There have been many times throughout the last two years when I’ve questioned why I’m in a fraternity. It’s not that I’ve gotten tired of it, but rather, it seems every week there’s a news story that makes me question the purpose of fraternity life. Recently, following multiple instances of fraternity-related sexual violence, Wesleyan University […]
Author Archives: Travis Fife
Travis Fife: Students should be able to define own college experience
There are times I think people over 40 miss college more than I enjoy being in it. Almost every conversation I’ve had with a family member about school goes like this: They get really excited that I’m at UCLA, tell me an anecdote about their undergraduate experience and then give me some general piece of […]
Travis Fife: Minerva Project reinvents classroom model, universities should take note
What’s really shocking about universities isn’t how much they’ve changed. It’s how much they’ve stayed the same. Think about the typical classroom: There’s a professor lecturing, a group of students taking notes and maybe a graduate student or two there helping the professor. Thomas Aquinas used this model in 13th century Paris, and every teacher […]
Travis Fife: Family history helps us appreciate present experiences
A deaf and drunken priest who couldn’t speak English and was a little too handsy with my mom and aunt wasn’t the preferred tour guide when trying to understand the history of a 13th century church. But in a town with a population of somewhere between that of your average Starbucks and a public school […]
Travis Fife: Choosing college major is a personal process
I once waited on a total stranger in a restaurant who insisted that the only thing I could do with a degree in philosophy was become a priest. Even after I explained to him that there is more than one type of philosophy, he still tried to convince me that my only hope of making […]
Travis Fife: UC fossil fuel divestment is step toward leading change
As the Centennial Campaign video presentation came to an end a few weeks ago in Royce Quad, the message was clear: UCLA is not just a university, it is a beacon other institutions can look to as a guiding light. The university projected a similar message in November 2013, when it announced the first project […]
Travis Fife: UCLA must be consistent in applying principles to donors
There was at least one face missing in the crowd as the Los Angeles Clippers blew out the second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. That face was Clippers owner Donald Sterling. Sterling missed the game because last week, the NBA joined a host of organizations cutting ties with Sterling by banning him for life from […]