UCLA needs a few rules to lose by these days

UCLA needs a few rules to lose by these days

Chris Schreiber

Let’s just assume for a minute that this UCLA football team will
lose the remainder of their games (which they won’t) to continue
their current, three-game slide.

Fans bemoaning the record of their team, once a proud 2-0, can
look on the bright side ­ there are a lot of cool things that
can happen when your team ends up on the losing end of the zero-sum
equation.

You see, most people think losing is always a bad thing. I beg
to differ. Losing can be cool ­ if it’s done right. Just
remember, there are some key rules to follow, and be forewarned
­ deviation from these rules will get you labeled things like
"disappointing," and "once filled with potential."

Loser Rule No. 1: establish a "lovable loser" persona. You know,
the guy who tries his hardest but never comes out on top, never
gets the breaks, never gets the girl. But that’s just it. Once that
persona is firmly rooted, the breaks are all yours. Marv
Throneberry, ’65 Mets­ he made a mint doing commercials that
played up his team’s ineptitude.

This is probably the most important rule of them all, which I
suppose is why it’s rule number one. Poor sports, bad losers,
crybabies ­ everybody roots against them. How many people have
wanted to slap that whiny little expression off of Danny Ainge’s
face? So while being hated can be desirable at times, it’s not
recommended in this situation.

Instead, you need to play up how hard you’re trying, and how,
darn it, someday you’ll turn things around. People who ruin your
chances at doing just that are then seen as cold and heartless, the
kind that would kick Benji if they saw a clean shot.

Try to perfect lines like, "Naw, I don’t get down. How can I get
down with fans like this supporting me?" (not recommended for
Philadelphia residents) and "We’ll get ’em next time, I swear
it."

Loser Rule No. 2: Always, always, accept blame for the loss,
even if you throw a perfect pass that bounces off your receiver’s
hand.

Fans like that kind of nobility because they know who was really
at fault. If it really was your fault, find a way to make it sound
okay. "Yeah, I take full responsibility, I blew it. I know, it’s
just been hard to concentrate what with my mother and all, but,
hey, it’s okay…". Tail off and then come back with the
aforementioned phrases.

Which brings us to Loser Rule No. 3: Don’t be ashamed to admit
that you weren’t the best at what you did. At least you were good
at losing. Look at Bob Uecker: career .200 hitter, destined for
Mendoza-line annals. What did he turn it into? Oh, just a
post-baseball career as the butt of everyone’s jokes, for a
premium. Sure, he has to walk around with wet paint on his back,
lose to children at tennis, look like an idiot, but hey — the man
was on the ‘in’ with Lynn Belvedere.

Uecker’s experience is typical of the proud-but-unsuccessful.
Players who wallow in mediocrity, or even at the lower echelon of
success — well, they don’t meet the rich and famous. Anthony
Young, Mr. 0-27 himself? He’s been on Letterman. Curt Schilling?
Conan O’Brien if he’s lucky.

Loser Rule No. 4: Public humiliation can open doors for you.
What’s the name of the guy who recovered a fumble in the Super
Bowl, returned it upfield, started hot-dogging at the five-yard
line, only to have the ball and his glory stripped at the goal
line? Leon Lett.

Now, who’s the Raiders’ gutty, veteran center who’s been a
Pro-Bowler several times in his career? Why, it’s Don Mosebar.

Now which one did you know?

Loser Rule No. 5: Losing streaks can be as fun as winning
streaks. Teams that finish 5-5 are disappointing because they
probably should have won a couple more. But there’s no doubting
that a team which finishes 1-9 probably didn’t even deserve to win
that one game.

One suggestion for the team that finishes 1-9 — try to place
the win at an opportune time. If you win the first game of the
year, it can take some of the thunder out of your losing streak.
Winning the fifth game merely divides your season into two mediocre
four or five-game losing streaks. Those are a dime a dozen.

It’s probably best if the win comes in the last game of the
season, against your vastly-superior cross-town rival, but stuff
like that is generally saved for movies.

What I suggest is to win in the ninth game, putting you on the
newscasts two weeks in a row. When you win, it leads the
highlights. The next week, "you returned to your lovable ways."

Loser Rule No. 6: Sentences that begin, "Former star of …" are
usually sad reminders of days gone by. Sentences that begin,
"Former member of …" means that you probably moved on to better
things.

Loser Rule No. 7: Fans not only root for underdogs, they go to
see them. Fan bases can be established one of two ways. Put
together a highly successful program, win at all costs, root out
the sissy players who are in it for fun and education, and recruit
the high-powered boosters who grease pockets like squeaky
hinges.

The other way is to play up the throwback approach you’ve taken
to the game. "We field players who try," you say. Draw attention to
the players, not the uniforms, the 5-8 speedster ignored by the
"big schools."

Look at Columbia. They lost more college football games over
more seasons than most even thought possible. Who gets featured in
Sports Illustrated? They do. Sure, Miami might get some publicity
too, but they get the lion’s share of the negative kind.

And that’s the key to the whole business of losing. If you do it
right, the possibilities are endless. And who said losers never
win? Probably a winner.

Water polo returns to Palo Alto for rematch

Water polo returns to Palo Alto for rematch

Bruins hope to defeat

Cardinal in wake of

narrow one-point loss

By Esther Hui

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

It seems the UCLA men’s water polo team spends more time in
Northern California than it does in Westwood. The fourth-ranked
Bruins (10-4, 1-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation) are in
Palo Alto today for the second time in a week as they kick off a
three-game roadtrip with a match against No. 1 Stanford.

The rematch between the defending national champion Cardinal and
the young, up-and-coming Bruins is much anticipated by both teams
following Stanford’s 13-12 win last weekend in the Northern
California Tournament.

The game, however, is only UCLA’s first stop, and they will
continue on to play No. 3 California Saturday and No. 5 Pacific
Sunday.

"UCLA always plays well when they come up (to Northern
California)," Stanford head coach Dante Dettamanti said. "I’ve been
coaching here 17 years, and UCLA always plays better here than at
home."

With four Bruin poloists hailing from Palo Alto, UCLA head coach
Guy Baker agrees that the game won’t necessarily give a home team
advantage to the Cardinal.

"Stanford is our home away from home," Baker said. "We have a
lot of players from Palo Alto. But it’s going to take a tremendous
effort (to win). It won’t be an easy game."

Although this will be the fifth meeting of the year between the
two teams, the Bruins have been unable to beat the Cardinal since
October of 1991.

The most recent face-off was the closest, as Stanford slipped
past UCLA by one point. The Cardinal went on to win the tournament,
while UCLA finished third.

"(The Bruins) are getting better and better," Dettamanti said.
"Every time we play them the score has gotten closer. You expect
that from a young team because it takes a while to get things
going. I expect a very close game."

For the Cardinal, leading scorer Wolf Wigo will return after
missing the Nor-Cal Tourney, and should provide even more depth for
Stanford this time around.

"Wigo is probably the best player in NCAA," Baker said. "But
we’ve been close (to Stanford) before with him playing."

Another key addition to today’s match will be UCLA sophomore
goalkeeper Matt Swanson. Though Swanson played in the Nor-Cal
Tourney, he was unable to practice consistently until this week
because of a groin injury suffered earlier this season.

In keeping with tradition, the UCLA-Stanford match will be
followed with an alumni fund-raising golf tournament to be held
Friday at the Stanford Golf Course.

Soccer veterans battle to return to the field

Soccer veterans battle to return to the field

Martin and Chaisongkram suffer similar knee injuries, out of
action for 1994-95

By Tim Costner

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

The 1994 spring season began well enough for the UCLA men’s
soccer team.

The Bruins, without the presence of any of the seniors who had
helped lead the team last fall, were coming together quite well as
a team. Newer players were beginning to fill in the gaps and the
team was winning its games. More importantly, everyone was
healthy.

Healthy that is, until the last two weeks of the season turned
ugly.

The misfortunes began in one of the Bruins’ last spring
scrimmages ­ an extremely one-sided thrashing of San Diego
State in Las Vegas.

All was going well for UCLA until sophomore midfielder Phillip
Martin, who was sprinting down the sideline, tried to make a cut
and instead fell to the ground in excruciating pain.

It was his anterior cruciate ligament, and the tear would
sideline him for the 1994 season.

Then, just two weeks later ­ on the very last day of spring
practice ­ the Bruins’ problems got worse.

In an intrasquad scrimmage on the North Soccer Field, junior
forward Eric Chaisongkram dribbled into a one-on-one situation and
had to leap over the charging goalie. When he came down, his knee
twisted, and ­ like Martin’s ­ his ACL gave way.

The coincidence was frightening.

"I actually blew out my ACL while Phil was in surgery,"
Chaisongkram said. "I went in to see him that night limping. It was
pretty crazy."

Crazy and extremely frustrating. Chaisongkram was UCLA’s second
leading scorer as a sophomore last year with six goals and 10
assists. He was a lock to start for the Bruins this season.

Martin had begun to prove himself last year with strong, second
half showings. He had played in 18 games, started five, and
provided the depth that any good team needs to be successful.

"It’s been hard watching the games and wanting to help out,"
Martin admitted. "It’s a helpless feeling and it’s disappointing
because I had basically just gotten my foot in the door as far as
starting’s concerned. I was playing a new position and wanted to
show the coaches I could play it well. But things happen all the
time. I still have a positive outlook."

Surprisingly, Chaisongkram and Martin ­ who have both
already used their redshirt season prior to this season ­ are
just the third and fourth Bruin soccer players who have torn an ACL
in the 14 years that head coach Sigi Schmid has been at UCLA.

"We’ve had very few ACL injuries," Schmid said. "We had one in
1980 with Charles Fisher and we had one in 1984 when Mike Etchell
did his ACL at the start of the season. Both of these players came
back 100 percent."

And since today’s athlete can return from an ACL injury in eight
or nine months, Schmid expects Chaisongkram and Martin to be at
full strength for next season.

"By the time next fall rolls around they will have been 14
months out of surgery," Schmid said. "Our expectation is that
during the spring season they will begin to possibly play and at
least train with us."

But returning to full strength after an ACL injury requires much
more than just regaining strength and returning to practice,
according to Schmid.

"There are three levels of recovery," Schmid said. "One is the
physical level, the second is their touch and the fine-tuning of
what they need to do on the field. The third area is the most
difficult ­ it’s basically the psychological area. When are
they going to feel comfortable making cuts?"

But talk of recovery ­ though highly likely ­ is still
somewhat premature. Chaisongkram and Martin are both prepared to
wait until their knees are at full strength before they try to
resume with the team’s regular routine.

"Sig told me to work hard and try to come back this season, even
if it’s only for 10 minutes," Chaisongkram said. "But I also don’t
want come back unless I’m at 100 percent. This is the type of
situation that I don’t want to have happen again."

Martin feels the same way.

"I’d rather be safe than sorry," he said. "We’re going to work
hard to try to get back as soon as possible. I’ve adopted a
wait-and-see attitude as far as this is concerned."

And so far, the recovery has gone well. Chaisongkram started
running two weeks ago, and Martin feels that he’s at about 60 or 70
percent recovery.

"We’re both strong," Chaisongkram said. "We’ve been working out
every day and doing as much as possible. We also been working with
the ball every day. As far as the question of when we’re going to
be back and if we’re going to be as good ­ only time will
tell. Until then I’ll have to bite my tongue, and show what I can
do when I am ready."

UCLA, public schools will refund mandatory fees

UCLA, public schools will refund mandatory fees

Bruins objecting to certain funding can be reimbursed

By Gil Hopenstand

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Students who object to certain uses of their mandatory student
government fees can now get their money back ­ an average of
about 20 cents.

Student government officials are now completing the process for
students to request refunds on parts or all of their mandatory
quarterly fees. Refunds will range from two cents to $5. UCLA and
other California public schools will return money in accordance
with the February, 1993 state supreme court ruling of Smith v. UC
Regents. The case began when four students objected to certain uses
of mandatory fees by student groups on campus. Now student groups
must refrain from religious, ideological or political lobbying or
else provide reimbursements for students who pose reasonable
objections.

Groups will be affected less at UCLA than groups at other
universities because university money has not funded political,
ideological or religious groups for about 20 years, said Jerry
Mann, student government accounting manager.

Even with this policy, UCLA students may still question certain
groups’ actions as ideological in nature. It is easier for UCLA to
refund money than debate the issue in court, Mann said.

The refund process begins with students filing a form detailing
what student group actions they object to and the reason behind the
objection. Beginning Oct. 17, complaint forms will be available
from many student government offices. Students may challenge the
use of fees for Spring 1994 quarter, or any time in the past four
years.

UCLA student government officials will review the requests and
forward the money in question to a student’s Bruin Gold card within
ten days. An elaborate appeal process has been established to
challenge a refund rejection.

Refunds will be based on what part of a group’s funds came from
mandatory fees, as opposed to outside sources such as fund-raising.
Quarterly refunds vary depending on the specific group
protested.

No one is sure how many students will request reimbursement
because of the few cents that will actually be returned.

"I guess if I really object to something I will ask for my money
back. Otherwise I won’t really fight for a few cents," said Amy
Malone, second-year English student.

Other students agreed that the hassle of appealing outweighs the
reward.

"I guess it’s good that you can get your money back, but I won’t
challenge them for such a small amount," said Mike Chan, third-year
history student.

Mann said the refund process was made as simple as possible,
stressing that moneys will not come from the challenged groups’
budgets, but rather from the general accounts of student
governments.

"Government should shoulder the burden of refunds," he said.
"This way, refunds can’t be used as a political tool to harm a
particular group’s budget."

Every undergraduate pays their student government $18 quarterly,
which provides the council’s $1.2 million annual budget. From that
amount, the student council has only set aside $500 as anticipated
refunds, less than half a percent of that sum.

Refunding the money will not make that big of a dent in the
government’s budget, said York Chang, the group’s external vice
president.

"The refund mechanism doesn’t really affect USAC but it allows
students to express their views on programming on this campus. What
hurts us as students in general is that the decision that prompted
the mechanism infringes on students’ rights to free speech and
representation on real issues," he said.

Graduates pay $5.50 per quarter in mandatory fees, giving their
officers an annual budget of $155,000. From that, only $200 has set
aside to refund students.

Israeli foreign minister visits UCLA

Israeli foreign minister visits UCLA

Shimon Peres to speak about Middle East, receive medal

By Gil Hopenstand

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Marking an important stop during his 12-day tour of the United
States, Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres will address an
estimated crowd of over 1,000 UCLA administrators, faculty, guests
and students today.

As Israel’s current foreign minister and former prime minister,
Peres played a major role in establishing non-aggressive ties with
the nation’s Arab neighbors. His visit will focus on the present
political situation in the Middle East and the potential for new
American economic ventures there.

Israeli consulate officials said the U.S. trip is also an
opportunity for Peres to meet with his supporters, including
entertainers, politicians and the public in general.

At the event Peres also will be presented the UCLA Medal, the
university’s highest honor. Past recipients of the prominent award
include current Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Polish
President Vaclav Havel and, most recently, President Bill
Clinton.

Peres’ other Southland stops include the opening of the Israeli
Film Festival, a local Jewish synagogue and a visit with former
President Ronald Reagan.

During his stay in Washington, Peres met with Clinton and
Jordanian officials to finalize peace treaty issues. He also
established low-level diplomatic ties with Morocco and Tunisia,
consulate officials said.

During his more than 30-year tenure as a member of the Israeli
Parliament, Peres held several key positions dealing with the
nation’s defense and security. He has authored several books on
political affairs and the Middle East.

The lecture will begin at 3:30 p.m. in the Ackerman Grand
Ballroom, but attendees are advised to arrive by 2:30 p.m. UCLA
political science Professor Dick Rosecrance will moderate the
question and answer period after the speech.

Free tickets have been available at the Central Ticket Office
since Oct. 3.

Converted sorority houses accomodate dorm overflow

Converted sorority houses accomodate dorm overflow

Older students revel in feeling of community

By Allison Lefkowitz

Daily Bruin Staff

Four large homes on Hilgard Avenue that once housed sororities
are now being used by the university and the Office of Residential
Life to accommodate transfer students who initially signed up to
live in the university’s residence halls.

The Office of Residential Life was forced to search for housing
alternatives when the university accepted more than 700 additional
first-year students than in previous years.

Adding to the overflow was a 15 to 20 percent increase in
students who wanted to return to the residence halls, said Ron
Butler, resident director of Hershey Hall and the Hilgard
Houses.

The houses were chosen because of their proximity to campus and
their good condition, Butler said. The university’s leases on the
houses range from two to five years, so all four will be a part of
on-campus housing for at lease one more year.

Representatives from the Office of Residential Life said they
chose to put junior and senior students in the houses because they
would have more in common with many of the graduate students living
at Hershey Hall, also on Hilgard Avenue.

Anywhere from 36 to 45 students live in each house, three of
which are coed. Residents said they are generally happy with the
situation and how it has worked out.

Many residents and community assistants ­ the houses’
equivalent to a resident assistant ­ said they like the fact
that everyone is older.

"I was a resident assistant in Sunset last year and I wanted to
work in an older environment," said Janine Bradford, the community
assistant in the all-women’s house. "It is great because all of the
students are transfers and are in the same boat. The feeling of
community has been really good."

Corey Weinberg, a third-year psychology and transfer student,
said she likes the house environment better than the dorms.

"It’s big enough to meet people, but small enough that we can
all be friends and it’s not too wild and crazy," she said.

Students living in the Hilgard Houses have access to meals at
any residence hall, though most said they go to Hershey Hall
because of convenience.

Residents said their only complaints are that they are on the
opposite side of campus from most of the other living areas and
have security concerns .

Terry Liu, a community assistant in one of the houses, said each
house will meet to determine how they want to handle security and
said there are an increased number of campus security officers on
duty every night on Hilgard.

Each house has its own student government and a council of the
house presidents will be part of the On Campus Housing Council,
Butler said. The houses will have events together and also
participate in activities with Hershey Hall and the other residence
halls.

Liu said his residents, who range in age from 18 to 35, seem to
see it as a positive experience.

"At first, some of them expected the dorms and I think were
disappointed with having rooms with more people," he said. "But I
think they have begun to see the value of the extra space like the
downstairs living room and library areas."

April Johnson, a third-year English student and one of Liu’s
residents, said she was initially skeptical because she did not
know exactly what the living arrangements would be.

"But I think it has worked out very well," Johnson said. "I
suggest that the university do it again in the future."

Students lambaste idea of new campus

Students lambaste idea of new campus

Plans for 10th campus garner little approval from Bruins

By Alisa Ulferts

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Money allotted for a 10th University of California campus would
be better spent improving and expanding the already existing nine
campuses, said cash-strapped students on their lunch breaks
Wednesday.

Scrounging in his pockets for lunch money, second-year
psycho-biology student Dimitriy Tsyrlin offered his view of the
plan to add a 10th campus, despite shrinking departments and
restructuring at UCLA and other UC campuses.

"Forget it," he said.

Plans for a San Joaquin Valley campus were abandoned last summer
because of the university’s deepening budget crisis.

Yet the regents of the University of California resurrected the
plans at their meeting last month, claiming the increased number of
eligible students made it necessary to either build a new campus or
change the standards of eligibility.

"Limiting access (to the university) will deter quality,"
student regent Terence Wooten said at the meeting. Some regents
have said cutting back on enrollment would affect mostly
lower-income students.

First-year biology student Young Bae disagreed. "Higher academic
standards will not affect lower-income students who really want to
succeed." Bae said the money planned for the construction of the
tenth campus would be better invested on the nine existing campuses
­ even if that means limiting enrollment.

"I think they should raise the level of eligibility. So many
people from my school were accepted and I question some of those
acceptances," Bae added.

Ann Park, a first-year undeclared student, said that a tenth
campus was unnecessary as well. "Only UCLA and Irvine are really
crowded . The university should encourage people to go to other
campuses like Davis, Riverside and Santa Cruz," she said.

Many students said they are unsympathetic towards those who
would be affected by limited enrollment because they see their reg
fees going up along with the new construction.

"(The university) should put the money into lowering the reg
fees," said Mike Lamb, a first-year communications student.

Vincent Shih, a second-year electrical engineering student,
argued that the rising costs of education, which could be
alleviated by the money planned for the tenth campus, also affect
students’ ability to attend college.

"If fees are raised, it would keep students out anyway, " Shih
said.