THE SWAGGER: UC Irvine sports teams have started winning, and are winning often. We have achieved some national success, most recently with men's golf, baseball and men's volleyball. However, most of our sports teams seem to make it near the top, but are not able to get over that final bump. What is that last ingredient that we need for our sports teams to garner the utmost respect they deserve? Ladies and Gentleman, that is "Swagger."
UCLA Hosts Conference Celebrating Students of Color; UCI Committee Arranges Homeless Awareness Event; Scientists Find Stress Reshapes the Human Brain; Study Finds Internet Use Improves Youth Skills
Unfortunately, UC Irvine does not offer dental benefits as part of its student health insurance plan. In fact, it is one of only two University of California campuses whose mandatory student health insurance does not include or provide the option to add dental benefits.
The United States is a land where people of different ethnic backgrounds come to achieve what this country is most famously known for: the American Dream. It is a dream echoed in many homes of first generation Americans and is usually pursued by immigrants, people who are not born in America, but nevertheless come to America, work hard and make this country what it is today. It is the opportunity to make individual choices without the restrictions of class, caste, religion, race or ethnic group. Even though you might identify yourself as an American, raised for the majority of your lifetime in Los Angeles or Orange County, there is still one giant roadblock to this dream for a mass minority: immigration status.
Imagine this: You have just been arrested for drug possession by a police officer. You are surprised, scared out of your mind, afraid of receiving a long sentence and are running out of options. Proposition 5 wants to give you two solutions: rehab in exchange for prison or a shortened sentence based on a new set of criteria for punishment. Sounds nice, right? Wrong. In accordance with Proposition 36, Proposition 5 will continue to allocate spending on rehab programs for convicted drug users. According to a UCLA study done on Proposition 36, many of the drug users on parole either have never showed up for treatment or failed to finish their programs. Almost $460 million a year would be set aside for these already faulty programs with Proposition 5, and with California's increasing deficit and the nation's unstable economic standing, this is not the best investment.
Drug use has always been a controversial issue in California. Over the years, questions have been raised about legalizing marijuana and what kinds of treatment or punishment the state should offer to certain types of drug offenses. Proposition 5 is an initiative that should seem familiar to us. In the 2000 election, Proposition 36 was passed, which sought to institute a drug diversion program that rehabilitated people convicted of non-violent drug possession crimes. According to a study by the UCLA Integrated Substance Abuse Program, taxpayers received $2.50 for every dollar they invested in running the programs set forth by Proposition 36, proving its effectiveness. Thus, it saved the state money that would have been spent on incarcerating non-violent inmates.
