Linking college ratings to federal funding is a good idea in theory, but it’s a bit more complicated in practice. Recently the U.S. Department of Education released a framework for a college ratings system that would score colleges and distribute funding based on those ratings. It says it has chosen to create broad ratings that […]
Category Archives: Opinion Columns
Ara Shirinian: Transfer events should be student-run, creating sense of community
In the opening presentation at my transfer orientation session, there was an emphasis on the fact that at UCLA, you are not just a number. It’s unfortunate then that I spent the rest of the excruciatingly long day feeling like the opposite was true; throughout the day, I came up with more questions than answers […]
Kunal Patel: Master Plan must account for higher resident demand
Once upon a time, California’s public higher education system was the golden crown of all the services that the state provided. But without proper maintenance, public higher education today vaguely resembles the ideals that were envisioned by the 1960 Master Plan for Higher Education in California. The Master Plan unified California Community Colleges, the California […]
Zoey Freedman: UCLA should raise awareness of STIs, sexual health
Graduating from college typically means walking away with a degree and a diploma, but at this point it could mean walking away with a sexually transmitted infection as well. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people between the ages of 15 and 24 years old account for half of the almost 20 […]
Arthur Wang: ‘The Interview’ showing misses discussion on race, gender
The saga surrounding the now-controversial film “The Interview,” a comedy that depicts the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, transformed an otherwise mediocre film into an unlikely cultural touchstone of 2014. I was one of roughly 278 UCLA students who watched the Campus Events Commission-sponsored prescreening of the film on Dec. 8. Not knowing […]
USAC must change election code to protect democracy
Student elections are often won by the most visible candidates. The hefty financial backing necessary to create this visibility in turn creates a bottleneck effect that shrinks the pool of potential student leaders to those who are well-connected enough to run. Last month, The Bruin published an article revealing just how important donors have been […]
Kunal Patel: Students should explore options before pursuing medical career
We all attend college for different reasons, but an underlying goal for me was to achieve some form of success. For a while, my definition of success meant a highly prestigious and financially rewarding career as a doctor. But after working at hospitals and interacting with doctors over the last three years, I am convinced […]