Week five: Getty fire outbreak, NCAA rule changes, presidential debate at Royce Hall

This Week in the News serves as The Quad’s space for reflection on current events at and around UCLA. Every week, Daily Bruin staffers will analyze some of the most significant stories to keep readers up to speed.

Week 5 has been nothing short of busy, and we’re not just talking about studying for midterms – with the outbreak of the Getty fire, protests and the passing of Senate Bill 206, Bruins have a lot to catch up on between taking tests.

Getty fire reaches 39% containment as most evacuation orders are lifted

The Getty fire that broke out earlier this week has been 39% contained as of Thursday morning, according to information released by the Los Angeles Fire Department.

At least twelve structures were destroyed and another five were damaged by the flames. The evacuation zone came close to UCLA campus, affecting 7,091 structures west of the 405 freeway.

California issued an extreme red flag warning Tuesday night, anticipating high winds of up to 70 miles per hour. Classes were canceled Monday because of road closures and nearby evacuations, but have not been closed since as ramps reopened.

Air quality and power outages remain a concern for Californians. BruinAlerts have been notifying students of the shifting winds that could bring smoke to campus and the UCLA Arthur Ashe Center distributed free air masks. Power was cut to nearly 1,000 Los Angeles residents, extending out to some unincorporated regions as well.

Students react to Getty fire, some criticize UCLA’s delayed response

UCLA canceled classes Monday morning several hours after the fire broke out at 1:30 a.m., two miles from campus.

Naomi Riley, the Undergraduate Students Association Council Academic Affairs commissioner, and other student leaders wrote a letter to the Academic Senate, encouraging them to cancel classes and postpone midterm exams until the fire was well contained.

These students urged UCLA to be more transparent with students about safety concerns. Additionally, they rebuked UCLA’s lack of discussion about evacuation procedures and mandates.

NCAA votes to allow student-athletes to profit from name, image, likeness

Tuesday morning the NCAA Board of Governors announced its unanimous decision to allow collegiate athletes to earn money from their name, image, and likeness.

The board instructed its three divisions to rewrite its laws to allow for economic opportunity without blurring the line between student and professional athletes.

This vote reflects a dramatic shift away from the organization’s previous position, which included banning universities that allowed students to profit from their own likeness. Regardless of their resistance, however, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 206 into law, providing students the right to earn money from their likeness.

School of engineering hosts a daylong event celebrating internet’s 50th birthday

The 50th anniversary of the first data transmission what would later become the internet was celebrated Tuesday. “Internet 50: From Founders to Futurists,” hosted by the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering, recognized Professor Leonard Kleinrock’s contribution to this achievement.

Speakers at the event included Kleinrock himself, journalist Patt Morrison, Chancellor Gene Block and Mayor Eric Garcetti. Topics covered at the event spanned from the impact of social media on social justice to the vulnerability of the internet.

The event was interrupted by Indigenous rights protestors during the panel featuring Jamie Dimo, CEO of JPMorgan and Chase & Co. and Eric Schmidt, former CEO of Google.

Sixth presidential debate to take place at UCLA’s Royce Hall

The sixth presidential debate will be at UCLA’s Royce Hall on Dec. 19, the week after winter quarter finals. UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs will hold the event and it will be co-hosted by Politico and PBS NewsHour. The DNC will distribute tickets, but some will be reserved for students, alumni and affiliates.

This debate will be a part of a Luskin lecture series intending to facilitate positive public discussion. Candidates can reach a 6% support threshold for two single-state polls and must collect donations from 200,000 independent donors.

PBS NewsHour and Politico will both stream the debate on their online platforms.

Donald Trump Jr. to visit UCLA to discuss upcoming book at student group event

On Nov. 10, Donald Trump Jr. will be coming to UCLA’s campus to promote his new book titled “Triggered: How the Left Thrives on Hate and Wants to Silence Us.” The event is being hosted by UCLA’s chapter of the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA in Moore Hall.

UCLA spokesperson Ricardo Vazquez stated in an email that this event is sponsored by a student group and not the university, which allows for them to use university facilities.

“At UCLA, we respect and hold freedom of speech and expression as intrinsic to the values of our campus environment, as well as those of higher education,” Vazquez said.