed opportunity as there was little insight offered into his motivations and his relative lack of screen time.

There is not a lot of action in “Captain Marvel” – at least compared to its peers in the genre – but what is there works. The first act only has a dusty, shadowy fight scene and a brief, yet creative, escape sequence, while the second act boasts a fun train chase. However, the action kicks into full gear in the final 30 minutes, and the visuals in the final fight are awesome.

[RELATED: Movie review: ‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part’ builds upon wit, heart of predecessor]

By nature of its existence, “Captain Marvel” also bears the burden of tackling certain social issues. The movie isn’t as overt with this as its female-led blockbuster predecessor, “Wonder Woman,” but it is still able to address such themes in a relevant and entertaining way.

The film plays off sexist tropes of submission and pretty faces without relying on them, typically making use of visual storytelling – as opposed to cliche dialogue and flawless women – to empower audiences. Carol is far from a perfect person at the start of the story, and her ability by the end of the film to stand up to people and let her passion take over carries most of the film’s emotional weight.

Being the first Marvel movie since comic book writer Stan Lee’s death, the film does his legacy justice with a surprisingly emotional send-off. But while the era of Lee comes to a close in “Captain Marvel,” the film kicks off a brand new one – introducing one of the series’ most powerful and likable characters in Carol just in time for April’s “Avengers: Endgame.”

So for the next seven weeks, Carol Danvers’ lone appearance will be in her very own entertaining and badass solo outing, but the film has major implications that tee her up as one of the standouts of the burgeoning new Avengers era.

CAE does a disservice to both note-takers and students who need their notes

The UCLA Center for Accessible Education needs to take some notes on how to better serve students with disabilities.

By law and university policy, CAE is required “to provide academic support services to regularly enrolled students with documented permanent and temporary disabilities.” One of these support systems is providing notes for students with learning, psychological or physical disabilities. Students used to submit a sample of their own notes and those chosen from the applicant pool would receive a quarterly stipend of about $100 per course.

Now, compensation for notes is a thing of the past. Recent updates to note-taker compensation policies have turned the quarterly stipend into a letter of recommendation from the CAE director, a certificate of appreciation and a luncheon dedicated to celebrating the True Bruin Values of service.

That sounds a lot more like a middle school perfect attendance celebration than an incentive to work for CAE.

Undercutting financial incentives for student note-takers will serve as a huge deterrent to an already flawed system. There aren’t enough students applying to be note-takers as it is, and there is no standard for the quality of notes nor penalties for those who submit notes late or not at all. For students with disabilities who rely on these notes to stay ahead academically, the new policies may increase the instances of them getting useless notes or no notes at all.

CAE needs to bring back the financial stipend in addition to all these new incentives, and introduce new quality-assurance regulations if it hopes to truly serve the needs of students seeking accommodations.

Students relying on the center have to deal with notes not always being posted on the note-taker site or coming in on time. There is no punishment for turning in notes late, so CAE just hopes students will turn in their notes immediately after class. As a result, students can sometimes miss out on entire lectures or weeks of notes, despite depending on this service to be able to study for their classes.

Phoebe Sajor, a third-year sociology student, said she frequently relies on notes provided through this service.

“The notes were always a hit or miss, since it wasn’t regulated well, with no restrictions on whether the notes were typed or written,” Sajor said. “Sometimes, I couldn’t even read them.”

When these kinds of problems arise, it’s natural for students to reach out for help. Yet, CAE is often uncommunicative and impersonal when addressing these academic accommodations, or lack thereof. It can take weeks for students with disabilities to get a response about the personal accommodations they need for their classes.

“I asked during week one to be provided notes, but they waited until week five to tell me none were available for me,” Sajor said.

But on the quarter system, there’s no room to wait weeks for a university response.

Students shouldn’t be left in the dark about necessary academic accommodations for weeks, especially when CAE promises to ensure their well-being.

“I was really frustrated when I heard they aren’t doing stipends anymore because I think there will be a significant decline in students who want to provide notes,” said Jessica Rauch, a fourth-year human biology and society student, who was a note-taker in the past.

Even professors think the new incentives are ridiculous.

John Branstetter, a political science professor who’s had note-takers in his class, said it’s laughable to think a letter of recommendation from the CAE director is valuable.

“That letter cannot possibly speak to the academic or intellectual potential of the student in question, and therefore would be essentially meaningless for a graduate or professional school admissions committee,” Branstetter said.

None of these new incentives have any appeal compared to a stipend. A letter of recommendation from some administrator the student has never met is worthless to those who know they could, and should, be getting paid for their work. Compared to checks, certificates of appreciation are an absolute joke. And a luncheon dedicated to celebrating the True Bruin Values of service is ironic, considering CAE is providing a monumental disservice to both note-takers and students with disabilities. This policy change is the same as asking students to work for no compensation at all.

“This will only lower morale to be a note-taker, because $100 isn’t chump change to students,” Sajor said.

CAE declined to comment on its policies until spring quarter.

Of course, money isn’t everything, and it isn’t that students are unwilling to demonstrate their True Bruin Values. But CAE’s new incentives alone are not going to do enough to bring in more desperately needed note-takers. The note-taking service already faced severe problems when CAE compensated students, and the center is shooting itself in the foot by enacting these new policies.

CAE can take all the notes it wants on what it’s been doing wrong. It just won’t be getting a dime for it.