Sandra Parra said UCLA’s hip-hop community gave her a sense of belonging and power when she moved to Los Angeles as a freshman. Because hip-hop dance helped her identify with her culture during her first few months at UCLA, Parra, a fourth-year dance student, decided to help other students do the same in high school. Read more...

Photo: Sandra Parra, a fourth-year dance student, researches how hip-hop education helps Latino students at her local high school identify with their ethnicity. (Laura Uzes/Daily Bruin)

Alexander Astin, professor emeritus at UCLA’s Graduate School of Education and Information Studies, is promoting his new book, “Are You Smart Enough?: How Colleges’ Obsession with Smartness Shortchanges Students,” at a launch in Santa Monica Friday. Read more...

Photo: Professor emeritus Alexander Astin is promoting his new book in which he discusses the inequity of higher education. (Laura Uzes/Daily Bruin)