School seminars and parental advice were always big on one fact: Don’t get into cars with strangers. Today, it’s just another way to get around. But these services still come with dangers – labor and safety ones. Los Angeles has taken some initial steps to take over-reaching companies to the curb. On Feb. 28, the […]
Author Archives: Pravin Visakan
Course evaluations could be beneficial, UCLA just needs to make them effective
We have all had that class: You walk into lecture, stare through chalk-dust laden air at dimly lit boards full of mathematical jargon and struggle to piece together what was taught to you for the past hour. Sometimes it’s because of the material you’re learning. Other times, it’s because of the person teaching it. Instructors […]
Course readers continue to burden students’ wallets, lines pockets of publishers
Westwood may seem safe on the surface, but, as any student could tell you, it’s an academic wild west. Like a stray bullet in the midst of a bar fight, this student was hit by a painful surprise this quarter: an $80 charge for a course reader. Course readers are paper-bound, custom-printed collections of materials […]
Revamping CCLE’s antiquated discussion forums would help facilitate communication
If you’re a classics major with a thing for good old-fashioned Roman discourse, the forums of UCLA’s Common Collaboration and Learning Environment might seem like a familiar and effective means of communication. Everyone else in the current millennium, however, would likely appreciate an update to our online collaborative tools. CCLE integrates well with students’ classes, […]
UCLA must support students by providing more accessible options for textbooks
There are many things to like about attending a university during the 21st century. Ask someone older, and they may share a horror story or two of lugging textbooks for miles, uphill both ways. But even today, Bruins don’t have an easy time getting ahold of textbooks, with long lines in the Ackerman Student Union […]
Pravin Visakan: Upcoming California governor should address grid integration in climate legislation
In an era where certain federal authorities have been known to dismiss climate change as a Chinese hoax, Californian officials and legislators have made tireless promises to care for and protect the environment. Progress on fixing power generation, however, has been more limited. After all, wind turbines don’t run on hot air. In the state […]
Net neutrality must be maintained to preserve freedom of speech, equality
To the right kind of person, Boelter Hall contains hallowed ground. Wander its many dim corridors, and you’ll eventually come upon a tiny room with green walls and a glass door. Glance at the placard beside it and you’ll read the words: “Birthplace of the Internet.” From sick memes to technological milestones, UCLA has long […]