Editorial: UCLA’s worst: 1.) Cadaver program catastrophe

Just when students had begun to slip into complacency ““ it
was two weeks before spring break and the men’s basketball
team was in a five-game losing slump ““ UCLA was shaken by the
news of something so bizarre it would remind the community that
absurdity really does trump predictability.

The Willed Body Program was in the business of mutilating and
selling donated bodies.

It was morally offensive, and it immediately destroyed the
credibility of a program still on the rebound from allegations in
the late 1990s that it had treated cadavers with disrespect.
Further, it embarrassed a university administration apparently
oblivious to an ax-wielding employee working just under its
nose.

Even if one manages to forget about it in the months to come
(but how?), the horror of the cadaver scandal will inevitably
return to the punchlines of late-night comedians, or worse, the
half-baked attempts of amateurs. The program remains on hold
““ and those with tickly funny bones should hold their
tongues, at least until the university figures out how to keep
track of its bodies.

The Daily Bruin Editorial Board reflects on the strengths and
weaknesses of UCLA at the end of spring quarter. Considering news
events, people, policies and trends, the board has compiled a list
of UCLA’s best and worst. The rest of the series can be found
at dailybruin.ucla.edu.