This winter, prospective college students will spend their hard-earned break agonizing over the Common Application, digesting turkey while continuously modifying essays and questioning every step of the process that will determine their admissions future. The college admissions process just isn’t what it used to be. Colleges are growing more selective every year, and the test […]
Category Archives: Opinion Columns
Ashe Center’s sudden policy changes blindside students, breaches coverage
Getting a rug pulled from under you is pretty dangerous. It makes one wonder, though, why UCLA’s Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center, which oversees and provides medical care to UCLA’s students, continues to pull the rug from underneath its students. The Ashe Center has a bad habit of implementing rapid, unannounced policy changes […]
Class-based affirmative action would better address inequity in UC system
History is replete with accounts of ambitious political initiatives that have promised to address all manner of injustices, only to devolve into a “tragedy of good intentions.” Race-based affirmative action seems to be no exception to this historical trend. The University of California has a long history of supporting race-based affirmative action programs, which are […]
UCLA’s failure to rise to the occasion leaves elevators liable to be dangerous
UCLA’s elevators are notorious for being unreliable. Even more unreliable, though, is the university’s elevator permit process. Roughly 61 percent of the 531 elevators on campus, including those in Rieber Hall, Sproul Landing and Ackerman Union, currently have expired permits. Some permits on campus expired as far back as 2013. Outdated permits and malfunctioning elevators […]
Media literacy GE classes necessary to help students navigate modern platforms
What do you get when CNN’s Jim Acosta, President Donald Trump’s administration and a doctored video enter the national news media? A new low in our post-truth reality. Gone are the days when the national media landscape was dominated by clear ideological narratives driven by an elite class of political, economic and media figures. A […]
You See LA Abroad: Study abroad stress could be mitigated by advice from returning students
Mariah Furtek is a staff columnist studying abroad in London until winter quarter. In this column series, she analyzes UCLA’s study abroad program and examines from afar how Bruins live in their beloved Los Angeles. Imagine it’s “Freaky Friday” and you’ve just been told you’re swapping places with a student at a school you’ve never […]
Women in politics face constant sexist attacks, proving progress is only partial
The 2018 midterm elections made significant strides for the Democratic Party. But the same can’t be said for women in politics. A record number of women ran this year and won seats in Congress. A total of 256 women ran for office and at least 123 of them have won or are expected to win. […]