OTH’s Summer Reading List

So school has been over for a month, and you know what that means, right? Time to read! (I know…sounds silly doesn’t it?) Anyway if you’re like me and actually do read for leisure, here are some life changing easy reads for summer:

1) War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: this is a book that details events surrounding the French invasion of Russia and its impact on Tsarist society, as seen through the eyes of five aristocratic families. In short, it’s about ideologies on peace.

2) On the Road by Jack Kerouac: it’s a book based on the travels of Kerouac and friends across America. Considered a defining work of the counterculture era, this book is anything but boring. Its protagonists live against a backdrop of jazz, poetry, and love.

3) The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger: is a book about the journey of its young protagonist who has just been expelled from his private school. After a fight with his roommate, he leaves school to explore the grit that is New York City before returning home. It deals with issues of conformity, life, and death.

4) Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut: This is one of my favorites. It’s a satirical novel about a young soldier, Billy Pilgrim, and his experiences in World War II. As he journeys through time, he must come to terms with the reality in which he exist.

Happy reading!

by Beverly Okhio

Summer Music Festivals

 

During the summer music can be a huge part of taking the time you need to deters from the hard school year. Music festivals are a great way to enrich the breadth of music you listen to and hangout with friends at the same time. A few great festivals come to L.A. during the summer, check them out below:

1) Hard Summer Music Festival:: one of the biggest electronic music festivals of the summer. It takes place in South El Monte, CA. and this year will feature artists like Martin Garrix, A$AP Mob, Tiesto, and Disclosure. Here’s the link to the website for more info: http://www.hardfest.com

2) FYF Fest Music Festival: if you’re into indie music, this is the place to be. Taking place at L.A. Sports Arena, this music festival will feature dope bands like Phoenix, the Strokes, Interpol, and Jamie XX, to name a small few. Check out the link for more info: http://fyffest.com. Tickets go on sale May 22!

3) Bonnaroo: this is like the forefather of all music festivals, in my opinion. It includes artists for any listeners taste, from Elton John to Kanye West. And if that’s not your taste, try a little Zedd or Vampire Weekend. More info:http://www.bonnaroo.com. Little catch: it’s in Tennessee.

Hope this summer brings you a new way to listen to music!

Study Abroad: Asia

Are you looking for a change in scenery from usual UCLA life? Check out OTH’s list of top places to study abroad in Asia!

For Asia, Beijing is the place to be.  Now, one of the largest global business hubs, this study abroad experience is ideal for business, economics, and engineering majors!  This program also gives you the opportunity to intern for a company internationally (talk about a resume booster).  Just be prepared to give up Facebook for half a year *silent sob*.

Honorable mention for Asia goes to Bangkok, Thailand!  Not only is the food awesome (if you love spiciness), but Thailand offers programs for students studying international development, as well as global studies.

We hope this list of study abroad sites helps you get excited for this coming year!  Visit the UCEAP website for more information!

by Laurie Goodman

Club Highlight: E3

Before the end of Spring Quarter, OTH had the chance to sit down with second year, Kyle Hess, and interview him about his involvement with his club, E3!  Here are the details on UCLA’s largest sustainability themed club!

Tell us about yourself!

My name is Kyle Hess and I am a second year student here at UCLA, majoring in Political Science and Geography/ Environmental Studies and minoring in Spanish. I am from San Diego, CA, love the Southern California weather, hiking, biking, surfing, and being outdoors! I became interested in the environment through my experiences in school and growing up learning to do my part to protect everything I love about my city. In the future, I am planning on attending law school and hopefully working as an Environmental Lawyer.

What is your involvement in E3?

I currently serve as Co-Chair of E3, along with Kaela Nye. We run weekly meetings and work to organize and support each of the various campaigns within E3.

What does E3 do?

E3 has a variety of campaigns that it runs, including: Earth Month/ Earth Day Fair, The Farmer’s Markets every there weeks throughout the quarter, Ecochella (our bike powered concert in the spring), Fair Trade Week, E-Waste Campaign, Garden Mentorship (helping local high schools and middle schools in their gardens), and our Fossil Free Campaign. We also go camping each quarter, have other educational events, documentary screenings, and socials.

How did the club get started?

E3 started as a small student organization, where students passionate about sustainability and the environment could come together and work and learn about a greener world. It has grown over the years to become UCLA’s largest sustainability/ environmental student organization.

How did you get involved in E3?

I became involved in E3 when a few friends from my floor in the dorms brought me to a meeting. I instantly loved the organization and all of the people and wanted to get involved. After volunteering at different events, I decided to take on the position of Vice Chair then later Co-Chair for this year!

What has been your favorite campaign that you’ve worked on through E3?

My favorite campaign that I have worked on with E3 is Ecochella. It was amazing working with Rock the Bike from Berkeley, CA, engineering students, student bands, and more to plan such an amazing event. So many people came to the concert and helped bike to power the music! It was fun seeing the planning process and the final product, and how so many people enjoyed the Ecochella team’s hard work!

How can a student join? Can anyone become a part of E3?

Anyone can join! Just come to one of our meetings on Thursdays from 5:00-6:00 PM and join our list serve to keep updated on E3 activities! Location of our meetings is TBA for next year, but all information is updated on our website.

Why would you recommend someone join E3?

I would recommend joining E3 because it is a great community where so many friendships are formed all through our common bond of striving for sustainability! Becoming more involved in E3 is a great way to gain experience and have fun while here at UCLA!

Did you ever live On The Hill? If so, what was your favorite residence hall?

I did live on the hill and Hedrick Hall was my favorite building! I didn’t even mind the walk, because the people that I met there are still to this day some of my closest friends at UCLA. It was a great place to spend my first year here.

What was the most memorable part of living On The Hill?

The most memorable part of living on the hill was the ability to just form so many fantastic friendships so quickly. There are so many people living in the dorms, and constantly meeting new people is a blast! The hill is a great little community!

What is your favorite dining hall?

My favorite dining hall is Bplate! I love the food and the healthy options, and that they serve things that I would cook myself at home!

What has been your favorite random class that you’ve taken at UCLA?

My favorite random class that I have taken was Honors 175 with Professor Katona. The class is Terrorism, Counter-Terrorism, and Weapons of Mass Destruction: A Practical Approach. It was super interesting, and we had many fantastic guest speakers. My favorite part was when our professor invited us to his home in Brentwood for dinner and to watch the movie “The Battle of Algiers.”

Thank you for sitting with OTH!

by Laurie Goodman

The 5 People You Meet at Orientation

So you’re gonna be a Bruin. Congrats! Welcome to the school. One of the first things you will do as a new student is go to orientation. What will they probably be like? Here’s OTH’s guess:

1. The Overenthusiastic One

This kid will literally clap for every. damn. thing. S/he is just STOKED to be a BRUIN. Because dad went here and so did mom and oh my god did I forgot to mention John Wooden is my hero – yes wow I love UCLA, oh by the way where are you from? I’m from Westwood I moved here because we love UCLA but that’s another story wow look at Powell! I’m so excited to study there! You will, understandably, probably hate this kid. It’s okay. There are four other people, right?

2. The Overtly Cool Loner Kid

He listens to Bob Marley and smokes cigars. He’s not going to talk to you. When your adviser asks, “Hey, what’s your name?” He’ll reply with a low baritone “Andre”, and then look away. OTH wishes we could write more about him but he refuses to tell us anymore.

3. The Regular Kid

You’re a little nervous, but you’re also just a regular kid. You make a few friends; you ask some questions and you’re a little stressed out about enrollment, but really, you’re going to be fine. Adjustment to college life and all of the news of UCLA are a little daunting, but you look forward to adjusting and making some new friends.

4. The Overachiever

He or she has done literally everything you have, but two times better. Got a 2400 on your SAT? They scored 2400 on their SAT, got all 5’s on 15 AP exams, had a smoking hot date for prom, and they’ve won every science fair, literary competition known to high schoolers around the world. You will be a little jealous. You will be in a bit of an awe. And you will write down their phone number so when they become successful, he or she will buy you dinner.

5. The Funny Kid

This kid is funny. He’ll have your advisor cracking up. You’ll be in tears and even the cool loner kid will smile at his jokes. Be friends with this person. They will make your Bruin life incredibly entertaining.

So, without further adue, these are the 5 people you will meet at orientation. Get out there and have fun!

by Jerry Cheung

 

 

How to Get Around LA Without a Car

So you’re going to be in LA without a car. But you need to travel. What are you going to do? OTH’s found a few possibilities:

1. Bus it. Take the bus. Take the metro. Take whatever public transportation LA has to offer. We know it sucks, but sometimes that’s just how the cookie crumbles. Pro Tip: Did you know that UCLA Transportation offers discounted Metro and bus passes? Now you do.

2. Bike/board/etc. Sometimes your destination is reachable via bike; The bus takes a long way around and you can avoid traffic this way. Consider it.

3. Zipcar – this car-renting service is available on many college campuses. Though car rental services are usually reserved for 25 year olds, Zipcar allows 18 year olds to rent cars. The catch is is that you pay by the hour, so if you need it for an internship, you’d lose a lot of money because you’d be keeping the car at a parking lot somewhere. Zipcar is more about short trips such as going for a quick ice cream run with your friends. Still a great option for those of you without a car, in our opinion!

4. Lyft/Uber/Flywheel – You know what I’m talking about. All these taxi services that have come up lately make for a great way to get around the cities especially when you’re going out so you don’t need a designated driver or just need a ride. Google codes online! Most of them give you your first ride (almost) free.

We hope this helps you explore whatever LA has to offer! Enjoy.

by Jerry Cheung

Club Highlight: PAC

Recently OTH got to sit down with Matt Driver, the Executive Director of Marketing for the Pediatric AIDS Coalition!  He gave us all the details about his club involvement and his life On The Hill, read here!

Study Abroad: The Americas

Are you looking for a change in scenery from usual UCLA life? Check out OTH’s list of top places to study abroad in the Americas!

For the Americas, our top choice is Costa Rica.  It’s beautiful, the people are extremely friendly, and did I mention it’s B-E-A-UTIFUL?  This location is fantastic for studies related to conservation and the environment.  You get to have a two week field excursion through the country’s national parks, which span numerous ecological zones!  Embrace your inner biome nerd.

Chile gets the honorable mention for the Americas.  You can continue your Spanish language study while also learning about public health!  Not to mention Chile has glaciers and hot springs all within their borders (how is this even possible??).

We hope this list of study abroad sites helps you get excited for this coming year!  Visit the UCEAP website for more information!

by Laurie Goodman