Author Archives: Menaka Fernando

A conversation with a young soldier bound for Iraq in May has changed Pastor Federiqkoe DiBritto’s life. The soldier came to DiBritto, who currently works for the David Geffen School of Medicine, and expressed his fears of the sacrifices he would have to make after his deployment. They talked and prayed together, DiBritto says. Before […]

Former Marine Kevin Gonzalez never had to formally defend the military on campus until a couple of days before the election, when he did it without a second thought. Gonzalez, a second-year undeclared student, was offended when a posting on the MyUCLA forums accused soldiers of loving war. “I freaking replied to that and said, […]

By Menaka Fernando BRUIN SENIOR STAFF mfernando@media.ucla.edu With 11 states voting to ban same-sex marriage in Tuesday’s election, conservatives hope once again to push the ban into the U.S. Constitution as gay rights activists mourn the huge setback to the gay community. Two-thirds of the 20 million people who voted on the measure supported the […]

Leaving her alcoholic father behind in Mexico City, Nora and the rest of her family crossed the Mexico/California border illegally one night, about 11 years ago. She was asleep with her 8-year-old sister and 5-year-old brother in the back of a car that was driven over when the hired driver presented the border patrol with […]

During the holy month of Ramadan, a little over a billion Muslims around the world practice their faith by fasting and praying from sunrise to sunset to show their devotion to God. Though the month is exclusive to the Islamic religion, the concepts of self-discipline and purification that Ramadan embraces are integrated within the fabric […]

Correction appended With a potential closure of the Martin Luther King Jr./Drew Medical Center’s trauma facility looming in the near future, surrounding medical centers ““ including those affiliated with UCLA ““ say they would need additional resources to accommodate an influx of trauma patients. Having been plagued for decades with faulty patient care, the King/Drew […]

For many, the poster stand that periodically appears every quarter in front of Ackerman Union provides an opportunity to leaf through hundreds of gigantic artworks with which to decorate dorms and apartments. But, for a group of Hindu students, the stand became an insult to their religion and culture in the last couple days. One […]