DURBAN, South Africa ­””mdash; When I told people I was studying abroad in South Africa, many of them reacted to the effect of, “Isn’t that dangerous?” or “You know people in South Africa have AIDS, right?” After I arrived and decided to go into downtown Durban to buy groceries, many South Africans, especially white South Africans, responded similarly ““ “Don’t go, it’s dodgy” ““ and then proceeded to relate multiple stories of people getting mugged or killed. Read more...

“We have a feminist magazine on campus?” is the question I hear almost every time I mention that I am the editor of FEM, UCLA’s feminist newsmagazine. Read more...

I’m so tired of hearing about “9/11.” The media and politicians have used that term in so many different, inappropriate ways that I just can’t bear to hear, watch or read about it anymore. Read more...

Telling me that UCLA is getting a new chancellor is a lot like telling me that I’m getting new parents (though certainly far less important): I’ve only known one (set of parents), and I don’t get much of a choice. Read more...

The horns are out and blaring to announce the upcoming elections, and the ever-conscious political pundits and bloggers are catching on to whispers of the GOP possibly losing the House to the Democrats, raising the price tag on many congressional races. Read more...

Interim Chancellor Norman Abrams has quickly demonstrated a proactive approach in his new position. In addressing hot-button issues such as UCLA’s admissions process, Abrams sent a very clear message that he is open to making the changes that our university demands. Read more...

The year 2006 has already brought us an incoming freshmen class with the lowest number of black students since 1973, a drastically low number of American Indian students and a highly disproportional number of Chicana/o students. Read more...