Just four letters, a lot more meaning
UCLA.
Four simple letters. But whether you’re in Tokyo, Paris, New York or our very own Los Angeles, the UCLA brand name carries with it one of the best collegiate reputations in the world. Bruins often travel far and wide and are surprised how popular the UCLA name is. Nikki Jagerman’s Dec. 1 column (“BearWear cramps more than style”) fails to appreciate the uniqueness that is UCLA.
While we recognize the sarcasm in the column, having BearWear called a “plague” is an utter disappointment to us.
What Jagerman refers to as an “eye sore,” we refer to as a group of diverse individuals with one commonality, their pride in our institution. What she refers to as a sign of mental illness for our need of “a clothing item to remind you where you are,” we refer to as an expression of personal achievement. What she calls an “amorphous hooded sweatshirt with UCLA embroidery,” we refer to as an expression of school spirit.
Though a large number of students might wear what Jagerman considers an “infectious” Den T-shirt, she fails to see the beauty of the four letters that encompass UCLA. Yes, we go here, and yes, we know we go here. Yet all of us got here differently. Boasting more than 30,000 students, you will never meet two people with the same personal background, interests and achievements. UCLA pride is a force that can unite us all while simultaneously allowing us to express ourselves. As for each of us, the four letters that make up UCLA have a personal meaning.
We’d like to commend you all on your personal achievements that got you here and remind you how privileged you are to attend such a great institution. No other collegiate brand is marketed and sold in five continents as is UCLA. Most importantly, we’d like to remind you that you are what defines UCLA. So if anyone wishes to have UCLA “plastered all over your earthly belongings,” feel free to do so with pride.
Jesse Rogel
ASUCLA chairman
Amanda York
ASUCLA Services Committee chair
Wear your blue and gold with pride
As this week marks the countdown to the rivalry game we wait for every year, I urge all Bruins out there to forget the words of Nikki Jagerman (“BearWear cramps more than style,” Dec. 1) and plaster themselves with BearWear. Wear your Den shirt proudly because it is those two colors, blue and gold, that set us apart from other universities. This is UCLA for crying out loud, and wearing blue and gold is a formative part of a long and rich history that I would hope no passing fashionista could overthrow.
I suppose I take personal offense because I am the director of UCLA’s Blue and Gold Week ““ a week that is completely centered upon the magic that is “sky blue and marigold.” Hundreds of students stood in line each day of Blue and Gold Week for the Get the Red Out T-shirt Exchange for one reason and one reason only ““ to get the I Heart UCLA shirts. Personally I do not feel that this makes these people mentally ill ““ in fact, I take offense to that ideal. When I walk down Bruin Walk I am overcome with pride when I see others wearing their I Heart UCLA shirts and Bruin sunglasses, for it is a testament to the uniqueness of our student body and our extreme love of those four little letters: U-C-L-A.
Wearing UCLA clothing on campus or (heaven forbid) at the Rose Bowl is not a personal reminder of what school we attend, it is a reminder for those surrounding us just how lucky we are to be here at this particular school.
This should not be regarded as a plague but as a constant affirmation that others want to represent the ideals of our university on a daily basis. We are the Sons of Westwood, and we will always hail the Blue and Gold!
Go Bruins! Beat the Trojans!
Aly Yarris
Blue and Gold Week executive director
SAA Board of Directors
BearWear is mark of individuality
In her article “BearWear cramps more than style,” (Dec. 1) Nikki Jagerman decries UCLA clothing as a type of fashion, and she is right.
It will never appear in Vogue, never be considered trendy and never go in or out of style. In fact, is the furthest thing from fashion, but it is that very trait, or lack there of, that makes UCLA clothing such a strong symbol of identity.
I am not advertising those four letters because it is cool in the way an Abercrombie shirt might be, but I am doing it because of what those letters represent.
My four years here will play an integral role in shaping who I am, and I see no greater sign of individuality than being able to sum up my personal creed in one four-part abbreviation and display it to the world.
If you want to stand out, if you want to be truly unique and individualistic as Jagerman suggests, then walk down the street in a bright blue sweatshirt that says UCLA on the chest.
Who knows, you might just see another “unique individual” proudly showing exactly who he or she is with just those four simple letters.
Andrew Dushkes
Second-year, global studies