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University Honors2316 Olmsted HallRiverside, CA 92521

Tel: (951)827-5323Fax: (951)827-5320

Table of Contents:

Quiz Bowl! . ............................... 1Fix UC ...................................... 2Sum of All Equals ...................... 2Concert with Matt Felver .......... 3Lunar Festival ........................... 3Honors Profile: Paulina ............. 4Honors Profile: Polina .............. 4Alumni Profile ......................... 5Foodies ................................... 5Guess Who? ............................. 6CTS Q&A .................................. 6

Volume 1, Issue 8

H O N O R S Outlook

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On Saturday, February 4th, 8 UC Riverside students gathered in the early hours of the morning to make the trip down to San Diego where they would compete in the Sectional Championship Tournament (SCT) 2012 West (Region 15) Quiz Bowl tournament. Quiz Bowl, commonly known as College Bowl, is a trivia competition where teams of 4-5 compete against each other trying to answer questions ranging from topics including pop culture, physics, mythology and math. Having been inactive at UC Riverside for nearly 9 years, the Quiz Bowl team was revived by Honors staff member Scott Silverman, who made the call for volunteers in early January. Not knowing what to expect but eager to participate, Honors students answered the call and started training for the upcoming event. With only four weeks to prepare for the tournament (meeting every Tuesday to review practice questions) the Honors students jumped into their very first tournament as a team.

Present at SCT 2012 West (Region 15) were teams from schools such as Stanford, UCB, UCI, UCSD and the Claremont Colleges. Starting in the morning from 9:30am until things winded down at 3:30pm, UC Riverside teams A and B experienced a near nonstop schedule full of buzzers, trivia and plenty of good laughs. Each round lasted 20 minutes with a pause in the middle to do a score check as the teams slugged it out against each other. UC Riverside ended the day with Team A going 1-9 (win-loss) and Team B 3-7. However, Quiz Bowl demonstrated its family aspect with other teams giving tips and showing their support for UC Riverside in competing in future tournaments.

Aside from learning endless trivia facts, students were also able to learn about one another; as we all know, team chemistry can be a valuable asset! The team was captained by Jason Fitter who, when asked what his goal for the tournament was, stated, “To just have fun with the competition. We haven’t been together as long as many of the other teams but we’re going to do our best.”

On both sides of the competition, it was clear that all the participants had fun and thoroughly enjoyed the day. The Honors community can now look forward to the next Quiz Bowl—which may very well signal the start of a new Honors tradition.

The Quiz Bowl Team poses for a group photo at UCSD.Left side (top to bottom): Scott Manifold, Jayson Fitter, Huong Tran, and Ayymen Amaar. Right side (top to bot-tom): Davis Gibson, Dat Nguyen, Jessie Bridgeman, and Jason Elder.

UNIVERSITY HONORS REVIVES THE SPIRIT OF TRIVIA AT UCR BY: SCOTT MANIFOLD & ARTHUR CHANDRA

O U R F I R S T Q U I Z B O W L !

Quiz Bowl Team members have their buzzers at the ready as they prepare to answer some tricky trivia questions.

AMIDST THE PROTESTS, A GROUP OF STUDENTS SEEK A SOLUTIONBY: TOWNSEND GALLINGER‐SCHOLZ & ERIC GAMBOA

H O N O R S S T U D E N T S S T R I V E T O F I X U C

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Last month, 13 UC Riverside students released a proposal outlining a poten- al solu on to the UC’s budget crisis.

The board, known as FixUC, suggested that the UC abandon the fi xed tui on payment model currently in place in favor of a post-graduate income based plan. Among those responsible for the proposal were fi ve Honors students, each of whom played a vital role in the design and produc on of the plan.

FixUC began work on their ground-breaking proposal over nine months when several members of the board remarked that students had yet to put forward any realis c alterna ves to tui on hikes. They then took it upon themselves to design a plan that would curb the rapidly rising cost of educa on without pu ng any addi onal burden on the UC’s budget.

“We just felt like it was me to start talking about more produc ve ways to handle the problem. Protest is great, but solu ons are be er,” Honors stu-dent and FixUC board member Em-ily Wells said of the proposal. Under FixUC’s plan, students would pay no up front costs for their educa on at the UC. Instead, they would pay the ins -

tu on fi ve percent of their income for 20 years of employment a er gradu-a ng. The idea is for students to not have to worry about paying for college un l they can aff ord it. During the UC Regents mee ng held at UC Riverside, UC President Mark Yudof stated that he was “extremely impressed” with the board’s eff orts.

FixUC has proven to the student body, especially the Honors commu-nity, that they too have the power to make a diff erence and that the deci-sions that aff ect the quality of their educa on can and should be in their hands. This sen ment was further rein-forced when Honors students convened to discuss the protests and the Occupy Movement. Honors faculty member Dr. Vorris Nunley led a discussion in which students were able to voice their con-cerns regarding the recent protests. Honors peer mentor Aaron Toop was

part of the conversa on, no ng that perhaps students should redirect their grievances towards the state instead of the UC regents. Others, including Hon-ors staff member Emily Nudge, focused on the general theme of protes ng and examined other methods of a aining poli cal goals. An interes ng discussion ensued when Dr. Nunley challenged audience members to name one civil movement which achieved its goals by “following all of the rules.”—no one was able to meet this challenge, which undoubtedly le people reevalua ng their beliefs regarding the protests that had occured on campus.

Whether it be crea ng a proposal as the FixUC board did, protes ng outside of the UC Regents mee ng or mee ng to have a s mula ng discussion with one’s peers, the responses to the on-going fi nancial problems faced by the university vary immensely in their ob-jec ves, intensity and other factors. One thing, however, remains constant: Honors students can be found in nearly every forum as advocates of benefi cial reform.

Community leaders and students in the community joined together on January 28 for a day dedicated to the pursuit and development of one ob-jec ve: Change. The Sum of All Equals Change Conference featured workshops on a wide variety of topics related to diversity, leadership and acceptance. Lazaro Cardenas, Elisa Pogu, Johanna Prado-Lazareno and Associate Director of Student Aff airs Sco Silverman were some Honors members who provided workshops during the conference. One of Silverman’s workshops, en tled, “Stu-dent Empowerment 101: How to Make Change In 10 minutes a Day,” provided inspira onal stories about changes that past undergraduate students had made

to their campus and community. Silver-man has an arsenal of personal anec-dotes regarding this topic due to his own astonishing achievements as an under-graduate, including the successful pe - on to renovate the Commons Building

and the former Learning Center (now the Academic Resource Center)—which led to the crea on of the Highlander Union Building (HUB) and Surge Build-ing.

A wide array of other workshops were off ered in the conference as it sought to relay the importance of accep-tance and change, including personal histories of diff erent cultures to hip hop and media portrayals, to even an oppor-tunity to prac ce Improv. The confer-

ence, hosted by the Cultural Division of the Associated Students Program Board (ASPB), provided a venue for diverse voices to be heard and a chance to learn how we can begin to embrace change.

S U M O F A L L E Q U A L S C H A N G ESTUDENTS CELEBRATE DIVERSITY AT INAUGURAL CONFERENCEBY: ERIC GAMBOA

The fes vi es held from January 27-29, 2012 marked the second year of the Riverside Chinese Lunar Fes val. The Fes val opened with a parade that drew an immense crowd with a march-ing Chinese dragon and lion, Japanese drums, sumo wrestlers, mar al ar sts,

dancers and much more. One of the performers holding the tail sec on of a lion in the parade was our very own fi rst-year Honors student, Alan Dao. According to Dao, this fes val was the Vietnamese Student Associa on’s (VSA) “fi rst big gig,” and he and his companions look forward to perform-ing in next year’s parade as well.

There were also several booths that provided free ac vi es from a va-riety of Asian cultures. Children could make their own paper fans, paper lan-terns and even have their faces paint-ed. The diversity of culture was also notably evident in the food provided at booths throughout the area: Thai-Chinese food, Korean BBQ, Japanese Takoyaki and even burgers were avail-able for a endees. Some food items were so popular that they ran out; Thai Iced Tea and Milk Tea were among the most sought-a er food items.

There was something for everyone, whether it was a demonstra on of Chi-nese mar al arts, Korean fan dancing, Japanese Sumo wrestling, Bollywood dancing or dangerous fi re dancing. Af-

ter the day me fes vi es, fi reworks were set off from behind the Riverside Library to signal the end of the fes val.

The event took place between Mis-sion and Avenue, situated near the Riv-erside Library, Mission Inn, Art Muse-um and numerous shops—the perfect loca on for a day of merriment and fun. Be sure to join in on the fes vi es over the weekend next year and spend some quality me exploring with your friends!

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C H I N E S E L U N A R F E S T I V A LBY: ALICE DENG

A C O N C E R T W I T H M A T T F E L V E R

Honors peer mentor and pianist Ma Felver performed with UC Riverside’s Or-chestra on January 28 and 29 at the Uni-versity Theater. Audiences were treated Felver’s rendi on of the Concerto in A to minor, Op. 16 by Edvard Grieg and Sym-phony No. 2 in D major, Op. 73 by Jo-hannes Brahms. Felver played the pieces beau fully as his fi ngers danced across the piano keys, and the end of his perfor-mance was greeted with loud applause from the audience.

When asked what he does to main-tain his skills and prepare for concerts, Felver revealed a simple secret: prac ce everyday! “Daily prac ce may feel ardu-ous at mes but there is no greater feel-ing or reward than to play for family and friends,” stated Felver.

On both nights of the concert, Ma was supported by his family who had driv-en six hours to see him. Also present in

the concert was Honors student Corinne Vergehese, a third-year biology major who joined the orchestra’s violin sec on. Hon-ors students, faculty and staff members were also among those in a endance.

Felver, who is double majoring in music and business administra on, has been studying and playing the piano for 17 years with several diff erent teachers,

including Moscow Conservatory graduate Tamriko Siprashvili and UCR’s Kim Amin.

For those who missed this perfor-mance but would like to listen to some wonderful UCR musical talent, be sure look out for the orchestra’s upcoming con-certs at events.ucr.edu.

BY: ANISSA MONTEON

fes vi es, fi reworks behind the Riverside e end of the fes val.

k place between Mis-situated near the Riv-ssion Inn, Art Muse-s shops—the perfecty of merriment and n in on the fes vi es next year and spend exploring with your

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Upon fi rst glance at Honors stu-dent Paulina Gu errez’s résumé, one might reasonably assume that she is a third—if not fourth—year student; af-ter all, it takes extraordinary discipline and determina on to be able to suc-cessfully balance full me employment with classes, community involvement and other commitments.

Furthermore, Paulina has already demonstrated a tremendous commit-ment to Honors by allowing a box to be placed in her workplace for people to donate cans during last quarter’s Thanksgiving Canned Food Drive. Such outgoing involvement undoubtedly makes Paulina an outlier among fi rst year university students. In an inter-view with the Honors Outlook, the business major explained that her mo- va on comes from a desire to expand

her horizons and make the most of her abili es. “Don’t think that there’s noth-ing you can do or contribute, because everybody has diff erent ideas, abili es and personali es to bring to the table,” stated Paulina when asked what advice she had for her fellow Honors peers.

Paulina’s experience is especially unique because it sheds light on how community service can be carried out even under unlikely scenarios; work-ing full- me certainly did not stop her from helping worthy causes. Paulina currently works as a store marketer and sets up fundraising events for lo-cal schools, community programs and non-profi t organiza ons. “I’m also very proud to say that my store has raised the most funds for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Awareness Founda on out of the all the other franchises in the

na on back in October,” stated Paulina. As community service can take many forms, hopefully Paulina’s experiences can inspire other employed students to implement similar ini a ves at their respec ve workplaces.

H O N O R S P R O F I L EAN INTERVIEW WITH PAULINA GUTIERREZBY: ERIC GAMBOA

Whether they are being top of their class, teaching others their knowledge or discovering new research, Honors students always demonstrate their commitment and passion. Polina Pu-lyanina is no excep on to this rule; as a fourth-year biochemistry major, she has been immersed with research en-deavors for numerous years. Her main interest lies in stem cell research, which is a very fast growing fi eld that UC Riv-erside is helping to lead. Pulyanina’s

interest in and conduc ng of research has undoubtedly been infl uenced by a program called the University of Cali-fornia’s Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS).

UC LEADS serves to facilitate un-dergraduate research for students pri-marily from disadvantaged socioeco-nomic backgrounds that wish to further their studies through the a ainment of an advanced degree. Program involve-ment requires at least two summers, but provides a housing allowance and funding in addi on to preparatory courses for graduate school. A benefi -cial and popular feature of the program is that it allows students to spend their second summer on a diff erent UC cam-pus. Pulyanina was able to research at UC San Diego and described her me in the UC LEADS program as “pre y wonderful.”

When asked to refl ect on her expe-riences here at UC Riverside, Pulyanina noted that her academic career would have been easier had she decided to pursue a medical career star ng her freshman year. She stated, “As with nearly everything else in college, it’s best to start early.” However, Pulyanina and other students have found that the process of searching and studying in diff erent fi elds can itself be an impetus to fi gure out one’s interests.

Currently, Pulyanina is working in Dr. Zur Nieden’s lab looking at children born to diabe c mothers who do not regulate their blood sugar levels, which can result in bone deforma ons in the child. Pulyanina hopes to further her degree by a ending pharmacy school at UCSF, USC, UCSD, or Touro.

H O N O R S P R O F I L EAN INTERVIEW WITH POLINA PULYANINABY: AARON TOOP

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F O O D I E S : P H O V I N A M

Foodies (brought to you by the Honors Social Commi ee) is back in full swing this quarter with its mission of introduc-ing students to local restaurants. On January 23, Foodies Club members began their fi rst venture of the quarter with a visit to Pho Vinam Restaurant, located at University Village near campus. From the vast menu containing over 90 items, I or-dered a number 2, Pho Dac Biet, which was pho that came with a smorgasbord of diff erent meats, including rare steak, well done fl ank, brisket, tendon and tripe. The steak and bris-ket defi nitely had the best fl avor; both were tender and fl avor-ful, and added a much-needed element to the dish. The tripe, fl ank and tendon were all very tough meats although they added diff erent textures to the meal. The pho and noodles were very tasty, and went well with a li le Sriracha sauce to give it a kick. The prices were also very reasonable although the service tended to be terse at mes.

On a second visit I would probably order a diff erent item from the menu. The bowl that comes with a number 2 is con-sidered a small, though there was nothing small about it. The

large bowl was beyond the normal idea of large, looking as if it could feed a family. Overall it was a very enjoyable experi-ence and I would recommend the food to anyone who wants to try pho.

As always, Foodies welcomes any Honors students to come and join the delicious fun every other Monday.

BY: AARON TOOP

Lillian Nguyen, a former University Honors Peer Mentor and 2010 English and philosophy graduate, is now serving with the Peace Corps in the Philippines teaching English to fi rst-year students in a small fi shing and farming commu-nity on the island of Luzon. “Students are very shy at fi rst and hesitate to use their English so it’s extremely sa sfying to go through a school year with them and see their confi dence in their own language skills increase,” stated Nguyen in an in-terview with the Honors Outlook.

Nguyen is heavily involved with her

school, as evidenced by her work in a library improvement program. Nguyen and her colleagues also train teachers in library management and grant wri ng to maintain the library both fi nancially and organiza onally for years to come.

When she is not working with the school, Nguyen works with the women of the Barangay Salvacion Mothers Soci-ety, a local non-government organiza on (NGO) run by and for the mothers of a small community that was devastated by a typhoon in 2005. She assists the group with online marke ng and quality man-agement for Salvacion Garbags, which are garment bags made from recycled materials—the group’s livelihood proj-ect. One hundred percent of the sales go directly to the women in the aff ected community.

Nguyen is also part of the PC Philip-pines Peer Support Network, volunteers that provide support for other volun-teers. “My experience mentoring in Uni-versity Honors, from leading discussion

sec ons to talking to freshmen about the transi on to college, has translated directly to much of the work that I do in the Philippines,” explained Nguyen.

During her interview, Nguyen re-fl ected on her experience with Honors and how it shaped her aspira ons. “I got to know a lot of people from diff erent majors and diff erent years that I prob-ably wouldn’t have met otherwise. It was also great to be around people who were so passionate and forward thinking. This sort of environment is undoubtedly present in the Honors community today and will con nue to inspire students to achieve their lifelong goal—no ma er how formidable they may appear.

For more informa on on Lillian’s projects or to donate to this great cause, visit the following websites:

Library: h p:// nyurl.com/89kwfx8

Livelihood project: h p:// nyurl.com/Garbags

AN INTERVIEW WITH LILLIAN NGUYENBY: SABEEN DAGHER

H O N O R S A L U M N I P R O F I L E

THIS ISSUE, PROVIDE A CAPTION FOR THE PICTURE BELOW:

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C T S Q U E S T I O N & A N S W E R

LAST ISSUE, WE ASKED OUR READERS TO FILL INTHE CAPTIONS... THE WINNER IS:

Look out for our next issue as we formally welcome the Honors Outlook’s new mascot. Can you guess

what it is?

C O M I N G

S O O N . . .

T

STOP!

Nooo! We

have to go to

Disneyland!

BEFORE YOU GO... Here are some fun websites that students are trending...

1.) Thisiswhyimbroke.com2.) 9gag.com3.) Pinterest.com4.) xkcd.com5.) explosm.net6.) omg-facts.com7.) cracked.com8.) boingboing.net9.) laughingsquid.com

Submit your suggestions to the

“CTS” box in the Honors lounge

through Week 7 & 8!