USAC recap – April 2

The Undergraduate Students Association Council is the official student government representing the undergraduate student body at UCLA. Council meetings take place every Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the Bruin Viewpoint Room and are open to all students. Watch a livestream of the meetings on the USAC Live! channel on YouTube.

Public Comment:

  • A California Public Interest Research Group representative said CALPIRG held a canvassing event to promote banning polystyrene and single-use plastics.

Special Presentations:

  • UCPD Lt. Kevin Kilgore asked students not to take part in an impromptu block party on Roebling Avenue on April 3.

  • Sunney Poyner, a law student, said UCLA should participate in the Association of American Universities’ Climate Survey on Sexual Assault and Sexual Misconduct and urged the UCLA administration to support research into sexual violence on campus. Poyner added this research will inform policy decisions regarding resources for survivors of sexual violence.

  • Atreyi Mitra, a second-year human biology and society student, and Jasmine Hanna, a third-year sociology student, said increased funding for Campus Assault Resources and Education would allow for expansion of survivor support programs and sexual violence prevention workshops. They added CARE is understaffed, with only two certified sexual violence counselors (CARE advocates) for roughly 900 clients.

Agenda:

  • The council allocated a total of $34,507 from the contingency programming fund to USAC and non-USAC groups.

  • The council approved a resolution urging the UCLA administration to provide resources, funding and support to the black community on campus, including the establishment of a black resource center and relocation of the Afrikan Diaspora Living Learning Community in Rieber Hall.

  • The council approved a resolution urging UCLA to include the price of textbooks, access codes and lab materials in course descriptions.

  • The council approved a resolution urging administrators to increase funding for CARE, which provides support and confidential care for survivors of sexual violence and harassment.

Reports:

  • Internal Vice President Robert Blake Watson said his office will hold the Enormous Activities Fair on Tuesday at 11 a.m.. The fair is expected to include 300 campus organizations, Watson said. He added his office has launched the Reachableness, which connects student organizations to funding resources.

  • External Vice President Jamie Kennerk said her office is collaborating with the Queer Alliance to send a letter to Chancellor Gene Block requesting better gender recognition on campus by updating class rosters with students’ preferred pronouns.

  • Academic Affairs Commissioner Nidirah Stephens said her office is holding an African student education conference this weekend. She added her office is sponsoring a UC-wide proposal to decrease the role of the SAT in college admissions, and hopes to garner support from both students and faculty.

  • Campus Events Commissioner Alley Madison said her office will screen the film “Someone Great” on April 18 and host a Q&A session with director Jennifer Kaytin Robinson and producer Jessie Henderson. Madison added her office will screen the film “Freedom Summer” on April 23.

  • Financial Supports Commissioner Jay Manzano said 44 students will receive $250 JCPenney gift cards from his office’s Attire for Hire initiative. Students will also be bussed to JCPenney on April 28, where they will receive additional discounts on professional clothing.

Six candidates running in elections for GSA leadership positions

The Graduate Students Association will hold elections for its leadership roles Wednesday to April 16.

Two of four positions are uncontested. A complete roster of the six candidates is listed below.

Richard Tran, GSA Election Board chair, said he hopes the election will serve as an opportunity for graduate students to come together and get more involved on campus.

He added he is confident the candidates will be able to address the needs of graduate students.

“I am very happy that we have a very diverse group of people running, both people with and without experience who will come together to make great decisions for our program,” Tran said.

Graduate students can vote from April 10 to April 16 on MyUCLA.

GSA president:

Zak Fisher

Ernesto Arciniega (Moving Forward slate)

Vice president of internal affairs:

Paul Nesterenko (Moving Forward slate)

Vice president of external affairs:

Jean Paul (J.P.) Santos

Noreen Ahmed (Moving Forward slate)

Vice president of academic affairs:

Shrinidhi Balasubramanian (Moving Forward slate)

Survey attributes increase in law school applications to recent political climate

More students may be applying to law school in response to recent controversies in national politics, a survey found.

A survey by Kaplan Test Prep in February surveyed law school admissions officers and found political climate was an important factor in the increase in law school applications in the U.S.

Law school applications increased by 8% last year, according to the survey.

According to the survey, 87% of admissions officers said they believed the current political climate played a big part in the increased number of applications.

The survey additionally reported that 45% of pre-law students said the current political climate affected their decision to apply to law school.

Rob Schwartz, the assistant dean of admissions and financial aid at UCLA School of Law, said in an email statement he thinks these results are not surprising. Schwartz said UCLA Law applicants’ admissions essays in the past two years have indicated the political climate as a factor in their desire to attend law school.

Schwartz added the number of applicants to UCLA Law increased by 14% in the 2017-2018 cycle, but the number of applicants remained the same in the 2018-2019 cycle.

Anthony Coloca, Kaplan Test Prep’s director of pre-law programs, said he thinks the link between politics and law makes sense.

“Throughout U.S. history, lawyers have always been an influential force in politics,” Coloca said. “Politics and legal professions have gone hand in hand for centuries, so it makes sense that they would be tied together.”

However, Coloca said he thinks students should be cautious about pursuing law school for political reasons.

“A lot of law school admissions officers are always pointing out that caring about politics alone is generally not a strong enough reason to attend law school because politics is changing so quickly all the time,” Coloca said.

Gary Blasi, a law professor emeritus, said he thinks politics are influencing law school applications because of recent media attention on important public issues.

Blasi added increased interest in law due to politics may be advantageous in the future.

“(Law students) are beginning to realize that the decisions being made now will have a very big effect on them and their future and their children, so I think it’s good that there’s more engagement in the political system – that’s what makes democracy function, after all,” Blasi said.

Laura Gómez, a law professor at UCLA, said she is skeptical that the increase in law school applications can be attributed to politics. Gómez said the recession in 2008 led to a decrease in law school applications and this recent increase may indicate the number of law school applications is normalizing, rather than rising due to the political climate.

Gómez added there has been an increase of students in the Critical Race Studies Program at UCLA Law, a specialization concerned with racial justice in legal practice. Gómez said she believes this increase might be due to controversies in national politics.

Yang Yang, a law student, said he thinks politics does not have a major effect on UCLA law students.

“I don’t think a lot of students choose to be in law school because of politics,” Yang said. “Currently I think most of our classmates are focused on business association and corporation laws, so I think basically most of the students are trying to make big money instead of seeking some position in the political area.”

The Kaplan Test Prep survey also found 46% of pre-law students said it is important for them to attend schools with peers of similar social and political views.

Blasi said he thinks this is unfortunate because more diverse communities with differing views are more conducive to learning.

“Everybody learned more when there was a more diverse set of opinions,” Blasi said. “(Law students) would be better served if they were engaging in conversation with people who don’t agree with them.”

Schwartz said prospective law students inspired by politics should ensure their passion will remain even after the political issues they care about are no longer relevant. He added the relationship between the political climate and law school interest can be advantageous.

“An advantage is that people who feel a passion to make a difference recognize that becoming a lawyer gives you extraordinary tools – not just a professional degree, but a deep understanding of the law and methods for thinking about and approaching complex situations – that will serve you well no matter what you do,” Schwartz said.

UCLA readying to hire TCU’s Jamie Dixon as next men’s basketball coach

The Bruins have found their next leading man.

UCLA men’s basketball is nearing a deal with TCU’s Jamie Dixon to become the program’s next coach, Michael Hanna of Go Joe Bruin reports. The deal is pending the finalization of the buyout of the remainder of Dixon’s contract with the Horned Frogs, which could cost the Bruins upwards of $8 million.

Dixon made the flight from New York to Fort Worth after TCU lost to Texas in the NIT semifinals Tuesday night, according to ESPN.

Dixon went 68-40 in three seasons with TCU after winning the 2017 NIT championship in his first year with the program.

Prior to joining the Horned Frogs, Dixon went 328-123 at Pittsburgh from 2003-2016, making the NCAA tournament 11 times in 13 seasons. He coached the Panthers under former UCLA coach Ben Howland from 1999-2003, with the team going 32-29 over his first two seasons. Howland and Dixon then won back-to-back Big East regular season titles before Howland packed his bags for Westwood in 2003.

Dixon went 31-5 in his first year in charge at Pitt and the Panthers broke 20 wins in all but one of his seasons there. He won four national coach of the year awards from three separate outlets from 2009-2011 and led the school to its first-ever No. 1 ranking in 2009.

In 2016, TCU paid $10 million to buy Dixon out of the final seven years of his contract with Pitt. Dixon played men’s basketball at TCU from 1983-1987, spending his first two years with the team as a reserve. Dixon averaged 11.3 points and 4.8 assists per game as an upperclassman while shooting 45.1% from beyond the arc his senior year.

His first head coaching experience was at New Zealand high school Te Aute College in 1989, but he would return to the U.S. as an assistant later that year. Dixon – who was born and raised in North Hollywood – spent time as an assistant at LA Valley Community College, UC Santa Barbara, Hawai’i and Northern Arizona, where he also coached under Howland.

After winning the NIT in Dixon’s first season, the Horned Frogs lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament the following year. TCU made the NIT Final Four again this season before losing 58-44 to Texas in the semifinals Tuesday.

[RELATED: Fresh Off the Grill: Insights into UCLA Athletics’ search for Alford’s successor]

UCLA reportedly offered Kentucky coach John Calipari a six-year, $48 million contract to leave the Wildcats for the Bruins, but the former national champion instead returned to Lexington on a lifetime deal. The Los Angeles Times also reported that UCLA was interested in Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin, St. Mary’s Randy Bennett, Texas’ Shaka Smart and former Phoenix coach Bruin Earl Watson.

TCU added UCLA assistant coach Duane Broussard to Dixon’s staff Thursday. It is unclear who will take over for the Horned Frogs or who will join Dixon’s staff at UCLA.

Other candidates – from a list that reportedly began at roughly 50 names – were eliminated due to ties to NCAA violations, health concerns or personal issues.

Beach volleyball looks to maintain 21-game undefeated streak in upcoming matches

The Bruins are still undefeated with eight matches left in the regular season.

“To be honest, I think (our chances of going undefeated this season) are good, but it’s not really something we talk about,” said coach Stein Metzger.

No. 1 UCLA beach volleyball (21-0) will host No. 13 Loyola Marymount (17-7) and No. 2 USC (16-3) at Sunset Canyon Recreation Center on Wednesday. The Bruins have defeated each team once already this season, but the Trojans are the only opponent to win on two courts against UCLA.

The Bruins handed the Trojans their first loss of the season Feb. 27. But the 3-2 victory was the closest dual UCLA has competed in this season.

“With USC, no matter who is winning or who has a better record, it’s about whoever shows up that day,” said senior Zana Muno. “I think they’ll play their best match and we’ll play ours.”

Seniors Nicole and Megan McNamara dropped their only match of the year to USC’s Abril Bustamante and Tina Graudina. The court one duo has since posted an 18-1 record, stringing together 15 consecutive straight-set wins.

The Bruins also suffered a loss on court three in the last meeting with the Trojans, when sophomore Mac May and junior Savvy Simo fell 21-15, 19-21, 15-12.

But UCLA’s lineup has changed since that match.

“I didn’t play last time against USC,” Muno said. “Our threes, fours and fives were a different lineup, so I think that we’ll have that consistency going into this match. Also, it’ll be on our own home court which I think will be a huge advantage for us.”

Muno sat out due to illness in the last match against the Trojans, but has played almost every other game on court three with freshman Abby Van Winkle. The pair is the only regular duo that is undefeated this season, running an 19-0 record.

The Bruins have also formed new pairs on courts four and five since the last match with USC. Simo has been paired with sophomore transfer Lea Monkhouse for 13 of the last 14 matches, and freshman Lindsey Sparks replaced sophomore Megan Muret alongside of senior Izzy Carey on court five.

Simo and Monkhouse are 10-3 as a pair, and Carey and Sparks suffered their only loss against No. 3 Florida State last weekend.

The Bruins swept the Lions without dropping a set in their first meeting this season last Tuesday. UCLA has won its last seven matches with LMU, running a 9-2 all time record against the Lions.

UCLA will face LMU at 12 p.m. and USC at 3 p.m.

“We all individually, as teams, have things we want to improve on, but I think taking it one point at a time is the best thing we’ve learned this weekend, and being patient,” said senior Sarah Sponcil. “The more patient we are, and the more we trust each other and communicate, the better chance we have against USC because they’re a really good opponent.”

Propelled by strong pitching performance, baseball completes sweep of CSUN

Flirting with a no-hitter, Jesse Bergin posted his longest start in a month.

No. 1 UCLA baseball (21-5) returned to Jackie Robinson Stadium on Tuesday with a 10-1 victory over CSUN (12-17). Bergin, a freshman right-hander, earned his third win of the season as he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning, retiring the first 14 of 15 batters he faced.

“It for sure felt good after struggling a couple weekends in a row, however that may have gone,” Bergin said. “I was able to take back control of how it kind of felt in the beginning of the season, and giving each pitch just as much focus as all others.”

This was Bergin’s first start since March 3 in which he pitched into the sixth inning. In his previous four appearances, he pitched just 10 2/3 innings while allowing 10 earned runs.

Coach John Savage said he saw an improvement in Bergin’s form Tuesday as he struck out the first two batters in the third inning with just six pitches. The very next inning, he struck out the side to bring his strikeout total to eight for the game.

“He commanded his fastball about as well as he has all season,” Savage said. “He looked like he did the first couple weekends of the year.”

His no-hitter was cut short in the sixth inning as CSUN’s first three batters each singled. With the Matadors looking to make a comeback, Bergin forced them into a double play, limiting them to one run.

“He could’ve (finished the inning) but we like our bullpen and it’s obviously one of our strengths,” Savage said. “He did his job so it was time to turn it over to the bullpen.”

UCLA gave Bergin some early run support in the second inning when junior third baseman Ryan Kreidler ripped a two RBI double down the third base line. An error by the Matadors and an RBI double by junior second baseman Chase Strumpf pushed the lead to four.

“It’s huge to get on the board early,” Kreidler said. “We want to throw the first punch and tonight we did a good job of doing that. It really let (Bergin) be comfortable out there.”

The offense tacked on some insurance runs in the sixth inning when junior first baseman Michael Toglia’s triple just missed the reach of diving left fielder Denzel Clarke and drove in two runners. UCLA then brought 10 batters to the plate in the seventh inning, scoring four runs that extended its lead to nine.

“I thought we did a good job of using the middle of the field offensively,” Savage said. “It was one of those nights where we walked and had some timely hitting.”

This was the first time UCLA has swept the season series in four years. With a rivalry series last week against USC and road matchup with No. 2 Stanford later this week, Kreidler said the team made sure to stay focused for CSUN.

“Our big thing is trying to stay present,” Kreidler said. “I think we had a good vibe going pregame, so I think this team is learning how to handle situations like this even though there is a spectacle going on this next weekend.”

The Bruins will go back on the road as they face the Cardinal on Friday at the Sunken Diamond at 6:05 p.m.