Everything feels different this week, even the UCLA basketball press conference.
The UC Board of Regents meetings here and the approval of a 32 percent student fee increase have shaken our campus. Signs of turmoil are visible everywhere.
Thursday morning, my English seminar digressed into a lengthy discussion of the fee hikes, the protests and the unrest and uneasiness of this week. Thursday afternoon, I went to see what the UCLA basketball team had to say, and I observed many of the same emotions: sympathy, disappointment and dismay.
“I know a lot of people who are affected, and I support them 100 percent,” starting sophomore point guard Jerime Anderson said. “I really do not agree with the fee hikes.”
On Wednesday, Anderson attended a protest with his teammate, freshman forward Mike Moser. I spoke to him on Thursday about the protest and his overall experience this week.
Anderson is not a fiery political activist. In fact, he seemed to me like a typical and intelligent UCLA student who happens to play basketball. He spoke cautiously but still emphasized his belief that the rising cost of a UCLA education puts an unfair burden upon students who are already struggling.
Sophomore guard Malcolm Lee expressed a similar sentiment. He said seeing protests reminded him how lucky he is to receive a full athletic scholarship.
“I feel way more blessed,” he said. “In my mind it made me realize I’m attending this university for free.”
Lee did not attend the protests because of a busy class and practice schedule, but he said he spoke to several friends about it, and that his world arts and cultures teaching assistant was really pushing it.
Coach Ben Howland said he could hear the protesters from his office inside the J.D. Morgan Center.
At the press conference, Howland spoke about how jarring it was to return home late Wednesday evening and read newspaper articles about the severity of the California budget shortfall.
“It’s a tough situation for the students and the regents,” he said.
Howland said he did not know if any of his players had attended the protests.
The team maintained its normal practice schedule this week, preparing for tonight’s game against Cal State Bakersfield. Players said the practices were intense.
The Bruins just suffered a defeat to Cal State Fullerton Monday in their first game of the season. It was a stinging loss. The Bruins are all extremely competitive and eager to win basketball games. Likewise, students get a real thrill from their basketball team, which has been so dominant over the past four seasons. When the team suffers a bad loss, everyone seems a little grumpy.
But this week, sports don’t seem quite as absorbing. Our minds are elsewhere.
During a week like this, I think we all remember how important a UCLA education is to our future. At the very least, we think of the value of that UCLA education and the opportunities and advantages it provides.
Many feel the natural fear of not having the means to pay future fees. And I think almost all of us feel dismay when we realize that fewer people will be able to afford to come here, and that those who do will probably find a campus with fewer resources and fewer faculty.
Thursday, I learned that the basketball stars are not so different. Anderson and Lee have reconsidered the privileges of a UCLA education this week, just like you and me.