Blue and Gold Week has brought Bruins a pride-filled week of car-smashing, USC-bashing and a Beat ‘SC parade for the past five years.
But this year, the UCLA versus USC football game falls on the weekend before finals, and university policy is preventing students from activities that week.
“To ensure that Bruins can study and still have fun, Blue and Gold Week is now Oct. 13-19, preceding the Stanford Homecoming football game,” the UCLA Alumni Association Web site said.
This year, because the university prohibits amplified sound during 10th week, the festivities had to be rescheduled, said Aly Yarris, Student Alumni Association director of communications.
But Blue and Gold Week, which kicks off today with an 8-clap rally in the Wooden Center and a Cardinal Car Smash in Bruin Plaza, will still promote the pride and glory of life as a UCLA Bruin, Yarris said.
Combining the efforts of the SAA, the Campus Events Commission, the Center for Student Programming, the Cultural Affairs Commission and Greek councils, Blue and Gold Week has graced UCLA’s campus for five years now, said David Grometer, the president of SAA.
“Basically this is the Student Alumni Association’s 25th anniversary. We got started in 1984 along with our first year of programming, which began with homecoming week,” Grometer said.
Five or six years ago, Blue and Gold Week was founded. It merged the already existent Beat ‘SC Week and the homecoming game.
“We thought this was the biggest game of the season, so we chose the Stanford game,” Grometer said.
Yarris said if Blue and Gold Week was held the week before finals, only silent activities would be allowed.
“So instead of compromising the event completely, we decided to pick another game,” she said.
“And we’re really excited to have it now at the beginning of the year, because the energy is better than it might be before finals.”
She said the point really is not just to beat USC, but rather to support UCLA and fellow Bruins.
The events will be the same, except the bonfire will be held on the Intramural Field, and there won’t be a parade, she said.
The car smash has been retitled the Cardinal Car Smash to build up pride against Stanford University.
Students will still be invited to turn in red shirts for “I Heart UCLA” shirts as they have in the past.
“Students can get some frustration out against competing schools,” Yarris said.
And she said that just because no activities with sound can be held 10th week, it doesn’t mean UCLA’s rivalry against USC won’t be addressed.
“We definitely still have something up our sleeve for 10th week, working around that it has to be without sound,” she said.
“We don’t want people to think SAA doesn’t care about the rivalry. … It’s a tradition that needs to be upheld.”
Yarris said other additions will be the inclusion of Lexus Gauntlet Live, a competition filmed by Fox Sports in Bruin Plaza every Monday at 9 p.m.
“It’s a way to include our pride of being at UCLA and getting our name out there,” Grometer said.
SAA members will distribute UCLA merchandise, like plastic Ray-Bans, dog tags, T-shirts and stickers.
The bottom line, Grometer said, is that even though Blue and Gold doesn’t proceed the big game against UCLA’s biggest rival, it doesn’t mean students can’t show their pride.
“It’s more about campus pride and being unified across campus,” Grometer said.
“That’s the biggest thing ““ besides student experience, we’re here to have fun with campus and have a great experience.”