Don’t just read history, be part of it at The Bruin

Monday, September 28, 1998

Don’t just read history, be part of it at The Bruin

EDITOR: Ever-changing paper practices standards of excellence,
fairness envisioned by founders in 1919

Soon after I moved into the news office, I began looking into
some of the old files left by my many predecessors. Here I was, a
newcomer, in a place that’s seen a lot of history. But it wasn’t
until I read a file called "Bruin Thesis" that I realized how deep
that history goes. And this is what I found.

During the second week of class on Sept. 29, 1919, as students
stepped onto the campus of a brand new university, they noticed a
message plastered all over the school – the headline that read,
"State Normal School Becomes Branch of UC." It was the first story
in the first issue of the campus newspaper, and the first year of a
new institution.

It was the dawn of an era.

The beginning of two rich traditions: UCLA and the UCLA Daily
Bruin.

Only it wasn’t UCLA.

And it wasn’t the Daily Bruin.

These 1,420 students were on the campus of the "Southern Branch
of the UC." Located on Vermont Avenue in downtown Los Angeles, the
new school was simply an "extension" of Berkeley.

The editorial staff of the paper (then called the Cub
Californian) disliked the name "Southern Branch," which made their
school sound like nothing more than a dependent campus. So they
began referring to the school as the UC at L.A., possibly the first
time that the words UC and L.A. were muttered in the same
sentence.

It wasn’t until 1927 that the UC Regents officially renamed the
"Southern Branch" as the University of California at Los Angeles,
which later came to be known as UCLA. In 1929, the campus moved to
the Westwood site it now occupies.

What impressed me was this idea that The Bruin has, throughout
its long history, been an integral part of this university.

In the early days, the most popular feature of The Bruin was its
football coverage. Today, football is still very widely read.

The biggest news of the day was climbing enrollment numbers,
on-campus organizations and the social scene. The students then
weren’t too worried about skyrocketing tuition fees, graduate
school and "no dancing in Westwood."

Over 70 years later, the campus will experience another
challenging year.

The controversy over university admissions will certainly
continue. Following last spring’s Days of Defiance protests, it’s
doubtful the affirmative action coalition will remain silent.

Graduate TAs will continue to fight for collective bargaining
rights and university recognition. Otherwise, to the picket
lines.

What changes will Chancellor Albert Carnesale make to his
administration? What’s in store for the university?

It will be interesting to see whether Regent Ward Connerly looks
to further question ethnic studies.

Dorm residents are in for a very crowded year.

Maybe, just maybe, Westwood will be resurrected. Who knows,
perhaps you’ll be allowed to dance again.

Yet another banner year is in store for UCLA athletics. How many
championships will we bring home?

There are a number of other issues confronting the campus this
coming year, and The Bruin is committed to giving you the best,
just like The Bruin’s forefathers envisioned when they opened up
their 8 by 10-foot office. The Bruin will continue to document the
events and the people who shape UCLA.

But if you think The Bruin isn’t meeting its obligation to the
readership, it’s your responsibility to come forward.

News-gathering organizations serve as the eyes and ears of the
community, but in a campus as large as UCLA, we’re bound to
encounter blind spots now and then.

There are a lot of challenges to this profession, but these are
challenges – staffing and motivation – that you can help us
overcome, even if journalism is not your career objective.

The Bruin needs talented writers, photographers, artists and
editors in order to live up to its potential.

Welcome. You’re at the right place at the right time.

Yamaguchi, a third-year communication studies and economics
student, is the 1998-1999 Daily Bruin editor in chief.

Comments, feedback, problems?

© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board[Home]