University of California Los Angeles - Bruin Life / Southern Campus Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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With over 25,000 students, UCLA is a thriving microcosm of vibrant and diverse cultures. Only here does east meet west and old meet new to form the rich and colorful tapestry that is cultural life in Westwood. This year, UCLA hosted its first annual Chinese Heritage Week, a daunting joint effort by the ACA, CCDC, CSA, CSSA, TAU and TCA to bring Chinese culture to the campus. Festivities included a costume show, exciting dance and opera performances, a recreation fair, and moderated forums on issues in the Chinese community. The Nikkei Student Union ' s 20th annual celebration of Japanese heritage on February 21st coincided with the day Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066, which sent Japanese Americans to internment camps. NSU showcased an exciting fusion of traditional Taiko drumming, graceful Odori dance and a show-stopping hip-hop performance. You can tell they put in a great deal of effort and hard work into making the production. It was an exciting experience, remarked first year psychobiology student May Tsun. Hanoolim ' s Culture Night delivered the nuances of Korean heritage in the form of an original, full-length musical which followed the adventures of Changsu, a young palace servant who risked all to win Princess Mina ' s heart in a time of devastating famines. The musical ' s traditional costumes, stirring melodies, and dramatic backdrops left an indelible impression in the audience ' s mind. The student groups here do an amazing job of providing the UCLA community with events catering to world cultures. It ' s great to see everyone get involved, remarked Faysal Saab, president of the United Arabs Society. UAS ' s annual Culture Night ( Laylat al-Fen ) showcased live Arabic music, belly dancers, calligraphers, and a poignant photo essay on the Arab world. Of course, no foray into new cultural territory would be complete without a taste of traditional cuisine. UAS obliged with Sahara Night, which included a smorgasbord of yummy Arab eats that delighted Bruin taste buds of all ethnicities. The hodgepodge of cultural events offered this year was virtually inexhaustible, what with culture nights and movie screenings to attend and food and craft fairs to peruse. With so many opportunities, there is no reason why every Bruin shouldn ' t be a culturally affluent and savvy world traveler ready to venture forth into the real world upon graduation, bl

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PRACTICE r EovbH ' aty In its new marketing campaign, UCLA posed one question: It ' s 2005. Do you know where your life is? In the gutter, grumbled first year economics student Michael Shoelkopf. Still staggering from New Year ' s festivities, the last thing on his mind was another event to attend. The majority of students know exactly what they SHOULD be doing: studying, catching up on sleep, eating, even hauling their lazy butts to the gym (remember that New Year ' s resolution?). But when that question of what to do this afternoon evening weekend popped up and study, sleep, eat or exercise didn ' t appear to be the most appealing of solutions, restless Bruins looked to what was going on around campus to fulfill such a burning question. Living in a city that doesn ' t sleep offered a scintillating choice of activities for those students who opted to go off campus for some fun. Of course there was Sunset, Hollywood and Westwood Village. But the job of the Campus Events Commission was to keep students entertained while on campus. Indie-hit Garden State played in Ackerman Grand Ballroom as part of the two-dollar movie series. Other featured films included The Motorcycle Diaries and Oscar-nominated Closer. Students and outsiders flocked to both the free Sneak Peek movie showings and the $2 already released screenings. With the wealth of talented up-and-coming music artists located within the student body, Campus Events easily scheduled noontime concerts in Westwood Plaza. Other performers were showcased in the Cooperage on Friday and Saturday evenings. For those preferring an activity with more mental stimulation than a Thursday night basketball game at Pauley, there were numerous guest speakers, such as controversial filmmaker Michael Moore who swung by the campus during Fall Quarter to disseminate his logic among willing ears. And if politics wasn ' t one ' s forte, the lyrical stvlings of Seku the Misfit were available during an on-campus Slam Poetry reading. Hmm, looks like I got me something to do, Schoelkopf replied when confronted with the Campus Events Commissions wealth of offerings. Might as well find something interesting to do to kill time. Or study, Schoelkopf advised. The UCLA campus may seem like an endless array of libraries and labs, but between classes and cramming, Campus Events provided entertainment galore. With so many things to do to fill one ' s schedule, Campus Events Commission should adopt a marketing slogan that reads, Sleeping has officially become obsolete. Wkat to do witk a, wealth crfcrptiont?

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Below: Tri Phom, David Nguyen, Reth Thoch and Oung Hoang masterfully demonstiate the martial arts in a skit set on a rainy day in Vietnam. The students were a port of the onnuol Vietnamese Tet Festival put on by the VietNomese language and Culture organization. Photographed by Angela lau Above: Between musical acts, these two students deliver passionate performances in traditional Indian garments. The annual Indian Culture Night held in the beautiful Royce Hall was o great success. Photographed by Angela Lou. Left: Thanh Pham gracefully performs a Vietnamese song as Victoria Nguyen and Ngoc An Hoang perform a traditional donee with straw hats. Held every year to celebrate the Vietnamese New Year, the Tet Festival was o fusion of music, skits, culture ond on interactive festival. Photographed by Angela lau. Above: From a scene representing a street in India, these students perform a skit giving students a look into Indian culture. The Indian Culture Night brought out mony performers with a passion for acting and singing. Photographed by Angela lau. n c c -1 Q CD 3