Daily Bruin – Page 88

Fraternity sexual assault allegations should not brand Greek community as a whole

Binge drinking, mob mentality and hazing.

Greek life has a long list of negative stereotypes.

One that has continued to stick out in recent years: its perceived sexual assault problem.

The most recently publicized Greek life-related sexual assault allegations at UCLA have involved the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. In winter quarter, a member of the fraternity allegedly sexually assaulted a member of the Panhellenic community. Although the accused was removed from the organization, he continued living in the frat house.

Public disapproval followed – as it regularly does.

Much like with January 2018’s temporary alcohol ban and other recent allegations of fraternity members committing sexual assault, community members have been quick to paint all fraternities and sororities as part of a corrosive system. Wearing Greek has become a green card for scorn.

That standstill was only amplified by the lack of conversations between Greek life leaders and the student body – and within Greek life itself. This two-way disconnect has contributed to a culture where the broader campus community only seems to know Greek life by the coverage of sexual assault or harassment within its organizations.

But sexual assault does not discriminate. It occurs in a wide variety of situations, spanning many organizations at UCLA and beyond.

The Greek system often remains the main target of scrutiny – the scapegoat used to explain away the alarming rate of sexual assault that occurs on college campuses – in part because the very community being accused seldom wants to talk about the sensitive topic in public or even within its own spaces.

The catch, however, is that this is precisely the conversation needed to change how the student body views Greek life and to bring the splintered communities together.

“There’s this stereotype that Greek life and sexual assault kind of go hand in hand,” said Alice, a sorority member who wished not to disclose her last name – a condition of anonymity many members of Greek life request.

Yet sexual assault on campus is far from an exclusively “Greek” problem. In 2017, UCLA Clery Act crime statistics showed that, of the 58 sexual assaults reported, 41 occurred on campus.

Greek life housing is considered off-campus. And even assuming all 17 off-campus assaults were perpetrated by members of the Greek life community – which logically isn’t the case – only 30% of reported sexual assaults at UCLA in 2017 could be attributed to the Greek system.

Fraternity and sorority members, however, have been hesitant to point this out. That reluctance means Greek life spaces are only further ostracized by the student body, which encourages fraternities and sororities to simply close themselves off.

“If someone already has a certain stigma or opinion on me and think that they know what I’m going to say or what my thoughts are, it would be a one-sided discussion,” Alice said.

But the reality is more nuanced than that – members fear misspeaking or coming off as insensitive and unintentionally adding to the stereotypes the larger community is biased to see reflected within them.

“There are so many opinions when it comes to Greek life – I just don’t want to offend someone. No matter what I say, someone’s going to disagree,” Alice said. “And, coming from a Greek perspective, you’re automatically discounted in your opinion.”

That “no comment” culture is sometimes taken a step even further – to the point where members don’t feel comfortable speaking with the media. Even for this piece, no one I spoke to from the Greek community – of which I am a member – was willing to comment on the record.

This media distrust is especially problematic. The result is that readers or viewers only get one side of the story, which inherently furthers the Greek life scapegoat mentality. It only adds to the public perception that Greek members are impassive about pressing issues plaguing their community.

That might seem like a mere image problem, but the scapegoat culture has far-reaching effects. It has contributed to a state where Greek life members have become defensive, less likely to seek out second opinions on improving their internal proceedings and less likely to integrate with the larger campus for fear of scrutiny. These effects not only perpetuate the problems within Greek life, but also directly counter the overarching mission of the Greek system: to provide an open space for people to form bonds and to hold one another to the highest standards.

Of course, it might seem like negative coverage would incentivize Greek life members to speak out about issues like sexual assault and engage in a productive campus dialogue. But the reality is entering a courtroom when the jury’s already decided isn’t a very enticing proposition.

At UCLA, the verdict is already set that Greek life equates to sexual assault, binge drinking, mob mentality and hazing. The unfortunate truth is that these are stereotypes.

It’s time we started treating them as such.

Editorial: Denove response shows a UCLA more concerned with protecting reputation than community

UCLA’s public relations strategy usually has a poetic irony: The more egregious the problem, the more ridiculous the response.

This time, though, the doubling down took a dark turn.

Last week, the Daily Bruin was tipped about how Thomas Denove, a professor emeritus in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television, was charged with sexual assault of children – charges he didn’t contest. Denove was arraigned Nov. 9 and charged with two counts of substantial sexual conduct with a child and one count of willfully committing a lewd act upon a child with the intent of gratifying sexual desire. He pleaded not guilty to the final count.

He could face more than a decade in prison for these felony offenses.

But students wouldn’t have known that when they were signing up for Denove’s summer class – an offering that was quietly removed after The Bruin informed the university of the professor emeritus’ felony charges.

Quietly, it turns out, is how UCLA has taken to responding to a whole host of high-profile sexual assault or sexual harassment cases. The university, via its spokespeople, sought to downplay the gravity of allowing Denove to remain at a campus that gets dozens of visitors – children included – each day. And that response is in line with the various other sexual harassment and sexual violence cases regarding on-campus personnel – a veil against public scrutiny and awareness.

But the university’s silence over Denove is the cynically logical conclusion of its you-can’t-criticize-what-you-don’t-know approach. The estranged professor emeritus is still a presence on campus because of deficiencies in UCLA’s workplace policies. And while no one is asking for administrators to wallow in despair over the archaic academic models that allow sexual predators to persist on campus, the least the campus community deserves is acknowledgement.

That’s too much to expect from UCLA, though.

In fact, when news of the charges against Denove broke, the university’s media relations team decided to go on the offensive: Tod Tamberg, media relations director, argued over minute semantic details in The Bruin’s coverage, claiming UCLA was not oblivious about Denove’s felony charge status, as the newspaper had informed him.

Clearly ridiculous logic puzzles – illogical ones, rather – are the way the university’s mouthpiece intends to disseminate its message.

But at a certain point, we have to wonder whether UCLA’s image is even worth protecting. The university has shown time and again its penchant for dismissing concerns about its Title IX settlement practices or its confidentiality policies for sexual violence and sexual harassment investigations. These are norms that, as this board has pointed out on numerous occasions, contribute to a culture where victims are lulled into a dangerous silence and sexual violence and sexual harassment persist.

Denove’s actions are abhorrent to a bloodcurdling degree, and in no way are we saying UCLA played a part in his moral deficiencies. Yet, in light of the public learning about a faculty member’s crimes, the university spokespeople have shown they are more concerned with absolving UCLA of blame than with its catastrophic oversight in protecting the community.

Yes, UCLA is within its rights to attempt to save face. And its public relations team has the thankless and morally ambiguous job of doing the dirty work of making the Bruin Bear’s blue and gold shine, regardless of the situation.

Yet universities are made up of people with consciences. Denove won’t be the last repugnant faculty member to walk this campus.

This board can only hope UCLA’s heralds would be repulsed at that idea – not pick unnecessarily flippant battles to preserve its reputation.

Concert photography exhibit in Kerckhoff will promote up-and-coming local artists

Photographers, unlike their work, can never have too much exposure.

“The Photo Pit,” hosted by the Student Committee for the Arts in Kerckhoff Art Gallery and Kerckhoff Grand Salon on Thursday, aims to showcase UCLA students’ concert photography alongside live music by Los Angeles-based performers. Daniel Leka, third-year political science student, SCA committee member and event chairman, said he hopes the event will highlight solidarity between local and UCLA-based artists, showcasing the skills necessary for concert photography.

“My goal is bringing everyone together and showing the art that goes into capturing a shot … and making everybody feel welcomed and represented as an artist,” Leka said. “I want … the next photographer that needs that boost or jump (to) look at the event to see that it’s in their reach.”

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The event stems from Leka’s own concert photography experience in the LA area. With A$AP Rocky at The Forum, James Blake at the Hollywood Palladium and a few other big names under his belt, Leka said he wants to highlight the talent he has witnessed among his peers in the field to give back to the artistic community.

Concert photography is twofold, as it intends to both depict an artist while also revealing another artist’s vision, Leka said. But such duality requires a complex artistic process, he said. Networking with other photographers, acquiring press passes and contacting artists are just some steps concert photographers take before the shoot itself. Even the physical act of shooting is difficult, he said, as photographers have to contend with excited crowds, speedy camera adjustments and the typically allotted three-song limit photographers are allotted.

The field is often viewed in commercial contexts, said third-year astrophysics student Antoine Delcayre, whose work will be displayed at the event. Photographers often have to fulfill musicians’ promotional needs, so the artistry can sometimes be lost to viewers.

In a shot of Petit Biscuit, for example, Delcayre said he used the venue’s lighting design to render a silhouetted image of the musician, which required precise timing and attention to geometry. Displaying work in a gallery setting – which highlights artistic appreciation – was a conscious decision on behalf of the event’s organizers.

“Through this gallery event, we’ll be able to take the art part of concert photography in more,” Delcayre said. “It’s important to remember that the photographers themselves are also artists.”

Having taken up concert photography this year, Delcayre said the field can pose challenges for someone just getting their foot in the door. During his first shoot for Frankie Cosmos and Kero Kero Benito, Delcayre said he was caught in a mosh pit and was shooed away from the photo pit. Leka guided him after what could have been a discouraging start by advising on how to get contacts in the industry, Delcayre said. Getting involved in photography can be a difficult journey without the right type of support, he said, which is why Leka believes events like “The Photo Pit” will give artists a boost by giving their work exposure in the UCLA community.

Max Huang, a fourth-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student, said he found out about the event from friends and was interested because he has not noticed many places on campus to exclusively showcase photography. This is the only one he has noticed this year at UCLA, he said. He plans to attend the event and said it would support rising local artists, as well as help photographers gain inspiration to expand their creative vision.

“It’s important to have outside perspective,” Huang said. “It widens your artistic exposure.”

Leka said he believes the event will show photographers are united by their reliance on viewers for career advancement, despite the medium’s individualistic character. Especially for smaller artists starting out, Leka said he wants to provide a platform where they feel welcomed and encouraged.

“Every artist has an audience, and we just want to cultivate a larger audience for them moving forward,” Leka said. “The artist you see on the Coachella Instagram account is local to somebody, just how UCLA photographers are local to you. We’re all one connection away from being next to a person that has potential to do great things.”

Art to Heart: Ecologically conscious art spreads awareness of human effects on environment

Art, the universal language, can transcend space and time to reach a diverse audience. We hear this all the time, but do we truly feel the weight of these words? A cloud of elitism envelops the “art world,” alienating the perspectives of some while glorifying those of others. In efforts to challenge ideas that reinforce the intrinsic validity of one individual’s take on art over another’s, columnist Lisa Aubry will explore different creative spaces and outlooks on art and reconcile the fields of arts and sciences through discussions.

Imagine embarking on a hike through the Italian Alps. Panting, you finally reach the peak, where you are suddenly greeted by a gargantuan pink stuffed rabbit.

This is not a drill. This is “Hase,” an outdoor sculpture by Austrian artist collective Gelitin. The artwork is one of many that author Linda Weintraub discusses in her literary works on environmentally conscious art. Through conversations with UCLA Art|Sci Center guests and members, I explored the potential and current applications of unifying art with ecology.

Weintraub wrote the first ever textbook on eco art, “To Life!: Eco Art in Pursuit of a Sustainable Planet,” which is now part of the curricula at various art schools. She said the genre of eco art is revolutionary because it aims to reverse conventional social and ethical values. At the same time, it introduces alternative behaviors to bring about remediation or preservation. By writing about eco art, Weintraub said she hopes to make the concept more accessible, spreading awareness about the planet’s current state and inspiring an effective, active response from viewers.

“It is my opinion that there is no more urgent or critical area of exploration than the state of our planet at the moment,” she said. “My mission is to enlist more and more creative people into caring for the planet one way or another, and I think artists are particularly equipped to (fulfill) that role.”

Increasing visibility and acceptance of eco art has not always been smooth sailing, Weintraub said. A rigid sense of what does and does not count as true artwork continues to float around in some parts of the creative community. Certain fine art professionals tend to reject eco art because it deviates from traditional practice and presents a threat to their own relevance because of the urgent issue it tackles, Weintraub said.

“I have found often that the people who are the most unforgiving and unwilling to accept alterations are those who are really invested in art … and then they encounter something which is called art and is so alien from what they are doing,” she said. “The easiest thing to do is reject those experiments as not really being art.”

But who could refuse a big pink bunny? In her textbook, Weintraub discusses “Hase,” which Gelitin created to demonstrate that the decomposition process is beautiful and essential to sustaining the vibrancy of life. They stuffed the 200-foot-long knitted rabbit with biodegradable materials, such as locally grown straw, that should decompose over the course of 20 years, fertilizing the mountaintop in Piedmont, Italy.

Artistic efforts by Olivia Osborne, an environment and human health scientist, share similar goals of spreading knowledge about environmental phenomena like climate change. One of Osborne’s multidisciplinary projects, “Meltings of the heart change glacial landscapes,” pertains directly to ecology. To create this time lapse of multicolor melting ice, she said she sprinkled water-repellent dyes and salt onto “ice domes.”

Salt works to lower the melting temperature of ice, accelerating its melting rate. In the same way external factors like chemicals affect ice, external situations and people can “melt” the human heart. The piece draws parallels betweeen the vulnerability of the human heart and the fragility of the environment in the face of climate change, Osborne said.

Instead of reaching out to people through infographics and scientific jargon, Osborne said she prefers to capture attention and garner emotional responses towards climate change through art. “Meltings of the heart change glacial landscapes” also served as an interactive exhibit in which people could touch the colored ice and forge an immediate visceral response to it. Because of the human body’s naturally warm body temperature, the ice melted upon touch, representing the reality of societal impact on climate change.

“People ask me whether 1 degree (Celsius) is going to make a difference and the answer is yes, massively,” Osborne said. “But of course on a graph you wouldn’t even notice a 1 degree difference, whereas (the project) showed how this ice melts and you cannot put it back together.”

Osborne also created a series called “Cry me a River, California.” She said the state’s period of drought inspired the watercolor landscapes that feature California palm trees. Osborne said she used canvas, which tends to absorb watercolor, as opposed to a more conducive paper material. Her ability to trap the water on the canvas’ surface with a glass resin coating exposes the possibility of trapping water in California by improving humans’ treatment of water resources and curtailing wasteful habits, Osborne said.

Playing with materials to create metaphorical meaning about the environment proved more effective for reaching a broader audience, Osborne said. She remarked on how complex graphs tend to discourage the typical viewer from gaining knowledge about significant scientific findings – ignorance about the urgency of climate change is a luxury we cannot afford.

“You need to explain it without degrading the science, but you have to give people the opportunity to understand it,” Osborne said. “Knowledge is power.”

Writers like Weintraub, artists like those in Gelitin and scientists like Osborne explore ecology through captivating artistic media. The possibilities seem endless, and this is certainly good news, given the issues they tackle. Taken together, the fields of art and ecology are a force to be reckoned with – one that might just be life-saving.

Undergraduate theater students share inspiration behind new one-act productions

The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television will present two one-act undergraduate productions Thursday through Saturday at Theater 1330 in Macgowan Hall. The 30-minute acts, titled “Moon River” and “4.48 Psychosis,” are directed by students Ebony Priddie and Mira Saccoccio Winick, respectively.

The Daily Bruin spoke with students involved in both productions about the inspiration behind their roles.

“Moon River”

An astronaut suit and high heels become a man’s dancing attire in “Moon River,” said writer-director Ebony Priddie.

The play is an Afrofuturist-inspired work where four characters – Astronaut, Goddess, Light and Child/Mourning – explain their life experiences and struggles before banding together for a common goal, said Priddie, a third-year theater student. Each character performs a monologue to explain their life experiences and reveal their inner thoughts. Even small details, such as their names, reflect aspects of their identities, Priddie said.

“The names of the four characters (symbolize) what they are to … their surrounding world,” Priddie said. “So for instance … people call (Light) ‘Light’ because he kills as fast as a lightning strike.”

The character Astronaut, on the other hand, is an actual astronaut who represents black incarceration and male sexuality, Priddie said. Irvin Mason Jr., the third-year theater student who plays Astronaut, said his character regrets his absence from his daughter’s life while in prison, and wishes he could teach her it is okay to be black. The character also wishes to communicate himself in a more feminine way, but he feels like he must embody his masculine physique, Mason said.

“The space (Astronaut) lives in is very confining,” Mason said. “He’s almost in a box all the time and he just wants to break that box and break that mold.”

The other characters also have their own struggles, each representing common societal issues. Priddie said Goddess is a woman who wants to be a man, representing gender dysphoria. Child/Mourning represents depression and the five stages of grief after the loss of her mother, she said. Finally, Light deals with loss and post-traumatic stress disorder, said Andy Stratton, the first-year theater student portraying the character.

Stratton said his character lost his best friend and killed people in the war in Iraq, leading him to feel broken and alone when he returns home. Though the character continues to have nightmares about the war, he also misses the feeling of exhilaration it caused. Mason said Astronaut is not particularly fond of Light, due to differences like their dissimilar racial backgrounds. However, their differences can be overcome by their shared humanity, Stratton said.

“Even though (the characters) have different ideas and beliefs, in the end they’re going to come together … to fill this void they have,” Stratton said.

“4.48 Psychosis”

Mira Saccoccio Winick’s act opens with a voice projecting into a darkened theater.

“But you have friends,” the voice says.

Third-year theater student Winick’s production of “4.48 Psychosis” follows an unnamed narrator through her struggles with mental illness while living in a mental institution. The playwright, Sarah Kane, woke up every day at 4:48 a.m. to write the play in the late 1990s, and Winick said many directors often interpret its unnamed narrator to be Kane herself. The play can be triggering, Winick said; shortly after Kane wrote it, she died by suicide, and the production is often viewed as a suicide note.

Despite the play’s heavy, sensitive themes, Winick said it helps the audience relate to those with mental illnesses by emphasizing the narrator’s perspective. Third-year theater student Anusha Shankar, who plays the narrator, said people with mental illnesses are often not treated properly because of stigmas and misinformation surrounding the topic.

“People say you go to the doctor if you break your arm … but (for mental illness) people say, ‘Go to bed and you’ll feel better,’” Shankar said. “That’s what we want to show – that (depression) is so serious, and the fact that … people are not being helped in conducive ways is not okay.”

web.ae.oneacts.picB.JA.jpg — Anusha Shankar, a third-year theater student, plays the unnamed narrator in “Psychosis 4.48.” The 1990s play is about a girl experiencing mental illness. (Joe Akira/Daily Bruin staff)

Winick said the act is broken into small segments, which highlights the ups and downs of the narrator’s mental illness. In some segments, the girl speaks very clearly, while in others she speaks in broken speech or just numbers, Winick said. A dancing figment, played by fourth-year theater student Rey Jarrell, physicalizes the narrator’s emotions. For example, if the narrator feels distressed, the dancer may scream to represent her inner pain while the narrator remains quiet, she said. Shankar said the dancing figure sometimes helps the narrator but also drives her suicidal thoughts. In Winick’s interpretation, she said the narrator conjures the dancing figure in response to her own emotions, but her reliance on the figure of her imagination perpetuates her mental illness.

“(The figment) encompasses everything (the narrator) wants to be, and also at the same time the things that are detrimental to (the narrator),” Shankar said.

The set includes a bed and a light, as well as a projector screen that plays prerecorded footage. The videos include clips of the dancer, who, over time, appears more often in physical form outside the video; this represents the figure becoming more real in both the narrator and the audience’s minds, Winick said. As the narrator falls deeper into her depression, the image quality also degrades, which is accomplished using video processing effects that produce more obscure video footage.

Because Kane, a person who experienced mental illness herself, wrote the story, Winick said it shows how necessary it is to respect those with mental illnesses and treat them as human. She said it also shows the actual firsthand experience of someone suffering from mental illness.

“So many of these stories are forgotten,” said Winick. “It’s (Kane’s) experience; we get the story from a person suffering from it, instead of an outsider telling it.”

UCLA gymnastics hires Chris Waller as new head coach

A familiar face will lead the Bruins next season.

UCLA gymnastics officially named Chris Waller its next head coach Wednesday evening. The associate head coach will take over for Valorie Kondos Field, who retired in April after 36 years with the program.

“It was my great honor to have worked alongside (Kondos Field) for 17 years, and to take the helm of this storied program is a dream come true,” Waller said. “My blood runs Bruin blue, and I cannot wait to continue this journey.”

Waller has spent the last seven years as the Bruins’ associate head coach, having joined UCLA as an assistant coach in 2003. Both his first two years with the team, the Bruins won the NCAA championships, which earned Waller the NACGC National Assistant Coach of the Year title in 2004.

Before starting his coaching career, Waller made a name for himself as a gymnast.

Waller competed for UCLA men’s gymnastics from 1987 to 1991, and helped win the program’s final national championship in 1987. He was inducted into the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2003 after an eight-year stint on the U.S. national team. Waller won the U.S. all-around title in 1991 and three straight pommel horse titles from 1991 to 1993.

“Having known (Waller) since he was an 18-year-old student-athlete here, it has been so exciting to see him grow into the man and the phenomenal coach that he is today,” Kondos Field said. “(Waller) was born to coach, and I can honestly say that so much of our program’s success since he’s been on this staff has been due to his contributions.”

Kondos Field announced her retirement plans in September. Volunteer assistant coach Jordyn Wieber left the program following Kondos Field’s departure to become the next head coach at Arkansas.

The Rundown: May 8

Beach volleyball
Jack Perez, Daily Bruin staff

The Bruins defended their national title and picked up a few awards.

UCLA beach volleyball ended their season with two duos being named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for their play at the NCAA championship in Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Senior Izzy Carey and freshman Lindsey Sparks were given the honor after going 4-0 in Gulf Shores and only dropping one set in the final tournament. They were the only pair to finish all four of their games at the NCAA championship.

Carey and Sparks were also named UCLA/Muscle Milk Student-Athletes of the Week after finishing postseason play with a 9-0 record. Carey is the all-time leader in wins for the Bruins with 123, and she also set a UCLA record with 36 wins this year, one more than then-juniors Nicole and Megan McNamara had in 2018.

The pair went 27-2 this season with all of their games coming on court five. Their 93.1% win rate is a new UCLA record for a pair in a season.

Also making the NCAA All-Tournament Team was freshman Abby Van Winkle and senior Zana Muno. The two of them clinched the final win over USC and went 3-0 in the championships with one match truncated.

Van Winkle and Muno had lost to Trojan pair Haley Hallgren and Alexandra Poletto three straight times, including twice in straight sets in the Pac-12 championship just a week before the NCAA championship. They shook off their recent history and bounced back to give UCLA its 117th NCAA title.

Women’s basketball
Joy Hong, assistant Sports editor

With the NCAA season over, USA Basketball is underway.

UCLA women’s basketball will represent well nationally – with both players and coach Cori Close participating this summer.

Sophomore forward Michaela Onyenwere competed in the USA Basketball Women’s 3×3 National Championship Minicamp last weekend, and will try out for the 2019 Pan American Games roster from May 16 through May 20.

Onyenwere – who averaged 18.3 points and 8.5 rebounds in the Bruins’ Sweet 16 run – was one of seven Pac-12 athletes selected for the tryout.

The Colorado native was one of 36 athletes invited and will return home to Colorado Springs, Colorado, to compete for a spot on the 12-member team in two weeks. The selected roster will compete from Aug. 6 through 10 in Lima, Peru.

Incoming freshman guard Charisma Osborne was one of 30 athletes invited to try out for the Women’s U19 World Cup Team. Should Osborne make the team, the Los Angeles native will unite with Close – who will be serving as an assistant coach.

Osborne competed on the U18 team last summer alongside Close – who served as the U18 assistant coach – and helped Team USA to a gold medal finish in the FIBA U18 Americas Championship with an 84-60 win over Canada.