A country over 7,500 miles away is once again making waves at the University of California. Even after a resolution calling on the UC to divest from companies doing business in occupied Palestine has come and gone, Israel has managed to remain at the center of campus discourse. Some of the UC Regents graced our […]
Author Archives: Aram Ghoogasian
Aram Ghoogasian: UC shouldn’t sacrifice educational quality for administration quantity
The logic of free-market economics has become so pervasive in the last few decades that not even public education can escape it. As much as we decry the state of the modern university, the neoliberal model isn’t going anywhere for the time being. It’s despicable, but understandable, that major colleges, even public institutions, must compete […]
Aram Ghoogasian: Utley slide should be valid because of postseason dynamic
Mets players and fans can keep their baseball ethics; the Dodgers will take the win. In the bottom of the seventh inning of Game 2 of the National League Division Series, the Dodgers found themselves in a 2-1 hole against New York’s second-most-famous baseball club with runners on the corners and one out. Dodgers second […]
Aram Ghoogasian: Social history education, textbook reform need to start before college
There is perhaps no greater buzzword on college campuses than “diversity.” At UCLA, students often talk about the importance of a diversified curriculum, especially in the social sciences, and the impact it could have on the student population. The push to pass the diversity requirement tells us as much. The diversity requirement was a victory […]
Aram Ghoogasian: Cuts to administrative bloat can ensure fair pay for contract workers
When it raised its minimum wage to $15, the University of California signaled that it valued its workers. Senate Bill 376, however, is testing just how dedicated the University really is. The bill proposes that contracted workers at the UC earn the same wages and benefits as University workers who do similar work. Some student […]
Aram Ghoogasian: Gender divisions in Greek life promote sexism, should be banned
The state of fraternity houses reflects the condition of fraternity culture: virulent and reeking of vomit. A fraternity at Old Dominion University became the latest in a long line of such organizations to garner national attention for a reprehensible act. Fortunately, sexual assault was not involved in this case, but female students and their mothers […]
Aram Ghoogasian: Protesters must review past US actions before labeling Iran as evil
Protests against the actions of the United States government aren’t uncommon in times of war. But last week, diplomacy was the source of outrage. A crowd of hundreds of people assembled outside the federal building in Westwood to protest the nuclear deal recently signed between Iran, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, the United States, […]