Mariah Furtek: BPool would be safe alternative to ride sharing

You’ve just packed an overnight bag and you’re standing in your dorm at 9:30 p.m. on a Friday night, about to walk to Westwood and get into a stranger’s car. Your phone buzzes ominously, a text from an unknown number jolting you out of a daydream. … “Let’s meet behind the Chevron, I’ll be in […]

Mariah Furtek: Students would benefit from course on workplace sexual harassment

When people talk about preparing for a career, they mention resumes, LinkedIn profiles and interview techniques. What they don’t talk about, though, is how to navigate the culture of sexual harassment and assault one might come across upon entering the workforce. After the recent #MeToo campaign drew attention to pervasive issues of sexual harassment and […]

Mariah Furtek: UCLA needs to consider programs to help food-insecure students

While some Bruins will spend the weeks after the holidays doing extra sets of crunches in the hopes of getting their jeans to fit again after some scrumptious, festive food, other students will spend their time crunching numbers to see how they’ll afford their next meal. This lack of guaranteed access to sufficient nutritious food, […]

Mariah Furtek: CCLE course webpages should include forum for creating study groups

The sky outside your dorm window darkens and the words on the textbook page begin to swim together. It’s midterm season, but you can feel comprehension slipping away – you need a study buddy even more than your next dose of caffeine. Studying in groups inspires active engagement with course material, promoting a deeper understanding […]

Mariah Furtek: UC-Zipcar partnership should allow one-way travel between campuses

The whistle of a train pierces the quiet afternoon as the carriage rocks from side to side, grimy windows framing a slow-moving California coastline. This may sound like a scene from a docudrama about the California Gold Rush or westward expansion, but it’s actually a description of the antiquated and inconvenient commute many students make […]

Mariah Furtek: Quarterly course reviews should be made public to improve forum

Think of Bruinwalk.com, UCLA students’ preferred platform for reviewing classes and instructors, like Yelp, and the class you’re thinking of taking as an overpriced California burrito. When enrollment passes arrive and you’re getting hungry, you need to find a restaurant. The places with rave reviews have inconvenient, long waits to get a table, but you […]

Mariah Furtek: UCLA undergrads can benefit from database of service-based positions

Fall quarter is fast approaching, and students will find themselves flooded with back-to-school sale emails from Bed, Bath & Beyond and the familiar sense of dread that they didn’t make the most of their summer breaks. Many students approach summer with high hopes of returning to their hometowns and maintaining the level of community engagement […]