Editor’s note: This article contains descriptions of hazing, drinking and sexual assault.

Alumnus Susan Moore can still recall a picture-perfect day on Lake Arrowhead, laughing with her closest friends while soaking up the sun on a pontoon boat. Bruin Woods, a family camp hosted by UCLA every summer, is a special place, she said.

“It’s like coming home,” added Robin Rose, an alumnus who has been attending the camp for over 35 years.

Guests of Bruin Woods described the camp as a blissful summer escape, packed with action and friends.

Camp counselors, who are UCLA students, led activities and supervised kids while adult attendees were free to roam around and relax at the resort. Attendees did not anticipate that after over 30 years of being open, the camp would abruptly shut down in 2023 after two counselors alleged being sexually assaulted and hazed by other staffers. 

The counselors served as plaintiffs and filed a lawsuit against Bruin Woods, which abruptly suspended operations at the camp. According to Greene Broillet & Wheeler, the firm that filed on behalf of the students, the plaintiffs had been sexually assaulted by two male staffers after a night of heavy drinking.

“You would never know,” said Michael Simpson, a former attendee of Bruin Woods. “Everybody was just so friendly, and it was just really such a safe, warm environment.”

Last year, Bruin Woods welcomed guests once more after UCLA claimed to have made substantive changes to the structures of the camp. However, an investigation by the Daily Bruin, which included speaking to two former counselors, seven alumni and attendees, and UCLA Media Relations found that multiple issues remained.

Camp Counselor A, a UCLA student who worked for Bruin Woods in 2022 and requested anonymity because of fear of retaliation, said hazing traditions were ingrained into the culture of the camp when they attended.

The hazing incident on the last night of the first week was handled horribly, Counselor A said. That night involved a party with a slip and slide and nudity that first-time counselors were not made aware of beforehand, they said. That night was when one of the alleged sexual assault cases occurred, Counselor A added.

When the new counselors walked into the warehouse on the campgrounds, many of the returning counselors were naked. The event is understood by counselors to be an annual tradition, but despite former counselors telling everyone in years prior what to expect on the night and not to come if uncomfortable, they chose not to do so in 2022.

“If they would have said, ‘We have this tradition – there’s nudity involved. If you’re not comfortable with that, don’t come,’ it would have been fine – but they didn’t,” Counselor A said.

The general drinking culture of the camp is ingrained in the traditions of Bruin Woods, with many counselors drinking copious amounts of alcohol, Counselor A said.

“It saddens me, but I also know that many of us were college students at one time, and whether it’s appropriate or inappropriate, it happens,” said alumnus Debra Totten, who has attended Bruin Woods for more than 25 years, in response to the allegations of hazing at the camp.

Drinking culture among current college students seems more intense than when Totten was in college, she said.

The counselors’ bosses probably engaged in Bruin Woods traditions during their time as counselors, Counselor A said. They added that some of these bosses knew a little bit about what was occurring in the camp.

The plaintiffs declined to comment.

While attendees were not aware of the hazing occurring among the counselors, once the news broke, it was not difficult to imagine that hazing activities could have happened, Bruin Woods attendee Neil Cadman said. 

However, while she was upset by the ingrained drinking and hazing culture among the counselors, Totten said she still looked forward to returning to Bruin Woods because she believed it provided a fun and relaxing environment for attendees.

Cadman added that he believed the friendships made at Bruin Woods were unique because families who often didn’t see each other during the year knew they would see each other annually during the camp.

“That’s sort of the magic of Bruin Woods,” Cadman said.

Despite reassurance from UCLA, Bruin Woods’ long-standing tradition and a commitment to a “facade of perfection” meant that little had changed at the camp, said Camp Counselor B, who wished to remain anonymous because of fear of retaliation.

Counselor B said they joined the camp because they thought it would be a fun way to meet people and teach kids. But they said as time progressed, the glaring issues of the camp became unmanageable, leading them to leave two weeks early.

“I quit because I couldn’t do this anymore,” Counselor B said.

The only noted change in the Bruin Woods structure, according to UCLA Media Relations, is the involvement of UCLA Student Affairs, whose staff will now train, supervise and provide support services to the student counselor staff. According to an emailed statement from UCLA, the Lake Arrowhead Lodge teamed up with UCLA Recreation to review Bruin Woods and make substantive changes. 

However, in order to facilitate change, Bruin Woods should remove individuals who have engaged or intend to engage in inappropriate behavior, Totten said.

One of the alleged assaulters did leave a holiday camp that was held for Thanksgiving after other counselors emailed their boss refusing to work with him, Counselor A said. Additionally, one of the counselors accused of assault was removed from Bruin Woods after the incident, Counselor A said.

According to UCLA Media Relations, the summer program will now span six days a week, allowing downtime for student counselors and staff. Previously, the student staff did not get breaks on weekends and only had a day or a day and a half off per week, Counselor A said. They worked 60-hour work weeks, Counselor A said. Media Relations did not comment on whether counselors are receiving additional days off other than Sunday.

Counselors were still frequently sleep deprived and working an unhealthy amount this year, Counselor B said. They felt pressured into having more energy even when they felt tired and overworked. 

“There was a big culture issue with the guests having horrible, unrealistic expectations for us because they didn’t know us, and they didn’t like us, and they were mean to us,” Counselor B said.

Counselor B added that they thought this year’s Bruin Woods counselors did not bring any traditions with them, and none of them felt like it was an honor to be there.

“The guests hated us, especially the first few weeks, because we had no idea what we were doing,” Counselor B said.They said they understood that the Bruin families really care about the camp, but it was not fair that they lashed out at the counselors as a result.

On one occasion, a drunk guest instigated a physical altercation with a camp counselor before it was broken up by another guest, Counselor B said. The guest was not removed from the camp because he had been attending for 32 years.

Rose said the shortened Bruin Woods schedule for summer 2024 led to deviations from the normal routine, creating inconveniences for attendees. 

“It just wasn’t the same,” Rose said.

Rose said that the operation of the camp was lacking in 2024 and that she didn’t get to connect with counselors as much as she had in years past. Bruin Woods management needs to discuss fine-tuning the schedule of events at the camp with attendees, she added.

“I think they had to really sort of look hard for counselors this year,” Rose said. “There certainly weren’t enough.”

Counselor B said part of the issue was that Bruin Woods in the past was not seen as a job. They said it was seen as a privilege to be there as counselors – something their boss had told them. 

“Counselors would take an extra quarter at UCLA so they could come back,” Counselor B said.  “It wasn’t a job environment. It was a celebrity status-type thing.”

This year, the counselors were just there to work and earn money, they said.

“It was never a cult thing because there was no cult to be a part of. We were all just there to work,” Counselor B said.

When asked what adjustments Bruin Woods had made in response to the 2022 alleged sexual assaults, Counselor B said they worked less hours than prior years’ counselors.

Counselor B also added that the counselors had lectures on alcohol use, but what occurred the prior year was never discussed.

These measures did not address the conditions behind the alleged sexual assault cases of 2022, Counselor B said. Even with a new cohort, there was no shortage of drinking and smoking at the camp, they said.

The counselors had to complain quite strongly and incessantly for their concerns to be addressed, Counselor B added.

The Bruin Woods administration has a tendency of neglecting problems and then performing PR damage control when the issue blows over, Counselor B added.

“I don’t want to be a part of a work environment that prioritizes saving face over the safety … of the employees,” they said.