City Council to consider opening bridge housing in Chabad of Westwood to combat homelessness

This post was updated Jan. 11 at 3:41 p.m.

The Los Angeles City Council is considering opening a housing project in Westwood to provide housing for homeless people.

The project creates temporary “bridge housing” for homeless individuals and was created to expand housing for the Los Angeles homeless population. The suggested bridge housing facility in Westwood would be located within Chabad of Westwood’s building on Gayley Avenue. Each facility in the project will remain open for three years.

Bridge housing facilities differ from traditional homeless shelters because they offer professional mental health and anti-addiction services. Residents will also be offered three meals a day, storage and space for their pets.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is evaluating potential bridge housing facilities throughout LA in an effort to combat homelessness as a part of his “A Bridge Home” campaign. According to the 2018 Homeless Count, approximately 31,516 individuals experience homelessness in Los Angeles and 23,000 individuals are unsheltered.

Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz proposed the Westwood location as a possible bridge house after a Rabbi from Chabad of Westwood said he would be willing to help with the project. Jeff Ebenstein, directory of policy and legislation for Koretz, said the Chabad offered to help with the project by using some of the space within the Chabad building.

“They have been helping with homeless services for decades so Councilmember (Koretz) asked if he would be willing to help with a homeless shelter here in the city,” Ebenstein said. “He agreed and suggested a creative out of the box solution to do it here in the Chabad headquarters.”

The Chabad of Westwood house currently hosts various events for the Jewish community in Westwood, including sermons and educational services. The proposed bridge housing would utilize some of the space within the building, if approved by the council and the Chabad.

Ebenstein added that this could be the first bridge housing site in the city that will use space within a pre-existing building. All other planned sites will be built on vacant lots near dense homeless encampments.

Michael Skiles, president of the North Westwood Neighborhood Council, said he thinks the resources that bridge housing offers overcome many of the barriers that usually discourage people from entering a shelter.

“They let people keep their dog, they let people keep and have relationships with any lovers they may have, they give people the opportunity to return to the same bed each night,” he said. “These shelters take a mindset that these are equal human beings who deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.”

Andrew Thomas, executive director of the Westwood Village Improvement Association, said he thinks the bridge housing projects are something to be being proud of.

“This is one of those cases where I think we should all be proud to be Angelenos, the city of Los Angeles is experiencing probably the worst of the entire homeless crisis in this country and we’ve stepped up to take action,” Thomas said. “I hope that it lets our local transients transition back into healthy and productive lives”.

Student organization paves path to sustainability with renewable energy projects

A student-run organization aims to develop methods of generating renewable energy to help UCLA become more sustainable.

The Renewable Energy Association (REA), a project-based organization that began in 2014, aims to educate the UCLA community about the importance of renewable energy and sustainability and enable students to develop solutions to environmental issues, said Ryan Condensa, REA president and a third-year chemical engineering student.

“There’s a lot of ways to get involved with sustainability. There’s a lot of ways to get involved with technology,” Condensa said. “REA is really one of the few organizations that combines both.”

REA consists of four teams: the Solar Team, Biodiesel Team, Waste Processing Team and Learn & Teach Team, each working toward a specific goal through specialized projects.

REA’s Solar Team has historically worked to expand the campus’ solar energy capacity. The organization installed solar-powered phone-charging umbrellas on Kerckhoff patio and the Hill in 2017 and doubled Ackerman Union’s solar capacity using a 2015 grant of $205,000 from the Undergraduate Students Association Council’s The Green Initiative Fund.

In the past two years, the Solar Team has shifted its focus to more technical-based projects, including building a solar generator and creating a Python-based model that calculates solar efficiency, Condensa said.

Rashed Alkhlaifat, a third-year materials engineering student and the project lead for the solar generator, said they are currently working toward designing a generator that can power electric cars for Bruin Racing SuperMileage Vehicle, an engineering organization that creates fuel-efficient racing vehicles.

“We thought a good application for our solar generator would be to power their vehicle,” Alkhlaifat said.

The primary projects of REA’s Biodiesel Team include one that involves the conversion of waste cooking oil into biodiesel, and a biogas project that involves partnering with local energy company Southern California Gas Company to test their biogas digester. SoCalGas has also been an important sponsor of the REA, said Donnie Lee, third-year chemical engineering student and REA’s external vice president.

Sidney Poon, a fourth-year civil and environmental engineering student and the project lead for both the biodiesel and biogas projects, said that students primarily did research on biodiesel generation in the beginning of the project to educate themselves about the process.

“We last year starting doing some at-home experiments,” Poon said.

This year, the biodiesel project received $4,600 from The Green Initiative Fund, and plans to expand experimentation with the funding. The project aims to eventually develop a processing plant to convert all campus-used cooking oil into biodiesel.

REA’s Waste Processing Team formed last year and built on the work of the Biodiesel Team, said Condensa.

“Waste Processing started at the beginning of last year as an extension of the bio-processing team. It was supposed to be a composting project, and then we realized there was a whole other section of UCLA sustainability that was a little bit under-addressed,” Condensa said. “And so it became our Waste Processing Team.”

The Waste Processing Team has carried out a number of waste audits since its inception. The team first carried out a campuswide waste audit in November 2017, and has since undertaken smaller audits of campus buildings, such as the La Kretz Center for California Conservation Science, Condensa said.

While REA’s other teams focus more on technical solutions, its Learn & Teach Team engages in direct community outreach. By partnering with institutions such as the UCLA Lab School, LA Family Housing and the WorldSpeak School, REA aims to teach younger students and members of underserved communities about sustainability and renewable energy.

REA eventually plans to create a new team dedicated to wind energy, said Adarsh Balaji, fourth-year biochemistry student and REA’s internal vice president.

“We’ve done a lot of the groundwork necessary,” Balaji said. “The idea of the project leans toward entering the annual (Collegiate Wind) Competition, in which we would be designing a wind turbine.”

REA will co-host Waste Awareness Week, a weeklong series of events that aims to highlight the multifaceted impact of the global waste crisis, from Jan. 14 to Jan. 18. The event is designed to educate students about sustainability and to motivate them to help the University of California meet its goal of zero waste by 2020, Condensa said.

Balaji said he thinks focusing on continuing sustainable practices is more important than focusing on whether UCLA can realistically achieve zero waste by 2020.

“I think that what’s more important than defining this goal by arbitrary years is to really push for the idea that you have to educate the individuals that make up your community,” Balaji said. “That way, it sorts of builds into their daily life. … The long-term effects of that are a lot more important.”

Students offer perspective after ranking hails UCLA as top transfer destination

Members of the transfer community reflected on what makes the UCLA transfer program effective after the university was named the number one destination for transfers in the country.

Money, a finance magazine, ranked UCLA as the number one college for transfer students in December. Money based their rankings on factors such as credit completion and graduation rates.

Roughly a third of UCLA’s undergraduate population are transfer students. The university offers many specialized programs to help students adapt to life at UCLA, including the transfer center, Bruin Resource Center, Tau Sigma Honor Society and the Engineering Transfer Center.

Krystal Arenas, the Tau Sigma Honor Society president and a fourth-year gender studies student, said she found her niche on campus within Tau Sigma, which made the transition from a community college to a university easier.

Alfred Herrera, the director of the Center for Community College Partnerships and assistant vice provost for academic partnerships, said he thinks that the reason why UCLA is welcoming to transfers is due to its “transfer-receptive culture,” which refers to the concept that four-year universities are also responsible for making sure students successfully transfer from community colleges.

“We work through a critical-race-theory lens to provide a social justice grounding to help students understand why they need to be at a (University of California) campus, and how to get there,” Herrera said.

The Center for Community College Partnerships, which is under the Academic Advancement Program at UCLA, aims to prime community college students to become competitive applicants for University of California schools, Herrera said. Peer mentors guide students throughout the academic year and help with planning their coursework. Through CCCP, students are given the opportunity to attend a summer program at UCLA, meet students and faculty and talk to admissions advisors.

Jessica Kim, Undergraduate Students Association Council transfer student representative, said she thinks while administrators tend to focus on graduation rates to determine the success of transfer students, the transfer-focused organizations on campus are what really distinguish UCLA’s transfer program from others.

“I really think what makes the experience so different compared to other UCs is that (we are) focusing on the academics (and) student needs outside of academics,” Kim said.

Kim added she believes the transfer community is so strong because its students are resilient. She said not all transfers had a guaranteed path to higher education.

“A lot of transfer students weren’t necessarily the students that were told from high school or even from middle school that they were on the right path,” Kim said. “There are a ton of transfer students that were told, ‘You’re never going to make it somewhere like here.’”

Kim said she is happy that UCLA is so highly ranked, but added that now the transfer program must work on refining its services. She said she thinks many of the transfer-focused organizations offer similar resources, and that they should aim to provide more specialized support.

Hovsep Khachatryan, a fourth-year sociology student, said he likes how resources on campus like the transfer center and the career center help provide transfer students with support regarding campus life and academics.

“I think transfer students come in with a lot of questions and UCLA does a great job of answering those questions and helping with the tradition,” Khachatryan said.

Kim said she thinks the ranking is nice, but there is still work left to do for transfer students.

“It’s great, we’re so happy,” Kim said. “But we don’t want admin or faculty or even students to believe or feel like we can stop pushing.”

Contributing reports from Shelby Dunagan and Melissa Morris.

Boycott of Israel condemned by UC chancellors citing threats to academic freedom

All 10 University of California chancellors unanimously condemned an academic boycott of Israel at the urging of 101 university-affiliated organizations in December.

The provisions of the boycott would discourage students and faculty from participating in academic events sponsored or funded by Israel, studying abroad in Israel or holding talks with Israeli state officials.

The UC chancellors said they believe the boycott could threaten students’ academic freedom to both engage with Israeli academia and to freely discuss conflicting viewpoints on campus.

“A boycott of this sort poses a direct and serious threat to the academic freedom of our students and faculty, as well as the unfettered exchange of ideas and perspectives on our campuses, including debate and discourse,” the chancellors said in the statement.

The statement added that the chancellors will continue to support partnership with both Palestinian and Israeli academia.

The Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions National Committee initiated the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel in 2004. The movement outlines the steps and guidelines for the academic boycott of Israel on university campuses. Under the boycott, universities are permitted to affiliate with Israeli scholars but any closer collaboration is discouraged.

Neil Netanel, a UCLA law professor, said in an email statement that he thinks the boycott could severely curtail students’ academic freedom to pursue study abroad programs or to exchange information with Israeli faculty.

“Many leaders in various fields, including Nobel Prize laureates, are Israeli academics,” Netanel said. “U.S. faculty and students would be harmed if those leaders were prevented from sharing their knowledge.”

The boycott has already started limiting options for study abroad programs across the U.S. Netanel added that a professor at the University of Michigan refused to write a letter of recommendation to a student who wanted to study abroad in Israel earlier this year.

The University of Michigan promised to pursue disciplinary action for two separate instructors who withheld letters of recommendation for Israeli study abroad programs based on their personal views.

The faculty at Pitzer College voted to end a study abroad program in Israel because of Israel’s treatment of Palestine. The president of Pitzer College criticized the senate following the decision.

Ricardo Vazquez, a UCLA spokesperson, said in an email statement that UCLA Chancellor Gene Block has consistently opposed calls for divestment from and boycotts against Israel.

“This has been the longstanding position of both the chancellor and the UC system,” Vazquez said.

Other UCLA faculty members said the UC system has not always opposed international and domestic boycotts.

Saree Makdisi, an English professor, said in an email statement that the opposition to an Israeli boycott contradicts the university’s previous endorsements of similar boycotts, citing the UC’s travel ban on nine states that authorize discrimination against LGBTQ people.

“I don’t recall seeing any expressions of concern for how heterosexual or cisgendered people might feel hurt by this boycott, nor worries about isolating Alabama or Kansas: Indeed, such isolation is the point,” Makdisi said.

Makdisi added he thinks the UC system is not opposed to the practice of boycotts in general.

“It seems to suddenly be problematic in the particular case of Israel,” Makdisi said. “It is not the form of the action that matters, but its target.”

James Gelvin, a history professor, said in an email statement that at least three members in his department are not allowed in Israel because of their political activities.

“Where is the chancellors’ statement condemning this practice?” Gelvin said. “Where is the chancellors’ statement condemning more than 50 years of the Israeli occupation, not to mention Israeli settlement practices, which have been condemned globally?”

Gelvin added that he believes the BDS movement is gaining mainstream appeal within university academia.

“The UC chancellors can squawk all they want, but the BDS movement has now become part of the conversation,” Gelvin said.

Students for Justice in Palestine at UCLA, Students Supporting Israel at UCLA and Bruins for Israel did not respond to requests for comment.

Men’s volleyball slips in straight-set, road loss to No. 12 CSUN

The Bruins were stumped in their first road game of the season.

No. 2 UCLA men’s volleyball (2-1) fell to No. 12 CSUN (3-1) in straight sets in a nonconference match Wednesday night at the Matadome. The match was the Bruins’ first road game and loss of the season.

“It was just a full thrashing,” said coach John Speraw. “We literally got beat in every category tonight.”

The contest was evenly matched for the majority of the first set.

CSUN middle blocker Daniel Wetter, however, led a late rally, and the set resulted in a 25-22 loss for the Bruins. UCLA hit for just .115 in the set and had six service errors.

“I think it’s just focus,” said junior middle blocker Daenan Gyimah. “We’re definitely going to have to be better at serving and block defense.”

The Matadors’ momentum continued into the second set as they opened with a 10-5 lead over the Bruins. UCLA did not take the lead throughout the remainder of the set and trailed by as much as nine points.

Despite efforts from redshirt junior opposite Brandon Rattray, who led the team with eight kills overall, and Gyimah, who contributed seven kills, UCLA could not overcome the deficit and fell 25-16 to mark a second set loss.

“It just wasn’t going our way,” Rattray said. “They were bombing their serves, and we were out of system.”

Rattray and Gyimah, alongside contributions from senior setter Micah Ma’a, who had 24 assists on the night, were able to give UCLA a 14-7 lead over CSUN in the third set.

However, UCLA could not maintain its lead for the remainder of the set. The Bruins’ six service errors and a .261 hitting percentage allowed the Matadors to sweep with a 25-23 third-set win.

The Bruins ended the night with 19 service errors, 17 attack errors, four reception errors, two block errors and an overall hitting percentage of .200.

The home team recorded a .417 hitting percentage with 17 service errors, eight attack errors and two reception errors. CSUN also led the game in kills, service aces and assists.

“They outdug us, outblocked us, outhit us and outserved us. … Each of our pin hitters were below .200,” Speraw said. “Our middles weren’t as effective as they needed to be, and we didn’t attack the system very well.”

UCLA will continue its road trip, and will face Mckendree and Lindenwood on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

Un-Connon Opinions: UCLA football will grow under Chip Kelly, while USC will head into a slump

UCLA and USC football are at a crossroad yet again.

The Trojans’ recently hired offensive coordinator, Kliff Kingsbury, jumped ship to take the Arizona Cardinals’ head coaching job Tuesday. Multiple reports last week said that USC athletic director Lynn Swann initially blocked Kingsbury from interviewing for NFL head coaching jobs but eventually allowed him to take interviews.

Despite USC making a serious marketing push and getting fans hyped after signing Kingsbury in December, the Trojan faithful have turned on Swann for mishandling the situation.

And from across Los Angeles, it’s easy to feel better about being a Bruin.

Yes, it’s hard to feel overly positive coming off a 3-9 season. Coach Chip Kelly’s first year in Westwood went from being a return to glory to the start of a rebuild.

Every fan wanted and expected more from the Bruins this year, and frustration was at an all-time high after they started 0-5 for the first time since 1943.

So what’s my point? That USC’s and UCLA’s programs are both in shambles? Well, not exactly.

It was hard for me to accept the Bruins were rebuilding this year, especially after a home run hire in Kelly. But once that settled in, I saw that Kelly was playing the long game.

Year one was a struggle, and year No. 2 probably won’t be all that amazing either. But five years down the road, it’s easy to picture Kelly having complete control of the Pac-12 South.

Meanwhile, USC coach Clay Helton has been on the hot seat for over a year and Swann has refused to cut ties with him, despite nearly everyone else’s advice on the contrary. Swann’s solution was to instead hire a big shot coordinator in Kingsbury.

That blew up in his face, and Kingsbury ran off with Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen. The coach’s air-raid offense won’t be helping the Trojans, but instead, it’ll help kickstart a former Bruin’s NFL career.

The turmoil at USC won’t last forever, and despite the brighter outlook in Westwood over the next few years, the Trojans are still the Trojans.

In the long run, the brand, funding and prestige at USC will uphold the program. But just like they saw a dark age after Pete Carroll left for Seattle in 2010, there could be another on the horizon for the Trojans.

Meanwhile, Kelly has instilled a sense of stability at UCLA. He didn’t win a lot of games, and sometimes his coaching style was head-scratching, but nobody is on the hot seat.

No one is getting fired, no one is leaking dysfunction and no one is panicking.

USC is on fire, it’s dysfunctional and everyone is panicking.

Now, it’s up to Kelly and the young Bruins to jump on the opportunity and take the program to new heights when it’s least expected.

LA is ripe for the taking, but USC won’t be down and out forever.

Jaelan Phillips might join list of UCLA athletes who made crosstown transfers

This post was updated Jan. 26 at 7:22 p.m.

Jaelan Phillips’ next move could come much to the chagrin of Bruins fans.

The former UCLA football defensive end announced his medical retirement from the sport last month after battling numerous injuries over the past few seasons. But as 247Sports reported Friday, the No. 1 recruit from the class of 2017 could be considering a transfer to resume his playing career.

Among the schools reported to be of interest to Phillips, Pac-12 rivals Stanford and USC appear to be leading the pack. If Phillips were to make the trip east of the 405 freeway and join the Trojans, he would be one of just a handful of athletes to transfer within the rivalry during their college careers.

Although the list is short, it includes significant names, such as former UCLA standouts Rai Benjamin and Caleb Wilson.

Benjamin – a track and field athlete – spent his first two collegiate seasons with the Bruins before a coaching change led to his departure from the program. In 2017, Benjamin achieved a second-place finish in 400-meter hurdles at the NCAA championships and also came within a hundredth of a second from clinching UCLA’s first track championship since 2000.

In his first season with USC, Benjamin won three NCAA Division I track titles as well as a pair of Pac-12 titles to add to the existing conference championship he earned during his time with the Bruins.

The loss of Benjamin proved to be costly for UCLA, but the Bruins have also been able to steal talent from their crosstown rival.

Former UCLA football tight end Caleb Wilson began his collegiate career as a walk-on with the Trojans in 2015. But after his father was fired from the USC coaching staff, he decided to transfer.

Wilson joined the Bruins in March 2016 and broke out during the 2017-2018 campaign, recording 490 receiving yards and a touchdown in five games before a broken foot ended his season.

He returned in time for the 2018-2019 season and cemented himself as one of the top tight ends in the country by posting career-highs with 60 receptions, 965 yards and four touchdowns.

Wilson entered his name into the NFL Draft in December and will likely be selected within the first two to three rounds.

However, if Phillips transfers to USC and remains healthy, his draft stock may surpass that of Wilson’s.

UCLA probably does not want to see another one of its own recruits go on to do better things with an archrival, but it looks as though things could be heading in that direction.