“What’s your major?” Incoming students, beware. This is one of the most-asked questions of college students, and, for undecided students, the most dread inducing. Each year, many freshman applicants apply as undeclared students to test the waters before declaring a specific major. Corey Hollis, director of academic advising, estimated in 2016, about 1,000 freshmen entered […]
Category Archives: Opinion Columns
Mariah Furtek: UCLA undergrads can benefit from database of service-based positions
Fall quarter is fast approaching, and students will find themselves flooded with back-to-school sale emails from Bed, Bath & Beyond and the familiar sense of dread that they didn’t make the most of their summer breaks. Many students approach summer with high hopes of returning to their hometowns and maintaining the level of community engagement […]
Gael Adrien Mbama: HIV laws must be modernized to prevent further stigmatization
More than 119,589 people diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus live in California. That diagnosis alone has allowed these people to be stigmatized and receive unfair treatment under the law. Under the California Code, Health and Safety section 120291, HIV-positive individuals who knowingly expose their partners to the disease risk up to eight years in […]
Emily Merz: Community leaders should value student interests when planning
UCLA is known for its school spirit and energetic student body. But the vacant storefronts and struggling businesses in Westwood Village say otherwise about the surrounding community. We needn’t look far for the main reason for this. The Westwood Village Specific Plan, designed in 1989 and most recently amended in 2004, defines zoning rules and […]
Jacqueline Alvarez: ASUCLA Bookstore needs improved textbook rental system
The United States textbook industry is worth a whopping $14 billion. And Bruins can count on UCLA’s textbook store to contribute to that amount. On average, UCLA students spend more than $1,000 each school year for textbooks and other course materials. This amount may seem like a drop in the bucket of total student expenses, […]
Erin Nguyen: Researchers should make findings more accessible with social media
Thanks to federal funding, the United States has been a world power in science research since World War II. Unfortunately, quack science is giving research a bad name – people distrust science when conflicting reports emerge such as those stating that everything we eat both cures and causes cancer. Earlier this year, the National Institutes […]
Abhishek Shetty: Mayor should focus on city, not on building national political image
Placing bumper stickers on cars won’t transform you from a relatively unknown mayor to the 2020 New Hampshire Democratic primary winner. That’s a message that needs to be sent to whichever swing state or donor’s house Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is in right now. In August, Garcetti traveled across the country to Manchester, New […]