Rock the House: ORL, Habitat for Humanity to team together to raise campus awareness of substandard housing
Rock the House
Today, 7 p.m.
Northwest Campus Auditorium
FREE
By Jeremy Wong
April 11, 2012 1:26 a.m.
Living in a plaza, hall, suite or apartment are some of the housing options that students on campus choose from. With the magic swipe of a key card, many students that live on the Hill have instant access to their bedrooms, a study lounge and even their own restrooms.
However, many other students don’t.
While for most people, key concerns when deciding on where to live include private bathrooms and whether to live in a double or triple bedroom, others still live in homes where sanitation or even the most basic of utilities such as running water or electricity are unavailable or scarce.
The plight of these students and others who suffer through similar conditions often goes unnoticed. Tonight, however, the Office of Residential Life will team up with UCLA’s Habitat for Humanity chapter to host Rock the House, an event that seeks to educate college students on the issue of substandard housing by featuring personal speeches from victims of substandard housing, along with performances from on-campus organizations.
“I hope people just leave really inspired, and I hope it pushes them to get involved in Habitat for Humanity, in other housing organizations or just to volunteer more in general,” said Austin Rose, a fourth-year geography and sociology student.
This will be the fifth time ORL has teamed up with Habitat for Humanity, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting substandard housing by providing decent shelter to those who need it.
However, past incarnations of Rock the House mainly featured families who talked about their own experiences with below average living conditions, how it impacted their lives and how Habitat for Humanity helped them get back on their feet. This year will be the first time performances from cultural groups are added into the mix.
This addition was planned by Rose, who is involved in both ORL and Habitat for Humanity. He said he hopes that this year’s Rock the House, with its combination of personal tales and cultural performances, will reach out to a larger audience and leave an impact on college students who choose to attend.
Rock the House will feature performances by UCLA Nashaa, the university’s official Hindi Film Dance Team, Grupo Folklorico de UCLA, one of the campus’ oldest Latino heritage groups, and ACA Lion Dance, a Chinese cultural squad that specializes in the traditional art of lion dancing.
Javier Borjorn, a third-year history student and the current president of Grupo Folklorico de UCLA, said he is excited by Rock the House’s inclusion of cultural performances. While his group focuses on promoting awareness of Mexican culture through traditional dance, Borjorn said he was eager to help when Rose approached his group.
“I think it’s a chance for Grupo Folklorico to work together with people from other communities for a good cause,” Borjorn said. “If it brings a smile to people’s faces, I think it’ll be worth the extra effort.”
Maggie Chu, a fourth-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student who will be the director for ACA Lion Dance’s contributions to Rock the House, said she and her team were also more than happy to help Rose, who is himself a member of ACA and ACA Lion Dance.
“We want to be able to provide entertainment to keep everyone’s spirits high,” Chu said. “And in Chinese tradition, the lion dance is meant to give fortune and good luck during happy occasions.”
