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The undergraduate student government voted to certify the spring election results and swore in several of next year’s council members Tuesday.

The Undergraduates Students Association Council first voted to not certify the election results by a vote of 3-4, with three abstentions. The council then took a second vote following further discussion and voted to certify the election results by a vote of 6-2, with two abstentions.

While the revote may technically violate USAC bylaws, the council has conducted revotes in the past, said administrative representative Debra Geller. For example, the vote to override a USAC Judicial Board decision to not take a case May 22 was a revote.

In the discussion period leading up to the revote, incoming President Claire Fieldman and outgoing Academic Affairs Commissioner Divya Sharma said that several appointments from their respective offices would be unable to function if the council did not certify the election results and swear in the new council.

The council also discussed the logistics of recalling a council member, which would require 3,600 undergraduate student signatures.

Outgoing General Representative 2 Kayla He, who voted no in the revote, said she did not like that new council members had disrespected the voting process, especially because she cannot vote in other elections due to her status as an international student.

“I hate for someone who hurt the only voting options I have to be my representative,” He said.

Twelve incoming council members were sworn in Tuesday. The remaining two council members, who were not present in the council meeting, will be sworn in at the May 12 council meeting.

Oscar Aguilar/The Cougar

The Great Recession and the consequential loss of 8.7 million jobs hindered the livelihood of many Americans and dampened their outlook on the future, but Daniel Peña’s career and confidence originated from the historic downturn, as it left him with only one option: to follow his dream of becoming a writer — a profession so unpredictable he took flying lessons as a backup plan.

“There weren’t any jobs for anyone in my generation, so I had to write,” said Daniel Peña, an assistant creative writing professor and adviser at UH-D. “I had nothing better to do.”

Peña published his first novel in January 2018 and shapes UH-D’s creative writing program through his lectures and the Bayou Review — the university’s literary magazine.

His novel and contributions to Ploughshares and the Guardian focus on the Latino community, their problems and the systems that tear their families apart, such as the U.S. immigration policy.

His book, “Bang,” took him multiple research trips to Mexico and seven years to complete. The book depicts how current legal systems make it impossible for families to reunite after being separated for legal reasons, he said.

Paul Kintzele, an assistant chair for the Department of English at UH-D, said Peña’s work helps students understand the process behind writing.

“He’s brought life and energy to the creative writing program,” Kintzele said. “He inspired students on the literary magazine to dream big and think of new, creative ways to make unheard voices heard.”

Under Peña’s guidance, the Bayou Review recently published a special edition on prison writing. Bayou Review members reached out to incarcerated writers across Texas and published their work, Kintzele said.

Peña does this while fulfilling the university’s teaching requirements: three classes in the fall and four in the spring. On top of his work for the university, Peña’s active role in publishing and writing makes him a valuable resource for students, Kintzele said.

Peña said he teaches creative writing classes and some freshman courses at UH-D.

“It feels good to be helping to cultivate the students there,” Peña said. “There’s also a lot of voices that I can help shape, put books in their hands.”

He loves UH-D because of the support and incredible spirit of creative writing in the UH system, he said.

The start of a dream

Peña’s passion for writing dates back to his teenage years.

Growing up in Austin in a STEM-heavy household, he lacked context on what it means to be a writer, Peña said. Because of this, it took 18 years for Peña to immerse himself in the discipline.

During his senior year of high school, faculty removed him from one of his classes and assigned him to library duty, he said. By his last semester he was spending entire days there, reading anything he could get his hands on, Peña said.

Peña then realized he could write sonnets, villanelles.

A villanelle is a difficult poem structure with specific rules. It is a 19 line poem containing five tercets — a rhyming three line stanza— with one alternate rhyming four line stanza, or quatrain, at the end. On top of abiding by the rules of tercets and quatrains, the villanelle itself only has two rhymes and the first and third lines of the opening tercet alternately repeat in the last lines of the succeeding stanzas. Finally, the ending lines of the last stanza are the two alternating lines throughout the poem.

Even being able to write villanelles, Peña still ruled out other options before declaring his college major.

In the months before starting his first semester at Texas A&M University, Peña interned for Texas Sen. Eddie Lucio.

“There was a part of me that wanted to go into government, and there was another part of me who really knew in my heart that I wanted to write,” Peña said.

He decided to major in English after his internship, opting to immerse himself in the world of his role models —  novelist Roberto Bolaño,  poet Nicanor Parra and fiction writer Colum McCann, he said.

Peña went on to win the Charles Gordone Award, which recognizes excellence in creative writing at A&M, for his short story “Shadow Workers” during his time as an undergraduate student.

He also completed a 150-hour program to get his pilot’s license while completing his English degree at A&M. But his backup plan of becoming a pilot fell through when Mexicana Airlines, the company Peña planed on working for, went under in 2010, he said.

With no options left, Peña focused on his writing — the excuse he needed all along.

First book

After receiving an MFA in creative writing from Cornell University, Peña devoted himself to his writing career while teaching to earn a steady income, he said. He went to Mexico for book research during the summer, eventually composing his first nationally-renowned piece.

He published “Safe Home” in 2015 and won a Pushcart Prize, an American literary award, the following year.

Peña began working as an assistant professor at UH-D in 2016, where he met people who helped further his career.

Marina Tristan, an assistant director at Arte Público Press, said the agency aims to promote talented Latino authors like Peña, who published his book with them.

Peña writes about topics important to current times, and he takes an active part in promoting his work, Tristan said. He even connected Arte Público Press with Editorial Argonáutica, a new publisher in Mexico, who will potentially translate and publish “Bang” and other Arte Público titles, she said.

“Bang” deals with issues such as the impact of international drug smuggling and living without documents in the U.S on people, she said.

Peña’s book took years of research, and he said he’ll return to Mexico this summer to continue looking for other stories.

His work also contains aspects of his personal experiences, like in the opening scene of “Bang.” The book starts out with a detailed plane crash that only more than 150 flight hours can do justice.

Peña took the first step to reach the legacy of his role models, and he wants even more.

“That’s the dream, man,” Peña said. “Get tenure, buy a plane.”

news@thedailycougar.com

—
“UH-D professor helps further creative writing program’s legacy” was originally posted on The Daily Cougar

Spoiler Warning for the Season 4, Episode 7 of “Fear the Walking Dead,” as well as all previous episodes of the series. Spoilers from “The Walking Dead” will also be discussed. 

Kevin Zegers as Mel and Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark. (Photo credit: Richard Foreman Jr./AMC)

The timelines are converging as “Fear the Walking Dead” builds up to what should be an explosive Mid-Season Finale. This season has played with time quite a lot, and while it does help to make the plot twists and reveals especially shocking, it is starting to take away from the story a bit. That being said, the developments made in this episode are huge and serve to push the characters to some truly dark places. So what really went down in those hours before the collapse of the Diamond?

This episode jumps between the timelines, but for the purposes of recapping, events will be discussed in chronological order.

In the “BEFORE” timeline, Madison and the residents of the Stadium work hard to plant crops and organize the garden. There’s a genuine sense of hope in the air as everyone works together without the immediate threat of the Vultures hanging in the air. There’s a great moment that highlights how important this community is to the characters as Nick asks Madison why she worked so hard to build what they have now; she states that her desire to be away from the horrors of the world motivates her to keep the Diamond going. This is crucial for her arc this episode, providing an explanation for her actions. Things become rather complicated when Charlie shows up at the gate asking for help. She brings Madison, Naomi, Nick and Alicia to a point in the road nearby where an accident involving an Infected has occurred. Mel and Charlie split from the rest of the Vultures after an argument arose with Ennis; Mel was severely injured in the accident and Naomi explains that he needs to be treated or else he won’t make it. Madison declares that he will be brought back to the Stadium, even as Nick and the others question whether this is the right move. Nick points out that Charlie and the Vultures have lied before and they may be playing them again, but Madison is determined to help Mel. Seeing Charlie with Nick is unsettling after seeing what happens later down the line, but it serves to humanize her a bit more, complicating the situation in the “NOW” timeline.

Frank Dillane as Nick Clark, Colman Domingo as Victor Strand, Alycia Debnam-Carey as Alicia Clark, Jenna Elfman as Naomi and Rhoda Griffis as Vivian. (Photo credit: Richard Foreman Jr./AMC)

Back at the Stadium, Naomi treats Mel who regains consciousness and panics after realizing where he is. Speaking with Madison and Naomi, Mel reveals that his brother Ennis is on a warpath and plans to attack the Diamond with a herd of Infected that the Vultures have been collecting. This is essentially confirmed to Madison when she meets up with Strand and Cole who have been out visiting the locations with the numbered flags; each of these location are now devoid of the Infected and according to the flags that Strand brought back, there are thousands, possibly more, of the Dead that are in the possession of the Vultures. Madison makes it clear that they are not fleeing the community, but rather they will fortify and defend their home. Back at the infirmary, Mel makes an escape attempt by breaking free from his restraints and pulling a knife on Naomi. This doesn’t do much as Naomi takes advantage of Mel’s injury by placing pressure on his cracked ribs to regain control of the situation, quite the badass move. The desperation on Mel’s face, as well as his desire to get Charlie away from the Stadium conveys the gravity of what Ennis is planning. If anyone knows Ennis, it is Mel and Naomi takes note of this, clearly knowing to watch for the signs of collapse after witnessing the downfall of her old community.

A major plot point of this episode is Madison’s decision to remain at the Stadium even as a massive attack is imminent. There is a powerful bit of symbolism as Madison tears down the dugout room she built for Charlie (now occupied by Naomi) to use the wood to reinforce the walls; the life Madison built for her people is slowly crumbling before her eyes. Naomi confronts Madison about the decision to stay and urges her to evacuate to save everyone’s lives. Madison refuses, stating that her kids are finally safe and that she worked way too hard to build the community just for it all to be thrown away. Without directly mentioning it, Naomi refers to the destruction of the FEMA shelter as proof that a strong community can fall and those that stay behind will die. This conversation sparks something in Madison and she collects Mel and forces him out of the Stadium, much to the dismay of Strand, Alicia and Nick; Strand specifically mentions the fact that Madison gave him another chance and uses this as reason to let Mel stay. Part of this decision on Madison’s part seems to come from her desire to protect Charlie, but also to do away with the negative energy Mel has brought to the Diamond, especially in regards to him sparking a panic with the plans of Ennis. Later, Nick checks in with Madison and expresses his disappointment in her decision, citing the group’s need to be better. In an emotional beat, Nick also states that he feels safe with Madison and points out that they also find each other when separated; unfortunately, there are no more reunions to be had between these two.

Danay García as Luciana Galvez, Colman Domingo as Victor Strand, Kim Dickens as Madison Clark and Sebastian Sozzi as Cole. (Photo credit: Richard Foreman Jr./AMC)

Charlie has been brought back into the community, not to be lambasted and yelled at, but in an attempt to get her as far away as possible from the Vultures. Nick and the others let her know that Mel has been forced to leave, causing her to worry that he won’t make it on his own. They contact him via radio and Charlie is able to speak to him, but he sounds weak and hoarse. Charlie pleads for them to help him and Nick and Alicia both realize that he needs to be retrieved before he dies. They ask Strand to open the gate and he complies, noting that they are making the right call. While driving away from the Stadium, Alicia wonders if they should be doing this, but Nick explains that everything will work out in the end. They eventually locate Mel’s vehicle pulled over on the side of the road (how exactly they managed to find him isn’t explained) and find him unconscious at the wheel. The sound of trucks nearby prompts Nick to turn off the car’s headlights as a caravan, led by Ennis, drives by. Alicia warns Strand that the Vultures are headed straight for the Diamond, deciding to drive a different way back to return quicker. From a lookout point, Strand and Cole bring Madison up to speed as the army arrives. Things are extremely eerie as a single truck drives parallel to the main gate, spilling oil onto the pavement in the process. Nick and Alicia arrive in the parking lot and watch as the scene unfolds, frozen in place as the rest of the caravan arrives and lines up. This is it. The mysterious event that caused the downfall of the Diamond is about to play out…and it is chilling to watch it all come together.

The entire sequence of events is eerily reminiscent to what happens in “The Walking Dead’s” Season 5 Finale when Daryl and Aaron stumble into a trap set by the Wolves and find themselves surrounded by walkers, only to be saved by Morgan. A similar situation occurs here as the car contained Nick, Alicia and Mel is surrounded by the Infected that are released from the Vulture trucks. Hundreds upon hundreds of Infected overtake the parking lot as the oil line is set ablaze, drawing the herd to the main gate of the Diamond. Madison arms herself and locates a vehicle, desperate to go out and save her children; both Strand and Luciana volunteer to assist her as Alicia radios into Madison to solemnly explain why she and Nick needed to go out and collect Mel. It is unsettling to hear Alicia speak to Madison in this scene as she knows that it wasn’t the best move strategically, yet it was something they needed to do to preserve their own humanity. Shots of the Stadium are shown as the fire ignites outside…this is the end of the community that Madison and the others worked so hard to built and protect. This is the night that it all falls apart and people are about to die.

Danay García as Luciana Galvez and Alexa Nisenson as Charlie. (Photo credit: Richard Foreman Jr./AMC)

There’s a lot going on in both timelines, but in the “NOW” arc, there is absolute carnage. Last episode ended with Alicia taking a shot at Naomi, but instead hitting John, prompting a massive gunfight between the two camps. A brief montage of the events of “Laura” are mixed in with a scene showing John lying on the ground as a stunned Naomi tries to save his life. Morgan rushes over and assists as Naomi runs off to find medical supplies. Meanwhile, Mel drives off in an ambulance that is blown up with a grenade by Alicia (this badass moment is similar to Daryl’s big RPG explosion in “No Way Out“). Alicia has Naomi in her sights, screaming at her for betraying the very people that saved her life and took her in; a struggle erupts and Naomi is able to get away from Alicia, making her way back to John’s side. Elsewhere, Strand and Luciana get a few kills in before the tone takes a drastic shift as Luciana finds Charlie and holds her at gunpoint. This franchise loves to tackle moral quandaries and what darker situation is there than the prospect of gunning down a child? Luciana is forced to shift her attention when another Vulture closes in on her, allowing Charlie to slip away. “Fear the Walking Dead” hasn’t had all that many massive battle pieces, but this one really stands out as each character is utilized and gets to play a crucial role.

In all of the chaos taking place on the battlefield, Althea takes a neutral approach, filming from a hidden vantage point. Morgan confronts her and urges her to assist in getting John away from the scene to be treated. Althea is hesitant, but ultimately complies after Morgan states that a good man will die without their help. While it may seem odd that Althea isn’t fighting, it makes perfect sense considering she is a journalist who is hellbent on documenting the end of the world; it hasn’t been stated, but it seems as though she may have been a war journalist, giving her experience in this type of scenario. Alicia once again has Naomi at gunpoint, but Althea arrives in the SWAT truck and pulls the machine gun lever, forcing Alicia to stand down. As John is loaded into the truck, Morgan stops for a moment after noticing Charlie nearby and pleads for her to come with him, stating that Alicia and the others will kill her if she stays behind. Althea drives away from the racetrack as Alicia, Strand and Luciana shoot at the SWAT truck in a last ditch effort to take down every last person that wronged them. Althea questions Naomi about that fact that she is alive and wonders what she did to make Alicia and the others so angry, but Charlie posits that it was her own fault that everything is so shitty. Naomi tells Althea to set the course for the Diamond, which Strand quickly figures out is the destination they are headed to. In a final fatal blow, a badly burned Mel crawls away from the ambulance and pleads for help, but Alicia refuses and plunges her weapon into his head. Just like that the Vultures are gone…and Alicia’s humanity might just have been taken with them.

Maggie Grace as Althea and Lennie James as Morgan Jones. (Photo credit: Richard Foreman Jr./AMC)

The episode wraps up as Althea and the others arrive at the Stadium, which looks like a shell of its former self. Aside from the “NOW” coloring that points to destruction, it is clear that there is no life left in the once vibrant community. Naomi explains that the infirmary should still be intact considering Ennis and the rest of the Vultures were to afraid to enter the community once it fell. Morgan tells Althea that he has finally figured out who she is, but she contests this and states that she is a “layered chick.” Rather than taking things slow and scouting to see if the Stadium is safe, Althea speeds through a gate right onto the field of the Stadium. Smoke begins to clear, revealing hundreds of scorched Infected stumbling around and surrounding the truck. A terrible situation has just become even worse as the likelihood of getting John to the infirmary has just decreased. It still hasn’t been fully revealed, but it seems as though the Infected breached the main gate and set parts of the Diamond ablaze. What exactly happened to the many residents is still unknown, but it is likely that all will be revealed in the Mid-Season Finale. Did Cole and Madison get torn apart in all of the chaos or are they hiding out somewhere? Is anyone left alive? Will Althea be able to get the group out of this situation?

This episode really places a heavy focus on the events leading up to the collapse of the Diamond. There is a lot of build up to what should be a wild Mid-Season Finale, assuming the full events of the fateful night are shown. The split timelines can get rather irritating at times, especially when certain characters’ fates are teased; Madison’s ultimate fate is still a complete mystery and very few clues have been dropped about her in the present timeline all season. This episode does an excellent job at establishing the stakes and showing the many sides of the Vultures, specifically in that Mel isn’t a wholly terrible person and that he was just looking out for himself and Charlie. The developments made for Madison, Nick and Alicia really serve as markers of their growth since the start of the season. Alycia Debnam-Carey delivers yet another strong performance as the fractured Alicia in the “NOW” timeline, clearly showing the mental strain that the apocalypse has placed on her. There is a lot happening in both timelines, and hopefully the Mid-Season Finale serves to wrap up certain storylines and merge the arcs to push the story into some interesting places for the second half of the season.

Be sure to tune into the Mid-Season Finale of “Fear the Walking Dead” next Sunday at 9 p.m. on AMC. 

Poudre Fire Authority announced the launch of a safety program, “Play it Safe on the Poudre,” in a press release this week in response to two deaths on the Poudre River in summer 2017. PFA will be running the initiative during summer 2018 to warn river recreators of the dangers of what can be a cold […]

The Bruins fell one match short of clinching their first collegiate rugby championship after a testing path to the final.

UCLA men’s club rugby dropped the 2018 Penn Mutual Collegiate Rugby Championship Cup final to Lindenwood University by a score of 24-7 on Sunday.

Lindenwood opened the scoring with a try from second row Chris Schoeman. Bruin freshman center Ben Broselle tied the score 7-7 with a try on the outside left. A missed lineout from UCLA 10 meters from its own end line gave the ball to Lindenwood, who converted a try to make the score 14-7 at the half.

The Lions scored twice in the second half, including a try from USA Rugby Eagle Deion Mikesell. The Lindenwood team featured two capped USA Rugby team members.

Coach Scott Stewart said the experience of the final will improve the growing young core.

“The final is a game we feel we could’ve won,” Stewart said. “Sometimes it’s just not your time. We’re a very young team as there are six freshmen. To get that far and perform like that was pretty impressive.”

The Lions completed the double win by capturing their first Pete Dawkins Trophy, as they won 2018 College 7s National Championships earlier this year.

UCLA swept its opponents in Pool E beginning with a 24-14 win over Virginia Tech early Saturday morning. It defeated Arkansas State 17-12 to clinch the top position in the group.

UCLA secured the No. 3 seed with a 41-0 win over the University of Delaware, and Broselle logged a hat trick of tries.

Broselle led the Bruins offensively throughout the tournament, with seven tries on the final day, and was named the inaugural Mark Dombroski Most Valuable Player for the tournament. Stewart said opposing teams were forced to change their game plan around him.

“(Broselle) took a ton of pressure off the rest of the team with his speed and his ability to score from long range. He was such a threat that it forced teams to almost double-team him, which opened up space for the other people around him.”

UCLA defeated two-time CRC champions No. 6-seeded Dartmouth in the quarterfinal round, scoring four tries in the second half to force in overtime, before beating No. 2-seeded Arizona 26-10 in the semifinal.

Stewart said he is expecting the young team to improve with postseason experience.

“The amount of work we put in before this showed how well we were able to play,” Stewart said. “It doesn’t always work out our way but we’re excited to work with these guys as they get a year older.”

Florida right fielder Jaimie Hoover slapped a ground ball to third base, turned and sprinted down the first-base line. Down two runs, the junior batted in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and put all of her energy…

Students who frequent the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs may have noticed the addition of two black vinyl tape lines running parallel in a geometric pattern across the side of the building’s staircase. As part of “Re-thinking the Wall: Greek and Chilean Street Art at Brown,” Greek and Chilean artists created street art pieces in the Watson Institute and outside the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts this April, which remain on display.

Hosted by the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies and organized in part by Grace Monk ’18, the show included painting demonstrations by Greek street artist Chris Tzaferos, also known as Simek, and pieces by Chilean artists Juan Lara Hidalgo and Francisco Verdugo Navea. The art was accompanied by a trilingual panel discussion that explored the artists’ work and creative processes.

“The opportunity to think about the public and somewhat ephemeral nature of what they do was interesting,” said Steven Bloomfield, associate director of the Watson Institute. “They’re quite aware of what will degrade and change and what will gather people’s attention, which is entirely different from a museum or gallery space.” Bloomfield added that the artists defended the integrity of their street art as “a counterpoint to something that might be more private and perceived as more permanent.”

Monk said that translating two foreign languages into English contributed a unique lens and filter to an international perspective, while the painting displays also added to the conversation at Brown about urban space.

“Street art is not something we do a ton with here (at Brown) even though I think people are very interested in the themes it pertains to,” Monk said. As part of her senior thesis on street art capitals Athens, Greece and Valparaíso, Chile, she felt it was important to bring attention to public art, culture and especially pieces created by low-income artists to help diversify artistic voices on campus.

The painting demonstrations and discussion also offered Brown students the opportunity to look at “the production of the art and space both in a local context and in a global context,” said Damien Mahiet, associate director of the Cogut Center for the Humanities, which helped fund the artists coming to Brown, along with the Watson Institute and other departments.

Hidalgo works with Mapuche identity, that of an indigenous community in South America, while Navea’s work grapples with the concepts of consumption and immigration.

“The ‘art’ that I do explores a lost identity,” Hidalgo wrote in an email to The Herald. In Latin America, there is an admiration for foreign cultures, while the countries’ own cultures are viewed negatively, he explained. Through his artwork, he aims to draw attention to the deterioration of Latin American culture. “I want people to love their roots more and stop looking at Latin America as something bad and with a certain sense of mockery,” he wrote.

In the United States, Monk says the artists are also thinking about “issues of immigration and identity, and how to bring the Chilean complexities about those same issues into their work here.”

Simek primarily plays with geometry, lines and patterns in urban spaces to create therapeutic and calming experimental art. Having created street art since the age of 14, he combines his graffiti with various materials to integrate his artwork into the architecture of spaces.

“All places have power, and (Brown) has the power of students’ thinking,” Simek said. “The energy is different.” Monk added that she loves Simek’s work because “it’s so attentive to space.”

Bloomfield said there was some hesitancy about Simek painting on the staircase, so a compromise was reached with the idea of having him use black tape.

“How long will it stay there? I’m hoping for quite a long time,” Bloomfield said. “There’s no reason to think it can’t be permanent.”

Hidalgo noted that he felt a greater appreciation for his street art at Brown than at home. He hopes to inform students of the “the expropriation of land for the benefit of the state” of Chile through his artwork.

For Simek, creating art is “a lifestyle,” he says. “It’s something that I do every day. I love the moment, I love what I am doing, I love the expression.”

Some development shouldn’t be arrested: The problem with the men of ‘Arrested Development’

Netflix/Courtesy

Arrested Development

Few shows are as sharp about stupidity as “Arrested Development.” A whip-smart cult favorite, “Arrested Development” is in equal parts a satire and a time capsule of the wealthy white elite of the 2000s. The series centers on the Bluths, an Orange County real estate dynasty freshly fallen from relative glory after its patriarch George Sr. (Jeffrey Tambor) is arrested for theft and fraud. Middle son Michael (Jason Bateman) serves as the straight man of the bombastic family, which, despite losing most of its assets, still insists on a lifestyle of opulence.

At face value, the show seems unrelatable at best and insidiously depressing at worst. “Arrested Development” revels in its protagonists’ flaws, especially their upper crust ignorance. The vast majority of these characters are unsympathetic and highly problematic; the Bluths were written as one-to-one caricatures of the Bushes, and more than a few fans have noticed uncanny parallels with more recent White House dwellers.

So what gave “Arrested Development” its critical success and left-leaning cult following? This is where the show’s humor — in turns loftily subtle and openly absurd — comes in. “Arrested Development” deals in cringe humor. The way it sketches out the Bluths’ elitism, from matriarch Lucille’s (Jessica Walter) blatant racism to Michael’s paternalistic savior complex, is extraordinarily true to life, even (and especially) now. Throw in Ron Howard’s sardonic voice-over narration, and you have gold-standard satire.

Some of the decade-old jokes barely coast — especially those dealing with race, sexuality, and gender expression — but they get by on the pure ridiculousness of their vehicles. We are so clearly meant to disdain the Bluths that the script never even comes close to condoning their behavior. It’s a canny tightrope-walk of humor, but one that was pulled off beautifully for three madcap seasons and merely competently for a tired fourth.

In some ways, a present so marred by corruption would be perfect for such a smart lampoon — what fans didn’t bank on was that the same ridiculousness that the show’s cast so perfectly affected would seep out into the actors’ real lives. And yet, in the time running up to the just-released fifth season, that’s exactly what happened.

A satire is cheapened by hypocrisy; it’s a lot harder to laugh at George Sr.’s serial philandering and casual sexism in light of recent sexual harassment allegations against Tambor that led to his dismissal from Amazon’s critically acclaimed “Transparent.” “Arrested Development” creator Mitch Hurwitz came to Tambor’s defense, however, saying that he and the cast of “Arrested Development” had no reason to similarly remove him; he even endorsed Tambor in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. Then The Hollywood Reporter put out a moderately sympathetic profile of Tambor, detailing his work on various shows, the allegations against him and his self-confessed anger issues. Things seemed more or less smoothed over.

Then came a ghastly cast interview with The New York Times last week. Tambor himself was present, along with Bateman, Walter, Tony Hale, Will Arnett, David Cross, and Alia Shawkat. The allegations against Tambor, of course, surfaced again, particularly his anger issues.

The interviewer brought up a specific outburst he had during the filming of “Arrested Development” that was directed toward Walter. The dynamic shifted uncomfortably; everyone was supportive, but the support was mostly offered to Tambor — even when Walter was in tears. Arnett deflected, saying the entire cast had abused each other in good nature (alluding to an instance in which he keyed Bateman’s car). Cross remarked that the outburst “didn’t just come out of the blue.” Hale reassured that “we’ve all had moments.”

Most egregiously, Bateman, after repeatedly asserting that he didn’t wish to belittle Walter’s experience, said that this kind of behavior comes up often in the high-tension environments of filming — even when she had emphasized that she had never before been verbally abused like that throughout her half-century career.

Not only did Bateman dismiss Walter’s own pain, but he even condescendingly described to her an industry she had been a part of since before he was born. Only Shawkat, the youngest cast member present by far and the only other woman, argued in Walter’s favor that regardless of precedent, Tambor’s behavior was unacceptable.

The moment in the interview then seemed to blow over — Walter, still in tears, assured Tambor that she would forgive him and put his outburst aside. Bateman issued a lengthy apology via Twitter soon after. The new season came out, and many are still willing to momentarily suspend their discomfort and binge it.

However, if there’s one thing “Arrested Development” has taught us, it’s to never sweep something under the rug regardless of how outlandish it seems. The dismissive attitudes of the male cast members at the New York Times interview were inappropriate and remarkably off-putting; their apologies don’t make the things they did and said normal or acceptable.

However humorous “Arrested Development” may be, the humor is founded on the fact that the cast is representing characters. When the behavior of the Bluths carries over into the actors’ personal lives, the show suffers. The response to Walter’s breakdown by the other men of “Arrested Development” is just another layer of absurdity; the only difference is that this one is real and not funny.

Sahana Rangarajan covers TV. Contact her at srangarajan@dailycal.org.

The Daily Californian

Red eyes, choked-back words with disappointed faces and tears.

It wasn’t the way No. 1 Oregon softball wanted to see the season end. It wasn’t the way the seniors wanted to end their career as Ducks.

Oregon was eliminated from the Women’s College World Series Saturday, falling 4-1 to the No. 6 Florida State Seminoles in Oklahoma City at Hall of Fame Stadium, ending its season.

“It hurts right now, but I’m very proud of my career and my four years and I’m very proud to be a Duck,” Oregon senior Gwen Svekis said through held-back tears at the post-game press conference. “If we came out and played the way I know we can, we wouldn’t be going home tonight. That really hurts.” 

“Unfortunately, this week we weren’t at our best, and I’m getting tired of making that speech,” Oregon head coach Mike White told the media. “We are working hard to find that secret, to find what it takes to bust through that door because we certainly have the ability to be better than what we are doing right now. And that’s what hurts.”

Once again, the Ducks’ poor defense got the best of them. Mixing in passive batting, Oregon quickly became disorganized, falling apart on the infield.

With every slow play and every ball thrown too high or too wide, the Seminoles (54-12) took advantage on the plate.

FSU made its move in the top of the third with an RBI-double to get on the board, 1-0. Cali Harrod, the scored runner, found the first hole within Oregon’s pitching and earned the first walk of the game. Soon after, she successfully stole second base and with Elizabeth Mason’s RBI hit, Harrod ran home and scored from second.

Harrod scored again for FSU two innings later in the fifth. After making her way from first to third during an Oregon error, she crossed home plate once more from Mason and her RBI-single.

The closest Oregon got to the Seminoles was a two-run difference, scoring its lone run in the bottom of the sixth with a two-out RBI-double from Haley Cruse that scored Shannon Rhodes from first base.

But with four errors and two pitching changes, the Ducks fell to the aggression of FSU. Even bringing in young pinch hitters and runners like Cherish Burks and April Utecht, Oregon could not find a spark.

“We tried to do everything,” White told the media. “… I admit it, I had hope until that last swing.”

In the circle, Oregon started with Miranda Elish before briefly switching to Megan Keist and ending with Maggie Balint for the final two innings. Elish (25-2), earned the loss marking her only second loss of the whole season.

“It hurts a lot,” senior Jenna Lilley said at the post-game press conference. “I’m proud of me, myself and my teammates. Committing to Oregon was the best decision of my life and I will always be a Duck no matter what happened today.”

Oregon ended the season with a 53-10 overall record, its fifth Pac-12 title in the last six years and its sixth WCWS appearance in program history.

“We certainly had a lot of fun together, and I hope that’s what they remember,” White told the media. “I tell them a funeral is a celebration of life. They got to be proud of what we accomplished.”

Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni

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