Travis Fife: UCLA should disclose decision-making process when accepting donations

When it comes to donations accepted by the university, UCLA’s current policy prefers to keep the public in the dark. My last column dealt with the problems associated with a lack of transparency in UCLA’s donation policy. In that column I discussed past examples, such as the Resnicks’ sponsoring of pomegranate research that supports their […]

Travis Fife: UCLA should be more transparent in process for accepting donations

Much of academic research presents itself as a neutral account of the world around us. Recently, however, a controversy in Washington, D.C., has sparked a debate about how money and finances can influence research. In this case, Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren called out economist Robert Litan for what she perceived as a conflict of interest […]

Travis Fife: Campus leaders must encourage student engagement in politics for 2016

In many respects, the 2012 presidential race was settled by voters less than 30 years old. Ohio, Florida, Pennsylvania and Virginia were all swing states and all would have swung the other way if it weren’t for the youth vote. If these states’ electoral votes went to Mitt Romney, he would’ve been president. While UCLA […]

Travis Fife: LA labor unions must stop bargaining minimum wage exemption

In the race to try to help workers, Los Angeles labor unions may have tripped right before the finish line. They successfully campaigned for a $15 per hour minimum wage ordinance. But now, some unions in Los Angeles are pushing for an exemption to the ordinance for employers whose employees engage in collective bargaining to […]

Travis Fife: I Heart UCLA Week falls short in addressing campus climate issues

I love 8-clapping as much as the next person, but school spirit can only get you so far. This week marks the sixth rendition of I Heart UCLA Week put on by the Student Alumni Association, and recognizing the limits of school pride is a lesson SAA can take to heart. The goal of the […]

Travis Fife: UCLA must pressure NCAA to let student-athletes sign endorsement deals

Duke may have hoisted a trophy on Monday night, but the real winner of the 2015 men’s basketball tournament was the NCAA. The championship game between Duke and Wisconsin was the highest rated championship in 22 years, averaging 11.3 million viewers across the broadcast. These ratings capped off a tournament in which advertising revenue totaled […]

Travis Fife: Department of Justice’s Ferguson report reveals racial problems

The most infuriating thing about listening to people talk about the shooting of Michael Brown over the last few months has been the tendency to view the event in a vacuum. There were times where the question of racism was a simple one – were the officer’s actions racially motivated, or was he just doing […]