Come June 12, thousands of UCLA students will officially graduate and enter the much-feared “real world.” Thousands more will begin their summer recess, starting a 100-day break from the apparently sheltered life in Westwood.
But this seeming end-of-the-road for grads and break-in-the-action for returning students is not where the UCLA experience has to end. This board recognizes the importance of students, both graduating and returning, maintaining their involvement with the university through the summer and beyond.
UCLA students are often seen as living in a “bubble,” isolated from problems faced by the rest of society, such as a tanking economy, racial tension and ineffective government. A simple look at the problems students have faced this past year will prove otherwise.
State contribution to each student’s education has been slashed nearly by half in just a decade. Professors and staff had their jobs threatened but were saved by the university’s furlough plan, which is really a nice word for a paycut.
With the fallout of racial tensions from the UC San Diego situation in February that led to months of turmoil across the UC, we clearly are not free from society’s racial tensions.
Student government has been notoriously do-nothing for several years and this year’s student government council has been stagnant in effecting positive change on campus.
And despite these many problems, students worked through them, and many garnered the skills that can prepare them for any and all the challenges they will face in the “real world.” After all, the supposed “UCLA bubble” is really just a microcosm of the world around us, manifesting all the problems the rest of the U.S. faces.
In leaving UCLA, we can draw on these experiences to work through the problems of society. Equally, we can continue to stay involved at solving the problems at UCLA.
After all, this place has given us so much more beyond a degree and education within the classroom. The university has provided students with ample opportunity to hone their problem-solving skills on many levels and this board urges students to actively work in maintaining the quality of UCLA as proud alumni.
Involvement with one’s alma mater does not start and end with monetary donations, nor does it consist solely of attendance at athletic contests.
We are all invested in the prominence of this university, and we can all be conscientious advocates by staying informed, contacting representatives, donating to the alumni association, and much more.