OBAMA’S POLITICS
In the midterm election season, President Barack Obama is developing an agenda to focus on reducing the deficit, passing free-trade pacts and reconstructing the No Child Left Behind education bill, all while playing middleman to both Democrats and Republicans. It seems, though, that the tactic of reaching out to both parties has been received with mixed results. How do you think Obama should best approach the next two years? Should he just follow a hard-line trajectory to further his own party’s agenda, or should he continue to compromise on issues without substantial progress?
AN EMPOWERING GATHERING
The three-day Women’s Conference in Long Beach attracted more than 10,000 people this year. Prominent female figures like Maria Shriver, Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey, along with many other women, came to be empowered by the event. The crowd was not limited to only women, as men like Brian Williams also attended the event to discuss the role of men in advancing women’s issues. Has the Women’s Conference been effective in benefiting women? Do these famous women represent the values of everyday women?
ROCK THE VOTE
Both the University of California and California State University systems joined for the first time this year in the annual Rock the Vote contest, registering a total of 40,168 students. The UC system brought in 10,100 more students than the CSU. UC Santa Barbara topped all schools by registering 7,895 students. Do you think the Students Vote! project was effective in encouraging students to vote in the upcoming election? How often did you interact with the advocates and did you see them as a strong influence on campus?
A SUBWAY AT LAST
After years of floating the idea around in discussion, Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation officials finally approved subway plans to link downtown to the Westside. Despite its projected $4.2 billion to $9 billion price tag, the project will reduce the negative effects of pollution and is a positive step toward making traveling around Los Angeles more efficient and modern. Is this money being well-spent? Or is it just another needless drain of public funds?
BLACKOUT IN A CAN
The FDA has been investigating the safety of caffeinated alcohol drinks, particularly Four Loko, also known as “blackout in a can,” which has so far sent nine Central Washington University students to the hospital. These drinks are especially popular with college students, but health officials remain suspicious of their impacts. Other such drinks include Four Maxed, Max Vibe, Hard Wired and Torque. Do you think caffeinated alcohol is a significant problem at UCLA and nationwide, or is it only localized to specific universities? How do you think students and administrators should deal with this issue once encountered?
Compiled by Jane Wang, Seth Ronquillo, Roy Hu and Carly Cody.