Good policy is specific and direct, leaving no room for misunderstanding. By that standard, the revised University of California sexual harassment and sexual violence policy is a mixed bag. On one hand, it provides a comprehensive, specific definition of consent. But the updated policy fails to revise some major shortcomings in existing UC statutes. The […]
Category Archives: Opinion Columns
Aram Ghoogasian: USAC’s delayed budget report reveals bigger problems
Accountability is a nice thing to ride into office on, but when faced with the realities of governance, it’s a difficult platform to follow through with. The Undergraduate Students Association Council owes its student constituents a fall quarterly budget report – a document that is now almost two months overdue. Major financial controversies this year […]
Natalie Delgadillo: Faculty must note campus climate
It’s hard to argue that campus climate is not a problem at UCLA. A growing list of incidents on campus this year proves that point: student protests denouncing Proposition 209, which bans affirmative action in the state of California; a student video criticizing the university’s lack of black students; racist and sexist fliers directed at […]
Maia Ferdman: Criticism of Israel shouldn’t distract from rights violations
Visiting Israel has always felt like coming home. As a Jew, walking through the cobblestone streets in the Old City of Jerusalem brings forth a sense of enchantment. In Israel, I am not part of a minority, but rather surrounded by Jewish culture, familiar and safe. For a long time, my starry-eyed view of Israel […]
Samah Pirzada: Science classes’ peer review system is counterproductive
The acronym CPR usuallybrings to mental images of heroic lifesaving, but for many sciencestudents at UCLA, it results in stressed evenings hunched in front of a laptop. Calibrated Peer Review is an online program designed to develop critical thinking skills by giving students the opportunity to evaluate their peers’ work. CPR introduces students to academic […]
Julia McCarthy: Royce Hall venue for Clinton speech is mistake
The term “the one percent” is taking on a new meaning at UCLA. After hours of waiting in line, a stampede and a ticket lottery, only a limited number of students – or about one percent of the student body – will have the chance to hear Hillary Clinton speak in Royce Hall. UCLA will […]
Aram Ghoogasian: Increased input by academics needed on divisive issues
Education and politics often mix with divisive results. The University of California Board of Regents’ controversial decision to hire the former U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security as its new University of California president illustrates the clear connection between our academic institutions and the world of politics. When major decisions are made by academic institutions, politics […]