This Week in the News serves as the Quad’s space for reflection on current events at and around UCLA. Every week, Daily Bruin staffers will analyze some of the most significant stories to keep readers up to speed.
Crossing midterms and Halloween off the calendar means students are finally halfway through fall quarter. In the midst of studying for upcoming tests, a lot has happened this week. From a new election board chair’s appointment, to the vigil for the shooting at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, here are the Quad’s picks for the biggest stories in this week’s news cycle.
Students, Jewish leaders hold vigil for victims of Pittsburgh synagogue shooting
UCLA students hosted a vigil for the victims of the shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh. The shooting in Pennsylvania took the lives of 11 people this past week. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Pittsburgh shooting is believed to be the deadliest attack on Jewish people in the United States.
About 150 people gathered in Bruin Plaza to sing, pray and offer solidarity at the vigil, with speakers ranging from Jewish leaders on campus to Chancellor Gene Block. Several students shared their feelings on modern anti-Semitism and how it continues to be a problem to this day.
Freshly appointed election board chair hopes to rewrite election code
Richard White, a fourth-year political science student and the Leaders Influencing Tomorrow presidential candidate in the 2018 Undergraduate Student Association Council elections, was recently confirmed as the USAC election board chair. White said he plans to rewrite the USAC election code to include specific penalties for violating the code.
There is a bit of controversy surrounding White’s confirmation. Sixth-year biology student Ashraf Beshay told the Bruin he was concerned about White not recusing himself in spite of a conflict of interest while he served on a student funding committee. White’s appointment also comes four weeks after the deadline set by USAC’s bylaws.
USAC President Claire Fieldman, along with other members of USAC, believe White’s experience with USAC campaigns provides him with a unique perspective. A new version of the election code is expected to be completed this winter.
Gallery: Spooky Bruins
Despite Halloween being tucked in the middle of week five, many Bruins decided to celebrate in costume on campus regardless. Undergraduate and graduate students alike romped down Bruin Walk dressed as everything from animals and fairies to wizards and generals. The Daily Bruin staff captured some of these costumes and assembled them in an online photo gallery.
Exhibition victory shows off men’s basketball’s solid team chemistry, depth
Hopefully students will be able to start cheering on a winning UCLA sports team in the coming months, as the basketball team starts gearing up for the new season.
Freshman guard David Singleton started at the UCLA men’s basketball’s exhibition game Wednesday and impressed coaches with a high number of steals. After freshman guard Tyger Campbell tore his ACL and had to be sidelined for the entire season, Coach Steve Alford pulled Singleton off the bench for this week’s game. Alford said the team played well defensively and all in all had good chemistry together.
U.S. News & World Report ranks UCLA as 13th best university in the world
UCLA was recently ranked the 13th best university in the world on the U.S. New & World Report’s 2019 Best Global Universities Rankings list. The ranking system is based on a series of 13 different indicators, including the school’s research reputation, publications, citations and the number of academic papers that are a part of the 1 percent most cited. UCLA’s psychiatry/psychology and chemistry departments were also ranked sixth and eighth, respectively, by the same standards.
While the school isn’t falling too far down the list, we have dropped a bit. On the most recent ranking, U.S. News & World Report also ranked UCLA as the No. 3 best public university in the United States – however, just back in September, we were the No. 1 best public university in the U.S., according the organization’s Best Colleges Ranking, which uses a slightly different ranking system, and 16 different indicators to determine a college’s placement.