Daily Bruin – Page 8

UC Regents recap – July 16-17

The governing board of the University of California met for the first and second days of its July meeting at UC San Francisco on Tuesday and Wednesday. The Board of Regents discussed a systemwide audit of its admissions process and policies, students’ mental health and student loan debt among undergraduate students.

Special Committee on Basic Needs

Elizabeth Halimah, associate vice provost of the Office of Diversity and Engagement, spoke to the committee about supporting the financial literacy of UC students. Darren Chow, a rising third-year business administration and English student at UC Berkeley, spoke during the presentation about his experiences as a senior peer financial educator for a UC Berkeley program. He said he thinks the UC should prioritize teaching students financial literacy.
Student Regent Hayley Weddle, the chair of the Special Committee on Basic Needs, said the committee is set to end in 2020, at which time they will provide a final report on a long-term vision to address basic needs across the UC.
Halimah said the new state budget will provide the UC with $18.5 million for issues relating to students’ basic needs, with $15 million going to alleviating food and housing insecurity and $3.5 million to supporting rapid rehousing efforts.
David Alcocer, the associate vice president of the Budget Analysis and Planning office, said $5 million will be distributed among the campuses in a base allocation, $7 million will be allocated to the campuses based on the number of food-insecure or homeless students they have, $2.5 million will be awarded for innovation grants and $500,000 will be dedicated to coordination and evaluation.
Alcocer added an addition $1.5 million will be distributed among the campuses in a base allocation, while the remaining $2 million will be allocated based on the number of homeless students at each campus.

Board of Regents

Students urged the board to support Senate Bill 24, which will provide medical abortions on campus during public comment. Phoebe Abramowitz, a UC Berkeley alumna, said every month nearly 200 UC students seek abortion medication off campus.
Both students and faculty urged the UC to stop investing in fossil fuel businesses. Geoffrey Lee, an associate professor of philosophy at UC Berkeley, said the UC faculty recently voted to recommend that the regents divest from fossil fuel companies.
Robert May, the chair of the Academic Senate, said the UC Academic Senate voted with a 77% majority to recommend the regents divest from fossil fuel companies. May urged the regents to implement this call, adding that the regents should develop an explicit path to fossil fuel divestment.
UC President Janet Napolitano said Elsevier discontinued the UC’s access to certain scholarly articles July 10. She said the UC and its libraries are prepared to help students and faculty access articles that are no longer available with Elsevier. Napolitano added the UC believes open access is an important issue for ensuring UC research reaches its worldwide audience.

Ethics, Compliance and Audit Committee

Matthew Hicks, the systemwide deputy audit officer, and Alexander Bustamante, the senior vice president and chief compliance and audit officer, gave an update on the UC’s systemwide audit of admissions policies and processes following the Varsity Blues scandal. Hicks said they made 34 recommendations to the UC to reduce the risk of admissions fraud. He added there will also be an internal audit follow-up in which each campus will address recommendations, as well as an additional internal audit and a state audit.
Hicks added they are looking to complete a number of other systemwide audits next year into foreign influence, undergraduate admissions, executive compensation, outside professional activities, fair wage/fair work and UC Payroll, Academic Personnel, Timekeeping and Human Resources readiness assessments.
Kurt Sjoberg, vice president and board chairman of Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, and Marianne Evashenk, president of Sjoberg Evashenk Consulting, discussed the UC’s implementation of recommendations from a state audit on the UC Office of the President administrative expenditures. They said the UC has completed nine out of 10 recommendations for the first year and nine out of 11 recommendations for the second year.
Ken Smith, the executive director of environmental health and safety, gave an update on the UC herbicide task force, which was formed after the UC temporarily suspended the use of glyphosate-based herbicides June 1 due to concerns over its impact on the environment and the health of students and faculty. Smith said they are currently testing for alternatives.

Public Engagement and Development Committee

Brad Buchman, the medical director of student health and counseling at UC Health, said Counseling and Psychological Services centers have seen a 78% increase in unique clients over the past 10 years. Angela Gilliard, legislative director for health sciences and services at the UC, said the UC would like to work with the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to demonstrate the increasing demand for mental health services within the UC.
Alumni Regent Christine Simmons, who also serves as the vice chair of the Public Engagement and Development Committee, said the committee would be holding its first off-site meeting in September at the Mann UCLA Community School. Simmons said they hope the meetings will help to increase support from the community by engaging with the public. She added the second meeting will be held at a community college and the third meeting at UC Merced.

Finance and Capital Strategies Committee

Victoria Slivkoff, global head of strategic partnerships in the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, said her office hopes to emphasize more communication, coordination and collaboration between campuses.
The committee delayed a vote on an action item to increase the employer contribution rate for the UC Retirement Plan. The action would gradually increase the employer contribution rates due to decreases in inflation assumptions and mortality rates.

Academic and Student Affairs Committee

Caroline Siegel-Singh, the 2018-2019 UC Student Association president, and Shawn Brick, the interim director of student financial support at UCOP, presented a discussion item regarding student debt patterns among UC undergraduate students. The main goals of their report were to show ways to close equity and financial aid gaps as well as to reform the Cal Grant, they said. Another goal was to better address the total cost of college, taking into account expected family and student contributions.
Data presented by the committee indicated that lower income students are more likely to borrow money from federal financial aid programs. This was also found to disproportionately affect underrepresented students, such as African American and Latino students. The data also suggested that underrepresented groups are more likely to borrow money regardless of family income.
Jazz Kiang, student committee observer and a graduate student at UCLA studying higher education, said he supports the report and research being put forward, but urged the regents to also look toward larger structural problems affecting underrepresented students.
Vice Provost of Academic Personnel and Programs Susan Carlson, Associate Vice Provost and Executive Director of the California Digital Library Günter Waibel and University Librarian and Chief Digital Scholarship Officer Jeffery MacKie-Mason presented updates on the UC’s goals for future contracts with Elsevier and other publishing companies.
Waibel said the UC authors publish 50,000 articles per year, but only 15% are freely available for the public. He added only 6% of UC-authored articles hosted by Elsevier are free to the public.
MacKie-Mason said although he thinks universities should be able to hire outside companies to publish research, a few publishing companies currently dominate the market. Waibel said the UC is working toward a model that would make research available to the public for free, as well as one that sets up an improved publishing platform for UC research.

Album review: Beyoncé celebrates African culture and new film in ‘The Lion King: The Gift’

This post was updated July 21 at 10:07 p.m.

The circle of life continues with Beyoncé’s new album, “The Lion King: The Gift.”

“The Lion King” was first released in 1994. Twenty-five years later, the Disney classic is receiving new life with this week’s release of the live-action iteration of the film. And, fittingly, Beyoncé – who voices Nala in the film – released a new album paying tribute to both the film and the cultures of Africa. In the context of Beyoncé’s past pop and R&B albums, this new release is a welcome change from her previous radio hits, as many of her tracks feature relatively unknown Nigerian artists. Boasting 27 tracks, some might consider the album to be a bit too lengthy, but the breadth of songs is necessary to create a beautiful lyrical translation of the film’s well-known story.

The first track, “balance (mufasa interlude),” sets the foundation for her lyrical storytelling. The song opens with lines from Mufasa, played by James Earl Jones, taken directly from the film and set to a soft yet dramatic violin. Similar interludes comprise nearly half of the album, each featuring the voice actors from the film. The track list alternates between interludes and Beyoncé’s original tracks, featuring different artists, providing a coherent, unified record.

Listeners are treated to the work of Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Pharrell Williams in the album while a host of African artists, such as Tekno and Yemi Alade, can be found in “DON’T JEALOUS ME.” This track, like many others throughout the release, blends Kiswahili, a common African language, with the English language in the style of American rap and hip-hop.

The collaboration creates a synthesis of sounds that has been largely unheard of in the American music industry. This is certainly surprising coming from Disney, a company known to cater toward children, since this album could set new trends and leave lasting impacts when it comes to the blending of languages in the rap and hip-hop genres.

On top of showcasing African voices, tempos and lyrics, the track list moves logically, allowing the listener to picture exactly where the song might be featured in the live adaptation it follows.

Looking at Beyoncé’s original tracks specifically, “BIGGER” and “FIND YOUR WAY BACK” are clearly sung with the baby Simba character in mind, with lyrics referencing his journey to discover that he is “part of something way bigger.” “FIND YOUR WAY BACK” is especially soft and hopeful, with lyrics that draw on the imagery of a father raising his son. However, at the record’s halfway point, “NILE” uses a tense and suspenseful beat in conjunction with rap to showcase Simba’s terror and confusion as he runs away from Pride Rock, singing, “I don’t tend to youth, I said I’m drowning in it.”

Instrumentals that flow alongside the tracks’ lyrics also aid in the album’s overall form of storytelling. Songs closer to the beginning of the track list – “the stars (mufasa interlude)” and “FIND YOUR WAY BACK” – are paired with an upbeat drum or a peaceful piano or guitar. Meanwhile, “run away (scar & young simba interlude)” and “MY POWER” are fittingly paired with an absence of instrumentals and feature artists rapping the lyrics to represent Simba’s struggles. This likens Beyoncé’s album to that of a film soundtrack, but it cannot be entirely labeled as such, as each song is a lyrical track that stands alone as its own potential hit, some even transcending genre.

Aside from storytelling, it’s obvious who the scene stealer is on this album: Blue Ivy Carter. Her debut as a singer fits perfectly – her voice opens the track “BROWN SKIN GIRL,” which speaks directly to black youth. While the track briefly steps away from the story of “The Lion King,” it is conceivably the best song on the album, as it reminds each listener to take pride in their own skin color and history. The track transforms into a beautiful ballad between mother and daughter with Beyoncé reminding Blue Ivy and black girls everywhere to “remember what mama told me,” to which Blue Ivy sings “Brown skin girls, your skin just like pearls, the best thing in all the world.”

Unlike usual radio hits, which contain lyrics or messages that might be fleeting, no one will soon forget the story of resiliency told through a track like “SPIRIT.” This makes the song a flawless closer to an album already filled with soul. It is a nod to African stories, storytelling and vocals as black background singers are heard harmonizing in an almost gospel manner. By the end of the song, Beyoncé’s lyrics hint that “destiny is comin’ close” with the release of “The Lion King” on the horizon this weekend.

Beyoncé has truly accomplished something singularly unheard of before with her newest release. It cannot be clearly defined as an original soundtrack, yet it emulates musical storytelling from every track, setting itself apart from similar endeavors that are merely inspired by a film. It acts as the perfect reminder for what the new film, soundtrack and accompanying projects can be about: the celebration of cultures and skin colors long overlooked.

And that’s a true gift in this great circle of life.

USAC recap – July 17

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place every two weeks during the summer in the Bruin Viewpoint Room and are open to all students. Watch a livestream of the meetings on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Agenda:

The council amended and approved its 2019-2020 budget proposal. The budget proposal took into account stipends for new positions on the council and other student-government officials, such as Judicial Board members. The council also decided to move funds that were allocated to expenses such as office phone lines to other expenses that will be decided at a later time.
The council decided to reallocate $15,000 from surplus funds to Associated Students UCLA to pay for students’ school supplies, such as blue books and Scantron answer sheets, as part of USAC President Robert Blake Watson’s affordability initiative. The goal of reallocating these funds immediately was to take advantage of a grant from UCLA administrators that promised to match these funds.
The council allocated $60,000 from surplus funds to Bruin Bash.
The council appointed Akash Kapoor, a rising third-year neuroscience student, to the Student Health Advisory Committee.
The council appointed Atreyi Mitra, a rising third-year human biology and society and public affairs student, to the Student Fee Advisory Committee.
The council appointed Juana Alcala, a rising fourth-year gender studies student to the Campus Programs Committee.
The council appointed Natalie Lee, a rising third-year nursing student to the Campus Programs Committee.
The council appointed Kareem Ahmed, to the Student Conduct Committee.

Reports:

Watson said his office has continued to push for gender-inclusive language on the Hill.
External Vice President Johana Guerra Martinez said her office will keep the council informed regarding the UC Board of Regents meetings taking place July 16-18.
Academic Affairs Commissioner Naomi Riley said her office is planning to give stipends to student representatives in Academic Senate committees. The Academic Affairs Commission is in charge of appointing all undergraduate student representatives to the Academic Senate, which has jurisdiction over enrollment and major requirements, in addition to other responsibilities.

UCLA ranked No. 2 public university in the country, No. 9 overall globally

An international reputation rankings list placed UCLA as the No. 2 public university in the country for the second year in a row.

The magazine Times Higher Education published its World Reputation Rankings 2019 on Wednesday, which finds and ranks the top 100 public and private universities globally. The rankings also placed UCLA as the No. 9 university in the world, the same as 2018.

UC Berkeley ranked as the No. 1 public university in the nation as well as No. 6 in the world.

Rankings are based on a survey that asks published scholars their opinions regarding research and teaching at up to 15 universities they are familiar with. The rankings take into account 11,554 responses from 135 countries, according to the press release.

Last year, UCLA was ranked as the No. 1 public university in U.S. News & World Report’s Best Colleges ranking as well as the Wall Street Journal/Times Higher Education survey, according to the press release.

UCPD searching for man who assaulted UCLA staff member

University police are searching for a man who pushed a UCLA staff member and made sexually explicit threats.

The man allegedly assaulted the UCLA staff member at about 10:40 a.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Westwood Boulevard and Le Conte Avenue, according to a UCPD crime alert.

UCPD described the man as thin, Hispanic, around 35 years old, with brown hair and brown eyes, 5 feet, 8 inches tall. The suspect was last seen walking south on Westwood Boulevard toward Weyburn Avenue.

The case is currently under investigation. Anyone with information can call UCPD at 310-825-1491.

Heaps faces new civil suits for sexual abuse, plaintiffs include former students

Former UCLA doctor James Heaps is facing a growing number of civil suits for alleged sexual abuse.

Two more civil lawsuits from nine women alleging sexual abuse by Heaps were filed Tuesday, according to a press release from Manly, Stewart & Finaldi, the law firm representing the women. This brings the total number of civil suits against Heaps up to at least five. Three of the nine women were UCLA students at the time of the alleged incidents, according to court documents.

Heaps worked at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center from 2014 to 2018 as an obstetrician-gynecologist and held medical staff privileges there for about 30 years. Prior to his employment at the medical center, he worked at what is now the UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center as a part-time doctor from 1983 to 2010.

The alleged incidents in the court documents range from 1989 until as recently as 2017. The UCLA Title IX Office received a complaint against Heaps in 2017, and UCLA terminated his employment in 2018. During an investigation, the Title IX Office was made aware of complaints against him in 2014 and 2015.

At least four women claim Heaps assaulted them after UCLA opened its Title IX investigation in 2017, according to an attorney from the firm representing the women who filed Tuesday and 50 others who have come forward.

The women in the lawsuits allege that Heaps sexually abused and assaulted them under the pretense of medical examination while they were patients of his, according to the press release.

Tracy Green, Heaps’ lawyer, said Heaps continues to deny all allegations, including the ones in the most recent lawsuits filed, and said Heaps conducted procedures strictly for medical reasons.

“They’re accusations and anyone can file a lawsuit, but no one should assume they’re true,” Green said.

She also said she has spoken with a number of Heaps’ former coworkers and patients who have been willing to vouch for his character.

“I think for Dr. Heaps, you know, he’s devastated by these false accusations,” Green said. “He really did give his career and was a very committed doctor, and stands by the work that he did, and how he treated patients. It’s just completely out of character.”

Jane Reilley, the attorney representing the women in civil court, said Heaps used his position to take advantage of students and cancer patients lacking a clear understanding of medical exam procedures.

“I’m talking about women who are subjected to these prolonged groping breast exams, where he’s telling them they’re beautiful and making comments about their bodies,” she said. “That’s not the standard of care.”

The University of California paid approximately $3.5 million in settlements earlier this year regarding allegations against Heaps, although Heaps denies any wrongdoing and disagrees with the UC’s decision to settle.

Heaps is currently facing criminal charges for two counts of sexual battery and one count of sexual exploitation by a physician.

Heaps has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

He is scheduled to appear in court in regards to the criminal charges on July 30.

The Quad: U.S. World Cup win gives platform for women to share goal of level playing field

“I believe that … women will conquer more than just the soccer field,” declares Nike’s new advertisement campaign supporting the United States Women’s National Soccer Team. On July 7, the team did just that.

The United States beat the Netherlands 2-0 to secure its fourth women’s World Cup title, but spectators weren’t done shouting after the match concluded. Long after the U.S. victory, the crowd’s chants echoed through France’s Stade de Lyon, vehemently demanding equal pay.

Summer 2019 has been the season of women in sports, with the USWNT, UCLA softball and UCLA women’s soccer teams successfully representing the United States internationally.

As the stadium lights illuminate the pitch, they also help to broadcast issues of gender wage gaps, LGBTQ-inclusivity in sports, stereotypes regarding female athletes and other important social issues.

By the Numbers

This year’s World Cup has drawn in record-breaking ratings worldwide. According to The Economist, England’s semifinal match was the most-watched TV program of the year in Britain, while France’s quarterfinal match was also the most-watched TV program of the year in France.

Similarly, in the U.S., ratings for the 2019 Women’s World Cup were 20% higher than those for the 2018 men’s final.

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association – the body overseeing international soccer worldwide – estimated that this year’s Women’s World Cup drew in 1 billion viewers for the first time since the tournament was first held in 1991.

According to The Economist, the increase in worldwide viewership can be attributed to an increase in the quality of playing and to the amount of money that has been put toward the tournament, especially in sponsorships.

A Long-Drawn Match For Equality

While there’s still a long, winding road of challenges women in sports will face, the tournament held this summer stands in stark contrast to the origin of the Cup, first held in China in 1991.

According to National Geographic, the disparities between women’s and men’s soccer teams were blatantly representative of gender discrimination. Women dealt with hand-me-down uniforms from the men’s team, unlivable wages of $10 a day and regulations dictating that they use a lighter ball than men’s teams.

The U.S. Women’s National Team won the 1991 World Cup, an accolade that was barely covered by the media. Twenty-eight years later, the team has done it on multiple occasions. Not only did they win the cup in 1999, but they have consecutively been victorious in the 2015 and 2019 tournaments.

However, this year’s victory stands in an undeniable unlikeness to the one in 1991. This summer, the four-time champions have dominated the media with bold political statements, advertisements and the star power of faces such as Megan Rapinoe and Alex Morgan.

In fact, the Wall Street Journal recently reported the women’s national team has been out-earning the men’s national team – which didn’t even qualify for the 2018 World Cup – since 2016 by $900,000. Following this year’s World Cup, the U.S. women’s jersey is now “the No. 1 soccer jersey, men’s or women’s, ever sold on Nike.com in one season,” said Nike CEO Mark Parker in the company’s earnings call.

It is evident that the U.S. women’s team is not only making waves – they are also making money. However, they still earn considerably less than male athletes. For example, while the winning team of the Women’s World Cup this year would only earn $30 million, their male counterparts in 2018 earned $400 million.

This fact has led 28 members of the team – including former Bruins Mallory Pugh and Abby Dahlkemper – to file a lawsuit alleging gender-based pay discrimination against the United States Soccer Federation.

Irreverent, Loud and Proud

Not only have the athletes fought to end pay gaps on and off the field, but they have also become leaders in activism in areas such as LGBTQ representation, racial violence and gender stereotypes.

Megan Rapinoe, one of the team’s co-captains, refused to visit the White House if the team emerged victorious, in protest of President Donald Trump’s administration. Similarly, she was the first white athlete and first woman athlete to kneel during the national anthem in 2016 protesting the violence against young African-American men. During this year’s world cup, she reminded her Instagram followers of this struggle by quoting rapper Nipsey Hussle, who was killed earlier this year.

Furthermore, Rapinoe, the U.S. women’s team and the other teams competing in the Women’s World Cup have demonstrated inclusivity of the LGBTQ community. This year, there were at least 41 openly gay or bisexual women playing, according to Gay Star News.

In contrast, LGBTQ representation in male teams continues to be highly stigmatized, as there are currently no openly gay players in the English Premier League. In fact, former player Thomas Hitzlsperger only came out four months after his retirement.

Not only do the women’s teams seem more inclusive of people from LGBTQ communities, but they also fight against media-imposed stereotypes regarding female athletes.

One such incident occurred when U.S. player Alex Morgan celebrated by holding up an imaginary teacup after a victory against England. When this move wasdeemed arrogant by the British media, Morgan responded by arguing that the backlash was indicative of a double standard. She said that it was unfair that as a female athlete the world expected her to celebrate her successes with humility while male athletes were free to celebrate without being called arrogant.

The Legacy of the Cup

Even though only the U.S. team finished with a victory, the success of the World Cup proposes a win for women and members of the LGBTQ community in sports worldwide.

The FIFA president recently announced a planned increase of the number of teams competing to 32 national teams instead of 24 and of the amount of prize money for the 2023 Cup.

After this year’s Cup showed stadiums full of people demanding equal pay, and the U.S. women’s soccer team advocating for the rights of LGBTQ and African-American communities, the 2023 Cup promises to be even more unmissable. The Cup has proven to be more than a sporting competition, giving women a platform to speak out about important social issues – and the rest of us the desire to listen.