Alumni band spotlights special needs activists, Special Olympics in music video

This post was updated Aug. 8 at 4:51 p.m.

Playing music with friends at sunset on a Malibu mountaintop can be described in many ways. For Caley Versfelt, the best word to use is “funtastic.”

“It’s a word that I made up that’s fantastic and fun together,” Versfelt said. She used it when talking about her favorite moment of being in the most recent music video of alumni band Hello Noon.

Versfelt has Down syndrome and graduated from Pathway at UCLA Extension in 2012, which is an educational program offered by the university for those with special needs. A global messenger for the Special Olympics as well as an actress and activist, Versfelt is one of three individuals with intellectual disabilities featured in Hello Noon’s music video for its song “Run Free.”

The video received over 40,000 views on YouTube within two weeks of its release, which is over 36,000 more than any of Hello Noon’s four other videos.

The band has pledged to donate $1 to Special Olympics Southern California for every Facebook share the video receives, up to $500. As of publication, the video has been shared 324 times.

Hello Noon partnered with Special Olympics Southern California for the video to shed light on the strength of those with intellectual disabilities, said Stephen Spies, a singer and guitarist in the band who graduated in 2017.

The band was founded three years ago by UCLA alumni who met as undergraduates studying music. They bonded over a common desire to bring more positivity to popular music culture, Spies said.

“A lot of our songs come from a place of trying to make the world a better place,” said Danielle Castrence, a vocalist in the band who graduated from UCLA in 2016.

The band’s “Run Free” video was itself the result of a random act of kindness, Spies said. When Hello Noon played at a music festival in Texas, they were approached by a former Disney music manager, who was taken with the band and offered to finance a music video for them, Spies said.

“(She) saw us perform and said, ‘Hey, I want to pay for a music video for you guys. You guys can do whatever you want to with this video,’” Spies said. “So actually the whole video was funded by her, as like a gift to us.”

The band chose to work with the Special Olympics in part due to the members’ personal experiences with those with special needs. Spies, also a music teacher, said he has taught many classes for students with intellectual disabilities.

“I’ve always been amazed when (their) teachers would tell me, ‘Oh, you may not get much of a response from them,’ or ‘Don’t worry about accomplishing too much,’” Spies said. “And (the students will) come in and they’re all ready to go and we’ll just jam out and have a fun time. The condition is never a thing.”

For Versfelt, participating in the music video gave her an opportunity to continue to show others that she is able to do just as much as those who don’t have disabilities, she said.

“Other people are always like, ‘You’re my role model, I want to be like you, you inspire me to do many things,’” Versfelt said. “I told my friend … how I can be on stage with (Hello Noon) and they’re so welcoming. … A friend of mine said to me, ‘I have now seen Caley be a rock star.’”

Oftentimes, when there is conversation about those with disabilities, the focus is on their perceived handicaps, Spies said. But, he said, the goal of the video was to highlight all of the abilities people with disabilities do possess, and to celebrate their accomplishments and talents.

“(Versfelt, Cole Sibus and Jared Kozak are) some of the most incredible people you could ever meet,” Spies said. “They’re actors in TV shows and movies. They’re starting their own businesses. They’re playing in bands themselves. They’re really talented, incredible individuals who have so much positivity and wonderfulness to bring to the world.”

Sibus, an actor who also plays softball in the Special Olympics, said he knows from personal experience it can be difficult for those with special needs to be involved in the community, but he would encourage anyone else with special needs to pursue their dreams.

“It feels great,” Sibus said. “What Hello Noon did was really good. And I feel inspired that they want to be innovative.”

Kozak, who is a global messenger for the Special Olympics and an actor, similarly said he hopes the video inspires others to achieve their goals, even if fear sometimes gets in the way.

“I really just wanted to go out there and show anyone they can do anything,” Kozak said. “They don’t need to be afraid.”

Hello Noon also collaborated on the video with UCLA’s Game Music Ensemble, which provided orchestral accompaniment.

Jose Daniel Ruiz, the founder and music director of GME, said he is usually very strict in only allowing GME to play musical selections from video games. However, he said he made an exception for Hello Noon’s video.

“One thing I feel very strongly about is, in terms of what GME orchestra does, is to promote accessibility,” he said. “And I feel that’s very much aligned with the Special Olympics’ mission.”

Spies attributes the video’s success to the fact that it shines a light on Versfelt’s, Kozak’s and Sibus’ stories of hope and joy.

He said he thinks the world is in need of more positivity, and that many have found it in Hello Noon’s video.

“I just love the music they play,” Sibus said. “They are just wonderful, wonderful people, … all the happiness, all the greatness. … I felt very special.”

One moment during filming was particularly special to the group, Spies said.

In several shots of the video, Hello Noon, Versfelt, Kozak and Sibus play their instruments on a mountaintop at sunset. However, the decision to shoot there wasn’t what had initially been planned, said Kyle Dombroski, a percussionist with Hello Noon who graduated in 2017.

“(The original) location was somewhere else, but everyone’s GPS took them to different places,” Dombroski said. “And then one part of the group was in this one area and somehow everyone else just found them there. … It was very spontaneous.”

Versfelt loves being with friends and creating music, she said, both of which she got to do on that mountain in Malibu.

“The best thing I remember about it is being with my friends on the hill,” Versfelt said. “It was pretty cool because I like playing instruments for fun once in a while, and I got to be with all the people I enjoy a lot.”

USAC initiative to provide free blue books and Scantrons in upcoming school year

Undergraduate students will receive free blue books and Scantrons as part of a student government-led initiative.

The Undergraduate Students Association Council allocated $15,000 to Associated Students UCLA as part of USAC President Robert Watson’s affordability initiative July 17. The initiative will provide undergraduate students with free blue books and Scantron answer sheets for the 2019-2020 school year.

Blue books and Scantron answer sheets will be distributed at stores where blue books are distributed already such as the Hill Top Shop, Lu Valle Commons and the UCLA Store, Watson said at the meeting.

However, this initiative will not apply to graduate students for the upcoming year, and departments that want to buy blue books in mass will still have to pay for them.

The project is estimated to cost around $40,000 in total and will be funded in collaboration with Dean of Students Maria Blandizzi as well as Associated Students UCLA officials, Watson said.

Watson initially proposed the idea during his campaign for USAC president last year. He said it was important for him to accomplish because it covered multiple facets of the platform he ran on, including both affordability and student engagement.

“I think the perception of having to even pay small amounts of money for things like blue books or Scantrons, which does add up, ultimately, I think, comes across as if the administration is nickeling-and-diming students or just trying to take every last bit of money that we have.”

While the council is working on systemic ways to increase the affordability of education for all students, such as expanding Good Clothes Good People, a basic needs redistribution center on campus, it is also looking for small ways to relieve costs for students, like providing free blue books, Watson said.

He also said he wanted to increase engagement with the student body given the low voter turnout of the previous election. The 2019 USAC election saw the lowest voter turnout in at least 11 years.

“I think that (the) student body doesn’t really know what USAC does or care for USAC, and to me, this is just such an easy way to show the student body like, ‘Hey, here’s something (the) council actually did for you,’” Watson said.

Watson asked council members at the July 17 meeting to allocate the money from surplus funds to allow USAC to take advantage of a UCLA administrative grant that will match the $15,000 from USAC before its expiration date in mid-August. Surplus funds are leftover money from the previous school year that are not going toward any existing programs.

The grant can be used in partnership with USAC to provide free items for students in order to reduce the cost of being a student, said Debra Geller, USAC administrative representative and associate dean of students, during the meeting.

ASUCLA will make up the remaining funds necessary to fund the project in its entirety.

The deal with ASUCLA stipulates that the distribution of the books go through ASUCLA stores on campus, but at no charge to students, said Roy Champawat, the ASUCLA student union director, at the July meeting.

Although the initiative will be funded in part by the UCLA administration this year, Watson said his office is looking for partnerships or sponsorships from outside sources to support it in the future.

“For now, it’s really just a (centennial) celebration with ASUCLA and with the dean of students too that’s being led by my office,” Watson said.

UC admits largest freshman and transfer classes as UCLA acceptance rate falls to 14%

UCLA offered admission to almost 19,000 students for the 2019-2020 year, a dip of nearly 3,000 students from last year, according to a university press release Monday.

The admitted class, which consists of over 13,700 freshmen and 5,200 transfers, was chosen from an applicant pool of more than 135,000 students, translating to a 14% acceptance rate.

The admittance rate dropped nearly two percentage points from that of 2018 at 15.7%. In 2018, the university admitted over 16,000 freshmen and nearly 5,600 transfers from an applicant pool of about 137,000 students.

According to the press release, 30% of in-state freshmen offered admission come from historically underrepresented groups at UCLA. Chicano/Latino students represent 23% of the admitted class, African American students 6% and American Indian students 1%. Asian American students represent 41% of in-state freshman admits, and white students represent 24%.

The proportion of most ethnic groups remained constant from the previous year, with only a small change in the number of white students, which increased from 23% to 24%.

Of the admitted in-state freshmen, 30% come from low-income families, and 29% indicated neither of their parents graduated from a four-year college or university.

According to the press release, UCLA enrolls more transfer students than any other campus in the University of California system, with 94% of this year’s transfer admitted class coming from California Community Colleges.

Of the transfer students from California Community Colleges, 36% are white, 27% are Asian American, 26% are Chicano/Latino and 6% are African American.

The university also said in the press release that 54% of in-state transfer students offered admission come from low-income families and 52% would be the first in their families to earn a four-year college degree.

The UC system as a whole admitted the largest number of freshman and transfer students in its history, according to a separate UC press release Monday. In the press release, the UC said it admitted 108,178 freshman students and 28,752 transfer students across the nine UC campuses for the coming academic year.

The UC also admitted a record number of California residents and students from California Community Colleges, admitting 71,655 in-state freshmen and 26,700 California Community College students.

UCLA basketball players hone skills in competitive Drew League matchups

There was star power and exciting finishes everywhere at the Drew League on Sunday.

UCLA men’s basketball rising redshirt freshman forward Shareef O’Neal, rising sophomore forward Kenneth Nwuba and incoming freshman guard Jake Kyman all played in week nine of the 10-week Drew League regular season. Former Bruin guard Lonzo Ball also made an appearance to watch his younger brother LaMelo Ball play.

O’Neal and Nwuba suited up for Tuff Crowd to face off against Carl Munn division-leading Public Enemy. After a wire-to-wire battle, Public Enemy defeated Tuff Crowd 82-77.

With just under a minute remaining, Tuff Crowd guard Brandon Jennings was whistled for a technical foul. After free throws and a putback by Frank “Nitty” Session, the lead stretched to five, where it would stay until the final buzzer.

Nwuba said it’s easy to let tempers flare and get distracted in close games, which can ruin a possession or even a game.

“There’s a lot of back-and-forth in (Drew) League games,” Nwuba said. “It can get a little crazy – like today – but it’s important to keep your head and do what you have to do to win.”

Half of Public Enemy’s 82 points were scored by Session, the three-time reigning MVP of the Drew League. Session scored 60 points in his team’s win over Optimus on Friday, bringing his weekend total to 101.

O’Neal finished with 13 points, including seven free throws, and Nwuba added three points of his own. Tuff Crowd’s roster was bolstered by the recent addition of former Oregon State guard Gary Payton II, who finished with eight points and four rebounds, as well as Raptors forward Stanley Johnson, who finished with 21 points and five rebounds.

“You’ve got to stay tough against top players,” Nwuba said. “We’re playing against NBA talent going hard out here every week – it makes you better.”

Los Angeles Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell joined Public Enemy earlier in the summer, but he was not in attendance Sunday.

Tuff Crowd is currently tied for sixth in its division, with the top eight teams making the playoffs. The team’s regular season concludes next week against Young Citi, which is tied for the division lead with Public Enemy.

Later in the day, Kyman led CABC So. Cal against the I-Can All-Stars. Fellow freshman swingman Jaime Jaquez Jr. didn’t play with CABC on Sunday because he was in Mexico training with the Mexican national team for the upcoming Pan American Games.

CABC prevailed 91-78, although both teams had already secured playoff spots before Sunday’s game. CABC now sits tied for fourth place in the Louis Merritt division with four other teams heading into the final weekend.

Kyman said he looks forward to the playoffs and the excitement and energy they will bring.

“The playoffs will just make everything better and better,” Kyman said. “The teams, players, games, and it’ll definitely help me prepare for college.”

Kyman finished with seven points and five rebounds and incoming USC forward Max Agbonkpolo added 16 points and seven rebounds en route to CABC So. Cal’s winning effort.

“Going up levels is always a test,” Kyman said. “The Drew really helps test out your skills and force you to adapt to the better competition of pros and high-level college athletes.”

Another high-profile contest took place early Sunday when LaMelo Ball and his team, No Shnacks, faced off against Problems. A win by No Shnacks would have given the team a solo lead atop the Merritt division, breaking a tie with 2018 champions, Redemption.

In a high-scoring affair that saw triple digits broken in regulation, Problems prevailed 111-105 in overtime.

After Ball missed a free throw with 12 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Problems’ Bruce Massey Jr. went coast to coast to tie the game with less than four seconds to spare.

Ball finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the extended effort.

4 UCLA football players in contention for 5 NCAA awards

Sixteen preseason watchlists for NCAA football were announced in July, and Bruins are on five of them.

Four UCLA football players were slated as players in contention for 2019-2020 awards. Rising redshirt senior running back Joshua Kelley was the only Bruin named to two watchlists – the Maxwell Award for college football player of the year and the Doak Walker Award for the NCAA’s premier running back.

Kelley’s 1,243 rushing yards last season – including six 100-yard rushing games – placed him 10th all time in UCLA history. The then-redshirt junior ranked ninth in the NCAA with 113 yards per game and 18th with 130.55 all-purpose yards per game.

Rising redshirt junior tight end Devin Asiasi, rising senior offensive lineman Boss Tagaloa and rising junior defensive back Darnay Holmes joined Kelley on the preseason watchlists.

Asiasi is on the watchlist for the John Mackey Award for best tight end in college football after leading UCLA with 21.7 yards per catch in 2018 and logging five catches of 20 yards or more.

Last year, then-redshirt junior tight end Caleb Wilson was listed on the preseason watchlist before eventually becoming a semi-finalist for the John Mackey Award. Wilson was selected in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL draft.

The Rimington Trophy committee named Tagaloa to the watchlist for the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the most outstanding center. Tagaloa started the last nine games for the Bruins last season after playing his first two-plus seasons in Westwood as a defensive lineman.

Holmes was placed on the watchlist for Paul Hornung Award for the most versatile player in college football. In 2018, the then-sophomore led the Bruins with three interceptions as a cornerback, averaged 35.8 yards per kickoff return and ranked fifth on the team with 48 tackles.

As a cornerback, Holmes was also named an honorable mention to the College Football News Preseason All-America team.

A UCLA player hasn’t won any of the 12 NCAA awards since 2015 when Ka’imi Fairbairn clinched the Lou Groza Award in 2015.

UCLA alumni knocked out of The Basketball Tournament by former Trojan

Elijah Stewart slammed home a put-back dunk to end the game.

The former Trojan’s two points secured an 87-85 victory over the UCLA alumni basketball team and reignited the crosstown rivalry for former Bruin guards Jordan Adams and Malcolm Lee.

“We came up a bucket short, and losing on a game-winning dunk to (Stewart) is a hard pill to swallow for (Adams) and I because that means a Trojan gets to win,” Lee said.

The Sons of Westwood – made up mainly of UCLA alumni – and the L.A. Cheaters – representing former USC players – faced off in the first round of the The Basketball Tournament on Thursday.

The UCLA alumni team entered the game with only six available players, three of whom were Bruins. Adams led the team with 37 points.

The Cheaters ⁠– normally a Drew League team – led the Sons of Westwood 78-74 at the beginning of the Elam Ending. With the target score set at 86, the Cheaters extended their lead to seven points before an 11-4 run – capped by a 3-pointer from Lee – tied the score at 85.

“(The Elam Ending) really tests your ability to close out games by hitting shots,” Lee said. “You can’t rely on the clock – you have to get buckets.

Several players were initially listed on the Sons of Westwood’s roster before the start of the tournament but were unable to travel to Salt Lake City for the first round. Those missing included former Bruin and Sons of Westwood coach Ryan “Moose” Bailey, as well as other UCLA alumni such as Isaac Hamilton, Larry Drew II, Travis Wear and David Wear, along with Temple graduate Shizz Alston.

With only four players remaining, the Sons of Westwood added former Temple center Ernest Aflakpui and former UNLV forward Matt Shaw.

Lee, who played for UCLA from 2008 to 2011, said it was hard to build a cohesive team with the roster constantly in flux.

“Besides me and (Adams), there weren’t really any guys that had done this before,” Lee said. “So even with the changes, we just kept trying to get a feel for it.”

Both returning Bruin alumni Adams and Lee played all 36 minutes of the game and accounted for 57 of the team’s 85 points.

Like the unavailable Drew II and Wear brothers, both Adams and Lee possessed NBA-level experience before competing in the tournament. Lee has participated in countless competitions through his time in the NCAA, overseas and the NBA, but said TBT is one of the best summer tournaments high-level basketball players can find.

“Outside of the (NBA) Summer League, this is the most competitive practice and games that guys can find,” Lee said. “Before everyone started dropping out, we had a bunch of really good (former) UCLA players. I was looking forward to playing with some of my old teammates.”

In the greater Salt Lake Regional, none of the seven games were decided by more than six points, including six one-possession games.

The No. 1 seed Eberlein Drive advanced to the TBT quarterfinals in Chicago this week after edging out No. 2 seed Challenge ALS 68-67 via a game-winning layup by forward Taylor Braun.

Track and field athletes step up in national, international competition

This post was updated July 29 at 1:12 p.m.

The track and field collegiate season may have ended almost two months ago, but many Bruins are still competing during the summer months.

Four former and current Bruins traveled to Des Moines, Iowa, to compete in the Toyota USATF Outdoor Championships from Thursday to Sunday.

Rising junior thrower Alyssa Wilson and graduated senior thrower Justin Stafford, who competed unattached to UCLA or other affiliation, took the field in four events combined.

The top 18 athletes who had declared themselves eligible for the outdoor championships qualified for the meet.

“There may have been people who had thrown marks that were better than mine over the season, but they decided to stop their season early,” Stafford said. “But that was a small number, so essentially, it was the best 18 throwers in the country.”

The men’s hammer throw concluded Friday and Stafford placed 16th out of 18 total athletes with his best throw tallying 65.49 meters.

“In (the USA meet), most of the competitors were post-collegiate and have already thrown at a high level for a longer period of time (than I have),” Stafford said.

The first-place finisher, Conor McCullough, threw a personal best 78.14 meters, while Colin Dunbar, the last qualifying athlete for the final round of the competition, threw for 70.93 meters on his best attempt. Dunbar’s qualifying throw was still farther than Stafford’s personal best when he tallied a throw of 68.57 meters at the Beach Invitational in April, good for the third-longest in UCLA history.

“I just really worked hard to get into this meet, but (the competition was stiffer than NCAA), and it was a good reminder of what I need to work on and improve,” Stafford said. “In the future it will be a challenge, but that’s what is exciting about the sport. (After college), it forces you to get creative on how to make it happen (and compete at the professional level).”

In the women’s hammer throw, Wilson placed eighth with her farthest throw recorded at 65.36 meters. That throw came on her first attempt and was good enough for her to claim the last spot in the finals – her first final round appearance at a USA track and field event, according to Stafford.

On Sunday, Wilson did not advance to the final round of the discus nor the shot put. She placed 16th and 17th, respectively, and failed to tally a shot put throw longer than 15 meters.

Kylie Price – who competed for the Bruins from 2012-2016 – participated in the long jump, while volunteer assistant coach Kendall Gustafson took part in the heptathlon unattached.

The women’s long jump concluded Saturday with Price finishing in 16th place. The Bruin alumna’s best jump was on her first attempt and measured 6.07 meters but was not far enough to qualify for the final heat.

The 16 competitors in the women’s heptathlon began competition Saturday with the 100-meter hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200-meter dash. Gustafson notched a fourth-place finish in the shot put with her throw measuring 13.43 meters but placed 15th in both the hurdles and 200-meter.

“(Gustafson and I) were in the weight room at similar times this year,” Stafford said. “We would talk about training and I know she was really excited to compete. She’s been working super hard all year for this.”

Gustafson finished Saturday having placed 10th overall, with the long jump, javelin throw and 800-meter to come Sunday.

After finishing ninth, fifth and 12th in those events, respectively, Gustafson finished the heptathlon ninth overall. Her best placement came in shot put, in which her best attempt measured 13.43 meters.

While those Bruins were competing stateside, rising sophomore Sondre Guttormsen took to the international stage, punching his ticket to Tokyo 2020.

The Norwegian pole vaulter claimed a silver medal and Olympic-qualifying height Wednesday at the Bayer Classics held in Germany. On his second attempt, Guttormsen cleared a height of 5.80 meters, breaking his own Norwegian national record of 5.75 meters.

During his 2019 season with the Bruins, Guttormsen set a UCLA indoor pole vault record of 5.73 meters and was named as a Second Team All-American for his ninth-place finish at the NCAA championships in June.