Photograph by Jason Wu

Volume 2, Issue 3Volume 2, Issue 3

2012-20132012-2013

1

OPINIONS

SURVIVINGWINTER

QUARTER

“Finals were rough. But the long nights of studying paid off .” - Brandon Sung, Biology major

“I thought I had just about the worst luck ever during Fall fi nals week as I wearily struggled through [stomach pain] before taking my two hardest fi -nals back-to-back (star ng from 8 a.m., jeez!), but somehow, I managed to pull everything together and get the grades I thought I could only wish for. Lesson reaffi rmed: Work hard and NEVER GIVE UP! However, one of the fi nals I took prior to having these [stomach pains] and which I thought I was most pre-pared for DIDN'T go as expected. Oh, life...”- Jessica Nguyen, Biological Sciences major

“I'd never recommend this to anyone but a er pulling a legi mate all-night-er consis ng of wri ng two papers, studying for a fi nal, and fi nishing up a project I was more than surprised to a) have survived it and b) receive all A's! I've never not slept 24+ hours and will

NEVER do it again but it was a relief to see that all of my hard work paid off .” - Ciku Gachiri, Economics major

“Fall fi nals were the most me con-suming and demanding out of all the fi nals that I have taken while at UC Riverside (I transferred in 2011 from RCC). Although I enjoyed the subject ma er of all my classes, producing two 20-page and one 10-page fi nal pa-pers was quite ring.” - Angel C. Ayala, Anthropology major

“Studying for my fi nals was very stressful, not that I wasn't caught up with the readings, but just having to memorize a lot of material through the whole quarter. I got really sick the day a er fi nals that lasted for a week. I was coughing, blowing my runny nose constantly and vomi ng. It was not a pre y sight.” - Cassie Nguyen, Public Policy & Management major

“Fall fi nals were not as bad as I thought they would be. I am happy to say I loved my classes and, thankful-ly, paying a en on in class helped in the long run!” - Merima Tricic, Inter-na onal Rela ons & Middle Eastern Studies major

FALL FINAL

REFLECTIONS

Brace yourselves, winter is upon us! I personally enjoy it, but many fi nd it to be the hardest quarter of the year. Here are some helpful advice to push through this some- mes awkward middle quarter.

Learn from your mistakes. Were you happy with your performance in fall quarter? If you were, keep it up! S ll, fi nd some areas you could improve on and work on them. If your fall quarter le you feeling a li le downhearted for the holiday season, fi nd out why. This is your next chance for change. Look at where you fell short and put more eff ort into those areas, whatever it takes. Just because it's cold doesn't mean classes stop. By Califor-nia standards, our highs are now freezing. The days of beau ful sun and warmth are long gone, but don't worry, they will return soon. Just because it is hard to get out of that warm bed and make the trek down to campus doesn't mean your professors feel the same way. Rain or shine, blistering heat or bit-ing cold, lectures con nue and you should make sure to a end them. Plus most of the rooms are heated due to the UC's hea ng policy of turning the heaters on around 60 degrees! Think ahead. Summer really isn't that far away, though it may seem like the sun has forsaken us. If you are planning to make use

of your summer for internships, REU's (Research Experience for Un-dergraduates Summer Programs), or other summer programs, be warned. Most of the due dates oc-cur before the end of winter quarter so get those applica ons in! Check the weather. Riverside is rather notorious when it comes to the weather. You'll want to dress appropriately and come prepared. Just because the sun is shining doesn't mean it is going to be warm so stay informed. And with that, stay warm, and good luck!

by aaron toop

OPINIONS

During winter break ...

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Skiing trip to Mammoth Lakes with family for some stress relief and kicked off the New Year with the people I love most! - Sarah Smith, 1st year Biochemistry major

Bringing the holiday spirit to the residents of the Totally Kids Specialty Healthcare Fa-cility in Loma Linda with wonderful Christ-mas carols. - Rhythm&Brains Music Group

Took a fun archery lesson in Pasadena with my sister. Cut short due to a lightening storm though since we were shooting metal arrows. - Mary Michael, 1st year Sociology major

Went to visit the light show in downtown Riverside with my girlfriend! It was amaz-ing and made for a very memorable night. - Dennise Shin, 1st year Psychology major

Performed a lion dance at a classy wedding in Palm Springs. Always a pleasure to perform for a deserving and appreciative crowd. - Alan Dao, 2nd year Biochemistry major

After a long and agonizing search, bought a small, spunky, fuel-efficient 2013 Dodge Dart! - Deanne Elliot, 2nd year Political Science & History major

Played in the snow at Zion National Park during my road trip through New Mexico, Texas, and New Orleans! - Monica Marks, 3rd year Materials Science and Engineering major

Went snowboarding at Mt. High! - Tiffany Viggiano, 4th year Anthropology major

Enjoyed ice skating with friends Rhea Tseng, Linda Wang, Richel Leung, Jody Gotoc, & King Solomon! - Nhi Truong, 1st year Bio-chemistry major 2

EVENTS

Letters to SantaLetters to Santa Every year around Christmas, many children dream about receiving a gi that, seemingly, only Santa can de-liver. However, even Santa Claus needs a li le help because for some children, it stays a dream. This year, a group of University Honors students had the chance to brighten 60 fi rst graders’ Christmases by being their Santa Claus. At Columbia Elementary School, two classes of fi rst graders wrote a le er about themselves and their ideal Christmas gi s. These le ers were delivered to the University Honors offi ce. Then, from November 12 to December 6, University Honors students had the opportunity to si through the le ers and choose a fi rst grader for whom they would get a gi , according to his or her le er. Students then had un l December 7 to purchase and deliver their gi s to the University Honors offi ce. On December 14, students visited the two fi rst grade classes from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. During that me, they delivered gi s and spent me cha ng, bonding and helping the fi rst graders. Prior to visi ng the two classes, students also heard a talk on the ideals of Christmas and the impact of giving. Both fi rst graders and University Honors students alike enjoyed the visit. “I thought it was tons of fun and the kids were so excited when we got there; it reminded me what it was like to be that age. I think everyone should do it at least once since the experience was invaluable,” commented 3rd year Honors student, Erik Romero. In addi on to making a child’s Christmas memorable, Le ers to Santa also counted as one of the two required Community Service events that Honors students had to fulfi ll as part of the new Learning Commitment. Students who volunteered to buy a gi and a ended the talk received credit for the event. All in all, the most important gi came not in the shape of a toy but in the joy of caring and giving.

DANCE MARATHON! The UCR Golden Key sponsored Dance Marathon is fast approaching, and Feb. 23 will be here before you know it. For those of you who have not heard of Dance Marathon, it is a six-hour dance fi lled with music, friends, games, prizes and a whole lot of fun. Last year many diff erent ac vi es took place, including performances from diff erent campus groups. Choreographed dances were taught to all par ci-pants throughout the night. Those who felt they needed a break from the dancing were able to partake in Minute to Win-it games held around the gym. Each game had ckets awarded for its comple on; these were later used for a raffl e that awarded prizes at the end of the night. During the event, Zumba instructors came to give everyone a great workout as well, and who doesn’t love a great evening dance workout? The main purpose of Dance Marathon (besides having everyone put on their dancing shoes) was to raise money for Guardian Scholars, a non-profi t that provides resources for students aging out of foster care to pursue higher educa on. Last year Team Honors raised $750 dollars to be donated. This year Team Hon-ors is forming again under the leadership of Jason Elder and the Dance Marathon Mascot, Super Pig (that is also literally a piggy bank in the Honor’s offi ce)! The team hopes to raise $2000 and needs everyone’s help to do so. Dona ons can be made online using crowdrise.org and searching for “dance marathon 2013 ucr,” or deposited into Super Pig directly. Super Pig has been valiantly fi gh ng his way around the country to spread the word about Dance Marathon and fi ll his belly with money for the Guardian Scholars program. Super Pig has his own Facebook page (h ps://www.facebook.com/super.piggy.dm) documen ng many of his travels as he spreads the word about Dance Marathon with such celebri es as Chancellor White and the CEO of Golden Key. Please contact Jason Elder at jelde003@ucr.edu or Emily Nudge at emilyu@ucr.edu for more informa on.

3

by aaron toop

by jessica soria

Rhodes and Marshall Scholarship Workshops

FEATURES

NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS

4

The Rhodes and Marshall scholarships are two of the most pres gious awards for students that seek to chal-lengthemselves. These scholarships allow one to pursue a degree in the United Kingdom with full funding for two to three years and help prepare students to take on leadership roles in the future. For the fi rst me, UCR will be having a series of workshops dedicated to helping students interested in applying for the Rhodes and Marshall scholarships and other awards. These workshops will take place over a period of four quarters and are designed to help students be-come compe ve for these awards. Students will be shown how to improve their interviewing skills, write a successful personal statement, improve one’s curriculum vitae (an overview of a person’s experience and qualifi ca ons), and learn diff erent ways to write. During the fall quarter there were two workshops, each led by a diff erent faculty member. The fi rst workshop was about developing rela onships with faculty; the second workshop focused on wri ng the Statement of Purpose. In the fi rst workshop, the importance of having an ongoing rela onship with diff erent faculty members was emphasized greatly as many of these scholarships require anywhere from 5-7 recommenda ons. During the second workshop, Pro-fessor Russin, a Rhodes Scholar alumnus, explained the importance of wri ng the personal statement of these awards from his personal experience. Students interested in applying for the Rhodes or Marshall scholarships are encouraged to join these workshop series as early as possible in order to have more me to prepare for applying. Students who complete the four-quarter workshop sequence and apply for one of these scholarships and awards will be named Chancellor’s Leadership Fellows. The experience gained from these workshops will allow one to be successful in a pro-fessional se ng. As no one from UCR has yet been awarded these scholarships, it is the hope that these workshops will produce a winning applicant. For more informa on about these workshops, please contact Gladis Herrera-Berkowitz at gladis.hererra-berkowitz@ucr.edu.

“My New Years resolu on is not procras na ng on my home-

work and ge ng a job.”

Shea Williams, Crea ve Wri ng Major

“My New YeYYYeYeYeYeYeYeYeeeeeearaaaaaaa s rererererererererereerereeesossss luluuuuulululuu ono iiiiiiiiss nnnonooooonooonnoottttttprocras naa nnnnnnnnnnnngggggggggggggg g oonoonnonoonooooooonn mmmmmmmmmmmmy yy yy yyyy hooohooommmemeeemeeeeem --

work and gggeeeeeeeeeee nnngnggngngngngngnng aaaaaaaaaaaa jjjjjjoobobobob.”””.”

Shea WiWiWiWiWiWiWiWWiWiWiWWW lllllllllllllll iaiaiaiaaiaiaiaiaammmmsmmmsmsmsmsmm ,,, ,,CrCCrCrCrCrCCrCrCrrCreaeaeaeaeaeeeeaeaeaeaeaeaeaea vevevvevvevvevevevveeeveeee WWWWWWWWWWWririiri ngnggngngng MMMMMMMMMajajajajajajjororrrr

“My resolu on is to read more books that I personally want to read. On top of my regular

school reading and studying.” Julia Jenkins, Chemistry Major

“My resooooooluuu onooo is tot read d momomomomorereererererereeree booookoks s that I pererereerersonally wantt to rrreaee d.. OOOn n tott p pp of my regular

school reaeaaaadididiingngg and studying.g.g.g.g.gg.g.gggg ””””””””JJulia Jenkini s, CCCCChemistry Major

“I resolve to gain more muscle mass.”

Vincent La, Medical School Student

“I resooololoooolllvve to gain more muscle “ l i lmass.”

Vincent La,Medical School Student

“This year I will watch ‘The

Matrix’ and read “Game of

Thrones.”

Nicole Godfrey,

Chemistry Major

“T“T“T“T“T“TThihihihhihihissss yeyeyeyeyeyeyearararr II wwill wawaatctctct hhh ‘T‘Thehee h

MaMaMaMaMaMaMaMattrtrtrttt ixixixixxx’’’’’’ ananananddddddddd rerereada “Game oof

ThThThThTThThrorones.”

NiNiNiNiNiNiiNN cococococcoleleleee GGodfrey,

ChChChhhhhC emememmmmmmisistry Major

“I resolve to make healthier

choices in the dining halls and

restrain the appeal of the usual

potato-diet.”

Karen Chu, Pre-Business Major

“I“I“I“I“I“I“I““I“ rrreeeseseesolololloloo vevvveeve ttttttttttoo o oo mmmmmmmmamammmmmm kekeeeeeeee hhhhhhhhhhhhhhheeeeeeeeaeaeeee ltlthier

chchchchchchcc oioioiiioiooo cececececececeeeeeeeeeeessss sssssss sss ninininnnnnnn ttttttheheheheheehee dddddddddddiniininnnnnninnninnniinnninnninnniniiiiiininiiiininininninniningggg g hahalls s s s ss anannananananananannaannaaa dddddddddd

rerererererereeererererereeststststtsststststststrarararaininnin ttttttheheheheehehehe aaaaaaappppppppppppppppeaeaeal l ofofofofffoffof tttttttttttttttthehehehhehehehehehhheheheh uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuususususuususuusuuusuuuusuuusssuuuusussussuusualalalallalalaaal

popopopopopopop tatatatatataaatatttotototoot -dd-d-ddieieieiieieeeett.t.t.t.”””””

PPPPPPPPrerereeereeerre-B-BB-B-BBB-- ussusussusussuusinnininininininininnnnnesesesssssseeeseseseeeseesssss ss sssss ssss ss s MaMaMaMaMaMaMaaMMaMajojojojojojojoojojojojoojorrrrrrrrrrr

“This year I hope to fi nally get

one of my personal wri ng proj-

ects fi nished.”

Sam Magness,

Crea ve Wri ng Major

KaKaKaKaKarrererereeeeeennnnnnn ChChChChhChChCChChChChC u,u,u,u,uuuu,uu,uu PPPPPPPPPPrerererereeererereerreeere---B-BB-B--BBuuuususuuuusu

“““T““ his s yyyyyeyeyeyyeyeyeaarararraraaara IIII hhhhhhhhhhhooooopopopoooopoopoppeeee totototoototo fifififififififitotototooooooo fififififififififififififinnnnnnnnnalalalalalalaalally gggggggggggggggeteteteteteteteteeteeetteeetetetetet

one ofofofofffofofofoff mmmmmmmmmmmmyy pepepepeeeeeeeersrsssrsrsrsrsrsononononononooonoononala wwwwwwwwwwriririririririririrrrrir ngngngngngngngngngngng projg prooooooj-j-jj-j-j-j-j-j-jj-j-j--

ectststststsstststss fifififinnnnnnnnniisiisisisisisiished.dd.d.””””””””””””

Sam MaMaMMMMMaMaMMaMaMaMaMaM gness,

Crea ve Wri ng Majorororr

“I plan to fi nish re-reading

Homestuck.”

Chris Stegall,

Studio Art Major

“I plan to fifinnisisisissishhhhhhh rererererererre-r-r-r-r-r-r-reaeaeaeaee dddidididddingngngngn

Homemeeststtststucucucucuck.kk.kk.””””

Chris s StSttegegegegalalaalalalllall,l,lll,l,ll

Studio Artt MMMajoro

“My New Year’s resolu on for 2013 is to be more confi dent in myself and take more chances when pursuing my dreams.” Adrianne Blackwood, Crea ve Wri ng Major

MMMMMyy yy NeNeNeNeeNeeww w w YeYeeYeYearararara ’s’ss resessolololuuu ooooon n n fofofor

“M“M“MMMMyyyy NeNeNeeNeNew YYY2020200131313131313333 iiiiiiiisss ss sss totoototoo bbbbbbe ee ee momomommmm rerererer ccccccononononononoonfififi fififi dedededededentntntntntt iin mymymymymymymyseseseseeeselflflflflflflf aaaaaaanndndnnnnndnd ttttakakakkakkkkkkee e eee mmmmomomomomomomorererrerere ccccchahahahahahaaaancnnnnncncncnnceseseseseseseesse whhwhwhenennenenennnn ppppppppppururururuuursusususuususuininininininnggggg mymymymymymy ddddddrererererererereeeamamamamamamamaaa s.s.s.”””AdAdAddddAdririianaanannneneeeennn BBBBBBBlalackcc woododod, , CrC eaeaeaea veveve WrWrWWWrWrWrWrW i ng MaMaMaaaaaaajojojjjoj r

“My resolu on is to read at least one book for fun a month.

Although I’ll be busy, I feel I need

to make me to escape into the

realm of a story once in a while.”Rachel Leeper, Crea ve Wri ng Major

aaaddiddidididd ngn

MMMMMMMMMy yyyy yyyy rrereererererereessosoossosoooosolulllulu onononon iiiiiiiiiiissss s ss totototottootootototoo rrrrrreaeaeaeaeaeaaaaaddddddd d aatatatattttatatataa

“MMMMMMMMMMMMMyyyyy rreeleeeleleeeleeleleleeeleleeasasasaasasasasaaasasaaaa tt one booookokokokokkk ffffffffffffffforooororororrrr ffffffffffffuuuuunununununnu aaaaaaaaaaa mmmmmmmmmmmmooononnnnnnnnnntttththththhthttthhh..

Although I’ll l bebeeeebebeebebeebebbb bbbbbbbbbbbbbbbusuusususususssussuusyyy,yy, III ffffffffffffeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllll llll llll I I nnnenenennnennnennennneeeeededdedededededdd

to make mememeemememeememeemememmmeeme tttttttttto o eeeeseesesesesesesescacacacaacccaccc ppppppepeppppp innnnntnttnn o o ooo ttthththtttt e

realm of aaaaaaaa ssssssssstottototototottot ryyyyyyyy oooooooooooooooonnnnnnncncnnnnnnccncnce e eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee in a wwwwwwwwwwwhihihhihihihihihihihihhih lelee.””Rachel LLLLLLLeeper,r,r,r,,r,r, CCCCCCCCCCCrea ve Wriiii ngg MaM jorr

by ayymen amaar & krystal vasquez

Alan Dao is an outgoing and charisma c second year University Honors student who is heavily involved in various on-campus ac- vi es while balancing a full class schedule.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with him and learn how he manages his busy life. Mee ng outside Coff ee Bean, I asked Alan about the ac vi es he currently is involved in on campus, and he shared the details of a few of his numerous ac vi es. In addi on to being in University Honors, Alan is part of the Vietnamese Student Asso-cia on (VSA). He got involved in VSA last year by a ending their fi rst general mee ng, and from there, he was intrigued by a par cular aspect within VSA: the Lion Dance team. The Lion Dance stems from the ancient tradi on of dance to dispel evil spirits and bring about good luck u lizing vigorous physical acts in the performances. Since Alan has joined, he and the Lion Dance Team have performed at least four mes over the past year. Another ac vity Alan is commi ed to this year is being a UCR tour guide, which he was selected for a er undergoing a long interview process in spring quarter. This job requires dedica on, responsibility and a fair-ly extensive knowledge of UCR, traits which Alan has in spades. When asked about how University Honors has had an impact on him, Alan men oned two universally loved aspects about Univer-sity Honors: scholarships and priority regis-tra on. What he focuses on, however, is the “community structure of Honors” and how it serves as a reminder that he is here to get the most out of his college experience. His advice for fellow Hon-ors students is while it is great to be in-volved, one of the most important things to remember is “don’t take your mind off the academics.

For the past few years, students have suf-fered from an enormous rise in tui on, placing a heavy burden on these young individuals as well as their families. However, fi rst-year University Honors student Katye Robinson is an enthusias- c member of FixUC, a student-run organiza on

dedicated to solving the University of California system’s funding dilemma. The president of Fix-UC is Chris LoCascio and FixUC’s goal is to urge the UC Regents to consider the UC Student In-vestment Proposal which provides a poten al long-term solu on for the high cost of educa on. This proposal, which took about nine months of planning, sets a stable and predictable plan to-wards growth for the distant future. According to this proposal, students will be able to a end a UC without having to worry about paying for their educa on un l a er gradua on. Once these students have graduated and obtained jobs, fi ve percent of their salaries during their fi rst 20 years of employment will go towards paying for their educa on. FixUC suggests an innova ve solu on to the UC budget crisis and tui on increases that can improve the lives of many individuals seeking a higher educa on. As a fellow college student, I strongly think that no student should worry about excessive fees or overwhelming loans. “It is defi nitely a great outgrowth and it’s something really impressive coming from the students,” notes Katye. “We are not just allowing our lives to be controlled for us, and it’s wonderful that the UC system has been open to this cause at all.” To view a copy of the UC Student Investment Proposal students can log on to fi xuc.org. Stu-dents who wish to spread the word about this proposal can help by signing an online pe on on the link below.

h p://www.ipe ons.com/pe on/fi xuc/

PROFILES

5

Michael Neichayev, a University Hon-ors student, has a great love for chess and is a member of UCR’s chess club. He has worked with Honors coordinator Em-ily Nudge and her fi h grade son William to set up a program at Hidden Springs Elementary School to spread the love of chess to these students. Every Tuesday, members of the chess club donate their me to teach a group of about 30 fourth

and fi h graders the general rules and tac cs of the game of chess. “It’s rather fun to teach fourth and fi h graders chess,” says member Kameron Sugino. “We only teach those who signed up to use their lunch me recess to learn chess, so almost all of them are focused and intent on learning, which is fantas c since they can support each other’s drive to learn instead of us trying to force them to learn.” Of course, a program such as this one has its challenges. With such a short me to teach, a lot of the children forget some rules and the members of the Chess Club feel like they do not al-ways get around to teaching them every-thing they want to cover. Nevertheless, it is s ll a unanimously wonderful expe-rience for all the par cipa ng members. Due to the success this program has had with the children and faculty, word has traveled to other nearby elementary schools, including Hendrick Ranch Ele-mentary. Though logis cs s ll need to be fi gured out, UCR’s Chess Club may soon spread the joy of chess to another eager group of young students.

by jessica soriaby jessica soria

by rajvee shanghavi

by krystal vasquez

Alan DaoAlan Dao

FixUCFixUCChessChess Club Club

ANNOUNCEMENT

MCCI S G O I N G V I R A L !I S G O I N G V I R A L !

honors outlookChess Club

JAN28thCOMING SOON TO THE WEB!

20136

University Honors2316 Olmsted Hall, Riverside, CA 92521

Photograph by Karen Chu