Student overcomes dark past, on track to successful graduation

Jackie Iovino had no family support, no money and battled heroin addiction for several years, not long ago. Her battle came to an end in 2014 when she became an anthropology student at UCLA. The roots of Iovino’s story, however, begin before she was homeless. “I’d gone to school in my late 20s (and) I […]

Anastasia Lukianchikov: UC is trading quality education for financial security

In the administrative struggle for academic efficiency, students have long been left with competing values: the search for personal growth and the promise of monetary returns. The change in the perception of higher education didn’t happen overnight: State funding, across the country, took a dive in 2008, and many states struggled to bounce back in […]

Anya Lukianchikov: Academic diversity requires centralized opportunities for students

Diversity without interaction is like a language course without immersion. The learning can only go so far. In a previous column I discussed the academic values of diversity and how the benefits of diversity and its effects on learning, teamwork and communication are well-grounded and widespread. But intergroup dialogue is equally important for this learning […]

Anastasia Lukianchikov: Implicit bias training necessary to support diversity requirement

This column is the second in a series on the diversity requirement at UCLA. This week, columnist Anastasia Lukianchikov argues that implicit bias training for faculty members can further support the goals of the diversity requirement. The first part can be read here. We are all racist. And sexist. And ableist. And elitist. Every person […]

Anastasia Lukianchikov: Diversity requirement is a small step in the right direction

This column represents the first in a series on the diversity requirement at UCLA. This week, columnist Anastasia Lukianchikov explores both the good and bad of the requirement, and argues that with some enhancements, it can be a powerful force for good on the campus. I had never realized that I was white before I […]

Throwback Thursday, Week 4: The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games are as much a competition between nation-states as national athletes. This was very much true in 1984, when the Games were last hosted in Los Angeles. As the city, and the UCLA campus, vie to host an Olympic games for the third time, international politics may again become relevant. Of course, 1984 […]

The psychology of consumer ethics, explained

Every product has a narrative. Someone harvested its fibers or manufactured it in a factory. Someone created the design. Someone calculated its value, demand and supply. Someone carried it. Someone distributed it. Someday it may be used by someone else. Someday it could be fated for a landfill. A world in a product. So much […]