True to their title, academic advisers have the main responsibility of helping students navigate the daunting maze of graduation requirements, unit caps, enrollment times and application deadlines. So student experience is central to the job of an academic adviser. Student feedback, whether positive or negative, would therefore be the most accurate way to measure a […]
Author Archives: Maia Ferdman
Maia Ferdman: Criticism of Israel shouldn’t distract from rights violations
Visiting Israel has always felt like coming home. As a Jew, walking through the cobblestone streets in the Old City of Jerusalem brings forth a sense of enchantment. In Israel, I am not part of a minority, but rather surrounded by Jewish culture, familiar and safe. For a long time, my starry-eyed view of Israel […]
Maia Ferdman: USAC vote on resolution would be counterproductive
The Undergraduate Students Association Council this week chose to move its meeting to Ackerman Grand Ballroom, foreshadowing the robust response it expects to one particular agenda item – a resolution to divest from companies that profit off the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories. On the one hand, the resolution’s moral basis – that UCLA […]
Maia Ferdman: UC should include graduate student union in class-size talks
The original version of this article contained an error and has been changed. See the bottom of the article for additional information. The conversation about growing class sizes at the University of California has become so persistent that it runs the risk of becoming a cliche. Last month the UC Student-Workers Union, UAW Local 2865, […]
Maia Ferdman: Waxman’s successor should focus on education, cooperation
Henry Waxman, a longtime fixture in the House of Representatives and UCLA’s congressional representative, plans to retire this year, leaving a difficult legacy to follow. In his 40 years as a representative, Waxman, a UCLA alumnus, has championed a wide range of progressive causes. His seniority has given him a prominent position in Congress, while […]
Maia Ferdman: Students should actively seek to improve Westwood-UCLA relationship
Though UCLA students call Westwood their home, they might not know about, much less participate in, the multiple organizations working to improve the Westwood community. Whether students know it or not, Westwood is home to a number of entities whose sole purpose is to improve the safety, attractiveness and business of our neighborhood. The Westwood […]
Maia Ferdman: Boycott discounts progressivism of Israeli academia
In an act of political solidarity, the American Studies Association resolved last month to boycott Israeli academia. But instead of effectively protesting the Israeli government’s oppression of the Palestinian people, the boycott has provoked a sweeping debate that ultimately distracts from the Palestinian cause. Rather than promote exclusion of Israeli universities, supporters of Palestinian academic rights […]