All Entries in the "Opinion" Category
A Nonprofit’s PR Fiasco
A few weeks ago, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a nonprofit organization that helps fund charities aimed at curing breast cancer, made a huge booboo. They cut funding from Planned Parenthood. That’s over $500,000 worth of grants that the womens’ rights organization desperately needs, and it was taken from them for some fishy reasons.
History in the New U Archives
We don’t know if you know this or not, but our school was essentially a hippie commune at one point. Yeah, UC Irvine (the land of bro tanks, $2 boba and dance crews) was full of hippies. As in there used to be a parking lot where you could park your trailer or RV and live there on the cheap. Try doing that now, and enjoy explaining yourself to the impound lot.
Juvenalian Judgements: It’s All Uphill From Here
On a beautiful, sunny day in mid-1959, the University of California purchased 1,000 acres – what would eventually become the beautiful University of California, Irvine – from the monopolizing Irvine Company for a hefty price of $1. And it’s all been downhill since then. OK. I joke, but seriously: with this year’s freshman class, the 50th graduating class, I think it may be safe to say that this campus peaked in its mid-20s.
Boomers, Xers, Echo
America was still in Vietnam when UC Irvine opened in 1965. Jobs sprung from the dirt along with new housing complexes and turfgrass and thousands were attracted to the palm-treed paradise. War vets, Asian immigrants, Latino immigrants, African-Americans —pretty much everyone flocked to California. Meanwhile, UCI was just a few buildings situated in dry isolation surrounded by miles of dirt and blue sky.
UCI: Then and Now
Throughout the last 50 years, the UC Irvine campus has exhibited vast changes. What started out as 1,589 students is now 28,000 students and has a reputation as one of the most distinguished universities in the world. So, what kind of changes has UCI made in the last 50 years?
Super Man Swag Fan: A UCI Celebrity Death Match Ensues
Introductions: In this corner! Wearing a red Michael Jordan No. 23 jersey, standing approximately 6 feet and 2 inches tall, and weighing in at 175 pounds, he is the Sultan of Strut, the epitome of swagger. He walks at a pace of 5.5 miles per hour, never sacrificing style; yet somehow he has yet to be inducted into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame for speed walking. Ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Charles Jock’s hero, the Pacer of Peltason himself — Swag Maaaaaaaaaaan!
Pregnancy in the Workplace
If employment is supposed to be free of all discrimination (against race, color, gender and so on), then how is it fair that people can be fired from their jobs just because they are pregnant? If a woman is in the final months of her pregnancy, she can be fired or forced to go on leave solely because of the fact that, in a matter of weeks, she will be giving birth.
Prop. 8 Took Too Long to Repeal
There was a poster, quite some time ago, that circulated around the Internet in support of marriage equality that depicted exactly how this issue should be treated. In a nutshell, it asserted that gay marriage shouldn’t be referred to as “gay” marriage — it’s just marriage. Because, you know, you park your car. You don’t gay park it.
Gay Rights Beyond the Courtroom
With news of LGBT victories such as the recent overturning of California Proposition 8 and the nearly ratified gay marriage bill in the state of Washington, it is easy to forget that there are still strides to be made and issues to address on behalf of the gay community nationwide. For several years, the focus of gay rights has been primarily centered on adults; whether it is pushing for marriage laws, healthcare protections or adoption rules. Though these legal decrees in regards to the LGBT community are of the utmost importance on a political scale — as they should be — the protection of the younger gay population deserves national attention.
Statutory Rape in CA
Imagine that you are an 18-year-old boy, and have decided to start dating the 16-year-old girl you really like. As your relationship gets serious you both decide to take your relationship to the next level and become sexually active.
