Monday, April 27, 1998
College: A big playground
DORMS: From dorm life to walking, Lil’ Siblings Weekend shares
experience of being a Bruin
By Pauline Vu
Daily Bruin Contributor
What many on-campus residents might find surprising is that some
people, like 8-year-old Noah Kojima, actually like dorm food.
"It’s a nice cafeteria for a cafeteria," he said of the Reiber
Dining Hall, adding excitedly, "Is it all you can eat?"
UCLA dorms and suites were home to 252 children this weekend as
residents participated in the Office of Residential Life’s 10th
annual "Lil’ Siblings Weekend."
Although ages ranged from 4- to 17-year-olds, the average was
adolescent age, and the activities were geared toward that
group.
Numerous activities were offered, such as volleyball and
basketball clinics coached by UCLA athletes who volunteered their
time to help coach. Women’s basketball members Carly Funicello,
Melanie Pearson, Maylana Martin and Janae Harper coached the age
10-and-over court.
"We wanted to help the kids out and let them have fun while
they’re here," Harper said.
On the age 10-and-under court, three members of the men’s
basketball team were getting into the spirit of things, with Rico
Hines leading one team, Ryan Bailey on the other and Tod Ramasar
coaching on the sidelines.
"Arrrggh!!" Hines roared, picking up a young team member who had
possession of the ball and racing to the basket.
At the same time, other students were playing free video games
at the Villager Arcade. Noah Kojima spent a whole hour playing
"Street Shocker." His persistence paid off, however, when he won
the game.
"I beat it!" he proclaimed jubilantly but added, "I didn’t like
the guy who split into five guys and then came back together into
one person. He was hard."
Lil’ Sibling activities also included a barbeque lunch of
chicken, hot dogs and hamburgers and an activity fair filled with
arts and craft booths, clowns, pictures with Joe and Josephine
Bruin, a bouncing castle and more.
For Katherine Coleman, 6, her favorite event was the bouncing
castle. However, that was not all she did.
"I made a necklace, I made a puzzle, I made a button … and I
got this tattoo," she said, proudly displaying the giraffe on her
arm.
For Katherine, Lil’ Siblings Weekend was also exciting in that
she "never spent the night in a fun place."
Jennifer Lim, 13, said while working at the craft’s table, "It’s
pretty cool – I get to do all this stuff and I get to visit my
sister and her friends too."
She also found spending the night in the dorms nice, though she
admitted she was still more used to her own house. "I wouldn’t want
to stay here forever."
Both Jennifer’s sister, Isabel Lim, a first-year microbiology
student, and Katherine’s cousin, Kelly Boyer, a second-year
psychology student, found it important that their siblings were
able to come to UCLA and see the college experience.
"It’s a great opportunity that my siblings are able to come here
and see what college life is like. Without the parties," Lim
laughed. "They also get to live in the dorms and eat dorm
food."
Lil’ Siblings Weekend had movies playing all day in the
Northwest Auditorium, from "Charlotte’s Web" to "Goonies." The
highlight of the weekend for many was the Scavenger Hunt, with
eight groups of students and siblings racing all over the UCLA
campus to figure out clues and take pictures in front of various
campus landmarks. The night was filled with groups of children and
students racing excitedly across campus, younger siblings urging
their elders to hurry up, and, as one group tramped along Sunset,
the curious question, "Are we still at UCLA?"
The children also discovered one aspect of college that their
siblings unfortunately found out their first weeks of school:
everyone walks at UCLA. And they walk a lot.
"My legs are gonna fall off," one girl said tiredly as she
climbed up the Anderson School stairs. "I’ve never walked this far
before."
Eating in the dorm cafeterias was also a novelty for the
siblings as they walked confidently through the dining halls,
carefully examined the deserts and went for second and third
helpings.
If there was one complaint about the festivities, it was that
the activities seemed more geared toward younger children. Manpreet
Dhanjal, a first-year undeclared student, found that her sister
Denise, 12, had little to do besides the barbeque lunch.
"If everyone gets into it, then they’ll have a lot of fun," the
elder Dhanjal said, "and the events are very organized, but they
seem more designed to entertain younger children. There’s not a lot
that interests junior high (students)."
However, Dhanjal laughed and added, "But I wouldn’t even
entertain her at home. She’s in a hard age group to satisfy." Both
Dhanjals later went to the L.A. Times Book Fair and spent more time
there than at the Lil’ Sibling events.
Lil’ Siblings Weekend was a success in that it introduced dorm
life to many younger children, according to Cheryl Sims, assistant
director of program services. Planning for the event began this
year in January, although, Sims sighed, "it seems like
forever."
All the student governments of each dorm participated in
coordinating events. The Scavenger Hunt was largely the
responsibility of the Reiber Hall Residence Association.
"It’s a fun event," Sims said of Lil’ Siblings Weekend.
"Residents enjoy it, staff enjoys it, the children enjoy it, and it
brings a little touch of home to the dorms. And it’s one way for us
to remember how fun it can be to be little kids; one way for us to
see joy in their lives."
MARY CIECEK
Amy Yang and 5-year-old brother Kevin hope their raffle ticket
wins.