Aram Ghoogasian: UC cannot continue to prioritize revenue over residents

The “California” in “University of California” is seemingly becoming less of a priority for university administrators. After the recent hike in nonresident tuition, the University saw a hike in nonresident admissions by nearly 3,500 for the 2015-2016 academic year. The UC has set an unsettling precedent. When it raised nonresident tuition and subsequently favored out-of-state […]

Aram Ghoogasian: Students must put pressure on UC Regents to have voices heard

The University of California Regents aren’t our friends. Trying to achieve goals such as keeping tuition rates stable, ensuring accessibility to higher education and proper representation rarely comes easy when students are faced with the votes of 25 individuals against their single, relatively inconsequential vote. In an attempt to increase student representation, Avi Oved, UC […]

Aram Ghoogasian: Finding strength in differences to create a true Bruin identity

When we first step onto this campus, we come not only with suitcases and bundled nerves, but our identities – where we’ve come from and how we see the world – as well. UCLA, however, sometimes has other ideas. This institution tries to mediate the way we express our identities and tries to homogenize us […]

Aram Ghoogasian: Nakba should be acknowledged while discussing Israel

For many Palestinians, today doesn’t mark 67 years since the Nakba, but rather 67 years of the Nakba. In 1948, an estimated 700,000 Palestinians were expelled from their homeland in what Palestinians call the Nakba, or “catastrophe,” that gave birth to the State of Israel. This tragedy has been compounded by the fact that, despite […]

Aram Ghoogasian: USAC must close loopholes allowing illegal campaign fundraising

After a week of consistently being the top story, LET’S ACT! went out with a fizzle. Of the nine contested positions, it managed to win only two. The results are indicative of students’ attitude toward the Undergraduate Students Association Council and their angry reaction to LET’S ACT!’s alleged Machiavellian campaign tactics. The scandal that broke […]

Aram Ghoogasian: Students should not allow USAC slate politics to influence vote

The two largest slates in the undergraduate student government elections seem to live in glass houses. Yet again, a scandal has hit the Undergraduate Students Association Council. This time, LET’S ACT! is in the hot seat. A series of documents was leaked on Facebook Monday alleging that members of the slate illegally spent student fees […]

Aram Ghoogasian: Still no restitution 100 years after Armenian Genocide

If you sift through the sands of the Syrian desert today, you can still find 100-year-old bones. The Armenian Genocide began 100 years ago today. Roughly 1.5 million Armenians were sent to their graves over the course of the following eight years, creating a trauma that transcends generations. Perhaps what is most painful for people […]