Week four: Mourning Kobe Bryant, Hitch Suites assault, new CARE director
(Left: Jintak Han/Daily Bruin senior staff
Top right: Martín Bilbao/Daily Bruin senior staff
Bottom right: Daily Bruin file photo)
By Samantha Dorfan
Jan. 31, 2020 11:45 a.m.
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.
As students fall victim to impending midterms and the fast-approaching mid-quarter slump, it can be difficult to keep up with the news. From the death of Kobe Bryant to an assault at Hitch Suites, here’s The Quad’s roundup of week four’s top stories.
New Director of Campus Assault Resources and Education transitions into position
The UCLA Campus Assault Resources and Education center hired a new director, Jennifer Jiries, after her predecessor left her post in May.
Jiries plans to use her position at the center, which works to educate students about sexual assault and advocate for survivors, and her background working with marginalized communities, to reach a wide array of populations on campus.
Jiries isn’t the only addition to CARE. Over the past four years, the center has grown into a program independent of Counseling and Psychological Services by hiring additional staff members, advocates and researchers in order to meet student need.
According to Nicole Green, executive director of CAPS and previous interim director of CARE, the expansion of the program has required time – particularly given the challenging nature of the work and the diversity of the student population at UCLA.
Students react to the death of former Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant
Waves of shock and sorrow rocked the campus community after students heard about the death of Kobe Bryant – a former guard for the Los Angeles Lakers – on Sunday.
Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna Bryant both died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas. All nine people on board were killed.
Reactions among the student body ranged from disbelief to sadness.
Christian Parks, a second-year human biology and society student, said he watched Bryant play throughout his childhood, as did Mert Gulen, a fourth-year business economics student who said he sought to emulate Bryant’s moves on the court. A second-year public affairs student, Joshua Mimura, said he thought the report was false at first.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti also noted the magnitude of Kobe’s impact on the world of sports and society at large, sending condolences to his wife and three daughters.
UCPD searching for two men following assault at Hitch Suites
University police are on the search for two men accused of using a handgun to assault two people at Hitch Suites on Tuesday.
According to Lt. Kevin Kilgore, no shots were fired and only one of the victims sustained minor injuries; the other was unharmed.
The two men fled towards Sunset Boulevard in a gray Dodge Charger four-door sedan after the assault. Both men were between 18 and 22 and their motive was unknown.
The incident is still under investigation. Anyone with information should alert UCPD by calling 310-825-1491.
Students share concerns about facial recognition on campus security cameras
Students voiced their concerns during a town hall meeting Wednesday about UCLA’s potential implementation of a facial recognition software to the security camera system.
The software was proposed as part of a revised draft of Policy #133 which details the security camera system on campus. The facial recognition system would be used to identify individuals who have been given orders to stay away from campus as well as those against whom students have restraining orders.
Many students believe the system to be a breach of their privacy and a futile designation of resources.
Angela Li, a third-year political science and Asian American studies student, said resources would be put to better use if they were used to provide other support for students, such as victims of domestic abuse, who require restraining orders. Madeleine Flores, a first-year psychobiology student, said the facial recognition system makes her fear for her undocumented family who are already afraid of just walking on the street.
