UCLA a summer home to conferences, camps

As UCLA summer school students travel up Bruin Walk on a hot,
summer afternoon, most immediately can tell that they are not among
the same crowd that will be present during the rest of the
year. 

Instead, during the summer, the campus is home to thousands of
people with something other than academics in mind.

Drake Stadium is filled with young cheerleaders attending camp
for the summer, and the L.A. Tennis Center is filled with boys and
girls at tennis camp.

And as students walk through Dykstra Hall or De Neve Plaza, they
often run into students from countries like Japan or South Korea
who are attending school for the summer.

Jen Mishory, a second-year undeclared student who works at the
Rieber Hall front desk, recalled an instance when cheerleaders in
their uniforms were applauded by some of the foreign students who
misunderstood an impromptu cheer in the lobby for an actual
performance.

Aside from students attending summer school, UCLA takes in a
wide spectrum of guests during the summer months and frequently
provides services beyond academic courses to accommodate these
various groups.

The housing needs of these group are met by placing them within
the on-campus housing facilities, and stays are organized through
UCLA Conference Services.

UCLA Conference Services is a division of UCLA Housing and
Hospitality Services. It was created about 35 years ago so that
UCLA services and facilities could be put to use in the months of
June through September when most students have left for
vacation.

Samantha Chan, the director of sales for UCLA Conference
Services, said the summer services are important for two key
reasons: They provide jobs for UCLA staffers and increase revenue
for UCLA.

The people who keep UCLA running, such as maintenance workers
and dinning employees, are thus able to work year-round and not
lose their jobs for the summer months while students are away.

Additionally, Conference Services is not sponsored by the state
and is self-sustained. This means that all revenues go directly
toward Housing projects.

The revenues, which are expected to be around $14 million for
the summer, fund various services.

The revenues could go toward renovations for residence halls,
the establishment of new facilities and even a decrease in room and
board during the academic year.

Chan gave an example where the summer services could make the
difference between a rise of 7.5 percent for students fees versus
one of only 6 percent in room and board.

Guests from these groups can stay anywhere from a few days to a
few weeks or even the whole summer at UCLA.

Some of the groups attending include various sports camps, the
California Teacher’s Association and other academic
conference-related groups. These groups are often housed with
summer school students in the dorm facilities. 

As a result, many of the dorms, especially De Neve Plaza, are
run more like a hotel than a residence hall during the summer.
Though some of the aspects of dorm life are still the same, others
are not.

During the summer months, the De Neve front desk staff does
frequent check-ins and check-outs for guests. The staff also
fulfills requests, such as retrieving ironing boards or towels.

Staffers even assist the guest with their luggage or direct
traffic on busy days.

There are also some instances of common but strange requests
that staffers get from the guests. Mishory said guests often tell
the front desk that their keys got flushed down the toilet.

Meanwhile, some students who attend summer school and UCLA
during the academic year may find themselves somewhat isolated from
some of the people who share the facilities.

Jasmine Hill, a third-year geography student, finds that there
is less interaction and socializing with students during the summer
than during the academic year, especially due to language
barriers.

“They will just talk among their group. I feel like I want
to be friendly with them and let them know that Americans are
friendly, but I can’t,” she said.

Still, many have had positive experiences with the UCLA summer
programs and facilities.

Ivette Rueles, Alex Romano and Elaine Loarza, who attended one
of the cheerleading camps this summer, were satisfied with the
facilities and service at UCLA.

“(The staffers) smile at you a lot,” Romano said,
while Rueles added that the staff was accommodating to their
needs.

All three girls said they enjoyed the campus sites and what it
had to offer.