My phone screen displayed a call from Damascus, Syria, below a phone number that I recognized as my grandmother’s. I picked up the call and we proceeded to our regular conversational routine that we had practiced since I could speak: exchanging hellos, showering compliments on each other and asking for news.
Author Archives: Jodutt Basrawi
USAC votes to add Social Justice and #UCLAwellness referenda on ballot
Students will be able to vote on two new fee referenda, one supporting outreach and retention programs and another supporting student wellness initiatives, in this spring’s undergraduate student government election. The Undergraduate Students Association Council voted unanimously Tuesday night to add two referenda, the Social Justice Referendum of 2016 and the #UCLAwellness Referendum, to the […]
Submission: Arab-American Bruins must defeat apathy, advocate at national level
One of the most disappointing moments for Arab-Americans at UCLA occurred when I asked a room of 15 UCLA Arab and Arab-interest students about going to Harvard Arab Weekend, or HAW – the largest pan-Arab conference in the Western Hemisphere, as a UCLA delegation (with airfare and other fees almost fully covered). I received four […]